tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328941947618988642024-03-10T12:13:00.942-07:00SUB6Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-87984894661944356562014-01-26T12:52:00.002-08:002014-01-26T12:53:19.073-08:00Sunday Morning RideI think the short sharp sprint training and testing caught up with me Sunday. I went 'off plan' just for a little ride over the Lakes to get out in the fresh air and maybe give some of the Strava segments a nudge to see where I was at.<br />
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Big mistake.<br />
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My legs were dead. I've been climbing hills in my big chain ring recently but when I hit the Duathlon climb I nearly stopped dead. Into the small ring and spin. I did a few more laps and called it a day.<br />
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<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/435482379" target="_blank">Garmin Connect link</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/108883246/segments/2372765663" target="_blank">Strava link</a><br />
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Hopefully my legs will come back for this week's training. Here's the plan.<br />
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If I survive the hard run on Wednesday then I think I might just declare the calf problem 'over' ... maybe ...<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-44609790248537089022014-01-24T21:40:00.001-08:002014-01-24T22:10:09.050-08:00A New StartThe first week of the Sprint training plan that I'm following has a number of baseline tests. I like these. I've done some before but I think these are the most reliable/retestable that I've done. Re-testing is in 4 weeks. Hoping to make the next 4 weeks count!<br />
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They are<br />
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<li>16k Bike TT on windtrainer</li>
<li>3k run on treadmill</li>
<li>Brick of 20 min windtrainer bike followed by 10 min treadmill run</li>
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<b>16k Bike TT on windtrainer</b></div>
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16 windtrainer kilometres (WTK) in 26:25 ... AHR of 146 (Max 152). Sweated like an English pig! </div>
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<b>3k Run on Treadmill</b></div>
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Bit of a warm up and then set treadmill on 12km/hr and just kept going. Upped the speed for the last 30 seconds just to dip below 15 mins and to make up for treadmill speeding up at the start. Will re-test at same speed and see what happens to Heart Rate. Hoping it will be lower. </div>
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<b>Brick - 20 min bike</b><br />
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I was trying to keep the HR around 140 which seemed extremely hard. The 20 minutes seemed like an eternity. Seems so much easier on the road. Played around with the gears and cadence and just looking at heart rate it would appear that I am more efficient at 82rpm (about 36km/hr for142HR) than 90rpm in a lower gear (34.xkm/hr for 142HR) ... will play with this a bit more but just in terms of HR 82 seems better than 90 ... probably tires the legs more though. Maybe a few tests with runs off different bike strategies.<br />
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Covered 11.9 windtrainer kilometres (WTKs) in 19:59 for average of 35.8 WTK/hr<br />
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<b>Brick - 10 min run</b></div>
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Quick transition. Set treadmill to 5min/k and hung on for 10 mins.</div>
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2k in 10 mins with AHR of 147 (Max of 156)</div>
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Can see a big jump after the 1st k in the graph. Would hope that with a bit of training that the steady 145 would extend for a bit longer.</div>
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I've never followed a Sprint Training Plan before. Needless to say it's different to the Half Ironman ones. I think the brick test that I did was the hardest I've ever worked in such a short period. Spinerval DVDs are hard but at least there are minutes rests in between suffering. The Sprint training is just full on ... just like the race. The first session I did was just ridiculous on the bike and I almost gave up but kept on and finished a wreck. It wasn't till alter that I realised that the programme had my Max HR at 190 when it should be about 175. All the zones it had me riding at were way too high. Soon changed that.<br />
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Calf has been 'good'. Felt it a couple of times during the 10 min brick run but other than that there have been no problems. Seems much easier to back off or change the running gait to make the pain go away on the treadmill than outside. If I can teach myself to run in a way that doesn't pull on the muscle then I might be able to crack it once and for all. Sprint training will be kill or cure. <br />
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Really looking forward to the next 4 weeks of training. Back to work Tuesday so I'll be swimming again at lunchtimes. Yeah right ...<br />
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-62374743674571561012014-01-21T14:18:00.000-08:002014-01-21T14:18:14.752-08:00Rotorua Quarter Ironman<em><span style="color: red;">If anyone actually reads this please note that I do understand that this was just the 'side dish' race to the main event and all the fast people (well, except the winner of our race) were doing the Half. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">Having said that ... I was very pleased with the day and the result :)</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">*edit after Tauranga Half* ... I also think that this race took too much out of me, made me back off the training (thinking I was fitter than I actually was) and made me slack in the eating disciple area (where I always struggle anyway ... and it was Christmas) ... It also made me think that I could go harder on the bike than I should have done for a 90k ride. It was definitely the best race of my life but I started to believe my own publicity and i don't think i gave the half the respect it deserves. It won't happen again ...</span></em><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">This post was a month ago but it sounded too 'gloaty' and I didn't publish it ... Bought back to earth by Half so publishing it as contrast to that race :)haha</span></span><br />
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It's three weeks till the Tauranga Half Ironman and so Saturday's Quarter Ironman was just a glorified training day with the objective to not get injured (or anymore injured than I already am/may be). It was also the first race outing for my new bike and so I was excited about that.<br />
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We decided to stay the night before and so booked the cottage that we stayed in last year. It's 5 mins from the Blue Lake and has a tiny swimming pool and a spa. Made it more of an occasion. We also secured a late 'booking out' time so that if I didn't take too long getting round the course I could get back for a shower and some food before driving home.<br />
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I had a dodgy knee all week and hadn't done any training except for a 10 min bike and 5 min run on Tuesday. The night before the race at the cottage I woke up at about 1am in excruciating pain. Bl@@dy knee. It soon subsided and I went back to sleep. I woke up about 3am and it felt fine. Weird. I got up at 3:30am and sorted everything out. Got Jo and Laura up at 4:50am and we were out of the door for 5:30am. <br />
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The weather looked perfect for the race. Quite warm, no wind and quite a bit of cloud cover. Even the lake felt warm(ish).<br />
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Transition all set up. Bike all ready for it's first race<br />
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Off to the swim start</div>
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The start of the swim was manic. As I was only doing 1k I decided to push my luck a bit and start nearer the front. I'm sure I did get a bit of an advantage with faster feet to follow but there were also more fists and elbows flying and I got one goggle knocked off at one stage and an eye full of water. I felt good all the way around but I was definitely happy to just be swimming one lap. </div>
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Got out of the water and my legs felt OK. In the past for 2k swims I've cramped badly when standing up. I spotted Laura who had been keeping time for me in the swim because I can't trust my Garmin anymore in the water. 18:30 she thought. Turns out it was the second fastest swim in the Quarter race. The fishes were in the Half obviously! </div>
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I was very happy with the time though. Extrapolated out to 2k that is a 37 minute swim ... if only real life was like that ...</div>
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Off onto the bike course</div>
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Jo was surprised to see me so early out of the swim (so was I) and she said that there were only about 8 people in front of me. It was time to see if I could reel some of them in. <br />
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I felt really good and didn't worry too much when I saw my HR in the mid 150's. 155 is about 90% max for me but I knew it was only 45k and I had it in my mind that I'd have to walk some of the run anyway because of my knee so I carried on pushing hard. <br />
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I passed one person on the first hill (that doesn't usually happen) and then passed the second while he was standing at the side of the road changing a flat. I told him I 'felt his pain' ... the Tri <a href="mailto:G@ds">G@ds</a> can be very cruel sometimes. <br />
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The first major downhill (Tarawera Road) was where I went past number 3. I hit 76.8km/hr at one point and averaged 68km/hr over the 1.3k 'segment', My only annoyance was that I was one second off the top Strava time. Next time!<br />
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I've never liked the main road of the course that takes you out to the airport. It's long, straight and very very rough. But today it was different. I was hitting speeds of nearly 40km/hr and catching the people at the front and it didn't seem so boring. This was a very new experience and I loved it! :)<br />
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By the turnaround I had caught a few more and was sitting in 4th place. First place was a million miles in front and 2nd and 3rd were going away from me. Maybe I had gone too quick too early. I just kept up the effort to stop anyone going past me. <br />
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In no time at all we were climbing up Tarawera Rd back to the lake. I could see 2nd and 3rd in front but couldn't catch them. And then I made the mistake. Off came my chain. Damnit! ... I unclipped and struggled to get it back on. Two people passed me. DOH! I struggled to get clipped in and actually went back down the hill a bit to get going again and then tried to catch the one who had only moments gone past. He was in a skin tight speedsuit, aero helmet and had a disc wheelset. I didn't fancy my chances. He gradually went away from me and I settled for coming in 6th. When I saw the results later I had the 3rd fastest bike split including the team riders. Very happy with that. (see note in red at top of page)<br />
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Out onto the run.</div>
