August Numbers

As I look back at my training log for the month of August, I don’t really see anything that particularly stands out to me on a physical level.  Oh, sure, there was that “break out” session on the track on 09/21 and there may have been several long runs that I felt pretty good in, but nothing of note, on the bike or in the water.  This month seemed more like a training plateau than anything else.  The one major thing that did occur was that I was able to confirm that I can’t do solid food on the bike for fuel.  Per Carlos’ notes, I was not to take anything other than water on rides of 3 hours or less and up to this month, I’ve only been doing rides AT 3 hours or less.  My first real opportunity to test out Eric’s “clean/solid fuel” method came on 08/11 during a prescribed 3hr 30min ride.  Carlos had one of his workouts that entailed various tempo efforts along the way, but I decided to do a team time trial practice instead.  Here are my notes:

“Decided to practice TTT with James Bruce, Ben Gherardi, and Joel Gerber. As a result, the prescribed workout wasn't adhered too. This led me to mentally check out early. Was ready to be done with over 9 miles left in the ride. HR was in Z3 during my 30min COOL DOWN. No power and high HR during those last 9 miles. Dinner the night before = Brown rice and chicken. Bfast = 1/2C oatmeal & 1/4C blueberries & 3T almond butter. On bike nutrition = 24 almonds, 1 banana, and water. Very unhappy with this ride”

My school of thought on the nutrition was that, up until this point, I was able to complete 3 hour rides with only water, so I really didn’t need much more.  I also didn’t want to load up on a bunch of different stuff and then not be able to determine which worked the best.  Finally, have you ever tried to bring along a banana, almonds, and/or a sandwich during a ride?!?!  Where does it all go?  Not a good idea as this ride was dreadful.

My next opportunity came 2 weeks later, on 08/25, with the following instructions:

“Ride high zone 2 for 1.5 hours. This is constant pressure on pedals. 1 set of 40 minutes at 70.3 effort with a 30 second spike to Olympic every 10 mins. Steady for the remainder of the ride. Last 30 minutes back to constant pressure on pedals. Such as what it would feel like on IM Day. Good day to experiment with your nutrition. Know what works and what does not! Sodium?  Gels?  Liquid Only?  You need to know this by now.”

The perfect venue for this type of ride was the actual IM course itself, so I talked James and George Galindo into tagging along and doing the same thing (even though Carlos had James doing something a bit different).  I also took those last few sentences as a shot across my bow about not knowing what the hell I’m planning on for nutrition this late in the game.  I also had difficulty with said shot since I was instructed to only use water on rides less than 3 hours and then only being given rides of that length!  At any rate, Carlos was right, it was time to determine if the solid food thing was in my future or if I had to go back to what I was familiar with.

Here are my notes from the ride:

“71.12 miles in 3:27:44 = 20.5 ave mph = not too shabby. I spent the day going in and out of feeling strong. One segment was great and I had power to the pedals only to be followed by fatigue and uncomfortable. Today solidified that I can't do solid foods on the bike. I will probably be returning to what I know (gels). On bike nutrition = 3 scoops of EFS in 28oz water. Almonds, PB and honey on a white bread bagel thin, banana, & 48oz plain water.”

I confirmed that I couldn’t do solids when I tried to finish the second half of my PB & honey sandwich during the last hour of the ride.  I took one bite and immediately had difficulty chewing it.  My mouth was too dry, it took too much energy to chew, and I couldn’t get in adequate oxygen with my mouth full.  As a result of all of these factors, I ended up spitting out what was in my mouth and putting the rest away in my bento box.  Done, no more solids for me on the bike, PERIOD!  I’ve been this way since I started cycling back in 2008, but it never hurts to try something new.  Lesson learned.

One other item to note is that I’ve been using the Beta-Alanine and Kre-Alkalyn supplements for about 6 weeks now and I can honestly say that I can’t really determine if I’m receiving any benefits or not.  I definitely don’t think my endurance has improved any during the swim.  My bike has seen an increase in average mph, but there are a number of questions surrounding that phenomenon as well.  For example, is the increase because of Carlos’ tempo sets?  Am I just leaner and in better shape this time around?  Is it the diet?  Who knows?  I mean it could be the supplements.  As for my runs, well, they seem to be quicker and stronger than in the past, but that could be due to the fact that I’m about 10lbs lighter, have gone to a running clinic, had Carlos and Sue analyze my gate, adopted a more proper running technique, or I’m just in better shape.  Again, there aren’t any significant gains that I can point to to say if the supplements are effective or not.  I’ll continue to take them and, in fact, I’ll most likely be adding Optygen HP to the mix in about a week (more on that later).

