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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Monday, December 16th, 2013
Plan: Coach ecoli enforced rest day :eek:
Hmm....ecoli spoke his mind, today was to be a rest day, and I didn't argue with him. To be honest, my body needed this day off. I did do a bit of yoga when I got home from work, though - two "classes" - Pre-Run, and Injury Prevention. It felt good to stretch and twist and lift and breathe....but the Pre-Run class was not as relaxing as the Injury Prevention class. In fact, it was a little "strenuous" trying to warm up those muscles in preparation for the run I wasn't going to do. Back at it tomorrow with a trainer session. Just a short but sweet 1.25 hour session.
Actual: yoga0 -
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
Bike plan:
5 minutes easy
4 x (1 min high cadence, 30 sec easy)
4 x (30 sec build, 30 sec easy)
5 x (4 min tempo, 4 min threshold, 2 min easy) - rpm > 80 for tempo and threshold
5 minutes easy
This was tough - the legs are still feeling the 3 hour session from Saturday, I believe - so I had to employ my tricks and gimmickry, along with telling myself a few lies. Ah, an imagination is a terrible thing to waste.
And the music on the music channel was less than ideal tonight (will have to watch the quality of the melodic thumping as this is two sessions in a row that the tunes weren't up to par), so no help to get me through this there.
The good: mentally I told the demons and my thighs to go f#ck off.
The bad: I think my thighs have gotten bigger.
The good: all threshold max HRs were in correct zone and I maintained near that max HR once it was reached for each set.
The bad: I seem to hover around the low end of the threshold zone.
The good: another quality session in the books and the lovely buzz in full swing.
The bad: I'm pretty sure my thighs have gotten bigger.
Any way....results....
Zones: tempo 142 - 160, threshold 161 - 178
#1 - 146/152...158/162
#2 - 149/154...160/165
#3 - 149/154...161/163
#4 - 148/154...161/165
#5 - 148/155...161/165
Actual: as prescribed above plus 5 miles to hit time target (is this a trick??)....23.59 trainer miles in 1:15:000 -
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Odin Drab Firefighter wrote: »You would love a power meter for that bike of yours....plants seed:)
Well done on the 3hr turbo at the weekend, you get used to them and sometimes actually enjoy them.
Ugh!! I had been mulling over a power meter but realized I don't have a clue what any of those fancy power meter related abbreviations and acronyms mean
driving home the realization that I am not worthy...plus, catweazle has sort of threatened to stop reading my log if I go all power meter on him.
(However, jb, seed planted....or more accurately, seed re-planted.:) ) 0 -
Wednesday, December 18th, 2013
Run plan: 5 miles easy am, 5 miles easy pm
As sunny as it was out there today, it was a sin not to have done at least one of these sessions outside.....however, I am crunched for time at the moment and doing these short, easy jaunts on the treadmill was just more efficient for me today. I will do Friday's run out there properly. Promise. Training will be a bit tricky for the next 7 days due to holiday related commitments, but no worries - when there is a will, there is a way.
These two little treadie trots were fine. The first one was over lunch and felt really wonderful. The second one was immediately after work and it took a good mile for the body to not feel creaky and yucky, but once the creakiness and yuckiness magically disappeared it was all happy days for me.
Actual: 6 easy treadie miles am, 4 easy treadie mile pm0 -
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Thursday, December 19th, 2013
Bike plan:
5 minute easy
5 x (30 sec build, 30 sec easy)
4 x (10 min tempo, cadence >90 rpm, 5 min easy)
5 minutes easy
The legs are still feeling all this bike work in them, and I am just about 100% sure my thighs are indeed bigger. !!!! :eek::(:mad
Whatever. This was a pretty good session, in part because the music was much better tonight. Hallelujah!!! It's funny how as I tire yet keep pushing, there usually comes a point when I look anywhere to "cheat" to get through the rough spots. Tonight it was two things - music and momentum.
