I feel good these days, getting into the pool. The trepidation seems to have ebbed and my confidence is bolstered with the new techniques that I am learning.
Today started off with a lot of drills, 400m of alternating 25m sets. I really liked the one arm drills with a few strokes devoted to watching the entry of my hand and the angle of my arm. I never look forward in the water... it was really pretty.
As soon as drills were over, I started right into the first of three sets of 400m. This one I wanted to take smoothly, not necessarily slowly, but I wanted to feel quiet in the water, easy. I feel like I accomplished this. The second set, after 30s rest, was intended to be a bit stronger and I felt good going into it. I tried to check back in with myself throughout the set to see how I felt and also how fast/strong I felt I was going. Finally, the last set. I tried to maintain instead of power out. I envisioned swimming this pace as the last leg of my race, wanting to come out of the water ready to get on the bike and ride.
The last part before cool down consisted of two 100m sets with 10s rest, hard. I really felt like this was a reasonable attempt. I let the fatigue catch up to me, I didn't rest more than 10s after each (jumped right into my cool down after the second set) and I tried to focus on my form when I started to get really tired. Overall, good swim.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Swim with Purpose
Today's swim was a good experience. I started out with 100m mixed & 200m drills. Chose to focus on arm entry & high elbows for 3/4 of the drills and did underwater switch for 50m as well. This was a totally different experience then it has been because I was thinking about the line of my arms being at shoulder width instead of along the centerline. I felt like my catch and pull were more reliable. I also felt that this week my swim workouts have been very beneficial on the "calm" front, especially when compared to my freak out last week.
Ten minute straight swim easy with sighting 3x every 50m. I kept my arms at shoulder width, focused on reaching over the barrel, kept my head down and thought about being a cylinder in the water. I allowed myself to easily glide through the water and thought about returning to neutral as quickly as possible after a sighting. Sighting was easier than I expected, though I'm sure I can economize more by lifting my head less.
Second set consisted of 5x50 at medium-hard. The suggested pacing was 55s. This is fast. I did the first two on 55 (with zero rest time) and the third came it at 55, but I waited 10 seconds to start the fourth set. Four came in at 58, five seconds rest and fifth came in at 55, but I was really beaten for it. I wanted to make sure that I felt the fatigue come into play, I also wanted to make sure that I relied on my training and form to keep me going strong, the more tired I got, the more focused on form and maintaining the "cylinder" I tried to be.
Final set was another 10 minute straight swim, with sighting 3x every 50m, but this one was supposed to be at race pace (medium). I feel like I accomplished this. Well, except for the sighting. I kept forgetting to sight. I probably practiced sighting 5x in the whole 10mins. Nevertheless, I felt like my speed was within range and my form was good. I felt like I allowed the fatigue to catch up to me and then I swam through it. I got to the wall at exactly 9mins and felt good about giving that last 50m the last of what I had. Knowing that I would be cooling down after it was over gave me an extra boost.
Overall, I felt like I accomplished a lot of what I set out to accomplish in this swim. I feel like I was able to swim calmly and think about my kick being efficient and my arms being part of my body, as opposed to operating on their own. I kept my elbows high and my head low. I let the fatigue catch up to me and I didn't freak out. One thing I do want to get better at is counting my laps. I have no idea how far I swam today.
Ten minute straight swim easy with sighting 3x every 50m. I kept my arms at shoulder width, focused on reaching over the barrel, kept my head down and thought about being a cylinder in the water. I allowed myself to easily glide through the water and thought about returning to neutral as quickly as possible after a sighting. Sighting was easier than I expected, though I'm sure I can economize more by lifting my head less.
Second set consisted of 5x50 at medium-hard. The suggested pacing was 55s. This is fast. I did the first two on 55 (with zero rest time) and the third came it at 55, but I waited 10 seconds to start the fourth set. Four came in at 58, five seconds rest and fifth came in at 55, but I was really beaten for it. I wanted to make sure that I felt the fatigue come into play, I also wanted to make sure that I relied on my training and form to keep me going strong, the more tired I got, the more focused on form and maintaining the "cylinder" I tried to be.
