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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Wednesday, September 9th, 2015
Run
Hills!!!! :eek::eek::eek:
20 minute warmup
15 x 1 minute hill repeats
10 minute cool down
Barf. Okay....here we go again. Off to Main Street in my running gear and with tunes being funneled in my ears....and up and down my <cough> favorite hill by the restaurant with the big window that all the patrons can look out and watch me. I should charge admission - some kind of freak show thing. I actually had my audience in mind when I picked out my clothes for tonight's session.
Yeah, this is going a little too far..... 
But to my surprise, this session wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. Maybe the slightly cooler evening helped in this regard, who knows. ??? I broke this down into 3 x (5 x 1 minute hills, 1 minute recovery). In other words, I charged up the hill, eased down the hill, then repeated immediately upon hitting the bottom of the hill 5 times - and took a 1 minute rest between sets of 5. This worked really well as I felt I was being rewarded for working hard, but I found that the first hill after the rest seemed harder than the next 4 did. ??? The hill repeats themselves took about 40 minutes to complete...long enough for the guys who were working on the busted water pipe on the corner diagonally from my start/stop location to conclude that I was completely and utterly bonkers.
Actual run: 70-ish minutes running up and down Main Street0 -
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Must be a tonne of these going cheap after burning man - for pool and field run use Id guess
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Kurt_Godel wrote: »Some really solid work here over the past while. How many training hours a week are you getting in now Dory?
Thanks Kurt...but funny, it just doesn't feel like enough when you're only 4 weeks out from the IM.
At a guess, I've been averaging 16 to 18 hours per week, but this week and next week will be around 20 hours. And honestly, that's all I have in me when I have to work basically 7 days a week too. Fingers crossed I've done enough - but I can sincerely say, I've done my best. 0 -
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I wish I could swim, this would all make a lot more sense to me but despite my lack of fishiness ..... I can understand how difficult your swimming sessions are. You're great for running on the treadie and you never give out about it, respect DD 0
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Saturday, September 12th, 2015
Bike
Sooooo.....this was supposed to be 3.5 hours outside, with the last hour being a scripted 5 min at 130+w, 1 min easy.....but, it was raining cats and dogs outside and I saw no valid reason to subject myself to those dangerous conditions 4 weeks out from race day. Therefore, this was a 3.5 hour sweat-fest on the trainer in my great room with Nirvana, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Foo Fighters in attendance. Woo hoo!!!!!
:eek::D And because I didn't realize in advance I'd be doing this indoors, I sort of had to patch this little doozy together on my own at the last minute....and this is what I came up with.....
45 minutes warmup
10 x (15 sec max cadence and max power, 45 sec easy spin)
30 x (1 minute hard, 30 sec easy)
45 minutes easy
10 x (5 min at 130+w, 1 min easy)
5 minutes cool down
Seeing this session on paper really does not do it justice - this was tough. So tough, in fact, that I honestly was unsure on the 4th 5 min at 130+w if I'd make it through the next 6 intervals at that power - and I rarely (if ever) have felt so unsure on the trainer before. I think part of it was I was behind on my nutrition...but the other part was my legs were dead after having pushed it on the 30 x 1 minute hard. I swear these 3.5 hours on the trainer were harder than I could have/would have gone on the road - and I was totally shocked at the puddles that had formed on the floor below me. :eek: This session took some pretty good mental and physical stamina, and I hope it stands to me in some way on the big day.
The link is below (for sh*ts and giggles), and the data for the final hour's 10 x 5 minutes stated as "average cadence...average power" is as follows:
85...133
86...138
86...138
86...135
86...137
85...134
85...134
86...137
86...138
89...148
I threw the kitchen sink at that last one. Tank was empty....put a fork in me I was done!!! Whew wee!!
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/896282015
Actual bike: 3.5 of the craziest hours on the Cat while indoors!
