Well, as the week progressed I slowly gained my energy back. At swim practice yesterday I was talking to some fellow teammates and they all had complaints of being run down and tired. Instead of the coach working us hard during swim, he just had us do laps at a nice slow pace. He also pointed out a few tweaks on my stroke which I need to work on as well.
Today I took off work today since I am getting married tomorrow (yeah!) and slept in until 9:30. I can't remember the last time I slept in that late. After waking up next to my bride to be and relaxing for about an hour, I went for a run. At first I was only going to go 10 miles but I wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms along the tidal basin so I extended the run. What a gorgeous day, sunny and in the high 50's. It was so pretty at the tidal basin with all the cherry blossoms blooming. I love going down here each year and Gayle and I are going to run here again on Monday as part of our annual Cherry Blossom run. Today was a nice peaceful run as I thought about Carol and what I was going to say for my little speeches. I think I ended up going just over 12 miles at a nice 8:45-9:00 pace (my new zone 2).
Now, off to my rehearsal and onto the wedding!!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
exhausted...
I am exhausted. My body is so fatigued right now that everything is an effort. I feel like I have been hit be a freight train and still standing waiting to fall. I know this is a result of the last two weeks. I swam this morning and it took everything out of me just to show up and then to finish the workout. I struggled to bike 30 minutes tonight as well. I need some zzzzzzz's.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
3 Bridge Ride - Frederick, MD
83 miles!! Man, what a ride. There had to have been at least 70 Team Z'rs out there today for this tour through Frederick County. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was sunny in the 50's, there were rolling hills and plenty of scenery to look at.
I was exhausted before this ride began and had a feeling that it was going to be tough. Turns out I was wrong. We did a 50 mile loop and then a 30 mile loop. Overall I averaged 14.5 mph and my overall time was 5:45. Last week when I did 72, I averaged 13.7 in the wind and cold. I'm getting there, but still need some work. Today was good but I really concentrated on going up hills easy and cranking on the way down, still staying in Z2.
Today I experienced a little bit of road rage from some punks! Around mile 70 a car pulled past me and then pulled over to the left and as I passed them I saw a few punks in there. About 3 minutes later they came flying by and threw a bag of potato chips and hit me in the back. Assholes. So I kindly flipped them off but they were to yellow to stop and kept going. Heck, if I wasn't so tired, I would have stopped and ate the chips. I was pretty hungry!
Well, it is now recovery week and I get to relax this week in preparation for my wedding. What a coincidence that my wedding day is on a recovery week. : )
Here are this week's total:
Swim: 1.1M; Bike: 113; Run: 17.1 = 131.2, 11:25 hours
I was exhausted before this ride began and had a feeling that it was going to be tough. Turns out I was wrong. We did a 50 mile loop and then a 30 mile loop. Overall I averaged 14.5 mph and my overall time was 5:45. Last week when I did 72, I averaged 13.7 in the wind and cold. I'm getting there, but still need some work. Today was good but I really concentrated on going up hills easy and cranking on the way down, still staying in Z2.
Today I experienced a little bit of road rage from some punks! Around mile 70 a car pulled past me and then pulled over to the left and as I passed them I saw a few punks in there. About 3 minutes later they came flying by and threw a bag of potato chips and hit me in the back. Assholes. So I kindly flipped them off but they were to yellow to stop and kept going. Heck, if I wasn't so tired, I would have stopped and ate the chips. I was pretty hungry!
Well, it is now recovery week and I get to relax this week in preparation for my wedding. What a coincidence that my wedding day is on a recovery week. : )
Here are this week's total:
Swim: 1.1M; Bike: 113; Run: 17.1 = 131.2, 11:25 hours
Saturday, March 24, 2007
5 years, I can't believe it
5 years ago today, I ran my first marathon at the DC Marathon. That was definitely one of the best days of my life. I would have never thought that 5 years later I would be training for my first IM. It is such an incredible experience that during this training, I feel like I was when training for the DC marathon. Every workout is a new and different sensation.
Today I ran the Wirefly 1/2 marathon through the streets of DC. I kept it easy in Zone 2, running between 9 and 9:30's for most of the race but then I got to mile 11 and saw my time and realized if I picked it up a little, i would get under 2 hours. So, I cranked it up for the last 2 and squeaked under 2 hours by about 6 seconds. Nothing like cutting it close. My favorite part was the last mile in which we were running on East Capitol street under the overpasses for 295. Under each bridge it became so quiet like there was no one else around. It was a cool feeling like running in a vacuum in which it was so effortless. My cadence was high, my breathing was calm and I was moving. It was very surreal.
