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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
Bike/run combo
Bike...
Description:
15 mins warm up
Cadence set -
3 x [easy gear, start cadence at 70 rpms, increase 5 rpms every 30 seconds until your reach 120 rpms (5 mins) + 1 min rest]
Iso Leg Drills -
1 min each leg 60 rpm - hard gear. 1 min easy
1 min each leg 80 rpm - easy gear. 1 min easy
1 min each leg 60 rpm - hard gear. 1 min easy
Standing big gear set -
3 x [5 mins standing biggest gear possible- surging the final 10 secs of each min + 2 mins easy]
Iso Leg Drills -
1 min each leg 60 rpm - hard gear. 1 min easy
1 min each leg 80 rpm - easy gear. 1 min easy
1 min each leg 60 rpm - hard gear. 1 min easy
Cadence set -
2 x [easy gear, start cadence at 70 rpms, increase 5 rpms every 30 seconds until your reach 120 rpms (5 mins) + 1 min rest]
1 x [easy gear, start cadence at 70 rpms, increase 5 rpms every 30 seconds until you reach 105rpms then hold 5 mins]
10 min cool down
Good grief, I have no idea how reliable any of my data is tonight as the Garmin rep cautioned me about broken pedals and false info (I asked him a lot of questions trying to pin him down about my power and the power graph and the intensity of the dots on the power graph and my right/left balance
)....but, my power for the 3 x 5 min standing big gear was up tonight 20+ watts from the same session last Wednesday. One difference, I tightened down my pedal before this session....however, it was loose by the end of the session....so, who knows if these numbers are bunk. ??? Other inconsistencies are my R/L power balance was way off tonight...and I noticed my cadence is up tonight over last Wednesday, yet the gear is the same, all of which makes me question the Garmin data.
The session itself went well - felt great during the standing big gear work, and continued to struggle with the cadence sets. Give me grinding any day over spinning! Any way....the 3 x 5 min data is as follows:
53 rpm...164w
55 rpm...177w
56 rpm...186w
Nice to see the power up even if maybe it's not real.
Run...
Just an easy 20 minute treadmill trot off the bike at a setting of 6.6. No complaints. The next 10 days will be a bit of a step back....and no complaints there either!
Bike/run combo: 1 hour and 40 minutes on the Black Cat, and 20 minutes on the treadmill0 -
Thursday, February 25th, 2016
Run
20 minute warmup
6 x (3 min @ 8.3, 1 min rest)
16 minute cool down
This was done sneaky lunchtime style, and it went fine. However, my treadmill is starting to make a funny noise periodically. :mad: It's sudden, and it's loud enough that is always startles me. I called the treadmill company yesterday and they told me it could be the bearings going out on me. My warranty ran out 11 months ago, but they didn't offer to help me out.
My fear is, if this bearing thing goes out totally on me, will it stop the treadmill suddenly?? If so, god help me if I'm doing one of my spiffy bursty sessions because I'll be tossed into the control panel face first. :eek: I guess I'd better have it looked at. 
Actual run: 7.3 miles (sort of - had 6 minutes of resting) in 60 minutes on the treadmill
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Swim
10 min swim
10 min buoy
10 min buoy-band
I did this after work. The swim was done at a wave pace of 1:33, and the buoy and buoy-band were at 1:30. This was just to shake the body out, so it was a nice, relaxed little swim!
Actual swim: 30 minutes shaking the body out in the tank0 -
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Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Bike
Duration: 01:45:00
Description:
trainer:
10 min w/u.
6 mins 100 cad.--still warming up for the 6-4-2 here so keep gearing moderate.
1 min easy.
4 min 100 cad.
1 min easy.
2 min 100 cad.
1 min easy.
3x 3 min big gear, strong effort @ 60cad + 2 min easy between each.
4 min 100 cad. super easy gear to flush the legs.
8 mins Ironman effort, race cadence, in your bars.
4 min 100 cad. super easy gear to flush the legs.
3x 2 min big gear, strong effort @ 60cad + 1 min easy between each.
4 min 100 cad. super easy gear to flush the legs.
8 mins Ironman effort, race cadence, in your bars.
4 min 100 cad. super easy gear to flush the legs.
3x1 min big gear, strong effort @ 60cad + 1 min easy between each.
4 min 100 cad. super easy gear to flush the legs.
