Is it ever going to end?

Well, after 3 weeks of no running, I finally have a diagnosis that I can count on. It looks like the tendons were stretched/strained and that I'll probably be out 4-6 weeks more. That's not too bad, as I've been able to stay in relatively could shape via the bike. However, the doc wants me to take it easy on the bike and I still haven't talked to the PT yet (that's on Wednesday).

The good news is that my bike fitness is about where it needs to be for IMC. I just need to maintain it somehow. Jill plans on doing easy rides and some VERY easy runs for the next couple of weeks. I'll need to think of other things do to along the way. In the meantime, I need to rest, ice and take ibruprofen.

I also get to work on my swimming a lot more...which really needs it. I think there will be about 3-4 weeks of consistent training on drills and laps, which is what I really need for a sub-1:08 swim. At this point, I can't imagine going under 1:10.

Well, off to PT land for a bit!

Injured!

Well, I followed the down-time plan in Cancun well -- but the results have been disasterous! I injured every limb except my right arm and came down with a bad cold. All of the injuries were accidents or non-excercise related. The first and worst one was getting my leg bent backwards by a wave while picking up the kids. This injury is actually worse than it sounds, because I believe it re-aggravated a much more chronic one that I had 7 or 8 years ago. That one took me over six months to recover -- and ended that particular stint of my running career.

The second injury came from a pick-up soccer game. It was supposed to be pretty harmless, as there were lots of kids on the beach area, making it difficult to make sudden bursts (where injuries reside). However, I ended up getting kicked really hard in the foot by an adult, bruising the entire outside of my foot. I swore tendons, etc were casualties of this ill-fated activity. As it turns out, I think I'll be fine to ride again by the time we're in Kirkland.

I injured my left arm the next day while throwing the kids around in the pool. It's all fun and games until Dad ends up in the hospital! I think I aggravated chronic burcitous, but it's REALLY painful when I move it in certain directions. Luckily, the swimming motion doesn't involve any of those directions.

My first thing to do Monday morning is to find a GREAT sports doctor -- who takes Microsoft insurance. I could be on a long road to recovery after this 'recovery' week.

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Mercer Half Race Report

Today was a good day for racing. The temperature was cool (mid-40's) and rain didn't come until after the race started, making the warm-up pleasant. The rain also stopped just as we were finishing so that the warm-down and post race gathering was much nicer than huddling in the cold. It was relatively easy to get to the course from the house, though I didn't get off at the correct exit, causing some stress. The start time was a very reasonable 9am -- allowing me to get plenty of sleep. The venue was also much more conducive to congregating at the start/finish (at the Mercer Island Community center) the Seattle Half, which made it great for meeting the team before and after the race.

Lots to Learn: It was also a great day to learn more about racing. I haven't been truly racing for at least eight years, so there hasn't been much need to re-learn racing techniques, preparation and nutrition during the race. Given that today was a "C" race, I went into it with almost no taper . I think Jill also wanted me to experience racing on relatively tired legs, while also regulating my ride so that the run wasn't completely shot. I'll need to develop this psychology over the coming months, as it seems I still haven't completely internalized it yet (Saturday's 2.5 hour bike ride was well above my prescribed NP of 180). Although my legs didn't feel too tired during the race, I'm sure the last couple of miles could have been better if I hadn't ridden as hard the day before. However, I didn't use the ride as an 'excuse' to run slower. In fact, I didn't even think about the ride at all. I was focused on racing by keeping up or beating the guy in front of me. By staying in the moment (and not calculating finish times or wondering if yesterday's ride affected me), I was able to run on tired legs in the beginning, middle and end of the race. Still, I wonder what could I have ran with fresh legs?

I also need to work on pacing, as I seem to have completely lost my sense of it. It's probably due to the hilly/windy course, but I'm sure running on the treadmill ninety percent of the time hasn't helped. I'll plan to run outside more often, especially now that the weather is better and there is more light in the evenings.

