Week 7 Training: By the Numbers ...

Week 7 of the Fitzgerald HIM Training Plan is in the books.  Here are the Stats::

Swim  -  4h 25m - 10,050 Yds
Bike   -  5h 48m - 105.01 Mi
Run    -  4h 06m - 26 Mi
------------------------------------------
             Totals  - 14h 19m  


Week 8 is a recovery week and I am not really feeling like it is needed.  But the plan is the plan and and Fitzgerald is much smarter than me so I will follow.

The good news is that after this recovery week the Build Phase begins and I cannot wait.  The Base Phase has me feeling strong but slow. The lack of intensity has stripped me of that extra gear and I really want to find it again!  Through the 7 weeks 95% of the training has been in Zone 2 (hence the "Base" title) but once the Build Phase starts the intensity ramps up significantly.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

The Weekend Long Run ...

Yesterday I tweeked my right knee and am not really sure how it even happened.  I finished up my Saturday morning ride and the knee just tightened up along with some shooting pain around the kneecap?  Anyway, so I am at home yesterday icing the knee and I read KC's post and the same exact thing happened to her right knee?  WTF?  She describes it much better!  Send her some of your positive blogger vibes!

So with the knee feeling tender I was unsure if I should do my scheduled 1 hour and 40 minute long run this morning?  I decided to get in a nice, long foam roller session last night and hit the sack early and see how it felt in the morning.  The alarm went off at 5am and the knee felt a little tight but after a few quick stretches it loosened so I decided to do the run.

On to the topic of this post:  The weekly long run.  As a triathlete or a runner in the midsts of a training plan the long run is always very crucial to hitting you weekly mileage goals and also to build fitness for your upcoming race.  You can miss an occasional shorter mid-week workout and not lose any fitness (heck, the extra rest may even help sometimes), but the long run is essential to effective training. It not only helps to build your fitness but it instills the confidence in you to know that you can do the distance.  Which on race day is more valuable than words can express!

The funny things about the long run to me is that it has become rather ritualistic.  During my shorter weekday runs it is out the front door of the house with my Garmin 310xt and Brooks Running shoes - simple.

Now on long run day it is a completely different scenario.  I drive a couple miles up the road and park at a Walgreens.  This is centrally located to my running route.  For some reason running in my neighborhood on long run day is unacceptable -- not sure why, it just is?  I use the car as a "rest station" by keeping a cooler and towels in the back seat. The night before I prepare my hydration and nutrition and lay out my clothes on the dresser.  On cooler days (< 90 degrees) I will plan my route to stop back at the car after 8 miles so I can refill my nathan's hydration pack.  On warmer days, like today, the route become 6 miles to refill.  I always spend the first hour on the main roads of Kingwood because with the morning humidity the open space doesn't feel as stifling as the trails.  But once the sun comes up and burns all the morning haze away I hit the shaded greenbelt trails for relief from the heat.  What are the Green Belt Trails you ask?

They are a series of interconnect paved trails of about 75 total miles that weave through the forest of Kingwood. Usually you only come across the occasional runner or dog walker and it is an extremely peaceful place to run.  The cool part for me is that these trails are so wooded that they completely screw up my sense of direction. I am one of those weirdos with a built in compass who always knows which direction I am heading, but not on the Greenbelt trails, sort of refreshing actually.  I usually find an entrance and just run in the direction the trail takes me.  I eventually find a road I know but have had times when a planned 10-miler has turned into a 14-miler.  This little "sense of adventure" always keeps things fresh and when I do actually come out on the trails in an area that was expected it is a little disappointing.

So how does everyone else prepare for the Long Run Day?  Is it different for you or am I just a freak?

-  Oh, the knee held up fine during the run and I didn't even notice it once. However, it is a little tender right now.  Hopefully an easy 2500 yards in the 68 degree indoor pool this afternoon will help with the stiffness.

- Over that last couple of years I have dedicate quite a few posts to one of my favorite shows, "24".  So, when a friend sent me this video of the Unaired "24" Pilot from 1994 I had to share.  This is hysterical:



Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Link Dump and Random Thoughts ...

Screen shot from yesterday:

Notice the Heat Index column - 118 Degrees!  Yep, it is smoking here right now.  The good news is that at least the humidity was only 48%.

