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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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...I wondered if running at a 6% incline would feel normal if the earth was formed in such a way that we all walked at a 6% incline all the time...and then I wondered if the earth was indeed formed so we always walked at a 6% incline, would running on a flat surface then feel easy, or would it feel like running at a 6% incline did for me today. ??? (It sounded so much better in my head while running at that 6% incline.)
:eek: Eh .... perhaps you should check that the caps on all the cleaning products you use to polish up the growing trophy collection are fully sealed ?
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Friday, August 28th, 2015
Swim
900 warmup
6 x 60 (done as 20 fast, 40 easy)
4 x (20 x 20 band only, 200 for time!, 100 easy)
Ehhhhh.....this went okay. I loved the 6 x 60 set, but the 200s were not my fastest. Interesting how I've done this session probably 4 times now, and I think each time I've done it my 200s have gotten slower. ??? Not sure what is up with that. Maybe the swim suffers as the bike improves??? Trust me, I'm not worried about my swim in terms of the IM in 6 weeks, but I remember this happened to me last summer as well as my race was drawing near - my swim times seemed to slow a bit.
Anyhoo.....200s were as follows:
2:38, 2:39, 2:39.5, 2:39
Actual swim: 4,060 yards in my pool
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Run
This was an easy hour in the field immediately after the swim...so it was a drippy, chlorine-filled trot. I didn't bother with my watch since I had no desire to battle with pace and my competitive spirit, but rather I just let the body dictate the easy. The first 30 minutes was a period of coaxing the legs and everything else to embrace this run after a tough swim and a very long day at work, but the love was found in the second 30 minutes as I settled into a nice relaxed rhythm. Gorgeous evening out there tonight. The sun had already gone down behind the mountains to my west before I completed this run...and the feeling I got running in the gentle breeze and twilight was one of youth and freedom. The evening felt like it did when I was a kid.
Actual run: 60 minutes of feeling like a kid again0 -
Saturday, August 29th, 2015
Bike
This was a 3.5 hour cycle that was supposed to have included a final hour of 5 minutes @ 130w, 1 minute easy....but terrain in my neck of the woods does not lend itself well to such a structure, so instead, I just did my best to keep the perceived power at or near that level whenever I could during those last 60 minutes. One thing I did to try and work at that effort for a five minute period was I went up and down a hill I frequent that takes me about 5 minutes to ascend at about the desired 130w. Not perfect, I know, but sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt.
A few odds and ends along the ride: I accidentally ran over two dead snakes :eek:; got hit by some ginormous bug on my left shoulder that nearly took me off my bike :eek:; stayed aero more than ever, and even got caught daydreaming while aero and ended up rocketing down a hill that I never would have rocketed down while on the bars if I had been paying attention, AND, practically had to shut my eyes when I zoomed over the railroad tracks at the bottom on that hill :eek:; was ready with water bottle in hand as I passed the angry jack russell terrier from hell that likes to chase me :cool:; had to stop at one of the many railroad crossings to wait for the train that never came
; and upon my return home, found one of the 5 water bottles I was carrying (one of the ones behind my seat) hanging upside down after a screw securing the holder had come loose. Impressed that the bottle was still safe and sound and hadn't popped out!
Actual ride: 54.41 miles in 3:30:17 for an average speed of 15.5 mph and an elevation gain of 3,341 feet
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Run
Barf. Another run off the bike. This is like eating Brussels sprouts to me - I know they're good for me, but they make me want to vomit.
It was hot out, and I came this close to doing the required 30 minute trot on the treadmill at the set pace of 9 min/mile to avoid being subjected any longer to the heat, but after having a little SIUBC chat with myself, I sucked it up and did my butter cup self proud by heading out to the field. The only thing is, I was not disciplined at all - I started out way too fast, tried to slow it down, then barely hung on for dear life at the end. Ugh. I need to give this pace thing a little more respect or I will die a slow, ugly death on the run on the day.
7:52, 8:13, 8:23, 4:30 (8:19)
Actual run: 3.54 miles in 29:00 for an average pace of 8:11 min/mile0 -
Sunday, August 30th, 2015
Run
2:30:00 done as: the first 90 minutes easy, then the final 60 minutes holding a 9 min/mile pace
What's so hard about that, right?? I mean, 9 min/mile isn't anything too crazy, right?? This should be a walk in the park, right???
Hahahahaha.
:eek:
This was tough. It didn't start out tough, but it ended up very tough. Ugh.
Here's the quick and dirty:
I did the first hour on the hilly streets of town, and I was living large and loving life. Pace felt deliciously easy, and I kept telling myself that this is how my IM marathon run would feel.
