The Reluctant Taperer(?)

Yes, I am tapering, but as suggested in the title, somewhat reluctantly. This has never been one of my strong suits and I continue to struggle with the feeling that I need to be doing more. But I am doing well and following the plan, a total of just over 8 hours for last week and about the same planned for this week.
I am feeling very good these days and the workouts I have been doing have helped to instill confidence that I have executed a good program. My legs feel fresh and strong and currently I am feeling very relaxed and have somewhat of a race day plan mapped out in my head. One of the unfortunate things about all the indoor training is the lack of ability to really do a dry run at the transitions. I would have liked to have tried a couple of swim to bike transitions as getting out of a wet, wetsuit is different than just doing a dry run. The advantage at the race is that there are "strippers" there to help you and once you know the routine it can be fairly quick. When I get to Tempe on Friday prior to the race I will have a chance to do an open water swim or two which will help the confidence as well.
Race day temperatures are probably my biggest concern right now. The weather has been warm in Arizona lately with day time highs hitting around 28 C. That, for me, is a problem. I don't have a very good thermostat and I tend to overheat. Extreme attention to hydration and the electrolyte balance will be crucial. And of course, with the heat you have to make the proper adjustments to pace. Take it out too hard and there is a good chance you will be a laying in the fetal position on the side of the road. Patience and taking what the day gives you will be the principles to follow.
Friday I brought the bike into the shop in the city and had a complete stem to stern check up. New tires, tubes and tapes as well as a few minor brake and cable adjustments and I am good to go. The new tires are Fortezza Quattro tri comp and are extremely durable so punctures should not be a problem.

Workouts for the last couple of days went as follows:

Thursday - 9 mile run in 1:05 followed by a 2,000 metre swim

Friday - off, took the bike into Edmonton

Saturday - 1 hour 30 minute run - 12.5 miles

Today will probably be a bike ride.

Pictures today are from the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park. We were in there yesterday to start the plans for Nicholas and Nicole's wedding on May 28,2009. Because it is a popular venue you have to start early so we are doing just that. It is a beautiful spot and they have chosen Pyramid Lake Lodge as the place for everything.

This week will be another 8 - 10 hour week with another couple of forced days off as I have to go to Calgary for eye appointments.

Have a great week!

The Final Preparations Begin

The last couple of days have been good and I am starting to feel comfortable with easing back on my workout schedule.
Monday I did a high cadence spin on the bike. It felt good to just spin out the legs and the workout I was following “Have Mercy 15.0 – The Sequel”, is excellent. Tough, but excellent!
Tuesday I did a 1,500 metre swim, which felt really short. Knowing that, I did some intervals and worked on holding form while trying to push it a little harder. My goal in the swim is to come out of the water with strong legs. Last year in Couer d’Alene the swim was extremely tough due to strong winds which whipped up some big waves. I came out of the water a little wobbly, but managed to pull it together in transition. I am definitely hoping for a better swim time, but in the big scheme of things it will not be that significant. Perhaps 10 minutes if things go well.
Last night I did a 10 mile run on the treadmill. Because of the Achilles problems lately I was sticking close to home. But I put my orthodics into my new shoes and it seemed to have made a difference. I was able to walk normally when I got out of bed this morning so that is a good sign.
This year I will pay more attention to my pacing during the run portion. I was really just focused on getting to the end last year and didn’t watch my splits. The other thing is because there is an aid station every mile I need to plan better to make sure I only hit the ones I need, and to try and get through them quickly.
Friday I will be bringing my bike into Edmonton for a pre-race tune up and some new tires. I am hoping to get some rubber on it that will be virtually indestructible. Avoiding flats would be nice! I will also go through the rest of my gear to make sure everything is in race condition. I have to be disciplined when I go into the tri shop in the city as there are so many gadgets that catch your eye and before you know it you come out of the store a few hundred bucks poorer. I kind of feel like Lloyd Christmas in the movie Dumb and Dumber when his buddy Harry tells him to watch what he spends their final few dollars on and he comes back with a foam cowboy hat, beer and a paddle ball set! I will be disciplined!!
Have a great day!

Three weeks from now.....

