Since I missed yesterday’s split running workout (6 miles in the AM and 3 in the PM) I texted Frank, once we were home, to see if he wanted me to make it up today. His response? “If you feel like it” and added that I should concentrate on keeping my HR in check. With that, I helped unpack the car, got my running gear on, and headed out for a leisurely 9 mile run. Not one mile in, I knew this wasn’t a good idea. Here are my notes to Frank:
“I missed your scheduled 6 mile AM / 3 mile PM run on Saturday, so (with your permission) I did a 9 mile run on Sunday. Your last text simply said to "watch HR", so that was my absolute #1 focus here. Not just 1 mile in, the muscles surrounding my shins were hurting so bad, I had to stop and stretch. Every time my HR krept to 160, I backed off. Overall, a very boring and grinding run. Probably not smart trying to accomplish this after sitting for 6 hours (drive home)”
I couldn’t believe how unbelievably painful this run was. Not just physically, but mentally. The entire run, I was fighting stubborn legs and a “let’s just get this over with” mentality. I never really did loosen up.
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52580165
Monday, October 11th
Recovery Day!
Tuesday, October 12th
On tap was a 7 mile morning run and an afternoon swim. Here are Frank’s notes for the run:
“7 mile run keeping HR in high end of ZII high end and low end of ZIII”
And here are mine:
“Had the same problem with the muscles around the shin area as I did on Sunday's run. This time, however, I was able to stretch 'em out WHILE running (instead of stopping). Around 1.5 - 2.0 miles in was when they started feeling better. Overall, a fairly good run for me. No water or gels. Almost neg split every mile.”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52846789
Here is the swim routine:
WARM UP
2 x (100sw + 4 x 50sw +100 kick) (:15 RI)
6 x 50 fast (1:00 SI)
MAIN SET
5 x 100 swim (1:45 SI)
4 x 50 swim (1:00 SI)
4 x 100 swim (1:43 SI)
3 x 50 swim (1:00 SI)
3 x 100 swim (1:40 SI)
2 x 50 swim (1:15 SI)
2 x 100 swim (1:45 SI)
200 easy
WARM DOWN
4 x 50 easy
My notes:
“Another solid swim. I had either 30 seconds or 45 seconds of rest on each set.”
Wednesday, October 13th
Frank’s instructions for today’s 3 hour moderate bike ride:
“Holding a HR in ZII-low end of ZIII I want you to think as if you are on the second loop of the B- Line keeping the HR under control and feeling strong for the final loop”
My response:
“My RPE was telling me that I was keeping my HR under control, but my darn HRM was having an absolute field day. It was showing 130 while holding a steady pace uphill and 203 when coasting to a stop. Go figure. Overall, I felt fine and had plenty in the tank when I was done.”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52846808
I’ve been thinking about buying a new pair of goggles for quite some time now. The ones I have (TYR Team Sprint) are fine for lap swimming and racing, but not so much for open water. Another reason for wanting a second pair is that I’d have a backup if a strap snapped just before the big race. I headed over to a local sports shop and perused the various different styles, prices, and colors before settling on a pair of Aqua Sphere Kayenne’s with smoke colored lenses. I’ll let you know how they work after my next swim.
TYR Team Sprint goggles:
Aqua Sphere Kayenne:
Thursday, October 14th
Swim and bike day. Today’s swim workout was a bit different than expected. Frank wanted me to swim for 30 minutes without stopping and count the total length covered. He had the workout intensity listed as a 1 out of 5 (easy). Did that mean I was to just that? Go easy and see how far I went or did he make a mistake. I texted him for confirmation and he replied that he was looking for me to go nice and easy. With that in mind, I slipped my Garmin inside of my swim cap and set the timer for 30 minutes. Here are my notes:
“84 lengths. Felt great.” – That’s 2100 yards.