The next 30 minutes was a blend of hilly street running and flat Greenway running. I was still loving life, but I was getting extremely thirsty (I was not carrying any water
) and starting to fade a wee bit. And because I was starting to fade, I decided to head home and finish this up in my field. Sometimes it's better to suffer in private rather than be on public display.
I guzzled ice cold water when I got home and downed some shot bloks. Not carrying water/nutrition was a total bozo move on my part. I know better. The last hour of this run was difficult...and I even took a caffeinated gel with 30 minutes to go to see if that would pick me up some. My legs were tired and I just wanted this to be over. You honestly cannot imagine all the various discussions and debates that went on in my head to me keep going....not to mention all the tricks that I pulled out of my back pocket to "convince" myself that I was having fun and that the body was enjoying what I was forcing it to do even though a little voice in my head was whispering that this is how my IM marathon run would feel. :eek:
I'm not sure how I feel about this run. I think it once again highlights that my run fitness just isn't there. It was just too much of a struggle, in all honesty. It was, however, pointed out to me that I probably faded due to dehydration...and that I could have/should have gone easier the first 90 minutes to make the last hour less intense...and that this was a big training week for me, so no doubt I did this tired. Processing all that....but I still have no faith in my run. Tick tock, tick tock.
8:54, 9:23, 9:26, 9:14, 9:21
9:29, 9:21, 8:49, 8:56, 8:55
8:56, 8:44, 8:45, 8:42, 8:42, 8:38, 5:58 (8:17)
Actual run: 16.7 miles in 2:30:20 for an average pace of 9 min/mile
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Swim
1,200 easy, with every 6th lap backstroke
20 x 80 pull, off 85
300 swim/kick
This was really nice - just what the body needed after the hell of the earlier run. The 20 x 80 pull (with band and buoy) all came in right around 1:12, so that gave me a nice little rest between intervals. All is now right with the world once again!
Actual swim: 3,100 lovely evening yards0 -
Barf. Another run off the bike. This is like eating Brussels sprouts to me - I know they're good for me, but they make me want to vomit.
:eek: :eek: brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable, I'll change this to turnips for it to make sense to me
Another great day of training, the elevation gain on your bike rides never ceases to amaze meIt was, however, pointed out to me that I probably faded due to dehydration...and that I could have/should have gone easier the first 90 minutes to make the last hour less intense...and that this was a big training week for me, so no doubt I did this tired. Processing all that....but I still have no faith in my run. Tick tock, tick tock.
I'm glad someone pointed out that dehydration almost certainly played a bit part in you fading and finding it so difficult. Don't be so hard on your runs, you're doing great .... you're putting in serious training these weeks, you're coming back from injury and you're still knocking them out of the park. What time are you targeting for the marathon in the IM?0 -
:eek: :eek: brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable, I'll change this to turnips for it to make sense to me
They're you're favorite vegetable??? Over sweet corn?? Or steamed broccoli?? Or grilled asparagus???Another great day of training, the elevation gain on your bike rides never ceases to amaze me
Gotta climb to get stronger!!! I'm trying!!!I'm glad someone pointed out that dehydration almost certainly played a bit part in you fading and finding it so difficult. Don't be so hard on your runs, you're doing great .... you're putting in serious training these weeks, you're coming back from injury and you're still knocking them out of the park. What time are you targeting for the marathon in the IM?
Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I'm sort of targeting 9 min miles, so around a 4 hour marathon. However, given my past bike-to-run performances and where I feel I am with my running fitness, I suppose a sub 4:30 marathon could be considered a success for me. In truth, anything better than what I did last year at IM Maryland is progress I suppose. 0 -
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Your training has changed lots this time around DD, previously it was an ex-swimmers run log with a bit of occasional cycling. Its more balanced and IM focussed now. Youll be surprised how all that nice bike work will help your run.
Speaking of vegetables, I feel like a broad (has) bean reading your training from my couch 0 -
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Thanks for the above positive messages!! Yes, my training has taken on a different look these last several months in the hope that the changes made will translate positively come October. Fingers (and toes) crossed. And speaking of training, I've had a peek at the next 3 weeks and....:eek:.....good god, it looks like all I'll be doing outside of work is swimming, biking, running, eating and sleeping! :eek: So, don't be surprised if my posts get less fluffy and more down to business these next few weeks. !!!
Monday, August 31st, 2015
Rest day! Whoop whoop!!
Tuesday, September 1st, 2015
Bike
20 min warmup (12 min easy spin, 6 min single leg, 2 min easy spin)
5 x (6 min big gear aiming for 60 cadence at 125W to start and working UP from there, 3 min easy spin)
5 more mins easy
8 x (30 sec very hard - well over 250W here!, 2:30 super easy spin)
5 min more easy!
