IMAZ Day 8, Week 2

Week 2 of IMAZ camp opened with a bang today. Feeling surprisingly good after yesterday's 2:16 whacko run, I opted for a swim/bike today. It's odd that most triathletes don't often do swim/bike doubles given that's the way the races are run; even I rarely do them, often favoring a swim/run double since it's easier logistically to do. But with a long swim as the focus today and no real need to run this morning, I chose the swim/bike.

I bundled up - it was a bit chilly - and headed for the Y and the short first ride. Unfortunately, the good pool at the Y is in the last days of maintenance and only the older/smaller pool was open. No worries, I figured, since I was intending to simply go long - hoping for 4000yds - and relatively easy. Of course, once inside, I found every lane doubled and had to ask people in a lane to circle. Again, I was intending to go easy, so wasn't worried.

I started the swim. Things went well and one person left after about the first 1000. During the 2nd 1000, I crashed hard twice with the other guy in the lane as we were still circling...this pool is a bit thin. Soon, he also left. I was swimming fairly easy, 15:00 1000s as I continued through the 3rd one. At 3000, I eased just a bit for the next 500, then got really bored and decided to mix up some 50s of mixed stroke and fast 100s. Again, the idea here was just to be swimming for an hour, so this was all OK. Finally, I finished, 4000yds in just over 62 minutes. Felt VERY good.

I dried off and took to the bike after a GU and some CarboPro. I felt pretty good except for any hill I happened to ride, still feeling the effects of yesterday's run. But I ended up riding about 16 miles total on the morning. I was happy just to get in the aero bars and spin after the swim and feel good.

Maybe more later? Who knows...but today is massage - YAY! - so maybe not.

IMAZ, Day 7. First official training week closes!

I ran for 2:16 today (maybe 18 miles or so), the longest run I've done since before the NYC Marathon last year. Bad news - was only intending 2:00...well, originally 1:45, but decided to go 2 and then ultimately hit the 2:16 after getting a bit lost on trails. Oops. Good news -- between carrying liquids, GUs and endurolytes, I felt pretty good!

So at the end of the first week of long training, I have roughly 17 hours in the bank. I'm thrilled that I'm thus far not feeling any aches and pains or any of the stuff I'm used to feeling when I up mileage on the bike/run simultaneously. Guess the summer base helped a lot. I'm also recovering very well from the longish stuff thus far, which I think is a testament to fueling well during the workouts. Lastly -- I'm really enjoying the training, and I hadn't expected that.

Next week will be interesting as the weekend will include the first 5+ hour ride and work travel begins to pick up. But if it's anything like this week was, then I'm looking forward to it.

Some stats: I'm averaging just over 40M per week running, got up to almost 200M biking (a lot for me). Swimming needs to pick up a bit, if only in terms of long swims (i.e., continuous hour), though I've been 50-60+ for swim workouts. So...things are going according to plan so far.

IMAZ, Day 6

Despite the threat of rain - actually, it was more than a threat, it was actually raining - early this morning, I decided that the suckiness of riding in rain was less than the suckiness of riding 3.5 hrs indoors. Thus, I struck out, enlisting the aid of two other brave souls, intending to get in the 3.5/30 brick that I'd planned.

Things were pretty good from the start; a light rain fell, but not enough to be disturbing. After casting aside the rain jacket (which raised temperatures excessively), things were pretty good and continued that way for about 2.5 hours until Mt. Kisco. At that point, on a nice downhill stretch, the heavens opened and we were poured on. At the turnaround, we stopped for a second to eat but took off quickly so as not to get too chilled. Back home for a total of 60 miles and 3:25 on the bike feeling really good and having pushed hard up all the hills.

As the rain had abated, I decided to get the run in and finish the brick. My nutrition plan training must be going well (CarboPro and Accelerade bottles today plus endurolytes, date/nut bar and 3 GUs) because my legs felt really good. Ran approximately race pace (7 min/mile-ish) for the run, felt good the whole way and ended with 40 minutes...4:05 total.

Hit the carb/protein recovery quickly (waffles, peanut butter, honey, etc.) and re-caffeinated. Now, on to the rest of the day!

