Another 13.1 was going to be in the bag by the end of today. This will only be my second half marathon distance, along with a 13 miler several months ago. Here are Frank’s notes:
“Let’s get a half completed and see how the body is responding. Maintaining HR gives us a good idea of your how we are looking for you to hold pace”
Here are my notes:
“I'm not putting in an average HR, because there were two HRM issues. A minor blip occurred about a mile in (203 & 207 bpm) while a major malfunction occurred between 7.5 and 10.5 miles (241 bpm). I saw a 200+ reading around mile 11 and realized that my strap had slipped lower on my chest. After adjusting it back higher, my HR reading immediately fell back to 162. Looking at the chart, I was mainly between 156 & 170. My average HR was probably closer to 163. That's pretty good for me! Legs felt good and strong. 5 PowerBar gels & about 20oz of water.
Is there ANY possibility that these ongoing “blips” aren’t blips at all? I mean, is it actually possible that I’m hitting maximums of 241 bpm? I can see 203, but not for the pace I’m at. What could be causing these over and over? Low chest strap battery? Chest strap slipping too low? Faulty HRM? Keep in mind, these blips are a newer occurrence and didn’t happen when I first started using it.
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51680124
Monday, October 4th
RECOVERY DAY!
Tuesday, October 5th
Another double day. This time, it was a 7 mile run and a 3200 yard swim.
Frank’s notes:
“7 mile run keeping HR in high end of ZIII. Hold on to your strong tempo and let’s look at this as a great opportunity to work leg turnover. Easy/quick feet touching the ground lightly”
My notes:
“Only thing I was concentrating on was the quick turnover. The first mile was spent working out the stiffness of Sunday's half marathon, mile two felt good, and the rest felt awesome. No soreness, stiffness, laboring, shortness of breath, or signs of struggling. I did this exact same route on 09/28 so it's interesting to compare the data. Then = 10:38 pace and 151 ave HR. Today = 8:55 pace and 170 ave HR. No gels and just a few sips of water.”
If this running thing ever pans out for me, I will probably look back at today as the turning point. For me, going a sub 9 min/mile for 7 miles is always a treat. This time however, it seemed effortless. Could I have gone faster? Probably! It will be interesting to see the notes on my future run to see if there is an “upward trend” to how I feel/perform.
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51803522
A HUGE microburst storm came rolling through the Phoenix area and absolutely pounded us with rain, lightning, and golf ball sized hail. I called the YMCA and they told me that they were shutting down the pool for the rest of the day regardless if the storm broke. With that said, I sent Frank a text to see if I could use the Lifetime indoor pool. Since I’m training with him, it was OK. When I got there, there were signs that indicated that ALL pools (outdoor AND indoor) were closed. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but after several minutes, the lifeguards opened the indoor pool and I was off. Just as I was getting warmed up (about 950 yards in), the lifeguards kicked us out. They said that another storm was moving in and rules dictate that even the indoor pool needs to be closed during lightning. Well, looks like I have to move the workout to tomorrow (weather permitting).
Here is what I was SUPPOSED to do:
Warm Up
3 x 200 swim easy (:20 RI) - COMPLETED
6 x 50 kick (:10 RI) - COMPLETED
Main Set
4 x 50 swim (:45 SI) – ONLY DID ONE OF THE 50’s
3 x 100 swim (1:35 SI)
2 x 150 swim (2:30 SI)
2 x 200 swim (3:15 SI)
2 x 150 swim (2:20 SI)
3 x 100 swim (1:30 SI)
4 x 50 swim (:45 SI)
2 x 50 easy (1:00 SI)
Pull easy for 200 cool down
Not what you expect to see at an INDOOR pool when there's bad weather OUTSIDE:
Wednesday, October 6th
Typical mid-week ride, right? Nope! Instead of the usual 45+ mile ride, Frank wanted me going easy. Here are his notes:
“Easy ride today, tapering from heavy mileage this week. Preparing for final 4 week push to Ironman”
WOW! “Preparing for the final 4 week push to Ironman” It’s right around the corner! Where has the last 10 months gone?!?
