Thursday, June 17, 2010

Ramble On ...



... for now I smell the rain, and with it, pain
and it's headed my way
Aw, sometimes I grow so tired
but I know I've got one thing I got to do
A-ramble on, ...

No I am not talking about most of my posts, but the fact that my HIM Training plan is about ready to commence - June 21st.

Yep, it is time to go from Fat n' Happy to Lean n' Mean. The pain is headed my way.  Starting on Monday I will be following The Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide by Matt Fitzgerald.  He has over 42 different training plans from Sprint to Full Iron Distance and I have decided to follow the Level 10 Half-Ironman Plan.  I am putting the entire plan on a Google Spreadsheet and will share it with ya'll when it is complete (probably tomorrow).  Here is the description of the Level 10 Plan:  

If time is no object and you have trained as much as 18 to 20 hours a week in the past, then this is your half-Ironman training plan. It begins with 8,600 yards of swimming, 6 hours and 15 minutes of cycling, and 2 hours and 56 minutes of running in Week 1.  It peaks with 12,950 yards of swimming, 10 hours and 10 minutes of cycling, and 4 hours and 55 minutes of running in Week 17.

Why would I choose such an aggressive plan you ask?  Mainly because I want to see how my body handles this type of volume because if the Ironman comes to the Woodlands, and it looks like a darn near certainty at this point, then I want to start loading up the base now and see how I respond.  Also, I really want to push it at the IronStar 70.3 and see what time I can drop properly trained.  So, it is time to get myself ready to Bring It for the next 20 weeks!



  • In order to help with my poor swimming I have signed up for a Master's Swim Program.  It will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5am and fits into my training plan - nice, I know!
  • Jason at the Tech Tri Blog is giving away a 10 mega-pixel camera.  Get on over there and become a follower and win yourself this awesome prize.  This isn't some stupid gel or butt powder people this is a real camera -- go ... now ... I'll wait here for you to come back!
  • This morning I went to my gym and did a Lactate Threshold Test.  The main reason is I wanted to know my max HR so I could figure out my training zones for my upcoming plan.  I've been told that the old standard for figuring out your Max HR of 220 - (Your Age) was outdated.  Well, after this stupid little test they are pretty much the exact same - plus or minus a few beats.  I was not impressed with the test at all.  Basically I was on a treadmill with a mask that supposedly registered my oxygen output.  Every couple of minutes the speed and incline of the treadmill would be increased.  This only lasted for like 12 minutes and my HR only got up to 141 BPM.  I am no tech guru or fitness expert but this seemed to be a little short to get any type of accurate readings?  Oh, well, I guess it is what it is?
  • My wife is away for work in LaLa Land so I've watched a couple of movies this week:  The Book of Eli - I'd like to write up a recap of this Denzel Washington post apocalyptic thriller but that would be a disservice to both words and my keypad.  On a scale of 1 to 5 this movie receives a rating of monkey shit.  Next I watched another thriller (using this word loosely) called Legion.  Legion looked like it was going to be a badass sci-fi, shot 'em up, type of flick.  It was just that if you remove the word 'badass' and replace it with 'utterly awful'.  This one was so bad it doesn't even really deserve to be placed on a rating scale.  If you have the chance to watch either of these movies do not ... you've been warned.
  • A buddy from my Tri Club has started up a website called Lake Houston Endurance.  If you are a local runner, cyclists, swimmer or Triathlete it is designed to help you find group workouts in the Lake Houston area.  Go check it out because it could be a good way for us to communicate events.
  • Lastly, Don't forget about the Anti-Monkey Butt Powder Giveaway.  If you haven't registered to win a bottle either page down or Click Here.  Contest ends Monday June 21st.
Okay, you probably thought I was gong to go the entire post and not cite the quote above.  Well, it is from Led Zeppelin's Ramble On, one of my all time favorite songs ... Enjoy:


Jeff


20 comments:

  1. Goodluck with your training. Although i don't think you need it, you will be absolutely fine.

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  2. LOVE the song!!!