Here are the much anticipated numbers for August:

AUGUST 2010 TOTALS:

SWIM = 15750 yards

BIKE = 249.45 miles (182.95 tri & 66.5 road)

RUN = 39.72 miles

GYM/STRENGTH = 0

AUGUST 2012 TOTALS:

SWIM = 19175 yards (+3425 yards)

BIKE = 384.58 (+135.13 miles)(All tri)

RUN = 81.51 (+41.79 miles)

GYM/STRENGTH = 2 times

OVERALL 2010 SEASON (Dec 2009 – August 2010)

SWIM = 177,700 yards

BIKE = 4175.89 miles (2915.31 tri & 1260.58 road)

RUN = 478.65 miles

GYM/STRENGTH = 14 times

OVERALL 2012 SEASON (Dec 2011 – August 2012)

SWIM = 180,078 yards (+2378 yards) + 1 hour in the endless pool

BIKE = 2893.33 miles (-1282.56 miles)(2395.51 tri & 497.82 road)

RUN = 361.22 miles (-117.43 miles)

GYM/STRENGTH = 23 times

New Shoes & Superfeet!

 My new shoes were delivered yesterday! Well, they are the same Brooks Pure Flow's that I've come to love, but they are that neon blue I was eyeballing a few months back. My original black/blue versions now have about 270 miles on them and while they may still have a few more miles left in them, I decided not to risk it. I also took this time to buy a new pair of Superfeet as well. Superfeet are an insole that the store sells to replace the ones that come with the shoe. According to my research on the internet, and a conversation with a salesman at a competing store, some people feel that Superfeet are a waste of money and there is no real need for them. They say they are just an “up sell” for the particular store that sells them. Others, however, say they have helped alleviate pain, corrected odd striking problems, or provided much needed support. I was originally sold my first pair late in 2009 when I started running for IMAZ 2010 and have had that pair ever since. In fact, I tried running without them a few times in 2011, but quickly went back. Suggestions on how long they last vary between every person you ask or resource you check. I calculated that I put 972.67 miles on mine which is WAY above all estimates, so I figured that it was time to replace ‘em….and yes, they are a bit pricy! At any rate, here is a pick of the new kicks:

And a side by side of the old Superfeet and the new:

More Fun At The Track

It seems as though I like to blog about my track workouts and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s because track is a new thing for me, or maybe it’s the area that I stand to gain the most improvement in and, therefore, have more to write about. Who knows, but here I go again!

Since it’s starting to stay darker longer, and the track at CSHS doesn’t turn on the lights for no real reason, I started today’s workout a bit later. It was still sort of dark, but once again, upon arrival, I noticed that I would have to scale the chain link fence to get in as there still wasn’t enough room to squeeze through the two gates that let you onto the track. As I landed on the other side, I could hear that somebody was already running, but the only things I could see were a dark silhouette and the glowing light from their Garmin. He was running such that he had to make right hand turns and, for some reason, that seems foreign to me, so I decided to run in the opposite direction anyway. Here is what I was supposed to do:

Warm up:

• 20 Min: Include 5 x 50 yard buildups and drill down/back
• 1 x 400 as build to elevate HR

MS (2x):
• 1200, 800, 400, 200 with 3 min ez or rest between
• All of these should be done at sub 7 min pace. Maintain good form on the final set and don't let body get out of control.

CD:
• 1 mile ez. Plan time to stretch after

And here are my results for the main set:

• 1200 = 4:46.0 (6:16 pace)
• 800 = 3:24.4 (6:43 pace)
• 400 = 1:28.7 (5:52 pace)
• 200 = :41.8 (5:04 pace)

• 1200 = 5:14.0 (6:52 pace)
• 800 = 3:26.6 (6:50 pace)
• 400 = 1:31.9 (6:09 pace)
• 200 = :39.9 (4:58 pace)

Here is the text exchange that happened immediately after I was done:

Me: Can you see the big ass smile on my face all the way from Anthem?
Carlos: Yes
Me: Figured as much. Couldn’t wipe it off the entire time I was on the track! Is this a breakthrough?
Carlos: Absolutely it is! Call u later today.

And here are the notes I put into Training Peaks:

“Seriously?!? I felt AWESOME during this workout. At the beginning of each set, I felt like I was shot out of a cannon and never felt like I was working the entire time. I was surprised at the ease of going fast this time. My smile was ear to ear baby!”