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My knee felt fine and so I decided to try to run the whole thing and just walk the aid stations.<br />
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People started coming past me very early on. I felt good and my pace was around 5:30/k and so I didn't worry too much. Nothing I could do about it. I found out later that most were team runners.</div>
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I really enjoyed the run around the Blue Lake and then down to the Green Lake. I hadn't run this course before. The climb back up from the Green Lake wasn't as much fun and again lots of people went past me. I just kept on at my podding pace up the hill. I wasn't fast but I felt strong. Resisting the urge to walk wasn't that hard, especially as I knew there was an aid station at the top. The coke there tasted great and the cup of water over my head woke me up ready for the last few k to the finish.</div>
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You can see how overcast it was for our race. Perfect conditions. An hour or two after this when most of the Half people were on the run all that cloud had burnt off and it was baking hot. </div>
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Feeling good at the finish. I had a watch for the run but had no idea of my overall time. Was really happy to see 2:42. Anything under 3 hours was fine with me.<br />
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These are the results for the Top 10 in my Age Group. <br />
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Competitive in the swim and bike but nowhere near the top 4 in the run. Not sure I could ever run that fast even without the swim and bike. Something to work on though<br />
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Not the best running form ever at the finish :)<br />
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My biggest win is that I finished no more injured than when I started. Knee is still a bit 'iffy' but doesn't hurt when I bike or run. I rested on Sunday but Monday I swam at lunchtime and rode for an hour on the windtrianer in the evening. It was a very leisurely ride watching the Ironman World Championship on Youtube but at least I was moving my legs. <br />
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Planning to run Tuesday. That might be a whole different story ...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-25215846316491726072014-01-21T14:08:00.000-08:002014-01-21T14:08:19.426-08:009 Weeks till Mara Sprint TriathlonIt's back into a training plan after a bit of rest since the Tauranga Half Ironman. The Tauranga race wasn't a total disaster but it didn't exactly go to plan. I went Sub6 (5:52 I think) which is always pleasing but I know that with that fitness and level of race application it would have been something like a 6:20 in Rotorua.<br />
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I think I peaked too early, having a great race at the Rotorua Quarter (November) and then backed off too much with the training/taper and eat too much food over Christmas. Familiar story for me. I also think that I don't recover very well after a race and so I won't be doing any races close to Rotorua 2014.<br />
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The swim was definitely long (I reckon 2.2k). I couldn't believe it when I saw 44 minutes on the clock coming out of the water. I had one of my better open water swims. I even managed to draft bit. I seemed to make it to every buoy with little fuss and I felt strong(ish) throughout. However, there was a time about 3/4 of the way round when I cramped badly in both legs. It was so painful and solid that I had to roll on my back for a bit to try to control it. Luckily it only happened the once.<br />
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Even if the course was long it would have still been a 40 minute swim (average for me) so a little disappointing as I had been hitting 37:xx in the pool with relative ease. More open water swimming needed to get my legs used to not pushing off the wall all the time as I never cramp in the pool.<br />
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The bike was my fastest time for the 90k but I struggled in the last quarter after obviously (from the HR numbers) going out too fast. All the HR calculations told me that I should keep it at about 137 but obviously I knew better and set myself a limit of 143. In the early stages the numbers show that I had total disregard even for this and hit the 150's quite a bit in the first half hour. Felt good at the time and it was nice to pass people but they soon passed me by the end. I finished weakly and with very tired legs.<br />
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Lesson for next time. Don't go out too hard because you'll pay for it later ... even if it's not at the end of the bike, it'll bite you on the run. I know this but still didn't follow the rule! :(<br />
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Onto the run. It started off OK. I was running about a 5:30/k pace up until I hit the Mount for the first time. I knew my pace was going to slow down but I started to seize up and both hips were painful. The rest of the run was a robotic shuffle at a ridiculously slow pace for a relatively high HR. The only good thing was my calf survived. I still can't quite believe I ran a 2:20 half marathon because apart from the aid stations I ran the whole thing. Last year my calf went and I hobbled the second loop with loads of walking and still did a 2:10. Got to work on my flexibility and running efficiency ... and do more long runs in training. I backed off them this time thinking that I was protecting my calf but that backfired.<br />
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So a really disappointing overall time but lots of lessons learnt.<br />
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Next race is the Mara Sprint in 9 weeks. I'm following a Garmin training schedule that is uploaded to the watch and it takes you through each workout. Only done two sessions so far but I'm liking it. One of the sessions was a bike test which I did on the windtrainer. The main part of the set was a 16k TT to give a baseline fitness level. There's one for the run later in the week.<br />
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I set the windtrainer up on level 4 and with three turns of the screw once the tyre just touched the rotating barrel (this will mean nothing to anyone but me but helps for future referencing to set the trainer up the same). Tyre was pumped to 100. When I retest I'll make sure these are the same. Hopefully the figures will get better with the training.<br />
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The instructions were to keep HR between 141 and 153 ... I tried to keep it in the middle at 147. Average HR turned out at 146.<br />
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Time was 26:25 which gives a windtrainer speed of 36.3km/h which as a figure means very little comparing it to real road speed but as a relative figure compared to what happens in the next test it's 'useful'<br />
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The yearly plan is to train for Sprint in March, bit of rest, then train for a self supported Half in August (anyone else want to do it?), and then the build up for Rotorua for another Sub6 attempt. <br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-22456672929861803412013-12-12T00:22:00.000-08:002013-12-12T00:22:42.966-08:002 Sleeps Till RotoruaI don't think it would be the same in the lead up to Rotorua if I didn't have some sort of niggly little injury. It's usually my calf but that has been fine recently and I've been able to run consistently for the longest period of time EVER! I even managed a PB (seconds!) at the TECT Trail run in hot and slippery conditions.<br />
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My swimming is also the best it's ever been. I've been swimming (mostly) three times a week and my times are coming down ... drastically. I'm swimming (wetsuit on obviously) 1:45 100's fairly easily and hitting 4:3x for 250m without having to go all out hard. I've done a couple of 2k TTs sub38 mins and I'm really happy that I'm getting more efficient in the water. Much less of a fight with the water these days.<br />
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I've also lost 25lbs (11kg) since returning from the UK in July and this has had a dramatic effect on my climbing on the bike ... and along with a new carbon bike (did I tell you I got a new bike) this has brought lots of PR's on Strava.<br />
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Everything was going to plan. Then last week I did a fairly easy normal route taking in the flat of Papaoma and the rolling hills of Welcome Bay (without the hills off of the main road) ... didn't push it too hard ... until the last hill just before home. I was 3 seconds off the KOM on Strava (bl@@dy stupid App) ... I pushed it hard and did get the KOM BUT I think it was then that I did something to my left knee. Didn't feel bad at the time but Sunday it was tight and painful and it hasn't really got a lot better all week despite icing, ibuprofen and rest. I did a short bike on Tuesday (10 mins) and a 5 min run on the treadmill and it was OK. It didn't hurt during the exercise but next morning it was tight. I haven't done anything since.<br />
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So that's my excuse all lined up ready for the race. I've got a dodgy knee. Still 2 sleeps till race day so hopefully it will come right. It's a pain just below the surface. Feels like something is in there that shouldn't be. Bit of floating bone/cartilage or something. Maybe it'll run off. I hope so.<br />
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I'm only doing the quarter (1k swim, 45k bike and 10.5k run) so I have thought of taking a DNS but we've booked a cottage for the night before and it's a little break away that we've been looking forward to. I'm going to go as hard as I can in the swim and hopefully be able to push the bike. If the knee plays up on the bike I'll can the run and hope that whatever it is will clear up in the three weeks before the Tauranga Half.<br />
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Maybe I'll just stick to photographing triathlon. I had great fun taking pics of the Tinman.<br />
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Couple of my favourites here ...<br />
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... two of which make my 'hurty knee' excuse sound pathetic and the other reassures me that I'm not the only person who looks too tall and gangly to ride a bike aerodynamically ...<br />
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Good luck to all doing the Rotorua Half !!! :)<br />
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BTW ... weather looks absolutely ideal for a fast time. No wind and a bit of cloud cover. Day temperatures should have warmed the lake a bit as well. Absolutely perfect.<br />
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Can't wait. Now where's that pack of peas ...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-32076163150465107452013-09-07T22:15:00.001-07:002013-09-07T22:15:32.622-07:00Week 3 ... An Unintentional Swim Focus <br />
Monday - Got up early before work and ran on the treadmill. Just over 30 minute warm up and then 12 x 30 seconds @ 14km/hr (4:17/k pace) with 30 seconds rest. It wasn't as hard as the bike intervals I do and I think I might have to increase the incline to get the HR up a little bit more.<br />
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Felt great after the run and it was definitely a great way to start the week. Will try to make it a habit for Monday mornings.<br />
