Tuesday: Day Off

Sick.

Monday: Day Off

Too sick to train.

Sunday: 20 mile bike; 5 mile run; 1 mile swim; abs

Sick. Not well. My confidence is way down. This week I was sick but the past few weeks have not been what I had hoped. I may have to adjust my expectations.

Woke up around 4:30 with my throat throbbing and stomach killing. Took some meds, started a round of antibiotics, and then got on the bike for an hour in preparation for the 5 mile running race with the hot chick. 240w. Did not feel well at all and wanted to go back to sleep but stayed on. I wanted to simulate running after biking--I also tend to run faster after biking. After I got off though, I felt better

Got to the race, was actually feeling pretty good as my adrenaline was pumping and meds had kicked in, but surprisingly I was also very nervous--it was my first race of the year and also the first test of my fitness outside of training.

Gun went off. The fact that I was in a race got the better of me. Except for the guys way up front, I started out with most of the "lead" pack, of course running much faster than I could actually run. Hit the first mile, looked at my watch and it said 5:55. Holy shit! I think I was 2d or 3d in my Division. Fastest I have run a mile in my life.

And also pretty stupid. From that moment on I completely crashed and then it was just matter of survival. The results are not up, but I think I finished somewhere around the upper 33 minutes.

Came home and slept for most of the rest of the day. Then went swimming for 1 mile--it would be more accurate to say that I was floating from one side of the pool to the other rather than actually swimming.

Have been too tired to get back on the bike or go for a recovery run.

I don't know if I am doing more harm than good by not completely resting. I feel like I am losing fitness by the day and am certainly not gaining any fitness. I need to get well, but I really only have 3 more weeks of training and have yet to really hit any of my goals for my Ironman build. Three weeks of Ironman build is not what I had in mind. Like I said, I might have to adjust my expectations.

Week Total: 277 mile bike. 30 mile run. 6 mile swim.

Saturday: 112 mile bike; 4 mile run; 4 mile swim; abs

Started with a 4.46 mile run. 8:34min/mi. Really did not feel well. Then went to the pool. The swim started out tough, but then I settled in. Did 4 miles in about 2 hours.

Then biked for 112 miles. I knew it was going to hurt; and it did. I didn't wear a heart rate monitor as I knew it would be out of whack. I just went what felt like a very easy effort, but it wasn't easy at all. I was really suffering pretty much from the beginning. 5:20:19; 216w. ###bpm. 20.98mph. Was too tired to brick it.

I don't know if today's workout was the wisest of moves. I may have been better off taking the day off and resting, but it's hard to see low volumes so close to the race, so I just toughed it out.

Friday: 6 mile run

a.m. 6.47 mile run. 9:16min/mi. I have been very low on energy this week and started to get a cough last night, which is a little worse this morning.

p.m. Sick. I am going to try and do my normal Saturday workout tomorrow, but will have to stop to the extent I still do not feel well.

Thursday: 20 mile bike

Rough week. Haven't had much energy since Monday. 20 miles. 202w.

Wednesday: 62 mile bike; 13 mile run; abs

a.m. 2 hour recovery ride. 2:01. 41 miles. 205w. 123bpm. 80rpm.

p.m. 1 hour ride. 21 miles. 219w. 129bpm. Followed by long run, take two. 2:01:18. 13 miles. 9:19min/mi.

The Ironman is going to hurt. I was running slow, running 9 minutes, walking 1 minute, and still didn't feel that great by the end--it was only 13 miles. I am seriously lacking long run training and probably don't have enough time to get it down.

I now have my Skins recovery long tights on. They feel awesome.

Tuesday: 2 mile run; 1 mile swim

a.m. 1 mile swim ~30 min.

p.m. Was going to try to run long, the key component missing from my training regimen so far. 2 miles out, my shin starting to act up. Nothing major and could be mental, but I didn't want to risk it. I walked it in. By the time I got back home, I didn't have it mentally to get on the bike. F$ck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday: 65 mile bike; abs

3 hour easy ride. Felt great today. Had to hold myself back so as not ruin my Tempo rides later in the week. Took in zero calories during ride; only water. Total ride. 65 miles. 3:00:19. 229w. 130bpm. 79rpm.

Sunday: 56 mile bike; 3 mile run; 1 mile swim; abs

Absolutely exhausted today, though no muscle soreness, which is good. The Tempo rides and faster running pace over the course of the week took a lot out of me. Didn't have much energy today.

a.m. 1 mile swim. It was early. I was struggling. ~30 minutes. 56 mile recovery bike ride. 2:44:19. 199w. 119bpm. 80rpm.

p.m. 3 mile run. 9:11 min/mi. Very tired.

