LOOOONG Off Season

So its been a seriously long off-season. Too long. I am so out of shape it is seriously depressing. I had my CrossFit Level 1 Certification this weekend and I had my ass handed to me in the workouts. Now that almost always happens if you are putting in your full effort but the weights I was using for the workouts were dumbed down to the point of embarrassment. Things will be a changing!

This year’s major race is going to be on Aug 12, 2012 at the Rev3 Half-Iron Distance Triathlon in Wisconsin Dells:

Total Mileage 70.3

  • 1.2 Mile Swim
  • 56 Mile Bike
  • 13.1 Mile Run

I will be doing some other B reaces too like the Lake in the Hills Tri and probably a couple others to get back into race mode.

This years new twist will be that I will be training using the CrossFit Endurance protocol that I have tried to follow I couple times this off-season. Now though I am in training mode mentally and almost physically. Just need to get some toxins out of my system from being a useless sloth for the last few months. So I will be posting updates again and hopefully more frequently than I have this off-season.

Written on February 15th, 2012 , Crossfit, Races, Training
First “completed” 20 mile training run

Last Saturday I finally ran a complete 20 miles. I also did it in less than 4 hours which I thought was fantastic considering I was alone and didn’t have anyone to pace me. The temperature was in the 60′s and it was overcast so it was great. My nutrition was dead on I think. I had five peices of Honey Stinger Chews (Pomegranate) every thirty minutes with about a half to one cup of water and then at the ten mile mark I had a Clif Shot espresso gel with double caffeine (100mg) and I think that helped carry me through the last ten miles. I did continue with the Honey Stinger chews and water for the last ten miles also at 30 minute increments.

Before the run I had a Trader Joe’s Multi-grain English Muffin with raw almond butter and some organic blueberry jam with my usual 2-3 cups cold French pressed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee(2 tbl half and half). I finished all of this almost two hours before the run. Post run I had my post workout shake modified from the recipe in book Paleo Diet for Athletes.

Steve’s Recovery Drink

  • 18 oz orange Juice
  • 6 oz Pom juice
  • 5 tbl Glucose (Corn Sugar from CL Health Foods)
  • 3 1/2 scoops Protein powder (any powder with 20g-25g protein per scoop)
  • 1 tbl Ground Flax seed
  • 1 tbl Chia Seeds
  • 1/2 cup Mixed Frozen Berries (Costco)

Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Our blender isn’t able to hold it all at once so I usually break it down into 1/2 servings and mix it that way. I have two Shaker cups that can hold it all and I throw those in a cooler with some ice packs in a cooler.

The ice packs are useful for post run pains also. I usually put them on my thighs while I am driving home. Once I got home I took an ice bath for recovery of my legs. Just fill up the bathtub with the coldest water you can, hop in, and then dump a couple bags of ice in the water once you have acclimated to it. Fifteen minutes is the maximum amount of time that you can gain any therapeutic value from it so I hop out well before then. This really lowers your core temp also so you feel a bit of a chill afterwards. These are also great during hot summer days when you just want to stop sweating for a while.

I used both my Garmin 305xt and MapMyRun on my HTC Android phone to track the run. I trusted the Garmin for the mileage and heart-rate, and the phone for the time reminders for nutrition. MapMyRun was very off on the mileage tracking. Anywhere from 5-8 miles off. I listened to the Dick Dale station on Pandora for music. Kind of calm but some good beats to follow too. I ran the whole time at Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry, IL. They have three big loops where you can run each one twice and not go the same direction while getting in the distance you need. They are partially paved with crushed limestone where they aren’t. Beautiful scenery also and very little foot and bike traffic. Not to mention zero cars! No pollution! Now starts the taper and low mileage runs. I will try to post again pre-race to keep everyone up to date.

