Great morning run and chest workout

Well today and tomorrow brings a 48 shift at the fire station.  After Saturday all my paybacks are done and then they start paying me back.  I have a majority of July off and all of December so my time is coming and I cant wait.  December 2-December 10 I will be in Negril, Jamaica soaking up the rays.  On December 3rd the twin dynamic duo power and I are running the Jamaica Marathon but after that it is game on. 

This am brought a 4 mile run.  Minimal right hip tightness so I just let loose and didnt bother looking at the watch until I was home.  27:22 was the time so very happy with the mile splits.  Came in to the station early to lift.  Great chest workout followed by 35 minutes of Yoga, stretching, and foam rolling.  Will continue to stretch throughout the day and use the tennis ball to relieve a few tight spots.

Tomorrow morning I have a 1 hour and 50 min run.  Being at the station this will all be done on the treadmill.  We moved our treadmill to a front room area in the station and placed a TV in there so we can workout whenever.  So while everyone else is sleeping I will be striding away.  After this we have 7 long runs left.  They appear to go up by ten minutes every week and top out at 2:30.  I will try and make a three hour run out of one of them.  Need to run my yearly course from the Colfax Fire Department, through Mitchellville, and onward to Altoona. 

Friday brings a 4 hour bike and a brick run:

BikeWU: 20-30' @ 65-70%/z1-2/Easy (150-162 watts)MS:
2 x 15' (5') @ FT/z4-5, 10' Easy.-----oh yesssssss (220-231 watts)4 x 15' (2') @ 80-85%/z3 (185-196 watts)Remainder of ride time is @75-80%/z2, in the aerobars, practicing steady riding: no surges, constant power, etc.
WD: 10' Easy spin.

Run
z1/LRP out-8:30 pace
z2/MP back-7:20 pace30 min total

Saturday will be a day of Yoga and stretching only

Sunday brings a nice ABP (always be pushing) 3 hour ride to Monroe, IA and around.
WU: 20-30' @ 65-70%/z1-2/Easy
MS: Spend as much time @ 80-85%/z3 as possible. Take short recoveries as needed (eat, drink, etc), otherwise it's time to work!
WD: 10' Easy spin.

I have a FTP test coming up in the next couple of weeks and see a moderate bump coming.  Would like to be at 250 before 9/11/11 (Ironman Wisconsin).  I am going to challenge myself the next FTP and say it will be 240 from the current 231.

vDOT test also coming up.  I am currently at 49 and would like to be at 52 before Wisc.  Feel like I can be at 50 for sure this next test.  The vDOT is where we get our training paces from.  I have been running now for 15 years and have completed 16 marathons and have to say the vDOT is the best training tool out there and wish I had known about it then.  For my Marathon in Wisc I will be running the first 6 miles at my EP, then miles 6-18 at MP and mile 18-26.2 just put my head down and get it done.  Would like to have my marathon completed in 3:45-4:00 hours.  That is a challenge to myself. 

Ironman Moo 9/11/11

Well my family, friends, and well.........Wishing each of you a great HUMP day.

Post workout numbers

The swim went well.  Was hitting the 100's in 1:27-1:30 today.  Todays workout though consisted of 200's in a ladder form.  Felt a little tugging at the right hip.  That is my warning to BACK THE HELL OFF some or my ITB is going to come on full blast. 

Came home changed and went for the scheduled 1:20 bike ride with FTP's.

• 1st FTP was at an IF .97
• 2nd FTP was at an IF .94
• 3rd FTP was at an IF of .88 (not good)

Therefore since I was not able to come close on the third FTP and I really felt myself struggling I cut the remainder of the FTP a couple minutes short and decided just to ABP (always be pushing.....just ride along.)

Skipping the brick run and only swimming tomorrow.  Will see how the hip feels Thursday for the scheduled one hour and fifty minute run.  I would rather miss a few workouts vs several weeks of workouts.

BIKE NUMBERS FROM THE JOULE
Duration: 1:20:34
Work: 872 kJTSS: 93.7 (intensity factor 0.84)
Norm Power: 194
Distance: 27.064 mi
Elevation Gain: 570 ft
Elevation Loss: 600 ft
Power: 0 372 181 watts
Cadence: 30 150 83 rpm
Speed: 0 35.6 20.1 mph
Pace 1:41 0:00 2:59 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 26 6 lb-in
Altitude: 617 793 728 ft
Crank Torque: 0 848 184 lb-in
Temperature: 73.4 80.6 76.2 Fahrenheit

Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Swim, bike, and run

Well another day of training is upon me.  Today will consist of:

• 3000 yard swim-today includes both speed and endurance.  Working at the 200 yard distance today.
• 1:20 min bike to include several FTP (functional threshold) bursts.  
• 35 minute brick run to include a few HMP burst.  

It is beautiful here in Iowa today.  Sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky and wind at 5-10 mph.  Will be a great day.

This week is a hard one for me cause I have to move several of my workouts around d/t time trades at the fire station.

Learning to listen and allow the body to dictate my workouts.  If I am tired and just don't feel the love then I back off.  May still do the entire workout but cut the intensity in half.  

Well I will be reporting back after the workouts are completed.  Feeling a little tired today from the weekends workouts and race I am sure but we will give it a go.

Pre race workout nutrition:

• Coffee
• Potato Bread and Peanut Butter (2 slices with 1 tsp of PB on each)
• a doughnut hole....okay maybe a few

Great start to Monday, June 27th, 2011.....Swim and Run......

Good morning and welcome to the last week of June 2011.

This am started with a 3200 yard swim.  200 yard intervals and sprint work.  Felt good to get in a loosen up.  After a long weekend it was a great relief.