Week summary. 401 mile bike. 38 mile run. 7 mile swim. Volume not quite there. But I had some great workouts. I've maxed out the tent at 12,000ft.

Saturday: 100 mile bike; 15 mile run; 3 mile swim; abs

a.m. Run to the gym. 4.29 miles. 35:27. 8:15min/mi. Swim 3 miles. Just trying to get it done. Didn't feel that great. Run home. 4.47 miles. 36:09. 8:05 min/mi. Both runs felt easy.

p.m. Bike 100 miles. My plan was to ride easy, but very long. I rode easy, but not as I long as I had hoped. I didn't have it mentally today. I started to hurt 60 miles in and never felt better. I got off at 100 miles. Weak. Total ride. 100 miles. 4:33:04. 238w. 138bpm. 80 rpm. 22.1mph.


Followed the bike with a 6.41 mile brick run. Best run of my life. 7:12min/mi. Felt awesome! I love to swim, bike and run. But there is no better feeling then coming off the bike and running fast (for me anyway).

Friday: 20 mile bike; 4 mile run; abs

a.m. 4 mile run on treadmill. 9:15min/mi.

p.m. 20 mile bike. 194w. 117bpm

Thursday: 100 mile bike; 6 mile run; 1 mile swim

TEMPO SESSION 2
4:30 w/60min Tempo

Best workout of my life. Finished it at 1 in the morning.

a.m. 1 mile swim. Easy. ~30 minutes.

p.m. 4:30. Rode for 3 hours. Then did Tempo for 1 hour at 278w; 153bpm; 73rpm. Ouch! It hurt, but not as bad as Tuesday. Then 30 minute recovery. Total ride. 4:29:24. 100 miles. 248w. 139bpm.



Followed the bike with a 6 mile brick run. Best run of my life. 46:33. 6.06 miles. 7:40min/mi. 151bpm. No calories or water during run.


For recovery, I ran out of milk. I had blueberries and cottage cheese and some water instead, though I wasn't particularly hungry.

Wednesday: 35 mile bike; 6 mile run

a.m. Run with hot chick. Garmin didn't work, but I'll map it later. It was about 6.5 miles in about 53 minutes, all very steep uphill. It was tough.

p.m. 35 mile bike. 243w. 131bpm. Heart rate low, but legs felt good.

Tuesday: 90 mile bike; 3 mile run; 2 mile swim; abs

TEMPO SESSION 1
4 hours w/1 hour Tempo

a.m. 2 mile swim. Probably the best swim I have ever had.

lunch. 3 mile run. 9:19min/mi.

p.m. 4 hour ride with 1 hour at Tempo. These rides really frickin' hurt. I don't like them at all. There is no lactic buildup as the rides are still aerobic, well within zone 2. And so the watts are not much higher; but the cadence is so low that your muscles gradually start to fatigue.

I averaged 277w for 60 minutes. Total ride. 90 miles. 4:02:28. 258w. 148bpm.

I tried to brick it, but 0.5 miles in, my shin started to bother me. It didn't hurt, but I was afraid that if I had kept running then I would have hurt it. It may have been mental as I have little confidence that it will hold up; but it's not worth the risk. Big day tomorrow!

Monday: Day Off

I didn't sleep very well last night. The altitude is starting to get pretty high and I could notice a difference. I was tossing and turning. I also felt like my stomach was eating itself, which obviously isn't very good. I weighed in this morning at 152.8lbs. I've lost over 10 lbs. since May.

I generally don't like taking any days off--and especially Mondays--unless I really need it. I was just too tired to train today. It wasn't worth struggling through only to ruin the rest of the week. Went to bed early.

Sunday: 65 mile bike; 6 mile run; 1 mile swim; abs

Today was a rough one. Never could get into a groove. Got another flat, which took ruined me mentally. I just didn't have it. Furthermore, zero chance that I can run a 3:30 marathon with my current level of fitness. (I am actually nervous about running a marathon at any pace). Doubts are definitely starting to creep in.

1 mile swim. ~30 minutes.

65 mile bike. 232w. 135bpm

6 mile brick run. 8:03min/mi

Week summary.

This week was ok--I had some good workouts--but not what I had in mind. Hopefully I will look back and it will be a blessing in disguise. I have 5 weeks to get my endurance up and then taper. I think (and hope) that I am finally able to start putting in some run miles without hurting my shins, but I will have to run much slower than I did this week. I get too excited during brick runs and struggle to hold myself back, which isn't good for Ironman training and would be suicide during the race. I am now up to 11,000 feet in the tent.