8 mins Ironman effort, race cadence, in your bars.
easy cool down til 1:45
This felt pretty fantastic, in truth. I screwed the broken pedal down as tight as I could with my hands before I started this session, and it was still tightened down at the end of the session...so...maybe the data is somewhat reliable??? I know the balance is still way off, but I do like the power numbers! And speaking of numbers, here they are for the various sets:
3 x 3 min @ 60 rpm:
65 rpm...177w
65 rpm...183w
65 rpm...177w
8 min @ IM effort/cadence:
95 rpm...131w
3 x 2min @ 60 rpm:
65 rpm...175w
65 rpm...176w
66 rpm...189w
8 min @ IM effort/cadence:
96 rpm...137w
3 x 1 min @ 60 cadence:
66 rpm...187w
65 rpm...199w
64 rpm...222w
(upped the gearing some throughout this set, thus the decreasing rpm and increasing watts)
8 min @ IM effort/cadence:
98 rpm...144w
Again, I felt very strong for this. I know the 8 min IM sets were a bit on the ambitious/unrealistic side, but I felt so damn good that I just went with it! One thing I did that I knew I shouldn't was I took one of my caffeinated Mocha gels that have a recent history of burning my gut. I lovelovelove the taste of them, and at one time I never had an issue....but once again my belly started burning. I need to get rid of these gels, however I have nearly 2 whole boxes of them!! Ugh. But a burning belly will do me no good in a race, that's for sure!
And on a very, very good note, my new Garmin pedals arrived today - yahoo!! And as an unexpected bonus (and I'm sure a bit of a mistake on Garmin's part), it looks like I've received TWO complete sets. Yikes. I take the Black Cat into the bike shop on Monday, so we'll see if what I'm seeing in the two boxes is what I think I'm seeing. If so, I'll call Garmin and let them know. I can't take advantage of their goodwill.
Actual bike: 1 hour and 45 minutes of some decent powering on the Black Cat!0 -
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A quick catchup on last week....done in a very uncharacteristic condensed and scattered style. But this week was an easy week for me - I didn't have the Black Cat to get a trainer session done on (I tried to set up the Mad One, but all I managed to do was a little superficial damage to the surface of the bike!), and I had a half marathon yesterday to test the water and see where I am.
Tuesday, March 1st, 2016
Swim/run combo
Swim...
This was my 30 x 100 session, with some other things thrown in before and after. My recollection is I did this at 1:19 and all went well.
Run...
Dripping wet, I hopped on the treadmill and stayed steady at 6.6. I believe my legs were a bit heavy for this.
Swim/run combo: 60 minutes splashing, 40 minutes dashing
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Wednesday, March 2nd
Swim
This was supposed to be a 90 minute trainer session, but after it was clear the Mad One wanted nothing to do with fake riding, I took it to the tub and splashed about for 45 minutes. The guts of this session was 10 x 30 seconds hard, with equal rest for recovery.
Actual swim: 45 minutes in the pool instead of 90 minutes on the trainer
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Thursday, March 3rd, 2016
Rest. Yay!!! I swear the harder you work, the more you appreciate the rest days!
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Friday, March 4th, 2016
Run
This was 30 minutes with 7 to 10 30 sec pick ups. I did this on the treadmill due to the snow that had fallen the night before. I did a 10 minute warmup and cool down at 6.6, then did the 30 second pick ups (30 secs on/off) at the following settings:
5 @ 9.0
3 @ 9.5
2 @ 9.8
1 @ 10.0
Legs and body feeling good!
Actual run: 30 minute tune up for the half marathon!!0 -
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mechanical issue Dory?
I use a LeMond trainer - you take the back wheel off. There is a different setup if you are using a tri bike versus a road bike. (The Black Cat is my tri bike, the Mad One is my road bike.) I thought I could figure out the reconfiguration without having to dig out the instructions, but I couldn't...so I gave up and went swimming instead! 0 -
VeteRun Half Marathon
Saturday, March 5th, 2016
Summit Point Motorsports Park
Summit Point, West Virginia
"Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.
Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads."
That's the opening to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" mega hit that is synonymous with the state of West Virginia. I have never cared for John Denver. In fact, I get rather nauseous when I hear his voice.
I decided to do this event a few months back - I was looking for a late winter race that would give me an indication of where my running fitness was as I wanted a marker to go by. The main thing that drew me to this race was the ease of travel to it - only 90 minutes away, and no hassle getting into the venue. I also thought it would be fun and interesting to do a run on a motor speedway. Ha! Boy was I mistaken!
Okay, I'm going to do this report pretty quick and dirty as this was not an A race...nor a B race...nor even a C race. It was merely a yardstick and a kickoff to my season of racing. I did rest for it, but that was as much for me mentally as anything else.
