Week of April 16th, 2007 - Bike VO2 Test Week

Monday:
Swim 30 minutes, 2500 yards
Bike 60 minutes - Did Carmicheal Training TT video that came with my Cyclops Trainer. It focuses on high cadence and what not. Good to spin out the legs.

Tuesday:
Swim 45 minutes, 3300 yards
WU: 200E - 2:57
MS: 3000 continuous swim Easy to Steady...splits are as follows:
500 - 7:14
1000 - 7:08
1500 - 7:08
2000 - 7:00
2500 - 6:55
3000 - 6:47
CD: 100E - 1:33

Wednesday: VO2 Max bike test with Mark Kendell
Mark just completed, well, DNF'd IM AZ on Sunday. He caught something from the man made lake they swim in for the race. It rained the night before...and he swallowed too much water...next time.
The test: It went well, I was shooting for 500 watts before I quit, but as soon as he started moving the watts north of 440, I was done, could turn the pedals anymore. My target HR of 140 for the IM bike seems to be right on. I produce about 240 watts and burn 6.4 calories a minute. Five more beats and my calorie expenditure is 25% more at 8.4...maybe a little too much. I'll have full numbers as soon as I get the pdf sent over. My VO2 Max is 10 points lower than my last test on the run...68.
PM Run to shake out the legs of 40 minutes, 5 miles.

Thursday:
5500 yard swim (90mins)
75 mins fast spin on the bike up around Fairmont watching Dave and Co. suffer through mile repeats...

Friday:
Lunch run: WU: 10 minutes easy.MS: 30 to 45 minutes steady then 15-20minutes zone 5 (HM to 10k pace) with hard 400 finish. CD: 10 minutes easy jog. 7.5 miles (60 mins)
Swim: Made up workout since I forgot it...500e, 300k, 6*300 r30, 100easy (45mins)

Saturday:
Skipped the run (adding it to workout tomorrow)
Easy 2.5 hour ride around, nothing exciting

Sunday:
After getting tested again on Wednesday, I had the chance to borrow a wireless Power Tap and test my numbers. Gant and I had a 4 hour IM pace ride followup by 10 mile IM pace run planned. The Power Tap is very easy to setup. There is some drivetrain loss in the PT compared to the Ergomo that Gant was using, so I was shooting for 200ish watts, while Gant was at 220ish. It was very eye opening how my power flucuated on small inclines, etc. The spikes were huge and my HR didn't budge. In the beginning my HR was 120ish holding 200 watts and VERY easy. After several hours, my spikes were pretty much nill, and my HR had drifted to almost 140 all the while still pushing 200ish watts. I also bumped up my nutrition to 400 calories an hour...I felt fine with that amount. I looked pushing 240watts (my test results) and that was too high in the real world. Maybe after a nice taper, but not now, not today. Knowing that my HR needs to be 120 in the first third of IM is very helpful and knowing it can and will drift to 140 after 5 hours is good too! My legs felt pretty spent, but not painful. Off to the run we go after 4 hours 15 minutes of riding...
Gant was running 8:15's so I tagged along to mile 5 before I turned around, he was going a bit longer. My legs felt really good and that made me really happy. This was one of those confidence boosting workouts that says, I am damn near ready! 10 miles in 1:22 on Leif. Now, I really need a power meter...too bad I just ordered some Blackwell Research 100s...its time to go tubular!


Actual Time 15:49
Planned Time 15:55
Swim Distance 14300 yd
Bike Distance 153 mi
Run Distance 22.5 mi

Week of April 9th - Vegas for Work Again...

I'm beginnning to HATE Las Vegas...it's not a pretty place, nor is it a very good venue for work related meetings. You drink all night, costs $25 to use the hotel gym and the pools are always packed with kids on Spring Break - a fucking mess! I also think that my Meneires flairs up when Im there with all the noise, the smoke, the alcohol and shitty food I have to eat. Anyway, enough bitching...on to the "training" I got done (will get done) this week.

For pictures of the Freezer, check http://www.backprint.com/go.asp?19074387 out.