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Swam at lunchtime and did a Critical Swim Speed (<a href="http://www.swimsmooth.com/training.html" target="_blank">CSS</a>) test. The idea is that we train at too high a pace too often and more gain would be made if we trained at a pace just under threshold pace (whatever that is in the pool?). There's an on-line calculator and it spits out a pace to train at once a week. My times were<br />
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200m - 3:28<br />
400m - 7:24<br />
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This gives a 100m pace of 1:58 which even to me seems quite slow. The idea though is to do lots of 200m and 400m at this pace with very little rest. I'll give it a go.<br />
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Tuesday's are bike interval days and I decided to leave these to the evening. I did my normal 30 mins or so warm up using Spinervals and then did 12 x 30 seconds in 14 gear (Setting 3/5) although those 1st two intervals were done in 15 gear by accident. Honest ...<br />
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HR is much higher than the run intervals and it felt much harder. I'm still not where I was a few months back but I did feel something coming back and although I wasn't spinning as fast in the bigger gears, I felt quite strong.<br />
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The massive dip in the HR was when Laura came down to the basement and scared the life out of me. I had my i-pod turned up to max (listening to U2 obviously) and I didn't see her till she was standing right next to me. it was like something out of The Omen.<br />
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Wednesday lunchtime was another swim. Didn't have long between classes so just did a bunch of 50m efforts. Most were around 50 seconds or so. Some were close to 55 seconds towards the end although I did a few in 45 seconds. CSS would have to wait till Friday.<br />
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Wednesday was also an hour on the treadmill checking out one of the programmes. It started out nice and easy but the incline and the pace in the middle section was challenging. Wednesday 'runs' are gonig to be my moderately long, moderately hard sessions. My calf is definitely happier running on the treadmill so I'm hoping that I will be able to run more consistently and build up run strength/speed that I can use on the road. Once the clocks go forward in October I'll get out more and definitely do long slow runs out there but for the time being I am happy to stay on the treadmill.<br />
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Thursday I got up early (again!) and did Spinervals for just under an hour. Used setting 2/5 and rode mainly at 90rpm during the hard intervals when on a Tuesday I would try to hit 94/95. Definitely worked hard though. Much harder I think than an hour on the road.<br />
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Friday was another swim. This time I tried out the CSS recommendations and did 15 x 100m @ my CSS pace of 1:58 with 20 seconds rest in between efforts. It felt hard enough but wasn't gut bustingly hard. My technique also felt better and I didn't feel like I was fighting the water as much. I was even getting a bit of a feel for the water during the catch and felt like I was moving water back on the stroke rather than just pulling my hand through the water. Quite exciting how the swim has come back so quickly.<br />
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I think the swim structure will be ... Mondays - TT's (1k at moment but increasing to 2k), Wednesdays - 50m efforts concentrating on parts of the stroke, Fridays - CSS work. We'll see how long this lasts.<br />
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Friday evening was another treadmill session. It's a new toy and at the moment the sessions are quite addictive. This was a very low effort and only an hour but it was my third run in one week and that doesn't happen often. The calf is still a bit niggly and I can feel it when running and biking but the tightness/dull ache doesn't get any worse for exercising so I'm presuming it's just scar tissue that isn't very flexible. Got to get back to the roller and do something about that.<br />
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Saturday was a rest day. Well it was until Jo said "Fancy going swimming?" ... how could I resist. So I made my FOURTH trip to the pool in one week! Unbelievable! I just played with some 50's, 100's and 200's. Knocked a few seconds off the 200m CSS time trial effort (3:21) and did a 1:40 100m. Loving swimming at the moment. Don't often say that.<br />
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Sunday was a bike ride up to Papamoa, over to Welcome Bay Road and one attempt at the Reid Road climb. It wasn't a quick time by any means but I felt OK and I pushed as hard as I could. It was 13:38 (compared to my fastest of 11:02 on Strava) but it was good enough for 12th fastest out of my recent 31 attempts. I'll take that at this early stage of me 'getting back into it'.<br />
<br />
It was really windy for what seemed the whole way but I'm presuming I had a massive tail wind up Oropi Road hill as I flew up in 1:32 which was about 30 seconds faster than normal. It was fast enough for 9th place on Strava out of 66 people and faster than local legends Kirkwood, Dixon and Morehouse!<br />
<br />
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<br />
So I'm finishing the week on a high and chomping at the bit to train hard next week. Sunday is the last Duathlon at the Lakes and I'm going to do the short course to hopefully improve on the last time. My riding is definitely stronger. Not too sure about the run.<br />
<br />
I also start with a student trainer on Monday. He is going to be focusing on my core and getting some strength in my arms. Should be helpful for the swim.<br />
<br />
Weight is down this week (that helped with the bike climbs!) ... currently 191.8 pounds. Looking to get down to 180 as soon as possible and if I can get away with it without Jo going mad, maybe sneak into the 170's.<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-57580918454012562912013-09-01T01:32:00.002-07:002013-09-01T01:32:29.567-07:00Week 2 of TwentyMonday and I was back in the pool again. What the *!$#@ ... My feet will start webbing over soon. Warm up was just some 100m intervals working on different parts of the stroke. Was getting most 100's down to the low 1:50's. Did another 1k TT. I know it's not ideal to keep testing all the time (no good just weighing the pig ...) BUT if it motivates me to get in the pool I'm going make Monday's my swim TT day. I'll up the distance as the weeks go by. This week's time was 19:44. Very pleased with that.<br />
<br />
The plan for Tuesday was to do my bike intervals after we had seen Adam in his Debating Competition leading the Boy's College Team against the Girl's College. I was so nervous for him (he has no nerves by the way). I have watched him in numerous speech competitions but in those he has a set speech and practices that delivery until it's as polished as possible. The debate involves him having a half prepared speech and then writing the other half in response to what the other team are saying. As team leader he also has to sum up at the end, opposing the other teams views. Why someone would choose to do this for FUN is beyond me. Not sure where he gets it from. Definitely NOT from me and Jo.<br />
<br />
The evening went really well and for the second year running Tauranga Boy's College beat the girls. Adam did great. I know I would say that cos he's my son but he speaks with such authority and power that I'll be very surprised if he doesn't go into politics or similar. Scares the life out of me.<br />
<br />
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<i>Adam centre with the shield ... they also got $60 each and $150 for the school</i></div>
<br />
<br />
Needless to say the evening went on longer than we imagined and with the little celebration afterwards there was no time to do my intervals. I think I had used up all my energy in nerves anyway and my bed beckoned early. However ... I did get up the next morning early to do the intervals. Hopefully the first of many early morning sessions.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/366222250" target="_blank">intervals</a> were 12 x 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. These served me really well last year and I'm putting my faith in them again to get my bike fitness back. To start with I only have the 'hardness dial' set to 2 out of 5. Will increase this over the coming weeks. Felt quite doable and I wasn't ready to puke at the end so may go to 3 next week and see what happens.<br />
<br />
Went to the pool again Wednesday lunchtime but the pool was booked out all day so no swim for me. <br />
<br />
Thursday I decided to get up early and do a windtrainer session before work. This was an experiment to see if I could do a workout in the morning, teach all day from 8:30am to 8:30pm and still be alive. Didn't go too bad. I only did a fairly easy Spinervals <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/366699763" target="_blank">session</a> on the bike but I still got my HR up and sweated buckets. I managed to get into work on time (just) and survived the long day. Thursday is no longer a non-session day.<br />
<br />
Friday was another swim. Did 10 x 100m trying different things each time. I was hitting 1:50/100m and then with a bit of tweaking of the pull and using my hips more I managed to get the time down to 1:45. Got quite excited. For the last 100m I decided to try something I had seen a few years ago on the internet (but must have forgotten to try). It was about 'forward quadrant' swimming and emphasised getting your arm out early (before the end of the stroke) and keeping the arms for longer in front of the your centre of gravity (or something similar). I gave it a go and the time was 1:40. Now I'm not sure if this was just because it was the last interval and I put everything into it but it felt great. I didn't have time to do anymore 100's so I'll just have to wait till Monday to try it again.<br />
<br />
Friday evening I actually ran! It was only 30 mins but it felt good and I think I'm ready to put in a full week's run training next week. We shall see.<br />
<br />
Saturday was the same route as last week. Felt much better.My leg still burned on the hills but this time it was near the top and not at the bottom (of the hill I mean). I covered the same course about 12 minutes faster than the previous week even with a much harder headwind for what seemed like most of the way (technically impossible I know but ...). The good news was that I didn't bonk and I didn't need any emergency fuel. I felt like my legs were coming back to me. Phew! Hopefully next week will be even better. Losing about 2kg also helped. Maybe I can lose another kg by next Saturday to make the hills a bit easier.<br />
<br />
I've joined an on-line weight loss challenge. It worked out NZ$41 to enter and the winner takes about NZ$700. I'm currently in 5th place about 1.5% behind the leader. There are 13 weeks left to make that up. The leader is losing baby weight though and we all know that that kind of weight is so much easier to lose ;) Where's that sarcasm icon?<br />
<br />
I need to win the money because I've already spent it ...<br />
<br />
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Run intervals anyone?<br /><br />
<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-72486385683073459552013-09-01T00:06:00.001-07:002013-09-01T00:06:35.913-07:0020 Weeks Till Tauranga HI 2014Yep, 20 weeks to get my but into gear and get some training done. My eating, training and overall motivation have been out of wack recently and whatever fitness I had as a back (sometimes middle) of the packer has gone. Hopefully it'll return fairly quickly but you know something's up when a 2 hour flat ride to Papamoa has my legs burning and me stopping to have a banana because I needed a breather. I need to get back to the days where I could ride for three hours on a bottle of sugar water.<br />