Tempo zone HR => 142 - 160
10 min tempo sets as follows:
#1 - 146/150
#2 - 151/155
#3 - 151/156
#4 - 154/160
Actual: as prescribed above....22.83 miles in 1:15:000 -
Thursday, December 19th, 2013
Bike plan:
5 minute easy
5 x (30 sec build, 30 sec easy)
4 x (10 min tempo, cadence >90 rpm, 5 min easy)
5 minutes easy
The legs are still feeling all this bike work in them, and I am just about 100% sure my thighs are indeed bigger. !!!! :eek::(:mad Whatever. This was a pretty good session, in part because the music was much better tonight. Hallelujah!!! It's funny how as I tire yet keep pushing, there usually comes a point when I look anywhere to "cheat" to get through the rough spots. Tonight it was two things - music and momentum.
Tempo zone HR => 142 - 160
10 min tempo sets as follows:
#1 - 146/150
#2 - 151/155
#3 - 151/156
#4 - 154/160
Actual: as prescribed above....22.83 miles in 1:15:00
Music is my staple weapon of choice on turbos also.
Harder bits I always switch to up tempo if needed defo helps.
Nothing like it.0 -
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Friday, December 20th, 2013
Run plan: 12 miles easy
Today must be Friendly Friday because everyone I saw out while running couldn't contain their enthusiasm and either waved or honked at me like a bunch of happy idiots. Tis the season, I suppose.
Lovely little run. Great weather too. I entertained myself with list making in my mind of all the things I've got to do between now and December 24th. :eek: Good god, why do we create such work for ourselves?? I guess because it brings us some kind of warped joy. I also tried my best to keep the HR in the easy zone, but I would only give myself merely a passing grade on today's easy zone performance. I guess if I'm allowed to go up to 152 or 156 bpm (the catweazle/griffin zone model), then I did okay on average, but I let it creep up beyond that upper limit a few times. Bad girl! I tried to keep things nice and relaxed the whole time, and ran like Phoebe (Friends reference) on the downhill. Thighs are STILL feeling the bike sessions (does that ever quit?), but I think just maaaaaybe I am a little stronger because of the bike sessions. fingers crossed.... 
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/417709817
Actual: 12.32 miles in 1:42:18 for an average pace of 8:18 min/mile and and average HR of 151 and max HR of 1630 -
The bad: I think my thighs have gotten bigger.
This is good no? Athlete first, woman second
The ideal scenario for a triathlete, at least for a male triathlete, is that any jocks that fit your thighs are too loose at the waist, and any jocks that fit your weight won't come up over your thighs 0 -
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Saturday, December 21st, 2013
Bike plan: 3 hours - 1.5 hours easy, 1 hour tempo, .5 hour easy
Happy shortest day of the year, yes?? I think I've got that right. Any way....
I'm pressed for time as I have family here to celebrate Christmas this weekend and I've got a prime rib and sweet potatoes in the oven. So, this will be short.
Gorgeous day....nice country-hilly spin.....really, really windy....in fact, so windy it was pushing me back on the downhill...let the wind be my friend, let the wind be my friend....but it also assisted me on the uphill...didn't dare try any trick moves like dropping to my aerobars or taking on water/energy for fear of being blown over....concentrated on cadence and thought of Solobally 8 when I'd start bouncing around on the seat......watched my HR.....derriere and lower back got sore, and they were really my only limiters on wanting to go farther......legs in pretty good shape....heart and lungs in very good shape.....came in a little shy of 3 hours.....but my average speed was slightly up.....however I am woefully slow and quite far from where I want/need to be. In fact, when I was exactly at the halfway point of an iron distance tri bike leg, I was at an hour and 45 minutes, and that really is not where I want to be on the day. The good news is the day is not until June, the bad news is it's THIS June. :eek:
I may post the Garmin detail as an edit tomorrow....but for now....
Actual: 47.0 miles in 2:52:13 for an average speed of 16.4 mph and average HR of 140 bpm and max HR of 159 bpm and average cadence of 78 rpm and max cadence of 119 rpm0 -
Sunday, December 22nd, 2013
Run plan: 2 miles easy, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 minute(s) "on" (10k pace)/"off" (MP), 2 miles easy
I've had out of town family staying with me to celebrate Christmas this weekend, so I didn't get to this until tonight after they were gone. And so, this was done on the treadmill. Not ideal, but honestly for the next several days I'll just be lucky to squeeze everything in. I put the treadie at a 1% incline and did the "on" at 7:00 min/mile, and the "off" at 7:41 min/mile. It's so funny how as you settle into the faster pace (7:00 min/mile in this case), the slower pace (that isn't really all that slow (7:41 min/mile in this case)) seems relatively slow.