Week total. 363 mile bike. 30 mile run. 6 mile swim.

Saturday: 88 mile bike; 9 mile run; 2 mile swim; abs

I wanted a bigger day as I am now trying to simulate the race as much as possible, at least the distance, but nevertheless a lot of positives came out of today.

I slept in this morning, having turned off all my alarms last night. I felt like I needed the rest, as I was pretty tired by week's end. So I got off to a late start.

I started with a 2 mile swim. I felt very smooth and fluid. The guy in the lane next to me asked if I swam competitively growing up, to which I was shocked and so sort of chuckled and thought, "Dude, I don't even know how to do flip turns" but I said "No, but I appreciate that and thanked him for the confidence booster." That did make me feel pretty good and hopefully my swim is starting to come along.

I then went to get lunch, digested for 2 hours, and went to go run on the treadmill. This was by far and away the highlight of my day. I was 50 minutes into my run, when the hot chick from about a month ago, got on the treadmill next to me, not to run, but simply to talk. I hadn't seen her since then. Of course, I had no problems cutting my workout short of the 80 minutes I had planned. 50:22. 5.60 miles. 9:00min/mi.

We chatted for a little bit. She told me that she is doing a 5 mile running race in a couple of weeks and that I should do it as well. I casually told her I'd check it out. Meanwhile, as soon as I got home, the first thing I did was sign up for it! So that will be my first race of the season. And I can't wait! The problem though is that she is going to crush me. She is definitely a much faster runner than I am. But what the hell. Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too much.

Then I got straight onto the bike. The plan was to go for 5-6 hours. I felt awesome from the get go. Nothing like a hot chick to motivate you. I was having one of my better rides. 70 miles in though, a thunderstorm hit. I was a little concerned, but didn't want another crappy day so I just kept going, which I normally don't do.

Then 88 miles in, my powermeter shut down. The battery ran out as I forgot to charge it after my last ride. I could have stayed on, but by then I became mentally weak as I didn't really want to continue my ride--which was going to be one of my better ones--if I couldn't record it. Weak! But perhaps the powermeter going off was a sign as the thunderstorm then really hit. So on the one hand I was glad I got off, but on the other hand, I was I little upset because I wanted and think I need at least 112 at this stage in the game.

Total ride. 3:50:12. 88 miles. 262w. 150bpm. 80rpm. 22.9mph. After the first 26 miles, I averaged 270w for 62 miles. I decided to skip the tempo work. This week has been bad so I will start it up next week.

I followed the ride with a 4.12 mile run. 32:40. 7:55min/mi. I gotta admit: despite what might appear to be a great run for me because of the pace, I wasn't feeling that great. And it made me nervous about having to run a marathon.

I had a side stitch as soon as I started and it never went away. The problem I think was that I ate a Cliff Bar at 3:00 into the ride, thinking I would have 2 hours to digest it. That obviously didn't happen and so it was just sitting in my gut. Furthermore, I stupidly didn't bring any calories on the run, and I could feel myself losing energy after 20 minutes. I also felt like I needed some salt as my hamstring was getting tight, though it never did fully cramp up.

In short, it was frickin' tough. This sport is tough. But that's why I love it. And that's what keeps me training.

Friday: 20 mile bike; 1 mile run

Huge stomachache. Can't ride. 1 mile swim. ~30 minute. Then wanted to ride 100. Can't lean down on the bars. 20 miles was all I could take. 185w. This week is turning out to be pretty bad, and not what I had in mind. Going for an early night.

Thursday: 20 mile bike; 10 mile run

I had to work late and so only started my workout at 11:30pm. I wasn't about to miss a day of training less than 8 weeks out. I hadn't really run in almost 10 days and Friday is another Tempo day, so I wanted at least a short recovery ride in before that. I actually really enjoy the late workouts. The goal was to get in a mid-long run and a recovery bike.

Night runs on Thursday-Saturday are great because everyone is out at the bars drunk. I love to run by them. I was wearing my compression socks pulled high up and short shorts, looking like a complete idiot. Money!

Loaded up the Garmin. Turned on the iShuffle. First song to come on was Rocky, Gonna Fly Now. Awesome! I got totally pumped up right off the bat so I decided to run by the bars. Always extra motivation.