This was done sneaky lunchtime style on the Cat. Stats for the 6 minute intervals stated as "average cadence...average power":
61...127
Up one gear:
58...137
60...146
Up one more gear:
58...163
60...176
Stats for the 30 second bursts stated as "average power":
252, 242, 212 (???), 260
269, 294 (!!!), 249, 284
This entire session felt pretty good. I sweated like a pig and worked like a dog! Happy camper.
Actual bike: 1:39:00 midday quality time with the Black Cat
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Swim
900 warmup
6 x 60 - done as 20 sprint, 40 easy
4 x (20 x 20 band only, 200 for time!, 100 easy)
This was the exact same session I did last Friday that I felt lukewarm about. I was not feeling much better about tonight's session when I hopped in the pool, but I took the warmup super duper easy, and I even kept the band work a little on the conservative side in hopes that that would set me up for some decent 200s. And....I'm happy enough. The four 200s were solid in many respects, so, yeah...I'm happy.
2:38, 2:37, 2:37, 2:37
On a side note....I wear contacts....and just got new ones that you dispose of daily. I have a sneaking suspicion I forgot to take a set out a few nights ago and now I've got them "stuck" on my eyes. When I get to work tomorrow, I'll see if someone can look in my eyes with an opthalmoscope. To be continued....
Actual swim: 4,060 happy evening yards0 -
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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015
Run #1
This was one of those gawdawful rise and shine easy trots on the treadie....one of those that makes you wonder who in their right mind would enjoy this sort of activity at such a ridiculous hour in the morning - 4:45 am. :eek: I took the instruction of "easy" to heart and eased my way up to 5.5 on the treadmill....and kept it right there.
Actual run: 30 minutes at o'dark hundred!!
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Run #2
Another treadmill session, and thank goodness it was because we had some crazy thunderstorms around us this evening!
15 minute warmup
15 x (3 min "on" @ 8.4, 1 min "off")
15 minute cool down
My legs were complaining a bit about being fatigued during the warmup....but they got with it during the intervals. Doing a short 3 minute spiffy interval followed by a 1 minute recovery is luxury. I mean, we all can do just about anything for 3 minutes, right? Especially if you know you've got a full minute to catch your breath. And if my legs thought they were a bit fatigued at the beginning of this session, then they were royally pooped when they finished it!!!
Actual run: 90 minutes of some royal work on the treadie0 -
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We couldn't find any lost and forgotten contacts in my eyes yesterday when we looked at them at work, so I have an appointment with the eye doctor today.....however, they feel much better this morning, so I may cancel that if they continue to do well over the next few hours! 0
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Thursday, September 3rd, 2015
Swim
800 band only
200 swim
600 band only
200 swim
400 band only
200 swim
200 band only
200 swim
This was done sneaky lunchtime style under a full sun. Glorious day out there...and nice to catch some rays for a healthy glow and vitamin D for healthy bones!!
Actual swim: 2,800 glorious yards
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Bike
20 min warm up
10 x (15 sec spin up to max watts and cadence (should be hard), 45 sec easy spin)
30 x (1 min strong, 30 sec easy spin) (last ten very hard effort!)
15 min easy
I was a little late getting home from work (don't ask!!! :mad:) and I also knew I had a run to do immediately after this session....plus I am doing a long bike tomorrow with some friends and I have to get my gear together.....ugh! I was a little stressed when I began this. !!! Any way.....this went fairly well. I only tracked the last ten 1 minute intervals on my Garmin, the first 20 were just a hodgepodge of data mixed in together with the easy spins. I had my eye on my gear and cadence though, so I wasn't loafing by any means! Those last ten stated as "average power" were:
173, 174, 169, 186, 181
up one gear...
191, 196, 206, 210, 217
Actual bike: 90 minutes on the Cat
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Run
IMMEDIATELY off the Cat and onto the treadmill.....
10 minute warmup
20 x (30 sec "on", 30 sec "off") - "on" done as: 10 @ 9.5, 5 @ 9.8, 5 @ 10.0
5 minute cool down
All I'm going to say is....this felt great!!!! Wow.
Actual run: 35 minutes of on and off and feeling great!0 -
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Man, that's a lot of band swimming. How are the shoulders after it?
Actually, the shoulders are fine! I have a chronic issue with my right shoulder that pretty much prevents me from using paddles (never liked paddles any way!!), but I have not found band work to aggravate it.You're doing a nice amount of biking. Great to see.