Now some of you will look at those times and ask yourself, “What’s the big deal?” but like I said, this is a new experience to me and it’s kind of fun to see paces like that. Since I’m not a track guy, notice that I’m not referring to the actual times. Right now, those are meaningless to me. I’m sure the more I get out there, the more they will make sense to me and I will begin to migrate away from the pace, but for now, it’s exciting to see a 4:58.

Recovery Week In Review

A recovery week never felt so good! Not only did the lower mileage and slower paces excite me, the extra sleep time in the sack was what I was really looking forward to. Here is a recap of last week with any coach’s instructions and/or my notes:


08/13/2012 “Sleep In”

• Carlos - Eat nutrition for recovery. Low carb intake today. Salads and good proteins. Water and no caffeine after 2PM

08/14/2012 “40 Min Easy Run”

• Carlos – Embarrassingly slow with good form. Finish with 5x50 yard strides.

• Me – Erratic HRM readings for about the first 10min. Looks like it’s time to clean my strap! Strides felt awesomely fast and strong with great form.

08/15/2012 – “Masters Swim With Frank”

• Carlos – 2500 – 3000

• Me - W/U - 500S, 500P, 6x50S, 8x25K D/S - 4x50 (Arm on kickboard other arm practicing high elbows and early catch of water ~ Left arm down, right arm back), 50S M/S - 10x50S (1:00 RI), 50S, 4x75S (50Sprint/25EZ then 25Sprint/50EZ) C/D - 100S NOTES - Felt efficient and strong. Was doing the 50s (in the 4x75 set) in about 25.5 seconds.

08/16/2012 – “Recovery Bike”

• Warm up, then 3x3min in big ring @ 70RPM, then rest easy and steady

08/17/2012 – “Recover Run” and “Swim 3k Drill/Descend”

• Carlos - Run in easy recovery mode. Comfortable pace with good rhythm. Don’t let slower speeds impact your form.

• No notes for Carlos after putting in a whopping 2.64 miles (10:17 pace)

• Me (for swim workout) - Opted for a Bartlett open water swim this AM. Recovery paced swim. Concentrated on proper form and did a few drills. Stopped twice, once to chat and once to help a fellow teammate with his stroke.

08/18/2012 “2 Hour Mix”

• Carlos - Warm up. MS: 2x40min @ IM pace. In each set, at 10min, push for 2min at Olympic pace. 10min rest between the 2 sets. Purpose of the set is to build aerobic endurance and to hold IM pace after efforts that tax the system.

• Me - Solid ride. Felt strong during efforts and didn't experience any fatigue. Did move my saddle forward before the ride. That seemed to make a difference in comfort and power too. Dinner the night before = Steak, brown rice, asparagus, and red bell pepper. Bfast = 1/2C egg whites, 2 slices whole wheat toast, tomato. On bike = water.

08/19/2012 “Negative Split 70min”

• Carlos - Warm up 10 min easy with strides, then on an out and back course, run out for 30 minutes (easy to moderate pace), then negative split on the way back--Goal is to run back faster than on the way out and to acclimate the body to running faster on the 2nd half of the run. Mentally this also is a great confidence builder so that you learn that you can run faster on the 2nd half of your runs in workouts and races.

• Me - Felt VERY comfortable the entire run. Interesting to compare with the exact same run on 07/14. Then, I had the same average HR (159) with an average pace of 9:43 (This time my average pace was 9:14 which includes warm-up)

FMS & The Endless Pool

Functional Movement Screening (FMS). That’s exactly what I had done by Don Wong at Frank’s swim studio (http://www.soleswimsolutions.com). According to their (FMS) website:

“FMS is a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, the FMS readily identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness. The FMS generates the Functional Movement Screen Score, which is used to target problems and track progress. This scoring system is directly linked to the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore mechanically sound movement patterns.”

In other words, put simply, it shows you where you may be weaker or less flexible by using a scoring system on 7 different fundamental movement patterns. Those 7 patterns are:

1) Deep Squats
2) Hurdle Steps (Done for each leg)
3) In-line Lunge (Done for each leg)
4) Active Straight-Leg Raise (Done for each leg)
5) Shoulder Mobility (Done for each shoulder)
6) Trunk Stability Push-Up
7) Rotary Stability (Done for each side)

Each movement is given a score from 0 to 3:

0 = Fails to accomplish goal and has pain
1 = Dysfunctional
2 = Functional
3 = Perfect

The deep squats are exactly what they sound like, but Don had me holding a light pole, above my head, with my arms bent 90 degrees. My heels had to stay against a 2x4 looking measuring device. He had me repeat the squat 3 different times before giving me a 3. I was off to a great start!