I also made some equipment changes, some that worked and others that didn't. Those that worked were racing flats, tights, running vest, hat and workout bag. I bought a pair of Brooks Racer ST IIIs a couple of weeks ago so that I could break them in for this race. They were broken in on a treadmill, so I wasn't sure how they'd feel for such a long distance on pavement. The guys at Everyday Athlete assured me that they'd work fine and most of the online posts had nothing but good things to say. So the verdict is: THEY ROCKED!!!! Not only did they feel cushioning throughout the race (although I felt some pounding towards the very end), but they also had enough stability and traction on the steep, wet down hills. At high speeds, they felt much more economical than my trainers and turn over felt easier on the up hills. I don't think I'll ever go back to trainers for distances under a marathon. However, I still need find something for the marathon, as I doubt my legs could sustain so much pounding after the 13-14th mile.

The tights also worked great. My legs felt more 'structured' and warm throughout the race. I wonder why more fast folks don't use them, even on cold days like Sunday? There were quite a few guys who were using compression socks (at least more than the Seattle Half). Speaking of which, the tights did nothing for me afterwards. Maybe if I had kept them on or put on a dry pair, I would have noticed less lactic acid today. I'll try that next race. The vest also helped a lot for two reasons, 1) I didn't notice the rain at all and 2) having pockets helps enormously for storing GU and other essentials for the run. I usually wear a vest on my long runs, so why not for the race? However, as it gets warmer, I'll need to find another way to carry GU, etc because two layers will never work. Also, the vest isn't that breathable and I could zipper all the way down since I had my race number in front. The key is pockets!

Wearing a hat also made a difference, as I didn't have water running down my face while it was raining. I just had a few more drips from my hat than usual. It probably helped to keep my head a little warmer at the start. I'm SUPER glad that I had packed a workout bag with all of my pre-race, race and post-race gear. It made it very easily to organize my stuff, while ensuring that I had it all with me at the race. However, the bag, itself, wasn't that great. It didn't have enough compartments for shoes, dry versus wet clothes and no water bottle holder. I might be shopping later this week. ;)

The one equipment change that I'd rather reconsider is the fuel belt. I just couldn't open the Velcro patch fast enough to get the GU out. I also didn't use the water bottles at all, as there was more than enough aid stations along the way. If anything, the fuel belt almost cost me a GU where I fiddled with the opening and realized I didn't have enough strength to open it. It I had pockets which I did, the belt would have been useless. The other really important lesson of the day: give yourself plenty of time to prepare and then actually do it! You never know what could happen and not adding any time buffer or consider possible risks to the schedule could be devastating.

The Story Unfolds: After warming up for about fifteen minutes in the neighborhoods, I took off all of my layers and headed over to the Start line. However, just as I was beginning to take off my stuff, the announcer said that we had only 5 minutes before the start! I thought I had about 10 minutes, so I scrambled to get my flats on and ran to the line. Luckily, I had put my race chip on when I first got it or else I would have certainly been late…and would have been at a great disadvantage. As it was, I had time to only get one stride in. I lined up about two or three deep in the front of the pack. Any farther back would have been detrimental, as the start line was very narrow. I felt really bad for the folks in towards the back, as they would have had to wait awhile to get across the line. As for me, I only lost four of five seconds.

The race started off downhill, so folks were flying. It actually didn't feel that fast, but once I realized that the group was still pretty close to Uli Steidle (the perennial winner of this race by a 5-6 minute margin) after 800-1200 meters, I knew we were all in trouble. Still, I didn't feel rushed or pushed compared to the Issaquah 10K, where the pace was equally fast. I kept looking at my HR, which was 165, so things were in good shape. However, the first mile split was ridiculous: 5:51 (AHR: 167)!! I was supposed to run 6:20s for the first 3 miles, but I've already completely blown that away! Now what!?!?

I decided to slow it down and work on perceived exertion. It seemed to be working, as mile two came in at 6:21 (AHR: 169) and I was getting passed by all sorts of folks, including a 13-year old and three really fast coeds. The kid had beaten me at Issaquah 10k, so I knew he meant business. I also knew that this race had some very fast people in it, so I figured all the guys who were passing me would probably stay ahead of me for the rest of the race. Things seemed to stabilize between miles 2 and 3 as people found their pace and people got into a rhythm. That rhythm was far from a continuous effort, however, as there were many ups and downs and twisty turns that threw one's gate off a bit. Luckily, the pack had slimmed out a lot so it was easy to do point-to-point navigation through the curves.

