I am going for "Put-Hair-On-Your-Chest-Wednesday" installment # 2 today, because today REALLY tested my limits. I may have caused more grays than chest hair. I am beat and DONE for the day.
First, this morning's bike ride. But FIRST, my recovery from yesterday's 10 mile run in 100% humidity. I wrecked myself yesterday AM, and throughout the day I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the soreness to creep it; it never did. I even brought the foam roller with me to work for an extra stretch and roll @ lunch. None needed. I was like, "OOoooaaakaaaayyyyyy....."
It never showed up passively, but it showed up on the bike this morning. I was missing a gear, or so it felt like. I did 30.6 miles in 1:40:00. I was either going @ a slow recovery speed or going HARD since I did about 6 or 7, 5 min intervals @ threshold pace. I noticed a 28mph number here and there on some of the flats. SCORE! I felt like crap, but my legs sure were fast this morning. I crawled up the hill @ work to finish the ride and was glad that was over with!
Then tonight the fun REALLY got going. And I thought my ride this morning was hard. I HAD NO IDEA!!! My super swimmer coworker Bob gave me a set to do tonight:
500 warm up
5 x 100 on 2:00
5 x 100 on 1:55
5 x 100 on 1:50
hold the pace for ALL 100's.
So not only is the cumulative effect taking hold, but I am getting less rest as the sets progress. I snuck in 200 yards of kicking drills between each 100 yard epic battle for some sort of recovery, if you can call it that.
And my result? Held no slower than a 1:31, and no faster than a 1:24. I saw lots of 100's in the 1:26 range. I felt my best during the 100's on the 1:55 interval. DOUBLE SCORE!
Whelp folks, 2010 is 50% done. Unless I run some miles in my sleep tonight, I am calling June DONE.
Gonna try to do a half year in review post tomorrow. So stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Out with the Old; In with the New
Dear Old Mizuno Shoes,
You will be missed on the run. You brought me, no joke, 5 PR's out on the run this past spring. Thank you for giving me that 1:45:xx stand alone Half Marathon PR in March, the 1:15:xx 15K, the sub 30 min 4 miler, that sub 2 hour half marathon in the heat in New Orleans @ the 70.3, and that amazing 1:50:00 half marathon @ Mooseman 70.3 in the pouring rain; you held up well that day! You are being replaced by a new version of you, but don't worry, you are being retired into your glory days as walking shoes.
Our last run together this morning was a great parting run. You again held up well, only this time in 80 degree weather @ 100% humidity (@ 5:45 AM!!!) for 10 miles while allowing me to hold an 8:43 pace.
You won't be forgotten as the best pair of running shoes that I have ever worn!
You will be missed on the run. You brought me, no joke, 5 PR's out on the run this past spring. Thank you for giving me that 1:45:xx stand alone Half Marathon PR in March, the 1:15:xx 15K, the sub 30 min 4 miler, that sub 2 hour half marathon in the heat in New Orleans @ the 70.3, and that amazing 1:50:00 half marathon @ Mooseman 70.3 in the pouring rain; you held up well that day! You are being replaced by a new version of you, but don't worry, you are being retired into your glory days as walking shoes.
Our last run together this morning was a great parting run. You again held up well, only this time in 80 degree weather @ 100% humidity (@ 5:45 AM!!!) for 10 miles while allowing me to hold an 8:43 pace.You won't be forgotten as the best pair of running shoes that I have ever worn!
Monday, June 28, 2010
My Guilty Post Workout Pleasure; and a swim that came together
Do you have a guilty post workout pleasure? Mine is those generic "Nutritional" ala Ensure-meals in a can "Drinks."
Whenever I have to drive to a location to get a workout in, I need one of these for the car ride home to take that "hunger edge" off and to get something into my body before I go into zombie mode. You won't like me when I am hungry. They taste soooooo artificial, but after a workout they taste sooooooooo good! (the drinks, not zombies)
And the funny thing about these drinks, is that every major supermarket or wholesale store carries there own generic version, and yet, they all happen to taste the same and have the EXACT same calories and nutritional data and ingredients to em. Makes you wonder, right? Speaking of nutritional data. Here goes (taken from Livestrong.com):
In other words, this is a balanced meal in a can and perfect for getting some quick calories into you post workout. I wouldn't live off of these, but man do they take that edge off when you are hungry!
