This has been a good week. I haven't set any personal best times, haven't once climbed onto my bike (although I have at the gym), and I've avoided the pool.
But, man, oh man, do I feel good.
When Matt Fitzgerald wrote his "training bible" that distance athletes the world over swear by, it's fair to say he never recommended taking a week off from heavy training, especially in the build phase. But he did contemplate being severely injured or sick -- and has said that the time off should be seen as an opportunity rather than a failure. You don't have to tell me twice!
You see the ear infection and back injury of the last few weeks reached their crest last Friday night -- shortly after my last blog entry, in fact. My eardrum perforated and my back tweaked one last time as I sat at the urgent care center at 6:30 am on Saturday morning.
Five days of antibiotics later, I'm not even sure I could point to the spot in my back that hurt (although every once in awhile I know EXACTLY where it is) and, while it seems slow, I know my ear is healing. But what has happened is I have been banned from the pool (obviously) and, taken in combination with my wife's four month move three hours north (yes, the kids are staying with me -- at least until the Princess is out of school), I basically took the week off. The entire family has a trip up to Alaska from tomorrow morning through Monday to see family and then I'll hit the ground running on Tuesday.
The best part is that I feel fresh, fresh, fresh. I have hit the gym bike for a couple of hour-long workouts and I feel like I have a new set of legs. An hour is not seven, to be sure, but all the muscles are healed and ready to attack. The swim? Well, as I have said, I was ahead of pace in terms of conditioning there, so I trust I could hop back in next week and feel my Wheaties there as well -- if not, I still have 14 weeks, not to mention another week off (heal, part II!) as the Lovely Wife and I head to New Zealand in late May for a long anticipated vacation alone as a couple. The two uncompromising months that are to come (June and July) will be there -- I've built a base, and will continue to, and then I'll work myself out to a silly degree.
Sound good? I'm glad you're convinced -- I'm right there with you... I think. :-)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
To $*&% and Back... In One Week.
When last I left you, I was just over a cold and ready for a challenging weekend pair of workouts -- 3000 yards in the water and 3:30 (60+ miles) on the bike.
I did it.
The swim went really, really well to be honest. It was a cold (by San Diego standards -- 55?), rainy day and, in keeping with trying to simulate race day, I decided to wear my wetsuit for the swim. Sure I gave off the appearance of a sea lion as I slinked into the water wrapped in neoprene, but the amount of confidence it gives you to cover significant distances in a wetsuit is immeasurable.
To be honest, swimming in a wetsuit is a double-edged sword. Sure, the 77 degree water feels that much warmer and you fatigue a bit quicker -- not to mention that your arms feel just a touch leaden after awhile of pulling such a thick surface through the water over and over. But it's also VERY buoyant, slick, and the rubber actually serves to restore energy to tired leg muscles -- or so they say.
In this particular instance, I believe them -- after all, I swam the 3000 yards in just under an hour. For me, that is Michael Phelps fast! Considering my goal all along is to be changed, on my bike, and pedaling into the 112 mile bike leg no later than 1:45 into the race, being on pace for a swim under 1:30 makes that a delightfully real possibility. Sure, a pool is not a river and conditions are not accounted for, but I still think with 16 more weeks of training ahead of me, it's a very good possibility that I'll hit my target.
The next day on the bike also had its encouraging moments, most significantly all of the hill climbing I did and without having to overexert or get out of the saddle, a traditionally energy sapping maneuver. What I did do, though, was learn a tough lesson about nutrition. It was Easter morning (yes, it was a heretical decision to ride) so rather than set myself up correctly with energy drink, gels, etc., I spent more time getting the Easter basket ready, basking in my beautiful kids, and then slipping out with an eye to having lunch with them when I got back. The problem is that a bowl of oat bran flakes, a banana, a granola bar and one gel pack is just not enough to fuel nearly four hours of riding on a warm day over hilly terrain. More scientifically, those items are about 600 calories and a rider of my size (over 200 pounds) needs more like 300-400 calories an HOUR. Considering I also didn't replace my electrolytes adequately, by the time I rolled into Del Mar, only about two miles from home but with a SERIOUS half-mile climb at some 25% grade, I was done. My quads seized up, presumably from all of the lactic acid, and I started to feel light headed. There I was, having rolled 60 some miles, covering much of North San Diego county amongst the flowers, ocean communities, rolling hills, etc. (it truly was God's morning, irrespective of your religious preference), and I couldn't get home. In fact, I couldn't even walk the hill -- believe me, I tried and it nearly brought me to tears.
So, I pulled the emergency cord, called the Lovely Wife and (a bit embarrassingly) took the three minute ride home.
It certainly taught me an important lesson about nutrition -- not only do you need pure calories, you also need a good mix of carbohydrate energy and electrolyte replacement. Needless to say, I have spent the better part of this week sorting that out and hope not to be left hitting the wall again any time soon.