I started with what felt like 7 minute miles. I had visions of winning the Ironman! Passed by some drunk chicks. Yelled hello to them. Passed by some homeless people. Waved to them. Was getting some very weird looks. I was feeling awesome, if not like Chris McCormack, then like Rocky. I must have played that song at least 10 times throughout the run.

Got to the first mile split. Was expecting at least 7:30s if not lower.

Looked at the Garmin. 9 minute miles. Shit! Realizing that I was going too slow to be wearing short shorts and compression socks and pumping my fist wildly in the air, I soon put my head down, stopped waving to everyone and switched my route. I had to do little detour so I didn't run by the bars again.

I then ran toward the wilderness park, which can actually be a little scary at night. But then as I was getting there, I finally settled in without too much more effort (I wasn't wearing a HR monitor though) and then completely got in a zone. I gradually picked up the pace for the remainder of the run. This was the best run I have had in a long time. Total run. 10.26 miles. 1:22:14. 8:00min/mi.


As soon as I got home, I turned on the tent. It takes at least 30 minutes to load up. (I am now at 10,200 feet). So I covered up the clock by the bike and got on for what I initially thought was going to be 30 minutes. Once on though, I felt pretty good and seriously wanted to stay on for 100 miles. That would have been stupid and ruined the weekend's training as well as work tomorrow. So I let myself go for the hour and then got off. 20 miles. 185w. Landed up being a very fun workout.

Wednesday: 3 mile run; 1 mile swim

I've put on 3 lbs since my last weigh in 10 days ago! Not good! It should have been the other way around. I think it has to do with the fact that my volume was so low last week yet I didn't really curb my intake. My diet though has still been pretty healthy--predominantly fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, and cliff bars--so I think it should come back down by the end of the week. I am not that worried about it.

Today has been very busy at work. Tomorrow will be too. But while I can afford to train late tomorrow night; I can't tonight as I have to get up very early. It works out well though because my legs are pretty beat up. I could use an early night and the rest.

a.m. 3 mile run. 9:20 min/mi. First time running in awhile. Slow.

p.m. 1 mile swim. ~30 minutes. First time swimming in awhile. Also slow!

Tuesday: 83 mile bike; abs

F%ck yeah!!!! I love this commercial. Can't wait to see the new ones.



I rode 4 hours tonight. I don't know what happened but I went to download the data and my powermeter didn't record the ride. I may have to delete some data. When looking at the meter at the end of ride, I averaged 210w. I am not sure about HR. 83 miles. I didn't feel all that great.

Monday: 87 mile bike; 1 mile run; abs

Tempo - Session 1
4 hours w/60 min Tempo

Today was my first Tempo session. I was very excited throughout the day, looking forward to the ride. At the same time, I was pretty nervous. I have worked all year for this bloc. And these sessions hurt. They are definitely not fun. They are painful, especially indoors. And so I don't particularly like them.

But I know they work. For the entire year, I have biked in zone 1 and low zone 2. But I have basically biked depending on how I was feeling that day. The Tempo bloc is much more structured. And so even if I don't feel that great on any given day, I still have to do the sessions. Furthermore, I thought today especially was going to hurt, as it was the first session.

And it did. The first 20 minutes of the Tempo ride was a shock to the system. My legs were screaming at me, "What they f$ck are you doing?" But eventually I settled in and then felt pretty good.

I rode for easy for 2 hours. Then I did 1 hour of Tempo at 275watts. And then I rode 1 hour easy. Total ride: 4 hours. 87 miles. 236w. 140bpm.

My heart rate was high today, probably because I was rested and also probably because I lost some fitness last week. But I am sort of glad it was. I am doing the Tempo sessions based on heart rate. And pushing more than 275 watts right out of the gate would have been very painful.

I followed the ride with a 1.5 mile brick run to see how the legs were feeling. They felt good. 8:40min/mi. But I am sad to report that my shins did not feel great. I didn't run long enough to really test them out, and so it may have been and hopefully was, just mental.

Sunday: Rest Day

I am feeling a little better, but took the day off anyway. I obviously did very little training this week, but I needed the rest and the break--both mentally and physically--before I start my build toward the race. I took the day to get everything in order and organized to minimize as much as possible anything that would otherwise distract me from training over the next 8 weeks.

Tomorrow I start a 4 week Tempo bloc. Tempo for me is done at 154-158bpm, which turns out to be upper aerobic zone, or upper zone 2 and done at 70-75rpm. I first learned about these tempo rides by reading up on Chris Carmichael's training techniques. Tempo, as I will use it, is less intense than what I have read others define Tempo as. But I will still be riding at higher heart rate intensities and higher power outputs than I have been all year. These heart rates will be similar to my Ironman pace. The goal is to build up to about 2 and half hours at Tempo pace over the next 3 weeks. Everything else will be very easy.