And now for tonight's swim.
I had one of the best swims of my life tonight:
500 WU
5 x 100 on 2:00, hold the pace. Went: 1:26, 1:29, 1:30, 1:27, 1:30
5 x 300 on 6:00, hold the pace. Went: 4:43, 4:44, 4:42, 4:40, 4:35
200 CD
--------
2800 total
I think all of my efforts in the pool finally paid off tonight. I never went into the red tonight other than that last 300. I tried to hold back as much as I could and stay aerobic. Where is this speed coming from?!?!?
Sort of how I felt after holding a 1:31 pace for a 300
This time last year I was lucky to hold a consistent 1:37 pace on a good day. Today I was nearing the 1:30-1:31 pace. This is such a confidence booster since swimming is my weakest leg.
Tomorrow is gonna be an early run. 10 miles baby! Doing 3x3 mile laps so I can keep water @ my car.
I only drink the chocolate.
Whenever I have to drive to a location to get a workout in, I need one of these for the car ride home to take that "hunger edge" off and to get something into my body before I go into zombie mode. You won't like me when I am hungry. They taste soooooo artificial, but after a workout they taste sooooooooo good! (the drinks, not zombies)
And the funny thing about these drinks, is that every major supermarket or wholesale store carries there own generic version, and yet, they all happen to taste the same and have the EXACT same calories and nutritional data and ingredients to em. Makes you wonder, right? Speaking of nutritional data. Here goes (taken from Livestrong.com):
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 can (8 fl oz)
Amount per Serving
- Calories 350 Calories from Fat 100
% Daily Value *
- Total Fat 11g 17%
- Saturated Fat 1g 5%
- Monounsaturated Fat 6g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 240mg 10%
- Potassium 500mg 14%
- Total Carbohydrate 50g 17%
- Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
- Sugars 18g
- Protein 13g 26%
And now for tonight's swim.
I had one of the best swims of my life tonight:
500 WU
5 x 100 on 2:00, hold the pace. Went: 1:26, 1:29, 1:30, 1:27, 1:30
5 x 300 on 6:00, hold the pace. Went: 4:43, 4:44, 4:42, 4:40, 4:35
200 CD
--------
2800 total
I think all of my efforts in the pool finally paid off tonight. I never went into the red tonight other than that last 300. I tried to hold back as much as I could and stay aerobic. Where is this speed coming from?!?!?
Sort of how I felt after holding a 1:31 pace for a 300
Tomorrow is gonna be an early run. 10 miles baby! Doing 3x3 mile laps so I can keep water @ my car.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sweat! Let's talk about sweat.
Got out this morning in what I called "Marshmallow Fumidity" it was so humid. No sun could penetrate this thick cloud of yuckiness. This was good, though! I wanted these conditions (75 degrees, 81% humidity) because this was the morning to test out how much I sweat in these conditions. I ran 6.67 miles in exactly 1 hour for a 9 min/mile flat pace, which is my base.
Here is the formula that I learned when I wrote my Beating the Heat, My Plan post. I didn't eat or drink anything during the run and didn't use the bathroom after or before the measurements. What is lost is purely through sweat, tears, and thermal energy.
Isn't this convenient!!! So had I known my sweat rate, and if I had a race today in these conditions, I would need to drink 1 cup of liquid per mile to keep my body @ a constant hydrated level, roughly. Fortunately NYRR races in the summer have water stations @ every mile.
But it all makes sense now! I was doing just that (drinking ~8 oz every mile) in New Orleans in April and ran a 1:56:xx Half Marathon in my second Half Ironman, which I still consider a VERY successful run.