<br />
My 'comeback' started at the Lakes Duathlon last Sunday. I knew I was going to struggle, especially with that damn hill on the run. My calf was a bit niggly and the 20 week HI training programme started on the Monday so I didn't want to jeopadise that ... so I decided to do the Short Course. I knew I'd take some stick from people but it was for the best. Best decision I ever made! :)<br />
<br />
Lakes Duathlon - 1st Run - 1.52k in 7:32 (4:58 min/k pace)<br />
<br />
I suppose a 4:58 pace is OK but it was a flat course (short course doesn't include the hill) and it was barely over 1.5k and it took an average HR of 160bpm ... I want a Sub4:30 for that! :)<br />
<br />
Onto the bike ... It's only 2 laps of the course instead of the normal 4 for the Long Course and so only 2 climbs of the hill. I found a new maximum heart rate at the top of the hill (177!) and I was trying to take it easy. For all the effort I only averaged 26.6km/hr. My normal speed on the Long Course is just under 30km/hr. My average HR was 168bpm. I'm sure that's normally my max on the course.<br />
<br />
I knew I was going to suffer on the second run although I also knew it was only 3k so the hurting wasn't going to last long. I was struggling along at a 5:45 pace and an average HR of 167. I didn't quite match the max HR of the bike but I did hit 172 at one point whilst shuffling along at my target marathon pace!<br />
<br />
The problem is two-fold. I haven't done any constructive training for months and I'm carrying about an extra 16 pounds of fat. I did this race at just over 200 pounds and it made a big difference. A big negative difference. This should help in the motivation to lose it.<br />
<br />
My calf was also tightening up on the 2nd lap of the run. It had been a bit niggly in the previous weeks (even without training) and so that also led me to do the Short Course. Unfortunately the camber in the road of the short course run is the direction that aggravates my calf. Ridiculous I know but unfortunately true. I ran on the grass for some of the run and that eased the tightness but my main objective was to get to the end without the 'ping' of a tear. Fortunately I did.<br />
<br />
The ride home from the Lakes eased the tightness a bit and I took some Ibuprofen, put the compression sock on and had my leg raised on a 'poof'. Seemed to all help. I decided not to start the training program with a run though so Monday was just a swim and a bike.<br />
<br />
Monday was lunchtime swim. It was a struggle. More a fight with the water than a swim. Bit of a warm up and then a 1k TT just to see where I am. Twenty one minutes and 9 seconds. I'm sure I was 18:xx last year. Oh well, room for improvement.<br />
<br />
Evening Windtrainer session. On a very low level and quite low intensity. Just a session to get back on the bike. Details <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361474288" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Tuesday ... similar <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362026764" target="_blank">session</a> on the bike. Tuesday's will be my windtrainer session from now on. I will do intervals in future weeks but this again was a 'just get back into it' session. Didn't want to aggravate the calf.<br />
<br />
Wednesday was just a swim. Did 10 x 100m. Most were between 1:50 and 1:55. Felt a bit better than Monday. Started to remember what to do ... kind of.<br />
<br />
Thursday ... did nothing. Working all day. Might have to make this an early session before work in future weeks. Not this week though. Needed my sleep.<br />
<br />
Friday ... just a swim. Three swims in a week. Doesn't happen often. Did another 1k TT and got back to my standard time of roughly 2:00/100m. Did it in 19:53. Still felt way too hard though and I could not have gone another 1000m at that pace. Pleased with the reduction in time though.<br />
<br />
Saturday was the 'long' ride up to Papamoa and home through Welcome Bay. No attempt of Reid's Rd climb as about 10 mins before that I bonked badly and had to stop to eat my emergency banana. I used to be able to do these rides on a bottle of sugared water. Very depressing. I struggled home along Welcome Bay Rd, taking all the climbs in my lowest gear but still getting burning in my legs. I suppose at least I was out there.<br />
<br />
Sunday was a rest day. Nearer the race I might look at doing sessions on both Saturday and Sunday but for the time being Sunday's are family days.<br />
<br />
So, I survived week one of the twenty week program and got in the pool three times. I didn't run at all but I got back on the bike and know that I have a lot of work to do just to get back to where I was at the start of the year ... and that wasn't particularly fast :) I want to do all I can to get Sub5:30 at Tauranga in January (5:4x this year) ... and not die at the Rotorua Half Half in December.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-80692036660064715322013-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:002013-04-26T15:32:01.599-07:00Build Up to Lakes DuathlonActually got out on my bike this morning. It didn't look too promising at 6:30am as the rain poured down but after a quick 30 minute spin on the windtrainer the weather picked up and I got out over to The Lakes. It was my first ride for over 2 months and so I wasn't expecting much ... and I wasn't disappointed. Very slow and a high HR on the hill.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.triathlontauranga.org.nz/club-news/news-articles/the-2013-jamis-duathlon-series-is-coming" target="_blank">Lakes Duathlon</a> is coming up in three weeks time and I'd like to give it a go. I rode the 4 loop course today and was about 2 minutes down on my 'normal' race times (and that's without the run beforehand). Hopefully I can improve that over next three weeks.<br />
<br />
I'm tempted to sign up for the Duathlon series as I have a bit more confidence in my calf and a bit more confidence that I can train/race more consistently than I have ever done in the past. Time will tell but having run over 200k in a month (albeit very slowly) without any calf problems (damn hamstrings hurt though!) I think I may have turned a corner.<br />
<br />
I've lost my mojo since the Relay for Life run and training has not been a priority for me. I planned to take 2 weeks off but that turned into 3 very quickly with some family issues that took priority it was over 4 weeks before I got out for a short run. I'm sure it'll come back. Hoping the Lakes Duathlon is going to kick my but in three weeks and 'encourage' me to get out there and train!<br />
<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-80017472820512729442013-03-01T08:48:00.000-08:002013-03-02T23:12:11.670-08:00Eating an ElephantI'm going to attempt to run the marathon distance today in very small chunks. It's practice for the 100k that I'll try to do on March 23rd/24th over a 22 hour period.<br />
<br />
Had 1 slice of jam on toast and cup of coffee at 4:15am. Cup of water before leaving.<br />
<br />
Started at 4:45am and just completed first 6k using a 3:1 run:walk in just over 43 minutes (7:03 pace) ... hoping to keep that pace throughout. Feeling a bit sicky but can't face anything to eat. Will hopefully feel like eating after the next 6k.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Running total ... 6k in 43:01 - Av pace 7:03 - AvHR - 119 ... now that's the pace and HR that I should have stayed at!</b></i><br />
<br />
Time for another chunk of elephant ...<br />
<br />
6:39am ... 2nd bit completed. 6k in just over 40 minutes (6:40 pace). Bit too quick but it felt much better than the first chunk. Animal count is up to 1 cat, 1 dog, 1 rat and 1 very noisy seagull that scared the life out of me with it's squarking in the darkness. Beautiful clear sky and a very bright moon. Perfect morning for a run ... or an Ironman. Go Kathy!<br />
<br />
Must eat ... bread and jam me thinks<br />
<br />
<b><i>Running total ... 12k in 1:22:59</i></b><br />
<br />
3rd 6k in 39:40 ... lovely
sunrise over the cricket pavilion. Bread and jam went down well. Time for a
coffee. 18k done, 24 to go.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><i>Running total ... 18k in 2:00:47</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Another runner !!! in MY
park!!! ... he would go ahead during my walk breaks and I would catch him
during my runs. Made for faster pace ... totally stupid idea but was fun<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> 6k in 37:15 (6:12 pace - toooo fast!) ... I'm sure that's the
top of the speed bell curve!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><i>Running total ... 24k in 2:38:02</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">6k in 37:47 (6:17/k pace) ...
Under 13's playing cricket at the mo ... average age of people over the park
has dropped from 82 at 6am to about 14 now<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> 12k to go. Feeling good. Can't face
food though. Just had a handful of sultanas ... and water.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><i>Running total ... 30k in 3:17:42</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Penultimate 6k in 39:57
(6:39/k) ... definitely on the downside of the speed curve ... Hardest set so far. Heart rate up for slow speed. Paying price for 6:12 and 6:17 pace. Must not do that at the event or during next week's 60k attempt. </span><span style="background-color: #fafbfb; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I think I'll be
lucky to go under 7min/k in this last 6k.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><i>Running total ... 36k in 3:58:15</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FAFBFB; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Last 6.2k in 43:01 (6:55min/k
pace - just under 7min/k) ... paid the price for going too quick in the middle 6k sets. Lesson
learned. Will tally up final times once I've eaten ... so hungry, I could eat a
horse!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<b><i>Running total ... 42.2k in 4:41:13 which is just under 6:40 pace. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I think I probably could have gone 6:40 pace with more even splits and probably not as much pain as the last 6k. Lesson for next week's 60k ... may try for paces between 6:45 and 7. Definitely nothing faster than 6:30 pace!!!<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-55063792886002892202013-01-11T20:49:00.002-08:002013-01-11T20:49:44.140-08:00First Ride Since Tauranga Half<br />
I was a bit apprehensive before this morning's ride. My legs were trashed
after the Half on Saturday and I've only just started to walk without pain. I
definitely went too hard in the last part of the bike (trying to make up time
due to the Drafting penalty) and also for the first half of the run.<br />
<br />
Even if I
hadn't had 'issues' with that thing that shall not be named anymore, there was no way I could have kept my runnnig at that pace
at that HR. I was in the high 160's and that is very near my max. I was going to
blow up, it just happened a bit earlier and a lot more sudden. Lessons
learned.<br />
<br />
The ride to the Mount started OK but after about 20 minutes I heard the
dreaded hissing noise coming from the back tyre. There is so much glass in the
roads coming through Tauranga from the Friday night that I am going to have to
change my route to the long way around. That's a puncture in my last three rides
and all around the same area of town.<br />
<br />
I rode to the Mount to practice on the UCAN2 bike course which is my next
race in 2 weeks time. Not much time to train but there is the UCAN2 #2 a few
weeks after that so hoping to improve both from last year and over the two
races Best last year was 1:14).<br />
<br />
I did five laps of the course with a couple of minutes easy pedaling in
between. There was very little wind so it felt like a headwind at every turn.