Next up were the hurdle steps. I kept the pole but lowered it so that it rested across my shoulders. Don stretched a rubber band, about knee high, between two poles (on that measuring device) and had me slowly step across while keeping the other foot planted. Once my foot was on the other side, I was to barely let my heel touch the ground before bringing it back to the starting position. Both side received 3s!

In-line lunges are lunges while holding onto that same pole vertically behind your back and standing on that measuring “2x4” board. The pole had to stay in contact with three specific points: The bony part of the skull on the back of my head, between my shoulder blades, and then my tailbone. Instead of lunging out and returning, Don had me start in the lunge position (one leg already out with one behind) The distance that my leg started out in the lunge position was the same as the height for the rubber bands in the hurdle steps. While keeping the pole in contact with my body, I had to lunge down until my knee touched the 2x4 and then come back to the starting point. I don’t remember, but I think one side received a 3 while the other received a 2. At this point, Don started to see some asymmetries in my movement, but said they were very minor. He was seeing it mostly on my right side.

The fourth movement was the active strait leg raise. After lying on my back, Don made some measurements originating from my hip bone. Based on those measurements, he placed the pole vertically at a specific spot next to my leg. He wanted me to raise my leg, without bending it, as far as I could. If a passed the bar with good form, I got a 3. I think I received a 3 and a 2. Again, some minor issues with my right side. At this point, Don isolated the asymmetry to my hip section.

For the shoulder mobility test, Don had me start out with my arms stretched out to my side. I took my right arm and curled it behind my neck and across my back while taking my left down and behind my lower back. The idea was to see how far I could bring them together. I was able to grab hands in this position which led Frank (who was watching) to tell us that that was the best he had seen anybody do this particular movement. Don was fairly surprised too. 3s.

The trunk stability push-up was done like a traditional push-up, but my hands where at chin level and 90 degrees out to the side. When doing a traditional push-up, your hands are typically closer to your chest. This movement cased me just enough difficulty to earn a 2.

If you get a chance, you definitely have to try this one at home. I failed the rotary stability test in the first position Don had me try. He had me get on all fours while straddling that 2x4 measuring block on the ground. He asked me to lift my left hand and left leg at the same time. Let me tell you, as soon as you even THINK about that movement, your body says, “No way, no how!” I then made a feeble attempt, only to fall over again and again. The other side didn’t work either. At this point, Don told me that only about 3% of the population can perform this task and that he’s only see one person do it (and they could only do it on one side). He then had me change up the movement so that my left hand and my right leg were raised. I slowly had to bring them together under my body and touch my elbow to my knee. I passed this time around.

Overall, I scored a 17 out of a possible 21. Ultimately, Don said that I had some very minor imbalances originating from the right side of my hip section. We then went into the guts of Frank’s studio so he could show me some stretches and exercises to help correct the imbalance. I won’t go over all of them, but one involved sitting on a lacrosse ball while rolling it around each cheek. If I found a “trigger point” (a spot where the muscle was knotted up or tight) I was to keep the ball there for 20 seconds until it released. Oh-my-word! Let me tell you this, that exercise, right there, hurts and feels so good all at the same time, I didn’t know whether to cry or smile.

After we covered the stretches, Frank wanted me to get into his endless pool so he could video tape my stroke. I was able to get in and play around a bit before he came out. I was floating around, checking myself out in the mirror at the bottom, and moving the speed up every few minutes. Finally, Frank came out, and saw what I was doing. He told me that a few more clicks up and the machine would be maxed out. So, naturally, I maxed it out. After I was done, he congratulated me and said that I was only the 2nd person to be able to do that.  Don was out there watching too and he made a very keen observation.  He noticed that I only breathe on my left side.  I've always breathed on my left side.  He indicated that it was this repeated motion that may have led to that slight asymmetry he noticed.  Interesting stuff.

Notice the old IMAZ 2010 banner with my name on it on the wall.  Cool stuff!

Perfect form?  

The guts of the studio.  The endless pool is over there on the right:

More guts:



If this link still works, it will explain the FMS in more detail while showing examples of each movement as well:   http://www.advanced-fitness-concepts.com/fms.pdf