A look back
I was looking back at my training logs from before last year’s Duke half, and remembered that I did alot of long workouts up to 8 days prior. I was training for an Ironman race, and it turned out to give me a great half iron performance. With that in mind, I wanted to put in a solid weekend of training, sticking to the plan, but adding a swim and a little more bike miles.
OMG, turns out I was a weekend warrior last weekend, logging 122 miles!
Bike/Swim/Bike
On Saturday, I decided to ride my bike 22 miles to the lake, swim for 1:10, then ride 38 miles home. I didn’t intend for the way home to be so long, but I was avoiding the trafficy parts of town during the late afternoon.
Killer 3x Brick
On Sunday, I did Marty’s 3X brick, which I have dubbed the killer brick. 3X(15 miles bike, 3 miles run), each one harder than the last. That was the hard part! My goal paces were 18, 19, 20 mph for the bike sets, and 10, 9:30 and 9:00 m/m for the run.
I drove out to the White Oak end of the ATT tobacco trail for that, so the training could be on flatland. My planned bike route was 16 miles around Jordan Lake. I knew most of the roads, but had to add in a segment in unknown territory to get it up to 16 miles.
Lap 1
On my first lap, I made a wrong turn and ended up riding 22 miles! And that unknown territory was friggin hilly. I was trying to go steady, but not kill myself. I took a picture, and tweeted “Lap 1 done: 17.9mph bike, and 9:45 run. woot. ”
Lap 2
On the 2nd lap, I tried to go very very hard and get a 19mph bike pace. Did not happen. It felt like a headwind, especially on Martha’s Chapel which is a false flat up for 5 miles. That is the road where I tend to get dropped on those hard group rides at IOS. I remember thinking “Martha’s Chapel with a headwind, FML”.
I pushed hard in the run, too, but not balls to the wall. I had great mental focus and was able to hold onto a good pace. When I was done with lap #2, I had run out of my fuel mixture. So I grabbed whatever I had in my car, which was slimfast. haha!
I tweeted “ran out of perpeturm. hope slimfast works. rep 2 hurt. 18.3mph/9:20mm”
Lap 3
Off I went on lap #3. I went balls to the wall on the bike, trying to get it over 19mph. I actually got worse than lap number 2, but my quads were screaming at me. I was worried that last run was going to be a slog fest with my toasty legs. But I was determined to put in a good solid effort and beat my last run pace, and I did. I took a Gu Roctane before starting to run, and was able to hold up a solid pace. I
ran hard, but not balls to the wall. I was trying to think “run as fast as I can hold for 13 miles, half iron pace”. My legs ached, but I made them go fast anyway. I remember thinking of Tony Horton’s words from the P90X dvd during this run. Afterwards, I tweeted:
last 1 was visit to hurt cave. kept thinking ‘i no it hurts but so wut?’ #P90x”
That will be my mantra for the Halfmax.
Here is my training for the upcoming week. I am going to repeat Saturdays bike/swim/bike, but I am not going to do that killer 3X workout. My legs are too toasty now and need to rest up.
Two Weeks to go
Taper starts here can repeat prior week if feeling strong. Otherwise…
- Monday 20-Sep off
- Tuesday 21-Sep swim at lunch IOS ride, Trun
- Wednesday 22-Sep off
- Thursday 23-Sep swim at lunch 45 min pm run. 20/20/5(Z1,Z3,Z1)
- Friday 24-Sep off
- Saturday 25-Sep run 1.25 hours build to comfortable fast
- Sunday 26-Sep ride 2 hours with 30 min high zone 2 to z3
Tags: brick, halfmax, training, weekend warrior
I did the White Lake Olympic race in White Lake, NC on September 11, 2010. White Lake is a fantastic race venue making it a popular destination. The lake itself is crystal clear with a sandy bottom that is usually calm. The bike and run course are flat. You would think all these factors would make for a fast easy race course. Nope. White Lake is cursed. Heat and/or wind rear their ugly head for every White Lake race. Anyone signed up for the American Triple T race (four races in three days) at White Lake next month is in for one hell of a weekend.
Last spring, I did a half iron race there, and it was hot and windy. At least the water was calm that day.
Today, the wind kicked up a bad chop in the lake, and the swim was brutal. My swim time was a PR in slowness and it sucked the energy out of me. But that’s what I love about the sport of triathlon- dealing with those inevitable challenges that arise on race day. And what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
My goal for this race was to make the podium. I thought I had a decent chance, based on looking at the participant list. “Speed racer girl” was the only super fast name that I recognized. I didn’t think I could beat her, but put her in my sights as a target. My training plan called for me to run 3 miles off the finish. I was supposed to do the run course at half iron pace/effort. I doubted I’d be able to hold back there, but planned to do the post race run no matter what.
Official Results:
Swim 1500m: 36:08, 8th AG. Very choppy and possibly measured long. Everybody complained about the swim after the race!
T1: 1:43
Bike 45k: 1:20:27, 20.4 mph, 3rd AG.