Thanks. I'm really trying!!! 0 -
Friday, September 4th, 2015
Bike
At the beginning of the summer, I decided (kind of randomly) that I wanted to have four century rides under my belt before my IronMan. The first two were easy to schedule - a 100 mile group ride with some peeps I know out of Charlottesville in early July....and then 3 weeks later, an organized century out of Harrisonburg - but the remaining two were a little trickier. After some internal debate, I put my big girl pants on and signed up for that crazy ride with the insane climbing that is in two weeks :eek:, but that left one more century that ideally would be done 5 weeks out from the race. So.....with no rides to be found that would work with my schedule, I decided I'd just do this on my own. :eek: And I decided I would do it today.
Briefly.....
I recruited two friends to do this with me...but one of the guys backed out at the last minute....so that left me and David to get this done. We were on the road by 8, and I was in charge of deciding where we'd ride......so, one of my goals was to get in some good hills. (now there's a surprise!) The conversation was lively, the scenery was stunning, and everyone was happy!! It was nice to have the company - something I'm not used to having on long bike rides. But, apparently I wore poor David out because by 52 miles he was done.:(:o Yep. He said he was dying out there. Boo. So....after we parted ways, I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then back out there I went, all by my lonesome. Yay me!!!
In a nutshell....
I was instructed to consume 200 to 300 calories per hour, check.....and I was told to stay hydrated (one bottle per hour if it was hot) with electrolyte drinks, check. The hills were good...the pace was manageable....and the time flew by. I didn't start to feel fatigued until the last 15 miles, but by then I was pretty pooped and had to dig to get this done. Whew! My Garmin died on me at the 6 hour mark (not happy as it was fully charged when I began!), but I got every bit of 100 miles in today. Below is my Garmin link, but again, the data is short by 10+ miles, and by some elevation gain too!
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/888072806
Actual bike: Per Garmin, 89.83 miles in 5:55:46 for an average speed of 15.1 mph and an elevation gain of 5,753 feet......but in reality, 100 miles in ~6:40 for an average speed of 15 mph and an estimated elevation gain of 6,000 feet
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Run
This was supposed to be a 30 minute run at a 9 min/mile pace after the bike ride, but I had to get to work so there was no time....however, I got this done 3 hours later when I arrived home.
8:45, 8:25, 8:33, 4:13 (8:18)
This was tough. Really, really, really tough. Which leaves me wondering how the hell I'm going to run 23 more miles in 5 weeks!!! :eek: Fook!
Actual run: 3.51 miles in 29:58.56 (no, I did not have 1.04 seconds in me!!!) for an average pace of 8:32 min/mile0 -
Number three in the bag DD, you did great and that elevation gain again :eek: :eek: Now that I've an idea of how this marathon running goes, i've every admiration for you talking it on after a tough bike and cycle but there's no doubt in my mind that all your training will pay off on the day, especially the bike work. That will help you no end on the bike 0
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Saturday, September 5th, 2015
Swim
400 swim
300 pull
200 kick
100 IM
200 @ 3:00
4 x 40 @ :45
300 @ 4:30
4 x 40 @ :45
400 @ 6:00
4 x 40 @ :45
500 @ 7:30
200 easy
This went okay.....nice day....sunshiny....yada yada...
Times were:
200 - 2:43 (1:21.5 pace) - this started slow...
300 - 4:05 (1:22 pace) - this felt decent
400 - 5:27 (1:22 pace) - still feeling decent
500 - 6:55 (1:23 pace) - glad this was over
Actual swim: 3,080 sunshiny <cough> yards
Sunday, September 6th, 2015
Hallelujah! A day off!!! Whoop whoop! <happy dance>
Monday, September 7th, 2015 - aka, Labor Day
Run
This was a 2 hour and 45 minute run-as-I-feel. One thing I've learned: when you are given the luxury of doing something "easy" or "as you feel", take it. Take that gift, give it a little squeeze, kiss it a few times, put it under glass, and appreciate it for what it is - a true treasure.
