Taper time

Well it's been a low volume summer of training, and my first 70.3 since 2011 is in just 6 days. I'm not really sure what I can expect, and it's difficult for me to admit to myself that this most likely will not be my best performance nor will it be a PR. But only race day will show me what I'm capable of, and maybe it won't be so bad. Below is my training for the past month.

It is what it is. I just looked back through my training log from 2011, and I was working a lot harder back then... The last 70.3 I did was in May of 2011 and for the 8 weeks prior to the race I had putting in 12-17 hours very consistently. I had actually forgotten how much time I used to spend training.... In that last race I swam 36 minutes (with a 170 heart rate), rode 2:43 (HR 156), and ran a 1:30 (HR 164) for a finishing time of 4:54. It was also one week after I was hit by a car while riding my bike, so I remember my hip being tight and not being able to really get my legs going on the bike. I know at the time I was hoping to be in the 4:30s-4:40s. I would love to be able to stay under 5 hours at the race coming up, but it's all going to depend on how the bike goes. I'm riding carbon this time around with a tt helmet (both of which I didn't have last time) so hopefully that "free speed" everyone on slowtwitch talks about will pay off. If I can manage a decent bike split while getting enough calories in I should still be able to run around 1:30 on a flat course. Again though, only race day will show what I can do.

On a totally different note, I purchased my first pieces of art last week. These TdF prints are AWESOME and will be decorating my house and office.

http://justeleanor.bigcartel.com/product/tour-de-france-100-set-of-5-prints

Later this week I'll write up a little more about race prep/strategy and some bike upgrades that have happened lately. Thanks for reading!

Spinning things out

After some serious muscle soreness from the race Sunday, I took Monday and Tuesday totally off. Today I got in the saddle for an EASY 1hr bike and my legs feel SO much better. Truthfully I should have gotten on the bike for a spin yesterday, but I slept in. Whoops! Regardless, I'm glad the legs feel better. The biggest thing I need to figure out right now is how to lead up to the 70.3 I have in just 2 weeks. Here's what I'm thinking...

Tomorrow - 1:00/:30 BRick in the morning and :30 swim in the evening.
Friday - 1:30 bike in the am, 1:00 run pm
Saturday - 3:00 bike
Sunday - 1:30 run, :30 swim
Monday - rest and start to taper...

This is an odd taper for me because I like to use a 10-14 day taper for a 70.3, but with my lack of fitness right now, I'm going to try to build as much as I can up to the race. It's a little risky, and I'm not sure I'll even feel the fitness gained from a longish weekend of training. That's the plan though! I'm really just hoping I can gut through the race, get some fitness from it, and come out better on the other side. I have to keep my eye on the big prize, which is IMLP 2014.

Do great work!
Thanks for reading.

Very hill 13.1

I had an OK week of training last week. I got on the bike a few times, got in the pool a few times, ran twice, and raced a half marathon yesterday (Sunday). My fitness isn't where I want it to be, but it is where it is.

I went into the half marathon tired - did a track workout Wednesday that beat me up a little bit and then rode for 3 hours on Saturday. Even knowing this, however, it's tough for me to put my ego on the shelf and admit that I'm not going to PR. So, I went out pretty hard (not smart) and was with the front 5 at mile 3. But that's when the hills started and my legs stopped. I was through the first 4 miles in about 24:20, but I wanted to quit. After a few rolling downhills my HR came down a little, but when I started a mile long climb from mile 5-6, I got passed by 3 guys. I tried to latch on to the pack, but I just couldn't. My heart was beating through my chest, I had chills, and my legs were screaming. Once I crested the hill I actually had to slow to a walk for about 15 seconds just to get my HR to dip below 190. I was able to keep eyes on the pack of 3 for about another mile and a half down the backside of the long hill, but they soon were out of sight and I was running alone. As I passed the not-so-accurately spaced mile markers I kept trying to guess what my finishing time would be, knowing that it would be my worst 13.1 to date. I had to walk one more time around mile 9 as I passed through an aid station. At mile 12, as I walked through another aid station which was manned by a few of my colleagues, 2 young guys caught me. I picked it up to stay on their shoulders and one of them faded back. The other kid still had quite a bit in the tank and with 800 meters to go he took off. He ended up beating me by 45 seconds.

I crossed the line with a 1:26:xx, 9th OA, and 2nd in my AG. My heart rate average for the race was 190 and I peaked at 205 bpm. The results were not bad, but it wasn't what I'm capable of. It was a hard effort though, which will inevitably make me stronger. I've got to get a nice long bike in some time this week because in 2 weeks I'll be "racing" a 70.3 that I'll taper for.

But enough about me... My wife had quite a different day on the course - she set a 20 minute half marathon PR and earned 2nd in her AG!! I'm super proud of her and know she's going to DESTROY the Atlantic City marathon in October.

Do great work!
Thanks for reading!
PW

Pedal change

The past few weeks I've been having some foot pain on longer rides and when I get my weekly mileage up. When I picked out my Cannondale Slice back in November, I decided to go with Speedplay pedals (basically because of some good marketing strategies). I thought I would like the extra float and the light weight. What I've found is that the smaller pedal surface and lack of stability is just not for me. I held on for a few weeks thinking that my foot would just get used to it, but finally I decided that I would go back to the Shimano pedals. I even treated myself a little bit and went with the carbon Shimano Ultegra pedals to try and keep the new ride super lightweight. Then I got a little carried away and decided to upgrade the brakes on the slice to Ultegra too. I should hopefully break even with the upgrades because I'll sell the Speedplay pedals and the Tekro brakes that are coming off the Slice.

