Looking over the log it is easy to see that May was a transition month. Three long runs covered at least 21 miles while five rides went for more than 40. With the help of three BS's, the average training day grew to more than 2.5 hrs. Each week also contained speed/power sessions in both sports. These are huge numbers for me.
Running: 135 miles @ 6:50 mpm ave. and 142 HR ave. - long run topped out at 26.2 on May 30(62% BS!)
Cycling: 575 miles (Edited)@ 21 mph ave. and 132 HR ave. - long ride topped out at 60.5 on May 30 (46% BS)
I am most excited about the fact that the BS reached 6+ hours in May. That will grow to 8+ hours if the plan does not alter. Furthermore, the total run miles will (must) increase. How much? I don't know. In 2008 I hit 800 miles in 10 wks, running 3-4 times per week, in preparation for Pbville - with just a handful of rides. I am curious to know how much mileage I can handle and whether or not the cycling will be beneficial to the Silver Rush 50. I've read a few articles about ultra guys who claim a steady cycling load helped them achieve their goals while minimizing injury. I sure hope it helps me, because the Muncie preparation requires a lot of pedaling. Sixty-two percent of May's training time was devoted to cycling and that will only fall to about 50% if the plan is carried out as written.
Now, where are those hills? Gotta climb some hills!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
BS #4 - Muggy Days Again
I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Its not because I have nothing to write about - there are two posts in the works. Its just that I have been too busy finishing up the school year. Teaching at one of the top high schools in the country has a tendency to drain you during the month of May. June is almost here!
So, about the training. It is going as well as can be expected. The transition from Olympic distance duathlon training to the long distance event specific training is easier than going the other way. Well, it is easier for a 40-something, no-leg-speed guy like me. I have spent almost 20 years working on a 15-mpw running schedule, so the experts would say that I should slowly lengthen my workouts. No way. Not enough time. Besides, my minimalist approach allows for maximum recovery. I continue to train on Tues, Thurs, and Sat with some Sun bike rides.
Those weekday sessions have been intense! Tues is fast run day and Thurs is fast ride day. I have not changed the pattern and build-up of those sessions as I have increased the BS sessions. Admittedly, I was surprised that it took almost 4 weeks for fatigue to set in. And that fatigue was undoubtedly due in part to the stress I encountered. No, problem. Athletes must simply make adjustments when life gets in the way. I use my run/ride sessions to reduce stress by making certain that I focus on the positives (and ignore all negatives!) before, during, and after the sessions. Putting it another way, I view those few hours I train each week as relaxation therapy. I'll explore that in another post.
Last Saturday brought a weird ending to week four of the build-up. Just after sunrise, only 10 minutes into the run and moving downhill on a single track , I turned my ankle badly. Mere inches before planting my left foot I saw a 2-inch box turtle move where the foot was about to land. A crazy mid-air jerk saved the turtle, but caused the foot to land while moving across a root. The sound it made was like tearing fabric. Not good. Some cursing, rubbing, and stretching ensued. A few attempts to run indicated that I could not "run it off." The planned 60-minute run could not happen. I limped home and carried out the first of 5 icing sessions over a 36-hour period. The 90-minute ride was also called off.
I am so glad that happened on a down week when I did not have a BS planned. On the bright side, the ankle meant that I would get maximum recovery. :) By Sunday morning I could extend the toes without too much pain, so I taped the ankle and rode. Those fresh legs caused a few mid-ride turns that resulted in the longest ride of the year - 58 miles with 1900 ft elev. gain at a 21 mph pace. Sunny skies, clear air, and beautiful scenery allowed for an enjoyable ride. More icing was needed to remove the new swelling.
An abbreviated fast run on apshalt Tuesday afternoon allowed the ankle to heal even more. By the weekend the ankle pain had subsided, but the soft tissue was still quite vulnerable to rolling. So the Saturday long run was forced onto the roads. The 3:18 run was on a hilly marathon course I'd previously measured. Minimal water on a warm and muggy day caused me to slow a bit in the last two miles. It is worth noting that I drank 40 oz of H2O from a Nathan Magda 1.5-L Vest, emptied three gels from a flask, and still arrived home weighing 9 pounds less than when I woke up. Later, after much drinking, I felt mostly rehydrated and I rode a casual 60.5 miles in 3:02.
BS is over 6 hrs with six weeks to go before Muncie. I am still getting stronger and faster. And now it is summer break and I can take naps!