3 months to go to IM..........but first, 1 week until I get married!! : )
Today I ran the Wirefly 1/2 marathon through the streets of DC. I kept it easy in Zone 2, running between 9 and 9:30's for most of the race but then I got to mile 11 and saw my time and realized if I picked it up a little, i would get under 2 hours. So, I cranked it up for the last 2 and squeaked under 2 hours by about 6 seconds. Nothing like cutting it close. My favorite part was the last mile in which we were running on East Capitol street under the overpasses for 295. Under each bridge it became so quiet like there was no one else around. It was a cool feeling like running in a vacuum in which it was so effortless. My cadence was high, my breathing was calm and I was moving. It was very surreal.
3 months to go to IM..........but first, 1 week until I get married!! : )
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday night
Man, I am tired. I just got caught up on my blog for the week. All I can think about now is 2 more days. 2 more workouts to a recovery week. I've got a big weekend. IIt's been a great 2 weeks and I just need to get through tomorrow's 1/2 marathon and then an 80 mile bike ride on Sunday. WOW! time for bed.....
Wed-Thur
Man, what a great week. Tuesday night I made great strides in my run with my VO2 test, Wednesday night was an okay night on the bike for an hour but then Thursday happen. Yes! I moved up one lane to a lane faster during swim practice and was able to keep up. "movein on up" I love it. We did some z2 drills and then moved onto Z4. I was eatin the toes in front of me because I was cranking in the water. I have 3 months to get up one more lane....the Chris Wren lane. Chris is a legend, he is an animal, he is incredible. This guy is 56 years old and is an inspiration for so many of us to be like him at his age. He is FAST!
Thursday night we went to the coach's rec center and did a spin class. The main part of the workout was 25 minutes in Z4. It was tough but towards the end of the workout I just wanted more, I wanted it to get harder so I had the coach make us put it in a much higher gear where we just grinded through it. It was awesome, I could not get enough of it. During these hard workouts, and they are hard, something happens to me. It takes awhile for me to get into it but as the workout continues it gets a little easier but when I get toward the end, I crank, i just want more. Maybe it's because I know the end is near or maybe its because it gives me such a high that I cannot get enough of it.
This IM training is transforming. It feels like training for my first marathon all over again. Every workout is a new feeling of where my body has never been before. It is incredible.
Thursday night we went to the coach's rec center and did a spin class. The main part of the workout was 25 minutes in Z4. It was tough but towards the end of the workout I just wanted more, I wanted it to get harder so I had the coach make us put it in a much higher gear where we just grinded through it. It was awesome, I could not get enough of it. During these hard workouts, and they are hard, something happens to me. It takes awhile for me to get into it but as the workout continues it gets a little easier but when I get toward the end, I crank, i just want more. Maybe it's because I know the end is near or maybe its because it gives me such a high that I cannot get enough of it.
This IM training is transforming. It feels like training for my first marathon all over again. Every workout is a new feeling of where my body has never been before. It is incredible.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Run VO2 Test - Great News!!
So Tuesday night I got my VO2 retested for the run (last test was May 2006). The test was performed by Fitness Concepts in Falls Church, VA. My results were outstanding as my zone 2, endurance zone, increased 11 beats - which means I can run faster and still be in zone 2. This is very key for IM being an endurance event. So, I believe this will reduce my zone 2 time from about 10 minute miles to around 9:15-9:30 depending on conditions. Some other figures came out of it was my anaerobic threshold reduced from 179 to 172 and my maximum heart rate reduced from 200 to 189. Ken Meirkle, the person performing the test, said that my heart has gotten stronger. I have noticed during my track workouts that it has been harder get up in zone 4 even though I was getting faster, but now i realize I must have been running anaerobic during that time. It all makes since. If anyone out there has no idea what I am talking about and wants to understand, just send me an email.
About the test. The test is performed on a treadmill in which you warm up for about 15-20 minutes. Then you put on a head gear that covers your nose and mouth with a tube sticking out of it connected to a computer. The computer analyses your exhale and determines at different heart rates the % fat and % carbs you are burning. During endurance events, you want to burn more fat because you have an unlimited supplies and can on forever. So the majority of IM training is in this zone or zone 2. As the treadmill gets faster, you begin to burn less fat and burn more carbs in which you have a limited supply of. Typically, you would run a 5k, 10K or even a 10mile race in zone 4. As the treadmill increases every 1-minute, Ken then takes a reading and towards the end of the test when you are going really fast, he increases the pace more and then the incline. This is where the test gets really brutal because you have to keep running faster as your body is about to fall apart so Ken can get good data. It is a great test and gives good results for determining what pace you should be training in during your season.