There was no 'easy' leg with a bit of a tailwind.<br />
<br />
It took a while to be able to get my HR up. The first lap was disappointing. HR was only in high 130's and speed was low. Second lap was a bit better but it was only when I moved forward on the saddle that I seemed to be able to put the full effort in (although AvHR was still relatively low at 143) and get a decent time for the loop.<br />
<br />
Fourth loop I sat back in the saddle to make sure it wasn't just that I was getting warmed up. Sure enough, time was slower. For the last lap I moved forward and gave it all I had. I got my fastest time ever (6:33, 37.1 kmh) but the AvHR was still 9 bpm lower than my previous best from last year (6:46 May 11th 2012 AvHR 157).<br />
<br />
I'm hoping that there is a bit of fatigue in my legs from the race and that I will be able to get the HR up higher during the race (almost a given!) and beat that time.<br />
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<br />
That little gold cup just above the sea with a number 2 in it signifies that I am the second fastest person in the world (who uploads to Strava) to ever ride that loop ... the fact that there are only two of us who have uploaded our times is besides the point!<br />
<br />
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<br />
Shem, I am coming for you. How hard can it be to knock 4 seconds off my time ???<br />
<br />
<br />
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-1934529608351407872013-01-11T19:47:00.000-08:002013-01-11T19:47:21.130-08:00Letter to The G@dsDear Triathlon <a href="mailto:G@ds">G@ds</a>,<br />
<br />
I do appreciate never giving me a puncture to deal with in a race (that might come back to bite me!) but it seems a bit harsh that in my last 3 rides to the Mount I have had a puncture each time within the first hour. Maybe it's to give me a bit more practice changing the tube but it just sucks! It also means that my tyre isn't pumped up to max once I fix it (need to invest in some CO2 I think) and I'm sure the ride suffers. <br />
<br />
In an attempt to win favour with you I am proposing to do all I can to keep you happy and to have a great tri year. If you could also sort out that big C(alf) problem then I would be forever grateful. In return I will never mention the C word again from this point on. It ceases to be a problem. Let's put it all behind us.<br />
<br />
So, my proposal is that I will do the basics. I will warm up properly, do dynamic stretches before every workout and take the first 5 or 10 mins of every run or ride very easy. I will also warm down and stretch after every workout ... maybe even swimming ... OK, OK, even swimming!<br />
<br />
I will take easy sessions easy and put my all into the hard intervals. I will log each workout on here and comment about how I felt before, during and after. <br />
<br />
I will continue to use the foam roller (ouch!) and do the core routine at least 5 nights a week. I will even do running drills. Monday evening will from this point forward be known as Running Drill Monday and you will see me over Pemberton Park walking around the running track like a poor Basil Fawlty impersonnator. <br />
<br />
I hope that all this effort pleases you and that you see fit to help me have an injury free and fast tri year. <br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
Sub6 <br />
xxx<br />
<br />
<br />
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-6396190411893200982013-01-07T02:24:00.000-08:002013-01-07T02:24:50.208-08:00Tauranga Half Ironman<b>Pre-race</b><br />
<br />
Slept well from about 10:30 till just before my alarm went off at 3:30am. Normal routine of coffee, 3 slices of jam on toast and then another cup of coffee. Seems to work well to wake me up and get me buzzing. I felt good, no aches or pains and I was ready to trust the calf. No run for 5 weeks worried me (hugely) but I made the decision that even if it 'went', I would walk and finish.<br />
<br />
Got to transition just after it opened at 5am. Very quiet and still a bit dark. Set up my bits and pieces and then had a wander along the beach to the other end of Pilot Bay. Had a nice stretching session and a bit of a jog on the road. Felt good. Love not having to rush race morning.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Just starting to get light</i></div>
<br />
Back to transition, wetsuit on and glasses left on top of my bike shoes (not put away in my bag like I have mistakenly done in the past). Used my goggles with the prescription lenses which I had re-sealed the night before. Into the water just after 6am for a warm up before the 6:32am start.<br />
<br />
<b>The Swim</b><br />
<br />
The water was surprisingly warm as it was a cold morning. I swam out to a boat's mooring float thingy and just lay on my back to see what the tide was doing. I quickly drifted towards the Mount. It was definitely going to be a quick swim out but a mission to get back.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Time went quickly and it was ready for the Pros to go at 6:30am. They lined up at the wharf and then proceeded to float away into the distance on the tide before the start. I don't think there was much they or the race directors could do so they eventually started about 50m from the 'line'. It was pretty much the same for us Age Groupers.<br />
<br />
The start was a fair distance from the wharf and it was just a mess. The 'mess' continued for pretty much the whole swim. It was definitely my worst swim in terms of not being able to find any space, getting hit, hitting and generally not really knowing where the hell I was in between buoys.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
Going out was fast but coming back to shore and then heading for home was a nightmare both in terms of finding the buoys and fighting the tide. It was a short 1st loop (750m I think) and then a second larger one (1250m) ... did 1st loop in about 12 mins and thought maybe I'd be able to finish under 40 mins. Unfortunately I struggled even more on the long return home on the 2nd leg and finished in 41:30. More open water swim practice needed! I did one of the Shorebreak swims the previous Thursday but next year I will do a few more. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once again I cramped in the last quarter of the swim. It wasn't as bad as Rotorua as I think I was more able to feel the cramp coming on and take evasive action but it was still painful and still cost me time. The worst cramp came just after I took my wetsuit off and my left quad just went rigid. I tried not to panic and just waited for it to pass, which it did quite quickly but again it was painful and time wasting. Need to sort that out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Bike </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had ridden the bike course twice in the last few weeks in similar wind conditions to race day and so knew what was in store. A slight headwind on the way out, nice tailwind on the way back but with the wind increasing for the second lap. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I felt good on the first lap and didn't have the usual sicky feeling from swallowing sea water. At least that was one positive from the swim. On the bike I was drinking my usual mixture every 15 mins and it was going down well. Speed was averaging 32km/hr by the 'turnaround' and I knew that I'd be able to get it up even more by the end of the first lap. I had a great ride back and finished the first lap in just over 1hr 20. I knew the ride out was going to be harder but I was hoping for a Sub2:45 bike finish. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Throughout the ride I saw loads of people getting done for drafting. The procedure followed a similar pattern. I, and others in a legal pace line would get swamped by a 'pack' coming through. Some of the packs were three wide and it was almost impossible not to get trapped in the mess. On the first lap there seemed to be a draft marshall on a bike coming past every few minutes so I was careful not to get 'trapped'. I asked one of them at one point "is this distance OK?". Bit further back was their reply so I slowed down a bit more.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At one point a pack came past and so I thought I'd take the opportunity to take a drink. I slowed down to keep a legal distance, had a drink and then heard the marshall giving the poor woman behind me a 3 minute penalty because presumably she hadn't slowed down enough. I'm all for busting drafters but it seemed to me that they weren't punishing the big groups moving through the field but just sitting on the back of them and busting the people getting swamped. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Can you see what this rant is building up to??? ... At about the 60k mark, the same story. Three people come past me. One pulls in front, one beside him and one to my right. I fall back but obviously not far enough because a few moments later the marshall is pulling beside me with the yellow card and a 3 minute stand down penalty. Gutted! Nothing for the other riders. Very random. I vowed never to do the race again. (yeah, whatever)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I knew where the penalty box was and so decided to put the hammer down until I reached it as I'd have a bit of a rest there. I had been keeping my HR in the low 140's but got it up into the 150's for the 5k or so till the box. There were about 7 of us in there while I served my 3 minutes and I know that every one who gets busted is going to argue that they are innocent but we all had similar stories. Get swamped, find yourself at the back, busted ... nothing for the pack that goes past.<br />
<br />
Oh well, I served my 3 minute sentence and set off to try to make up some time. Had a great ride back and finished in 2:47 (32.3km/hr Av).<br />
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<br />
Now for the unknown. I hadn't had more than a few minutes jogging for the last 5 weeks. My calf felt OK but ...<br />
<br />
<b>The Run</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I set off on the run with a hat full of bits and pieces. It was stuffed with arm coolers, a gel, energy beans from the race pack and roll on sun tan lotion. I decided not to carry a water bottle and to rely on the aid stations. This had worked well at the TECT off-road race and it was nice not to have to carry a heavy water bottle. My strategy was to run between the aid stations and walk them to make sure I got a drink and got my HR down. This worked really well for the first lap although the bit around the Mount without an aid station seemed to take forever. I managed to get my arm coolers on during the first bit of the run and got them hosed down at each aid station. A cup of water under my hat also helped to keep me cool and I never felt overheated. The plan of taking 2 waters (one to drink and one to pour under my hat) and one coke also seemed to be working.<br />
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<i>First lap going onto the Mount basetrack. Pace was great and all was good in the world. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
My pace was around 5min/k (even with walking the aid stations) and the calf felt good but it wasn't to last. As I come off the Mount base track and started the nice flat straight bit along Pilot Bay the calf tightened up, became painful and went into it's 'threatening to pull' mode. Oh well. It was good while it lasted. I took the pace down to a shuffle and did a shuffle:walk and thankfully it didn't get any worse.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Coming to the end of the first lap in shuffle mode. Great to see Jo at this point </i></div>
<br />
The hardest bit was the return back to the turnaround which seemed to take forever. I thought a few times about pulling out but the shuffle:walk combo didn't seem to be doing any more damage to the calf and it hadn't 'pinged' so I carried on shuffling.<br />
<br />
Once I made the turnaround it became easier to keep going as I was 'on my way home'. The Mount Basetrack actually felt easier to tackle than the flat. I was able to shuffle up the 'hills' and was surprised that I was keeping the average pace in the low 6 mins/k. I was calculating what pace I needed to keep below to get Sub6 and I figured (with my tired and scrambled brain) that I could afford to drop to 7min/k and still get Sub6.<br />
<br />
With a decent run (perhaps more controlled on the first lap) I should have been able to get Sub5:30 (and that will be my goal next year!) but my current pace was coming out at about a 5:50 finish so I was really happy to cross the line in 5:43.36 (48 out of 74 in AG). I have to be happy with that. I met my main goal of just 'getting round', even if the calf didn't quite last the whole run and it was also a 14 minute PB.<br />
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<i>Hobbling to the finish</i></div>
<br />
So, I'll be back next year (if I can get registered) and try to smash that 5:43. Some better navigation in the swim, no draft penalty on the bike and being more 'run-fit' ... what could be easier?!?<br />
<br />