Final set was another 10 minute straight swim, with sighting 3x every 50m, but this one was supposed to be at race pace (medium). I feel like I accomplished this. Well, except for the sighting. I kept forgetting to sight. I probably practiced sighting 5x in the whole 10mins. Nevertheless, I felt like my speed was within range and my form was good. I felt like I allowed the fatigue to catch up to me and then I swam through it. I got to the wall at exactly 9mins and felt good about giving that last 50m the last of what I had. Knowing that I would be cooling down after it was over gave me an extra boost.
Overall, I felt like I accomplished a lot of what I set out to accomplish in this swim. I feel like I was able to swim calmly and think about my kick being efficient and my arms being part of my body, as opposed to operating on their own. I kept my elbows high and my head low. I let the fatigue catch up to me and I didn't freak out. One thing I do want to get better at is counting my laps. I have no idea how far I swam today.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Brick Workout
I am very proud of myself for this workout. I feel that I went out with a plan and I stuck to it. I hydrated well, I had good nutrition, I had a short transition. I felt that this workout really showed me a lot about how much I've grown, even just since the duathlon in March.
I felt so proud of myself for riding well, getting into the drops frequently, maintaining speed on hills and accelerating well. I spun my legs out a couple of times, stood up to stretch a couple of times, was thoughtful about my gearing and rode hard when it was appropriate. I feel like my bike handling skills have improved and I make smarter decisions while riding. I am much more at ease with the water bottle, with gear changes (and knowing which gear I'm in and how that affects my speed) and with my overall form. I feel that a great deal of this is thanks to my Cycleops trainer and Coach Troy.
The run was also very good. I was proud of myself for sticking with the intervals, they were difficult. I was also proud of myself for accurately keeping an eye on the clock - I was in multisport mode in order to track my transition time, and so I couldn't program intervals into the watch. I am much more in tune with my body when it comes to my ability to hit and maintain a certain pace. The first set of intervals were difficult, mostly because I was tired. The second set of intervals, however, were incredibly difficult. This was due not only to fatigue, which wasn't (oddly) as bad at this point, but due to cramping and physical discomfort. I also felt thirsty through this set and really should have stopped for water once when I wanted to, but decided against it. Finally, when I reached the tempo portion of the run, I was just going on training. I was depending on my body to know the cadence and stick to it, which it did for the most part. I was also very focused during this section. I focused on the finish line. I focused on maintaining good form. I focused on breathing and body position. I focused on cadence and pacing.
Overall, like I said, I am very proud of my work today. Thanks to a friend, I was able to transition very smoothly, in 1:09. We joked afterward that it would have been under a minute if my earring hadn't fallen off... which is true.
I felt so proud of myself for riding well, getting into the drops frequently, maintaining speed on hills and accelerating well. I spun my legs out a couple of times, stood up to stretch a couple of times, was thoughtful about my gearing and rode hard when it was appropriate. I feel like my bike handling skills have improved and I make smarter decisions while riding. I am much more at ease with the water bottle, with gear changes (and knowing which gear I'm in and how that affects my speed) and with my overall form. I feel that a great deal of this is thanks to my Cycleops trainer and Coach Troy.
The run was also very good. I was proud of myself for sticking with the intervals, they were difficult. I was also proud of myself for accurately keeping an eye on the clock - I was in multisport mode in order to track my transition time, and so I couldn't program intervals into the watch. I am much more in tune with my body when it comes to my ability to hit and maintain a certain pace. The first set of intervals were difficult, mostly because I was tired. The second set of intervals, however, were incredibly difficult. This was due not only to fatigue, which wasn't (oddly) as bad at this point, but due to cramping and physical discomfort. I also felt thirsty through this set and really should have stopped for water once when I wanted to, but decided against it. Finally, when I reached the tempo portion of the run, I was just going on training. I was depending on my body to know the cadence and stick to it, which it did for the most part. I was also very focused during this section. I focused on the finish line. I focused on maintaining good form. I focused on breathing and body position. I focused on cadence and pacing.