About the test. The test is performed on a treadmill in which you warm up for about 15-20 minutes. Then you put on a head gear that covers your nose and mouth with a tube sticking out of it connected to a computer. The computer analyses your exhale and determines at different heart rates the % fat and % carbs you are burning. During endurance events, you want to burn more fat because you have an unlimited supplies and can on forever. So the majority of IM training is in this zone or zone 2. As the treadmill gets faster, you begin to burn less fat and burn more carbs in which you have a limited supply of. Typically, you would run a 5k, 10K or even a 10mile race in zone 4. As the treadmill increases every 1-minute, Ken then takes a reading and towards the end of the test when you are going really fast, he increases the pace more and then the incline. This is where the test gets really brutal because you have to keep running faster as your body is about to fall apart so Ken can get good data. It is a great test and gives good results for determining what pace you should be training in during your season.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
71.5 miles!!!!
Finally!!! A nice, descent ride. It was cold (30's), it certainly was windy (think Middlleburg) and it there were some hills. I took my time and made it through this windy ride feeling really strong. If there was ever time I wanted to jump for joy after a ride, this was the time. It's hard to believe that just 6 weeks ago I had my hellish ride going only 30 miles. Incredible.
The ride today was in Harwood, MD (South of DC off of Route 2). We rode a lot of back roads and ended up riding along the bay through North Beach. From there, we were all over. There were some tough times when the winds were blowing so hard. But what's amazing is that the times when the winds were blowing the hardest, the last 20 miles, I had my fastest split!
p.s. And for those of you who are wondering how the tush is, it's not too sore.
Totals for the week:
Swim: 1.4, Bike: 95M, Run: 24.1M = 121 Miles, Time: 11:27 hours - GREAT WEEK!
The ride today was in Harwood, MD (South of DC off of Route 2). We rode a lot of back roads and ended up riding along the bay through North Beach. From there, we were all over. There were some tough times when the winds were blowing so hard. But what's amazing is that the times when the winds were blowing the hardest, the last 20 miles, I had my fastest split!
p.s. And for those of you who are wondering how the tush is, it's not too sore.
Totals for the week:
Swim: 1.4, Bike: 95M, Run: 24.1M = 121 Miles, Time: 11:27 hours - GREAT WEEK!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Mental Run Today
Today we ran 14+ miles starting at Roosevelt Island. We, Chris/Kerry/I, ran to Old Town Alexandria with the wind at our backs but after we turned around and we got about 5 miles from finishing, the wind really picked up and it was brutal. I stayed in my heartrate zone 2 most of the way until that wind really hit. We all stepped it up and pushed harder. The last two miles were really really tough but kept pushing it to finish strong.
The swim last night was good, though tough to get started, ended up being a good workout. I averaged about 43 seconds for 50 meter splits and 20 seconds for 25 meter splits. Not sure if that is fast or not but it felt fast to me. It's nice to open it up once and awhile. My 400 meter easy swims averaged about 8:17. So if I do the math, 2.4 miles could be around 1 hour 20 minutes. It would be nice to get that down to 1:1o for IM.
Tomorrow's bike is going to be brutal, 30 degrees and 15-20 mph winds. Could be another mental day.
The swim last night was good, though tough to get started, ended up being a good workout. I averaged about 43 seconds for 50 meter splits and 20 seconds for 25 meter splits. Not sure if that is fast or not but it felt fast to me. It's nice to open it up once and awhile. My 400 meter easy swims averaged about 8:17. So if I do the math, 2.4 miles could be around 1 hour 20 minutes. It would be nice to get that down to 1:1o for IM.
Tomorrow's bike is going to be brutal, 30 degrees and 15-20 mph winds. Could be another mental day.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Mid Week Progress
Track work out was Wed night. My head is still pretty congested and I know it is affecting my performance. We did 5 x 800 (1/2 miles) splits at 5K pace with 2 minute recovery in between. I averaged 3:17's on my 1/2 mile splits. Two weeks ago I averaged around 3:12's.
Damn! woke up Thurs morning at 4:30am for swim and fell right back asleep. I could not get up. Now i have to swim Friday night to make up for the TWO missed swim practices this week. SUCKS! Mark, Roy and Linda also missed so they didn't one up me! : )
Thurs night, I went and met some fellow team mates for spin class. It went pretty well, and I have to admit, a little easier since I am now training by the correct zones. We spinned for about 50-minutes. Went to happy hour for a couple of beers after working out for a post-workout recovery and to carb up for this weekend.
