On Monday, I began my training for Ironman Louisville. It is going to be a long journey, but I am going to do my best to enjoy my experience. Everyone I have talked to has told me you don't become an Ironman by crossing the finish line of the race, instead when you getting up for those 6 am swims and days when you ride bike for almost the same amount of time many people are at work (6-7 hours). That is when you become an Ironman.
When doing this, there is nobody checking on me, making sure I am getting in my training. When I comes down to it, it's all about me. How much do I want this? Now is the time to step up to the plate. I said I want to do this to test myself both physically and mentally. The test began two days ago.
To catch up the past few days:
Monday - Day 1 of training
Began the day with a 2 hour bike ride. For me, that equates to about 35 miles. Following the ride, I had an MRI scheduled for my left knee. Three weeks ago, I woke up to a sharp, stabbing pain in the side of my left knee. Since I didn't twist or bend it incorrectly, I had no idea what I had done. The MRI showed no major issues other than soft tissue swelling - that was a huge relief. The initial thought of the doc before the MRI was a possible tear in the meniscus. Luckily, NSAID pain relievers and ice should help the pain.
Because of this my running has been very limited. I have only been able to run one time in those three weeks and that was on the Sunday before my training began. Everyone I have talked to said not to worry about it as I have plenty of time to build my run base. When I ran Sunday, I made sure to take it slow. Actually, I walked 1/2 mile, ran 1 mile, then walked 1/2 mile. Things went well. No pain.
Tuesday (Day 2)
Due to my schedule, I had to schedule my swim before work. This wasn't going to be easy because I have to be to work by 7:30am. Well, I made it. Everything was great. Swim went well. I covered 2500 meters in the 55 min I was there. It is crazy when you are out at 5:30 am. It is like an entirely different world. SportsClub was packed!!! There were people everywhere! During the day, I was a little tired, but I think that may have been more because of the allergy medicine and not sleeping because I didn't want to miss my alarm, as opposed to actually getting up early.
Wednesday (Day 3)
I had planned to get in a swim and weight workout right after work, but forgot about a meeting I had scheduled at 3:00. Because of this, I moved my swim until tomorrow and did tomorrow's workout today. I started out with a run. My plan called for 50 minute run, but because of my knee, I went for 30 and covered 2.2 miles (walking and running again). I felt an occasional twinge in my knee, but nothing serious. When I got home, the plan called for an hour on the bike. Since it was 5:00, I jumped on the trainer and went to town. I am proud of myself because I had enough after only 20 minutes. I kept looking at my watch but the time seemed like it stopped. I told myself that I was not getting off until my watch said 1:00:00. I made it the entire way. I know there are going to be days that I just don't feel like working out, but I just have to suffer through it and get it done. Today was one of those days. First test - passed.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Back to running
I went back out today in an attempt to do a short run (3 miles at 10 min/ mile). I was close 3.5 miles at 9:30 / mile. Following my run, I did some good stretching for my achilles / soleus and calves. After stretching, came some ice on the achilles. I really need to get better with the ice following my runs. Pretty good overall.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Bike fit
Yesterday, I went to Carolina Triathlon to get my bike and body in the best possible aero and power producing position. Everything felt great until I got home and jumped on my bike on the trainer. It felt terrible. I could not get comfortable. My arms, legs, butt, everything. My hour ride lasted 45 minutes and that may be pushing it. I was not happy at all. I couldn't stay in my aerobars more then 10 minutes at a time before getting up because my triceps hurt. Secondly, I felt like I was using my calf muscles way too much. They were extremely fatigued.
Today I went into it with an open mind with hopes for better results. I decided to go with my old bike shorts since I used the my new ones yesterday. They were much better. I made it for one hour on the trainer. My triceps and calves are still way too fatigued. I am making notes of how I feel everyday so in a couple weeks, we can make a few more adjustments. After my hour ride, I decided to put on my new bike shorts and continue for another 15 minutes to get used to them. I did not even notice when I put them on yesterday, but the padding is the same shape as my saddle. No wonder I couldn't get comfortable. Once I found a comfortable spot, I was good to go. Once Sara gets home it's time for a little Biggest Loser.
Today I went into it with an open mind with hopes for better results. I decided to go with my old bike shorts since I used the my new ones yesterday. They were much better. I made it for one hour on the trainer. My triceps and calves are still way too fatigued. I am making notes of how I feel everyday so in a couple weeks, we can make a few more adjustments. After my hour ride, I decided to put on my new bike shorts and continue for another 15 minutes to get used to them. I did not even notice when I put them on yesterday, but the padding is the same shape as my saddle. No wonder I couldn't get comfortable. Once I found a comfortable spot, I was good to go. Once Sara gets home it's time for a little Biggest Loser.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Good stuff / Not so good stuff
I had a great training week last week. We had temps in the 60's and even 70. I was able to get out on my bike and get in two 35 mile rides and even sandwiched in a run between the two. By the end of the week, my legs were spent. Obviously one of the most important aspects of long distance triathlon is conserving energy through being as aero as possible. I decided to check out how aero I look while on my trainer. Although I am no expert, it looks like I could gain a little from a proper fitting on the bike. Therefore, I have a bike fitting set up for Monday at Carolina Triathlon. I am really looking forward to what we find.
