First Ride on the New Ride

So yesterday I started work early and hung in there late – I work from home so this is easy for me to accomplish.  I try to be extremely disciplined with my to-do lists and covering all my bases, however having that work-from-home flexibility is key when you have to sneak in a workout to stay on schedule.

I still can’t believe that I own this thing.

I took a longer-than-usual lunch and swung down to take delivery of the new bike.  They were in the process of setting up the geometry of the seat and stem to my Guru measurements.  A couple of minor corrections had to be made for aerobar pad height and the Cannondale saddle – I tested on very generic components on the Guru system.  I thought about getting into an Adamo or a Fizik saddle, but it turns out that the stock standard saddle that comes with the Slice is actually pretty darn awesome all by itself, so I figured I’d keep it to get started.

They set the bike up on a trainer and I began to spin.  The setup needed minor tweaks but otherwise it was EXACTLY like we left it after the Guru-Fit session.  I was told that the position I naturally gravitated to was quite a bit more “aero-aggressive” than most riders that come in for a first time fit, so I must be doing something right in terms of flexibility training.

Last night I set up my Garmin mount, my Cadence/Speed sensors, and the Profile Design AeroDrink bottle between the bars.  I decided I’d get up early and give it a go.

Notice the pastel-blue furniture? My “PainCave” rents space from my daughters’ Barbie and American Girl Dolls….

First Impressions:

1. The bike gives the feeling of being a whole lot lower to the ground.  I know this is the entire point, right?
2. I feel like my position might need to be made a little more comfortable – the saddle feels good, but it’s feeling pretty extreme.
3. I’m hoping I can get used to this new truer aero position – it’s all new to me since my old bike was way to big and poorly fit.
4. My bike layoff has hurt my overall fitness – I need to build back.
5. I can’t wait to see how it rolls on the street – getting the bike into the house from the driveway it hit me how doggone LIGHT this carbon frame is.  I know there are still some weight trimming that can be done, as it is by no means in its lightest form (carbon bars, better group set, wheels, etc).

Training Updates and Catching Up

I’ve began to ramp up the intensity slightly over the past two weeks.  There are a few reasons for this:

1. I’m bored, and I feel like a total slacker.
2. I’ve put on about 8 extra pounds over the holidays, and I feel more “blah” than I have in the last year.
3. I began to encounter self-generated excuses as to why I SHOULDN’T work out – mainly centered around not burning out too early for a September Half Ironman race, etc…

So I decided to kick it into gear and get things started.

Bike –

I’ve been hitting it pretty good in the basement on my trainer.  My TV programming of choice has been either (a) catching up on HOMELAND on Showtime OnDemand or (b) watching past NBC Ironman Kona broadcasts I ripped from YouTube.  I also have three purchased videos from The Sufferfest for when my base is more adequately built up, but those will be for later.

One of the things that somewhat troubling is that I now know that my bike is INCREDIBLY too big for me.  I’m just about 6’1″, and the Trek 1.1 I have is just not a good fit.  As a result I have to lean WAY forward to use my aerobars, and the position is just not comfy.  A new bike will be in order sometime soon.

 

Run-

 

My new kicks are Saucony Kinvara 3s.  I was pretty set on the newest version of the ASICS Noosa Tri, but the Sauconys felt perfect for my oddly-shaped feet.  They are much lighter, and while not totally minimal, they have much less cushioning – meaning I can more comfortably run forefoot striking than in my big chunky ASICS Kayanos.

I am battling a bit of a stubborn knot in my right calf.  I’ve tried heat, ice, compression, The Stick, foam rolling, and even Ultrasound therapy (I own an ultrasound wand unit) to no avail.  I see my chiro on Friday and I’m going to see what he can do.

 

Swim-

I’ve just recently gotten back in the water following an almost 90 day hiatus.  In short, I suck.  All my endurance is gone, so it’s going to be a battle to consistently get my time in.  I am still averaging 1:40ish per 100 so my speed is fine.

 

Diet –

One of things I’m going to need to do is monitor my daily intake, and not over-indulge.  I’m currently about 225, and I really want to be down close to 200 pounds by the time June rolls around.  I know once my training attack begins the weight is just going to come off, but I still need to implement some common sense.

 

Tonight is my first double session – I ran a quick 2-miler in the new sneakers at lunchtime outside and I’ll shoot for about 1000 yards tonight in the pool (maybe more depending on how I feel).  We’ll see how it goes.

 

Next post will be race scheduling…

2012 Wrap Up Obligatory Blog Post

I’m not having nearly the fun i appear to be having…

I’ve been a little lame in the blogging department lately.  Come to think of it, I’ve been pretty lame all the way around, but the funk I’m in is just ready to break and I see the clouds parting and the sun beginning to shine.