Although the calf didn't last I am sure that it was, in this case, an over-use issue. Running a half marathon as the first run back after a 5 week lay off can never be a good idea :) Two days after the race and my calf feels no worse than the rest of my legs so no real damage done. Couple of weeks off running and I should be OK. Plan is to start back slowly with Jo on a couch-to-5k running plan and then build up to the Mount Jogger's Half Marathon on the 2nd June. I'd love to do the UCAN2's (Jan 28th and Feb 3rd) but not sure about those. Maybe me and Jo can enter as team and she does the run. Now there's a plan! :)<br />
<br />
*Thanks to Jo and Tui for the pictures*</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-44642204504111661982012-12-21T17:48:00.003-08:002012-12-21T17:48:20.922-08:00Two weeks Till TaurangaLast week was the Rotorua Half Ironman. It was a bit weird because I turned my entry into a team and had Phil C running for the team. I had it in the back of my mind that if the calf felt good coming off the bike I would do the run at a slow speed just to see what it was like (new run course this year). Ridiculous plan but ...<br />
<br />
It was a gorgeously still morning with just the slightest hint of a breeze. The Blue lake was as calm as I've ever seen it. Perfect for the swim.<br />
<br />
Because I had changed to a team we started the swim 5 minutes after the men along with all the women. The start was frantic and I think those women are more aggressive than the men. I took a square on clock to the nose at one point that made me say a few 'fucks!' under the water. I had my normal swim. Couldn't seem to draft anyone for more than about 10 strokes, meandered all over the place and found it hard to sight the buoys. I used my normal goggles with out the correction lenses. I'll go back to my home made ones with prescription lenses in them for Tauranga. I came out of the water just under 40 minutes. Wasn't that happy but few years back I would have bitten your hand off for a Sub40 swim. Perspective changes. My biggest problem in the swim was cramp in my right foot. It was agony and again there were a few 'fucks!' I need to work on my foot flexibility to stop those cramps. Bit more kicking in the pool me thinks and less pushing off the wall ... or even more open water swimming! ;)<br />
<br />
T1 went OK although I had to concentrate on my legs not cramping. Got out quick enough and onto my bike. Legs felt great and I was off. The bike course had changed due to slips on the original course and it was definitely harder. It seemed to swap some nice flat/rolling hills around the lakes for some hilly stuff around Rotorua Lake. It was actually more enjoyable but harder to keep the average speed up. I was 30 seconds slower this year than last (3:04 this year). Not too bad. I definitely felt stronger and looking at the Strava segments for the hills I was definitely faster on these. I'll take that. I also hit my fastest downhill speed ever with 79.6km/hr on the other side of Hell's Gate. Bit slower going back up 10 minutes later!<br />
<br />
I got off the bike and felt great. Saw Phil in transition and we had a lazy swap of the transponder and fixed the race number to his race belt. No need to rush. Phil was off and I was left with an hour and a bit to kill. Calf felt great. My running shoes were sitting there looking at me. What could possibly go wrong. I changed my shoes and set off on the run course. Felt great. 4:40/k pace. Felt easy. This could be good. Might even get my Sub6. Got halfway around the first side of the Blue lake and then the calf went ping. Oh! ... Not a bad pain so I don't think the tear got any worse. I hobbled he 0.87km back and packed my stuff up.<br />
<br />
Phil had a great run. 1:28 for the Half Marathon which gave us a top 10 place (10th!) with a 5:16. Oh to be able to run like that. He said the course was much harder than previous years. This seemed to be the general consensus! Bang goes my idea of Sub6 I think.<br />
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It's been a week since the race and I've done a few bikes and swims but obviously no running. Calf is different on different days. Two days ago I could hardly walk with how tight and painful it was but then yesterday it was fine. Today it feels fine and I had a great bike on the Tauranga Course. My calf doesn't hurt on the bike (generally) so I wasn't worried about going for it today. I managed to knock a few minutes off my previous best 90k with a 2:46:33 (Average 32.4 km/hr) ... although it took about 30 minutes before I felt I was actually able to push the pace. Pleased with that time though, especially a week after a hard bike at Rotorua (plus my 0.87k run!).<br />
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I got new glasses this week and I think the 'weird' first 30 mins were my brain getting used to the view I was getting of the road. I have also got a 'prism' element added to my lenses because, unbeknownst to me, I was compensating for non level eyes by tilting my head to ward off double vision ... all subconsciously. Why did no-one tell me my head was slightly tilted all the time? When I told Jo she said 'oh yeah I suppose you do' ... not sure why the optometrist hadn't seen this before. I was getting double vision at night driving when I was tired and it was all because of the imbalance in the muscles holding my eyes level and when I got tired they sort of gave up and my brain couldn't compensate. Weird!<br />
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The new glasses are great and MIGHT even be another piece of the jigsaw to solve my calf issues. When I was riding today, my head position was straight. I now realise that I used to ride with a head tilt to my right. I'm wondering whether I also ran with a head tilt to the right which puts more weight on the right leg and calf maybe. It would explain why it's always the outside soleus muscle that goes. It's another straw that I'm clinging to.<br />
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Calf feels good after the ride with no direct pain. Two weeks to go till Tauranga. Not sure when I'm going to test the calf. Definitely after Christmas though.<br />
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Happy Christmas!<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-81392496642369460382012-11-24T22:51:00.001-08:002012-11-26T22:29:36.914-08:00Tauranga 15k Trail RunThis was my first event since Laura and I started the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I was a little worried that the lack of carbs in the diet would mess up my endurance and whatever speed I have. I've also been really dehydrated recently even while drinking bottles of water during the day. I've put it down to the reduction of carbs and the ability for the body to hold onto water. This was also a worry for the race as I didn't want to be dehydrated, especially seeing the weather forecast of 23 degree sunshine.<br />
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I made the pact with Laura that I would support her in the diet and follow it with her but I had to be able to eat/drink what I needed to on race and big training days. So for breakfast this morning, after weeks of no coffee, bread and processed sugar I had three slices of jam on toast and 2 cups of coffee. I was buzzing! I also drank lots of water and felt good going into the race.<br />
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My original plan was to do a 100k+ ride yesterday (Saturday) and then follow it with the 15k trail run today. (Un)Fortunately I had to go into work yesterday and that combined with the fact that we lost Laura's passport (needed it to continue with hospital treatment or they were going to charge her as a non-resident) and so we had to turn the whole house upside down, meant that I didn't get out to ride. I think that was a good thing in terms of having an easier run today but not good as a preparation for running off the bike in Rotorua. (we found the passport btw - phew!)<br />
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The race started at 9:45am so it was a leisurely morning having that carb loaded breakfast and shots of caffeine watching the teams around West ham slip up and open the way for us to move into 5th spot if win tomorrow morning. None of this 'get up at 3:30am to get everything ready for a tri' stuff.<br />
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Race stuff on, drive to the start and run. Simple.<br />
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The race plan was to do a 4:1 run:walk but as soon as we hit the 'bush' it was obvious I wouldn't be able to stop running as the trails for the most part were only a metre or so wide. Anyway, I felt great and so decided to run the whole thing. My legs were fresh and I was full of caffeine. What could possibly go wrong? :)<br />
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The climbs were very steep but I managed to run them all and not get passed like usual. I felt strongish and I didn't get the dead feeling in my legs. I wasn't running fast up them but I wasn't dying either (which is the normal case for me). The other good thing was that I seemed to recover much better at the top of the climbs and was able to push on at a decent pace instead of my normal routine of recovering at the top and taking ages before I'm able to get back in a rhythm. I suspect a lot of this has to do with the loss of weight and the new diet. Much easier to drag 181 pounds of bulk up a hill without the extra 13 or 14 pounds that I carried up until recently.<br />
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I was able to consistently catch and pass people right up to the end of the race. This might have a lot to do with the fact that I started right at the back but that's mere detail. A lot of people went off very fast and came back quickly.<br />
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One person that I set out to catch was way off in the distance took me about 5k to catch. We talked for a bit and stayed together but on one of the suicidal downhills I had no control of my legs and just went with the speed they were going and I went in front of her. My Garmin says a Sub 2 min per K (not sure how accurate that is but it was scary fast - like going downhill on a bike thinking if I crash now I'm dead!). She caught me up a bit later and we ran together from about the 2k to go mark. As we got near the finish she put in a burst of speed and went past me with all her family cheering. I just kept with her and in the final straight went past to take the Gold ... erm I mean take the sprint win ... felt like Gomez at Auckland. I turned round at the finish and apologised. Was I a douchebag? (Hit a HR of 176 in the sprint)<br />
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I finished in 1:28 something which is round about a 6 min/k pace. My goal for the run:walk was under 100 minutes (for no reason whatsoever) so I was very pleased with this time. It was the first race that I have finished and thought that I would like to go round again. I would have had to walk loads of the hills but I felt physically and mentally OK to go again. Maybe next year. I'll definitely be back. It was a great event!<br />
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Best bit I suppose was the fact that my calfs didn't complain at all. I'm sure the soft(er) surfaces helped. Not so sure about the 'river' crossings though. Very slippery (really?). Just glad that is hadn't rained much recently. I've said it a million times before but I think I have cracked the curse of the calf. (cue calf strain next week!) ... I'm concentrating on a mid foot right hand edge landing (on my right foot). It doesn't pull the calf like a forefoot landing and doesn't have as much braking effect as a heal strike. It seems to work and I'm able to go more forefoot striking on the uphills which makes them slightly easier.<br />
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So ... running is going well and I'm feeling strong(ish) on the bike. Now, if only I was swimming ... in the open water or even in the pool. Swim training re-starts TOMORROW. Definitely, definitely, definitely doing the swim in Pilot Bay on Thursday.<br />
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Only three weeks till Rotorua. I'm only going to do a mini 1 week taper for Rotorua so plan is for two more weeks of 'solid' training. That's the plan anyway :) Bring it on ...<br />
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*Update* ... I came 44th out of 177 in the 15k and was 13th out of 39 in the M40+. Very happy with those results.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-2414602843536499302012-11-02T20:19:00.002-07:002012-11-02T20:19:38.418-07:006 Weeks To Go6 weeks to go till the Rotorua Half Ironman and we're still not sure of the course. The swim has changed since last year and looks like it will be a 2 loop course with a large lap to start with and a smaller second one (I think). The bike course is totally up in the air due to landslips and is in the hands of the local council. I'm not too worried what the course turns out to be because I have my plan to take whatever comes at Rotorua and enjoy the day and not stress about Sub6. If it comes it will be good but it will not be on the original course so doesn't really count. I guess that my 'quest' for Sub6 on that course will never be fulfilled. Ah well ... I'll have to make do with the 6:02 last year. Close enough ... NOT! The run course has also changed and will be totally off-road. I need to get some off-road running practice in.<br />
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I've also entered the Tauranga Half which complicates matters as that's 3 weeks after Rotorua. My master plan is to take Rotorua easy, enjoy the day and then go hard at Tauranga. We'll see :)<br />
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<b>Swim</b><br />
Training has gone fairly well recently. As always I haven't got in the pool as much as I should do but I feel good in the water and I'm confident I can get a Sub40 swim at Rotorua. A recent 2k TT in the pool was 37:4x (from memory) which is faster than previous years. Not sure about Tauranga. I haven't swam in the sea for ages! Anyone up for a Blue Lake swim in the next few weeks ... and then maybe later a dip in Pilot Bay???<br />
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<b>Bike</b><br />
My bike is getting stronger and this morning I managed to take 40 seconds off the Reid Road climb record. Went down to 10:52 from 11:32. A lot of this can be attributed to the weight I have lost (shock horror!) following a very strict Specific Carbohydrate Diet with Laura. She has had lots of gastric problems and this seemed like a good thing to try. It's working wonders for her (daily recorded pain levels are down from 4's and 5's to 3's, 2's and a couple of times 'ONE'!) and it has made it easy for me to resist cr@p food. It's quite high protein (lots of chicken and fish) and I was worried that it would affect my endurance but it has been brilliant. Nearly 4 hours in the Welcome Bay hills this morning and my legs felt fine. Been on it 2 weeks and have dropped almost 10 pounds!<br />
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<b>Run</b><br />
The only negative in my training has been my running. I haven't been injured but I have been running to protect the calf. I was running nearly 7 minute k's for a while but have upped it to low 6's but even at that slow speed I feel heavy and lethargic. Heart rate also seems high for the effort that I'm putting in (or at least the speed I'm getting out). Hoping that it's just because I've been running so slow and once I feel a bit more confidence in the calf to push the pace, maybe the HR will sort itself out. I hope so!<br />
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In a week's time our live's get turned upside down when Jo goes back the the UK for her Nan's 90th Birthday. Kids practically look after themselves but I'm sure it's till gonna be a shock to the system. On the upside I'm hoping to get a big block of training in during the 4 weeks of 'freedom' ;) I'd love to ride the Rotorua bike course so hopefully the council will make a decision during the next few weeks. I rode the Tauranga 90k course (totally flat) a few weeks back and rode a 2:49 which I was really pleased with.<br />
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One thing I haven't yet done are brick sessions. I must incorporate some of those into the training. Next Sunday for sure! ... if I haven't got washing to do! :(<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-79774732385926294312012-09-30T14:43:00.000-07:002012-09-30T14:43:02.757-07:00Where I'm at ...Less than 11 weeks to go till Rotorua ... it's also the countdown to the end of year at Polytech and so it's going to fly! Jo's also going back to England for just under 4 weeks in November ... not sure if that'll slow down time or speed it up with my quest to get as much training in as possible sans wife :)<div>
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This is my report on the four main parts of the training. Swim, bike, run and nutrition (I mean weight but ...)</div>
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I'm really pleased with where my swim is at the moment. I'm 'content' with my stroke. Memories of T.I. are long gone and I've found a way of getting the same relaxed (i.e. slow) stroke/speed with this more 'conventional' stroke. I haven't done a lot of 2k swims recently but my 1k times are way down on previous years. Will start to swim longer as the race gets nearer. Targeting (as always) a Sub40 minute swim. It was 38 something last year so I'm hoping to do as well (if not better) than that.</div>
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Bike is going great. Intervals sessions on a Tuesday night are really helping and I'm feeling stronger on my rides than ever before. It might be due to the fact that I actually clean my bike now and so I'm not carrying a ton of cr@p up and down the hills. Last week's Reid Road attempt wasn't my quickest but it was only about 30 seconds off and it was only the second attempt this year and I wasn't going all out and I had lots of cold weather clothes on and, and, and etc ... it felt good and I want to break the record in the next few weeks. </div>
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I also did a 100k Saturday that felt great (see previous post). It was on the flat because I have 'calf issues' (when don't I?). Climbing hills doesn't hurt but I can feel it in the location of the pain when I run. I figure that it's a good thing in that it's getting blood flow to the injured area and speeding up the recovery. Right? ... who knows ...</div>
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Not quite going to plan. The calf 'went' two weeks ago. Up till then everything was going great. I was running consistently and getting faster. I was out on a run, I felt great and I was in the zone. I was flying along at 4 minute k pace in the nice soft correctly cambered bus lane part of the road beside Tauranga racecourse when quite inconveniently a bus came towards me in the distance. I thought I'd better get out of the way and so went back onto the path. About 10 strides later there was an intense burning sensation in my calf and it tightened up. Luckily I think I stopped before it tore because I didn't get the normal 'someone just shot me in the leg' pain. Whatever it was it's stopped me running for the last two weeks. I did try a short run after a week but about 2k in I got the same pain (without the bullet pain again thankfully) and Jo had to once again come out in the car and save me. </div>
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I was planning on going for a long walk this morning (Monday) but it's falling down outside. I might do just a few bursts of 30 seconds running every 2 minutes or something. The annoying thing is that some mornings it feels great and here is no direct pain. Other mornings it feels like its back to square one. Yesterday we went to watch the City to Surf Run and I was late getting to the start because I had to park so far away. I managed to run for a few minutes or so with no pain ... and that was carrying a camera and my iPhone, wallet and keys jangling in my pockets. Made it to the start to see Kate in her post pregnancy comeback 5k race (congratulations Kate!) </div>
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... and Paul run a superb time for the 12k. </div>
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<b>Nutrition</b></div>
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I eat too much cr@p! Full Stop! </div>
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Weight is hovering at the 193lb mark. I was 10lbs lighter last year for Rotorua. One pound per week lighter would do it.</div>
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Note to self ... eat less cr@p!</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-10318663567728535602012-09-28T22:40:00.001-07:002012-09-28T22:41:52.976-07:00I Rode a Sea-Horse for 100K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, I think it looks like a sea-horse :)<br />
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Must write some more later ...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-78773791416060660522012-09-08T22:53:00.001-07:002012-09-08T22:53:29.117-07:00Last Minute Change of DecisionNot the best week's worth of training but I made it through with no injury so I'll take that as a positive.<br />
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I had my first gym session with my 'gym coach' from the Sports and Rec class on Monday. He destroyed my abs with a circuit that he cut short from 3 loops to 2, probably as a result of seeing me struggle from the start. My abs are only just starting to not hurt (Sunday) just in time for another go tomorrow. Eeeek!<br />
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I was meant to swim after the session but I used the excuse of a very crowded pool to go home and sleep. I even abandoned my evening run. Not good but I needed the rest.<br />
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Tuesday I continued with the 12 x 30/30 intervals on the windtrainer (20 min warm up and 10 min warm down) ... I feel that I'm getting stronger in the intervals and able to keep the speed at 42km/hr. Plan is to up the time around the intervals a bit to make up an hour.<br />
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Wednesday I went out with Laura for our usual 4k run. She's getting faster and we easily broke 30 mins for the run. I was meant to go back out and make up the run to an hour but the lure of a warm night in front of the TV won and I stayed in.<br />
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Thursday evening we were out at an awards ceremony where I won an award for my teaching. Really proud of it. Nice certificate and a cheque for $100. new pair of trainers me thinks :) Needless to say I didn't do any training.<br />
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Friday was another run with Laura. We upped the pace a bit and took 2 mins off Wednesday's time. This time i went back out on my own afterwards and made up the (near) hour. I used a 2:30 jog/slowish run and then intervals of 1 minute as fast as I could. Felt fantastic. Fastest minute interval was a 4:01/k pace. My calf actually felt better at that pace than my normal pace. Probably because it's spending less time on the ground. My heart didn't agree with the calf though and felt like it was coming through my chest. Hit 173 at one point. Average HR for the intervals was low 160's. Will do that again.<br />
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Saturday was a rest day. Did very little although spent a lot of time trying to buy a pair of new trainers. Only ones that felt great and were recommended by Smith's Sport's Shoes for my 'problems' were $270! Resisted.<br />
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Sunday was the last of the local Duathlons. I went to bed Saturday night planning to do it but woke up to rain and high winds and thought better of it. I decided to do a 2 hour session on the windtrainer and then run a 5k off the bike. Much more sensible and in tune with my 'plan'.<br />
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At 9.30am I was on my way to the basement to do Spinervals when I read a tweet from Chrissie Wellington. At 9:31 I was borrowing $15 from Adam and making my way to the race start. Damn you Twitter!<br />
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A quick ride to the Lakes, set up my transition, paid my race fee and lined up for the 10am start.<br />
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I decided to just go with the run pace that the adrenalin rush gives me. No holding back to keep HR under control. No sensible decisions. I was going to redline and see what if felt like.<br />
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We were off and the pace felt OK ... even though it was 3:30/k. My body soon caught on and slowed itself down to a more sensible pace but I was definitely working harder than normal because my breathing was very laboured. Kept trying to push, even on the hill. Finished the 1st run in 15:20 (16:03 in July) for a 4:41/k pace. Unfortunately some of this includes T1 because with the lack of oxygen available to my brain I didn't hit the lap button when i finished the run. Still pleased with this pace though.<br />
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The bike was hard. It's a challenging course anyway with the hill being climbed four times but the wind today made it even harder. The rain held off so that was good but my bike time (27:04) was slower than July's effort (26:51).<br />
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Felt OK starting the second run and a quick glance at my watch showed that I had about 16 minutes to break the hour. I was gutted in July to go over the hour by a few seconds. Really wanted to best that time today.<br />
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Run was going fine but the hill loomed. Luckily a young lady caught and went passed me at the bottom of the hill. It just gave me a bit of an incentive to try hang with her. We had a quick chat and it took my mind off the pain. As the hill tapered off she went ahead and I couldn't keep up with her. The rest of the run is flat or a little downhill so I was able to up my pace a bit and get the average down from 5:20/k at the top of the hill to just under 5/k by the end. Finished the run in 15:53 for a 4:55/k pace. July's second run was 16:42 so that was a nice improvement and I managed to come home in a few seconds under the hour. No official result yet but I'm happy with that. Main thing was there was no calf pain and I'm relatively pain free Sunday evening. Probably ache a bit in the morning but the biggest objective was to give the calf a test and come through it with no niggles. Mission accomplished.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-86597750516622955872012-09-02T03:21:00.001-07:002012-09-02T03:21:02.663-07:00Week 3 of 18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weekly time is building up nicely. </div>