What you sweat out of your pours is not just stinky H2O. You are also losing electrolytes (sodium & potassium). I had salt stains on my tri suit yesterday from the 3 hour ride in the heat. How much sodium was that and notice that I used both salt and sodium in the same sentence? Salt and sodium are two different things that both share sodium. Salt is sodium chloride, sodium is just sodium. Its not like you have table salt running through your veins. Table salt is just a crystalized form of sodium with about 100 other minerals involved, primarily chloride.
According to all of the articles on the trustworthy inter-webz, a normal average person can sweat out ~1000mg of sodium per liter of sweat lost. So for me, @ ~1.5 liters of sweat lost per hour while running, I could be losing ~1,500mg of sodium. Other than feeling tired and thirsty, I noticed no muscle cramping, but then again I was only out there for an hour. Tack on another hour, and I'd prolly bonk from lack of nutrition before the lack of electrolytes got me. I have never had an issue with cramping (knock on wood) and for the Half Ironman distance, I have raced them both hot and cool, and have never had issues other than not consuming enough calories.
I guess what I am going to take from this test is that I now know how much I need to drink per mile on the run in hot conditions to stay hydrated and to keep my core cool(er). I remember hearing a pro triathlete talk about how he keeps his core temp down on the run in the heat, and that is through the ingestion of cool liquids. Yes, dumping water over your head helps, but its only a temporary solution. Ever see them handing out ice @ aid stations? Call that your best friend and chomp that stuff down and wait a few mins. I did this down in New Orleans and I kept coming back to life over and over again.
Here is the formula that I learned when I wrote my Beating the Heat, My Plan post. I didn't eat or drink anything during the run and didn't use the bathroom after or before the measurements. What is lost is purely through sweat, tears, and thermal energy.
| Starting Weight | 154.5 | |
| Finishing Weight | 151 | |
| Total Loss | 3.5 | |
| Calories Burned | 667 | (I burn roughly 100/mile) |
| Calories in Weight | 0.2 | |
| Total Sweat Loss | 3.3 | |
| Sweat in ounces | 52.8 | |
| Ounces lost per mile | 8 | |
| 1 Liter of liquid | 33.8 | Ounces |
| My loss in Liters | 1.56 |
Isn't this convenient!!! So had I known my sweat rate, and if I had a race today in these conditions, I would need to drink 1 cup of liquid per mile to keep my body @ a constant hydrated level, roughly. Fortunately NYRR races in the summer have water stations @ every mile.
But it all makes sense now! I was doing just that (drinking ~8 oz every mile) in New Orleans in April and ran a 1:56:xx Half Marathon in my second Half Ironman, which I still consider a VERY successful run.
What you sweat out of your pours is not just stinky H2O. You are also losing electrolytes (sodium & potassium). I had salt stains on my tri suit yesterday from the 3 hour ride in the heat. How much sodium was that and notice that I used both salt and sodium in the same sentence? Salt and sodium are two different things that both share sodium. Salt is sodium chloride, sodium is just sodium. Its not like you have table salt running through your veins. Table salt is just a crystalized form of sodium with about 100 other minerals involved, primarily chloride.
According to all of the articles on the trustworthy inter-webz, a normal average person can sweat out ~1000mg of sodium per liter of sweat lost. So for me, @ ~1.5 liters of sweat lost per hour while running, I could be losing ~1,500mg of sodium. Other than feeling tired and thirsty, I noticed no muscle cramping, but then again I was only out there for an hour. Tack on another hour, and I'd prolly bonk from lack of nutrition before the lack of electrolytes got me. I have never had an issue with cramping (knock on wood) and for the Half Ironman distance, I have raced them both hot and cool, and have never had issues other than not consuming enough calories.
I guess what I am going to take from this test is that I now know how much I need to drink per mile on the run in hot conditions to stay hydrated and to keep my core cool(er). I remember hearing a pro triathlete talk about how he keeps his core temp down on the run in the heat, and that is through the ingestion of cool liquids. Yes, dumping water over your head helps, but its only a temporary solution. Ever see them handing out ice @ aid stations? Call that your best friend and chomp that stuff down and wait a few mins. I did this down in New Orleans and I kept coming back to life over and over again.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
I beat the heat!....and slapped 57.5 miles across the face!