 

Written on May 11th, 2011 , Nutrition, Recovery, Running, Training
Trail Running

I went to meet some of my Men’s Group friends and their running partners for a run over at Stern’s Woods in Crystal Lake yesterday and tried something new that I thought I would really dislike. Trail Running. Mostly single track through the forest with a ton of elevation changes and lots and lots of snow and ice. I don’t have the ice cleats that most of the trail runners have and I wasn’t wearing thermal socks at all. Just my Asics and Balega running socks(Thank you Runner’s High ‘n Tri for turning me onto these “clouds” on my feat). My feat were not cold at all after almost 12 miles. They were definitely wet from sweating and a little snow but not cold. The first flashback I had when we went off road was going skiing up in Boyne, MI and downhill skiing through single track trails and the thrill I got from that. It was the same experience but significantly slower. The snow was falling so dramatically and there was zero wind. The only sounds were occasional chatting between my friends and I and the soft clomping of our feet on the snow. I have been bitching about the weather and snow for weeks but I let it pass for this time spent on the trails. It was NICE. My ankle is tweaked a little from the inconsistent ground levels and my glutes are sore from the hills and from the 12 miles in general. It took almost 3 hours to complete all the miles but it gave my body the workout it needed and my mind and soul the lift it needed too. Looks like I have a new way to beat the boredom of road running when I need it. Maybe once I am stronger on my bike I can hit the MTB trails too.

Written on February 27th, 2011 , Motivation, Recreation, Running, Training
Running Pace

My marathon training plan officially started a couple weeks ago and I am starting to see some great results. My average mile pace before I started training was around 11:00-12:00 per mile. Now I am pacing 9:30-10:00 for my 3-5 mile runs. I have to admit that I was quite worried that my speed would not improve before the marathon and that I would be at the back of the pack but it looks like I should be just fine. If I could only get outside more it would be fantastic.

I did start running on Saturdays for my long runs with the Alpine Runners out of Lake Zurich. They start off at the high school at 7am and there are lots of people running different paces and different distances too. There were three people nice enough to let me run along side them and they pulled me along quite well. That in itself helped bring my speed up. Not too many big hills on the run and luckily my forays outside in the neighborhood prepared me for them. Our neighborhood has a 200+ft elevation change that can really kick your ass on a bad day.

Last week I started on the Paleo Diet to get past this plateau I had reached in my weight loss. For the life of me I couldn’t budge lower than 205. I am seeing some good signs from it now as the scale is starting to edge downward. I will wait until I see some major changes before I really start advocating it. I do notice quite an energy change from when I tried to go vegan and then vegetarian. That just didn’t work for me. Tried it for over a month and I didn’t lose a pound and I felt drained all the time. Ate plenty of vegetables and took plenty of vitamin supplements but it just was never enough. Something about this anti-grain/gluten thing has me optimistic that I may have finally found the right direction for myself.

I do need to get a shout out to Scott Iott for the great advice he has given me over the last few months. He turned me on to the Paleo Diet for Athletes book and that has really helped educate me on some things I was missing. He also kept me from over training myself as I was looking at trying to add speed to my runs by doing drills along with my normal distance runs but he assured me that I need to concentrate on just getting the miles in. The speed has taken care of itself.

As for my swim and bike training, well that has definitely dropped off. Especially the bike. I can’t make my normal spin class on Sat mornings with Multisport Madness now that I have to get my long runs in on Sat. I am going to see if I can’t get into a spin class earlier in the week that isn’t packed with people. The one drawback now that I work at Health Bridge is that I can’t attend a class that is full. I need to give up my spot to a member. Which is fine but leaves me looking for more opportunities to get on the bike. Again, being able to ride outside would be fantastic but today it dropped to -12. No fricking way I am getting on a bike today let alone run out in this.

Written on February 10th, 2011 , Nutrition, Running, Training
Crossfit Endurance and Paleo Diet