As for the new goggles, I think they’ll work just fine. The first thing I noticed was the super comfy feel they had. My Sprint’s have a hard plastic nose piece that gets uncomfortable after a while. The second thing that I noticed was that they have more of a “flexi” type of lens. This adds to the comfort, but distorts my view a bit underwater. With my hard lens Team Sprint’s, everything is as clear as a bell when under water, but with the Kayenne’s, it was a bit blurry. We’ll see how this goes during an open water swim where the water is murky and there is no need to spot lines on the bottom of upcoming walls.
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53065554
Right after my swim, I headed home and rounded up my riding gear for my weekly speed ride in Anthem. I made it in time to get about a 30 min warm-up in before we got down to business. Here are my notes:
“Data includes warm-up & warm-down. Wasn't feeling it tonight. I was probably a 2/2.5 out of 5. Was never in contention for a top 3 finish. A few people commented that I looked off too. I was able to get in 4 good speed laps and one below average.”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53065560
Friday, October 15th
Earlier in the week, I asked Frank if I could make the weekly Bartlett Lake swim part of my routine (vs. more pool time) and he said yes. Once again, I tucked my Garmin in my swim cap, tied it to my goggles, and headed out. Here are my notes:
“Wanted to see what it felt like to swim for one hour, non-stop, in the open water. Not quite race pace, but not an easy pace either. 1.98 miles in 56 min. I felt smooth, strong, and efficient. I had PLENTY of gas left in the tank when I got back on shore.”
As for the new goggles, they worked perfectly. They didn’t fog nor did they leak. That blurry effect I got in the pool was non-existent in the lake too. So far, I’d say that these goggles are a solid purchase for me.
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53065563
My playground:
One of the guys on the AZ Masters team is working at an athletic performance place and was offering VO2 max testing for free. After a couple of weeks, we were able to nail down a time slot for today for me to come in. Talk about a workout!!!! First off was the treadmill. He got me all hooked up and let it rip. The first 5 minutes are a walk in the park. It’s the last 5, especially the last 2, which really kick you in the gut. I was able to put in the 10 minutes he was looking for, but had to immediately shut it down. That darn mask makes it extremely difficult to breathe at all! After the treadmill, I had about a 20 minute break before hopping on my bike (on a trainer) and started a new set of tests. This test was based on HR and watts. He would tell me to hold a certain wattage for a certain period of time before increasing the numbers. I only lasted about 9 minutes. I won’t bore you with all of the scientific details (I’m not sure I understand them all anyway), but I will give you my HR zones:
RUN
ZONE 2 = 152 -170
ZONE 3 = 170 -179
ZONE 4 = 179 – 188
ZONE 5 = 188 – 193
BIKE
ZONE 2 = 145 – 162
ZONE 3 = 162 – 171
ZONE 4 = 171 -182
ZONE 5 = 182 – 187
If you go back to that demoralizing “zone 2 ride” I had back on 08/21, we all thought that my zone 2 was the “typical” 133 bpm. While I was off there, I did realize that the bulk of my training has, in fact, been done in the proper zones! Maybe I didn’t need the 9+ days off, but I sure did enjoy them and wouldn’t change a thing. Fact is, I most definitely needed some recovery days back then.
Saturday, October 16th
Another 5 ½ hour, 100+ mile, ride was scheduled for today. Nothing really abnormal about this ride, so I’ll point out a few “different” things. We were fairly fluid for the first 40 miles until James had to use the restroom. While he was inside, I made a loop around the adjacent neighborhood. About 42 miles in, we came across Carlos Mendoza, on the side of the road, with a flat. We made sure he was OK, made some small talk, and continued on. About 67 miles in, it was time for another bathroom break. Between miles 69 and 80, it seems like we must’ve hit about 20 stop lights. At mile 80, we randomly saw Kristi and the kids and exchanged some waves/smiles. Miles 81-83 saw us getting lost in a neighborhood maze. Mile 98 is where James and I split up. He wanted to get another hour in and I was sticking to coaches plans of 5 ½ total.
Here are my notes:
“Check out that average HR! Overall, a pretty normal 100+ mile ride with nothing new to report. 5 PowerBar gels, 2 mini PayDay bars, and 76oz of regular strength EFS drink.”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53490651
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