Yes there have been some personal setbacks over the past couple of months, but things are on the mend and I’m gaining a very positive and refreshing outlook on life, love, and myself.  I’ve got a ton of work to do, but I’m pleased at the work and the accomplishments from 2012:

• I parlayed my first 5K (12/11) into several road races, a burgeoning triathlon addiction, and better health all the way around.
• I’ve learned that I can run longer distances injury-free and comfortably.
• Despite the 5 pounds 10 pounds I’ve gained over the past 6 weeks, I’m feeling pretty strong and healthy and have a bright outlook as we head into 2013.
• I’ve learned to balance an aggressive career with triathlon training volume.
• I’ve become much more interested in vegetables and eating cleaner (except the last 6 weeks).
• I’ve become better about my consistency and training – harder and smarter.
• Professionally, the sky is the limit.  Wonderful first full year at my company.

For 2013, I’ve scheduled some landmark races for myself, and I’m sure I’ll add in a couple of additional ones too:

• May 5 – NJ Devilman Triathlon (Sprint: 0.4 Mile Swim~20.5 Mile Bike~4 Mile Run)
• June 23 – Philly Tri (Olympic: .9 mile swim / 24.8 mile bike / 6.2 mile run)
• Sept 8 – Diamondman Challenge (HalfIron: 1.2 Swim~56 Bike~13.1 Run)

I’m sure there will be others added as well.  I think I’d like to do the same Snowball 5 miler I did last year just to see how speed is progressing.  I’m not sure about LIVESTRONG, as it’s pretty expensive and the date is pretty close to Memorial Day weekend and the Diamondman.  We’ll see how things progress, but there are some other races that are on the watch list.  The schedule will take precedence, but I also have a lot of FUN racing, and I don’t want to lose that.

So I’ll be jumping back into formal training tomorrow with a solid trainer ride, followed by some core work.  I will be using January and February to build back fitness, and then March will be the sequenced HIM plan implementation.

Best of luck to all of you and your journeys in 2013.  I hope you find your strength and inspiration along the way!

The world didn’t end, and life keeps on marching along…

I’ve been absent from the blog for a while.  Truthfully, I’ve been dealing with some issues in real life and have been loaded up with personal and professional obligations as we near year-end.  I haven’t trained too much after my first half marathon on 11/11/12, as I felt like rest and recovery was the name of the game.  I pushed pretty hard towards the end of the fall to complete a triathlon and then a 1/2, so I wanted to ensure some downtime in order to keep sharp.

 

I know this probably sounds lame, but the rest has been a good thing.  My kids are now heavily involved with our JCC’s winter swim team, and as a result just about every Tuesday and Thursday evening have been spent at the local Jewish Community Center.  Mind you we’re not Jewish, but the local JCC has a top notch camp and after school program that our kids really enjoy.  The swim team is also excellent, and they are really responding well to the coaching.

 

Right after the new year, I will embark on my 2013 70.3 plan.  As of right now the Half Ironman I am planning on is Labor Day weekend, so I’ll take January and February to add on an informal base program to build base, speed and strength.  The schedule I have is 20 weeks, so that will kick into gear in April or so.  I’m excited to get going, and I can’t wait.

Gearing for a 70.3 in 2013

So in my previous post I’ve identified the main goals, and over the past few days I began to consider the methods and tactics I’ll need to employ in order to reach those goals.  This is all new and uncharted territory for yours truly, and I know that the work will be hard.  I’m hoping to work hard AND smart, and I think these action steps will lead the way.

In order to really ROCK the 70.3 distance, I feel that technique improvements in my freestyle technique, and power gains on the bike will help my overall time and performance.  I also believe that dropping weight will help on the run.

In order to hit my goals for speed, distance and power, the reality is that I’m going to need to drop some body weight.  Lugging 230 pounds 70.3 miles can be done, but the journey will be that much more enjoyable (?) and worthwhile if I’m more like 200 and less like 230.

Bodyweight benchmarks for 2013:

• I want to drop 10 lbs between now and 1/1/13 —  220 lbs on 1/1/13
• I want to drop 10 lbs more by 4/1/13  —                      210 lbs by 4/1/13
• I would like to be sub-200 by 8/15/13

This will mean that i would be at a much healthier bodyweight for a late summer or early fall 70.3 (Pocono 70.3 or perhaps REV3Half-Full in Maryland).  This schedule is pretty gentle (not a crash diet) and will allow for good solid training to take place without trying to diet down to get to a specific number and compromising power and fitness.