What a difference a week makes! Exactly one week ago, 90 mins into a two hour ride (first hot ride of season) I was conceding defeat and crawling to a mobile hot dog stand and chugging down water to save my soul.
Fast forward to today, same conditions (85+ degrees), 2 hours -55 mins, 57.5 miles, 188 watt average, 19.5 mph avg and I just about had the best and most successful bike ride IN MY LIFE!!!
It wasn't the fastest at that distance (rolly terrain), but it was the most powerful. I have never EVER held a 188 watt average for that long. My previous bests were 170 watts for 56 miles @ Timberman (8/09. semi-flat course with some rollers), 170 watts @ 56 miles for New Orleans, (4/10. pancake flat course with two bridges and headwinds) and 172 watts @ 56 miles @ Mooseman (three weeks ago. hilly F-ing course!).
Today was a training ride. I can't wait to rip it @ Timberman in ~8 weeks!
So the things that helped me out today were:
- Lots of miles under my belt this season. I am very close to hitting my 2009 yearly mileage, and its only the end of June. Wanna ride faster? Ride more.....its really that simple!
- Hydration. I drank every 10 mins last week, and subsequently almost died (not literally). Today I drank every 5 mins after about 55 mins. This helped tremendously!
- started off conservative, and built up the intensity. I notice that if I start off @ my goal pace, I can't hold it the entire time. Rather if I start off easy, then go harder towards the end, it all averages out to my goal pace, but I feel BETTER coming off of the bike.
-simplified my nutrition - gone are the thoughts of peanut butter and gone are the Balance Bars. Its only Chocolate Gu now....I only need about 5 for this distance and I take them every 30 mins. I felt full of energy @ the finish of the ride.
So over the course of 57.5 miles, my brain waves were repeating over and over the following songs:
"Walcott" - Vampire Weekend - super annoying song and only when I was climbing.
"500 Miles" - The Proclaimers - not a bad song! Remember "Benny & June?"
"He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You" - Delta Mirror - currently one of my favorite songs. Went through my head when I was feeling "fast"
"Ting Ting" - Jo Koy - when I started feeling wonky with around 30 mins left to ride. Jo Koy yelling "Ting Ting!!!!" Started flashing through my head. This is a hilarious clip especially if you have a little boy. haha!
So if you can't tell, today's ride was a huge breakthrough. I not only beat the heat but put in a best performance. When I stopped for water around mile 37, there was another triathlete stopping as well and we chatted briefly. He was @ mile 85 of his ride with his 6th attempt @ Lake Placid coming up in a month. See you up there in the changing tent! I will be in his shoes in about a year!
6 mile run tomorrow. I hope to test out sweat loss and will report back on my findings. Pray for fumidity! I need it as muggy as can be for the best results.
Fast forward to today, same conditions (85+ degrees), 2 hours -55 mins, 57.5 miles, 188 watt average, 19.5 mph avg and I just about had the best and most successful bike ride IN MY LIFE!!!
It wasn't the fastest at that distance (rolly terrain), but it was the most powerful. I have never EVER held a 188 watt average for that long. My previous bests were 170 watts for 56 miles @ Timberman (8/09. semi-flat course with some rollers), 170 watts @ 56 miles for New Orleans, (4/10. pancake flat course with two bridges and headwinds) and 172 watts @ 56 miles @ Mooseman (three weeks ago. hilly F-ing course!).
Today was a training ride. I can't wait to rip it @ Timberman in ~8 weeks!
So the things that helped me out today were:
- Lots of miles under my belt this season. I am very close to hitting my 2009 yearly mileage, and its only the end of June. Wanna ride faster? Ride more.....its really that simple!
- Hydration. I drank every 10 mins last week, and subsequently almost died (not literally). Today I drank every 5 mins after about 55 mins. This helped tremendously!
- started off conservative, and built up the intensity. I notice that if I start off @ my goal pace, I can't hold it the entire time. Rather if I start off easy, then go harder towards the end, it all averages out to my goal pace, but I feel BETTER coming off of the bike.