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Run
This was a 30 minute run off the bike, but good god I had to change my clothes first because I was beyond dripping wet. I was so drenched in sweat that even my socks were soaked and squishy!!! So off with the wet duds and on with the dry duds....and down to the treadmill I went. I set the machine to 6.7 (aka, 9 min/mile pace), and so it began. I basically had two thoughts during this little trot:
1) I'll have completed 1/8 of the marathon when I'm done with these 30 minutes.
2) I'll still have 7/8 of the marathon to go on the day. :eek:
Overall, not a bad little run...but the legs were pooped and I was glad I only had to go 30 minutes.
Actual run: 3.34 miles in 30 minutes0 -
Sunday, September 13th, 2015
Bike
I had the option of riding 90 minutes outside, or doing a trainer session....and because it was storming to beat the band, I did this indoors protected from the difficult (but necessary) elements of nature.
20 minute warm up (with some single leg drills that I forgot to do!
)
8 x (15 sec spin up to max cadence and power, 45 sec easy)
2 minute spin
2 x (10 min build (4-3-2-1 @ 130W-140W-150W-160+W), 5 min easy spin)
10 x (1 min as hard as you can sustain for a min, 2min easy spin)
10 minutes easy
These trainer sessions can be killers!!! And this was another toughie, but it went fine. My legs took a few extra minutes to get on board with what I was asking them to do, but once I got going the love was flowing.
The 2 x 10 minute build stated as "average cadence...average power" is as follows:
85...134
78...142
71...153
68...164
85...135
79...146
71...157
68...168
And I just closed my eyes and took off on the 10 x 1 minute as hard as I could go. I decided not to bother with tracking data on those...sometimes it's just best to try your hardest but not know the actual results.
Actual bike: 1:40:00 on the Cat
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Run
90 minutes done as: 30 min @ 9 min/mile, 60 min easy
Immediately off the bike....but this transition was slowed to look in on a few special peeps who did IM Wales today. Props to all those rockstars who participated as athlete or head cheerleader!:)
And, this was done on the treadmill due to the continued crappy weather outside. Long story short, the first 30 minutes at 9 min/mile were fine....the next 30 minutes I eased it down to 10 min/mile (I was instructed to make the last 60 minutes easy, and that's exactly what I did!) and I struggled with a side stitch (boo...down with that!!!)....and then the final 30 minutes (with the side stitch gone) were really quite relaxed and felt pretty good! Don't get me wrong, my legs were pooped and they did a little happy dance when the 90 minutes were up, but I definitely ended on a high note!
Actual run: 9.4 miles in 90 minutes on the treadie!!
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Swim
8 x 300 done as: 3 x swim easy, 1 x kick, 3 x buoy-band, 1 x kick
Holy mackerel where did summer go??? This evening was quite chilly - YIKES!!! The rain moved out, leaving a gorgeous evening behind, but it replaced the heat with some crispness. And my poor pool heater was just chugging and chugging. :eek: And so it begins....the race to keep up with the desired water temp. Ugh.
This swim felt....amazing. I actually had to talk myself into going out into the cold to do this...considered very briefly putting it off until tomorrow night (since tomorrow is a rest day), but then that wouldn't be in keeping with the plan, so I knew better. No need to elaborate....I felt great...I felt strong (yes, I know the swim was easy!!!)....I loved every minute of it. The kicking was quite nippy in the cold air, but it made me feel alive. And it did occur to me as I was walking from the pool to my back door dripping wet and shivering that I might need to put some more thought into my race day apparel in 4 weeks. Hopping on the bike while wet and in a tri tank and pedaling in the cold air might require some arm warmers!!! Note to self: order black arm warmers tomorrow!