I hope to be either finished or be very close to finishing my second IM race. Man, where has the time gone! It doesn't seem like that long ago I was starting to chart my course for this race and now I am down to the final weeks. Incredible!
The last few days have been a bit of a struggle from a focus and workout perspective. I have lacked motivation to get out and do my training this weekend. Friday was a great 2 hour and 50 minute brick workout, with a long, hard ride followed by an hour plus, run. Felt great at the time. However, Saturday I hemmed and hawed all day about doing a long run until I ended up running out of time. Wasted a very nice day, and paid for it today as it was cool when I got up to go. Didn't eat, didn't drink and then wondered why after a mere 4.5 miles I headed home! Sometimes I can do really dumb things!!
Anyway the weekend is behind me and I have one more week of longish efforts and then it will be into rest and tapering. The left Achilles is still barking at me every once and awhile so it will be good to have a bit of time to heal. Went to my Doc on Tuesday last week for a pre-race check up and everything is good to go. Although he did recommend that I actually start tapering this week as he said the Achilles actually needs some time to heal. I am fortunate to have a doctor that is also a very good triathlete and understands the sport and the athletes. He is a marathon runner and usually does the half IM in Stony Plain every year and does quite well.
So as time ticks down there are just a few remaining preparations. I want to do one more long run and one more long ride and then I will be ready to rest. Hopefully I will get those in this week and then I will start doing lots of stretching, massaging, and easy efforts just to stay loose. Realistically what I do over the next while will have little or no effect on the race.
Have a great day!

Bike Breakdown

Most of my workouts now kind of feel like I am going through the motions. I spend most of the time thinking about how I will do certain things under competition conditions. So I think that is a good thing, my body is ready and now I am getting my head into it.
Tuesday was a day off that was unplanned. My run at lunch got cancelled because of an issue at work that required me to be at the plant. No problem, I still need to work to pay for my hobby so if they need me here I better be here!
When I got home in the evening my plan called for an easy 1 hour bike ride. Having missed my lunch workout I thought I could do a brick and make up for it. Unfortunately once I got on the bike I noticed some real nasty noise coming from my crank. After taking the bike off the trainer and checking things out it looks like I have some bad bearings. Great! Now I had to get my Cervelo down, and get it prepared to go on the trainer for a little while. That took some time as I had to move over the electronics from the road bike to the tri-bike. Then I had an issue with my tire rubbing and had to make some other adjustments. Finally it was ready to go......but I wasn't and that is why it ended up as a day off!
Yesterday I did 2,400 metres in the pool in a little over 50 minutes. The swimming is in fine shape right now. No blazing speed, but a good strong stroke and I am very comfortable in the water.
The evening was a 12 mile easy run, which felt harder than it was. It was over a lot of different terrain and conditions which seemed to take it's toll on my legs and joints. I'm feeling a little better this morning, but I sure was in some discomfort last night.
It is the Easter weekend coming up and I am looking forward to our University student coming home for a long weekend. It will be nice to have the kids around for a couple of days.
Have a great day!

Predictions

I’m not big on making predictions about how I will perform on race day. There are far too many variables that I can’t control that will have a significant impact on my finishing time, so I am best not to even go there. Now having said that, there is always a number lurking somewhere in the recesses of your mind, that if everything went well may be achievable. I’ll let you know after the race how close I was to that time.
After my long workout on Friday, the rest of the weekend was pretty quiet. On Saturday I got all ready to go for a run, when I stopped myself to try and figure out the purpose of what the workout would do for me. I had done over 13 hours for the week, 5 hours the day before and here I was ready to head out the door for another run. Not being able to come up with a good answer, I came back in, poured some more coffee and read a good book. Later in the day I did some really good stretching and spent some quality time with my Trigger Point massager working on the Achilles and soleus.
Sunday I did an easy 9.5 miles in 1:08:52. I was going to do 11.0, but I got a little distracted and ended up cutting it short. At this point in the program I don't feel all that bad about doing an abbreviated workout. If I had 14 weeks to go it would be a different story.
Legs felt good and strong and my form was nice and relaxed.
Today I did 2,700 metres at lunch time. Lots of work with the pull buoy as I continue to try and replicate the position my body will assume with my wet suit on. The lengths really seemed to fly by today, once I got into a rhythm. Swimming is something that has really grown on me and I enjoy the tired feeling you get after a good workout. It is not like the bike or a run where you generally hurt a little bit after a tough session, but a more gentle, total body tiredness.
This evening was a tempo / hill climbing session on the bike. One hour of solid big gear work and at a steady rate. Cadence was around 80 RPM for the whole climb which I was pleased with. End result was 20.4 miles.
Have a great day!