Monday:
I left for Vegas @ noon after swimming some of the following workout. Arms really tired and legs sore...
2*150 E, 8*50 Strong 60s, 6*50 (as 25fly, 25free) on 55s, 4*50 Strong on 50s, 600 Steady, 2*300 Steady pull, 600 MH, 2*300 Steady pad, 2*50 (as 25 Sprint, 25E), 300E total -- 3600
I was supposed to get an hour bike and 40min Trun in when I got there, but was exhasuted for some reason and stressed out about getting a 2.5 hour run in before I had to be in meetings allday starting @ 8am Tuesday morning. I have been using a golf ball to strech out my right arch, it's been sore since Saturday.

Tuesday:
I went to bed early, but 4:30am came too early still. Ate a bagel and a SoBe Aldrenline Rush drink thing from room service and headed out the door. I had a 18 mile loop made that goes out around the airport and back through the north end of the strip...I had to cut it short as I was running out of time. I couldn't be late to the meetings. I ended up with 17+ miles in 2:20. It was obvisously really flat, but a nice headwind for half of it.
After the meetings, I spun on an exercise bike for 30 minutes. Arch isn't bothering me anymore.

Wednesday:
Run and yoga/strength...didn't happen. Really late night with co-workers last night...I was up almost 24 hours...went to bed early tonight.

Thursday:
Back to Portland at noon. I headed out for a ride shortly after. 1:45 and 25 miles through the West Hills, easy pace, easy climbs...
PM swim consisted of
WU: 2*100E free/back, 2*100S (in-outs free/back),
MS: 2*200 (desc S to H), 400S PullPad,
4*100 (2S, 2MH), 400S PullPad,
6*100 (2 on 1:25…1:20...1:15...1:10), 400S PullPad, (missed the 100s as the ink smeared on my notes...)
8*50 (2on 55,50,45,40),300S pad pull,
300E pull,
CD: 300S swim, 100E easy Total -- 4000 (orginally 5000)

Friday:
Afternoon run: This was a good run. Felt suprisingly good. Pace was not accurate for the miles because I was up at Leif, but the HR was spot on.
WU: 2 miles easy
MS: 2 steady (z3), 2 (zone 5 minus 10 beats), 2 (zone 5 minus 5 beats)
CD: 2 easy.

PM Swim: WU: 500E, 400k, MS: 1500E, CD: 300E Total --- 2700 (40mins)

PM Run: 40 easy - Skipped

Saturday:
This was a knarly swim. I was lazy and did this after my bike/run in the morning/afternoon. I got through it though.
Swim: WU: 2*150 (swim,back,CU), 4*50 (12-polo-25-zipper-12-long dog), 2*100 kick,
MS: 2X [400pullpad, 4*100 on 1:35, last max, 300pad, 3*100 on 1:35, last max, 200 pull, 2*100 on 1:35, last max)] CD: 400E Total --- 4700 (90 mins)

Bike: This was not the best ride. Due to possible rain, I was on my rain bike and was going to the intervals at HR (140). Gant, Bill and I started out and we were at a good clip for 90 mins. Intervals started and I fell apart. It was all I could do to sit in and not get dropped and my HR was 140...i was dropped occasionally, but I managed to catch up during the rests. Great route out of Rubber to the Road - Pioneer Century. Ended with 97 miles in 5:15.
5-6 hours with 3*50min IM pace intervals
Run: 30min easy - Was fine for the way my legs felt after riding.

Sunday:
AM Run: 2 hours easy to steady
Meet Bill @ Leif. We were both worried that this run was going to be hard, but it went pretty well. We got 15 miles in 2:04. Off to go swim...

AM Swim: Total --- 5100
WU: 300 (alt 50swim, 050 back), 4*50 (20 polo, 30 kick on side),
MS: 1500 (500easy,500steady,500MH), 5*100 pad on 1:25, 5*100 pad on 1:30, 5*100 swim on 1:20, then 10*50 on :35, 10*50 on :40, then 10*50 (50 back/50dps) on 50s,
CD: 100E
This was the most brutal swim ever recorded, well almost recorded...since I didn't finish it. I was getting no rest in between the 100 pad, or 100 swim and gave up on the 4th 50 on :35... Didn't have it...

PM Run: 45min easy - This hurt real bad. Had to walk 20 minutes into it, but I finished. Vegas really kicked my ass this week.

Actual Time 19:21
Planned Time 24:15
Swim Distance 16900 yd
Bike Distance 132 mi
Run Distance 51 mi

In case you didn't know...you CAN NOT get work, play and excercise done in Las Vegas. Word to the wise.