My new year started off great. Started my new job training at Health Bridge in Crystal Lake and I am doing great on the training front and have the results to show for it. I just recently retested for my VO2 Max and went from 32.8 last May to 42.3. Basically improved from very poor to good. My swimming stroke is SO much more efficient now than it was even two months ago. My endurance still is in great need of improvement but my speed is where I need it to be for now. I can beat my wife in a 25yd sprint and she was a competitive swimmer in high school. She has since started to swim regularly so I may not be able to say that for long. My biking hasn’t changed noticeably. The winter has been killing me because I can not stand doing stationary bicycling. It is tolerable but just barely. Luckily I found some good spin classes at work that have been keeping my interest. Running has improved drastically. My mile times are dropping like crazy for short runs form 11:00 to 10:00 and slightly lower. Endurance is still an issue but my mileage is going up now that training has started for my marathon during Memorial Day weekend. I am running in the Bayshore Bank Marathon in Traverse City, MI. My mom was born there so hopefully that alone will bring me a little luck. I am hoping to break 5:00:00. I will just have to average less than 11:00 the whole race. Doable? Yes, as long as I stick to my training plan. I have bastardized a Hal Higdon plan (Intermediate I) to fit my schedule and I am also going to try to implement Crossfit Endurance training into my schedule to strengthen my week ass body. Swim and bike are going to be scaled back due to the run load being raised but that should not be an issue once I have completed the marathon and resumed Tri training a week or two after. Hopefully the recovery can be that short.

I had been spinning on Saturdays with the Multisport Madness Triathletes for their two hour long class but now that my long runs are on Saturdays I am going to hold off on that until I am consistent in my efforts on the runs. I don’t need to be set back my over-training. The Masters swim classes are also on hold too because of the same reason but also because I really don’t like having to share a lane with anyone yet. I don’t mind if it is with some swimming recreationally but I just haven’t been able to keep up with the class yet. So I have been doing partial workouts from the board later in the day.

I got to meet Joe Friel last week at a dinner held in St. Charles for his Training Bible coaches. The highlight of the night was sitting next to and chatting with Bob Scott. Check out the link for part of his history. TRUE legend of Ironman. Didn’t even know it until I got home and Googled him. Truly an honor to meet and talk with such a humble and gracious man.

One of the other reasons I went to the dinner was to talk to Scott Iott, my soon to be tri-coach. Talked to him for a while and got a phone consult set up so we could go over my Annual Training Plan for the year. I am pretty sure that it is all in good shape now so I just have to stay injury free for the rest of my life and everything will be just fine! Scott also turned me onto The Paleo Diet for Athletes for nutritional information. So far a really good read. There will be a post of the list of recommended books for all beginners to read on the blog soon.

A new event I am putting on the calendar is the Triathlon Clinic being held at Centegra Health Bridge in Huntley on Jan. 30, 2011. Check it out if you at all interested in getting yourself tested to see your true potential.

Written on January 25th, 2011 , Coaching, Seminars, Training
Masters Swim Classes

I started to attend the Masters Swim Classes at my health club last week and I am sorry that I took so long to do it. I really could have improved a ton faster if I had just swallowed my pride and started months ago. You do need to be able to swim a little but I am much farther progressed than I thought I was. If you can swim 50 yds without stopping or hyperventilating you can attend masters swim. At least I think so but others may have different opinions. At least go in and talk to the masters coach and get an evaluation. It is almost always free and definitely helpful. I feel more confident about my abilities now than I did before so that is a tremendous boost in motivation. Anytime someone tells you that you have the ability to do Ironman distance with more training it elevates your spirits and provides a great kick in the ass.

Written on December 27th, 2010 , Coaching, Swimming, Training
Yet another great seminar and Lactate Threshold Test

So I had a pretty exhaustive day today. I was talking to a Tri friend(Kurt) at our health club(Centegra Health Bridge in Crystal Lake, IL) the other day and he clued me in on a Lactate Threshold Bicycle Test going on this morning at our “sister club” Centegra Health Bridge in Huntley, IL.

The test started at 5:30am this morning. Ouch. It was being run by TrainingBible Coach Jim Dicker and a six time Ironman named Andy was there also. Didn’t catch his last name but I am guessing he is a member of Midwest Madness Tri Club that put on the event. Kurt is a member of this club and that is how he knew about it.

