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Biking Heart Rate April 25, 2008

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From lactate threshold testing we know I can get my running HR up to at least 203. Yesterday while maxing on the bike I hit 200. Normally your biking max is supposed to be 10-15 beats lower than your running max. It’s looking like I’m one of the anomalies, along with having a huge range to play with, as I don’t start going anaerobic until the mid-high 160s.

Call me weird.

Ongoing April 7, 2008

Posted by riverbrady in : Training, Nutrition, Medical , add a comment

The past week has marked the first full week I’ve been back training and enjoying it. I joined up with 24 Hour Fitness right after Easter due to an incredible price on a new membership. Since then it’s been a gradual transition back into a regular weight routine, trying out some spin classes to get back on the bike, and mucking about in the pool (wonderfully non-chlorinated). While I prefer to be outside, it’s made getting up and making myself do something in the morning much easier, and given me the ability to hit the gym during lunch those days I wish to.

As usual, right now the main focus is getting back into shape, flexibility, and shedding a few pounds before the wedding. It feels a bit odd to say that, and I find it increasingly annoying when most friends seem to get angry when I talk about “needing to lose a few pounds,” but the fact of the matter is that I’m carrying extra weight around my midsection that doesn’t need to be there, and that I’m easily a good 15 lbs over where I used to be as standard.

Right now it simply feels nice - no exhaustive tracking, no set schedule (though I’ve a few things I’m planning to cement for every week), just getting out and doing something for and hour or two and enjoying feeling good again.

Slowly March 17, 2008

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Today marked my first Monday yoga. I plan on incorporating more days as we continue and as my leg allows, but Monday is the day we absolutely get together for the bit of time to ourselves.

Afterwards I headed to the gym for some upper body. Tomorrow the plan is to gently work what lower I can and progress back to the 4 day/week, alternating body area weight schedule that I kept for years before I moved to Austin and got lazy about it.

The leg and knee continue to pose problems. The hematoma in my calf seems to be getting smaller - thank goodness it’s in the muscle and not connected to the bone. The ankle…is mysterious. The first week it was fine to the point where I could dance. Then it started swelling like mad and darkening as if blood was draining and pooling under the skin. As it was right after some hard massage work on the hematoma we were worried that we’d cause something to start bleeding again. Thankfully the darkening has almost completely disappeared, though the swelling continues to come and go. I’m heading back into the doc’s on Wednesday for some more x-rays of the ankle to see if I might have a hairline fracture or something. In the meantime, I get to continue playing the old man with the cane (but at least it’s a collapsable cane!).

Motivation lately has been difficult, but I’m working on it. Right now there is no focus for racing with the wedding coming up. The only focus is to do something, to bring myself back down to the low 160s where clothes are comfortable, and to work on my flexibility. So far I’m keeping on track.

I really liked Rich’s idea about awarding himself points for specific positive goals, focusing on a balance of training and life. I believe I’ll have to come up with my own similar system.

Key Speed Workouts for the Week October 26, 2007

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Monday was a day off. Tues - Thurs ended up as key workouts where I kept pushing myself while making sure I got the proper nutrition/stretching (min 20 minutes, until tightness was gone)/sleep afterwards (at least 8 hours).

Tuesday
1:25, 9.85 miles

30 min run in the morning - 3.5mi

Running at Barton Springs - evening
18:25 warmup
2 loops [0.9 mi w/some hills + 2 hill repeats of 0.15 mi, jogging down]
- 6:35 (7:26 pace), 1:02 (7:10 pace), 1:01 (6:49 pace)
- 5:59 (6:42 pace), 0:57 (6:17 pace), 0:56 (5:47 pace)
9 min cooldown

Wednesday
56 min, 2725meters
Warmup
- 2x [4×100M: 100free, 75free/25tech, 50free/50tech, 25free/75tech]
- 50M free

Main Set - Decents: Start at 75 on 1:30, decrease 2s per until you can’t hold the pace, then switch to 50s on decent, then similar to 25s on decent
- 16×75 on 1:30 - 1:00
- 9×50 on 0:58 - 0:42
- 6×25 on 0:40 - 0:30

125M cooldown mixing free/back/breast

Thursday
45 minutes, 5 miles

15 min warmup
16:20 min tempo, increasing pace every 5 min (7:25 avg, 5:28 at the end)
5x 400ft hill sprints (0:26, 0:21, 0:23, 0:20, 0:20)
3 min running, 7 min walking cooldown

Feeling the Runner Again

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The last couple years I simply haven’t felt it - the runner that used to be inside me, powering my legs through the hills, cruising down paths without a worry of being able to make it back.

This week that feeling has come back, and what a glorious feeling it is to have again. It draws me on like untasted knowledge, steadily pushing back to where I used to be, and then to wherever things may take me.

Rainy Days September 5, 2007

Posted by riverbrady in : Training , 1 comment so far

It’s so easy at times: “I’m sore from hard weights yesterday”, “I’ve trained too much”, “I can just do it tomorrow morning”, “It’s too hot…too cold…too damp…too humid…too late”, “I’m still healing”.