Upcoming trips (and posts) will include a winery loop getaway, a rafting/climbing trip in WV with students, and an adventure in the Boone, NC area. Though the planning of it added to my recent stress, I am excited to lead 22 students on the rafting trip on the New River, but a bit anxious as we still need an adult female to sign on. The Boone trip is going to be mostly spontaneous and weather guided, so I am giddy about taking on that unknown event.
So, about the training. It is going as well as can be expected. The transition from Olympic distance duathlon training to the long distance event specific training is easier than going the other way. Well, it is easier for a 40-something, no-leg-speed guy like me. I have spent almost 20 years working on a 15-mpw running schedule, so the experts would say that I should slowly lengthen my workouts. No way. Not enough time. Besides, my minimalist approach allows for maximum recovery. I continue to train on Tues, Thurs, and Sat with some Sun bike rides.
Those weekday sessions have been intense! Tues is fast run day and Thurs is fast ride day. I have not changed the pattern and build-up of those sessions as I have increased the BS sessions. Admittedly, I was surprised that it took almost 4 weeks for fatigue to set in. And that fatigue was undoubtedly due in part to the stress I encountered. No, problem. Athletes must simply make adjustments when life gets in the way. I use my run/ride sessions to reduce stress by making certain that I focus on the positives (and ignore all negatives!) before, during, and after the sessions. Putting it another way, I view those few hours I train each week as relaxation therapy. I'll explore that in another post.
Last Saturday brought a weird ending to week four of the build-up. Just after sunrise, only 10 minutes into the run and moving downhill on a single track , I turned my ankle badly. Mere inches before planting my left foot I saw a 2-inch box turtle move where the foot was about to land. A crazy mid-air jerk saved the turtle, but caused the foot to land while moving across a root. The sound it made was like tearing fabric. Not good. Some cursing, rubbing, and stretching ensued. A few attempts to run indicated that I could not "run it off." The planned 60-minute run could not happen. I limped home and carried out the first of 5 icing sessions over a 36-hour period. The 90-minute ride was also called off.
I am so glad that happened on a down week when I did not have a BS planned. On the bright side, the ankle meant that I would get maximum recovery. :) By Sunday morning I could extend the toes without too much pain, so I taped the ankle and rode. Those fresh legs caused a few mid-ride turns that resulted in the longest ride of the year - 58 miles with 1900 ft elev. gain at a 21 mph pace. Sunny skies, clear air, and beautiful scenery allowed for an enjoyable ride. More icing was needed to remove the new swelling.
An abbreviated fast run on apshalt Tuesday afternoon allowed the ankle to heal even more. By the weekend the ankle pain had subsided, but the soft tissue was still quite vulnerable to rolling. So the Saturday long run was forced onto the roads. The 3:18 run was on a hilly marathon course I'd previously measured. Minimal water on a warm and muggy day caused me to slow a bit in the last two miles. It is worth noting that I drank 40 oz of H2O from a Nathan Magda 1.5-L Vest, emptied three gels from a flask, and still arrived home weighing 9 pounds less than when I woke up. Later, after much drinking, I felt mostly rehydrated and I rode a casual 60.5 miles in 3:02.
BS is over 6 hrs with six weeks to go before Muncie. I am still getting stronger and faster. And now it is summer break and I can take naps!
Upcoming trips (and posts) will include a winery loop getaway, a rafting/climbing trip in WV with students, and an adventure in the Boone, NC area. Though the planning of it added to my recent stress, I am excited to lead 22 students on the rafting trip on the New River, but a bit anxious as we still need an adult female to sign on. The Boone trip is going to be mostly spontaneous and weather guided, so I am giddy about taking on that unknown event.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Summer on the Horizon
June will be here before we know it. My teaching career has developed in me a sense of anticipation for June that rivals a child's giddy, suspense-filled expectation of Christmas morning. Teaching can be both an incredibly taxing and a character building form of employment. The duties associated with teaching often roll in waves. Those waves can be gentle rollers which uplift the teachers' spirits sufficiently enough to keep us buoyant. Sometimes those waves maliciously elevate us to the point that we can see dark troughs or even larger rogue waves that threaten to upend or submerge us. Each school year brings a few storms brandishing menacing whitecaps that simultaneously test our sanity and cause us to question our choice of profession while tossing us about in torrents of activities. Eventually, though, the waves become more familiar and regimental. These sublime waves allow us to see the orange sun on the horizon or a rainbow painted across the sky or a white sand island beach or distant snow-capped mountains or whatever it is that each one of us calls the summer break.