For a variety of reasons, I opted to do this run in my field...with my iPod shuffling here and there to keep me company on this longer than normal trot. I was instructed to consume 100 to 200 calories per hour, and to stay hydrated with electrolyte drink. Aaaaand....the run went something like this:
The first six miles were counter-clockwise around the field....so I had plenty of gentle ups and downs to run up and down:
9:23, 9:25, 9:39, 9:29, 9:33, 9:30
I took a chocolate Clif gel and drank Melon Powerade, water....then started doing modified figure 8s in the field....so there were a few less gentle ups and down to run up and down:
9:41, 9:29, 9:09, 9:04
I took 3 Clif shot bloks and drank nunn energy drink, water....still doing modified figure 8s:
9:00, 8:43, 9:08, 8:50
I took a Vanilla Clif gel and drank nuun energy drink, water....and kept to the flat, fast section of the field as it was now 1 o'clock and the sun was out in full force and starting to wilt my perkiness (translation: killing my will to live!):
8:53, 8:41
The blazing hot ball of fire up in the sky must've had a big 'ol straw sucking me dry because I was parched after a mere two miles, so I grabbed a glug of nuun drink and two glugs of water - no gel:
8:51, 8:36
I think I rejoiced a little when this was over. Don't let the progressive appearance of my paces fool you - this was harder than it looks on paper. Yes, I started out easy....and yes, I ran as I felt....but by mile 12 I was feeling the pinch. Ugh. And let's not kid ourselves, I opted to dumb my run down at mile 7, and again at mile 11. But, this is the longest run since Donadea....so that's progress, I suppose!!
Actual run: 18.2 miles in 2:46:42 for an average pace of 9:10 min/mile
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Swim
5 x 800s done as: swim, swim, buoy-band, buoy-band, swim
I did this pretty much immediately after the run, and the cool water felt so refreshing on my skin - pure heaven, really. The swim went something like this: slow, slow, slow, slow, s-l-o-w. In other words, this was pretty, um, slow. But the body appreciated the aquatic environment and the geriatric pace.
Actual swim: 4,000 slow yards0 -
I think I rejoiced a little when this was over. Don't let the progressive appearance of my paces fool you - this was harder than it looks on paper. Yes, I started out easy....and yes, I ran as I felt....but by mile 12 I was feeling the pinch. Ugh. And let's not kid ourselves, I opted to dumb my run down at mile 7, and again at mile 11. But, this is the longest run since Donadea....so that's progress, I suppose!!
Actual run: 18.2 miles in 2:46:42 for an average pace of 9:10 min/mile
That's a great confidence boost DD, well done. You're gonna knock these tough three weeks out of the park.
I'm learning from your fueling strategy 0 -
I'm learning from your fueling strategy
Good!! Because one of the reasons I post my training is to hopefully impart things/ideas that do/don't work from both my successes and my failures.
Lord knows I am no expert here, and several others could give you much better/seasoned advice, but regarding fueling for a marathon (talking stand alone and not an IM marathon), I would typically take a gel/blok 15 minutes before the gun, the next gel/blok about an hour into the event, then a gel/blok every 20 to 30 minutes after that. (this does assume a proper meal was eaten a few hours in advance) I'd also supplement with orange slices that are typically offered towards the end of the marathon. And of course you need to take on fluids with those gels/bloks...and you have to pay attention to electrolyte loss, especially in heat. And I was taught to take a sip of water at just about every water station. But this is all trial and error and just some general guidelines as there are so many variables that can affect what will work for that person on that day. My biggest advice is, train with the hydration and nutrition you'll be using in the race...figure out how to stay ahead of things so you don't die out there....and get the tummy used to what you'll be putting down the hatch because wicked things can happen if there is revolt in the belly. :eek:;):)0 -
Tuesday, September 8th, 2015
Bike
30 minute warmup, including 5 min of single leg drills
8 x (4 min @ 145w, 2 min easy)
12 minute cool down
Ohhhhh....not too much special to say about this session. It was neat and tidy....disciplined....and manageable. Effort increased as the session went on to maintain the target 145w, but it was fine. Totally fine.
Average cadence...average power:
78...146
87...145 (I bumped it down one gear for only this interval)
78...149
78...148
78...148
79...148
79...150
79...152
Actual bike: 90 minutes on the Cat holding back my urge to smash the power to bits
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Swim
Well....this was supposed to be a 2,500 yard easy splash immediately after the trainer session, but I didn't exactly consider the fact that the days are getting shorter and I might find myself in the pitch dark doing this. Boo. My pool lights aren't working at the moment....so yes, I did find myself in the freakin' pitch dark doing this. Boo hiss. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing better than swimming in the pitch dark under the right "conditions", but not when it's meant to be a structured recovery session. So....I swam until I basically couldn't see the line on the bottom of the pool anymore. Surprisingly enough, the flip turns were not an issue - the mind just knows how many strokes it takes, then the body flips - seeing the wall is not required for me at this point in my relationship with my pool. But I do need to see that damn line.
Actual swim: 1,600 dark yards0 -
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Kurt_Godel wrote: »Excellent OW practice! You should move all your swims to the dark midnight, and you'll swim straighter than anyone in IM!
Actually....you have a point!!! Now I just need to find some glow in the dark buoys.... 0
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