I wasn't nearly as disciplined on the bike this off season as I was on the run. Seeing some nice running gains I decided it's time to get in my first big biking week. The numbers aren't huge like the Lake Placid camps, but I'm sure big enough to give me a significant boost in aerobic fitness and functional power. Here's a snapshot of my week:
Saturday: 40+ miles with Joe R (who's training for Ironman). It was supposed to be an easy aerobic prologue. It turned into a Joe and Dan ego-fest! Why does that always seem to happen? :-) Something like 2,500 feet of climbing as Joe & I took turns pounding each other.
Sunday: 65-ish miles with Joe. He started out fast again! I stayed with him for the first 25 miles and then slowly started to melt down. I limped in the last 10 miles. 4,000 feet of climbing.
Monday: 50 miles with Joe. Punishing head and cross winds, but what a difference a day makes! I convinced Joe to ride slowly for the first 25, then we tempo'd it home. How could I be so strong after bonking the previous day? Funny thing about these epic weeks...
Tuesday: Drive to work in AM and work 'til 3:30, then bike it home! 42 very easy recovery miles. Ahhhhh!!!
Tomorrow I'll end the week with my commute to work in the AM. Hope to split it as 21 miles easy & 21 tempo.
So I'll get something like 15 hours of cycling in 5 days. That after riding an hour or so per week for 3 weeks! Of course I'm a little sore and tired, but I had enough reserve fitness to pull this off.
Annual visit to the electro-physiologist next Monday... Keeping fingers crossed!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Say Goodbye, Mr. Monkey
I finally knocked the monkey off my back by completing the Caesar Rodney half marathon this morning – my first race finish of any kind since July 2007. It was a good day, indeed.
I was afraid it wasn’t going to work out. Saturday morning I took my time waking up before an easy three mile run. I ate a small breakfast and downed a nice big mug-and-a-half of what was intended to be decaffeinated coffee. I headed out on my run feeling a little edgy. Though jogging easily I was battling heart palpitations. When home I went straight to the pantry and pulled the coffee off the shelf. It read, “Starbucks Cafee Verona Bold.” DOH!!! I thought that stuff was gone! I felt like I was on speed! It’s funny now, but I spent the day trying to flush my system of the toxin.
So I showed up this morning with three goals, depending on how things played out:
• Primary goal: Finish the darn race! Don’t take finishing for granted.
• Goal #2: If the first goal is in the bag, dial in a PR. For me a PR would constitute a pace of less than 7:30 per mile.
• Goal #3: If I’m having a spectacular day, dial in a sub 1:35:00. A stretch goal, for sure, but my speed work indicated it was within the realm of possibility.
I didn’t wear a heart rate strap this morning because I just didn’t want to fixate on my heart. My sense of pacing is good and I was more comfortable just hitting the “lap” button at each mile split.
As in two years ago I wanted to establish a relatively comfortable pace and treat the race as a 10 mile run followed by a hard 5k. It went exactly as I had hoped. Mile 1 @ 7:30, miles 2 thru 5 at 7:34, mile 6 @ 7:18, etc. I was comfortable and my heart rate was in perfect equilibrium. I reached the 10 mile marker, with most of the major climbing behind me, at 1:15:29 (7:33/mile pace) and knew my PR was within reach if I could kick it in. I did – running the final 5k at a 6:57/mile pace. Final time = 1:37:04, or a 7:25/mile pace. Goal #2 achieved!
Nobody will ever mistake me for Alberto Salazar but, nevertheless, I’m a happy man today. I PR’d at age 41… on a hilly course… in March… while managing a heart arrhythmia. Maybe that caffeine jolt did me some good! Thanks to the Hempfield Tri Club folks (14 of us!) who were evidently very happy for me today. Also thanks to my friends at Endurance Nation - for a great “out season” plan and providing the camaraderie necessary to push hard through the winter months.
I was afraid it wasn’t going to work out. Saturday morning I took my time waking up before an easy three mile run. I ate a small breakfast and downed a nice big mug-and-a-half of what was intended to be decaffeinated coffee. I headed out on my run feeling a little edgy. Though jogging easily I was battling heart palpitations. When home I went straight to the pantry and pulled the coffee off the shelf. It read, “Starbucks Cafee Verona Bold.” DOH!!! I thought that stuff was gone! I felt like I was on speed! It’s funny now, but I spent the day trying to flush my system of the toxin.
So I showed up this morning with three goals, depending on how things played out:
• Primary goal: Finish the darn race! Don’t take finishing for granted.