Late October into November –

I am running my first half marathon on 11/11/12, so my training is very run-focused right now.  My plan is to get through the race and then recover and begin a power-focused training plan in December to help build strength, especially in my core and legs.

December through end of January-

I will be weight training two times per week, sprinting and hill repeats, and mixing in spin classes.  I’ll also be doing some very targeted strength training to help build swim power as well.  I’m hoping to have acquired an indoor bike trainer (have my eye on some CycleOps fluid trainers on eBay right now.  The name of the game is to get stronger and slimmer, as well as begin to develop the power and speed needed to get faster.  I love this article on speed building as well as this piece on strength training for the swim.

One other thing I need to attend to is the fit of my bike, which I will re-address once I pull the trigger on some clip-on aerobars from my LBS.

The big action steps:

• Stretching and “The Stick” after each and every run.  I will not blow this off any longer, since it makes recovering for the next session that much tougher.
• Spin and Yoga – I plan to use a local studio that is partially owned by some competitive triathletes/coaches, and the combo of strength/power/yoga is too sensible to disregard.  I can no longer ignore this.
• Run training – there will be tempo runs, hill repeats, and threshold workouts to be sure.  No more shirking these responsibilities.
• Swim analysis – while I think that I’m pretty solid technically, I’m sure there are some things I could benefit from, and the only really scary part of the 70.3 is the swim.

I am not envisioning a bike upgrade anytime soon (aside from the aforementioned aerobars).  I need to worry about the engine and less about the equipment.  I will be purchasing the cadence meter for the bike to go with my Garmin Forerunner 910xt and the Footpod, as I think the RPM metrics are going to help paint a better picture for data and improvement.

I am going to begin schedule planning and blocking out the periodization for the spring summer and fall months on a high level.  I’ve got a couple of mock training plans that I’ll be using as a guide.

New Toy – Garmin 910XT Forerunner

I’ve been experiencing several issues with my DroidX and my tracking app RunKeeper.  I like the app, and for most people it, combined with a decent Polar Heart Rate Monitor, should be all you need to get things started in terms of monitoring activity and data.  My phone has become increasingly more and more “crashy” – in fact I had to do a battery-pull-restart in the first 100 yards of a 5 miler race back in the early sprint!  I’m certain that while the app is a bit glitchy at times, the majority of the issue is with my device and it’s wonky GPS.

I needed a watch anyway, and why the 910xt looks a bit 1980s Casio – it’s not too bad.  Plus it sends the “endurance athlete vibe” – which is still a laugh riot for me but the hard work is starting to show.  There was no way I was going to mess with my phone in the triathlon races coming up over the next 30 days, and this way I can begin to get solid training data plus know and understand what’s happening “real-time” on the course.

I bought it locally at my favorite local running store – The Delaware Running Company.  I mentioned to the kid that I decided against buying it online due to the fact that DRC sponsors all kinds of great events and causes.  He thanked me, and then took 10% off my entire order (also grabbed some BodyGlide and Bungee Laces).  Sadly they do not stock the Footpod nor the Power Meter for the bike, so I’ll add those down the line.

I’ll be spending today watching football (Go EAGLES) and fooling around with the gadget.  I’m also going to play with TrainingPeaks and see how difficult the transfer is.  I’m thinking about engaging with a coach over the off-season.

If you’re considering the 910XT – read this overview – http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/10/garmin-forerunner-910xt-in-depth-review.html

This is getting serious!

Welcome September – Time for Reflection

It’s hard to fathom that we’re now into September.  I took a look back at my workout logs and I’m shocked to see how far I’ve come.  While I’m about the same weight (maybe just a little lighter), I’m much fitter and am seeing big changes in my energy levels and my body in general.

If you look at the screengrab below.you’ll notice how little activity there was prior to June 2012:

 

November 2011 marked a big push for me since I committed to my first 5K race.  I actually began prepping for this in September, but I did not fully adopt RunKeeper as a tracking solution immediately.

You’ll also notice a big spike in activity in June 2012 – mainly because I bought a road bike on Fathers’ Day weekend, thus opening the door to triathlon training.  I had long held out on the bike thing, but I knuckled under, and I’m glad I finally caved.

Final analysis – I am doing MUCH more than I was this time a year ago.  I’ve added muscle and dropped bodyfat.  I can honestly begin to see an Olympic Distance race in my early 2013 calendar, and possibly a late season Half Ironman.  I’m floored to type that, since 12 months ago I was just trying to survive a 3 mile run.

Bonk! What Happened?

What’d You Do?