The race...in a nutshell went like this: I started off with a small group of runners, staying tucked in from the wind and feeling comfortable only to be shocked when I saw the first mile was 7:05. :eek: Too hot!!! OMG....TOO HOT!!! But I was also secretly happy that I could actually manage a 7:05 mile feeling the way I was feeling. I gradually slowed it down over the next 4 or 5 miles while trying my best to stay sheltered by another runner due to the wind, however I was basically on my own from mile 6 to the finish. The race course itself was mind-numbing and coma-inducing with its dull scenery of black pavement, drab surroundings and piles of honkin' tires lining sections of the race track. Yet, as boring as the course was, it was equally as challenging with its manmade contours, curves, twists, turns and banking. Think: miles of interesting road condensed into one tiny motor speedway tucked away in the suspect fringes of West Virginia. Yee haw! I felt pretty good for the first half of the race, but I knew the hills and early speed were going to bite me in the tuchus in the second half - I wasn't disappointed. Somewhere around mile 9, my quads were screaming so loud they basically drowned out any other outside noise and it was no longer "fun" going downhill. I also found it difficult to eat anything due to the constant up, down and twisting nature of the course. There. Was. No. Flat. But I finally forced myself to down a gel on mile 9, and then made sure I took on water at the next station, having to slow down for it for fear of dropping the cup like I had done at the previous station. The last 3 miles were the toughest for me physically - not only were my legs toast at that point, but the final 2 miles contained the worst climbing - but I handled it like a champ mentally, and was relatively pleased with myself as I crossed the finish line.
I honestly had no idea how this race would go - I was concerned it would be an epic fail and a blow to my psyche - but I'm actually fairly delighted with my performance. Yes, I was 4:06 off my PB, but I was bracing myself for way worse. And if I get a little creative and try to reconcile that 4:06 in crude terms, I break it out like this: I'll give a good minute to the challenging nature of the course and wind, another minute to my poor pacing and nutrition, and then the remainder I'll put down to my running fitness. It's March. I've been basically doing 90% of my run training on a treadmill for the last few months. No hills. That PB of mine was done in the month of September a few years ago (just prior to two consecutive years of serious injury) off a carefully scripted and intensely focused running plan. (There is no substitute for specificity) Apples and oranges. Early days. I'm so incredibly okay with this result. And now I have a solid marker.
Splits as follows:
7:05, 7:09, 7:15, 7:23, 7:23, 7:29
7:33, 7:29, 7:37, 7:39, 7:56, 7:57, 8:09, 1:03 (7:34)
Obviously I'd love to toss out those last 3 miles...but....I own them, and will learn by them. Oh, and I was 5th lady home, but the field was pretty slim so it's not really impressive...but still, I'd rather be 5th than 6th...or 7th....or 8th....:)
Official result: 13.1 miles in 1:39:06 for an average pace of 7:34 min/mile
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Post race aqua jog
When I got home, I hopped in the tank and jogged super easy for 30 minutes. I took advantage of the massage they offered at the race, but this little trot in water felt pretty darned good!
Actual jog: 30 minutes easy in the tank0 -
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2016
In true Dory style, I didn't bother to look at my week's training plan until late last night...I mean, why worry my pretty little head with such minutia earlier than necessary, right? I always get Mondays off, so why should I have looked at my plan in advance? Well....%#$&^%@*%@*.....I should have looked at my plan in advance. Poop. I was supposed to do a swim and a run yesterday, but I already had my PJs on by the time I clicked on my computer last night to have a look. Double poop. So, because today was supposed to be my rest day this week, I made the executive decision to push yesterday's swim and run to today.
Run
This was to be 30 minutes easy, easy, easy....and I did this in the field after work on a gorgeous late winter/early spring (?) evening easy, easy, easy. I wore my watch, but I didn't turn it on.
I honestly love to run without the pressure of pace. And it felt great to toss on a pair of running shorts with this - less is more, less is more! But holy cow was this one ugly little trot. Yikes! The quads are still beat up from the half marathon, which certainly is an indication of how unprepared these legs were for all the ups and downs of that course. But spring is coming, I've got my shorts on, and some good old fashioned road running with hills is on the horizon!
Actual run: 30 minutes easy, easy, easy in the field
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Swim
I hopped in the tub immediately after the run. This wasn't necessarily supposed to be a run/swim combo, but I didn't have enough time over lunch for any training, so by default I had to do this back to back after work.
10 min swim
10 min buoy
10 min buoy-band
10 min choice
I kept all this super easy - the swim was at 1:33, and then the remainder of the workout was at 1:30. Oh, and the choice was my favorite, the buoy-band.