• Goal #2: If the first goal is in the bag, dial in a PR. For me a PR would constitute a pace of less than 7:30 per mile.
• Goal #3: If I’m having a spectacular day, dial in a sub 1:35:00. A stretch goal, for sure, but my speed work indicated it was within the realm of possibility.
I didn’t wear a heart rate strap this morning because I just didn’t want to fixate on my heart. My sense of pacing is good and I was more comfortable just hitting the “lap” button at each mile split.
As in two years ago I wanted to establish a relatively comfortable pace and treat the race as a 10 mile run followed by a hard 5k. It went exactly as I had hoped. Mile 1 @ 7:30, miles 2 thru 5 at 7:34, mile 6 @ 7:18, etc. I was comfortable and my heart rate was in perfect equilibrium. I reached the 10 mile marker, with most of the major climbing behind me, at 1:15:29 (7:33/mile pace) and knew my PR was within reach if I could kick it in. I did – running the final 5k at a 6:57/mile pace. Final time = 1:37:04, or a 7:25/mile pace. Goal #2 achieved!
Nobody will ever mistake me for Alberto Salazar but, nevertheless, I’m a happy man today. I PR’d at age 41… on a hilly course… in March… while managing a heart arrhythmia. Maybe that caffeine jolt did me some good! Thanks to the Hempfield Tri Club folks (14 of us!) who were evidently very happy for me today. Also thanks to my friends at Endurance Nation - for a great “out season” plan and providing the camaraderie necessary to push hard through the winter months.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Tri for Life 09
Local athletes, please sign up for the Hempfield Triathlon Club's "Tri for Life," on Sunday, April 19. New this year... a duathlon for the hydrophobic! Also new... Chip timing! As a recovering manual timing captain all I can say about the chip timing is IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! Manual timing and triathlons are not made for each other. Let me know if you have any questions about the race. This will be our fourth year - long enough for us to call it an "annual" event!
http://www.hempfieldtri.com/
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Recommended Reading
Endurance Nation's having a membership drive. They're closing the doors for '09 membership on May 1. Here's a free download... http://216.153.181.230/owa/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.endurancenation.us%2fnews%2fpwrbook1.html
Monday, March 9, 2009
Lenten Discipline
I'm sticking to my goals two weeks into Lent, so am thinking it's safe to share what's up...
First off, I have more free time on my hands now than at any time in the past several years. No kids' sports until later this month and basketball has been over for a while. What a huge difference this makes!
With evenings available I'm a little surprised that I haven't had to fight the temptation to fill time with hard training. Instead I've been sticking to a steady diet of 5 runs per week with a few core training sessions and a bike ride or two. I peaked at about 40 miles per week and have been taking my resolution to take ample recovery time seriously. I'm tapering this week for Sunday's half marathon.
So what have I been doing? For one - dusting off my trumpet. I've been playing every night with the goal of rehearsing 40 times through Lent. Playing the horn is very similar to athletic training - you're just training trumpet playing muscles instead of running & cycling muscles. I really want to be strong for Easter services this year. It has been a great outlet. I'm definitely a more gifted trumpeter than endurance athlete!
Time with the boys, reading, and working... those are my other activities these days. You won't hear me complaining about work. Better to be working 50+ hour weeks than none at all.
My other vows are alcohol and caffeine abstinence. Alcohol is pretty easy anymore... I allow myself one drink per week - usually in a social situation. Caffeine is going well, too. I had three "no caffeine" days last week. At first I struggled with caffeine withdrawal, but seem to be past that barrier now. The most I've had in two weeks is half a cup of real coffee in the AM and a Diet Coke in the PM. I'm definitely not as high strung without the caffeine... Those closest to me are hoping I give it up for good!
First off, I have more free time on my hands now than at any time in the past several years. No kids' sports until later this month and basketball has been over for a while. What a huge difference this makes!
With evenings available I'm a little surprised that I haven't had to fight the temptation to fill time with hard training. Instead I've been sticking to a steady diet of 5 runs per week with a few core training sessions and a bike ride or two. I peaked at about 40 miles per week and have been taking my resolution to take ample recovery time seriously. I'm tapering this week for Sunday's half marathon.
So what have I been doing? For one - dusting off my trumpet. I've been playing every night with the goal of rehearsing 40 times through Lent. Playing the horn is very similar to athletic training - you're just training trumpet playing muscles instead of running & cycling muscles. I really want to be strong for Easter services this year. It has been a great outlet. I'm definitely a more gifted trumpeter than endurance athlete!