Actual swim: 2,400 fantastic yards0 -
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Wednesday, September 16th, 2015
Run
It's Wednesday, so that means I had my rise-and-shine trot to do on the treadie in the wee hours of the morning. Ugh. Hated to drag myself out of the bed, but I did. I told myself that there must be some good reason I'm having to get up basically in the middle of the night (exaggeration) to do these once a week, so by golly I got my keister up and moving. And this wasn't too bad. I think I started with a setting of 5.5...then eased it up to 6...and then I may have even upped it to 6.5 by the end, but I honestly can't be sure of that some 17 hours later. I guess the most important thing about this run is that it wasn't totally horrible at that ungodly hour in the morning.
Actual run: 30 minutes of sleepy running
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Run
Run number two was done after work, and like this morning's run, it was done on the treadmill.
10 min warmup, easing into 7.5 (8 min/mile)
2 x (3 min @ 2 % incline, 5 min flat...2 min @ 4% incline, 5 min flat...1 min @ 6% incline, 5 min flat) - all done at 7.5
15 min more at 7.5
Well, this was another little trot that honestly wasn't too bad. I know it's all sort of artificial on the treadmill, but...trust in the plan, and...I felt okay during this. Tick tock, tick tock.....
Actual run: 8.25 miles in 67 minutes while testing out the incline on the treadmill0 -
Today was a big day. Tomorrow and Sunday will be big days. I had someone comment on my legs today. I'm eating ice cream tonight. This report will be very brief and pretty much just the facts.
Thursday, September 17th, 2015
Swim
900 warmup
6 x 60 (20 sprint, 40 easy)
8 x 400 @ 5:55
300 easy
Did this over lunch in the sunshine. I never felt great from the start - there was no real love today for me in the water. Them's the breaks, I guess. From the beginning I tried to pace the 400s so I wouldn't die...and they came in something like this:
5:40, 5:42, 5:45, 5:43
I wasn't happy with how things were going - felt I was trying too hard, so I took a 1 minute break to regroup, and tried to keep things more relaxed and controlled.
5:35, 5:38, 5:35, 5:39
Better.
Actual swim: 4,760 tough yards in the sunshine over lunch
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Bike
20 minute warmup
10 x (15 sec max cadence/max power, 45 sec easy)
30 x (1 min hard, 30 sec easy) - increasing effort/power on the last 10
15 minute cool down
Here's Garmin link (oh, Garmin stopped briefly for some unknown reason for about 90 seconds, but I really did do 90 minutes!!)....
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/901821257
And here's the last 10 x 1 min hard stated as "average cadence...average power":
92...174
93...180
92...176
92...177
91...174
93...180
95...189
95...192
96...200
98...202
Good god. :eek:
Kitchen. Sink. Thrown.
Actual bike: 90 tough minutes on the Cat
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Run
IMMEDIATELY off the bike and onto the treadmill.
10 minutes easy
20 x (30 sec "on", 30 sec "off") - "on" done as, 10 @ 9.5, 5 @ 9.8, 5 @ 10.
5 minutes easy
There are no words. I'm just glad I didn't puke or pass out.
Actual run: 35 tough minutes on the treadmill0 -
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Kurt_Godel wrote: »You are good at these shorter, intense training sessions. How do they compare to the longer slower training? What do you prefer?
Oh, I don't know if I'm good at these short/intense training sessions, but I am able to break them down in my head to trick myself into believing they are easier than they really are. For instance, to me, last night's bike session only had 30 minutes of work....and the run only had 10 minutes of work. And I can certainly push my limits (and beyond) for those brief amounts of time!!!
How do they compare to the longer/slower training? Wow. Apples and oranges. Totally different kind of pain and mental approach....and discipline required. Which do I prefer? Hard to say....but....if I pace it smart and the conditions are agreeable, I'd probably say at this point in my life I like the slower/longer stuff better. 0 -
Friday, September 18th, 2015
Run
3 hours outside as I feel...
or...