Excuses come in such a wide variety of flavors. A number of them come to briefly reside in my thoughts before I brush them away - Clearing the mind’s cobwebs. The positives start to crowd in as I lace up my shoes and head out the door. I haven’t felt this good running in years. I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I’m consistent and steadily regaining my speed in any case. I am enjoying my running again, taking note of the knee every now and then to assure myself things are still moving as they should, and stepping along.

The first drops of rain feel cold, sending a quick chill down my spine…then become a part of the experience.

Perspectives…

I like running in the rain…always have, even the cold stuff. It’s really not bad once you get past the expectation that you will remain hot and dry. Instead I expect to be very wet and cool, when I’m not toasty while actually running. I expect to experience and revel in what the rain brings, rather than cursing the fact that a part of me wants to be warm and dry. In doing so in some additional way I make this run my own…my time…my enjoyment.

4 weeks to Coeur d’Alene May 27, 2007

Posted by riverbrady in : General, Training , 4 comments

…and feeling pretty good about things. Had a nice half marathon run last wed, and a good ride this sunday. Looking forward to it actually being here.

2nd time over 100 May 21, 2007

Posted by riverbrady in : Training , 3 comments

Saturday was a scheduled 5-6 hour ride. It turned into a 100 miler as the day progressed, and had a lot of climbing - a bit over 7000 feet with 7 hills over 10% grade and a few long hills that hovered between 4% - 7%. See motionbased here for the actual profiles (missing about 0.75 miles due to starting the Garmin late).

Initially I figured it would be somewhere between 80-90 miles given the hills at the beginning and end. It was supposed to be as close to an aerobic ride, but was done by feel rather than my HR as I left my strap at my old apartment. That said, I knew I would be spiking on the hills a bit, just didn’t know how much. Anything up to 5% grade or so I can spin up aerobically, after that it’s a matter of hill distance and grade, and the fact that I don’t know exactly where my LT threshold is located for cycling.

Effectively the ride was 36 miles of hard hills, 40 miles of flatter stuff and a couple rollers, and then another 24 miles of hard hills. For the 40 miles in the middle I was meeting with Fred’s group, which turned out to be a nice change from our normal route. The only downside was that I allowed myself to push a bit beyond what I was should have, which cost me on the way home.

Felt pretty good up until mile 85 or so, at which point I started coughing up a storm, feeling a bit sick to my stomach, and couldn’t really get water down. The last 10 miles were an exercise in moderation as I gamely sipped as much water as I could get down and ignored the Gatoraid Endurance (ran out of InfinIT).

I ended up circling for a couple laps near home, being at 97 miles and determined to finish up the 100, as I’ve never ridden longer than that save during IM Florida. In fact, the longest ride I’ve ever been through before was 78 miles (yeah, building has been way off this year). Right at the end I realized my Garmin was about half a mile off as I started it late, and that rather than being at 99.25 miles I was at 99.75 miles, and could simply ride home and be over 100.

MoPac Time Trial May 4, 2007

Posted by riverbrady in : Training , 1 comment so far

We had our second MoPac time trial since I’ve been with Texas Iron. Overall I was very happy. It’s an 8.1 mile out and back with small rollers. I managed to go 19:50 this time around, averaging 24.5 miles per hour. The last time I did this time trial I went 20:20, an average of 23.9 miles per hour.

It was additionally nice as I sShowed up a bit late and got in a shorter warmup than expected. At the same time, seeing team members run it in the 17 minute bracket helps prod me towards the fact that I could be a lot stronger on the bike.

Time and training…

Groups of 4 April 22, 2007

Posted by riverbrady in : Training, Tri thoughts , add a comment

There are always those little things I feel I can do to better myself, but have a hard time getting myself into the habit. This small things that nag when going to sleep…the “why didn’t I”s, “I should have”s, and “I need to”s. I ‘ve heard in the past that it takes roughly 21 days to form a habit…getting something ingraned into your system to where you’re more likely to do it that not.

Here’s to starting something to help me fix those. 4 week chunks. Each time picking1 or 2 things that I can work on. Preferably keeping them small, always mangeable…and making myself do them for those first 28 days. Then continuing them as part of my schedule as I add something new for the next block.

Core strength and flexibility has always been two of my worst weaknesses since track injuries…too much time spend in the training room just letting myself get better rather than working to keep my flexibility and work on my core in the most important time when i couldn’t work it through regular practice. There have been too many times when I’ve met Emily for a run around Town Lake, only to complain at the end that I really need to work on my core some more…feeling it be the weak part in my technique and form.

So, 15 minutes each, every day, minimum. The flexibility is added mainly to catch myself on those days where I’m rushed in a workout, or a rest day where I’m “just resting”. The core…something each day, switching it up so I’m not overdoing muscle groups day in and day out.

Onward to a stronger, healthier me.