Links:

• Ray at DCRainmaker is doing a Giveaway for a Garmin 310XT.  Go over and visit to register.  I currently use the 310XT and it is an incredible training tool.
• Read Matty O's Race Report of his and Heather's first Half Ironman.  Congrats to you both!
• Back to Ray at DCRainmaker again.  He did an extremely thorough review of the new Timex GPS watch.  If you are deciding on whether to purchase a Garmin or Timex read his review first (HERE).
• Patrick and Kovas put together a collaborative blogging effort with this piece:  What's in your closet?
• I received an email notifying me of an article titled, “50 Informative & Inspiring Blogs for Triathletes”  --- Dangle the Carrot was included on the list, which is cool.
• James @ Ironman 101 wrote an excellent post on Heat Acclimation and Blood Volume - very good read!
• And under the heading of, "People are Crazy!" -- Read this article about a woman who discovered her husband's other marriage on Facebook.

Randomness:

• I am a little under the weather.  Yesterday I missed my first day of training in this being the 7th week of the HIM plan.  I got some extra sleep this morning and am feeling much better and plan on hitting it hard again after work today.
• I have been even more upset/disgusted than usual at our Federal Government the last few days.  It seems:  States no longer have rights, elections don't matter, judges make decisions on personal beliefs and not the law, the public is now considered to stupid to make decisions on their own healthcare, retirement, home ownership, marriage, and the entire mainstream media seems to bury all this  ....hell - they evenwant to tell us what to eat.  Liberty has been replaced with entitlement.  November cannot come soon enough.
• That last paragraph just got me fired up again and I realize it is all incoherent jibberish but I feel better.
• Tosh.0 is an absolutely hysterical program on Comedy Central.  If you have not seen Tosh.0 yet do yourself a huge favor and set your DVR to record all episodes.  You'll thank me later!
• Thinking about a new TT bike.  Just Thinking so far!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

July Stats ...

Out with the old (July) and in with the new (August) ... or something like that!

Here are my numbers for July.

July's totals:
Bike:	24h 35m  - 455.66 Mi
Run:	13h 10m 53s  - 83.64 Mi
Swim:	18h 25m  - 40083.82 Yd

Total Time Training:  56 hours & 10 minutes


Overall I am pretty pleased with how July went with the training.  With a race this weekend I missed a 60 mile bike and a 10 mile run which would have pushed my bike numbers over 500 miles and the run over 93 miles.  But the good news is that I made up the long run today so August is starting out strong.

The swim numbers for me are what really jumps off the page.  I never thought I would ever swim over 40,000 yards in a single month!

Bring on the new ...

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Race Report for Jack's Generic Tri ...

We got Tech T's with this logo - very cool!

What a great weekend!

We made the drive up to Austin on Friday afternoon to pick up my packet at Jack and Adam's Bike Shop.  This is a great Tri/LBS on Barton Springs in Austin and I always enjoy checking out all the bike porn.  Austin has such a great multisport community and it shows in the quality of the bike shops.

I'd like to say that the drive was uneventful but for some reason it appeared all 26 + Million Texas residents decided to congregate in the greater Austin area and everyone of them was in their own car!  Traffic was just awful.  It turned the usually 2.5 hour trip into a 6 hour journey.  Well, after sitting in the car we finally made it to our weekend rental home in New Braunfels and it was worth the drive.

Just a great little bungaloo right on the lake with an awesome 2-level deck on the water with a wonderful view.  We spent the night on the deck drinking beer and telling stories.  Just a great time.  Saturday morning came quick and it was off to the river for a 5-hour float trip. 

Now if you read my last post you probably remember that one of my goals for the weekend was to stay sober on the river.  Well, if I had to give myself a grade for how I did at accomplishing this goal that grade would be a big fat FAIL.  It was hot people, like 100 degrees in the limited shade hot.  One beer led to two beers and two beers led to twelve ... you all know the story.  Yes, I am weak.  But had a great time and since this wasn't an "A" race the next morning I can honestly say I do not regret this failure! (I would not have said that at about mile 2 of the run though).

Onto the race - I figured since I did this race last year it would be fun to do a different kind of race report and  compare the results side-by-side.

Pre-Race:

Got there a little after 6am and snagged a primo parking spot.  I told Annie and our friend Yvette that no matter what happens in the race it is a good day because of the parking spot. Last year we parked far away and it really sucked lugging all the gear back and forth.  It was already extremely hot outside.  According to weather.com it was in the low 80's and the humidity was about 90%.  I was soaking wet putting air in the tires.  Gotta love Texas in August!

Swim:

There were around 100 people in my 35-39 Age Group and the swim start is pretty tight.  Last year I hung out in the back and still got kicked in the groin and had my nose a little bloodied.  So this year you would think I had learned my lesson and stayed away from the washing machine right?  No, I am a moron so I started front and center.  It was pretty violent throughout the entire 550 yards.  I was kicked, slapped and elbowed and I also kicked, slapped and elbowed!  I love the triathlon swim.  I never found open water and never really found a groove either but still was smiling like a fool running out of the water despite a fat lip!  Something is wrong with me!  