Spring has Sprung?

From all appearances it looks like spring has arrived. But I’m not going to get fooled again this year. After eight years of living here, I know that we are going to get at least one more taste of winter. It could come at any time, so I am not going to get too excited about doing all the spring chores. And that’s not just an excuse not to do them either!
That aside, the weather has been great as of late. Lots of sunshine and temperatures in the six to ten degree Celsius range, which has gotten rid of the majority of the snow. Not that we had a whole lot of snow, but it is still nice to see bare ground.
Yesterday’s workout was a good test and a confidence booster. I came home early from work and started with a long ride on the trainer. The workout went for 3 hours and 33 minutes (almost 65 miles) of a planned 4 hours when I developed a flat. At this point in the ride I was not in the mood for repairing a tire, so I jumped off the trainer and hit the treadmill for a 10 km run in a brisk 45 minutes. My legs felt awesome and I was holding back from cranking it up another notch. Now I know that everything changes on race day, but I was happy on how smooth my transition went from bike to run. In Arizona I hope to run in the 8:00 to 8:30 / mile pace in the run. If I can hold that I should have a pretty decent day. On the nutrition side, during yesterday’s workout I drank six bottles of Gatorade, ate 2 bananas, 2 blueberry bagels, and a PowerBar. I am really considering the bagels for race day as it was satisfying to have something substantial to chew on. Also I didn’t get the “Gatorade” belly I normally get. So I am going to try that one more time and see if the results are consistent.
The weekend should be relatively quiet, with mostly recovery work today and perhaps a longish run tomorrow.
Have a great weekend!

The Pleasures of Competition

With each passing day, the anticipation begins to build for race day on April 13th. My senses are starting to remember the feeling of slipping into the water prior to the start of the race. The mix of adrenaline and cool water as you wait for the sound of the gun and then the sight of a sea of humanity as the water boils with over 2,000 people commencing their 140.6 mile journey. This is what all the training is all about. This is why we do it, to capture those moments one more time.
While any race requires focus and concentration on the task at hand, you also have to enjoy the sensory banquet that an event such as this presents. The sights, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells will be etched in your memory long after you have forgotten your exact time and place in the event. The memories of the crowds calling out your name, even though they don’t know you, the smiling faces of the volunteers as they assist you at the aid stations, and the taste of the eighth gel as you try and choke it down, will last forever.
I remember last year in Couer d’Alene the little kids who lined up for you to “high five” them as you neared the finish line. It sure made you feel like a superstar, if for only a few minutes.
The training continues to go well. A few minor aches and pains but that is to be expected at this stage and it won’t be long until the taper begins.
The last couple of days training have been solid.
Wednesday – Lunch time I did a 2,100 metre swim, 1,000 metre easy swim, 10 x 100 metre, alternating easy and hard and a quick 100 metre swim.
The evening workout was a 9.3 mile tempo run in 1:05. Good steady pace and relaxed form.
Today – Lunch time was a 7.33 mile run in 52:21. My legs were a little tight but by the end I was sifting along comfortably.
Tonight I did a recovery ride on the bike – 1:00 and 18.4 MPH and a cadence of 90 RPM.
Onward and upward!
Have a great day!

Suffering on the bike

Yup, that's me slogging it out on the trainer. I still had an hour and 15 minutes to go at this point and, despite appearances, I did make it! The trainer is a cruel beast, and it takes some extreme mental toughness to log over two hours on it. There is a side benefit to it though, as time on the trainer is probably in some respects a tougher workout. Generally, you are pedaling the whole time you are on it. There are no downhills, just uphills. So when you are done, you sure feel it!