Overall, like I said, I am very proud of my work today. Thanks to a friend, I was able to transition very smoothly, in 1:09. We joked afterward that it would have been under a minute if my earring hadn't fallen off... which is true.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Muscle Breakdown!
Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch.
Ah, Coach Troy... you and your 4sec/4sec accelerations. Ha! Those are funny. Not.
I have my heart rate data for this ride. I really poured it on, even when I didn't feel like I could (mostly). All I could hear was Coach Troy and YJ telling me to go harder. I really wanted to make sure that this was hard. No more gray-area training. Hard when it's hard and easy when it's easy. This was hard.
I'm excited about my brick on Saturday.
Ah, Coach Troy... you and your 4sec/4sec accelerations. Ha! Those are funny. Not.
I have my heart rate data for this ride. I really poured it on, even when I didn't feel like I could (mostly). All I could hear was Coach Troy and YJ telling me to go harder. I really wanted to make sure that this was hard. No more gray-area training. Hard when it's hard and easy when it's easy. This was hard.
I'm excited about my brick on Saturday.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Z2 in the Park... almost
I tried to just be consistent and do the work. I tried to keep my heart rate low and run modestly. I tried to do all of these things and yet, my heart rate still crept into z3 more that I would like. Possible culprits:
- Much warmer out then I have dealt with to date
- Didn't take my inhaler beforehand (though I didn't have any lung issues either)
- Trying out a new mechanical method - leg pulling forward from glutes (this was an easy new move to adopt)
- Running around the loop means lots of hills
- Double set of Plyo to start set heart rate at 155 before running
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Fantastic Swim
I just swam over 1.6 miles! You know what the best part about that is? I didn't feel, at any point, like it couldn't be done.
Another thing that feels good? I finished the swim, which included pauses and drills, plus warm up and cool down, in 73 minutes.
I implemented some new thoughts today that I think really helped lead to success. The first was the direction and depth of my arm into the water. The second was the idea of moving my body forward to meet my hand, as opposed to pushing my hand down through the water. Finally, more a physical change than purely mental, I changed my arm position to allow my hand to enter closer to shoulder width, and not above my head. This one change lead to easier stroke, smoother catch and more efficient pull. And I didn't feel half as exhausted as I normally do.
What's more, there was a woman in my lane who was swimming continuous laps. She wasn't slow. I felt strong and streamlined as I caught up to her multiple times, and though I felt I was going at a more leisurely pace than usual, my body was skimming through the water in a much better way.
I did get a few cramps in my feet, which I swam through. A couple of charlie-horse cramps in my calf, specifically the right one. I also swam through these, except for the last one, which I got in the first lap of my cool down. I switched from breast stroke to back stroke to alleviate this pain.
Another new thing that I did was feed myself mid-swim. I made it through 450, 400 and 350 before feeding myself a packet of GU. Then proceeded through the remaining ladder. I really felt tired, as in my muscles were spent, at the 100m ladder rung, but the final 50m I swam proudly and in 1:03.
I felt very strong and happy today. Truly a good experience.
Another thing that feels good? I finished the swim, which included pauses and drills, plus warm up and cool down, in 73 minutes.
I implemented some new thoughts today that I think really helped lead to success. The first was the direction and depth of my arm into the water. The second was the idea of moving my body forward to meet my hand, as opposed to pushing my hand down through the water. Finally, more a physical change than purely mental, I changed my arm position to allow my hand to enter closer to shoulder width, and not above my head. This one change lead to easier stroke, smoother catch and more efficient pull. And I didn't feel half as exhausted as I normally do.
What's more, there was a woman in my lane who was swimming continuous laps. She wasn't slow. I felt strong and streamlined as I caught up to her multiple times, and though I felt I was going at a more leisurely pace than usual, my body was skimming through the water in a much better way.
I did get a few cramps in my feet, which I swam through. A couple of charlie-horse cramps in my calf, specifically the right one. I also swam through these, except for the last one, which I got in the first lap of my cool down. I switched from breast stroke to back stroke to alleviate this pain.