Runs wills continue to be easy. I unfortunately, don't have the run fitness that I thought I would have at this point. I still need to increase by endurance base before I can run faster without getting injured. Time is now short. But I think I will be better off running higher volume than at higher intensities. I will try and get as fit as I can.

as for the swim, I will bring the volume up. I don't do any sets or intensity and don't plan on it. I just swim straight through without stopping. The goal for me is to get to the bike feeling fresh. But I don't think I am at 1:05 swimming fitness yet.

The time is now.

Saturday: 20 mile bike; 1 mile swim; abs

Having trashed myself last week and not recovered well, I've decided to take this weekend very easy, the easiest I think I have gone during a weekend all year, to get ready for my main Ironman specific training. Initially, this was going to be a big volume week, but my body has shut down after destroying myself last week and then doing virtually nothing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

My body is telling me something and I don't want to risk what I have worked towards all year only to ruin it at the crucial moment. My energy levels have been down and my muscles ache more than they have in a long time. My achilles, for whatever reason, started to hurt yesterday, even though the last time I ran was on Tuesday. My body is retaining everything I eat and drink probably expecting the next monster workout (and yet I still feel dehydrated); I haven't taken a deuce since Wednesday.

Mentally though, I feel very good. My motivation is very high, and its been an inner struggle all day to stop myself from riding or swimming longer (or running at all). But it's just not worth it. I want to be fresh both mentally and physically on Monday.

I actually think this little break is good for me; starting Monday, it will be very tough until the race.

1 miles swim. ~30 minutes.

20 mile bike. 190w. 117bpm

Friday: 20 mile bike; abs

I hate recovery weeks and am still trying to perfect them. My body has completely shut down. My quads look twice as big as they usually do because they are so tight. My left achilles started to hurt today sitting at my desk despite barely any training this week. And despite only eating salad, chicken, fruit, and cereal over the last two days, I feel like I've put on 20lbs and feel completely bloated. In short, I feel awful. I've been here before so I only know its only a matter of a few days until I feel back to normal (and hopefully stronger), but it's not a fun place to be.

20 mile recovery ride. 1:03. 186w. 115bpm.

Thursday: 40 mile bike

Today made yesterday seem like a great day as far as bike maintenance goes. I was still trying to fix my tire today and managed to snap my spoke. Wheel is done. It's a crappy wheel, but it's been a tough couple of days. I've wasted a lot of time trying to get the bike working.

I've also been swamped at work. So it has worked out well that this is a recovery week. I can't afford the waste in time starting next week.

40 miles. 198w.

Wednesday: 18 mile bike; abs

Fricking shredded tire! I have spent 1.5 hours trying to change it and now have ripped the tube. Bike maintenance is not my forte.

Notice how in the video they fast forward the hard part (getting the tire back on) to make it look much easier than it really is.

Tuesday: 3 mile run

Back to work. And what a contrast in days. As a result, I have been torn all day whether to ride tonight. Isaac Newton (i.e., momentum) wants me to ride for 3-4 hours. My legs, which felt great this morning, but have now stiffened up since sitting behind a desk all day, want me to do an easy recovery ride, 1-2 hours. And my eyes want to close and go to sleep early. I hate taking days off the bike. But today is as good as any not to ride. Tomorrow is going to hurt.

I ran three easy miles this morning. 9:15 min/mi.

Monday: 105 mile bike; 9 mile run; abs

In the morning, I ran 9 miles at 8:55min/mi. 80 minutes. Started at 6.5mph on the treadmill increasing it by 0.1mph every ten minutes and running 9 and walking 1 minute.

Then onto the bike. I came back down to earth today. I rode easy, but it was not an easy ride. I struggled mentally. In many ways, it almost feels easier to ride harder because it is more fun watching your watts which motivates you, at least me, to keep going. Today, I was just trying to get it done at an easy pace, so it wasn't very interesting. I was tempted to get off many times, especially at the 3 and 4 hour marks, but forced myself to stay on. I had the U.S Open on which kept my attention for most of the ride. My heart rate was a little depressed throughout and my power was dropping at the end. I was pretty tired. But most of all, my groin and butt are completely chaffed and it hurts.

Total ride. 5 hours. 105 miles. 217w. 122bpm. 21.1 mph. I drank 3 32oz bottles of Gatorade and 2 liters of water. I ate two Cliff bars.