3 hours on the treadmill, done as: first 60 min @ 6.3 (9:31 min/mile), next 60 min @ 6.6 (9:05 min/mile), last 60 min @ 6.9 (8:42 min/mile)
Normally, this run would be done on Sunday, the day after a long, proper bike ride. But this Sunday I have a crazy @ss century to do in Harrisonburg :eek:, so that meant this run had to be moved to either today or Monday, and I chose to do it today. But that also meant it would be very doubtful I'd get this done outside due to the fact that I have to work for a living (I cannot even imagine the training I could do if I didn't have to work!) and I would run out of daylight doing this in the evening, which was my only option. I sort of floated the idea by the maker of my plan to do as much of the run outside as possible before it got too dark, and then do the remainder on the treadmill, but my only response was the instructions of how I was to do the 3 hours on the treadmill. The combo idea was not acknowledged....and I did not pursue it. So....3 hours on the treadmill it was for yours truly. :eek:
And....this really wasn't horrible. Fortunately I find some comfort in repetition, so three hours going nowhere was not the worst thing I've ever done. The first 2 hours and 20 minutes were pretty "easy" going...but after that my legs started to complain. Cardiovascular-ly I was totally fine. Then about 20 minutes after my legs started to complain, my feet joined in to voice their disapproval. I'm a little worried that my feet were less than pleased...and it makes me concerned that my beloved adizero boosts are not right for 26.2 miles. ??? I love these shoes. As soon as I put them on my feet and legs are happy....but 17 miles in tonight, they were not feeling any joy. Was it the treadmill? Was it just that my legs/body/feet were tired from the cumulative training? Or are these shoes not my best choice for such a long run even though they are marketed to marathoners? UGH!!!!!!
Any way.....
Nutrition/hydration was taken on 60 minutes in, 40 minutes later, then 40 minutes after that. I used Cliff shot bloks, Cliff vanilla gel, water, and nuun sports drink. Obviously I will take on more than that on race day, but for tonight this was good enough.
Overall I am very pleased with this run. Perhaps the treadmill is slightly artificial, and perhaps the run could be considered mechanically assisted....but there were a lot of positives I take from these 3 hours too. And in celebration, it looks like it's going to be another ice cream night!
Actual run: 20 miles on the treadmill in 3:01:20 for and average pace of 9:05 min/mile0 -
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Saturday, September 19th, 2015
Bike
30 mins w/u with 5 mins single leg drills.
10 x (20 sec 110+ cadence, 40 sec easy)
10 x (1 min big gear @ 55-60 cadence, 1 min easy spin, 1 min easy gear @ 90-95 cadence, 1 min easy spin)
10 min easy
This was so-so. My legs were beat from last night's 3 hour treadmill-o-rama....and at times I honestly wondered if I wouldn't be better off taking a nap rather than pushing myself today. But....I did what I could. My heart really wasn't into this one, however there were some moments of quality - a glimmer every now and then. This was good enough for today.
Actual bike: 90 mediocre minutes on the Cat
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Swim
800 buoy-band
200 swim
600 buoy-band
200 swim
400 buoy-band
200 swim
200 buoy-band
200 swim
Ummm....this was okay. I didn't set the world on fire or anything...and I did feel somewhat heavy and sluggish in the water...but I enjoyed this swim without the clock on me....and I think the body appreciated being surrounded by water.
Actual swim: 2,800 yards surrounded by water0 -
Alpine Loop Gran Fondo
Shenandoah Mountain Century
Harrisonburg, VA
Sunday, September 20th, 2015
Harrisonburg is a city that's about 45 minutes away from me, and I'm starting to really appreciate the cycling culture it has. This event, the Gran Fondo, is a biggie on the radar of some top notch cyclists in our region. It's organized by local pro Jeremiah Bishop, and supported by another local pro, Joseph Dombrowski...and the ride is a charity event for prostate cancer. When I stumbled upon this ride a few months ago while trying to figure out how I would get my four 100 mile training days in, I initially didn't give it serious consideration - I felt the course was too hard...I thought I was not strong enough...I assumed the ride was for pros and pro wannabes. I noticed, however, that they were offering a training ride day in prep of the real deal about a month in advance, and I liked the sound of that, but I still wasn't convinced I could keep up or hold my own even on the training ride....so I called my bike shop in Harrisonburg and asked my favorite bunch of grease monkeys what they thought about my ability and whether or not I would fit in. It was unanimous. I was to go for it. And not just the training ride, but the big event as well. And there was something else - something else that was drawing me to that Gran Fondo. There was a timed section up the Shenandoah Mountain. A KOM timed section. And polka dot KOM jerseys were being awarded to all the winners in their age groups. Oh my, how could I resist that??