Actual: As prescribed above, on my trusty treadie, 8.38 miles in 72 minutes0 -
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Tuesday, Christmas Eve 2013
Bike plan: 1 hour, just spin but include 5 sprints with at least 1:30 recovery
I don't know if it was because of all the sugary Christmasy crap I've been shoveling in my mouth for the past week, or if it was because I took a total rest day yesterday, but I was full of vim and vigor for this one. I kept the resistance way down, but spun my little heart out. The plan was a little openended regarding details, so I though to myself I'd go 2 minutes all out for the sprints with a 2 minute recovery (I didn't bring my Garmin downstairs with me so I was working off a digital clock with no seconds being displayed)...but once I got into the very first all out sprint I realized just how l-o-n-g a minute can be when your are pushing like a mad woman, so I adjusted my plan to 5 x 1 minute sprints.:D I enjoyed this little session, to be honest. I had the entire house to myself, so this became a very loud, full-on singing and dancing bike-fest with some pretty awesome moves being busted by yours truly.
Merry Christmas Eve, everybody. May the joy of the season inhabit your being, and may Santa bring each and everyone of you some fantastic loot tonight!!! Whoop whoop!!!
Actual: 17 very cheery holiday miles, with bursts of jingle bells, in an hour0 -
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Wednesday, Christmas, 2013
Plan: nothing in particular
Just a nice, easy spin on the bike with hubby and a friend on this very cold, crisp and clear day. In between shout outs of holiday cheer to various and assorted peeps as I passed by, I practiced getting in my aerobar position, and I tried out the very cool aerobar water bottle my brother gave to me and installed for me for Christmas. I did ok!! I actually got pretty comfortable down low leaning on the rests, and I managed to sip plenty of water without poking an eye out with the straw or impaling the back of my throat. Happy days. (Thank you, cw, for the suggestion.) And, my hands stayed toasty warm with a pair of gloves I received as a gift from a very sweet and special friend. I was definitely hoping bike gear would be this year's holiday theme.
Actual: 30 easy country miles in just under 2 hours0 -
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Thursday, December 26th, 2013
Bike plan: 30 minutes easy, 20 minutes steady, 5 minutes mod hard, 5 minutes easy
I forgot to charge my Garmin after it died on me yesterday during my bike ride, so I just had to to do these efforts by feel...and I think I got them mostly right. Basically, at the end of my 30 minutes easy with a high cadence, I was spinning at ~18 mph. I then bumped up the gear by one for the 20 minutes steady, kept the cadence the same, and found myself going ~20 mph. I bumped up the gear again by one for the 5 minutes mod hard, kept the cadence the same, and found myself going ~22 mph. Effort increased with each bump. That's about all I can tell ya!!:)
Actual: 18.46 miles in an hour0 -
And, my hands stayed toasty warm with a pair of gloves I received as a gift from a very sweet and special friend. I was definitely hoping bike gear would be this year's holiday theme.
funny how big an effect cols hands can have on the enjoyment of a spin.
sounds like a nice xmas morning ride.0 -
Saturday, December 28th, 2013
Bike plan: 2.5 hours just spin easy
Another clear, crisp day out there, which is pretty nice for riding a bike. And, I had on a new bike jersey for this ride. I had to go to my bike shop last night to have a brake component replaced due to Trek recalling it, so while I waited I did a little post-Christmas shopping for moi and could not resist this particular bike jersey as it was so my color! Pity, however, that I had to cover the uber cool jersey with a high viz jacket.....but I knew I had it on, and maybe that's all that really matters.