T2: 1:44
Run 10k: 55:13, 6th AG.
Overall: 2:55:13, 2nd AG 
Race Details:
I got up at 3:30 am for the 2 hour drive to the race site. Always so hard to get up that early. Stopped at Sheetz to fill up and get some coffee. I love Sheetz! Got to the race site in plenty of time to register, set up my gear and hang out with friends. I did some warm up strides on the sandy volleyball court, did some yoga stretches, and swam a few strokes.
In a nutshell, the swim was brutal. The waves were coming at me in all directions. Not huge waves, but enough to interfere with breathing and smooth stroke. I did successfully draft off one girl between two sets of buoys. That actually felt wonderfully restful. Then we turned, and I lost her.
I came out of the water in about 8th place. I passed a ton of people on the bike. I don’t think anyone passed me. I went very very hard on the bike. I yelled at a couple people blocking. At one point, I was blocked by some cars waiting to pass some slow bikers. That sucked.
I came off the bike in third place. I ran hard. I tried to keep good form. I passed one girl on the run, at about mile 4. I felt bad, because I see her at alot of races, and I like her alot. But also, it always feels good to be the one passing during the run.
After making that pass, I ran as hard as I could to the finish line, for fear that she – or someone else – would pass me. There were 2+ miles remaining, and you never know! I crossed the finish line and was complete spent!
My training plan called for me to do the 10k run at my half iron pace, and run 3-4 miles off the finish. However, I put it all out on the race course, so did not have anything left. I got a drink of water, and head out anyway. I wouldn’t call it running. It was more of a hobble, at a pitiful slow pace of 13. I cut that short to 2.6 miles, because I was tired, my back starting hurting, and I was worried that I might miss the awards. When I returned from my hobble, I went right to the lake to cool off. Then to the food table! I felt like an animal, acting on pure instinct.
Had a really really hard time driving home, I was sooooo tired.
What I learned: I did learn that I need more swim training before halfmax. I’ve only been swimming 35-40 minutes twice a week in the pool. That is just not enough for this distance of race, as I felt really wiped out after the swim, and I that impacts what you can do the rest of the race.
And now for the best part, pictures!!! Thanks very much to my twitter friend, Darlene, for taking some pictures while cheering at the race.
Here is a picture showing how lovely White Lake is:
I am somewhere in the yellow cap wave of swimmers below. The water does not look choppy. But it was a tough swim that everybody complained about.
Here I am running out of T2:
Here I am with the sweatshirt prize given to me as 2nd Age Group award. Facebook friend, Suzy took this picture. I didn’t think to hold up the sweatshirt. I was so tired after the race.
So tired, in fact, that I had to stop driving on the way home and take a nap in my car. I could not sleep, so instead I tried food. I wans’t hungry, but this food did help perk me up enough for me to get home.
Here is a picture of that sweatshirt: I was using it as a pillow in my car.
Last week’s training went well. I did an olympic race at White Lake, race report to come later. I did follow triathlon coach, Marty Gaal’s instructions to run 3 -4 miles off the finish, tho I did not save anything for it, so it was really more of a hobble. And I hated every minute of it. And, I cut it short to 2.6 miles because my back started hurting and I was running so slowly that I was afraid I wouldn’t make it back in time for the awards ceremony. I was pretty sure I had made a top three spot, and turns out I did get 2nd age group. It’s still very exciting to make it to the podium. Even more so since I don’t feel up to par this season in my performance levels.
Here is my training plan for this week. For the Saturday and Sunday workouts, I am doing the Alternate workouts. I am really looking forward to the 3X killer repeats on Sunday. ”When you like Suffering – when you like pain in your legs and all your body – it means you are good” Ignatus Konovalovas, Cervelo Test Team
- Monday 13-Sep off
- Tuesday 14-Sep swim at lunch IOS ride. Steady pace, run 3-4 miles steady after
- Wednesday 15-Sep optional lunchtime swim
- Thursday 16-Sep 14-15 mile run PM
- Friday 17-Sep off
- Saturday 18-Sep ride 3.5 – 4 hours. No Trun ALT: 2 hour steady ride
- Sunday 19-Sep ride 1 hour build to tempo. T run steady ALT: 3x(15 mile bike/2-3 mile run) each repeat successively harder.
Tags: fitting work with training, pain, suffering, training
I started writing this post a year ago, saving it as a draft. I never finished it because I was never quite sure about what I wanted to say, and how it was that I was running so well last season, leading up to my Ironman. I think alot of it had to do that I was putting in alot of miles, and I was leaner. This year I am not so fast, and I want my running legs back! I dug up this old post to re-read it. So, here it is, for what it’s worth…in a still unfinished form.