Today's workout was an easy run at lunch that ended up even easier than planned. My intention was to do an easy 5 miler so I could save my legs for a big bike effort in the evening. The weather was windy, but mild with temperatures around +5C. In order to avoid the strong, gusty wind I thought I would try the trails. Turns out it was a bad idea. I should have known when I got to the bottom of the hill to get onto the trail and I had to circumnavigate a huge puddle. Then the climb up the hill was an exercise in trying to find patches that weren't icy. Once on the trail, the first part was more of the same, patches of packed ice and smatterings of gravel. As you can imagine I couldn't get any pace established at all as my efforts were expended on looking for the next piece of good ground. Eventually I found a little section on the ridge that wasn't too bad but in the end I managed a pedestrian effort of 8:20 / mile for 5.15 miles. It was probably for the best as the evening workout was a 2 hour and 30 minute ride at high intensity. I was riding to a Spinerval DVD - Tough Love and believe me it was tough. Lots of big gear work and simulated climbing exercises. My legs were singing after that. Bike computer says I covered over 45 miles and managed to average 18 MPH.

Tomorrow will be a recovery day for sure!

Have a great day!

Back from the sunny south

Actually that would be sunny southern Alberta.

This weekend I made a quick trip down to Airdrie which is about 30 kms outside of Calgary. My niece Kristen lives there with her husband Mark, and two kids. My sister Lynne was visiting them from North Bay, Ontario so I thought I would make a trip down to see them.

It is not like it is right next door, (5 hours) but still when your family is spread out, and opportunities limited, you have to take advantage. So I hopped into the truck at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning and made the trek down. A big travel mug of coffee, some snacks and an iPod filled with new songs and I was on my way. The drive down was extremely uneventful and once the sun came up it was beautiful out. I rolled into Airdrie and 10:30 a.m., 5 hours right on the nose!

It was great to see everyone and I always enjoy visiting with my niece's two kids. They are really good kids and lots of fun. We spent the day sitting outside drinking coffee and catching up. Temperatures had climbed up to +12 C and no wind at all. So by about 3:00 p.m. I finally convinced myself that I should go out for a little run before supper. The weather was just too nice to have the day pass and not get out and enjoy it.

With the nice temperatures, all that was required was shorts, t-shirt and some shoes. Kristen lives in a really nice development in Airdrie at the edge of the northwest side of town. There are a whole network of range roads so I just headed out in that general direction with the intention of getting in at least 10 miles. The running was great and there was lots to see as I ran through some farm land with lots of livestock. At one point, as I ran along a fence line, there was a whole herd of cows running along beside me. They followed along for about 300 metres and then just gradually turned away from the fence and ran across the pasture. I can't say I have had that happen to me before! The road had a gentle rise to it and I felt really comfortable as I made my way out of town. It seemed like in no time at all I was at the 5 mile mark and made my turn to head back to the house. The whole run was effortless and totally enjoyable and I ended up with 10.25 miles in 1:12. The biggest bonus though, was how well I felt during and after.

That night we went out for a delicious Thai dinner in downtown Calgary. Washed it all down with a couple of Tiger beers and left feeling quite content!

I came back early on Sunday morning and stopped in Edmonton to have lunch with Francesca and her boyfriend. We had a really good time together and after a little bit of running around the city to drop Francesca off at residence and take Garrett out to St.Albert to get his truck, I was back on the road, and home by 5:30 p.m. Quick trip but very enjoyable!

Update on the other days.

Friday - Long swim - 3,000 metres continuous effort.

Sunday - off

Monday - Interval swim - 500 metre warm up - 10 x 150 metres with 15 secs rest main set and 300 metre cool down.

Run this evening was 6.2 miles in 43 minutes.

Everything continues to go well as the countdown continues!

Have a great day!