Actual swim: 40 minutes easy in the tub0 -
Wednesday, March 9th, 2016
Bike
This was supposed to be 90 minutes easy, but with some harder efforts tossed in to get the blood flowing....so, I did the first and last 30 minutes easy peasy lemon squeezy, and used the middle 30 minutes for the harder efforts. And I did those harder efforts as follows:
6 x (2 min hard, 3 min easy) - upping the gear by one each 2 minute interval, and ending on the hardest gear I have.
For some very frustrating reason I cannot pair my Garmin with my phone to transfer my data (the bike shop did an update on everything so I suspect there must be an extra hoop I need to go thru to get my phone and the Garmin to pair), so I had to retrieve the data manually off the Edge. Oh...and the new pedals are on the Black Cat! This was my first "ride" on them, so I'll be watching my numbers with great interest over the next week or two to decide if I'm happy with their accuracy or not.
Data as follows for the 2 minute intervals, stated as "avg cadence...average power...L/R balance...pedal smoothness...torque efficiency":
85 rpm...142w...47/53...20-25%...76-89%
80 rpm...163w...47/53...22-28%...81-94%
73 rpm...185w...48/52...25-29%...87-98%
71 rpm...203w...48/52...26-30%...92-100%
67 rpm...209W...49/51...28-31%...95-100%
56 rpm...209W...49/51...29-32%...99-100%
I have no idea what pedal smoothness and torque efficiency are (actually, I did look them up so I sort of have a very basic understanding of those two metrics), but I included them here tonight, along with my Left/Right pedal balance, purely because I thought it was interesting how their numbers changed in a consistent fashion as I progressed thru those 6 intervals.
And....my quads are feeling better....so I'm definitely on the mend! Whoop whoop!!!
Actual bike: 90 minutes on the Cat testing out the new Vector pedals0 -
Thursday, March 10th, 2016
Swim/run combo
Run... This was supposed to be a swim then run combo...but I did this run then swim. The winter has been too long and tonight was just too gorgeous, so I shed the work clothes and slipped into some shorts and a tshirt, and I got this done before the sun went down behind the Massanutten Mountain. I haven't a clue how far I went - I wore my watch but I left it off - and I thoroughly enjoyed running in such a carefree manner. Quads are nearly back to normal!!!
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Swim...
10 minute warmup
5 minute kick/breast/choice
20 x 1 minute buoy-band @ 1:30, 10 sec rest
5 minute cool down
I hopped in the tank, still slightly sweaty from the run, and did this with no trouble at all. In fact, I felt super duper strong - which actually is hilarious considering how slow the prescribed pace was. I didn't bother to take the 10 seconds of rest between the 1 min buoy-band intervals - I felt so comfortable at that pace and figured it would take more energy to stop and start than to just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.
Actual swim/run run/swim combo: 40 minutes of fabulous running in the field...followed by 40 minutes of fabulous swimming in the tank0 -
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Saturday, March 12th, 2016
Bike
Okay, so...I woke up last Sunday morning with (another) crick in my neck, and, while it's slowly getting better, I've been dealing with it all week long. I had it tended to (massaged) on Wednesday (seems to be an issue with muscles around my left shoulder blade, which makes it feel like my neck muscles are pulling down to the shoulder blade while my shoulder joint is pulling over to that shoulder blade), and it is much better...however, my body position on the bike amplified the discomfort a zillion-fold during this ride. OMG! :eek: I knew within the first mile this was going to be a test in stubbornness and character to get the minimum requested 2.5 hours in, and I even struggled with what the right thing to do was (stop or continue), but I haven't been on the road in months (MONTHS!) so I honestly felt I had to keep going. So I did...but I'm sure I looked like a complete idiot out there because the entire time I was on the bike I was searching to find the most comfortable position. I'd hold my head to the left...I'd stretch it to the right...I'd lift it up...then tuck it down (nearly running off the road!)...I'd sit up...I'd arch my back like a cat...I'd hold my left arm up high in the air above my head (NOT kidding! and I did this A LOT!!!)...I'd stretch it behind my back...and I'd rotate it in a freestyle motion. Good god, I've never moved so much on my bike in my life! I tried to act "normal" and hold a "normal" position if I saw or heard a car coming my way, but when the road was free and clear, I was chasing comfort. The one positive thing is, this proves to me that I have both healthy confidence and really good balance while on the bike!
And because I was slightly dangerous movin' and groovin' on two wheels today, I kept to the two hollows I feel safest cycling on - Rocky Branch and Shenk Hollow. I'm pretty good at managing pain, and today I found a way to find comfort in a dynamically painful situation - but trust me, that doesn't mean I enjoyed this ride even a little bit. I also know I can't keep getting these neck/shoulder/shoulder blade pains when I wake up in the morning. I may need to get new pillows and/or mattress. Whatever it is I need to do, I will.