IMAZ, Day 5

Of course, it's right after I say that I'll post in the mornings that I'm swamped by work and can't post until the evening. No matter. Today is turning out to be a relatively easy day, thanks to a brutal schedule of meetings and inclement weather. This morning was a fun swim in the Sound amid the biggest swells I'd seen there this year, though they weren't that bad. They WERE enough to make sighting an issue, especially for the near-blind like myself. Mental note - prescription goggles next year. Swam for 50 minutes, felt decent, then hit the trails for a 20 minute, one-loop run, which in retrospect would have been two (and I'd have forgone the Starbucks Venti Iced) if I'd known what today was going to be like. The good news is that my legs seem to have bounced back well from the prior two days of hard biking/running.

Tomorrow doesn't look like fun -- I've scheduled a 3.5hr bike/30 minute run brick that will either be in rain or on the rack in the garage depending upon just how bad it is out. Neither is very appetizing.

For those of you receiving this a second time, btw, I found a mistake I needed to edit. Oops.

IMAZ Training, Day 4

I'm starting to think it might be better to update these at the END of the day, but it's easier to blather earlier in the day -- just like training! Anyway, when last we left the screen, I was anticipating a run yesterday afternoon/evening. It did come to pass in the form of a track workout that I decided to make (or attempt) a 3-mile step down. Now, I LOVE tempo runs and love step downs, but perhaps I was biting off a bit much yesterday. I'd wanted to go 17:30 with a 5:55 first mile. So after a short warm up, I hit it. 5:53 for the first felt easy as did the next 800 (8:47 for 1.5M, right on). However, things started getting dicey at that point, and though I hit a 5:52 2nd mile, things were beginning to feel rough. The last mile SUCKED. I had to ease a bit the 3rd lap of it and ended up in 5:58 for 17:43. Not awful, but didn't feel good. Warmed down, went home and had a beer.

That had me viewing today's intended brick with trepidation. Maybe all the miles of the past week had come home to roost in my legs and today would be awful. But out the door at 5:40am, the weather was beautiful and encouraging. My legs WERE tight at the start and the first big hill was tough, but afterwards loosened up a bit and was able to maintain 20-21mph or better for a lot. Hills were TOUGH...didn't have my usual spring for them...but the rest of the ride ROCKED. I made it back to the track where I'd left my running shoes in 1:25 for 27.75M feeling good.

I was intending to run 7 min pace for 30 minutes in an effort to get used to IMAZ race pace. I decided not to look at my watch to get a better FEEL for the effort and not overdo it. I felt very good straightaway and locked into whatever pace it was. I took a drink at 2 miles and glanced at the watch -- 13:25! -- and felt great! I continued on and ended up 26:30 at 4 miles with a final of 4.5 miles in 29:40 (6:36 pace!). I was overjoyed, though dripping. Changed shirts and shoes, jumped back on the bike and went home. Total workout was a happy and very encouraging 2:03. Now I have the luxury of not working out again today, good thing since I'm still slammed by work.

Tomorrow: open water swim, MAYBE a run after. Let's see how the legs recover.

IMAZ Training Blog, Day 3

First, let's close out yesterday; ran 40 minutes in the afternoon and while it was hot, it wasn't deathly hot and I had a good run. I felt a BIT sluggish as a result of the monring's bike ride, but ended up running fairly quickly on one of my pet courses. Then I kept sweating for about 20 minutes AFTER showering. Yuk.

Today was a rare Wednesday open water swim at Tod's Point. It was a beautiful morning and the water looked calm, but we had some swells on the return swim (we swim 2 laps around the buoys there) that made things interesting. I SHOULD have swum a third lap, but I figured that given the long swim Monday, 46 minutes today was good enough. Best news - no sea lice! Afterward, I did a 20 minute run, 18 of which was with company at a decent pace. Legs were good not great, but that's to be expected, I suppose. A shower and a Venti Iced Coffee (unsweet) helped after that.

After scarfing food throughout the day (lightly...still on portion control) and being totally swamped with work, I'll be heading to the track tonight to do...I'm not sure what. A 3-mile step down run sounds somewhat appealing, though that could give way to a ladder (ugh) from 400 up to mile and back down (double ugh). It'll be interesting to see how/if my legs respond tonight and then to tomorrow AM's early brick.

