Survived the Summer

So I finished my long run this morning and am officially tapering toward the big day (although a couple big workouts to go). I’m a subscriber to the Ironman training philosophy that the longest run shouldn’t exceed 2-1/2 hours. Any pure marathoners reading this are probably gasping right now thinking, “No 22 milers? Is this guy nuts?!” Well, yes, of course I’m nuts. I’m voluntarily doing an Ironman. Look - The Ironman marathon is mostly about raw guts. Sub-10 minute miles will have you passing masses of otherwise fit people during the final half of the marathon. There's no healthy way to train for that!

My running and riding paces are slightly faster this year than last. I’m swimming a bit slower. Overall I think I’m in a very good place.

To convince myself I’ve done the requisite training, I sat down and compared my three month lead-up training in ’08 to ’07. Going into that exercise, I would have guessed that my ’08 swimming volume is lower, cycling is significantly higher, and running is slightly higher. Actual results?

• ’08 swimming is more than 8% higher than ’07
• ’08 cycling is more than 9% higher than ‘07
• ’08 running is more than (drum roll please) 56% higher than ’07
• Net training volume is 19% higher than ‘07

How’d I manage that?

For one, I eliminated weight training and substituted swimming and running. I’m a fast twitch guy that doesn’t need supplemental weight training. Save that for the scrawny endurance types. :-)

It also seems I am sneaking in short runs all over the place. Do a swim …follow it with a run. Do a bike… follow it with a run. Make an omelette… follow it with a run. Etc, etc,…

Traditional training philosophy states that you shouldn’t increase training volume by more than 10% per year. All I have to say to that is, “doh!” It wasn’t exactly on purpose and I’ve managed to stay injury free this year (knocking on wood).

Chessyman Race Rehearsal #1

The Chesapeakeman course is close enough to home that we loaded up the family truckster and headed south for the day. The wife and kids enjoyed the last day of summer vacation on the bay while I recon’d the course. This ride is totally flat and, coming from hilly country, I had no idea what my ride time would be. I wanted to get an idea in advance of race day.

The wide open roads and abundant wildlife scenery make for a beautiful ride. The course is set up as a 17-ish mile out & back followed by two 47-ish mile loops. Perfect for setting up a pacing strategy. I used the out & back as warm-up and then attempted to negative split the two loops.

In layman's terms I had a good day, finishing in 5-1/2 hours with a negative split. The data reveals I could have actually pushed harder and still have a reasonable chance at running a respectable marathon. So for my next rehearsal in 3-weeks, I'll focus on giving it a little more gas.

Here's the raw data for any geeks checking in:

Goal watts = 182, based on 70% of 260w FTP.
First hour goal = 173 w
Goal headwind watts = 191 w
80°F
Entire workout (170 watts):
Duration: 5:31:45
Work: 3393 kJ
TSS: 248.6 (intensity factor 0.671)
Norm Power: 174
VI: 1.02
Distance: 113.038 mi
Min.Max.Avg
Power: .0.303.170 .watts
Heart rate: .0.0.0 .bpm
Cadence: .30.189.88 .rpm
Speed: .0.26.7.20.4 .mph

SRM #1 (Out & back):
Duration: 54:20
Work: 502 kJ
TSS: 34.2 (intensity factor 0.614)
Norm Power: 160
VI: 1.04
Distance: 17.473 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 222 154 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 30 96 86 rpm
Speed: 0 23 19.3 mph

SRM #2 (Loop #1):
Duration: 2:16:50
Work: 1421 kJ
TSS: 103.7 (intensity factor 0.674)
Norm Power: 175
VI: 1.01
Distance: 47.13 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 303 173 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 36 189 88 rpm
Speed: 0 23.9 20.7 mph

SRM #3 (Loop #2):
Duration: 2:15:30
Work: 1454 kJ
TSS: 108.1 (intensity factor 0.692)
Norm Power: 180
VI: 1.01
Distance: 47.81 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 248 179 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 68 100 89 rpm
Speed: 14.7 25 21.2 mph

Numbers spun a different way…
1st half: 2:48:15, PN 170, VI 1.03, TSS 120.3 (0.655)
2nd half: 2:43:00, PN 178, VI 1.02, TSS 127.7 (0.686)

Nutrition
1,000 calories from Infinit, 1-Clif bar @ 250 calories, 4 gels @ 100 calories = 1,650 calories
300 calories per hour.
Drank as much water as I could carry.

Successes
• Negative split with strong finish.
• Ability to focus on loop #2 (did not take caffeine).
• First long ride in new position. Felt fine. Big difference from previous position!
• Lowest TSS ever for 112 mile ride.

Room for Improvement
• Confidence to ride at higher watts on out & back and loop #1.
• Polar transmitter being serviced. Need HR data on RR#2 in 3 weeks.
• Gut was sick on run… Overheating, dehydration, ran too hard???
• This rehearsal focused on the bike. Need to plan better for 6-mile run on RR#2 (i.e. start slow!).
• Core temperature management. Way too hot.