    5am ---- tsskkk I'm on mile 9 by then! ;) THE dreaming mile 9. You are nuts. awesome.
    I love to read about your crazy workouts but, I love it EVEN more [as I think], better HIM than me.

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  3. Ramble On, from Led Zeppelin II, one of the greatest rock albums of all time. I still have the vinyl version of "LZ2" sitting in a milk-crate with other albums to which I haven't listened in years. O man, whatever happened to my turntable?

    Your training is aggressive, and I like it. I love pushing my body, especially out of the blocks from a rest period. Go get 'em!

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  4. HA! GREAT TUNE!!! and how odd - I've already got it loaded on my playlist for my run on Saturday, Leading Off the Led Zeppelin segment... Good luck with your 20 week training!
    -D

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  5. Good luck with your training!

    I actually have a spreadsheet that I got from Carol @ triathlontrainingblog.com that might be helpful. It has all of the codes from Matt's book (RLR05, CLI07, etc.) in one sheet. On the other sheets, you just enter the code and it autofills with the details. If you are interested just shoot me an email at kevin.neumann AT gmail DOT com.

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  6. The key with that training volume is recovery. Good luck!

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  7. Emz -- is it more crazy to get up at 4am or run 20 miles on a treadmill??? I thinking I know alot more people that get up at 4am .. just saying!! hehe

    Steve - I first experienced zeppelin on when I was digging through my father's albums about 25 years ago. Loved them ever since

    Kevin - I am getting teary eyed, that would be amazing. The codes in this plan are driving me bananas.

    RST - Every Monday is a rest day, which i will adhere to like it is my religion!

    D - i've been going through a Zep, GnR and Pearl Jam phase lately. It is like I am 14 years old again!

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  8. I heart Zeppelin, Ramble on is on almost all of my running playlists....and your new program sounds hardcore!

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  9. I dont care what the programs say, if you get to a point where you think you have peaked in your swimming, steal some time from swim to work on bike.... the finish time results will be more rewarding..

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  10. Matt's Training plan book is great! I've been using it since I started "rambling" on this Tri journey.

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  11. Dude... that is F-ing insane volume. You are a better man than me!!! Your poor little puggies are not going to know who their owner is though cause you will never be home!!! haha.

    GOOD LUCK, I am honestly in awe of your goal at hand. Obviously your HIM would be a joke after this training plan!!! GOOD LUCK MAN!

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  12. Forget LTT, you need to PTT, I still havent seen you make the Pukie Hall of Fame

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  13. Scott - I submit your own post from the beginning of March: http://tridiesel.blogspot.com/2010/03/weekly-ramblings.html

    Pukie winner Jeff!

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  14. Matt - yes very true the Pugs will miss me. But a lot of the cycling will be on the trainer and they enjoy laying on the carpet right next to me as I curse and sweat.

    Too bad they can't run more than a block with out getting tired. But I guess if I had a smushed in nose it would be hard to run in this heat too!

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  15. SERIOUS volume there mister! You will be in fighting shape when you finish it. Definitely seeing a full IM in your future.

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  16. Good luck with your kick ass training plan! I know that you will be ready for the IM Woodlands when it comes along.

    FYI, I love Led Zeppelin!

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  17. Still stunned you used monkey shit as an integer.

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  18. "Luke said...
    Still stunned you used monkey shit as an integer."

    If you saw The Book of Eli this would not be shocking at all (-: - you'd actually adopt a few other four letters words to the integer family!

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  19. Awesome volume – you will either come out a machine or … Well, let’s not think about that. The volume will be great for an ironman – but you still need some quality for a half.

    Be smart; slack off if you need it!

    You made me think of Hemingway (the old man and the sea) -

    "A man is not made for defeat...a man can be destroyed but not defeated."

    The woodlands IS happening!

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  20. That stress test is a real disappointment. Do you think they did it correctly? I mean 141... c'mon man!

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