Wednesday
Longest day of the year! Happy summer solstice. I felt like this workout was my own personal celebration of the day. Left work at ~5 to get the ride in. As I rode away realized I hadn't really looked at the workout. All I could remember was the 20 minute climb. Later looked and I didn't specifically get in the intervals, but I didn't slack on the ride so hope all is even. I think the 20 minute climb was a little more effort than I should have though. At 10 minutes I was feeling good. At 12 I though I was going to blow up. I got to thinking though. Maybe the road got steeper at 12 minutes. Even a subtle incline my speed would have slowed down and then my effort would have to be harder. So maybe it wasn't me. Regardless, I was blearly eyed at the top. Ooops.
Post ride run was good too. Started out pretty slow and legs were heavy but by the second half I was moving along. Ran back 5 minutes faster than I ran out. Had to add a little extra to get in 30 minutes.
Thursday
This is about 5 minutes post run and I think that this run about killed me. I think I thought " I hate you Elliot" a couple of times. First of all I was not super motivated to do it and feeling tired. I thought if I start running maybe your legs will kick in. I felt like they were detached from my body and I was just out there flailing. I ran the first one fast though, and by the 3rd one was thinking I might be bleary eyed after this and slowed it down a bit. Not much but tried to get my form more organized at least. Was that supposed to hurt so bad? Also, it was really hot. Warmer than it probably has been all spring.
Friday
Met Lawrence at the pool and did the swim. Stayed right on my calculated intervals. Was really tired this day, but the swim was okay anyway. Lawrence filmed me at the end. Need to look at the film. Got some really good food for dinner and went home after the swim. Felt good to sit on the couch, eat well, and get to bed early. Sleep not so good. Really windy outside all night. I think I was a little anxious for the ride the next day and concerned about doing it in the wind. Eventually closed the windows so that I could get some sleep.
Saturday
Met Art and Lawrence for the ride. Running out of good rides from Bozeman. Went up Bridger Canyon over to Wilsall. We rode 75 miles in 4.5 hours. This included some big climbs over Battle Ridge. The 25 mile IM pace was good. Lawrence and I rode together most of the way. For the climbing we didn't push it too much, and coming down the otherside of Battle Ridge was pretty exhilirating. Could go at a pretty high speed without a ton of effort. The wind ended up picking up and we had a pretty good cross wind from Battle Ridge to Wilsall. I think it is good to be out in the elements. Followed nutrition plan the same as last week and I felt great. We stopped at Bohart to refill water and got some cold water. Wow, on a hot day that was a huge pick me up. The ride back to Bozeman was pretty exhilirating too. I think if we could have averaged it we would have gone at least 30. We kept a good clip though. Didn't let the wind push us too much but tried to ride hard.
Post ride run was good. We met at the pond so ran the Tritons triathlon sprint run course. I am feeling really good about my run right now. Once my legs settle in I feel good. Lawrence was really suffering and I kept slowing my pace a little. I hate it when people insist on being one step ahead. I didn't want Lawrence to feel that from me.
We soaked our legs in the pond and then I headed home. Ate something quick and went to dinner with my Mom, Dad, sister and her fiance.
Talked a lot on this day about why we do this. Good soulful ride.
Sunday
Didn't sleep well on Saturday night. The wind really picked up again. The heat and the noise were not good for getting a deep sleep. Feeling tired on Saturday morning. Met Lawrence at pond to swim. Didn't put on sunscreen and later on Sunday evening looked in the mirror. Have a goggle and swim cap sunburn. It looks hilarious. Also my neck was hurting. I think it got sunburned too. Didn't think an hour in the water would do anything. Sun is strong right now. Swim was good. Water was calm (no wind yet). We did 3 laps stopping between laps for a minute or so. Then we did another out an back. Arms were really tired first lap. Think it may be from the wetsuit and how it fits. Then arms felt better. It was really starting to get hot.
Went home and ate then had to go to work to get mice. It was going to be a hot run. Since I was supposed to do flattish I decided I might as well include a little sufferfest and do some long straight roads. Canada is very open and I think can be quite the sufferfest in parts. It can also be hot. I kept thinking this was good physical and mental training. Also, good practice for what to eat. I drove around the course and stashed a bunch of water then got myself together and started. Uphill, headwind, and hot for parts. Then downhill and tailwind and hot for other parts. My water was air temperature. I had on a hat, sunglasses and lots of sunscreen so I felt contained but I don't think I have ever sweated so much. This run was hard. I wasn't super comfortable for the 75 minutes of IM pace. I was having lots of ups and downs with the heat but I did it. On the way back I don't think there was much blood in my brain. I couldn't figure out the difference between 60 and 75 minutes. I mapped the run and it looks live a little over 13 miles in about 1:55. Not sure exactly though, I can't figure out that stupid program. I guess I was hoping for a little longer distance, but it was so hot.
Followed IM CDA all day. Had a friend race. I think he kind of fell apart on the run, but finished. My new favorite pro is Heather Wurtele. I want to live in a camper and drive around training and racing. I think that it is very entertaining that I am almost 35 and that is what appeals to me. Not a big house and 3 kids. Anyway, I was almost in tears for he getting DQ'd. It seems like the rules were pretty ambiguous. I am glad she didn't just stop right away. Strong girl and she seems real.
Monday
Drank so much liquid (gatorade and water not beer)last night. Actually feel a little hydrated today. Also, slept pretty well last night despite the heat. So, in general feeling pretty good today despite feeling pretty done over at 6pm last night. It is so wiindy again today and 90+ degrees. Glad to have an easy ride. Might go find some shady trails that are protected from the wind. The canyons around here are great. You can go up Hyalite or Bozeman creek and get out of the wind. Hmm.
Questions: Nutrition. How do the pros do it? When I need to eat I usually sit up, dig through my little bento box or grab a bottle. I usually get passed by a bunch of people I just rode by. Suggestions for eating more efficiently?
6/21/2012
6/18/2012
6/13/12 thru 6/19/12 Let the Ironman season begin...
Tuesday
Ran the 800's at lunch. I think that I ran these too fast. My pace would have been ~6:30 minutes miles. We should talk about my pace. I feel like I want to train fast, but the way I train is maybe faster than I can race. So then I go into the race a total headcase because I know how bad it hurts and don't think I can go that fast. Make sense.
Swim- Got in and got it done. Good swim.
Wednesday
Took the whole day off work. Was on the interview panel for the Recreation and Parks Director. That lasted until 2pm. Got my hair cut, which feels amazing and then went home and went on a ride earlier than normal. Was very tired and glad to get out earlier. Sort of read the workout wrong and thought it said do 3 10 minute hills. I went up Hyalite and went up and down 3 times. Having >2 intevals at pace is very good for me. I think I am usually a little too motivated for the 1st one and by the 2nd and 3rd I can actually estimate a pretty well.
Thursday
Ran the summer trail, which goes from the M over to Sypes. It is a pretty brutal uphill. Ran or tried to run for ~ 35 minutes up. I had to stop and hike for a few seconds to get my breath and then at the end there is this really steep canyon. I have never made it to the top running the whole way. This time I didn't hike, but stopped and caught my breath and then ran again. So technically made it all the way up running. Went pretty mellow on the way home. Beautiful day and weather. Had a meeting at 7 which lasted forever. Really, really tired this week for some reason ( I think it was hormonal, got my period on Friday).
Friday
Quads sore from the day before
Swim- That was a good swim. I came up with a time I would like to do IM Canada in. 1:15. Last year it took ~1:20. I converted all of this to 100 yard lap times and then converted those to the 200's and 500's. I was able to stay right on pace!! It wasn't super easy and I had to stay focused, but with the intervals the way you set them up, there wasn't a lot of rest and there was a lot of swimming. Lawrence filmed me a little during the swim, but I haven't looked at it yet. This week.
Saturday
Group ride with Lawrence, Jamie, Art, and Ryan. Jamie, Lawrence and I all ran after. The ride was great. We all hunkered down and got the work done. 85 miles in ~4:30 of riding time. It took us a while to warm up and get going, but once we started we kept up a good pace. After doing the 3-10 mile intervals we still kept it solid coming home.
Run was good too. My legs weren't super fatigued and the transition didn't hurt to bad. We were running under 9 minute miles for a lot of it. I felt like I was holding back a bit with the others too.
I did race day nutrition the same as last year. It was fine. No GI problems on the run or bike at all. Maybe up in Oliver I ate something bad and my GI problems were not related. I also took a gel right after the swim which didn't go down well. I think I need to wait a little before eating when coming out of the water.
Sunday
Woke up pretty tired from the day on Saturday. Lounged around a bit and Erik made us breakfast. Crepes with nutella and strawberries and a side of bacon. Drank some more coffee cleaned the refrigerator and then headed over to the pond for a swim. The wind had picked up and the water was pretty choppy. It wasn't too bad as far as temperature and with my little neoprene cap I was pretty toasty. I did 3 laps which totalled 45 minutes. Good practice in the chop. Went against it and sideways as well as with it. Good swim workout. I got a waterproof shuffle for Christmas and it is a pretty cool thing to have in those open water swim.
Went home and ate something. Talked to my sister on the phone and then headed up to Bozeman Creek for a run. I wasn't super motivated, but also had every intention of finishing the run so hmm. Brought my Mom's dog thinking it would be good for her. In hindsight, I should have left her at home. She got really tired and I ended up having to wait for her a lot on the way down. My plan was to run up for ~1:10 and try to make it down in 50. I think it would have been doable without Bella.
I felt hungry and worked after this day.
Monday- Very grateful for a rest day. Can focus on work for the day and hopefully get some sleep tonight.
Ran the 800's at lunch. I think that I ran these too fast. My pace would have been ~6:30 minutes miles. We should talk about my pace. I feel like I want to train fast, but the way I train is maybe faster than I can race. So then I go into the race a total headcase because I know how bad it hurts and don't think I can go that fast. Make sense.
Swim- Got in and got it done. Good swim.
Wednesday
Took the whole day off work. Was on the interview panel for the Recreation and Parks Director. That lasted until 2pm. Got my hair cut, which feels amazing and then went home and went on a ride earlier than normal. Was very tired and glad to get out earlier. Sort of read the workout wrong and thought it said do 3 10 minute hills. I went up Hyalite and went up and down 3 times. Having >2 intevals at pace is very good for me. I think I am usually a little too motivated for the 1st one and by the 2nd and 3rd I can actually estimate a pretty well.
Thursday
Ran the summer trail, which goes from the M over to Sypes. It is a pretty brutal uphill. Ran or tried to run for ~ 35 minutes up. I had to stop and hike for a few seconds to get my breath and then at the end there is this really steep canyon. I have never made it to the top running the whole way. This time I didn't hike, but stopped and caught my breath and then ran again. So technically made it all the way up running. Went pretty mellow on the way home. Beautiful day and weather. Had a meeting at 7 which lasted forever. Really, really tired this week for some reason ( I think it was hormonal, got my period on Friday).
Friday
Quads sore from the day before
Swim- That was a good swim. I came up with a time I would like to do IM Canada in. 1:15. Last year it took ~1:20. I converted all of this to 100 yard lap times and then converted those to the 200's and 500's. I was able to stay right on pace!! It wasn't super easy and I had to stay focused, but with the intervals the way you set them up, there wasn't a lot of rest and there was a lot of swimming. Lawrence filmed me a little during the swim, but I haven't looked at it yet. This week.
Saturday
Group ride with Lawrence, Jamie, Art, and Ryan. Jamie, Lawrence and I all ran after. The ride was great. We all hunkered down and got the work done. 85 miles in ~4:30 of riding time. It took us a while to warm up and get going, but once we started we kept up a good pace. After doing the 3-10 mile intervals we still kept it solid coming home.
Run was good too. My legs weren't super fatigued and the transition didn't hurt to bad. We were running under 9 minute miles for a lot of it. I felt like I was holding back a bit with the others too.
I did race day nutrition the same as last year. It was fine. No GI problems on the run or bike at all. Maybe up in Oliver I ate something bad and my GI problems were not related. I also took a gel right after the swim which didn't go down well. I think I need to wait a little before eating when coming out of the water.
Sunday
Woke up pretty tired from the day on Saturday. Lounged around a bit and Erik made us breakfast. Crepes with nutella and strawberries and a side of bacon. Drank some more coffee cleaned the refrigerator and then headed over to the pond for a swim. The wind had picked up and the water was pretty choppy. It wasn't too bad as far as temperature and with my little neoprene cap I was pretty toasty. I did 3 laps which totalled 45 minutes. Good practice in the chop. Went against it and sideways as well as with it. Good swim workout. I got a waterproof shuffle for Christmas and it is a pretty cool thing to have in those open water swim.
Went home and ate something. Talked to my sister on the phone and then headed up to Bozeman Creek for a run. I wasn't super motivated, but also had every intention of finishing the run so hmm. Brought my Mom's dog thinking it would be good for her. In hindsight, I should have left her at home. She got really tired and I ended up having to wait for her a lot on the way down. My plan was to run up for ~1:10 and try to make it down in 50. I think it would have been doable without Bella.
I felt hungry and worked after this day.
Monday- Very grateful for a rest day. Can focus on work for the day and hopefully get some sleep tonight.
6/11/2012
6/6/12 thru 6/12/12
Nice easy week. Tried not to fill it in with too much busy work or get stressed out about anythings. I was feeling pretty tired up to Thursday.
Wed. - Lisa and Amy F. were going to do some intervals but were going to do a little warm up ride first. I met Amy F. but Lisa didn't show. We rode on town trails for ~30 minutes or so together. She went to do her intervals and I went and rode around some more.
Thursday- Went and did the swim and run after work. Swim felt good. Run was pretty slow and my legs were still a little fatigued. Did some PT afterwards since I was at the gym.
Friday- Day off. My glutes and calves are sore from PT. Went to Spectators with work people at 3:30. I can never go to happy hour so that was fun. Also good for work, our lab never gets of for fun stuff. Hung out with Erik's family after that.
Sat.-Erik and I headed out on a ride. We were going to ride to a trail, but it was raining and decided to stick closer to town to avoid getting really cold. Did a big loop of the town trails. Ended up just dumping on us. I think, even a little bit of snow. My feet were so cold, they were blotchy and red until they warmed up. We probably rode a little over 2 hours.
Sunday- 5k relay. Beth and I each swam 5X500. It was a good workout. I was doing each one on the 10:00 minutes exactly. Question/thought. On one of the 500s I worked extra hard. I was tired and breathing harder when I was done. I put in a lot of effort and was only 10 seconds faster. What is the point, was my thought.. So I swam the rest at a nice steady 10 minute pace. Thoughts? Will trying harder make me faster? There seems to be a lot of effort for very little payoff?
My friend Jamie did the 5k in 1:16. Depressing. She can swim a 5k in less time it takes me to swim 2.4 miles. She is also racing IM Canada. You better make sure I can catch her on the bike or at the very least the run. Oh, crap, did I just say that?
Weather so crappy today. Won't stop raining and it is cold. Wanted to go to Spanish Creek with Erik's family and do the run there. Ended up putting on a raincoat and running out the front door. It was actually pretty fun. Ran through some mud puddles just to fully embrace the day. Only ran for 30 minutes. I woke up feeling like I needed a nap so didn't have the willpower to go too far.
Monday- Planning on getting out on the TT bike after work. Of course the weather is gorgeous today.
Wed. - Lisa and Amy F. were going to do some intervals but were going to do a little warm up ride first. I met Amy F. but Lisa didn't show. We rode on town trails for ~30 minutes or so together. She went to do her intervals and I went and rode around some more.
Thursday- Went and did the swim and run after work. Swim felt good. Run was pretty slow and my legs were still a little fatigued. Did some PT afterwards since I was at the gym.
Friday- Day off. My glutes and calves are sore from PT. Went to Spectators with work people at 3:30. I can never go to happy hour so that was fun. Also good for work, our lab never gets of for fun stuff. Hung out with Erik's family after that.
Sat.-Erik and I headed out on a ride. We were going to ride to a trail, but it was raining and decided to stick closer to town to avoid getting really cold. Did a big loop of the town trails. Ended up just dumping on us. I think, even a little bit of snow. My feet were so cold, they were blotchy and red until they warmed up. We probably rode a little over 2 hours.
Sunday- 5k relay. Beth and I each swam 5X500. It was a good workout. I was doing each one on the 10:00 minutes exactly. Question/thought. On one of the 500s I worked extra hard. I was tired and breathing harder when I was done. I put in a lot of effort and was only 10 seconds faster. What is the point, was my thought.. So I swam the rest at a nice steady 10 minute pace. Thoughts? Will trying harder make me faster? There seems to be a lot of effort for very little payoff?
My friend Jamie did the 5k in 1:16. Depressing. She can swim a 5k in less time it takes me to swim 2.4 miles. She is also racing IM Canada. You better make sure I can catch her on the bike or at the very least the run. Oh, crap, did I just say that?
Weather so crappy today. Won't stop raining and it is cold. Wanted to go to Spanish Creek with Erik's family and do the run there. Ended up putting on a raincoat and running out the front door. It was actually pretty fun. Ran through some mud puddles just to fully embrace the day. Only ran for 30 minutes. I woke up feeling like I needed a nap so didn't have the willpower to go too far.
Monday- Planning on getting out on the TT bike after work. Of course the weather is gorgeous today.
6/05/2012
Oliver Half race week and race report
Race
6th overall, 3rd AG. Half iron PR 5:14:53. Also, would have gotten an IM Canada spot. Crazy. Not as fast as I wanted, but last year I was an AG 5 and 13th overall, suggesting to me the conditions were different this year. Also, coach Elliot, somewhere in the last year you taught me to run!!! In races it still is flooring me that running is going so well. I used to bike good and die on the run. I took off 5 minutes from last years run time and moved up in the field from 10 to 6. It felt so amazing. Well maybe not amazing, it hurt really bad, but it was hurt I could handle.
Swim- started over on the edge where there were only girls two deep. I am so fearful of getting run over and drowning in the swim. Didn't have a problem. I even thought. I love Canadians. They are so nice they won't even run me over. Started out swimming hard, drafted a bit if faster girls would pass me. Felt focused and like I was working hard the whole swim. I was super bummed when my time was 3 minutes slower getting out. Kind of made me crabby for a lot of the bike. Later I found out that they were announcing the swim times being slower. There was a current in the lake or something. It was also kind of windy so the water was pretty choppy.
Bike- Held back for the first lap or so. Wasn't feeling super hot. Felt like my legs were a little crampy and my stomach wasn't super happy. Kept eating though and even tried a few things. Solid food, accelerade, gel. Water and electrolytes. It wasn't super hot out and my feet were even cold for a while. Didn't need to drink much water. On lap two I finally just gave in and went for it. Actually felt better doing this. I stopped paying attention to my stomach and maybe it had settled down a bit. There was a wind going up and down the valley with a headwind going north. I tried to put in a bigger effort with a tail wind and tried to stay down in the aerobars even going up hills into the headwind. Got in and my bike split was slower than last year. I was thinking it was by more but looking at the results it was only a minute or so. Dangit though. Still feeling a little demoralized.
Run- Stomach still not super happy. Started the run and had to use the outhouse right away. Kept it pretty mellow, let my breathing settle down and my legs forget that they had been pedaling for 56 miles. After a few miles I picked it up, and then at the turnaround Erik who had been keeping track of my place told me I was in 7th. I think he said 10th, but the 7th really motivated me. I really scooted around that last lap. Passed 3-4 girls that I was sure were ahead of me and left them in the dust.
Definitely felt like I left it on out there. Had post race gut for a while and was having a hard time moving. Laid down in the grass after the race and felt really happy there. Had a hard time eating or drinking for a few hours.
All in all. Disappointed that my time was not faster, but considering my place think I was relatively faster than last year. Felt really strong on the run.
I wish this blog could be better but work is really distracting right now. Talk to you soon.
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