IMAZ Training Blog, 8/25

Here we are, day 2 of the training blog! I have to say that I am still jazzed after both the weekend of (for me) long training and yesterday's approximately 4000yd swim (and relatively puny 25 minute run). I had wanted to add another run later in the day but scheduling didn't permit it, and besides, yesterday afternoon was MASSAGE, and my massage therapist doesn't think highly of people going and working out after she performs her magic. I can see that. So spent the day working (shouldn't be too much of a shock) and watching the family and siding guys do their thing.

So today, I wanted at least a 90-minute ride. Found some folks to ride with and ended up just over 2 hours and 38+ miles feeling really good! It took the better part of an hour to warm up, truth be told, but it was a really good ride with a strong close. I also have become, after a grand total of two rides with it, a huge fan of CarboPro. I'm finding that my legs aren't wasted well into the rides and that I'm recovering well (I'm also remembering to drink frequently regardless and take GUs/endurolyes regularly depending upon weather/time in saddle). It's weird that it has no taste, but I guess that no taste is better than bad taste (true for humans too, I think).

Later today, I'll run for about 45 minutes at a moderate pace. Tomorrow, I'd originally planned an open water swim plus a run, but given the torrential rains over the weekend, it seems the bacteria have other plans and have invaded the local beaches. Thus, I'll have to take stock of the situation later today and then figure out if it's a pool swim or not...the following run could be anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending upon time (and if I do it immediately after or not). I COULD find my way into a track workout Wednesday, but not sure at this point. Might save for tempo or speed on Thursday after another bike.

Thank heavens for coffee and peanut butter.

IMAZ '09, Self Coached: First Entry

I'm not sure why, but I've decided to maintain a blog record of my training for IMAZ '09. Not sure if anyone cares, but what the heck -- I figure if anything I put here can help, then it's worth it.

So...I've just begun the second week of IMAZ Training Camp here at Yockelson Manor. After a rough DNF at IM Louisville in 2007, I'd vowed to try again and do things a bit differently the next time. Among my errors in 2007: not anywhere near enough nutrition or salt on the bike as it was hot, windy and I couldn't eat the solid food I'd planned to consume; also, I'd only done ONE ride of 100 miles leading up to the race -- the IM was the first time I'd gone 112. Not smart. Despite exiting T2 at 6:55 that day, I bonked - hard - at mile 4 of the run and ran/walked/hobbled to 14 miles before calling it a day. This year, however, will be different.

After a VERY busy June/July race season (5 major races including two 1/2 IMs and Alcatraz), despite not training TOTALLY all out, I was fried mentally. An easy early August and some time off the bike helped reinvigorate my mind, and by mid-August, I was ready to get back into it. I opened camp a bit early, August 14th, but starting to eat better and swearing off ice cream. I'm now down a couple of pounds as a result, which is great. I also got in an early long-ish ride, 3.5 hrs on August 15th, followed by a 1:32-1:33 1/2 marathon run the next day. Good start.

This weekend was the official start of "go long or go home." Saturday was a run of 1:41, including a 5M tempo run on the track just below intended marathon race pace (ran 33:57, a drop quick). In the high humidity, it was tough, but I wore my fuel belt and took endurolytes and felt OK after. Sunday was great! 4.5 hours of riding for 80 miles including a 1:15 tour of the Westchester Tri course at 40 miles. I tried CarboPro for the first time during the first 2 hours and it was great! Between that and the additional gatorage/water, endurolytes, GU and fruit bar, my nutrition worked perfectly yesterday and I didn't bonk at all -- I was able to push >20mph at the end of the ride easily and felt fine afterward.

This morning was a first long swim workout...roughly 4000 yds of long intervals (something like 2 sets of 350-700-975 with 45 sec rest in between each). Went VERY well, then followed up with a 25 minute easy run. It took my legs 5-6 minutes to loosen up, but I felt pretty good when they did.

My philosophy, btw, for this go-round will be very similar to that of last year's training for the NYC Marathon. MORE long distance, a good amount of tempo, focus on nutrition. This year, I plan to do no less than four 5-6 hour rides and 2 hour or more runs. I will also do 3-4 3.5 hour ride/45-60 min+ bricks. I'll swim long stuff once a week and be in open water as much as possible. I'll have one bike tempo and one run tempo per week at least as well. That all forms the basis for the next 3 months.

So...welcome to this tour of my training. I'll try to update every day or close. My goal, btw, for IMAZ is a to hit 10:15, but truth be told, I'm training for 10 hrs or under. After this weekend, I'm more optimistic than before.