I am currently enjoying the final waves of work. More importantly, though, I am thrilled to be entrenched in the process of planning another busy summer. Oh sure, there are several family/home projects that need my attention. That's a given! I will complete each one of them in between the workshops and races and trips. It is the planning of the training, racing, and traveling that is on my mind as I write this piece.
First up is the Appalachian trip in June. My son, Tyler, is attending a week-long Anatomy and Physiology Camp at Appalachian State in Boone, NC. I plan to drive him there and hang out in the area hiking, climbing, cycling, and running while he is at camp. The Boone, NC area is a haven for people like me. I have already discovered so many possible activities that I am wearing a bib while writing this. There will, most certainly, be a few more posts detailing the events of that trip.
Upon returning from the Appalachians I will piddle with those projects while I taper for the Muncie Endurathon Duathlon. I have wanted to race in Muncie for many years, but my shoulder will not allow me to swim even a hundred yards. The reemergence of duathlon has caused the race directors to offer a Du version that I cannot resist. I will race it despite the fact that I have already decided to participate in the Leadville Silver Rush 50 mile trail run in Leadville, CO eight days later.
Those races take place on July 10 and July 18. There is also a 50-mile mountain bike ride on July 17, but I have yet to find a bike. I will only compete in the bike race if a can buy a cheap enough used full suspension bike or borrow one for that race. If anybody has one or knows where I can find one, please contribute to my masochism by letting me know!
Some really great friends and, possibly, some family members are meeting me in CO. They will crew me in the Pb50 and carry/drag me to the top of a to-be-determined 14er. Together, we will see heavenly sights, eat fine food, and drink tasty beers! I am looking forward to this bonding experience in the mountains that I have come to love so much.
My other goal in CO is to climb the rest of the Sawatch Range 14ers. Having summitted only six of the 15 peaks, I have my work cut out for me. Through reading trip reports and carrying on conversations while climbing other mountains, I have developed a strong desire to experience Huron an Antero, but I am sure I will enjoy every climb. If my legs hold up, I will venture into the San Juans for a climb.
Writing about my legs holding up reminds me that it is time to pause the pining and get back to the business of training. And baking cookies! Today I bake (and eat?) two batches!!
I am currently enjoying the final waves of work. More importantly, though, I am thrilled to be entrenched in the process of planning another busy summer. Oh sure, there are several family/home projects that need my attention. That's a given! I will complete each one of them in between the workshops and races and trips. It is the planning of the training, racing, and traveling that is on my mind as I write this piece.
First up is the Appalachian trip in June. My son, Tyler, is attending a week-long Anatomy and Physiology Camp at Appalachian State in Boone, NC. I plan to drive him there and hang out in the area hiking, climbing, cycling, and running while he is at camp. The Boone, NC area is a haven for people like me. I have already discovered so many possible activities that I am wearing a bib while writing this. There will, most certainly, be a few more posts detailing the events of that trip.
Upon returning from the Appalachians I will piddle with those projects while I taper for the Muncie Endurathon Duathlon. I have wanted to race in Muncie for many years, but my shoulder will not allow me to swim even a hundred yards. The reemergence of duathlon has caused the race directors to offer a Du version that I cannot resist. I will race it despite the fact that I have already decided to participate in the Leadville Silver Rush 50 mile trail run in Leadville, CO eight days later.
Those races take place on July 10 and July 18. There is also a 50-mile mountain bike ride on July 17, but I have yet to find a bike. I will only compete in the bike race if a can buy a cheap enough used full suspension bike or borrow one for that race. If anybody has one or knows where I can find one, please contribute to my masochism by letting me know!
Some really great friends and, possibly, some family members are meeting me in CO. They will crew me in the Pb50 and carry/drag me to the top of a to-be-determined 14er. Together, we will see heavenly sights, eat fine food, and drink tasty beers! I am looking forward to this bonding experience in the mountains that I have come to love so much.
My other goal in CO is to climb the rest of the Sawatch Range 14ers. Having summitted only six of the 15 peaks, I have my work cut out for me. Through reading trip reports and carrying on conversations while climbing other mountains, I have developed a strong desire to experience Huron an Antero, but I am sure I will enjoy every climb. If my legs hold up, I will venture into the San Juans for a climb.
Writing about my legs holding up reminds me that it is time to pause the pining and get back to the business of training. And baking cookies! Today I bake (and eat?) two batches!!
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