But that was just the start of my week -- actually, Sunday night into Monday I felt FANTASTIC. I felt good just a few minutes after returning home, actually. I took a shower, put on comfortable clothes and went to lunch with my family. I enjoyed the evening with my wife, watching the Amazing Race among other things, and then flew off to Seattle Monday morning to help a friend gain her citizenship. By the time I flew back Monday evening, settling into a free first-class upgrade, I was ready for a beer.
Then, shoe number two dropped. I woke up about two in the morning Tuesday with a splitting headache, a sore throat, and more sinus congestion than you could shake a stick at. The morning wasn't much better, but by noon I had a fever, incredible fatigue and, you guessed it, I removed my lunch from my system. A couple more of those later, and with fever ache that was radiating up into my kidneys and I overreacted a bit -- I called the Lovely Wife, dropped the kids off with the neighbors, and headed to the emergency room.
Long story short, I was mostly just a victim of a virus, but I also took in two bags of saline (the doctor said I was more electrolyte depleted than dehydrated) and made sure my bloodwork was okay -- which, thankfully, it was.
It's Friday now, and I think I have an ear infection, but I've been able to ride and swim this week -- I've taken it easy, mostly, but I thought it important to get back on the proverbial horse. For the second time in as many weeks, I was derailed by the compromise that Ironman training does on your immune system -- especially if you don't treat it with appropriate care. Sure enough, when I brought the Princess to preschool today, several kids were out with a virus that sounds just like mine -- so I'm not alone and it's not just the training. It's frustrating nonetheless.
I've also managed to order all of the necessary nutrition products this week. I've got glucose polymers to add to the energy drink I already had. I have liquid shots of carbohydrates and electrolytes (potassium, sodium, and sodium bicarbonate to stave off lactic acid buildup), as well as a couple of leads on tasty solid foods and gels to top it all off. I won't head out unprepared again, I can tell you that.
So, with all of that in tow, it's time for another "brick" workout on Sunday -- 2000 yards in the pool, jump out and ride for about 20 miles. Should seem relatively easy compared to last weekend and with a weekend trip to Alaska to visit my cousins planned for the following weekend, I think it will be a couple of weeks before I go 60+ miles again. I've got lots of time, I'm still nursing a back injury (somass muscle?), and my confidence is heading back in the right direction. I'll let you know if things change. :-)
I did it.
The swim went really, really well to be honest. It was a cold (by San Diego standards -- 55?), rainy day and, in keeping with trying to simulate race day, I decided to wear my wetsuit for the swim. Sure I gave off the appearance of a sea lion as I slinked into the water wrapped in neoprene, but the amount of confidence it gives you to cover significant distances in a wetsuit is immeasurable.
To be honest, swimming in a wetsuit is a double-edged sword. Sure, the 77 degree water feels that much warmer and you fatigue a bit quicker -- not to mention that your arms feel just a touch leaden after awhile of pulling such a thick surface through the water over and over. But it's also VERY buoyant, slick, and the rubber actually serves to restore energy to tired leg muscles -- or so they say.
In this particular instance, I believe them -- after all, I swam the 3000 yards in just under an hour. For me, that is Michael Phelps fast! Considering my goal all along is to be changed, on my bike, and pedaling into the 112 mile bike leg no later than 1:45 into the race, being on pace for a swim under 1:30 makes that a delightfully real possibility. Sure, a pool is not a river and conditions are not accounted for, but I still think with 16 more weeks of training ahead of me, it's a very good possibility that I'll hit my target.
The next day on the bike also had its encouraging moments, most significantly all of the hill climbing I did and without having to overexert or get out of the saddle, a traditionally energy sapping maneuver. What I did do, though, was learn a tough lesson about nutrition. It was Easter morning (yes, it was a heretical decision to ride) so rather than set myself up correctly with energy drink, gels, etc., I spent more time getting the Easter basket ready, basking in my beautiful kids, and then slipping out with an eye to having lunch with them when I got back. The problem is that a bowl of oat bran flakes, a banana, a granola bar and one gel pack is just not enough to fuel nearly four hours of riding on a warm day over hilly terrain. More scientifically, those items are about 600 calories and a rider of my size (over 200 pounds) needs more like 300-400 calories an HOUR. Considering I also didn't replace my electrolytes adequately, by the time I rolled into Del Mar, only about two miles from home but with a SERIOUS half-mile climb at some 25% grade, I was done. My quads seized up, presumably from all of the lactic acid, and I started to feel light headed. There I was, having rolled 60 some miles, covering much of North San Diego county amongst the flowers, ocean communities, rolling hills, etc. (it truly was God's morning, irrespective of your religious preference), and I couldn't get home. In fact, I couldn't even walk the hill -- believe me, I tried and it nearly brought me to tears.