-simplified my nutrition - gone are the thoughts of peanut butter and gone are the Balance Bars. Its only Chocolate Gu now....I only need about 5 for this distance and I take them every 30 mins. I felt full of energy @ the finish of the ride.
So over the course of 57.5 miles, my brain waves were repeating over and over the following songs:
"Walcott" - Vampire Weekend - super annoying song and only when I was climbing.
"500 Miles" - The Proclaimers - not a bad song! Remember "Benny & June?"
"He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You" - Delta Mirror - currently one of my favorite songs. Went through my head when I was feeling "fast"
"Ting Ting" - Jo Koy - when I started feeling wonky with around 30 mins left to ride. Jo Koy yelling "Ting Ting!!!!" Started flashing through my head. This is a hilarious clip especially if you have a little boy. haha!
So if you can't tell, today's ride was a huge breakthrough. I not only beat the heat but put in a best performance. When I stopped for water around mile 37, there was another triathlete stopping as well and we chatted briefly. He was @ mile 85 of his ride with his 6th attempt @ Lake Placid coming up in a month. See you up there in the changing tent! I will be in his shoes in about a year!
6 mile run tomorrow. I hope to test out sweat loss and will report back on my findings. Pray for fumidity! I need it as muggy as can be for the best results.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Swrun; join the club! It was one of those kicka$$ mornings!
I am now a proud member of the Greenwich Tri Club!
My first workout with them was this morning out @ Todd's Point, which is a SUPER beautiful place.
View Larger Map
I will have to get pictures to show next time I swim there. The funny thing is, is that I never actually saw the club there. On Friday AM's it seems that a bunch of local triathletes just do an informal meetup around 6AM on the beach and then we jump into the water and swim along 6 buoys that are parallel to the shore. So one length of the 6 buoys is maybe 1/4 of a mile? We did around a mile, I think?
The water was in the upper 60's, which is perfect, but I am not used to salt water still. I don't mind it, its just that I am not used to it having grown up in the Lakes Region of NH, known for its clear and pristine fresh water lakes.
After the swim, I threw on my running shoes and did a quick 3 miler around the peninsula, also known as a Swrun (I just made it up! swim to run workout) Apparently I run a LOT better out of the gate when I do either a swim or bike before hand, cuz I was able to knock out a 8:33 pace for just a nice and easy 3 mile training run. I guess my body is saturated with oxygen already?
I guess I ran the loop in the wrong direction, because had I run it in the opposite direction, I would have had an awesome view of Manhattan for a good 1+ miles of the run. Doh! Next time!
Anyways, this was an AWESOME workout and really put me in a good mood for the day. Plus! I am done for the day, workout wise.
Have a good weekend everybody. Are you racing?
View Larger Map
I will have to get pictures to show next time I swim there. The funny thing is, is that I never actually saw the club there. On Friday AM's it seems that a bunch of local triathletes just do an informal meetup around 6AM on the beach and then we jump into the water and swim along 6 buoys that are parallel to the shore. So one length of the 6 buoys is maybe 1/4 of a mile? We did around a mile, I think?
The water was in the upper 60's, which is perfect, but I am not used to salt water still. I don't mind it, its just that I am not used to it having grown up in the Lakes Region of NH, known for its clear and pristine fresh water lakes.
After the swim, I threw on my running shoes and did a quick 3 miler around the peninsula, also known as a Swrun (I just made it up! swim to run workout) Apparently I run a LOT better out of the gate when I do either a swim or bike before hand, cuz I was able to knock out a 8:33 pace for just a nice and easy 3 mile training run. I guess my body is saturated with oxygen already?
I guess I ran the loop in the wrong direction, because had I run it in the opposite direction, I would have had an awesome view of Manhattan for a good 1+ miles of the run. Doh! Next time!
Anyways, this was an AWESOME workout and really put me in a good mood for the day. Plus! I am done for the day, workout wise.
Have a good weekend everybody. Are you racing?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Put-Hair-On-Your-Chest-Wednesday
Ok, so today wasn't thaaaaaat uber crazy workout wise, but I figure I ought to own a slogan for at least one day in Bloggerville! You know, "Three Things Thursday", "Five Things Friday", etc etc etc. How does some Chest Hair compete with that?!?!?