2009 Swim Time:  13:59

2010 Swim Time:  10:16

T1:

It was fun to get to the bike racks and see most of the bikes were still there! The run to the transition area is maybe 250 yards so a 2:00min time would be a solid transition, IMO.   I had planned to bike and run without socks but on Friday night I got bite by something in the right ankle.  I have no idea what it was but the skin was busted and bleeding and pretty swollen.  My guess it that a pretty big spider hit me while we were on the deck.  Because of the tenderness I decided to toss on some socks and this took me a little longer than I would have liked. I just couldn't get them on over my wet feet.  I should have just sucked it up and went without socks.

2009 T1 Time:  3:05

2010 T1 Time:  2:48

Bike:

I remembered last year that the road conditions were extremely poor and for some reason in my mind it was going to be better this year?  My mind was completely wrong and I was once again guilty of talking myself into nonsense!  The road conditions were pretty awful.  The first 3 miles were decent and the last 1.5 miles were good - The other 10 miles were like riding on cobblestone. The course had a lot more hills than I remembered too.  I am okay at climbing but need to get better at going downhill, especially on chip sealed roads.  I find myself not being very aggressive in the aero position because of my lack of control on the crappy surface and thus I am not gaining the type of speed that I should on the downhills.  On decent roads I have no problems but on crappy roads I am a big wimp.  Also one of the plastic screws popped out of my disc cover during the ride.  The other screws stayed secure but when it first happened I had no idea what the noise was?  I kept looking back and finally saw the little opening in the disc. It did not hurt my time at all but I've decided to stop using the disc cover - it is just one more moving piece that can break and cause you problems on race day.  I was really looking forward to a better bike split but this was still in the top 25% of the field - that is the good thing about poor conditions - everyone has to ride them!  I probably should have let a little air out of my tubes too.

2009 Bike Time:  55:32

2010 Bike Time:  45:52

T2:

My rack was at the furthest spot from the bike entrance and run exit.  Last year I was in a different AG so it was right by the bike start/finish area.  I easily found my rack and tossed the bike up.  Grabbed the Garmin off the bike and clipped it to my wrist and switched shoes.  Started to run with my helmet on and realized it after a few steps and tossed it off and grabbed my visor.

2009 T2 Time: 1:57

2010 T2 Time:  1:22

Run:

Rather uneventful.  Last year they had us finish right in front of the Texas Ski Ranch. This year they had us finish by coming back into the Texas Ski Ranch and doing a loop around the lake.  My Garmin had the course showing 3.15 miles instead of the posted distance of 3 miles. This makes sense because the the turn around was in the exact same spot as last year but the loop easily added a few hundred extra meters.  My legs were feeling very good on the run but my body was feeling the heat at this point.  I counted a total of one tree giving us shade on the run and the sky did not have a single cloud hanging around.  An absolutely beautiful day if you were going on a picnic or heading to the beach!  I still passed a ton of people and ran down two guys in my age group in the final hundred yards.  

2009 Run Time: 25:56

2010 Run Time: 24:20

Recap:

Overall this was a very fun race.  Extremely well organized with a good post race party.  My time was decent and I probably could have done better if I wasn't sweating beer but I had such a good time this weekend that I wouldn't change a thing. The results are a little tough to read on the website but the organizers usually clean up the data by the middle of the week.  They said at the start that around 1000 triathletes were participating.   I was extremely happy with the swim (202/overall rank). Slightly disappointed in the bike but happy with my overall ranking on the bike (254/overall rank).  I was okay with my run ranking (119/overall rank).  One of the things that I could really tell was that the vast majority of my training has been base focused.  On the bike it took me to about Mile 9 until I started to find a rhythm and I never found a rhythm on such a short run.  I am actually looking forward to the Build portion of my training which will be starting in two weeks and get to add in some additional speed work.

You are probably wondering where all the pics are that usually accompany my race report?  Well, my lovely wife Annie lost our camera somewhere at the race.  She looked everywhere and even went dumpster diving in a trash can looking for the camera.  She was really bummed because we had a ton of pics from the weekend.  Hopefully someone found the camera and will turn it in but so far it isn't looking good.  Luckily for her I lost a camera in Spain last summer so I cannot even say a word about it.  These damn triathlons sure are expensive (-:

2009 Overall Time:  1:40:32

2010 Overall Time:  1:24:41

Total Time Reduction:  15 minutes 51 seconds

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff