New Sponsor for 2010

Just received word that I will be a First Endurance sponsored amateur athlete for the 2010 season and am very excited about being associated with the leader in Innovative Racing Nutrients. What a great way to start the 2010 season and my second year in triathlon!

For more info on First Endurance and their innovative products, please click the logo to the right.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report

When I signed up for this race, my goal was to finish the race under 5 hours. Prior to doing this race, my only other 2 triathlons were of the sprint distance so I was a little concerned with the 1.2 mile swim. As I learned, swimming in a pool is quite different than swimming in the open water. The Savannah River was 68F on race morning and I would shortly learn that it was full of reed grass and river plants that added just another element of "surprise" during the swim.

Swim

I was in the first wave of the 40-44 men and made the mistake of starting first instead of waiting for everyone else to take off in my wave and then follow in behind. In less than 5', I was anaerobic. My breakfast started tickling the back of my throat and the wetsuit of which I only swam 5' in a pool 7 days prior, felt as though it was getting tighter and made it that more difficult to breathe. At this point I flipped over on my back and did the backstroke until my heart rate came down and then flipped back over and tried freestyle again. I did this over and over and finally got into a groove about 2/3 of the way into the swim. I know I swam more than the 1.2 miles as I was zig zagging all over the place, especially when I was on my back. Ironically, it takes me about 400yds to get into a groove in the pool so I shouldn't have been surprised that it took quite a bit longer. Exiting the water my head was throbbing and the headache would not go away until I hit the run.

Time: 30:31 1:36/100m

If I would've swam the average time, I would have made up over 6'. Oh well, time to hit the pool.

T1:2:24

Uneventful. My wetsuit came off with no problem and I probably took my time a little too much as I wanted to make sure I had everything before heading out. Also, I have to ride with socks on so it took a little extra time getting these on wet feet.


Bike

Sitting in my hotel room Saturday night listening to the rain pour down, I knew I would have issues with my Powertap in the morning. Even though I had everything covered up, the change in temp and the moisture/humidity seems to cause problems. I hit the button on my Powertap computer and all I saw was dashes. Then a few seconds later after I hit a bump I would see numbers. This went on for the entire length of the bike ride and made it extremely difficult to pace correctly. I've trained exclusively on this bike since May and not one time did I experience a drop out so I can only attribute it to the rain.

Being the 3rd to the last group to head out, I had plenty of people on the bike course to contend with. People were riding in the middle of the road, would start to pass someone and then slow down and talk to the person they were passing, dropping tubes, bottles, inflators, etc and made for a difficult ride. With my Powertap dropping out and stopping for a bathroom break at mile 36, I ended up riding slower than I planned and left some time out on the course.

Time:2:35:02 21.7mph



T2:

Again, uneventful. Changed socks as I like to run in thin socks and I prelubed the insides with Body Glide so it took me a little extra time to get these on.

Time:2:10

Run

Plan was to start out at 8:10 for the first 3 miles and then drop it down to 7:40 for the next 7 and then 7:30 or faster for the remaining 3.1. I started fine and was running 8:07 until I hit the first aid station. I would slow down to a walk as soon as I grabbed a cup and would continue walking until I finished drinking. I would hit the lap button when I started running again so my pace would be right but for some reason (come to find out when I downloaded the info) my pace was actually slower than what was coming up on my watch. Maybe the buildings, trees, overpasses, etc that caused my Garmin to act strange but I didn't pace the run like I had planned.



Run Split 1: 7 mi 8:26/mi
Run Split 2: 6.1 mi 7:41/mi
Total Run: 13.1 mi 1:45:59 8:05/mi

I was able to negative split the run but would have anyway if I executed according to my plan.

Total time: 4:56:06 Rank 302 Div. POS 49

I met my goal of going under 5 hours. I had a second, unspoken goal of hitting 4:48 and would have if I executed the swim with an average time, didn't have the issues with the Powertap going in and out, and truer pacing #'s from the Garmin.

With this being only my 3rd triathlon and my first HIM, I couldn't be happier. You can always second guess yourself and replay the race over and over and figure out where you could've made up time but that would be a waste of time. I did short myself calories on the bike and only managed to get in about 43oz of carbohydrate drink and 22oz of water. I really should've consumed around 54oz of CHO drink but thankfully, everything went OK. No issues with cramps as I was taking a Succeed S-Cap every 30' on the bike and run and never had any GI issues.

I've got a few take aways that I'll file away for my next long course race but now, time to put the tri bike away and get back on the road bike.

Bike Set-up for Augusta 70.3

Just need to lube the chain (rain in the forecast) and finish packing my gear and I should be ready to head out tomorrow for the race.

Video of entire Augusta 70.3 bike leg

Pretty cool idea. You can view the entire bike leg through the windshield of car/motorcycle.

Video is here. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

400+ men in 40 - 44 for Augusta??

Less Clydesdales:

35-39: 468
40-44: 432
45-49: 283

De Soto First Wave

Tried out my De Soto First Wave wetsuit this morning and all I can say is WOW!! Pushing off the wall and gliding in the water was quite an experience. I have nothing to compare it to as this is my first time wearing a wetsuit but i was quite impressed. I chose this suit because of the 2-piece design so I could dial in the fit, better shoulder movement, and easy removal. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make my legs sink and the body roll was amazing. I didn't time it but I banged out a 300 with very little effort.

Can't wait until Sunday!!

E. Coli in the Savannah River

Nick aka Swimshady tweeted about this earlier today. How many of you have been doing swim training in the Savannah River getting ready for the Augusta race????

I'm not sure which is worse, the E.Coli or the gators.

Read here.

I hope a cold front comes through........

Sunday, Sep 27
High: 86 °F RealFeel®: 105 °F
A shower in the morning; otherwise, times of clouds and sun, warmer and very humid

Let the taper begin

Race is in 12 days and this week is the start of my taper. Volume has been slowly coming down - an hour here an hour there with a slight drop in intensity this week. Plan calls for 10:35 this week - Swim: 3:00, Bike: 4:00, and Run: 3:35. Next week drops to 7:20 with the race on Sunday!!

Getting the race wheels ready with new Michelin latex tubes today and should take delivery of my new tires tomorrow - Bontrager 19mm X Lite TT AW for the front Zipp 808 clincher and a Bontrager X Lite Pro 23mm rear on my Mavic OP rim with PowerTap and wheel cover. One of the lowest, rolling resistance combos for a clincher available. Should amount to 7 to 10W of savings per the smart guys over at ST.

Swim race rehearsal

Plan called for 2100yds continuous at race pace. Ended up with a time of 35:52 or a T-Pace of 1:42/y. I'm pretty pleased with this result as I did this workout wearing my ultra hydrodynamic (right) suit from LL Bean, a pull buoy and no flip turns. I'll be wearing a full wet suit for the race and from what I've been reading, the river has a current so my time should be significantly better.

40' run later today and then a full race rehearsal on the bike and run tomorrow. 56 mile bike ride followed by a 6 mile run with the first 3 miles @ 8:10 and the second 3 at 7:40. My MP pace is actually 7:32 but I'm being a little conservative with this being my first HIM. Pacing for the race will be 3/7/3 with the first 3 at 8:10/mile, next 7 miles @ 7:40, and the final 3.1 miles @ whatever I have left - shooting for 7:14 or lower.

Legs feeling good!!

3 weeks out and my legs are feeling pretty good. Yesterday called for 3 x 15' @ FTP with 4' rest in between. With little effort, I managed:

266W
260W
261W

I followed this up with a 30' brick run with 10' @ 8:48, 10' @ 7:14, and 10' @ 7:32.

Today called for a 1:45 run consisting of:

40' @ 8:48 - 8:20, 15' @ 7:32, 5' @ 7:14, 10' @ 7:55, 15' @ 7:32, 5' @ 7:14, and 15' @ 7:53. Finished with 13.1 miles in 1:44. Legs felt great for the entire run and overall, I liked running at the 7:32 versus the 7:55.

2100yds tomorrow and then 3.5 hours on the bike Saturday, 2 hours on Sunday with a 20' brick run.

Life=Risk

Rode the Ironman Augusta 70.3 bike course

Headed to "dis-gusta" early this morning to ride the bike course for the upcoming Ironman Augusta 70.3 on 9/27. There were at least 100 other people who had the same idea and some even swam the swim leg which is what I probably should've done.

The bike is mostly flat with a few gradual climbs and one short, steep grade just before turning right and heading back to Beech Island. Some pretty good down hills but a few have a slight head wind. Never had the need to stand during the climbs but did switch to my small chain ring a few times just because I was following a plan or race rehearsal and wanted to make sure I stayed under a certain wattage. Normally I would've stayed in the big ring and pushed the watts. Watch out for the cracks in the road on Pine Log Road as this is pretty much the only bad surface and it lasts for about 7 miles.

With the bike being mostly flat, it will cause people to go too hard and they will shell themselves for the run. Hence the reason for me sticking to a plan and throttling back the watts. Save it for the run as that is always where the race starts. Prove you could've gone harder on the bike by killing the run. However, for all of you reading this who are in the 40-44 AG, please ride like the wind, hammer the hills and plan your nutrition around a 70F day with 10% humidity. ;-)

Plan was to stay at 205W to 208W for the 56 miles and I believe I finished with 206W. Haven't downloaded the file yet but I think my time was around 2:33. I ended up running around 4.5 miles (3 @ 7:44 and 1.5 @ race pace of around 7:20) and not the 6 as the plan called for as it was just too hot and I didn't pack my Fuel Belt.

I'm bagging the Hartsville race next week and opting for another long bike ride and spending some time with my family at the beach house.

Hmmmmm......

PowerTap Joule - here

6 x 3' @ 120% of FTP

Plan called for 6 x 3' @ 120% of FTP aka Vo2 max intervals with the goal of not going over the 120% of FTP. About 2 months ago, I dropped my FTP on my tri bike down to 265W as I still can't generate the same power in my new, aero position as I was before the change. Ironically, I did an hour ride on my road bike 2 weeks ago and had no problem holding my old FTP. Not really concerned as I won't be riding anywhere near my FTP for the HIM and I'd rather be aero and fast versus being a sail and riding at a higher FTP.

Target was 318W and ended up with intervals of:

314W
310W
303W
313W
306W
306W

Finished with a 30' brick run with 10' @ 8:24, 10' @ 7:14, and 10' @ 8:03.

Tomorrow calls for a 2:15 run with 75' @ 8:48 to 7:40 and 2 x 20' (10') @ 7:32. I don't think I'll make the entire 2:15 as I'm supposed to stop when I hit 15 miles.

5 1/2 weeks to go

Scheduled for 14.5 hours with 3 hours swimming, 6.5 hours biking, and 5 hours running. This is week 7 of 12 and is my biggest week of the plan. From here I'll start to slowly cut back the hours and do two race rehearsals with the second the Saturday before I start my 2 week taper.

My running has been going extremely well. I've started doing the 10':1' run /walk during my long runs on Thursday and it has made quite a difference in terms of how I feel that afternoon and the next day. For those interested, I'm following the Bobby McGee run / walk protocol. You can listen to an interview with Bobby here, where he explains the concept. Says that people running 2:30 marathons still see improvement in their times by using the run/walk system.


I've skipped my last 2 vdot tests just because I hate them and I don't want to injure myself. Instead, I've started increasing my mile pace during my 4 x 1 mile intervals and have taken off about 10" per mile. See, no need to do a 5K TT.

Headed to the beach this weekend for some flat land and major head winds and then off to Augusta next Saturday to ride the bike course of the upcoming 70.3

With all of the running I've been doing, my weight has dropped another 2lbs (down to 150lbs or 68.2kg) and my body fat is hovering around 7.5 to 8%. I just can't lay off the ice cream at night. I call it carbo loading for my early morning swims.

Performance

I think there is a little of this guy in all of us.

Run - 1:42:00

Thursday's are long run days and today called for a 1:45 run as follows:

WU: 60' at 8:48

MS: 1 x 10' @ 7:32

5' @ 8:48

2 x 10' @ 7:14 with 5' @ 8:48 in between

Ended up doing 12.1 miles @ 8:26 with an average HR of 134BPM.

I'm back!!

My mojo has returned and just in time for a 14 hour week. Looking back, I think my family may have been passing around a virus that sapped my motivation, strength, will, etc.

My Wednesday bike workout has changed from FTP intervals to V02 max which I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I love to suffer for 1 to 5 minutes and prefer it to suffering at an effort 20 to 25% lower for 6 to 20 minutes. V02 work has always given me a boost to my training, especially when I feel as though I'm detraining or reached a plateau.

Ended up doing an hour ride this morning with 4 x 3' on 3' off @ 320W and then finished up with a 30' minute run with 10' @ 8:48, 10' @ 7:32, and then 10' @ 7:55.

Took my tri bike in and am having the crankset replaced with a compact - 50/36 as I really love the compact on my road bike and this will make running an 11-23 on the rear a little easier on those 5 to 8% grades that are sprinkled thoughout my training routes.

Temperature at 5:20 PM

Got to love the warm summer evenings in the midlands of SC!!!!

Have you seen my Mojo?

58 days before my A race and I'm feeling tired and out of shape. My FTP on the tri bike has dropped from an all time high in April (road bike) but seems to be holding steady for now. My VDOT has stayed the same pretty much all season but for good reason. I pulled my hamstring early on and any speed work really aggravated it so I stayed at the same level and recently dropped the pace by 10 seconds/mile and have been OK. The swim is getting better but will always be my weakest link.

It seems as though I go through this every season with April being my peak month and then I slowly slide down hill from there. This was definitely true when I was just road racing and appears to be the same now that I've switched to triathlons.

For the past 4 years, my training has always started the first week in January. After 12 weeks of intense workouts, I'm flying going into April/May and has me wondering do I really need a 38 week HIM plan or could I get away with a 16 or 20 week plan, made up of my outseason and race prep. One other note, is that I always respond well to V02 work, especially when I do it before the longer FTP intervals. I did V02 intervals for the first 2 months of my 2008 season and then added FTP intervals and saw the biggest FTP gains to date. In addition, I was able to maintain the high FTP throughout the entire season. This season, I started with a different plan that had me doing FTP intervals for 9 weeks and then added V02 for 5 weeks and I was again flying after the 5 weeks of V02.

My plan for the next few weeks incorporates a day of V02 intervals a week so hopefully this will jump start my mojo as I'm not feeling it right now.

Race Prep has started

I'm starting the final 12 weeks of training for my A race - Ironman 70.3 Augusta on September 27th. The run and swim volume increase by an hour each discipline and if everything goes as planned, I'll put in 13 to 14:30 hours a week over the next 10 weeks before cutting back the volume for peaking/tapering.

Today called for 3200yds of which I completed 2900yds due to my training partner needing to get to work or me being a slow swimmer. WU: 200 swim, 200 pull MS: 40 x 50 (10") as odds hard and evens easy. 100 easy swim and then 2 x 300 (15") pull CD: 200 swim

I finished up with an hour run with 3 x 1 mile at TP.

Tomorrow calls for: WU: 200 swim, 200 pull MS: 6 x 200 (15") Pull @ T-Pace +5" CD: 200 and a 40' run @ LRP/MP.

87 days and counting

87 days until my A race. I start my 12 week HIM plan on 7/6 which will take me right up to race day. My swim workouts will change slightly but mainly the time will increase by about 50%, not to mention the distance. Hopefully by the end of the 12 weeks, I will have made peace with the water and will be Hackett or Phelps-like swimming in the nuclear waste run-off stream called the Savannah River.

I've bagged quite a bit of bike and run testing as I feel I'm pretty in tune with my power #'s and don't want to aggravate my hamstring or piriformis muscle by trying to blow out a 5K test. It is what it is and on race day, I will run what my body says I can run.

Regarding the bike power, I've dropped my FTP over the past several weeks as adapting to the new aero position has taken longer than expected and I'm having difficulty hitting the target range for my intervals. Part of it is that I need to HTFU and "Just Do It!", but now that I'm more aero, I'm finding it difficult to hit the FTP target. I did add a spacer back under my stem now that I'm done with short course racing and also in hopes of eeking out a few more watts.

Race Report - Tri the Midlands

First race of the 2009 season is in the books. I improved my swim time by over 3 minutes versus 2008 and my run time by 1:37. The bike course changed so no way to compare results but even though I held back, my split was within 60 seconds of the open/top finishers. Not sure what happened in transition but in looking at my times, I could've showered and shaved in the time it took me in T1 and T2. I was over a minute slower in total transition versus 2008.

They changed the run course slightly and instead of running the sidewalk out and back, we ran the road out and sidewalk back. The change resulted in a much steeper grade on the out portion of the run and such that I saw many people walking the steepest point. I was hoping for a sub 21 run but just didn't feel it. I wore my cushion shoes - Nike Vomero's to help me absorb the shock of going down hill and I think the additional weight kept me from a quicker turnover. Still improved my time over 2008 but not where I wanted to be. Knowing that there was only one peson in my age group ahead of me (several minutes) made it hard to push myself over the hills/etc.

22 out of 255
3rd place Masters (second place was 5 seconds faster)
2nd place 40-44 AG

500M Swim (plus 60yd run to T1) - 10:43
T1 - 1:36
Bike - 14 miles - 37:40 (my computer says 14.6 miles)
T2 - 1:14
Run - 5K - 22:08

1:13:18

New Saddle - John Cobb V-Flow +

I've been having issues such as pain, numbness, and not being able to find the sweet spot on the Fizik Arione Tri2 that came on my Scott Plasma and decided to try the V-Flow + from Cobb Cycling. I know saddles fit people differently but I've got to say, this saddle is amazing. I received it last Thursday and rode it for the first time on Saturday. I can happily report that I didn't have any pain, numbness, soreness, etc and was able to find the sweet spot pretty quickly and settle in for a 3 hour ride. 90% of the ride was in my aero bars so I definitely gave it a thorough test drive. An hour's worth of FTP intervals today and still no issues. I couldn't be happier. Cosmetically, this saddle is one of the ugliest I've seen but comfort wise, it's the best!

Free shipping and a 180 day money back guarantee is hard to pass on. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did!

Pain update

I think I've figured out my left leg pain and it as something to do with my sciatic nerve. I'm stretching like it's my job, using the foam roller, and sitting on tennis and golf balls to help loosen up and ease the pain. It appears to be working as I'm able to make it through some longer runs and some speed work without my left side flaring up.

I've also purchased some new shoes as the pair I purchased 2 months ago was a little too small as I bruised one of my toes on my long run 2 weeks ago and it appears I'm losing the nail. In addition, I seem to be mid-foot striking on my left foot and have totally compressed the foam on the outside of the shoe. I've moved away from the Mizuno wave riders and decided to try the Nike Vomero and Asics Landreth. The Landreth will serve as my mid distance shoe and the Vomero will serve as my long distance shoe. The cushioning of the Vomero is amazing and the tread pattern should help out with the mid foot strike. So far so good.

Mid foot cleats = lower HR??

Not sure if this was a fluke or what but in doing my 3 x 10' FTP intervals yesterday, I decided to make a change for the last interval - moved my Look cleats as far back as they would go and compared the data.

Interval #2

Pavg - 264W
Cavg - 86 rpm
HRavg - 152 bpm
SPavg - 20.8 mph

Interval #3 (moved cleats back)

Pavg - 265W
Cavg - 84 rpm
HRavg - 147 bpm
SPavg - 20.5 mph


Hmmmmm........

Working through the pain

Not much to report other than my piriformis and ITB acting up. The sore piriformis actually stopped me from running right at the end of my 16 week OS plan and along with several missed training days due to travel for work, forced me to withdraw from my first event of the year - Lake Murray Sprint. The pain would start about a mile into the run and would linger for the remainder of the run. Stopping and stretching would offer temporary relief but not enough to kick the pain for the rest of the run. I tried stretching and other methods of relief but nothing seemed to help until I received my foam roller.

I didn't realize how bad of shape my muscle tissue was until I rolled it for the first time. I said quite a few 4 letters words - mainly OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! What rolling I did do seemed to offer some relief and i was able to complete 3 x 10' @95% FTP without any pain. More rolling this morning before I run this afternoon and hopefully, will be close to pain free.

I'm coming to the end of my 2 week transition between plans and will start 8 weeks of what Endurance Nation calls Basic Month which is the time when you start adding structured swim workouts and distance to the bike and run. Time to add far to the fast.

My job is getting in the way of my hobby

I've been traveling a lot lately and as a result, my training has really suffered. I've only been able to complete about 6 workouts in the past 2 weeks and have decided to pull the plug on next weeks sprint tri at Lake Murray. I'm kind of bummed about it as it will be my first opportunity to swim in my new wetsuit but there will be plenty of other opportunities. My left hamstring / hip flexor is still pretty sore so going all out in the 5k is probably not a good idea.

I put away the indoor trainer and am transitioning to my tri bike as I move into the next phase of my training. The next 2 weeks are supposed to be off or transition weeks but I find it hard to do this knowing I pretty much transitioned the past two weeks.

Thinking about getting my position critiqued by ttbikefit.com

Why not Bike, Swim, & Run or Run, Swim, and Bike?

Freestyle swimming has humbled me. Growing up, I was a pretty decent breaststroker and have a box full of county meet ribbons to prove it. Freestyle was my next best stroke but that's all changed. Fast forward 30+ years and while I can still breaststroke fairly well, I can't freestyle for the life of me. For some reason I sink no matter how low I keep my head and regardless if I have a pull buoy between my legs. Breathing while swimming freestyle, forget about it. How could something so simple be so difficult in the water? Give me a snorkel and I'll swim circles around you.

I'm been swimming on average 2X per week since December and I'm no further along. I was making great strides in early February but then we headed to Disney for a few days and I came down with the flu and I've been pretty much useless in the water since that time.

Maybe a Master's class would help or private lessons. Or maybe they could change the order of the disciplines and move the swim to the middle and that way I could use my strength biking or running to get a time gap on all of the swimmers. Or maybe I could wear a snorkel and be so fast out of the water that I wouldn't hear the comments like - where's your spear gun? I'm not sure I'm up for all the ridicule of wearing a snorkel as the blogs are still talking about fin man from IMFL.

I tried making peace with the water as Bree Wee suggested in her blog. It didn't work. We're still at odds with one another.

Rising FTP

My 12' to 20' FTP efforts have been getting easier so I keep increasing my FTP in small increments. All of the VO2 work has allowed me to turn up the watts by 15 to 25 in the last 3' to 5' of the interval. Did a hill interval on Saturday while visiting family in the North GA mountains with an average grade of 6.5% that took me 20' to cover 3.7 miles with a Pavg of 300W. I'm thinking my FTP is at or above 280W which would put me at or above 4W/Kg.

Still undecided about the May 3rd sprint at Lake Murray just because it is my youngest daughter's birthday and I'm not sure what she has planned for the weekend.

More 2 x 20's, 3 x 10', and 3 x 2.5' intervals this week on the bike along with some MP, HMP, and TP run workouts. As far as the swimming goes, I'm trying to put in 3 workouts a week but due to my travel schedule, I've been hitting 1 or 2 at best.

Waterproof Garmin Forerunner 310XT

Finally, a waterproof Garmin for the multi-sport athlete. Available Summer 2009. See link below.

Link

Unexpected results

I've been taking part in a double top secret power hack for Endurance Nation over the past 4 weeks and this week is our testing week. Results so far have been positive for the guinea pigs with some showing upwards of a 7% increase in 5' power and others increasing their FTP by 5% in just 4 weeks.

The power hack wizard hasn't computed my new FTP but my test results are as follows:

Week 1, 5' Pavg: 322W
Week 5, 5' Pavg: 357W - Gain of 35W or 11% increase

My all time best 5' Pavg is 366W and was tested in 6/07.

Week 1, 20' Pavg: 278W
Week 5, 20' Pavg: 289W (first 10' @ 283W, second 10' @ 295W) - Gain of 11W or 4% increase

The test protocol was as follows:
WU: 15' - 20'
MS: 5' all out
12' easy
3' @ 30"on/30" off with on being at 120% of FTP
5' easy
20' all out
CD: 20 minutes easy

Feeling pretty good about the results and am anxious to learn what all of this means. I think I know - I haven't developed my FTP to its fullest potential.

Legs feeling pretty good

Headed out of town Thursday afternoon for a business meeting Friday AM and ended up getting home at 9:00PM last night due to flight delays. Woke up early and decided to drink a pot of coffee before the wife and kids rolled out of bed at 9:00AM. By 11:00AM, I was chomping at the bit to get the workout done so off I went.

Plan called for 2 x 12' at 95 - 100% FTP and 2 x 15' at 85% of FTP. Was supposed to do a 30' run at HMP but it is pouring ran and thundering so I think I'll pass. Results were as follows:

#1: 271W
#2: 279W
#3: 235W
#4: 233W

With my current FTP set at 270W, I think I'm due for another bump. The bump coupled with my weight loss should result in me being over 4W/kg and I haven't even completed my off season - 4 weeks to go.

Have a 5' maximal power test and 20' FTP test on Tuesday so hopefully they'll go well and I'll see a nice bump.

26'of VO2 work

Wrapping up my final week of the Endurance Nation double top secret power hack with 26' at 120% of FTP on Tuesday. Pain never felt so good.

30' swim this morning with an hour run this afternoon consisting of 10 x 200m and 4 x 400m at IP or 6:39. 2 x 20' at 95-100% on Thursday before heading out of town until Friday PM.

New De Soto T1 First Wave Wetsuit

Ended up going with a 2009 De Soto T1 First Wave bibjohn and pullover. Contacted De Soto direct and purchased a blemished graphics set for a stoopidly low price that I couldn't pass up. Why the De Soto? Probably the ease of taking it off and being able to dial in the fit by mixing sizes for the bibjohn and pullover.

7 mile run

Training plan called for 3 x 1 mile at Z4/TP (7:05) with 1 mile @ Z1/LRP (8:39) as recovery after each mile. Workout was pretty uneventful and it was nice to run in the sunshine.

Last week of the Endurance Nation double top secret VO2 workouts before my final 5' MP and 20' power tests. Based on my intervals on Saturday AM, my FTP might be even higher than estimated the other day as I had no problem putting out the power during the 2 x 12' and actually had to throttle it back.

My weight after my run was 153.3 but I'm sure it was a result of sweating and burning 900kj.

Off day tomorrow and will skip the pool as well as my pool mate is out of town.

On to her great reward!

Our family pet of more than 16 years was put down on Friday after a courageous fight with kidney failure. She fought a good fight and other than weight loss and being picky about food, you would never have known anything was wrong with her. I was never a cat person until a co-worker gave Sally to me as a kitten. She changed my perception of cats and when my wife and girls are ready for another pet, I'm sure it will be a cat.

My workout this morning was just not the same as my training partner, Sally was missing. Sally would position herself on the rug next to my bike/trainer and would stay there until I finished my workout. I think she enjoyed the vibration and the white noise helped her dose off in one of her many cat naps. When I started the VO2 intervals a few weeks ago, I was struggling to make it through the last 3 minute interval and I swear I saw her mouth move and then in her best Jens Voigt impersonation, she said : Your body is talking to you and saying I can't do it anymore! I can't do it anymore! Listen to your mind which is telling your body to shut up, and do what I tell you!" She was living proof of this as her body was shutting down, yet she would crawl up on your lap and purr.

Thanks for the memories!! You'll surely be missed.

In tribute to Sally, I cranked out 2 x 12' at 276W and 278W and a 1 x 15' at 246W.

Tired legs

Did 8 miles today by way of 8 x 1000m (2' easy in between) at Z4 or 7:05 pace. No problem completing the intervals but my left leg feels jacked up from the hip down to the outside of my knee. I was just thinking the other day that I'm running pain free and my body has adapted to the speed work pretty well. Except when I don't stretch. Need to spend more time after the run and on off days stretching as my legs can tell a big difference when I do.

I'm flying out to Baltimore tomorrow which means an early morning and 2 x 15' at FTP on the trainer before I head out to Charlotte to catch my flight. Hopefully my legs show up as my PMC tells me that I'll have a TSB of -20 tomorrow so I'm not expecting too much.

More VO2 work

Still a lab rat for Endurance Nation's double top secret 5 week bike training plan modification. Today my workout consisted of 23' of VO2 work at 120% of FTP. To help clear out the legs, I did a 20' LRP run afterward as it was too pretty outside not to.

My weight has dropped again, so I'm now around 154lbs. Getting closer to my target of 150lbs by September.

Backhanded Compliment.....I think.

Sitting at Sunday lunch at my in-laws and my wife looks over at me and says - " Are you still trying to lose weight?" After having polished off a fried chicken breast, one serving of rice and gravy, 2 servings of butter beans, serving of corn, two servings of collard greens, a salad, and a slice of pecan pie, I responded - "Does it look like I'm trying to lose weight? Why do you ask?"

Her response - "because your head appears to be out of proportion with the rest of your body. Meaning is appears too big."

More FTP work

Legs felt great today coming off a rest day (with the exception of a swim) on Friday. Plan called for 2 x 12' at 95-100% FTP and 2 x 15' @85% FTP. Ended up doing 268W and 266W for the first 2 intervals (100% is 270W) and 233W and 238W for the second 2 which were actually more than the 85% of FTP target.

I think my FTP has increased again but I'll keep it at 270W until my next test which is 3 weeks away. My guess is about an 8 to 10W increase but we'll see.

Training

Started my second week of incorporating some VO2 intervals and Tuesday I ended up with 17' of VO2 work. I did a 20', Z1 brick run after the intervals to help clear the legs. Felt good and slept like a baby.

Swam Monday and today - about 1200yds each day and did a 50' run today which included 4 x 30" strides and 3 x 1 mile (4' off) at 5K pace. Wasn't sure of the pace so I ended up doing 6:44, 6:32, and 6:38. Legs felt pretty good and it was nice to get outside in the 80F degree weather.

Tomorrow calls for 2 x 12' @ 95-100% FTP and 2 x 15' @ 85% FTP and another swim on Friday.

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Guinea Pig

Made it back from Puerto Rico in one piece. Had some great sushi at the Water Bar on the roof of the SJ Water & Beach Club Hotel overlooking the ocean. Just down the street from the El San Juan Hotel and Casino. Got in a run and bike workout so all was not lost.

As far as being a Guinea Pig, I'm taking part in a double top secret training program over the next 5 weeks for Endurance Nation. I'm replacing the Tuesday and Thursday bike workouts with the test workouts in hopes that I'll be ripping the pedals off in 4 weeks. More in May when my non-disclosure expires.

Functional Threshold Power Test #2

My Endurance Nation OS plan called for a 40 minute FTP test to track progress and reset training zones. Instead of going all out for 20 minutes and taking 95% of the NP which is what I normally do and I know it is one of the 7 deadly sins of determining FTP, Endurance Nation prefers that you do a 2x20' with a 2' rest between and use the NP (normalized power) for the entire 42 minutes as your FTP.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I switched to my Tri bike last week so I really didn't know what to expect with this test. I managed to do the first 20' interval at 274W and the second 20' interval at 270W. It appears that I pretty much coasted or soft pedaled during the 2 minutes which didn't help my overall numbers. Next time I'll pedal at a wattage of at least 150W.

I didn't expect more than a 10W increase to be honest with you and especially doing it on the Tri bike. My weight has dropped about 2.5lbs to 155.5lbs since my last test so with the 10W increase and the lower weight, by new w/kg # comes out to 3.8W/kg which is 0.2W/kg below the magic 4W/kg #.

I'm close to reaching 2 of my season goals only 2 months into my season so I guess I'll be raising the bar again. Goal #1 is an FTP of 280W and Goal # 2 is reaching 4 w/kg. I ended the 2008 season with an FTP of 280W-285W but the difference is that I spent 99% of my training time on the bike whereas this year, I'm training for 3 different disciplines and therefore, time is limited and the reason why the goal is the same as I achieved last year.

I was supposed to do a brick after the test but I need to catch up on work, eat lunch, and pick up my cleaning as I'm heading to Puerto Rico tomorrow to visit with a customer and sample the local fare. I guess my 2 x 20' workout for Thursday will be done on the hotel bike.

Moving to the TT bike

I decided to switch to my TT bike for all of my workouts as I haven't spent much time on it or in the aero position. I was planning on making the switch in May but with a threshold power test on Tuesday, I figured this was as good of a time as any.

Plan called for:

2 x 12' @ 95 - 100% FTP
2 x 15' @ 85% FTP

Brick

30 minutes with first 15' at MP (7:32) and last 15' at HMP (7:14).

I ended up doing 262W and 263W for the first 2 intervals and 221W and 223W for the second 2. No issues in the aero position and I found it easier to generate the power on the TT versus my road bike. Strange as this was the opposite last year.

Trying to find my legs

Wednesday called for a 45' run with 4 x 30" strides and a MS of 4 x 1 mile at TP or 7:05. I swam for 45 minutes in the morning and put off the run until early evening due to rain and motivation. instead of running on wet pavement and carrying a light, I headed back to YMCA to use the dreadmill. I did a quick warm-up and started the first mile interval. I bagged it at 0.60. My PE was very high and so was my heart rate. Maybe it was the new environment or the coed in spandex on the elliptical in front of me. I walked for 3 minutes and started the second mile. I bagged this one at 0.70. Bagging the miles becomes easier the more you do it. Walked for another 3 minutes and started mile 3. I stopped it at 0.75. I just couldn't concentrate so I decided to bag mile 4 before I even started it and switched to 200m and 400m intervals. I had no problem completing 3x200m and 3x400m at 6:49 and finally stopped the workout at 42 minutes. I uploaded my data and realized that my ATL and CTL are at all time highs and my TSB is hovering around -24 w. No wonder I was suffering.

FTP Intervals with a brick thrown in

Monday was an off day but I did spend 45 minutes floundering in the pool. Today called for 2 x 20' intervals and then a 45' brick run at EP or 8:49 with 5 x 30" uphill strides. Intervals were surprisingly easy and I did the first one at 252W and the second at 253W. I need to test as my FTP is probably around 270W but I'll wait until the schedule calls for it which I believe is next Tuesday. I start adding VO2 work on the bike in 2 weeks and this work typically boosts my FTP.

Sunday's run workout

I'm coming to the end of week 6 of my Endurance Nation OS plan and the Sunday run appears to be changing for the next 3 weeks.

Plan called for:

Run 0:45
WU: 15'easy, including 4x30" strides

MS: 2 x 200m at Z5/IP
3 x 400m at Z5/IP
3 x 200m at Z5/IP

WD: 5' easy

IP for me right now is 6:39. I didn't pace real well on the first several intervals and ended up in the mid 5's to upper 5's for the first 2 and then tried to dial in the pace for the 1/4 mile intervals and ended up 6:23, 6:33, and 6:37. Not a bad workout and I had no issues completing any of the intervals. I did take extra time stretching at the end of the workout as my left hamstring always gives me issues when I do speed work.

Life is too short

I learned Friday morning that my company lost two employees as a result of the crash of Continental Flight 3407. One was returning home to Buffalo after a meeting in our divisional office in NJ and the other who works as an engineer at our manufacturing facility in Buffalo died when the plane came crashing through his house. What are the odds???

Friday was a tough day not only because of the loss of 2 co-workers but because I live on airplanes and fly anywhere between 75,000- to 100,000 air miles a year. In fact, I was in NJ all week and flying home on Continental out of Newark when they were experiencing wind gusts of upwards of 75mph.

50% of my division's employees are virtual - meaning we work from remote locations such as our home and of the 50%, 40% do the majority of their traveling by air. This easily could've been me. When you fly on imperfect machines, flown by imperfect people in imperfect conditions, you must expect the worst. I think Will Frischkorn of Garmin Chipotle said it best when he was blogging about the death of fellow cyclist Frederiek Nolf, 22 of Team Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator who died in his sleep at the Tour of Qatar earlier this month:

"It’s truly amazing how fragile we all are, and how much is taken for granted. A powerful reminder to live every day with passion, love, and enjoy it all, for one never knows how long it will last."

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who lost someone in the crash.

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I'm drinking the Kool Aid, why aren't you?

5K Test - 52 second improvement

My Endurance Nation OS plan called for a 45' run with 4 x 30" strides and the main set being 3 x 1 mile @ Z4/TP with 4' easy between. Since I was sick last week and wasn't able to test, I decided I would substitute it for this workout. I didn't pace well on my first test so I made sure this was a priority. I dialed the pace in at 6:44 for the first 2 miles and then dropped it to 6:40 for the remaining 1.1.

I ended up with a 20:48 for a new VDOT of 47.6 or an improvement of 2.2 points. I cut 52" from my last test so it is safe to say, I'm getting faster and I have Endurance Nation to thank.

FTP Intervals with a brick run

My Endurance Nation OS program called for 1:15 on the bike and a 20' brick run. For the bike, the plan called for 2x12' on at 95 - 100% of FTP and 4'off and then 2x15' on @ 85% with 2' off between interval sets. A 5 minute transition and then out the door for a 20' run with the first 10' at MP and the last 10' at HMP.