Another new thing that I did was feed myself mid-swim. I made it through 450, 400 and 350 before feeding myself a packet of GU. Then proceeded through the remaining ladder. I really felt tired, as in my muscles were spent, at the 100m ladder rung, but the final 50m I swam proudly and in 1:03.
I felt very strong and happy today. Truly a good experience.
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Delightful Day Off
Today was wonderful. I spent a good amount of my day relaxing. Easy morning, gentle wake-up, enjoyed some down time, went to Jack Rabbit, ate good food, watched a movie, bought some groceries. I was very grateful for the mental break.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Spinervals 18
Bike this evening went okay. I didn't feel as exhausted as I have, but I really tried to keep my heart rate low. Garmin says I peaked at 164, which is pretty good... I could still go easier, likely. I don't know why I have such a block about going easy. Bah.
Swim Fatigue Terror
Easy swim today. At least, that was the intention. I wanted to make sure to blog about it as soon as possible, because the issues I had today are still fresh in my mind.
One hundred meters of mixed stroke followed by 200m worth of drills. I did finger drag, right side kick, left side kick, underwater switch, right side kick, left side kick. The main set was supposed to be two sets of 5 x 100m. Each 100m was supposed to come in between 1:50 and 2:00. In addition, I was supposed to "let the fatigue catch up" with me. Just the thought of this terrified me.
Let me explain. I swam the first 100m at 1:55, this was supposed to be my target speed. Upon turnaround I thought of maintaining that speed and keeping my form strong and consistent. At 150m I started to get a little tired, I tried to think about recovering in my legs and swimming consistently. I swam the second 100m at 2:00.
The third set started out alright, I wanted to keep the pace steady and consider the fatigue catching up to me. And then I started to panic. Just the thought of being fatigued in the water and having to swim through it was enough to set me into a state of mind that disallowed me to continue after 300m. I rested and gathered my thoughts, only 15 seconds.
Finished 400m and 500m with less panic, but also less fatigue, and I think I probably went a touch slower (2:03-2:05) for each.
Two minute recoup.
Decided that this set I was going to start a little easier - 1:58/2:00 - and let the fatigue catch up. I didn't even make it through the first 100m before I started to freak out. I wasn't tired, just mentally unable to allow the possibility of being tired and having to swim. Then it got worse. I started to mentally beat myself up about my inability to swim. I started to freak out about ever being able to finish a race at all. I started to berate myself for being a crappy swimmer. I started to panic about swimming in open water. I started thinking about being in a lake or river and not being able to see the bottom... or perhaps worse, being able to see the bottom. I couldn't calm my breathing and my speed suffered. I made it through to 300m and rested for 30sec. Cleared my mind, swam 4 and 5 out of sheer willpower by telling myself I could get out of the pool when I finished.
Stupid.
One hundred meters of mixed stroke followed by 200m worth of drills. I did finger drag, right side kick, left side kick, underwater switch, right side kick, left side kick. The main set was supposed to be two sets of 5 x 100m. Each 100m was supposed to come in between 1:50 and 2:00. In addition, I was supposed to "let the fatigue catch up" with me. Just the thought of this terrified me.
Let me explain. I swam the first 100m at 1:55, this was supposed to be my target speed. Upon turnaround I thought of maintaining that speed and keeping my form strong and consistent. At 150m I started to get a little tired, I tried to think about recovering in my legs and swimming consistently. I swam the second 100m at 2:00.
The third set started out alright, I wanted to keep the pace steady and consider the fatigue catching up to me. And then I started to panic. Just the thought of being fatigued in the water and having to swim through it was enough to set me into a state of mind that disallowed me to continue after 300m. I rested and gathered my thoughts, only 15 seconds.
Finished 400m and 500m with less panic, but also less fatigue, and I think I probably went a touch slower (2:03-2:05) for each.
Two minute recoup.