Time with the boys, reading, and working... those are my other activities these days. You won't hear me complaining about work. Better to be working 50+ hour weeks than none at all.
My other vows are alcohol and caffeine abstinence. Alcohol is pretty easy anymore... I allow myself one drink per week - usually in a social situation. Caffeine is going well, too. I had three "no caffeine" days last week. At first I struggled with caffeine withdrawal, but seem to be past that barrier now. The most I've had in two weeks is half a cup of real coffee in the AM and a Diet Coke in the PM. I'm definitely not as high strung without the caffeine... Those closest to me are hoping I give it up for good!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mixed Outlook
OK, I’ve wrapped up my off season training plan and am on cruise control for my target half marathon on March 15. Very different results from the OS plan this year than last. In short, I had no patience for my bike trainer this year. I never found my cycling legs and I just sort of faked my way through. After two years of Ironman training, I’m finding myself fairly burned out on trainer workouts. The killer instinct is gone!
In contrast my running has never been stronger. Something just clicked this off season. My VDot has jumped to somewhere between 49 and 50. Considering my preseason goal was to reach a 50 VDot by mid-summer, I’m pretty happy! (I thought it was a “stretch” goal)
According to my metrics, I should be able to crush my half marathon PR by something like six minutes. Unfortunately that is not my target. In the cold & wind, there’s a very high probability that a race situation will induce my Afib if I push anywhere near threshold. The wind, especially, seems to be a trigger.
I still intend on toeing the line, but with the goal of simply finishing the stupid race. I haven’t finished a race since Ironman Lake Placid in July 2007! Last year was a total bust from a racing perspective.
So we’ll have to see what Mother Nature has in store for March 15 in Wilmington, DE. I’ll start out at long run pace and adapt on the fly. I need to check my ego that day and just be content with my fitness (and get the monkey off my back!). Hopefully the coming spring weather will allow my symptoms to disappear, just like last year.
In contrast my running has never been stronger. Something just clicked this off season. My VDot has jumped to somewhere between 49 and 50. Considering my preseason goal was to reach a 50 VDot by mid-summer, I’m pretty happy! (I thought it was a “stretch” goal)
According to my metrics, I should be able to crush my half marathon PR by something like six minutes. Unfortunately that is not my target. In the cold & wind, there’s a very high probability that a race situation will induce my Afib if I push anywhere near threshold. The wind, especially, seems to be a trigger.
I still intend on toeing the line, but with the goal of simply finishing the stupid race. I haven’t finished a race since Ironman Lake Placid in July 2007! Last year was a total bust from a racing perspective.
So we’ll have to see what Mother Nature has in store for March 15 in Wilmington, DE. I’ll start out at long run pace and adapt on the fly. I need to check my ego that day and just be content with my fitness (and get the monkey off my back!). Hopefully the coming spring weather will allow my symptoms to disappear, just like last year.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
American Heart Month
It’s Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month, so I’ve just got to write something about hearts today.
To all endurance athletes reading this blog, repeat after me… “I am not invincible. I know that I must still take care of my heart.”
About Eating…
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times – Some geek endurance athlete says that all of their hard training gives them license to eat whatever they want. So wrong, my friend, so wrong!
Yes, you need more calories than the average person but, if anything, this makes eating even a little more complicated. You still need to make healthy choices, so you have to keep more healthy food around the house. Refueling with high saturated fats is a really bad idea for anyone – endurance athletes included. “You are what you eat” isn’t an old wives’ tale. It’s true. Seemingly perfectly healthy runners have heart attacks & strokes, too. I know of at least three.
Electrical Issues…
My problems are electrical in nature. There’s debate whether problems like mine are actually caused by high volume / high intensity training, or whether the training simply uncovers a genetic predisposition. My electro-physiologist believes it’s the former. In her opinion I have a case of “athlete’s heart,” in which my heart walls have thickened from training, causing electrical disturbances. I have to say that I disagree with my EP’s opinion. I think it’s the latter with me, that I am predisposed to atrial fibrillation.
Whichever is the case, there’s no denying that arrhythmias can be very dangerous. The American Heart Association says arrhythmias are the number one cause of sudden cardiac death. Many a runner is haunted by the thought of Ryan Shay’s sudden cardiac death at the 2008 Marathon Olympic trials in New York City.
Arrhythmias are also a leading cause of stroke. I am five times more likely to have a stroke than someone without my condition.
Freaked out yet? Good. Go get yourself checked out. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (That’s not an old wives’ tale either…)
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