Good ride. Had 2 others with me, and I took the first 75 minutes pretty easy - just stayed in the back and out of everyone's way. But once we got to the middle section of the ride, I had to let the engine fly. Why? The answer is twofold: 1) I know this section like the back of my hand as it is included in the triathlon bike course so I feel complete ownership of it....and 2) I secretly wanted to make sure my companions knew their place in the pecking order. Heh, heh....the evil competitive side rears it's ugly head. With 9 miles to go in the ride, I waited on them at the top of a hill at a turn-off. I did hear one of them murmur "show off" under his breath as he passed me. Too funny. And today's song that was stuck in my head for the entire ride (and that seemed so appropriate on the awful hills) was Misery by Halestorm. Still can't get that damn song out of my head. !!!!!
Looking at my Garmin results just now I realize the cadence sensor did not kick in - must look into that - but the bike computer did register that data...yay. Not bad stats for me, overall. I'm still miserably slow, but I feel I am going in the right direction and definitely getting more comfortable on the bike. You still need to stay the f*ck away from me when riding (do NOT crowd Dory!!), but I'm definitely getting some confidence about me.
Actual: 39.8 country miles in 2:24:36 for an average speed of 16.5 mph with an average cadence of 76 rpm, high cadence of 116 rpm, average HR of 141 bpm, and max HR of 166 bpm0 -
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Sunday, December 29th, 2013
Run plan: eh, an easy 4 to 5 miles
Due to the torrential downpour that was happening for most of the morning, this was done uncharacteristically late on a Sunday for me. But on a positive note, pushing this back until later in the day gave me time to take down the Christmas tree that had become bare and quite the fire hazard.
Three words for this run - I feel fat. But on a positive note, I think the extra holiday weight I'm carrying helped on the downhills based on my downhill splits. Additionally, this was my first run in over a week, and it felt sort of weird to me. I've been on my bike or on the trainer all week spinning, and this just felt strange - running. I went way too fast for this to be easy, and I died a quick and painful death on the last few uphills at the end of this very short run. Ugh. Not my finest jaunt around town, but I feigned total and utter enjoyment by smiling and waving to all I met. Whoop whoop...di-dooooo-da-day.
Two very important decisions were made on this short, fat and ugly run - 1) unless there is a logical reason to the contrary, I will not go that long between runs again....and, 2) the consumption of mass quantities of empty and disgusting calories stops right now - not waiting until January 1st - it happens tonight, right after I finish off the triple chocolate mousse cake that's in the refrigerator.
Actual: 4.21 miles in 33:28.18 for an average pace of 7:57 min/mile (splits - 7:39, 7:42, 7:57, 8:20) 0 -
Monday, December 30th, 2013
Bike plan:
5 minutes easy
4 x (1 min high cadence, 30 sec easy)
4 x (30 sec build, 30 sec easy)
5 x (2 min HARD, 3 min threshold, 2 min temp, 3 min easy)
5 minutes easy
This session was actually scheduled for tomorrow night (Tuesday), but because I have not received my running orders yet <waves to coach>, and because I've got social commitments tomorrow evening which will make any training just about impossible, I decided to move this to tonight.
So funny....and so typical....as I was gearing up to doing this session I just "knew" I was going to fall short of the big targets. I was tired, had a very bad day at work, missed eating anything for lunch, had a crappy run last night, feeling fat, and just felt like a big loser. But, I got the game face on (translation: tied hair back, got the bike shorts on, turned the music up, put the head down, closed my eyes), and away I went.
I am guessing the only really relevant HR zone data is actually the 3 minutes at threshold - I am guessing the 2 minutes HARD (yes, that's how it was written to me) was basically to build to the threshold....and I'm guessing the 2 minutes tempo was basically to reverse build to easy. Amazing how easy that tempo felt after the HARD and threshold.
My zones are:
Threshold 161-178
Tempo 142-160
Endurance 117-141
Stats from this session....HARD, threshold, tempo, easy....stated as avg HR/max HR:
#1 - 157/167...168/169...158/167...143/150
#2 - 159/168...169/170...158/169...143/147
#3 - 159/167...169/172...161/171...144/150
#4 - 160/168...171/173...160/172...144/149
#5 - 159/166...171/173...159/173...142/146
Actual: as prescribed above, 21.77 miles in 1:10:000 -
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