Decided that this set I was going to start a little easier - 1:58/2:00 - and let the fatigue catch up. I didn't even make it through the first 100m before I started to freak out. I wasn't tired, just mentally unable to allow the possibility of being tired and having to swim. Then it got worse. I started to mentally beat myself up about my inability to swim. I started to freak out about ever being able to finish a race at all. I started to berate myself for being a crappy swimmer. I started to panic about swimming in open water. I started thinking about being in a lake or river and not being able to see the bottom... or perhaps worse, being able to see the bottom. I couldn't calm my breathing and my speed suffered. I made it through to 300m and rested for 30sec. Cleared my mind, swam 4 and 5 out of sheer willpower by telling myself I could get out of the pool when I finished.
Stupid.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
An Early Run
Ran intervals today, 4 x (4t, 2r). I feel like I accomplished my goals - run steady, good heart rate, maintain focus (at least for the most part), recover well, run pretty. There's a bit of recovery in the middle of the last set as far as heart rate is concerned because I was running down a hill and conserving energy while maintaining speed. It is interesting to see how effective that was at getting my heart rate back down.
I felt good this morning though, and I have been working on allowing my lungs to struggle a little, i.e., not priming with my inhaler before starting out. I feel like this is a better tactic than always giving myself juice. I want to be stronger, not just functional.
I find that I have been dreading my swim workouts. I have a swim tomorrow, and though it's not a long swim, I dread it. I don't know what it is lately, but getting in the water has recently been attached to a mega mental block.
I felt good this morning though, and I have been working on allowing my lungs to struggle a little, i.e., not priming with my inhaler before starting out. I feel like this is a better tactic than always giving myself juice. I want to be stronger, not just functional.
I find that I have been dreading my swim workouts. I have a swim tomorrow, and though it's not a long swim, I dread it. I don't know what it is lately, but getting in the water has recently been attached to a mega mental block.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Spinervals 8
Recovery ride. This one was pretty tricky, actually. One leg drills and super spin, pretty much. The heart rate was supposed to be "moderate", though I'm not exactly sure what was meant by that. I mostly just tried to do the best I could with what I had today.
Spinning above 120rpm is quite difficult. Especially if you are attempting to do it without moving or tensing your upper body. I also found the easy-gear one leg drills to be challenging. I get choppy if I am allowed too much freedom with one leg drills.
I have heart rate data for this ride, but no speed/cadence info. The cat-eye says I went 12.6 miles.
Spinning above 120rpm is quite difficult. Especially if you are attempting to do it without moving or tensing your upper body. I also found the easy-gear one leg drills to be challenging. I get choppy if I am allowed too much freedom with one leg drills.
I have heart rate data for this ride, but no speed/cadence info. The cat-eye says I went 12.6 miles.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Easy run
Plyo first. The stair hops are really hard... I did five stair hops, ten side to side, ten jump squats and five more stairs.
It was raining (surprise, surprise) again today, so I did my run on the treadmill. Ran at an easy pace for five minutes, then at tempo for five and repeated the whole set once. I got a good sweat going, but couldn't track any of my nifty features. I brought my heart rate monitor, but forgot my watch and my foot pod for Nike+ is dead, I think. :(
I'm grateful for the week of recovery. I feel like I haven't been myself for the last week, everything is affecting me and making me either moody or completely unmotivated and sad. I know I'm stressed about work, and the extra hours trying to get clients isn't helping. I just end up tired and sad at the end of the day. I hope this goes away. And I hope it takes the fucking rain with it.
It was raining (surprise, surprise) again today, so I did my run on the treadmill. Ran at an easy pace for five minutes, then at tempo for five and repeated the whole set once. I got a good sweat going, but couldn't track any of my nifty features. I brought my heart rate monitor, but forgot my watch and my foot pod for Nike+ is dead, I think. :(
I'm grateful for the week of recovery. I feel like I haven't been myself for the last week, everything is affecting me and making me either moody or completely unmotivated and sad. I know I'm stressed about work, and the extra hours trying to get clients isn't helping. I just end up tired and sad at the end of the day. I hope this goes away. And I hope it takes the fucking rain with it.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Aerobic Swim
A good warm up followed by twenty minutes of straight swimming. I swam 100m mixed stroke and 50m each of finger drag, underwater switch, slow recovery and catch up to warm up. The twenty minute swim was nice and steady, but slow paced. I was having trouble breathing for the first time. Not trouble as in mentally, but trouble as in asthma. I feel like I may have lost count at least once, but possibly twice during the 20min swim. I know I swam at least 16 laps (800m). That means I swam at 1:25 per 50m. Slow.