Actual bike: 34.11 miles in 2:30:14 with an elevation gain of 2,393 feet0 -
Move over Wheaties, there's a new breakfast of champions in town!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kellogg-s-Disney-Pixar-Finding-Dory-Cereal-8.4-oz/477449170 -
Sunday, March 13th, 2016
Run
Spitting rain + dramatic breeze + dark and moody sky + Foo Fighters' Skin and Bones on the iPod = my kind of easy run.
This was an hour in the field. I totally underestimated the chilliness of the day (way too optimistic sometimes!!!) and had to head back in after a half a lap around to change my top to something a bit cozier than the sleeveless number I had on. I wore my watch and turned it on (shock and horror!), but I didn't glance at the pace until it beeped at me each mile. I settled into a very comfortable rhythm pretty much immediately, and I love my resulting paces.
9:44, 9:45, 9:46
9:30, 9:32, 9:32, 2:44 (9:28 pace)
Actual run: 6.29 soggy field miles in 1:00:33
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Swim
10 minute warmup
5 x (10 min buoy-band, 30 sec rest)
5 minute cool down
This felt really good on the body...especially my neck/shoulder that I've been having trouble with. I think swimming loosens my muscles, thus easing the "pull" I feel. I did the buoy-band at a heavenly 1:30 pace (admittedly, I could have upped this to 1:27, but I just felt too comfy to bother)...and I boldly did a rotation of free, breast and back for my cool down. All good in the neighborhood!!
Actual swim: 65 minutes in the tank0 -
Move over Wheaties, there's a new breakfast of champions in town!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kellogg-s-Disney-Pixar-Finding-Dory-Cereal-8.4-oz/47744917
They must be reading your log .... is there disclaimer on the back that they take no responsibility if after eating them, you start training like a mad person and will swim like a fishy?
Fair play for getting through that bike ride with a crik in your neck. I get a crick neck for two reasons 1. going to bed with wet hair, if I sleep on it, I wake up with a stiff neck on the side that I've slept on the damp hair. 2. if I'm sleeping in a room beside an open window, the draft give me a stiff neck.
I find that heat patches and a massage are the only things that get shot of it as well as finding the cause of it.0 -
I will try this again....my entire post from last night mysteriously disappeared when I hit the submit button and I was just too tired to repost.
Tuesday, March 15th, 2016
Gym
This was a little sneaky lunchtime TRX action in my basement. I had taken time off from the TRX work for the half marathon, so this was a bit of a wakeup call for some of my muscles. Yikes!
Actual gym: 35 minutes hanging from a rope over lunch
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Swim/run combo
Swim...
10 minutes warmup
5 minutes buoy-band
30 x (90 sec @ 1:19, 30 sec rest)
5 minutes kick
5 minutes cool down
I snuck out of work a wee bit early so I could get the run part of this combo done before the sun went down. (We sprung forward over the weekend.) But the swim was fine - I had the garage doors up to let the sunshine and chilly fresh air in.
Run...
Out to the field I went with wet hair, shorts, and the Foo Fighters. I wore my watch, but I decided to keep that damn thing turned off. This was supposed to be easy, and by golly I've decided to "reward" myself by doing a fair amount of these easy runs without the self-imposed competition and pressure of my Garmin spitting paces at me. I want to do some of these runs for the love of running - nothing more, nothing less.
But it was a gorgeous evening..and I went counter clockwise around the field for 60 minutes without a care in the world. I totally enjoyed this little trot - I think I could have continued on well into the night at the pace I was going...which I computed was ~ 9:30 min/mile based on glancing at my watch and knowing the distances of my field.
Actual swim/run combo: 90 minutes in the tank followed by 60 minutes in the field0 -
Wednesday, March 16th, 2016
Bike
trainer:
20 min warm up
30x
(1 min biggest possible gear, such that it is very difficult to turn over 45-50 cadence+ 1 min easy spin)
10 min easy spin
**this is like a weights workout for the bike, so these BG reps should be done at a low heartrate but be very muscularly taxing.
I did this after work this evening, and I've honestly no complaints....other than it was a stunning evening and a sin to be indoors. I used the biggest gear possible on the Cat, and my cadence throughout the session for the 30 x 1 min BG intervals was pretty much 51 rpm while my power (per that 3s thingy) seemed to range 155 to 170 watts. My L/R balance was 49%/51%, which is reasonable to me, thus giving me some confidence that my pedals and power have been properly sorted.
Actual bike: 90 minutes grinding it out on the Black Cat0 -
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Since its top 'o the mornin' in your parish west of Kerry...
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