Unfortunately with the good comes the bad. My goal for this week was to focus on my run. I had plans to do four or five runs, with the longest being around 8 miles. My first run on Monday was great- 5.1 miles at a 9:10/mile pace. The second run felt real good until the end. I had just finished 5.2 miles and had 1/2 mile to go. At this point, my right achilles begins to act up and just flat out hurt. This time, it was not at the insertion point, but about 1/3 of the way from my heel. That is what happened last spring when I decided to go to therapy. I really don't want to go again and frankly can't afford to go again. For now, I am spending my time in the pool, on the bike and stretching like crazy. I am going to take off for the rest of the week and schedule an appointment with a friend who is a sports doc at Steadman Hawkins. Hopefully, he will give me some good news.
Unfortunately with the good comes the bad. My goal for this week was to focus on my run. I had plans to do four or five runs, with the longest being around 8 miles. My first run on Monday was great- 5.1 miles at a 9:10/mile pace. The second run felt real good until the end. I had just finished 5.2 miles and had 1/2 mile to go. At this point, my right achilles begins to act up and just flat out hurt. This time, it was not at the insertion point, but about 1/3 of the way from my heel. That is what happened last spring when I decided to go to therapy. I really don't want to go again and frankly can't afford to go again. For now, I am spending my time in the pool, on the bike and stretching like crazy. I am going to take off for the rest of the week and schedule an appointment with a friend who is a sports doc at Steadman Hawkins. Hopefully, he will give me some good news.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Good workout
Over the past few days, I have had some pretty good workouts. On Monday, my swim was an easy 2200 meters. I started out with freestyle, then switched to some backstroke for my warm up. The main set consisted of 1900 free. It is getting a little boring right now and it is hard to keep focused. I might try to find a training plan to help me until my IM training begins.
My workout yesterday was a pretty good 45 minutes inside on the trainer. The weather is cold and windy, especially for South Carolina. Today's workout was another trainer session. I sat my butt in one spot for 1 1/2 hours will pedaling away. Actually I did stand up twice to stretch my legs and back. Overall, it was a pretty good workout. My heart rate stayed in the mid 140s, which is pretty low for me.
Tomorrow, I am going back to the run. I am going to SportsClub to mix things up a little and do some work on the treadmill. After my 7.5 mile run on Sunday, I'm going to take down an notch to about 4.5 miles for a couple days, but maybe throw in some speed work.
I am really excited about one thing - I can feel my appetite beginning the take the turn. I seem to be less hungry now and it couldn't have come any sooner! Since my race, I have gained 8 lbs! I am now at 189! Just a couple weeks ago, I was eating everything in sight. Now, I can feel my cravings subside and hopefully my weight will begin to drop too.
My workout yesterday was a pretty good 45 minutes inside on the trainer. The weather is cold and windy, especially for South Carolina. Today's workout was another trainer session. I sat my butt in one spot for 1 1/2 hours will pedaling away. Actually I did stand up twice to stretch my legs and back. Overall, it was a pretty good workout. My heart rate stayed in the mid 140s, which is pretty low for me.
Tomorrow, I am going back to the run. I am going to SportsClub to mix things up a little and do some work on the treadmill. After my 7.5 mile run on Sunday, I'm going to take down an notch to about 4.5 miles for a couple days, but maybe throw in some speed work.
I am really excited about one thing - I can feel my appetite beginning the take the turn. I seem to be less hungry now and it couldn't have come any sooner! Since my race, I have gained 8 lbs! I am now at 189! Just a couple weeks ago, I was eating everything in sight. Now, I can feel my cravings subside and hopefully my weight will begin to drop too.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Back to Training (and posting)
It has been two months since my last post and boy have things changed. During this time, Christmas and New Year's have come and gone, Sara and I have had to deal with some pretty overwhelming family issues, I have regulated my training schedule, I have become a Certified PGA Professional, and can now say that I am doing an Ironman this year. Since this is mostly about training and triathlon, I will stick with that.
Over the past six weeks, I have been able to get in my base workouts on a more regular basis. Just as with my half ironman training, they are always before or after work.