Swim tonight, yuck!
Damn! woke up Thurs morning at 4:30am for swim and fell right back asleep. I could not get up. Now i have to swim Friday night to make up for the TWO missed swim practices this week. SUCKS! Mark, Roy and Linda also missed so they didn't one up me! : )
Thurs night, I went and met some fellow team mates for spin class. It went pretty well, and I have to admit, a little easier since I am now training by the correct zones. We spinned for about 50-minutes. Went to happy hour for a couple of beers after working out for a post-workout recovery and to carb up for this weekend.
Swim tonight, yuck!
VO2 Tested on the Bike
Tuesday - Tonight I got VO2 tested on the bike. Finally, it's starting to make since. My zone 2 tested a little higher and my zone 4 is much lower then what I estimated off of my Run VO2 test last year. Next week I get tested again on the run and I hope my Zone 2 will go higher and I think my Zone 4 may creep down a little bit. Below are my bike zones I was training to before and my tested zones. BIG difference. Also, my V02 max was 49.2.
<>
<>
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Still Sick
Ran last night for about 55 minutes. Kept the heart rate town in zone 2 even up the mile long hill on Blagden Street. Went for about 5.5 miles. I skipped swim practice this morning so I could sleep in to get rid of this cold and get ready formy bike VO2 test tonight.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Recovery Day
What a coincident that my bachelor party last night was on a recovery week. Well, today is a recovery day from last night's festivities. My brother planned a great bachelor party as a group of us went to Baltimore for the night. No details will be discussed here, just a lot of unspoken memories. I can't remember the last time I drank like that.
So, in spite of being sick and feeling a little hungover right now, here are my weekly totals:
Swim: 1.3M, Bike 41M, Run 8.6M
Total time: 5:16
Now, to gear up for another build week! We got a 14 mile run Sat and 70 mile ride on Sun. That will be the focus!
So, in spite of being sick and feeling a little hungover right now, here are my weekly totals:
Swim: 1.3M, Bike 41M, Run 8.6M
Total time: 5:16
Now, to gear up for another build week! We got a 14 mile run Sat and 70 mile ride on Sun. That will be the focus!
Belle Haven Labyrinth Ride
My first ride with Roadies. Mark and I met up with the Potomac Pedalers this morning to do the Belle Haven Labyrinth. I never realized how big this group is. They have several rides throughout the week and also on the weekend which will be a good alternative if I miss one of the Team's ride.
At this ride, we also met up with Susan, the weather forecaster from last weekend and who is the bike route coordinator with Team Z. Thank goodness for Susan because this ride consisted of a maze of turn after turn for 34 miles. Her true calling is definitely coordinating routes and not predicting weather : ). I felt pretty good today, in spite of being sick.
At this ride, we also met up with Susan, the weather forecaster from last weekend and who is the bike route coordinator with Team Z. Thank goodness for Susan because this ride consisted of a maze of turn after turn for 34 miles. Her true calling is definitely coordinating routes and not predicting weather : ). I felt pretty good today, in spite of being sick.
Recovery Week, ahhhhhhhh
The week of March 5th was a recovery week which is to give your body rest after two weeks of intense workouts. All the workouts are cut and half and are not intense. We love recovery weeks and always look forward to them as the workouts get harder and longer.
This week I got a cold on Wednesday that seemed to get worse each day. It's now Friday night, just finished running 5 miles, and I am ready to pass out because I feel like crap. The good thing is I don't feel worse when I workout so it's not to bad of a cold. Mark and I are going for our ride tomorrow morning (Sat) with the Potomac Pedalers because we have some festivities to goto Saturday night (my bachelor party!)
This week I got a cold on Wednesday that seemed to get worse each day. It's now Friday night, just finished running 5 miles, and I am ready to pass out because I feel like crap. The good thing is I don't feel worse when I workout so it's not to bad of a cold. Mark and I are going for our ride tomorrow morning (Sat) with the Potomac Pedalers because we have some festivities to goto Saturday night (my bachelor party!)
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Middleburg Fox Hunt Ride
Middleburg Fox Hunt Ride
This was today’s bike ride. Wow, what a ride is was in which I did 63 miles. I just checked my log and this is the MOST I have ever done on the bike. And considering it took just under 5 hours to do, it is certainly the most time my ass has been in a saddle. Needless to say my little ASS @#%&ing HURTS! So, to tell you a little a bit about this ride, I have to use some quotes from our bike course organizer who does a phenomenal job in picking great courses for us to practice on week after week. I think today, Mother Nature took control. My comments are in italic.