So, I pulled the emergency cord, called the Lovely Wife and (a bit embarrassingly) took the three minute ride home.
It certainly taught me an important lesson about nutrition -- not only do you need pure calories, you also need a good mix of carbohydrate energy and electrolyte replacement. Needless to say, I have spent the better part of this week sorting that out and hope not to be left hitting the wall again any time soon.
But that was just the start of my week -- actually, Sunday night into Monday I felt FANTASTIC. I felt good just a few minutes after returning home, actually. I took a shower, put on comfortable clothes and went to lunch with my family. I enjoyed the evening with my wife, watching the Amazing Race among other things, and then flew off to Seattle Monday morning to help a friend gain her citizenship. By the time I flew back Monday evening, settling into a free first-class upgrade, I was ready for a beer.
Then, shoe number two dropped. I woke up about two in the morning Tuesday with a splitting headache, a sore throat, and more sinus congestion than you could shake a stick at. The morning wasn't much better, but by noon I had a fever, incredible fatigue and, you guessed it, I removed my lunch from my system. A couple more of those later, and with fever ache that was radiating up into my kidneys and I overreacted a bit -- I called the Lovely Wife, dropped the kids off with the neighbors, and headed to the emergency room.
Long story short, I was mostly just a victim of a virus, but I also took in two bags of saline (the doctor said I was more electrolyte depleted than dehydrated) and made sure my bloodwork was okay -- which, thankfully, it was.
It's Friday now, and I think I have an ear infection, but I've been able to ride and swim this week -- I've taken it easy, mostly, but I thought it important to get back on the proverbial horse. For the second time in as many weeks, I was derailed by the compromise that Ironman training does on your immune system -- especially if you don't treat it with appropriate care. Sure enough, when I brought the Princess to preschool today, several kids were out with a virus that sounds just like mine -- so I'm not alone and it's not just the training. It's frustrating nonetheless.
I've also managed to order all of the necessary nutrition products this week. I've got glucose polymers to add to the energy drink I already had. I have liquid shots of carbohydrates and electrolytes (potassium, sodium, and sodium bicarbonate to stave off lactic acid buildup), as well as a couple of leads on tasty solid foods and gels to top it all off. I won't head out unprepared again, I can tell you that.
So, with all of that in tow, it's time for another "brick" workout on Sunday -- 2000 yards in the pool, jump out and ride for about 20 miles. Should seem relatively easy compared to last weekend and with a weekend trip to Alaska to visit my cousins planned for the following weekend, I think it will be a couple of weeks before I go 60+ miles again. I've got lots of time, I'm still nursing a back injury (somass muscle?), and my confidence is heading back in the right direction. I'll let you know if things change. :-)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Babyin' the Old Corpus
So, I've returned to the world of the healthy -- well, sort of. After testing my "chest" with a serious set of sprint workouts on the bike yesterday, I feel like I've got the ol' wind back.
If only I could say the same for this pesky muscle on the right side of my back. I really ought to take a look at a muscle chart, because it doesn't feel like my back and it's a touch too high to be my gluteous. But, about fifteen times a day taking a step with my right foot feels like someone is pushing my hip bone right into the back of my ribcage. I think it is a back muscle of sorts, but what I know is that it's one of the few debilitating muscle injuries I've had in recent memory.
So, how does one accomplish an ironman length training program when he's walking like he just had hip surgery? Very carefully... in the case of today, by taking the day off from a swim workout and focusing on the fact that tomorrow was already a natural day off and two days' rest ought to make it possible to complete the long weekend workouts.
Eyes on the prize, I say -- and in the case of serious muscle issues, that means rest to as close to healing as you can before you push forward. I WILL be swimming my 2800 yards on Saturday -- that is non-negotiable. Until then? Slap on some back pads, keep the seat heater going in the car and stay off my feet... ahh, the things we do for sport. :-)
If only I could say the same for this pesky muscle on the right side of my back. I really ought to take a look at a muscle chart, because it doesn't feel like my back and it's a touch too high to be my gluteous. But, about fifteen times a day taking a step with my right foot feels like someone is pushing my hip bone right into the back of my ribcage. I think it is a back muscle of sorts, but what I know is that it's one of the few debilitating muscle injuries I've had in recent memory.
So, how does one accomplish an ironman length training program when he's walking like he just had hip surgery? Very carefully... in the case of today, by taking the day off from a swim workout and focusing on the fact that tomorrow was already a natural day off and two days' rest ought to make it possible to complete the long weekend workouts.
Eyes on the prize, I say -- and in the case of serious muscle issues, that means rest to as close to healing as you can before you push forward. I WILL be swimming my 2800 yards on Saturday -- that is non-negotiable. Until then? Slap on some back pads, keep the seat heater going in the car and stay off my feet... ahh, the things we do for sport. :-)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What a Difference a Cold (and Two Weeks) Makes
When I last posted, I think I can honestly say I was feeling at the peak of early training performance. I had just knocked off consecutive back to back workout days, accomplishing full training bikes and swims, and I felt as if I was 18 years old.