It will be interesting to see if I really notice a difference... Sure the Slice will look a little sexier and come in a few grams lighter, but I'm always curious as to how this will affect my actual performance. I couldn't pull the trigger on them just yet, but some race wheels are rolling through my mind... I'm hoping for Christmas/birthday this year I will end up with some.

Despite the footpain I had a decent week on the bike last week, which was capped off by a nice 3 hour ride on Friday. I managed to get in the pool 4 times, which was 1 less than I was hoping for. I'm going to set some similar goals for this week. 5 swims, 8 hrs on the bike, and a couple runs.

This coming week is a half marathon for me, so I'll have an idea of just how in/out of shape I am. There aren't any real expectations because I'll be riding long on Saturday and just trying to gut through the 13.1 on Sunday.

Last week in review

Not a bad week last week, but not a great one. 

Only one swim, which didn't feel very good at all. I meant to get back in on Thursday and Friday, but it just didn't happen for one reason or another. I did watch a really good interview with Gerry Rodriguez of Tower 26 swimming out in CA. The dude knows what he's talking about - thanks for the recommendation, D. I'll touch more on what I learned in a different post later on. The goal for swimming this week is to get in the water everyday. I got in this morning and felt pretty good, so I'm headed the right direction thus far.

I put in about 75 miles on the bike, which is also quite a disappointment. There was a ride scheduled for Sunday too, but it got nixed because of a hangover and low motivation. I've got to do something about that. I'm riding OK, but I could/should be riding better. I need to get a few 3+ hour rides in before September. Goal for the bike this week is to be in the saddle for 8 or more hours this week. I've got it on paper, so let's see if I can hit the numbers.

I was happy with my run this week considering the training I've been doing. I did a double run on Monday, had a good track workout on Wednesday, and then hit the pavement for ~16 miles on Saturday and felt good the whole time. I didn't know how my body would react to a long run, but I was happy with how it held up. HR was where I needed it to be, didn't bonk, running in some new Kinvaras felt awesome. Quite content with how the run went.

That's all for now. I got a few new toys last week for the swim and the bike. I'll snap some pics and put them up later this week.

Onward and upward.
Thanks for reading.

Getting back on (the) track

Part of the reason I'm bringing back the blog is to hold me accountable for my training. I've really struggled this summer to get into a routine, and it's showing. My weight is up and my speed and durability is down...it's ugly. My swim is just horrendous right now. I haven't done anything over 2k in probably 18 months. My bike is meh... I've been on it on and off, but mostly just for maintenance - no long rides (over 60 miles), very little speed and hill work. My run is weak too. I haven't done a long run of over 1:30 this summer that I can remember. Some of the turnover is still there as I did a 5x800 track workout this morning (and thought of the title for today's musings) that didn't go horribly. I'm not sure what the numbers I hit this morning would translate to in a longer race.

My original plan (months ago) had been to be focused during the summer months and race an olympic distance tri in August, a 70.3 in September, and run a marathon in October. I've decided to scratch the Oly race and try and use these next 5 weeks to get ready for the 70.3. From there I'll decide whether or not I'll run the full marathon in October or just do 1/2. I've never been one to mentally be able to have a "B" race or just race to get fit. That might be what I have to do this fall though.

The first "test" will be to see how I handle the next 5 weeks leading up to a local 70.3 at the Jersey Shore. I'm going to hop right into the middle of a Matt Fitzgerald program even though I haven't done the appropriate build up for it.

Lots on my mind, so there will be some good reads coming up! To hire a coach or to self-coach?! The pressure of my last year in the 25-29 age group. More goal setting, and the big question: what am I capable of? Check back for more...

Oh yeah, and here are some pictures from the past few weeks/months that are share worthy.

Andy Potts dominated for the second year in a row at IMLP. I'm a HUGE fan.

Maddy was a stripper...

The challenged athletes give me chills. Amazing stuff.

New swim start at IMLP. I think it will definitely help me out next year.

We drank some good beers.

I got some new toys that should translate to free speed.

I got Maddy an engagement ring and she got me a bike. That, my friends, is a perfect relationship.

PW

I'm back!

Anyone still out there reading? I've decided to bring the blog back. I'm ready to commit to training and racing again, and this should help me stay on track. The past year (really two) I had so many other things going on that I just couldn't hanker down and commit to triathlon, so the blog (along with my training and racing) fell by the wayside.

Here's a quick summary of what happened:

1. I got married! Maddy and I are as happy as can be. Things are great. I highly recommend getting married to anyone considering it. I'm sure I'll have some that disagree with me, but it's even better than racing an Ironman.

2. I finished my MA at Villanova. It was tough, but taught me a lot about myself (and Spanish literature).

3. I got a new job! I'm no longer teaching, but still working in education. I started July 1, so it's still very new, but I'm extremely happy where I am.

4. We moved. No more city living. While there are things I'll miss, I now have miles upon miles of open roads and trails to bike and run on. There are also some lakes around here that will make it easier to open water swim. And Philly isn't too far away. I'm sure we'll get down to the city often enough.

5. Mad and I volunteered for IMLP last weekend, and I signed up for 2014! The energy of Lake Placid during race week along with the stupid expense of the race entry should be just the kick in the pants I need to get back in shape.

The goal is to get into a good routine and get a strong base under me leading into 2014. I know I have a year, but I have some big goals for IMLP next year. I'd really like to knock off about 10 minutes from my 2011 swim (1:17), 20 minutes off the bike (5:33), and 10 minutes off my run (3:23). I believe it can be done, but the only way to do it is put in the work - and it's going to require a lot of work.

That's all for now. I'll post again some time next week to document my current fitness, set some short term goals, and put up some pictures from the volunteering side of the race.