General Notes
• Tested FTP at 263 and set at 260. Questioning that result… Was it just a really good day?
• Recalibrated SRM 3 times during ride.

Getting Close to Race Day

If anyone is still reading my infrequently updated blog, the above photo was taken at our surprise birthday party for Lori. That’s Carl with us. His skill at deep tissue massage is largely responsible for keeping us injury free through heavy training. He’s a great guy. Drop me a line if you’d like his contact information.

We returned from Colorado and I started to get sweaty palms and quaking knees when I realized my “A” race was less than seven weeks away. I wrote these notes to reaffirm that I’ve done everything in my ability to ensure being properly prepared.

What have I done differently this year as a step toward improvement?
• Cut out weight training entirely & reduced core training to maintenance only.
• Reduced swim training to make room for bike and run training.
• Long run Weds or Thurs versus Sunday.
• Two long rides on weekends.
• More intensity on rides – more focus on session goals than just getting time in.
• More focus on swimming form.
• Overall bike training volume significantly higher.
• Made adjustments to tri bike fit. Increased drop by 3 cm. Changed hydration system.
• Spent more time learning functionality of SRM.
• Changed run training from HR-based to pace-based.
• Almost eliminated caffeine from diet.

What I plan to do differently on race day:
• Ride closer to my “ceiling.”
• Do not lose focus on bike beyond 75 mile mark.
• More liquid calories.
• Less time in special needs.
• Less time in transition.
• Time “planned” walking through aid stations.
• Run EN pacing goals established by VDOT (Daniels method).

To hit these race goals, I need to do the following in my remaining training:
• Pre-plan and then crush my race rehearsals – pacing, nutrition, focus.
• Experiment with caffeine intake deep into bike rides.
• Pre-plan special needs and transitions. Become more comfortable in ability to “live off the course.”
• Practice walking intervals in my long run training.

America the Beautiful

We just got home from a pretty incredible trip to Colorado. Although pictures can't capture the full splendor of the mountains majesty, I'm still disappointed with the poor quality of our photos. I think I'm going to invest in a decent camera! Here are some random snapshots...

Taking a break from a canyon mountain bike ride.

Goofing off at the hotel.

Colin airborne on a bungee!

The boys at the US Olympic Training Center. One day before Beijing!

Me at 14,100 feet on Pike's Peak. Cold and thin air! I can only imagine the difficulty of an Everest expedition.

Beyond Healthy

It's pouring rain today at the Lake Placid Ironman race. Hard to believe they're all freezing in the rain given the heat and humidity here. I'm not sure which is worse. I'm feeling pretty wilted after my early morning rides this weekend.

My training is definitely more intense than last year. I've moved my long run to mid-week to allow two long rides on the weekends. On Wednesday I ran 16-miles. Thursday and Friday were training days, with a focus on easy aerobic pacing to promote recovery before a big weekend. Saturday was a long and hard (and hot!) ride. Ryan and I covered 85 miles at a 19 MPH pace. This morning I managed 40-miles of interval riding and a four mile brick run.

While I'm managing to hold things together in terms of family & work obligations, I'm definitely on the edge of digging myself into a hole. I sneak naps whenever possible. I've had good success at avoiding alcohol - less success at avoiding caffeine - less success, yet, at avoiding refined sugar. It's hard when your tired, OK!!! I'm fighting an ice cream craving right now...

It can be difficult to do "normal" things during a training peak. This week I succumbed to peer pressure and played wiffleball. Sadly, even wiffleball can lead to injury when your legs and shoulders are weak and trying to recover. The same holds with launching your kids from your shoulders at the pool. Ouch! I'm looking forward to my recovery week - our family vacation in early August.

On an unrelated note - Lori won a 5 mile race... as in won the entire race outright, not just the women's division, on Saturday. She picked a good one to win. First prize was a crisp $100 bill!

Kerr Family Reunion

This weekend is dedicated to Kyle's final baseball tournament of the season. Last weekend we headed to western PA for the Kerr family reunion.

Not sure what's up with my camera, but here are my uncles Emery and Bill. Only 2 of the kids left from Dad's generation.

Sibs, sons, and nephews. I'm not so short in Kerr-land.

An afternoon search for creek creatures.

June Wrap-up

I had a really great month, starting with another camp in Lake Placid. Seeing the campers training for their Ironman events gave me the fever again and I signed on for the Chesapeakeman Ultra in late September.

This week I had my best cycling power test... ever. My fitness is really kicking in and I'm only 7 watts and 2 pounds short of my pre-medical condition season goal of hitting 4.0 watts/kg functional threshold power. I thought it was a stretch goal at the time. After my heart issue I thought it might never happen, let alone this year. Now sitting at 3.8 w/kg my motto has become "I can." I'm amazed and very thankful... and having loads of fun!

Athletic accomplishments of the month:

First 100-mile ride of the season.
Six other rides greater than 50 miles.
Long run at 1:45.
First 3x swim week of the season.
56-1/2 hours trained.

My goals for July are pretty ambitious... Run 5x/week by end of month, consistently swim 3x/week, long run up to 2:30, hit all ride targets on my plan.

I can, I can, I can...