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Even took a Strava KOM today :)<br />
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Can't see that lasting too long though. It's the hill of the Duathlon Course so presume those times below are from the race not one off attempts with rests in between but ....<br />
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Bring on Week 4<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-7226174694479472182012-08-26T00:40:00.000-07:002012-08-26T00:50:39.207-07:00Week 2 of 18I thought this week had gone really well training wise. It was hard and my body feels tired and battered (maybe exaggeration) but I thought that I was getting back into it ... until I looked back at my workouts for the week<br />
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Monday - Bit of swimming. 4 x 250m intervals. Each one was just under 5 mins. Felt really tired so ... didn't go out for scheduled run in the evening ... tut tut<br />
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Tuesday - Did 20 mins warm up on the windtrainer and then <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213160880" target="_blank">12 x 30 seconds at 42km/hr with 30 seconds rest</a>. About 10 minute warm down. Felt good. Cycling fitness might just be coming back.<br />
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Wednesday - Went out with Laura for first <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213160880" target="_blank">30 mins</a>.We did a 2:1 run:walk for 4k. With Laura safely dropped off home and after a quick drink of water I did the same <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213552653" target="_blank">130HR</a> run as last week. It actually felt quite hard at this relatively low HR but the pace was 'much' faster than last week. Sign of increased fitness maybe??? Last week I managed 6:24/k pace. This week 5:56/k. Not a massive amount but an improvement none the less.<br />
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Thursday was Adam's speech competition at the school in the evening ... no training!<br />
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Friday - Another bit of swimming. Only 1k but this time continuous. My watch battery died halfway through so no idea of the total time but first 250m were just under 5 mins ... my normal plodding pace.<br />
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Friday's long run just didn't happen. Felt really tired and I wanted to go out for my first long bike ride Saturday morning so I rested. I've decided that Saturday mornings for the ride don't work becasue of this very reason so next week it'll be back to Friday long run, Saturday rest, Sunday long bike ... followed by short run some weeks.<br />
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Saturday morning I set out at 6am in the freezing cold darkness to destroy some of the local <a href="http://app.strava.com/segments/873820" target="_blank">Strava KOMs</a>. Had quite a good ride, didn't go too hard but was pleased that I lasted for the full three hours. Longest ride since May. I did about half the ride in the aero bars and it felt really good but my back is aching today (Sunday) ... got to get used to it again. The biggest bummer about Saturday was that my Garmin lost the data for the ride in the process of transferring it to the PC. Although i'm gutted to lose the data at least it didn't contain any 'fast bits'. My time up Reid Rd was 14 something. Nowhere near my 11:xx best. Work to do. Weight to lose. Muscles to build. Capillaries to grow.<br />
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A new episode starts on Monday. I've got myself one of the Sports and Rec students as a coach for 8 weeks. Last year it was great and got me doing stuff that I would normally ignore. Core work mainly. He (Zane) also has plans for my calf. Can't wait. He's training for the Coast to Coast in February(?) so he's into his multisport. He's actually doing his nutritional research with the help of Richard Usher. Only met him Friday but I'm looking forward to discussing training plans on Monday and counting down the final 16 weeks.<br />
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Time will fly.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-87678797251624130882012-08-19T03:04:00.001-07:002012-08-26T00:47:39.541-07:00End of 1st Week 'Back at it'Thursday night was bike intervals. Tuesday's test said they should be at 40km/hr. Twelve x 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest. The intervals seemed quite easy but I decided to stick with it and re-test in a couple of weeks. I strayed up to 42 a few times but even then my HR was only 140/150. Not sure what happened on Tuesday.<br />
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Friday was an hour's run and on the way out I felt great. I was holding back on the pace and heel striking and I just thought to myself "I'll just give forefoot striking a go and increase the pace a bit" ... no prizes for guessing what happened next. Instant calf pain. Back to heel strike and it didn't feel any worse and at certain times on the run home the pain went totally ... but not for long :(<br />
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I don't think it's 'torn' ... I might give Monday's run a miss and give it a test on Wednesday.<br />
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Saturday was a rest day. I used it to strip the bike, clean it and get it ready for Sunday's ride. The stripping and cleaning went fine but it took me forever to get the derailleur hanger back. Lost count of the times I dropped the bits and pieces. When I finally got the bike going it was pitch black outside and I got jumped at by the dog up the road who then followed me back home and sat outside the garage wanting me to play. Had to shout at it to go home.<br />
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Sunday morning was spent over the Lakes trying to beat a Strava time (it's addictive!) and did a few laps of the Duathlon course. Nice clean bike felt good ... although it didn't go any faster :)<br />
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I hadn't managed a 2k TT swim in the week (did 4 x 250m on Friday) so decided to go for it after watching West Ham win their first game of the season.<br />
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Hadn't done 2k for ages so decided to take it easy. First few 250's were 4:43, 4:51, 4:57 (struggling!), 4:58 (getting no easier) ... but then I make a conscious effort to keep my elbow high and then ... 4:43, 4:46, 4:44 and 4:51 (bit tired!) ... overall my fastest 2k ever! (38:37) ... bit of work and I might be able to break 38 minutes. Back in the pool tomorrow :)Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-39755035401591442852012-08-14T02:56:00.001-07:002012-08-14T03:04:26.376-07:00Rotorua - 18 Weeks to go Time to get serious - well sort of.<br />
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Training has really gone out of the window recently because of the Olympics. There's been late nights watching rowing, getting up in the middle of the night to watch cycling and boxing and then early morning starts to watch athletics ... and it was worth every minute of lost sleep! Fantastic games. London did us proud. Mo in the 5k was definitely the highlight for me. The way he controlled that race was just perfect and to do the double was unbelievable. The only thing that let the team down was the football team. Nothing new there then! :)<br />
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I've got withdrawal symptoms but what better thing to replace it than the annual build up to Rotorua and another attempt at Sub6.<br />
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Monday I finally got out for a run. I did 30 mins with Laura at a 2:1 run:walk at an average pace of about 6:30/k. She wants to go out with me to do better in the school races. Her pace is great as a warm up for me and it might be a great strategy to stop me going too fast too early in the run and actually warm up a bit before 'going for it'.<br />
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For the 2nd half hour of the Monday run I kept my HR at an average of 130. It was harder to do than I thought and I had to almost walk to get it down in the 2nd half. Went out too hard trying to get the HR to 130 but it went way past into the 140's before I could get it back down again. Will know better next time. Plan is to train for 4 weeks and then re-test to look for improvements.<br />
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Final figures were : 3.97km in 25:23 for average of 6:24min/k (130 AHR)<br />
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I also went swimming on Monday. What a start to the training! Did 20 x 50m averaging around 50 seconds for the 50's. Will do a 1k TT on Wednesday and then (maybe) a 2k TT on Friday. Plan is to definitely swim every Monday and Friday (don't have classes to teach) and either get a short swim in Wednesday or sometime at the weekend with Jo/kids.<br />
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Tonight I did a velocity VO2 test on the windtrainer. I've done this a few times before and I've managed to sustain 42km/hr (1st time) and then at the end of last year 44km/hr. I've been doing 'some' windtrainer work recently but it's been very sketchy for the past month (see previous excuses) and tonight I only managed to sustain 40km/hr for the required 2 mins. The more worrying thing was it was at a HR of 172. Previously I have been able to hold 42/44 at mid 160's. Time to build the fitness back up. Reid Road here I come. See you Sunday!<br />
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Found out recently that the Rotorua run course is changing. It's going all off-road and won't include the Gun Club Road. I actually got time back along that road because it was flat and my fastest bit of the course. Hopefully the new off-road bits won't include too much uphill. Can't wait to give it a test run. Soon as it's confirmed officially I'll be over to the Blue Lake. Maybe a swim if it's around late September / early October.<br />
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Motivation is high at the moment. Hopefully I can keep it up for 18 weeks!<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-8431137178451207232012-07-30T00:47:00.000-07:002012-07-30T00:45:13.327-07:00Quick updateGot me another wetsuit. I've had my wetsuit for over 6 years now. It's lasted really well considering I've used it in the pool as much as I have! The 'new' one is a 2nd hand one from the UK. Luckily my cousin and her family have just come over for holiday and so they brought it with them. It's a Blueseventy Reaction and I love it. It's a tad small but if I drop some pounds I might be able to actually move in it. Felt great to swim in. 50's on sub 50 seemed easyish. Did a 1k TT today. Got no swim fitness and managed 18:59. I won't swim in the pool with it all the time but plan is to do a progress TT every 4 weeks or so.
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<br>Sent from my iPhoneMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832894194761898864.post-51803796605225588832012-07-26T03:21:00.000-07:002012-07-26T03:21:13.899-07:00Day 26 - 26th July 2012<br />
Decided to go back to the gym yesterday (Wednesday) and try some slow running on the treadmill.<br />
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I put the treadmill on hill mode and chose the highest setting. This gave a course between 9% and 15% incline. Set the speed at 6.4km/hr and started the 15 min run. The 15% was insane but with the speed so slow it was more like a fast walk than a run. Still worked hard though. No problems with the calf so this might be the way forward for a bit. Low speed/high incline.<br />
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Just pleased to have survived with the calf intact.<br />
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Tonight was a quick interval session on the windtrainer. Twenty minute warm up and then 12 x 30 seconds, 14 gear (same as Tuesday's gear) but at a lower cadence. Tried to keep it between 98 and 101 ... HR is lower (obviously) but it still felt like a good workout. Tuesday's intervals at 102(ish) make me feel like I'm gonna die on about the 8th one but I think I could have done a few more tonight ... but my dinner was calling (Jo made a gorgeous mince curry!)<br />
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Family arriving tomorrow (cousin/husband/daughter) for a week's stay so training mught go a bit pear shape but I'm hoping to keep to some sort of routine ... and not go back to eating as I was a few weeks ago.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202818045317914280noreply@blogger.com0