I believe I have had a paradigm shift in my running, thanks to my meeting with USAT Coach, Stacey Richardson. I’ve spent the last two years making tiny improvements in my running by focusing on form, cadence, posture. These worked to an extent, yes. But I think in some ways I was stuck in the land of Chi/Pose running. Pose says to lean to get gravity working for you. I really never got that, even tho I still think it’s good stuff. Pose also says to land on the balls of your feet, lift your feet off the ground using your hamstrings. I did get that, and still think that is good stuff, too. Chi says to think about fast cadence, moving your feet, while keeping your core body stable. Chi likens your core body to the car of a train, and your feet to the wheels – spinning fast as if in a circular motion. This kind of works too. But I was keeping my upper body TOO still. Like a robot. For the past year, I have been trying to run like a robot!
Stacey told me to let my hips move naturally, working in balance with my arms. She also said to play with it. And she said to skip the music and listen to my feet.
Some thoughts:
chi talks about body being like the car of a train. I took this to mean upper body should be as still as possible and legs move independently. but really, your legs and uppper body are one fluid entity. There is a lift in the hip, or maybe it’s a circular motion in the hip joints. And the glutes are engaged in this motion. Hard to explain. Need to do a video blog or something.
More notes:
On Tuesday, I went on the IOS ride, and did my usual brick run afterwards. I did not bring my music. I listened to my feet and thought about “light, light, light”. It’s only 1.6 miles, but I made a PR on that run. I was running pretty fast in Zone 2 at a pace of 8:46. I was even chatting with another girl while running that pace!!! I usually get close to a pace of 10 on that run.
Today, I ran my usual 6 miles to the lake and back, rolling hills. I again tried to listen to my feet. I also tried to let my hips move naturally. Not a lot, just a little hip movement, as opposed to my former stiff hipped robot style of running. I usually have to bust my ass to get a sub 10 pace on that run. I got to the half way point in 28 minutes. Heart rate was in Zone 2. I felt like a cheetah! The way back was a struggle, tho, as my hips and core were fatigued. And it was getting very hot and humid. The second half, my heart rate was mostly Zone 3. I still finished the run in 59 minutes, sub 10 pace.
I think it will take my body some time to build endurance in my hips and glutes. I think these muscles must have been just taking it easy up until now. I guess you could call me a lazy ass. Hahaha! My hips are sore and tired now. I expect this will take me six weeks to adjust, just like it did when I changed my biking. Should be plenty of time for Duke 1/2 and B2B.
All I need now is a paradigm shift in my swimming
Aug 1st: did do a nice solid brick run, flat, at pace of 9m/m. Hips and adductors super sore before, so it was a good pace on sore legs. Right knee hurt that night.
Aug 2nd: Right knee okay in the am, after icing it and advil. Got pace of 10:14 on my 6mile lake run, 142 avg hr. Not too bad, but not monumental either. Still real sore.
Need to rewrite this completely, because I’m not so sure it’s a paradigm shift. maybe more of a kaizen. also, use this…
Great quote from Matt’s blog: “Of course, I could not really swim all day at that pace. My new pull is so novel and unnatural for me that it is mentally if not physically exhausting to recreate it stroke after stroke. Indeed, I cannot yet recreate it with exactitude every time. There’s always a little variation as I fumble to follow the pressure of the water against my hand and forearm and to coordinate the pull with my body rotation, the movement of my recovery arm, and my kick. I have a lot of work ahead of me to groove and perfect these new patterns.”
I’m finding this to be true with the changes I have made in my running. I think the changes are right. However, I have a hard time maintaining the new running form, and the faster pace that is coming along with it. Stay tuned, I will be writing alot more about my running progress!
A few weeks ago, I was in a panic about the training plan from the book I’ve always used, having difficulty following it. It was just too much with my work schedule. So, I met with Triathlon Coach, Marty Gaal, who worked up a plan for me. It’s still alot, but more doable, and Marty said just commit to Tu,Th, Sat and Sun. If you have to skip the other days, don’t sweat it. That alone helps alot (and yes, I’ve had to skip some!)
I’ve been posting these mini blogs describing my plan each week – as notes on my Facebook page, but thought, heck, I should put them here too.
Four Weeks to go until the Halfmax Half Ironman race in Myrtle Beach
Last week’s training went very well. I did a long run on Thursday evening on the ATT trail. I had a decent pace of 10m/m with some faster miles in the middle… running for 1:33, about 9 miles. Then I rode 61 miles saturday, ran 12 miles sunday, wore my compression socks during and after the run, and rode 28 miles Monday. I don’t feel wiped out or sore at all today.
Here is my training plan. I am dreading the 3-4 miles off the finish at WL oly…I will be cursing Marty Gaal during those miles.
- Monday 6-Sep ride or off
- Tuesday 7-Sep fast swim (haha). Main set 8×100 hard w/ lots of rest IOS ride with Trun
- Wednesday 8-Sep off
- Thursday 9-Sep lunch run 40 min ez w/ 5×1 min fast/1min recovery jog pm do 45 min ez ride
- Friday 10-Sep off
- Saturday 11-Sep WL oly. Run 3-4 miles off the finish, run whole run at 1/2 iron pace
- Sunday 12-Sep easy long ride, 2-3 hr cruising/recovery pace
Tags: busy work, plan, training, triathlon coach