Anyway, here is a synopsis of the criteria that we followed in doing the test:

  • 10 min spin at very easy pace to warmup
  • 5 min spin intensity that you can endure for the entire time ( you use this to dial in your gear, speed/cadence for the 20 min. test)
  • 5 min easy spin at very easy pace
  • 20 min spin intensity at the highest speed and gear you can use at a constant and steady pace while keeping your cadence in a 5 revolution range at the pace you fell most comfortable
  • 15 min cool-down

The cadence range that you target can be anywhere between 70 rpm -110 rpm. Don’t let your cadence fluctuate more than 5 rpm once you feel you have your intensity dialed in. You track your heart rate with a monitor and use your average hr for the ride as your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate(LTHR). Here is the link for the graph for the ride. In the end after all was said and done I ended up doing over 40 miles and spending an hour and a half on the bike. Farthest I’ve ever ridden nonstop. The legs were definitely feeling it afterwards but they weren’t too bad. My butt on the other hand was sore because I didn’t set up the bike correctly at the beginning of the test so I was too far forward.

All in all it was an interesting session during which that I learned a ton. I don’t know if I want to pony up the dough for a membership to Midwest Madness yet because I still don’t know enough about them and they really seem over the top intense for my liking. It could be just a select few that steered my perception that way but I think I would like to get our club growing in membership instead at this point.

Training Bible Coaching

Later in the morning I stopped by The Geneva Running Outfitters store for another seminar on starting your training plan for next year. It was being presented by yet another TrainingBible Coach Scott Iott. Another great seminar and I think Scott is great guy. He is a middle school teacher in my old neighborhood during the day and an excellent Triathlete in his off time. He just qualified for his second trip to Kona two weeks ago in Clearwater, FL. He went over a brief summary of setting up a plan and the things to focus on in doing it. He was nice enough to even go over a few questions that I had afterwards. I think I even geeked out for a few minutes just getting so excited about finding such a good source of knowledge so close to home. I have been tossing around the idea of getting a coach and now I have met three Training Bible coaches in as many days and I have been impressed with each and every one of them. Scott will be doing two more seminars there over the next two months so I would HIGHLY recommend checking them out. Here is the info for this one and the others to come.

Written on November 21st, 2010 , Bicycling, Exercises, Testing, Training
Webinar + Seminar results

Free webinar: Joe Friel from TrainingPeaks.com and the author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible

Really decent webinar on Wednesday that covered the use of TrainingPeaks.com for tracking your training and diet. Specifically it covered setting up your training plan for the next year. Which I do use and it is amazing the things that you can do on their site(you can see my recent workouts posted there below). Great info for newbies to that site and really shows what the site can do if you are interested in really analyzing your efforts in tri training. They also have a ton of training plans that you can buy for anything from a 5K to an ultramarathon. Here is a link to the recorded webinar so that you can see for your self what you missed.

Swim clinic in Glen Ellyn:

Very good clinic last night presented by TrainingBible Coach Carla Hastert. She is a USAT Level II Tri coach and really knows her stuff on the swimming aspect. You guys missed a good one tonight. I wish I could have caught the first two seminars in the three part series. She answered a ton of great questions that we had about swimming and even offered to do a free stroke/swim evaluation on anyone attending at the fitness center she works at in Geneva. I am definitely going to take advantage of it considering how bad my swimming stroke has been.

Written on November 19th, 2010 , Coaching, Seminars, Swimming, Training
Movember update and Tri Webinar/Seminars

So I had to end my Movember yesterday due to upcoming job interviews. I will do it again next year and hopefully be better prepared to make it through the entire month.

Also a note to anyone interested there is a webinar today Creating an Annual Training Plan with Joe Friel at 2:00pm CST today.

There are also a series of clinic being held at the Geneva Running Outfitters over the next few months. Here is the link for info on those:

http://www.trainingbible.com/documents/TrainingBibleClinicsGenevaRunningOutfitters.pdf

I would check with them on the dates because I know that at least one or maybe two are wrong. I want to say that they are all on Sat. which doesn’t jive with the dates they have on the flyer.

It looks like I will be shutting down the I am Going to TRI Meetup group and moving it over to this blog and also to the Facebook group I have created. It is free for one thing and it also it more convenient for those of us currently active in the group. If you are on Facebook and want to join the Facebook I am going to TRI group and get updates from there instead of here just message me on Facebook and I will add you to the group. If you would rather just watch this site for events and also get other info in regards to Tri’s just subscribe using the link provided(The link may not be up yet but I am working on it).

Written on November 17th, 2010 , Charity, Coaching, Education, Seminars, Training

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