The 3 mile split was 6:06 (172). My exertion hadn't changed and things felt good, so I figured that was going to be today's pace unless things completely fell apart.

Miles 4 through 10 were pretty much the same. My pace ranged along with the varying terrain. I had kept the coeds in site and had begun to pass people. By mile 10 I had passed the kid and a few of the other folks who had passed me. However, most of the time I was running on my own. As for nutrition, I struggled with my fuel belt and left it alone for about 10 minutes.

However, I realized that I had to get the darn thing open because there wouldn't be another Gu stand for the rest of the race, and I was already 40min into the race. I hadn't had anything to drink either, so I was a little disturbed about that too. I had been clicking off 6:06's for the past four or five miles and things were going to get tough if I didn't do something soon. I finally spent a great deal of energy and focus opening the Velcro and was able to get the Gu from there relatively easily. I ate about half of it and stuck the rest of it in my vest pocket. Within a minute or two, I felt a nice resurgence in my stride and was able to push the pace again.

Things began to get tough around mile 9 though. Around the 9.5 mile mark, I had this sudden urge to just stop. In fact, I think I let out a big sigh. I knew that I was way under mile goal time but I wasn't sure if I could hold this pace through the remaining hills. I wasn't the only one, which gave me a little relief. I just didn't want to get passed! Luckily the 11th mile was almost all downhill, which gave me time to rest and a great split (5:59). I knew that 1:23 was in the bag, but could I possibly break 1:22?

The answer came pretty quickly, as mile 12 had a long, relatively steep hill. It seemed that everyone (the one person whom I could see if front of me and many walkers) was having the same trouble. By the time I got to the top, I was planning to coast on the way in…and I did. I probably could have pressed a lot harder towards the end for an extra ten seconds or so (and potentially breaking 1:22), but my heart wasn't in it. I was fine with just getting my goal time, particularly since I couldn't catch the gal in front of me with the amount of real estate left. I also didn't have anyone behind me to push the pace, so I was somewhat in limbo. That's okay, now I have plenty to look forward to next year. Maybe I'll go under 1:20?

Here's a little video and some pictures to capture the moment:







Results: The official results aren't out yet, but I think I was 4th in my division and 20th overall. I'll revise them in the next couple of days if different.

Taper Week - sort of

The last couple of weeks have had lots of intensity and fairly high volume. The first week of March was 13 hours and last week was 14.5 hours, and there were at least four sessions of high intensity, particularly on the treadmill and trainer. I was really looking forward to this week, as it's a taper week with much less volume.

However, it turns out that there isn't that much taper afterall. There is definitely less volume but I still have some pretty big workouts all the way up to the race on Sunday. Given that the Mercer Half is a "C" race for me, I can go in pretty beat up and not have high expectations. That said, I'm still shooting for a 1:23 (or 6:20mm) on a pretty hilly course. My body is feeling really good and there doesn't seem to be any sickness on the horizon, so I should be able to do that...assuming this 'taper' week doesn't get to me first! Here's a breakdown of the week:

Monday:
A typical Monday that involves 1hr spin class at the Pro Club followed by a 30min run with 3x3min intervals at race pace. I've already done these workout (it's Wednesday as of this post) and found it very easy and motivating that 1:23 is definitely in the cards. My HR for a 6:20mm is within Zone 3, so it should more than possible.

Tuesday:
I did a 1900yd swim workout followed by a pyramid intervals on the treadmill. Jill lets me figure out which swim workouts I should do based on schedule, etc. Since I had a tough treadmill workout, I opted for the easiest/shortest swim of the week. The swim felt good and seemed more like a warm-up to the run workout. The run workout was broken up into two paces recovery (7:30mm) and I-pace (5:42mm). After a 10min warmup at 7:30mm, I did a pyramid of 2min/rec, 3min/rec, 4min/rec, 5min/rec, 4min/rec, 3min/rec, 3min and then 5min warm down. The mileage was just of 9m for an hour. Again, this workout felt really good and motivating. Things were in control the entire time and the intervals actually felt easy. It got a little laborious towards the end but still easy enough to do.

Wednesday:
OFF completely.