“This is a classic ride, deserving of such a distinctive name…What distinguishes the Middleburg Fox Hunt is that it is THE definitive ride through the beautiful Virginia Horse Country.”
- I cannot come up with a distinctive name to describe a course full of potholes, dead carcasses (and there were a lot), so many cows you get tired of counting them and relentless hills.
“I will confess that this ride is particularly special to me”
- Special, my ASS, because it gave me such a wonderful feeling there called PAIN!
“Looks like it could be 40ish and partly cloudy. They are predicting some wind, but they are also saying it's windy out now. I just walked outside and it was totally calm. Maybe it's windy in other parts of Alexandria???? So, who knows for tomorrow.”
- 40ish – my ASS! It was cold! Totally calm – my ASS! It was so windy I had to pedal hard just to get downhill!
However, in spite the fact that the ride was long, hilly, and my sore ass, this was a great ride because I stayed in my heart rate zone for the most part, and even though I was pretty tired, I kept pushing and finished. I train with a great team and to have the sag crew drive by when you are 2 miles from being done and cheer you on, makes it all worth it. Now onto a nice, easy recovery week….
This was today’s bike ride. Wow, what a ride is was in which I did 63 miles. I just checked my log and this is the MOST I have ever done on the bike. And considering it took just under 5 hours to do, it is certainly the most time my ass has been in a saddle. Needless to say my little ASS @#%&ing HURTS! So, to tell you a little a bit about this ride, I have to use some quotes from our bike course organizer who does a phenomenal job in picking great courses for us to practice on week after week. I think today, Mother Nature took control. My comments are in italic.
“This is a classic ride, deserving of such a distinctive name…What distinguishes the Middleburg Fox Hunt is that it is THE definitive ride through the beautiful Virginia Horse Country.”
- I cannot come up with a distinctive name to describe a course full of potholes, dead carcasses (and there were a lot), so many cows you get tired of counting them and relentless hills.
“I will confess that this ride is particularly special to me”
- Special, my ASS, because it gave me such a wonderful feeling there called PAIN!
“Looks like it could be 40ish and partly cloudy. They are predicting some wind, but they are also saying it's windy out now. I just walked outside and it was totally calm. Maybe it's windy in other parts of Alexandria???? So, who knows for tomorrow.”
- 40ish – my ASS! It was cold! Totally calm – my ASS! It was so windy I had to pedal hard just to get downhill!
However, in spite the fact that the ride was long, hilly, and my sore ass, this was a great ride because I stayed in my heart rate zone for the most part, and even though I was pretty tired, I kept pushing and finished. I train with a great team and to have the sag crew drive by when you are 2 miles from being done and cheer you on, makes it all worth it. Now onto a nice, easy recovery week….
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Run, Swim, Bike & Run
Just to get this up to date.
Wednesday night we did speed workout. I think I am getting a little faster. We did five 1/2 miles splits and I averaged around 3:12 per split. I was feeling pretty jacked!
On Thursday, I had an awesome swim in which I was able to open it up in some Z4 workout. I felt so smooth in the water and loved every moment of it.
That night we did a spin workout at the coach's community center. It was a hard, fast 55 minutes on the bike in which we did 20 minutes of zone 4 work.
Friday was rest day, ahhhhh
Saturday - today we ran 12 miles and I felt great. I took it nice and easy and ran with Chris and Kerry. We averaged about 9:40's as we stayed within our heart rate zone.
This has been a great week so far. Now, I just need to get through tomorrow's bike! Today's run was 65 so I am thinking tomorrow's ride will be awesome!
Wednesday night we did speed workout. I think I am getting a little faster. We did five 1/2 miles splits and I averaged around 3:12 per split. I was feeling pretty jacked!
On Thursday, I had an awesome swim in which I was able to open it up in some Z4 workout. I felt so smooth in the water and loved every moment of it.
That night we did a spin workout at the coach's community center. It was a hard, fast 55 minutes on the bike in which we did 20 minutes of zone 4 work.
Friday was rest day, ahhhhh
Saturday - today we ran 12 miles and I felt great. I took it nice and easy and ran with Chris and Kerry. We averaged about 9:40's as we stayed within our heart rate zone.
This has been a great week so far. Now, I just need to get through tomorrow's bike! Today's run was 65 so I am thinking tomorrow's ride will be awesome!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)