Finished up with 50m each finger drag, slow recovery and one arm (each side) plus 200m mixed stroke. Finally, I swam 100m freestyle, still feeling good and strong in the water.
Finished up with 50m each finger drag, slow recovery and one arm (each side) plus 200m mixed stroke. Finally, I swam 100m freestyle, still feeling good and strong in the water.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday Morning Swim plus Spinervals 18
My pool time today was well spent. I did some great drills, including some new kick drills that have yielded good results, and sped through some 100m sets. I made sure to do the swim first this week. Last week I made the (MAJOR) mistake of biking first and was too tired & nauseated to swim.
A good hour on the bike to the tune of Coach Troy. I'm amazed by how much I sweat with these videos. It is actually fairly absurd. I like this set though. Starts with a 20 minute set and steps it down to 5 minutes. I tricked my Garmin watch into keeping track of my heart rate data, even though I wasn't really going anywhere. I wanted to see how consistently I was staying in Z2. I think I need to try harder to work less. Ironic?
A good hour on the bike to the tune of Coach Troy. I'm amazed by how much I sweat with these videos. It is actually fairly absurd. I like this set though. Starts with a 20 minute set and steps it down to 5 minutes. I tricked my Garmin watch into keeping track of my heart rate data, even though I wasn't really going anywhere. I wanted to see how consistently I was staying in Z2. I think I need to try harder to work less. Ironic?
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Yay! Good Pacing
I have really good heart rate data today. I like the consistency in my splits too. A good run around the Reservoir. Tiring, but nice. I felt good about it. And I didn't prime with my inhaler before, so this data is unaltered.
I am finding that I reach a plateau with each of my sports. I hate life and feel like I just can't do it up until a certain point, at which time I suddenly feel like I could run (or bike or swim) harder and faster and longer. Weird.
I am finding that I reach a plateau with each of my sports. I hate life and feel like I just can't do it up until a certain point, at which time I suddenly feel like I could run (or bike or swim) harder and faster and longer. Weird.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Swim & a Miss
I missed my 2600m swim this week. I know I was busy. And exhausted. And and and... but I feel bad about it. I've been told to let it go. So I'm writing down my disappointment in an attempt to detach.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Mental Toughness
Ouch. Spinervals killer death workout. That's what it should be called.
... something tells me that this isn't really even one of the "hard" ones. :(
Went straight to bed and slept like a rock. I've been totally exhausted this week.
... something tells me that this isn't really even one of the "hard" ones. :(
Went straight to bed and slept like a rock. I've been totally exhausted this week.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Run!
I really love my Garmin watch. It is SO cool.
I set it for an advanced workout so that I could just run (without trying to think about seconds and minutes and whatnot); today was tricky:
Five min warmup
15 x 30/30 at TT6 (I aimed at 7:45/8:00)
One minute rest
Nine minutes at Tempo. I aimed for 9:00.
Five min cool down
My watch told me when to switch between sets. So cool. I love it!
The run was good. I feel like I did a pretty good job. We'll see when I plug in and get data.
I set it for an advanced workout so that I could just run (without trying to think about seconds and minutes and whatnot); today was tricky:
Five min warmup
15 x 30/30 at TT6 (I aimed at 7:45/8:00)
One minute rest
Nine minutes at Tempo. I aimed for 9:00.
Five min cool down
My watch told me when to switch between sets. So cool. I love it!
The run was good. I feel like I did a pretty good job. We'll see when I plug in and get data.