Haven't really mentioned swimming very much this season. Usually after a big race, my swim motivation goes down the drain (pun intended) and I usually do a restart in the pool. After Mooseman, I stuck with it and just put upped the volume and dropped the intensity. Fortunately this worked and I have been able to hold some (not all) of the speed that I was building up right before Mooseman, so I feel like I am still in a very good place (compared to last year) in regards to my swim form.
We did:
500 WU
2 x (4 x 25 EZ, 50 HARD)
6 x 200, descending 1-3, 4-6
Went:
3:11
3:03
2:55
3:19
2:56 (we raced each other)
2:58 (we were both cooked)
250 CD
--------
2250 total
Not the longest swim, but when you haven't done some intense sets in a few weeks, it really does a number on you. Hope to get used to the intensity over the next few weeks. Swimming is great because its so measurable. The conditions never change! so its is easy to measure whether or not you are sucking or doing well.
Then tonight was one of those rare nights where no thunderstorms showed up over my ride start location @ EXACTLY 6PM. Seriously Triathlon Gods? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? Its Karma, my friends.....Karma....
The temp read 88 @ the start, and with my goal of heat acclimation, I said bring it on. Was able to knock out 29.8 miles through the posh posh of Greenwich, CT. I had to stop off to blow my nose, unfortunately the convenience store was out of tissue, so the guy just gave me his spare $100 bills. ZING! Only saw one Maserati and one Lotus. People and their commuter cars....
The terrain in Greenwich is hilly. Lots of short ups and downs with few flats, so its a great place to learn how to change your gears really fast to transition from a short but steep downhill to a short but steep uphill, then rinse and repeat about 100 times.
My legs finally opened up around mile 15 and I felt like I was flying up the hills. By 7:45PM the air became "romantic"....i.e there is a nice balance of dimming sunlight with dimming heat and humidity. I guess its the "comfy" air to ride in forever.
Gotta rest up and knock off 9 miles in the morning. I'll save some fumidity for you!
Haven't really mentioned swimming very much this season. Usually after a big race, my swim motivation goes down the drain (pun intended) and I usually do a restart in the pool. After Mooseman, I stuck with it and just put upped the volume and dropped the intensity. Fortunately this worked and I have been able to hold some (not all) of the speed that I was building up right before Mooseman, so I feel like I am still in a very good place (compared to last year) in regards to my swim form.
We did:
500 WU
2 x (4 x 25 EZ, 50 HARD)
6 x 200, descending 1-3, 4-6
Went:
3:11
3:03
2:55
3:19
2:56 (we raced each other)
2:58 (we were both cooked)
250 CD
--------
2250 total
Not the longest swim, but when you haven't done some intense sets in a few weeks, it really does a number on you. Hope to get used to the intensity over the next few weeks. Swimming is great because its so measurable. The conditions never change! so its is easy to measure whether or not you are sucking or doing well.
Then tonight was one of those rare nights where no thunderstorms showed up over my ride start location @ EXACTLY 6PM. Seriously Triathlon Gods? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? Its Karma, my friends.....Karma....
The temp read 88 @ the start, and with my goal of heat acclimation, I said bring it on. Was able to knock out 29.8 miles through the posh posh of Greenwich, CT. I had to stop off to blow my nose, unfortunately the convenience store was out of tissue, so the guy just gave me his spare $100 bills. ZING! Only saw one Maserati and one Lotus. People and their commuter cars....
The terrain in Greenwich is hilly. Lots of short ups and downs with few flats, so its a great place to learn how to change your gears really fast to transition from a short but steep downhill to a short but steep uphill, then rinse and repeat about 100 times.
My legs finally opened up around mile 15 and I felt like I was flying up the hills. By 7:45PM the air became "romantic"....i.e there is a nice balance of dimming sunlight with dimming heat and humidity. I guess its the "comfy" air to ride in forever.Do you see an elephant? Or something else....
Gotta rest up and knock off 9 miles in the morning. I'll save some fumidity for you!
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