Here at the station decided to knock my run out of the way.  Ended with 7.76 miles in 60 minutes.  Mile repeats today were a little bit of a struggle but nothing like yesterdays race.  Ended up running them at a 6:45-6:55 pace.  Working out on tired legs will make you stronger I keep telling myself.  Then took 30 minutes to stretch and roll.  Ahhhh love that feeling.

Have a great start to your week.

RACE DAY AND THREE HOUR RIDE THAT FOLLOWED

Well Copper Creek tri is in the books.  I have to say I am happy overall d/t the fact I was not rested at all and did well untill I hit the run.  Wow, was the fatigue there.  I honestly thought for the first time in a 5K that I was going to walk.  I hit the first hill leaving the lake and it was the puker factor.  It was could to see all the local aTc team on the course.  Not sure how we faired overall but I can tell you there were several PR's set today.

I took over 4 minutes from my previous Copper Creek and this was very unrested.

M3539

12/34

74/260

13:00

1:36

116

1:26

178

34:43

21.6

42

1:16

303

25:02

8:05

163

-

1:15:27

To explain the above I was

• 12/34 in my age group
• 74/260 overall
•  I had an awesome swim for me.  13:00 overall and that breaks down to a 1:36/100 yards
•  Transition are nothing impressive- T1 this is where you get out of the water and run to your bike.  It is the time you enter where your bike is and leave that area.  My time was 1:26.  Would like to have this 45 seconds or under. 
•  I had a great bike on unrested legs.  Time was 34:43 and that breaks down to 21.6 mph and 2:45 second miles. 
•  T-2 was 1:16 and again that is not good.  Like to have 30 seconds or under. 
•  Now my run was a freaking disaster and I felt it from step one but it was to be expected,  Overall time was 25:02 and that ave out to a 8:05 pace per mile. 
• Overall time was 1:15:27 and an approximate 4 min PR. :
  

Again my Tripple A race is WISC. Ironman.  As much as I wanted to rest Friday and Saturday to be fresh for todays race it just didnt make any sense to me logically. 

The past two days I have however logged 141 miles on the bike and that is something I have never did before.

TODAYS BIKE STATS FROM THE RACE
Duration: 34:51
Work: 432 kJ
TSS: 51.6 (intensity factor 0.949)- I'll take thatNorm Power: 219
VI: 1.06-for all the hills really not to bad of a variability
Distance: 12.688 miElevation Gain: 443 ft
Elevation Loss: 630 ft
Grade: -0.3 % (-181 ft)
Power: 0 591 207 watts
Cadence: 45 159 92 rpm
Speed: 0 39.5 21.8 mph
Pace 1:31 0:00 2:45 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 25 7 lb-in
Altitude: 750 969 815 ft
Crank Torque: 0 768 192 lb-in
Temperature: 66.2 68 66.4 Fahrenheit

Todays Brick Bike workout Numbers:
Duration: 2:42:11
Work: 1376 kJ
TSS: 123.8 (intensity factor 0.78)Norm Power: 160
VI: 1.13-Ouch but lots of stop and go
Distance: 48.173 mi
Elevation Gain: 1045 ft
Elevation Loss: 875 ftCadence: 30 239 85 rpm
Speed: 0 32.7 17.8 mph
Pace 1:50 0:00 3:23 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 29 6 lb-in
Altitude: 800 1042 940 ft
Crank Torque: 0 1024 141 lb-in
Temperature: 68 82.4 76.2 Fahrenheit

Time for an Ice bath, calories, and family Time

Saturday= 4hr ride....

Saturdays bike ride turned out at the start to be cool and beautiful soon to be rain and a little windy.  I was glad I made myself do the ride even though I wanted to be a full energy for tomorrows race.  Wisc Ironman is my Tripple A race and Copper Creek is my c race so the long ride trumped the full energy.

RIDE STATS=

• 79.86 miles
• IF .798
• TSS 230
• Burned 2400 calories
• Pnorm 188
• RPM 85
• Ave speed was 18.6
• 5 min Pnorm was 242
• 20 min Pnorm was 220 so very happy with that.
• I have to say if I was going to climb one more hill I might have cried
• Over 2 hours was in the rain
• Overall very happy with the progress

Rode with the Power Twin to packet pick up for Copper Creek Sprint Tri tomorrow
No T-shirts but we got an awesome transition bag from TYR.  These things are huge!!!!

I am just dropping the hammer on everything.  Plan is to red line the entire race and hopefully have enough juice in the box for the last 1.25 miles of the run cause I am planning on blowing a piston.  If I dont vomit at the finish line tomorrow then I did not go fast enough.

• Swim goal is 1:33 per 100
• Bike goal is 23 Plus MPH
• Run goal is 7:00 min miles

The local club known as aTc (Altoona Tri Club) I heard has over 30 of us racing.  Best of luck to each of you and see you at the finish line!!!!!

Then after the race grab a drink, say hi to the family, and meeting a training partner for a 3 hour training ride.

Have a great day.

Friday - June 24, 2011

TGIF!!!!

Well after a busy night in the ER I think I finally fell asleep around 0130 and when that alarm clock went off at 0400 it was tough to crawl out of bed.  Coffee was good and strong....Thanks babe!!!

Swim workout this am was:
WU: 400 yds/m
MS1: 200 (10) @ T-pace, 300 (20) @ T-pace, 400 (30) @ T-pace, 500 (30) @ T-pace, 400 @ pace faster than 400 above. Set Total: 1800yd
MS 2: 8 x 50 (20), as odds Fast, evens Easy Set Total: 400yd
CD: 100 easy
Total: ~2700yds/m

Besides being tired the swim went well.  All target were hit.  Concentrated today on good form....rolling and breathing bilaterally every third stroke.  Use to think I would never get the bilateral breathing down but now it is natural.

Going to stretch this am and do yoga. 

Enjoy your Friday!!!!