At any rate, I wanted to get back in time to have breakfast with my son (a morning ritual we have @ 6AM). Typically, I miss Wednesday’s, but since he specifically asked me the night before, how could I say no? That being said, since this was going to be an uber slow pace, I know I could ride longer in the dark. Roll time? 3:30 AM! I kept it simple and close to home. I explored side streets and avenues that I have previously zoomed by. Overall, it was enjoyable, but it was mentally challenging being in the saddle for that long and not producing the normal miles. Average HR = 96 bpm….SERIOUSLY?!?!
My notes:
“Easy enough for you?”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51927931
I had to make up yesterday’s swim workout today. When I got on deck, however, I realized that I had left the workout at home. The only thing that I could remember was the warm up, the 1st 50’s, and the 200 pull warm down. Sooo, I put together something that I thought resembled what I was supposed to do:
Warm Up
3 x 200 swim easy (:20 RI)
6 x 50 kick (:10 RI)
Main Set
8 x 50 swim (:45 SI)
4 x 100 swim (1:30 SI)
2 x 200 swim (3:30 SI)
4 x 100 swim (1:30 SI)
2 x 200 swim (3:30 SI)
4 x 100 swim (1:30 SI)
8 x 50 swim (:45 SI)
Pull easy for 200 cool down
My notes:
“All in all, I felt good and came in under all intervals. 3300 total.”
Thursday, October 7th
I had some business to take care of in San Diego, so I brought the family along for a short get away. As a result, today was designated as a travel day with no workouts.
Friday, October 8th
Had to put in 10 miles total today. Frank broke it up into a 6 mile morning run and a 4 mile evening run to “flush the legs.” We were staying at my friend’s condo in downtown San Diego. We were literally minutes from Balboa Park, PetCo Park, Seaport Village, and the Midway museum. Not quite sure what to expect, I took off at 6AM and headed west. It was a very cool morning and I noticed that it help my legs as well as the general feel of the run. Typically, I start out a bit slower and work my way into a steady pace. Today, however, I was able to turn the legs over faster right away. Was it the weather? Have I turned the running corner? I don’t know, but whatever it is, it was good. I ran past PetCo Park (home of the Padres), down the bay (through Seaport Village) and over to the museum. I snapped a couple of pics along the way and then got turned around on my way back (thus adding an additional ½ mile to my run).
Here are my notes:
“Your text indicated that I was to do a 6 mile run in the AM and then a 4 mile run in the PM to flush the legs. I was able to complete this run comfortably at a higher pace than anticipated. Overall, I felt fantastic. No leg fatigue, shortness of breath, laboring, or having to "push through it"
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52580129
If you could read this at all, it would say, "Historic Heart of San Diego - Gaslamp District"
Monument outside of the Midway museum:
Midway:
After I completed my work requirements, in Rancho Bernardo, we headed back to the condo. Once there, I decided that I was going to run in Balboa Park. About ¾ of a mile in, I saw a gate that lead to a trail off the beaten path. I decided to get off the cement and head for the dirt. It was pretty cool until a came across a HUGE flight of stairs that didn’t seem to end. This was supposed to be an easy run that “flushed my legs!” Not sure this was going to accomplish that. I decided to take it easy and just walk up. Once at the top, I saw that the staircase actually had a name! At any rate, I continued the rest of my run on the pavement. I ran by fortune tellers, a guy playing the bagpipes, and a number of different museums. Ultimately, this was a great run that did what it was supposed to do.
My notes:
“Again, felt absolutely great! Kept a slower pace per your instructions.”
Link to workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52580151
Somehow, I don't think this was what Frank intended when he said, "Flush the legs":
They were so long, they had their own name:
Saturday, October 9th
I was supposed to do another split running day. This time, it was 6 in the AM and 3 in the PM with these instructions for the 6:
“Tempo run. 5 minute warm up pick up the pace hold in top end of ZIII”
And for the 3:
“3 mile flush, easy turnover of the legs, flush out any lactate from the morning run”
Only problem was that I didn’t log in to get it. As we were sitting on the 5th floor balcony, filling another glass of red and watching my son color, I made the decision to not even look it up. Since we still had half a bottle to go and we were going to be at Sea World for about 9 hours tomorrow, I was fine with making it up on Sunday. That, however, will have to wait until next week’s blog.
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