Spring Winds

Today I was not expecting much from my run. I had thought of a good number of reasons not to go, but in the end decided that I should at least try. If it did not go well I would call it early and head back.
Once I got outside to walk across to the recreation centre I started to feel like I might at least get a five miler in. The wind was a little stiff from the west, but it was bright and sunny and already +7 C. On the way over I started my Garmin and tucked it behind the bench in front of the complex. I always do this as it saves time having to wait for it to find the satellites. Once inside, it was time to decide what would be appropriate to wear. It was +7 C but the wind did have a bit of a bite to it. I don’t have a lot of meat on me, and I get cold easy so I decided I would need tights and at least a long sleeve and wind breaker. Quick little stretch and I was out the door and ready to go.
I didn’t feel like climbing the big hill right off so I chose heading east out towards the Yellow head Highway through the valley section of Hinton. This still requires a hill climb at the start but it is shorter,….steeper, but shorter. I would also have the wind at my back which I didn’t think would be much of a factor. The first mile was on a combination of icy trails and a little bit of pavement which made for some fancy footwork. The combination of the hill and the icy trail resulted in a 7:46 mile. Slow but I didn’t fall and land on my butt so that is a positive. Once off the trails I was onto the sidewalks which were perfectly clear and dry. Now I could settle in and find my groove. Mile two, 7:08, which is more like it. The route now heads up another hill, crosses a set of tracks, and then you are onto the Yellow head Highway. There wasn’t much traffic, so I was able to get off of the soft shoulder of the road and stay on the dry pavement; mile three, 7:12. When I reached the highway the road is double lane with a wide shoulder so the running is pretty safe. I am always impressed by how often drivers will switch over to the far lane when they see me running. Very courteous and much appreciated. This part of the run is typical foothills terrain, nice rolling hills. Nothing too severe or steep, just a nice section of up and down which makes the running more interesting. Mile 4, 7:03 pace, starting to feel a little over dressed though. I continued on east and turned at 4.85 miles when I realized that I had gone a lot further than I was planning to and I also had to get back before the change rooms closed at 1:00 for cleaning. Upon making the turn two things happened, I realized how strong the wind was blowing and that it was going to be a bit of a saving grace because I was starting to over heat! The way back was a struggle against the wind, lap 5, 6:57, lap 6, 7:05, lap 7, 7:08, lap 8, 7:15, lap 9, 7:03, and lap 10, 7:20. Total of 10 miles in 1:12. Not too bad I guess.
This evening I rode the Autumn Country Ride Spinerval and added a little extra to it. Total ride was 21 miles in 1:05. Nice steady cadence of about 88 RPM and an average speed of just over 19.5 MPH.
Have a great day!

The Little Things

With six weeks to go, the time starts to become long. You get to the point where you want to just do it! Bring it on! I am confident that right now I could complete the distance, however this next little while is some of the training that can make or break a race. It is like the sculptor who has hewed all the big chunks off the piece of granite and is now into the fine detailing. It is the little things you work on now. Maintaining focus, constantly monitoring form, evaluating your efficiency are all the elements that I will need to take care of over the upcoming weeks.
In addition there are the other "administrative" things to take care of. Travel arrangements, equipment, and arranging for a "once over" of the bike all need to be done over the next period of time. And the biggest thing that I HAVE to do, is taper. I am notorious for knowing that this is required but I can never get my head around it and actually do it. Because of the way I train, I always feel that I am peaking and that the rest required in a taper period will somehow make me lose my edge. Last year before IM Couer d'Alene I was forced to taper as I ended up with a calf injury two weeks prior to the race. The forced rest was in my opinion, the difference between a very enjoyable experience and a possible disaster. I finished the event feeling as good as I think you can after 140.6 miles. So I know that I will have to do this and I will this time around.
Workouts over the last few days have been good.
Tuesday: Great run at lunch. A little short on time so I ended up with 7.0 miles in 50:22. Evening workout was an hour and a half bike ride. Mostly working on strength. 26.8 miles at an average cadence of 87 RPM.
Wednesday: 58 minute swim at lunch - 2,650 metres - Main set was 3 x 400 metres - Warm up, a few drills, and cool down covered the rest of the distance. Stroke was much better today!
Quick evening run - 37 minutes - Few miles to warm up - 8 x 2 minute 10 K + pace and a cool down. Felt pretty darn good! Legs have lots of pop in them right now.
Finally finished my East of the Sun book. It was a very good read, but as previously mentioned a little tough due to all the Russian names of people and places.
Currently I am reading "A Year of Living Biblically", by A.J. Jacobs. So far it is hilarious as the writer tries to live a year by following the rules in the Bible literally.
On the iPod I am listening to the best of Eric Clapton, Nazareth's Greatest Hits, and Thin Lizzy. Old stuff but I recently found a new site to buy music from mp3fiesta.com. It has a large selection and CD's are $.99 and songs $.10. It has given me a good opportunity to get some stuff I had on vinyl onto CD. My iPod currently has 3,306 songs on it, and probably the most eclectic collection known to man!
Have a great day!