So...fast forward past the preparatory training ride four weeks ago...and past the weeks of IM training....and past the last few days of high intensity training...and here were are on the morning of the Gran Fondo. The registration that morning was easy, and everyone was super friendly. We all received a t-shirt, a bag (pretty much an empty bag), a bib number to pin to the jersey, and a timing chip to attach to the helmet. ??? I hadn't a clue what to do with the timing chip - it was basically a "T" shaped piece of thick paper with sticky only on the top part of the "T" - but a very nice volunteer helped get me sorted, and I learned something new!! Soon enough we were all called to the start line. After a few words were said to honor the event and the cause, Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" came thumping though the speakers, and then we were given the go ahead with a police escort out of the city. So far so good!!
I'd be lying to you fine folks if I didn't admit here and now that my primary focus and goal for today was to snag me some polka dot love. Between you and me, all I cared about was those 4.2 miles up that mountain. The rest of the ride? Well, that was just going to be 99 miles of fluff in my book. My heart was set on a jersey, and I had the confidence needed to attack that mountain and give it my best shot. Game on.
I studied the course map in advance, so I knew that the KOM section started just after mile 20. My plan was to go nice and easy up to that point as I figured a 20 mile warmup would be just what the legs needed to get me ready for the ascent. The lead up to the bottom of the mountain was rolling, and the cyclists were starting to spread out by mile 10 or so....and it was at about this time that I found myself in the middle of two other cyclists pedaling quite happily at a very manageable pace. Then somewhere around mile 14 or 15 a train of folks brazenly came steaming by, and my lead man decided to attach himself to the end of that train. (wft???) Good god, did he not know my plan?? Did he not know I needed to save my legs for that polka dot climb??? But I went with him/them and hung on until I had had enough of their accordion style pace that was hotter than I had any interest in going. I had other fish to fry than to worry about speed or sticking with a group like this to draft off of, so I let them go around mile 16. And now I was on my own.
I calculated that I'd need to take on some nutrition about 15 minutes before the climb, so on mile 17 I grabbed one of my energy bars. Each rider is required to carry two bottles of fluids with them on this ride, and I was doing a pretty good job sipping on my water and on my nuun energry drink...however, with each bottle weighing a couple of pounds full of liquid, I made the decision to lighten my load and dump the contents of both bottles just before the climb began. This gal ain't stupid - I've watched the Tour de France - I've seen how the big boys do it. Plus, I knew the first water station was waiting for us after we came off the descent. I'll take every advantage I can get.
The start of the KOM came a little earlier than expected - on mile 19, not 20 - and as I passed the timing mat and the encouraging volunteers, I let out a little "whoop" to mark the beginning of my quest. I was a lone rider embarking on these 4 miles. Climbing is not foreign to me, in fact, I am very comfortable climbing. I get into my own happy groove and keep a steady beat. My beat, that is based on the effort I calculate that I can maintain for "x" period of time or distance. I got in my happy groove with my steady beat pretty early on, but, being all on my own and alone, I had no idea how I was actually doing or moving....until, that is, I saw that first cyclist ahead come into view. Target number one. And then another not far ahead of him. Target number two. Easy pickings. The stragglers from the train that roared past me 5 miles ago. And then there were more targets and train members in view, and they came faster and in greater numbers...and I passed all of them with relative ease. I passed them on straights. I passed them in turns. I passed them 3 wide. I passed them with cars passing me. I passed big ones, little ones, blue ones and pink ones. I passed them while they were huffing. I passed them while they were hating life. I passed them as they gave me shocked second glances. I passed them with a smile on my face. I passed them staring straight ahead. I passed them with my sunglasses concealing my soul. I passed them every way imaginable...and I never, ever missed one happy groove or steady beat. I owned that mountain. It was mine. And I knew when I reached the top that if someone in my category beat me out of that damn polka dot jersey, then by golly she earned it. I only had one cyclist pass me the entire way up, and that was a fella who was probably my junior by 15 or 20 years, so I knew I had put down a solid effort.