My numbers were as follows:

Interval #1: 12' @ 256W
Interval #2: 12' @ 259W
Interval #3: 15' @ 224W
Interval #4: 15' @ 221W

Legs felt a little heavy at the start of the run but started coming around at minute 8. The new shoes felt great and no pain to speak of during or after the run. I've got a 45' Z1 run with 4x30" uphill strides tomorrow so the additional time in the shoes will be a good thing and help me determine if they're a keeper.

New running shoes

I've been experiencing some ITB issues on my left side and feel as though my shoes are causing the problem. The store put me in some Mizuno Wave Rider 11's size 9 and off I went. The size 9 should've been a red flag but I listened to the store owner as she said "trust me". The toe box of said shoe felt like a swimming pool and I felt like I was wearing clown shoes. 225 miles later, I decided enough was enough.

I went back to the same store only because of convenience and was helped by a very knowledgeable young man. He put me on the treadmill again and really advised me against a stability shoe based on what he saw and suggested we look at other neutral shoes with less firm heels. The pair that felt the best was the Asics Landreth. At least it did up until I tried on the new - 2009 Mizuno Wave Rider 12. OMG - what huge difference. The Mizuno felt like home and with the new model I was able to size back down to my normal 8.5 with a perfect feeling toe box. There are so many changes that the shoe feels and hopefully performs much different than the previous model. I've got a short brick tomorrow and a long slow run on Sunday so I should be able to tell if these are a keeper or not. If not, it's the Asics Landreth for me.

Back in the saddle again

My sickness ended up being the flu. My youngest came down with similar symptoms on Sunday and her nose swab on Monday came back positive.

I took the weekend off and started back with the Endurance Nation OS plan on Tuesday. I bagged the FTP and 5K test and performed 2 x 10' and 2 x 12' FTP intervals on Tuesday and Thursday and 3 x 1 mile @TP on Wednesday. I've managed to maintain the watts and the pace that I was putting out prior to getting sick so I appear to be back on track.

I'm in NJ next week for a sales meeting and luckily, there is a YMCA close by so I should be able to stick to the plan. I hate performing FTP intervals on a Life Cycle so hopefully they have spinning bikes.

2 steps forward, 1 step back

My training is on hold due to me picking up some type of virus or something during my last business trip - damn that recycled air! We headed to Disney with my parents for a quick Sunday thru Friday tour of 4 theme parks and I started feeling some aches later in the day on Wednesday. Earlier that morning, I ran 50 minutes (4 x 1 @ TP) in the resort's fitness center and just assumed the aches were due to riding Tower of Terror, Rock & Roller Coaster over and over and the run. Boy was I wrong. I woke up Thursday AM congested, swollen glands, and a heaviness in my lungs. The heaviness turned into non stop dry coughing which progressed into a wet cough that felt like I swallowed boiling soup every time I coughed.

We arrived back home Friday evening, too late to see the doctor so it looks as though I'm in a holding pattern until Monday, when I hope to get some relief. BTW - 7 days to the day from first flight to onset of symptoms. I guess I need to get one of those SARS masks that were all the rage a few years ago and wear it when I travel which will be again in 8 days.

What's frustrating is that I was seeing big gains in my swim endurance, run times and efforts at threshold power on the bike. Better to get this over with now as my A race is still 237 days away!

The little engine that could.....

Lance talking about being in the break in Stage # 3 of the TDU.

"I think it's the kind of stuff I need to do, I need to get in the race and work that top end," he said. "Like I've said 100 times here, I can't get that in training so the more I can be out there... I mean, I looked down at my power meter and the average after two hours was 340 watts, you can't do that in training. You're just constantly going and going and going."

Lance goes old school

Check out Lance's new skips....

2 down, 14 more to go!

Done with the second week of my Endurance Nation OS plan and feeling pretty good. I started targeting at least 100% of my FTP versus 95-100% when I do my intervals as the efforts are annoying or distracting but I wouldn't call them tough. Maybe I sandbagged my FTP by 5 - 10 watts but the next test will settle that issue. The time for each interval increases to 12' this week so we'll see how things go.

Just watched the TDU and Lance looks lean and all business!

Back from vacation

The legs felt pretty good coming off 5 days of playing in the powder in Utah. The plan called for 3 x 8' on 2' off at 95-100% FTP. I actually increased the average wattage for each succeeding interval, saving the best for last. I then ran at an easy pace for 25 minutes to complete the day's scheduled workout.

I've been swimming for 45 minutes every M, W, and F in hopes of improving my stroke and building endurance and I'm starting to see a little improvement. I was active in swim team as a kid (numerous county and region breast stroke ribbons to prove it) but up until December 08, I only swam 5X in the past 28 years and the 5X were an attempt to get ready for my first sprint triathlon (6/08). I don't count wading in the pool with my kids as structured swimming nor do I count lounging in a chair watching the waves crash the beach at Holden. So, with little base to build on, the ROI is pretty high for me right now and the additional time has little effect on my other training.

The runs at HMP and TP are getting easier as I'm having to really focus on slowing down my pace when performing these intervals. I guess the 200 miles I did at 180 cadenece (listing to a metronome on my Ipod) are paying off by keeping my turnover high.

I have 2 solid weeks of training before I head to Disney with the family and hope this is the last major break in my training schedule.