Swimming like a cat!

There a lot of things that being cat-like would be a compliment. Cat-like reflexes, spring like a cat, even running like a cat would be good. Swimming like a cat unfortunately, would not be a compliment,but that is how I felt today. For some reason my stroke was very bad and the more corrective action I took, the worse it seemed to get. My head kept coming out of the slip stream to breathe, my pull was weak to say the least, and I felt like my back end was dragging on the bottom. Not a pretty sight!
However, being a stubborn soul, I slugged it out and still managed to put in one hour and over 2,500 metres (I lost count again). Chalk this one up to just a bad day and leave it at that. This is the first poor swim I have had in a long time so I really can’t complain.
Yesterday we went into Edmonton for the day to visit our daughter, Francesca. We hadn’t seen her in awhile, and she had been away in Mexico for a week. It was a great day and she managed to squeeze a little shopping trip out of Mom and Dad while we were there. Roads were nice and clear and we were back home at 7:30 p.m. The schedule called for a 1:15 bike ride focusing on technique so I managed to work that in before we left in the morning. I would really like to get a couple of outdoor rides in before IMAZ, but we’ll have to see if the weather co-operates. It would be nice if the roads were swept to, otherwise you can be sure of some flats. The cycling is generally coming along well and I like doing the technique workouts. The intensity is not that high and it is all about maintaining good form, knees in on your top tube, still upper body, push down and pull up. Sounds simple enough, but most beginner triathletes don’t spend enough time on it. How hard can riding a bike be? That is generally where you start, until you are humbled on the race course watching everyone fly by you. About the time, that you figure it out, and decide to actually start spending some time on it. And cycling takes time, lots of it. It’s all about time in the saddle. I have found since using the Spinerval DVD program my workouts have structure and purpose and that has made a huge difference. Hopefully the real proof will come on race day!

Tonight I did an hour long run, a little over 8 miles and I felt really good. The legs feel much better and the Achilles issue seems to be behind me (thanks to the trigger point Mike). Over the next six weeks I will ramp up the runs a bit, but not so much as to get myself into the injury zone. That will be key over the next little while. Keep the volume up and avoid the injuries.

Have a great day!

Countdown to IMAZ!

Things are moving along for Iron Man AZ. Yesterday I booked my rooms in Tempe, and printed off all the fine details about the race. I am starting to get excited about the event. Only 44 days away! When you say it that way it seems closer than saying it is 6 weeks away.
In terms of work outs it equals 18 more swims, 30 more runs, 24 rides, more or less. Still a fair bit of work left to do, but I feel a lot better than I did at this stage in my training for Iron Man Couer d’Alene. I was starting to get a little tired of the whole thing by this time during that training cycle. I’m not so sure I did anymore in terms of weekly volume, but I know I had started earlier and stayed at a high level longer. This year I started a little later. My workouts have been high quality, and I have definitely increased my cycling volume. The bike has been my nemesis in the past and also my biggest opportunity for improved times. This year my bike training has been done with more purpose and I am hoping to see that it pays off.
I am certainly not nervous about the event, just looking forward to it. I love everything about the actual competition. The expo, the people, exploring the course, it is all exciting to me. This year Angela will be able to come with me which will make the event even more special. Last year due to other commitments she was unable to come to IM CDA and it would have been nice to have someone there when you come across the finish line. I was also very fortunate that I had no ill effects from the race as I was a long ways from home by myself. As it was I felt so good the morning after the race I loaded up and came home even though the plan was to stay another day. Even after a 10 hour drive I still felt great.
Friday’s workouts consisted of a 2,600 metre swim. Nice quiet day at the pool and I was able to settle into a nice steady pace. Unfortunately I didn’t get my normal lane but rather one right up against the wall. Makes the swim a little more like an open water workout as all the activity in the pool makes for some wave action. You have to watch out that you don’t end up with a drink of pool water!
I had great intentions for my run later in the day, but the tank was empty after 27 minutes so I pulled the plug. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day!
Today’s workout was a bass akwards brick. I ran 18 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes and then hopped on the bike for 20 miles in just over an hour. The ol’ legs were talking to me after that, but all in all it was a good workout.
I finished up the week with 15 hours on the nose. All in all a pretty good week for having just got back from a week off.
Have a great day!