Tired Sunday
I made a couple of mistakes today. I didn't get started as early as I would have liked. I biked before I swam. I followed the bike too closely with the swim. I was tired when I started.
Bike was good. A new Spinervals vid. This one was crazy to watch. It involved a guy in the background hopping back and forth between the treadmill and the bike. Wow. If anything, it made me glad that all I had to do was the bike. I like the Spinervals videos. They work me out.
The swim was a nice try, and resulted in some interesting lessons. However, I was unable to finish the swim because of the sheer exhaustion I was experiencing along with nausea. I liked the side kick exercises. I am getting much better at not windmilling.
Bike was good. A new Spinervals vid. This one was crazy to watch. It involved a guy in the background hopping back and forth between the treadmill and the bike. Wow. If anything, it made me glad that all I had to do was the bike. I like the Spinervals videos. They work me out.
The swim was a nice try, and resulted in some interesting lessons. However, I was unable to finish the swim because of the sheer exhaustion I was experiencing along with nausea. I liked the side kick exercises. I am getting much better at not windmilling.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
A Successful Z2 Run
I feel good about today's run. My heart rate stayed between 140 and 160 (with a few peaks up hills, but still a max of only 164). I really tuned in for this one. Feel great!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Spinervals 17 plus some
Set up the trainer and rode to Spinervals 17. I definitely put the skids on too tight last time. This ride was better. I couldn't keep the cadence and the heart rate, but I was able to be in the proper gear for most of the ride. I like the trainer set up.
Rode out the rest of my ride (about 25 bonus minutes) at Z2 heart rate, stood up twice, played with gears, tried to keep the HR around 145.
Rode out the rest of my ride (about 25 bonus minutes) at Z2 heart rate, stood up twice, played with gears, tried to keep the HR around 145.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Pace Yourself
Fortunately, I had the motivation to get up early and run. Also good - I made it back home before it started to rain.
Half an hour of intervals with T at 9'. This is not easy for me. I mean, it's not a hard thing to do, but the consistency portion is difficult. And I HAVE to focus while I run, otherwise I lose tempo and end up lollygagging around 10'30". The other problem being that I tend to overcorrect and end up zooming past 9' to 7'45". Also not good. Work in progress.
Half an hour of intervals with T at 9'. This is not easy for me. I mean, it's not a hard thing to do, but the consistency portion is difficult. And I HAVE to focus while I run, otherwise I lose tempo and end up lollygagging around 10'30". The other problem being that I tend to overcorrect and end up zooming past 9' to 7'45". Also not good. Work in progress.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May Day
I woke up at 5:30 today without provocation. Bah. I would have gone to the pool then, but it is the weekend. What I really should have done is taken my bike out.
Swam an interesting set today. Warm up followed by three sets of 250, each 50 getting easier than the previous. This was not a simple task. I struggled through the first two (actually, I cheated through the first one, struggled through the second one) and finally paced myself at the start enough to be able to breathe through the third one. Not pleasant. But a worthy learning experience. And trying to recover while swimming is a much easier task when the swim is leisurely, in case you were wondering.
Hopped on my bike (in shorts and tank top!!) to ride the park - which was packed - and gave it a good hour. Focused on getting back into the drops as quickly as possible after hopping up on the hood(s)... yeah, I think my vernacular is a little off there. I find that if I'm not paying attention to a zone or a speed, I'm incredibly inconsistent.
Swam an interesting set today. Warm up followed by three sets of 250, each 50 getting easier than the previous. This was not a simple task. I struggled through the first two (actually, I cheated through the first one, struggled through the second one) and finally paced myself at the start enough to be able to breathe through the third one. Not pleasant. But a worthy learning experience. And trying to recover while swimming is a much easier task when the swim is leisurely, in case you were wondering.
Hopped on my bike (in shorts and tank top!!) to ride the park - which was packed - and gave it a good hour. Focused on getting back into the drops as quickly as possible after hopping up on the hood(s)... yeah, I think my vernacular is a little off there. I find that if I'm not paying attention to a zone or a speed, I'm incredibly inconsistent.
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