Thursday:
Swim 2700 at T-pace. Run easy for 45min followed by strides. I'll probably go very slow (8-8:27mm) on the treadmill to give my legs more time to rest from Tuesday. I'll probably do the strides on the treadmill. I run on the treadmill mainly to ensure I stay as slow and calm at possible.

Friday:
3400yds swim followed by a 30min run with strides in the morning. I'll do the run and strides on the treadmill again.

Saturday:
Here's why this week isn't my typical taper week: 2.5hours of endurance ride. I think Jill's plan is to have me learn how to race on relatively tired legs. I should be better off than other weeks, but 2.5hours of endrance riding won't necessarily create fresh legs. But I'm training for IMC (a triathlon), not a local half marathon, right?

Sunday:
Hit 6:20 splits for the first 10miles and then pore it on!

Time to Blog...

Wow, has this Winter been busy with training, trips, birthdays and work - and more! I've been particularly busy since getting a new manager in January. However, I've been able to keep up my training as Jill has proscribed. I finally had some time tonight to write a little about the build phase.

Speaking of Jill, she's been great. She stays on top of me while not being overbearing. She's constantly telling me to slow down, which is exactly what I need. I'm hoping that we have more time to train together. Speaking of which, I haven't really found a training partner. That's mainly due to having a very stressful schedule that constantly changes. My workout schedule hasn't been too strenuous but enough to get into good shape. Now that I'm about seven days away from my first test of the season (the Mercer Island Half), my body feels heathly, strong and ready to go hard. My mind is a little tired, but more sleep throughout the week should help.

So far my bike seems to have improved the most. My swim has improved and I think my run is about the same. My goal is to become a better cyclist than runner...I've got awhile to go. I'm probably a solid Cat 3, but I'd have to get closer to a high Cat 2, even Cat 1 to feel like I've attained that goal. Another way to determine the relative strength is to look at finish times and division places in the triathlons. I'll review these relative strengths at the end of the year and determine which is better. Jill and I will probably also use this analysis to determine next year's season.

I'll try to write more throughout the season. I'll be including race reports and possibly race strategies. I'll post my race schedule sometime this week.

Seattle Half Marathon -- Race Report

Well, I didn't get my goal time of 1:23:00 (1:24:19 - unofficial), but that's okay. It was a pretty tough course and my place wasn't too bad (35th overall (~8000) and 3rd in division (515)). There were some much tougher hills than anticipated and the steep downhills hurt my time versus helped it -- I had to slow down given the treacherous conditions.

I also didn't feel totally rested, though my legs felt much better. I ended up working hard in the yard the day before and going over to Shelly and Jim's afterwards. So I didn't get to bed until 11pm and woke up around 4:30-5am. I also learned a valuable lesson: don't hold your gels during the race! I squeezed them too tightly, which sapped a lot of energy. Once I had finished both of them my pace immediately picked up and I began passing people versus being passed. I thought my shoes would be a problem, but they weren't at all. My left knee felt good the entire time and afterwards. Of course, my quads were yelling at me throughout the rest of the day.

My splits were 6:10 (Flat 157), 6:16 (uphill then downhill 162), 6:18 (167 - hill!). 6:10 (169 tunnel), 6:28 (169 Lk WA St), 6:20 (169 Lk WA St), 6:40 (169 Lk WA St), 7:07 (168 E. Galen/Madison -- HILL!!!), 6:28 (166 Arborteum - Downhill), 6:31 (166 -- slight uphill & flat), 6:34 (167 flat), 13.14 (170 rolling -- didn't get the 12th and 13th mile splits). I definitely went out too fast, but it was really hard to tell what was too fast. I tried to use my HR monitor to stay around 156-162 for the first couple of miles, but the hills (both up and down) made that very difficult. It was clear, however, that the middle miles were the toughest, both psychologically and hilly. The last two miles were much better, and my pace proved it. I think there's still a bit of hot legs, but the competition seemed to have issues as well. I'm glad this race is over. Now I can focus on triathlon training and not so much on run specific workouts. Speaking of which, I think my time was fairly decent since I hadn't been too run specific. If I really wanted to blow the doors off this race, I'd be running around 60mpw with not nearly the same amount of biking/swimming. All-in-all, I'm about where I need to be for a good race at Ironman Canada. Now I just need to get my bike/swim together!