I headed out at 6:15AM for a ride this morning.  I was pretty excited and pumped up for it, so my enthusiasm was there.  Today taught me that sometimes it’s just not enthusiasm that gets you through.

I didn’t eat well yesterday.  I didn’t really have a dinner to speak of, but I did have a choco-nut smoothie (greek yogurt, chocolate whey protein powder, milled flax seed, banana, almond butter).  I did enjoy a couple of Michelob Ultras last evening, but I was otherwise well-hydrated.

I jumped on the bike and began an easy warmup spin.  My legs immediately felt very heavy.  My RPE was not at all showing in my speed – effort was not equating to speed or power at all (although I do not have a power meter yet, I can tell it wasn’t there).

I cut it off at 24 minutes.  I also felt a knot behind my right knee, and this worried me a bit.  Yesterday’s run was a sprint interval run, so maybe I need to be mindful about what I schedule after those tough runs.

Mock triathlon yesterday = SUCCESS!

After a big diet FAIL on Monday, I decided to rally back with a big workout on Tuesday.  I felt incredible after an evening of some GI distress (I’ll spare you details), and I wanted to take advantage of some building energy, enthusiasm, and a little schedule flexibility.

I set off for the local JCC – my kids end up there in the afternoons as part of their “after-care” program from the local elementary school, so it makes for easy pick-ups in the PM.  I decided to set up a mock tri and use my car as my transition area.  My bike was mounted on my Yakima trunk rack, my bike equipment was on the left rear seat/floor, and my running stuff on the right rear seat.

At exactly 3:35 I laid into the exercise, pushing off from the edge of the pool.  I was going for steady effort and not looking to set speed records in any phase of the “race”.  I managed just over 9 minutes for 18 laps (about 440 yards or so), ad then exited the pool area on the run out to my car in the lot.  I was wearing my tri shorts (no wetsuit).

At my car I had some trouble pulling on my tri-top over wet skin.  I also burned some time getting the HR monitor on and waking up my RunKeeper app, so I would have probably saved a minute or two here.

The bike leg was in and around North Wilmington at traffic levels approaching rush hour.  I was stopped at a couple lights, but mostly I was able to avoid long waits at intersections.  I moved along, and I saw the benefit of utilizing my small chain ring in the front for hills.  The large hill that I call “The Foulk Road Hill” is my kryptonite, and I can now average ~12mph on that climb instead of burning my legs in a higher gear at 8mph.  I did a solid 14 miles around town using a higher cadence than normal to keep the legs loose.  I did a flying dismount (the other parents picking kids up seemed to be impressed) and racked the bike, transitioned to the run, and off I went.

The first thought that entered my mind was “You didn’t push the bike hard enough – your legs normally don’t feel THIS good…”, but I averaged over 16mph on the bike on some challenging terrain.  I took the first mile slowish, but arrived at a 10:20 mile or so.  I did a quick out-n-back for 3 miles.

All told – everything came in about 1:45 – possibly a little faster when you take into account lack of electronic delays (RunKeeper and music for the run, for example) – which I wouldn’t do in a race situation.  I was pleased, and I know that come race day I have an extra gear on the swim and another on the bike that should bring me down 5-8 minutes or so.

My mindset is now shifting from “surviving” my first triathlon to “how fast can I go?”

This is scary!

The time is approaching quickly – races around the corner…

I was traveling most of this past week, but I still managed to get some much needed road work in while in Indianapolis (BTW – the JW Marriott is wonderful and happens to have a top-notch fitness center, although I didn’t partake in it).

 

Here is the way my race schedule is sizing up:

 

August 17th – LIVESTRONG Philly – 10K run

August 18th – LIVESTRONG Philly – 20 m bike  (decided to go back to back)

* I’m really going to treat these as glorified training sessions – the run will be a push though.

 

September 26th – Marshman Sprint Tri (my first tri)

October 14th – Cape Henlopen Sprint Tri

November 11 – Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon (SanAntonio – on my 40th birthday!)

 

September and October begin what we call unofficially in my office “Event-Hell” – meaning mucho travel around the country.  It tails off by the middle of November and then will be whisper quiet until mid March.  My company generates over half of our leads (and consequently much of our 2013 revenue) by these Q3 and Q4 events, so they are important.  I am speaking and presenting at several as a content-area “expert” (I still shudder at that usage!).

 

I’ll be continuing to heavy-up on pool work, along with adding Wed night OWSs at Lums Pond with the TriDawgs.  I still have yet to meet any of them in person, but they are extremely helpful and seem like a cool bunch of folks.  The bike will be there (although I hear the Marshman bike course is hella-hilly), and i know the run will be fine as long as I stick to plan.  The swim will be my battle, and I will win the battle.