This is not the case now. After a quick three-day trip to the UK, which gave me not only a sore ankle (I stepped off of a curb walking back to my hotel), but a head-cold, I have had a heck of a time getting back into the groove. The first week back, I did accomplish all of my midweek workouts, but right as I was to hit the weekend longer workouts my cold hit full stride. Having already experienced in preparation for previous races the negative effects of working out during a cold, and thanks to the kindness of the Lovely Wife, I spent longer than normal nights in bed nursing my symptoms. While I felt a bit better on Monday (yesterday), all that time on my back left me with a tweak that is more than just a bit of a nuisance. Not to mention that in both my first bike workout since and my first pool workout since (yesterday and today, respectively), I have had to avoid the high intensity workouts that were meant to being this week. Rather than push myself in the first week of what is the "build" phase of the training program, I simply endured through by slogging out the 1:30 on the bike and the 2000 yards on the swim. I shudder to think how slow I was, but it is what it is and I hope to live to see another day.
Isn't it amazing how cyclical you start to feel as you get older? For those of you who know me, you know that I am fanatical about the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Their 37 year old catcher, Mike Redmond, tweaked his groin in the team's opener yesterday and lamented the fact, admitting: 1) that he couldn't remember his last muscle pull, and 2) that, as of last night, he couldn't imagine this one healing very fast. I feel the same way about my back at the moment. While the chiropractor, who I am grateful to for seeing me yesterday, says there is nothing to be concerned about with my back soreness, it certainly doesn't help that every stroke, whether on the pedal or in the pool is accompanied by a persistent jabbing sensation just above my right buttocks. It can only serve to distract and, when the workouts are measured in hours, not minutes, it is a form of Chinese water torture.
But I'll make it. In fact, I confirmed another event on my schedule this weekend -- I am now signed up to do a half-ironman, run and all(!), on September 13 in my hometown of Stillwater, MN. I haven't done a tri in Minnesota in five years and, if it means I can see my parents (and wife and kids -- the Lovely Wife says she might do the mid-distance race the day before) when finishing, it will all be worth it.
So, I'll persist. I just have to get to the weekend where a 3000 yard swim and 3:30 bike ride await me - if I can finish those, and I'd damned well better, the struggles of the last ten days or so will be behind me and the weeks ahead will fall like dominoes. That's the difference a week can make.
This is not the case now. After a quick three-day trip to the UK, which gave me not only a sore ankle (I stepped off of a curb walking back to my hotel), but a head-cold, I have had a heck of a time getting back into the groove. The first week back, I did accomplish all of my midweek workouts, but right as I was to hit the weekend longer workouts my cold hit full stride. Having already experienced in preparation for previous races the negative effects of working out during a cold, and thanks to the kindness of the Lovely Wife, I spent longer than normal nights in bed nursing my symptoms. While I felt a bit better on Monday (yesterday), all that time on my back left me with a tweak that is more than just a bit of a nuisance. Not to mention that in both my first bike workout since and my first pool workout since (yesterday and today, respectively), I have had to avoid the high intensity workouts that were meant to being this week. Rather than push myself in the first week of what is the "build" phase of the training program, I simply endured through by slogging out the 1:30 on the bike and the 2000 yards on the swim. I shudder to think how slow I was, but it is what it is and I hope to live to see another day.
Isn't it amazing how cyclical you start to feel as you get older? For those of you who know me, you know that I am fanatical about the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Their 37 year old catcher, Mike Redmond, tweaked his groin in the team's opener yesterday and lamented the fact, admitting: 1) that he couldn't remember his last muscle pull, and 2) that, as of last night, he couldn't imagine this one healing very fast. I feel the same way about my back at the moment. While the chiropractor, who I am grateful to for seeing me yesterday, says there is nothing to be concerned about with my back soreness, it certainly doesn't help that every stroke, whether on the pedal or in the pool is accompanied by a persistent jabbing sensation just above my right buttocks. It can only serve to distract and, when the workouts are measured in hours, not minutes, it is a form of Chinese water torture.
But I'll make it. In fact, I confirmed another event on my schedule this weekend -- I am now signed up to do a half-ironman, run and all(!), on September 13 in my hometown of Stillwater, MN. I haven't done a tri in Minnesota in five years and, if it means I can see my parents (and wife and kids -- the Lovely Wife says she might do the mid-distance race the day before) when finishing, it will all be worth it.
So, I'll persist. I just have to get to the weekend where a 3000 yard swim and 3:30 bike ride await me - if I can finish those, and I'd damned well better, the struggles of the last ten days or so will be behind me and the weeks ahead will fall like dominoes. That's the difference a week can make.
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