I let out a few more "whoops" as I crossed the second timing mat, and then stopped very briefly to take in the view at the top of the mountain. It was gorgeous!! My ascent down the mountain wasn't so gorgeous, but I'll keep working on that. It will take practice to stop the braking and the white knuckling and my fear, but I'm willing to keep trying. I've already made progress in that I now descend in the drops...heck, I climbed in the drops too. Shoot, I probably cycled 80% of this ride in the drops!! And for me, that is huge progress!! I want to improve, so I'll keep working on everything.
The remainder of the ride went something like this: rest stop in Brandywine (mile 34-ish) at the base of the mountain after the crazy descent....lovely flatish section in West Virginia with pure West Virginia country scenery all around....rest stop number two (mile 44-ish), then a wicked climb up Shenandoah Mountain and back into Virginia....corresponding scary descent with a fun rolling end.....rest stop number three (mile 59-ish) with the best ham sandwiches and mini can of coke ever!, then onto a 26 mile loop that included 2 to 3 miles on gravel :eek: (wtf???)....then back to rest stop number four (mile 85-ish) that was really rest stop number three with the same best ham sandwiches ever that I had two of this time around with one coke (so 3 ham sandwiches and two cokes in total)....then off to finish the ride in style with some cruel hills, another gravel road, and a boat load of very unwelcome wind. Oh, and I passed the pro/organizer, Jeremiah Bishop, while he was relieving himself AND talking on the phone by the side of the road along a wooded section on about mile 87. That guy's got some talent there!!! His two buddies were just up the road doing the same, sans cell phone. I gave a shout to them as I passed. Of course, soon after, the three of them whizzed by me in a blur. Those boys can move!!!
The finish line was a blast. Other than the KOM section, this event is not a race...yet, when you cross that finish line, you are treated like you just set a world record of some sort. Cow bells are clanging, the digital clock is displaying the elapsed time, the crowd is cheering, and young volunteers are waiting to present you with your medal and offer you cold, bottled water. Rock. Star. Status. Then, someone ushers you over to the bike racks that are waiting to steady your steed so you can go and enjoy the live band that's playing on stage while you eat your hot meal of pork barbecue, grilled chicken, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, rice, and fruit. Oh, and there's a free flowing dispenser of chocolate milk. (OMG!!! Chocolate milk!!! Pinch me!!!) To say this event was super fab does not do it justice. This honestly was one of the best run events I have ever experienced. From the start to the finish...from the training ride to the big day....from the everything to the anything, this event was so incredibly well done that I will be back next year for sure. I did the century this year, but who knows, maybe next year I'll try my hand at the even longer and more challenging ride they offer with total climbing exceeding 10,000 feet. :eek: Oh, and the polka dot jersey? Yeah. It's mine. I won my category and was 3rd lady overall to the top. Polka dot, it's my new favorite color.
My Garmin pooped out on me after 6 hours/88 miles...so...here's a link to the course map and profile, including elevation grades.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6985358
And for shi*ts and giggles, here's a link to the biggest of the rides they offer on the day - the one I aspire to doing.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1475830
Actual ride: 103.8 miles and 7,815 feet of elevation gain0 -
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