My swim has been great. I have worked on my stroke mechanics and have really been able to pick up some speed and strength without using anymore effort. My distances have ranged from 1500 meters up to 3000 meters in the pool. The Ironman swim distance is around 3800 meters, so I am almost there. I don't plan on going too much higher than the 3000 until I begin my plan in April.
The bike has been okay. The weather in the upstate has been unseasonably cold and wet. This means, not very good riding conditions. I have spent a good amount of time on the trainer watching movies and Ironman videos from Coeur D'alene, China, and World Championships from 2008 and 2009. This occupies my time pretty well. My longest trainer ride is still only 1.5 hours. I need to get this up into the 2 hour range soon. I truly believe riding on a trainer is much more difficult than riding on the road. I can only seem to average around 16.4 mph on the trainer whereas on the road, my lowest is typically around 17.0, and even getting up to 20 mph. The trainer doesn't allow for any rest. There is virtually no coasting and obviously no downhills sections to catch your breath or let your legs recover. Instead, it's just nonstop pedaling.
My running has been pretty good. I am trying to follow the 10% rule and not increase my mileage too quickly. My current runs right now are averaging around 6 miles. I am getting them in around 3 days per week. All have been outside. This coming week will be around 6.5-7 miles. I have just been trying to keep a very slow pace, not pushing anything. I have thrown in a few hills for good measure and mix it up a bit.
2010 should be a very exciting year. It is the year I will become an Ironman. It's about the journey, not the destination.
Over the past six weeks, I have been able to get in my base workouts on a more regular basis. Just as with my half ironman training, they are always before or after work.
My swim has been great. I have worked on my stroke mechanics and have really been able to pick up some speed and strength without using anymore effort. My distances have ranged from 1500 meters up to 3000 meters in the pool. The Ironman swim distance is around 3800 meters, so I am almost there. I don't plan on going too much higher than the 3000 until I begin my plan in April.
The bike has been okay. The weather in the upstate has been unseasonably cold and wet. This means, not very good riding conditions. I have spent a good amount of time on the trainer watching movies and Ironman videos from Coeur D'alene, China, and World Championships from 2008 and 2009. This occupies my time pretty well. My longest trainer ride is still only 1.5 hours. I need to get this up into the 2 hour range soon. I truly believe riding on a trainer is much more difficult than riding on the road. I can only seem to average around 16.4 mph on the trainer whereas on the road, my lowest is typically around 17.0, and even getting up to 20 mph. The trainer doesn't allow for any rest. There is virtually no coasting and obviously no downhills sections to catch your breath or let your legs recover. Instead, it's just nonstop pedaling.
My running has been pretty good. I am trying to follow the 10% rule and not increase my mileage too quickly. My current runs right now are averaging around 6 miles. I am getting them in around 3 days per week. All have been outside. This coming week will be around 6.5-7 miles. I have just been trying to keep a very slow pace, not pushing anything. I have thrown in a few hills for good measure and mix it up a bit.
2010 should be a very exciting year. It is the year I will become an Ironman. It's about the journey, not the destination.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Update.........
Things have been a little slow lately as far as training goes. I have been taking this down time to catch up on a few things around the house - mainly tiling the kitchen floor. What a pain! Never again.
I did learn a valuable lesson - don't do anything you can pay someone else to do. If you can't afford it, it wasn't meant to be.
My training has resorted to running and spending some time on the bike on the trainer. Unfortunately the weather and time change has forced me on to the trainer. I don't feel comfortable riding at night and will never do it. I have made it for about an hour but most of my rides have been between 40-45 minutes. Today's ride lasted me 45 minutes and it went by really fast. I watched the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater. Those guys and gals can move! It's fun to dream.
Sara and I received some bad news today regarding her stepfather Bill. After a period of time of not feeling well, he is now in the hospital. Apparently he has had a few episodes but this one was much worse. Jeanne was there but could not do anything so she called 911. He has been passing blood and is very weak with very low pulse. The doctors cannot do any tests until he gains some strength back. We are keeping him our prayers and ask that everyone else does the same.
I did learn a valuable lesson - don't do anything you can pay someone else to do. If you can't afford it, it wasn't meant to be.
My training has resorted to running and spending some time on the bike on the trainer. Unfortunately the weather and time change has forced me on to the trainer. I don't feel comfortable riding at night and will never do it. I have made it for about an hour but most of my rides have been between 40-45 minutes. Today's ride lasted me 45 minutes and it went by really fast. I watched the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater. Those guys and gals can move! It's fun to dream.
Sara and I received some bad news today regarding her stepfather Bill. After a period of time of not feeling well, he is now in the hospital. Apparently he has had a few episodes but this one was much worse. Jeanne was there but could not do anything so she called 911. He has been passing blood and is very weak with very low pulse. The doctors cannot do any tests until he gains some strength back. We are keeping him our prayers and ask that everyone else does the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)