Week of April 2nd, 2007 - Beaver Freezer Win

Sorry it's been an eventful couple weeks coming off the HIM sim and what not...

Monday:
Day after HIM Sim, so it was a n easy day of 2k swim, my choice.

Tuesday:
Woke up super early to get in 2 hour run before work…was running a little late getting to Forest Park. Weather was decent and no rain. I made my malto mixture and I think it was too strong and didn’t use enough water to get it to absorb right. Need to pay more attention to that for other runs.
I had focus groups for work, so my second run was about 6pm around the waterfront loop, extended to the Broadway Bridge to get it longer. Run started out very good, feeling very froggy, but it sonn turned for the worse…by 20 minutes I was struggling. Walked a bit, then ran it home.

Wednesday:
Sat on trainer watching my new projector set-up while people came over to pick up their “white powder.”
I left work to go swim 2k choice and run 30minutes in LO. Nothing exciting to report.

Thursday:
I biked from work up and over Pete’s Mountain. Nice steady rollers one side and straight up on the other. 90 minutes.

Friday:
Made up Thursdays swim and didn’t run. Tired. Waking HR still averaging 45, but I saw 40 last week. Weird how I am not doing much yet my resting HR seems higher than it should be.

Saturday:
Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon: 500yrd swim, 12m bike, 5k run. This is the 5th time I have raced this triathlon. 5th time is the charm… My race plan was to not lose more than 15-20 seconds on the swim to the leaders, hammer the bike like Jack Frost and hope my lead was 90 seconds or more to survive the run. It worked, to the surprise of many, including myself. I had offered up beers to who ever placed higher than myself, I wasn’t going to be buying anyone beer on this day. The weather was looking really shitty during the earlier heats – pissing down rain and windy. It stopped raining for my heat @ 10:15.

I was in the second lane with Nate Smith, a perennial favorite every year. He wanted to go sub 6 on the swim, I was planning 6:15, rather hang onto the feet of Tasman, who was hanging onto Nate’s feet. Everything was working, although I struggled to gain composure in the beginning with my breathing, ultimately going every breath. The chic behind me passed me on the left instead of tapping my feet and allowing me to wait on the wall while she passed…weird. I saw the final lap marker given and out lane exited the pool, felt early, and the time was short… they screwed up and let us go a lap too soon.

Now I am entering T1 with Nate, Rob is still in the pool… This is great I thought, I’ll get passed him sooner than expected. On the second turn out of town, I bolted passed him through the corner…on the next corner I sprinted passed the other guy (fast swimmer…so so everything else) and started to gap them. My HR was rarely below 175. Felt tough, but doable as I wanted, needed to but time between Nate and I. I never did know the gap I had, never calculated it on the turn-arounds, was working too hard. I was covered in road grim/dirt from the first mile to the last. I momentarily felt apart after the downhill section…it was weird, legs felt like rocks… I went into an easier gear to spin it out a bit. Seemed to have worked because I was feeling better by the second turn-around. After the race, I was told I had a 2 minute gap on Nate. Rob made up ground and was third into T2.

Leaving T2 my legs felt okay, nothing snappy, but my turn over was high, so I liked that. HR stayed near 175 the whole run. So now, I’m running for my life. It’s my race to lose, I was fucking going to lose. I heard foot steps the whole 5k…nobody was there until the last lap, but they were 1 lap down on me. So, it wasn’t until I turned into the MU for the finish did I actually believe I was going to win. I crossed the finish line saying, “No fucking way!” There you have it, my first triathlon win, first win period. Never running, never biking have I won anything. I won an artisan pottery piece as the overall winner. Even with the adjusted (I think they added too much time) overall time, I was 20 seconds from the record and one of the fastest times in recent years. I’m pretty stoked with this. I’m ready for round two, The Hawthorne Farm Sprint.

Sunday:
Easy and flat 3 hour ride. 50 miles out to Sauvie Island and back. Legs feel okay, with pressure they are sore to the touch. Tomorrow I leave for Vegas, work, and start a 24+ hour week. Running for 2.5 hours in the Vegas dawn should be good, dry and hot, but good.
It’s been awhile since I have been sore like this. My right arch is giving me some grief, but I have a golf ball to massage it while in meeting allday Tuesday and Wednesday and on the plane right now…