Fast Last Lap

Got into the pool without any whining today.  The weather is unseasonably warm out and I will not complain.  Pulled off 200y to warm up, followed by 300y of drills.  Working with the pull buoy kind of threw me for a loop... almost literally.  It is much more difficult to breathe without dropping my front arm than I remembered.  Probably because my memory is from the days when I dropped my front arm all the time. Ha.

Anyway, after warm up and drills, I completed 3x200, 3x100 and 3x50.  These are proper pool-length times, and I am very pleased with them.  Generally, I went slower overall with the 200s, slightly faster with the 100s and gave it what I had (without getting sloppy) in the 50s.  I am very pleased with the negative splits there.  Also very pleased with the sub-55 times.

After the last lap (my fastest in a long time) I only rested about 10s before dumping myself back into the water for cool down.  I ended up swimming another 200y cool down just to feel what it was like.  Not too shabby, 1750 for today.


L1 61.59 62.91       61.83 58.92    55.75 54.96 53.01    51.41 50.09
L2    67          68.5         67.34      61.51 58.34 60.8
L3    67.51     68.01 69.67
L4 63.79 66.55       65.8
R 60.29     59.39 55.97 53.98 62.18 61.42 64.05 66.2

Speed Drills

Ran the lower loop this evening before rehearsal.  I just want to take a quick moment to say that I love my Garmin watch.  I set it up before my run and it tells me what to do.  Great features.

Tonight I warmed up for 10 minutes and then ran 30/30 speed drills for 10 minutes, followed up with a one minute recovery and finished with 5 minutes of 45/30.  I ran hard.  A little too hard here and there, perhaps, but overall I felt like this was a worthy effort.  It is tricky running speed intervals on a hilly course. 

Kept the HR in the correct zone.  Pretty tired after.  Need to be better about eating and recovery drinks.

Small Pool Swimming

Forgot that the pool closes early on the weekend.  Plus, there was a swim meet and they clean the pool after, so I was relegated to the small pool.  Can't say I was sad about swimming in warmer water.


Tricky to swim laps in a pool full of people randomly puttering around.  Also tricky to swim under a rope about a stroke and a half into each lap.  I took it as an opportunity to work on my sighting.  Also, because I felt comfortable in the water, and probably due to the paddle drills I did last week, I noticed a few changes in my hand position when beginning the pull and felt like I was getting more out of each stroke than previously.

I did 3x200, 3x100 and 3x50... or at least I thought I did.  Turns out I only did 2x100... whoops.

Don't get too excited.  These times are for a 20y pool.

L1    50.47    52.05    49.03    47.38    50.38    51.54    46.41    45.35
L2    56.32    55.95    55.75    52.02    53.1           
L3    56.6      57.65    57.5                   
L4    54.98    55.03    52.87                   
R      61.94    42.6       52        96.82    40.05    51.17    35.11   

Spinervals 1.0 Redux

Coach Troy and I decided to do some super spins today.  This workout felt better than the last time I tried it.  I'm not sure if that's because I knew what to expect (not likely) or because I was a little fresher this time around (more likely).  My HR seemed to have a better recovery this time around, regardless.

You can compare the two workouts here.  Today vs. last Tuesday.

Z2 plus Strides - Reservoir

I need to slow the hell down.  When I'm doing my longer endurance runs, I need to let myself go slower, otherwise I might as well stay home.

Here is another impressive example of me not going slow.  I decided to allow myself to call Z2 anything <165, so with that in mind, I hit the mark... but without "cheating" I'm supposed to be closer to 160.  This is a little hot for that goal.  There are quite a few hills to and from the reservoir, which I should take slower so as not to increase my heart rate.  Also, I need to remember on days like this that running faster is not going to make the time go by more quickly.  Duh.  I had to be back to my house promptly at the completion of my 40 minutes so that I could rinse & change before my board meeting.  Running faster did not make the 40 minutes "save time." 

Watch the watch more closely.  That's what I need to do.  Let the easy days be easy and go hard on hard days.  If I really want to improve my speed, I'll have to go slow sometimes.

Come up with a mantra or something, Speer.  Jeebus.

Spinervals 6.0

Today is supposed to be my day off, but I was frankly too tired yesterday to consider putting in a reasonable effort on the bike or swim.  So, I biked today.  Spinervals 6.0 Zoot Challenge.  Quite a bit of high-cadence work and sprint sets.  This workout, I feel, was a good effort.  I wonder if I need to change the location of my bike on the trainer.  The wheel keeps squeaking no matter how much air/pressure I have on it.  I also need to adjust my rear derailleur. 

Paddles!

Oh goodness, so that's what it's like to swim with paddles...

I swam in a shorter pool today, probably 20y.  Worked a lot on arm position when entering the water.  Need to widen the reach for my left arm and stop swooping my pull to the side with my right.  Did six laps of one-arm freestyle to focus on this.

Swam 6 laps with paddles to think about stroke and pull.  I really liked it.  It was nice to see how to achieve the most resistance when swimming by using the angle of your hand/arm.  I also noticed a difference in the way that I glide with paddles.  I feel like I reach further with my front arm during the pull.  Additionally, I felt like the angle of my hand upon recovery was more accurate.  Generally a good experience.

Now, when I took the paddles off and swam a lap, I felt like I had no hands and like my body was all over the place.  I decided to swim two laps with finger drag to "correct" myself.  I think that I will use finger drag as my safety drill when I'm racing.  If I start to freak out or lose my technique during the race, I will do a few strokes with finger drag to regain my composure.

This is the plan, anyway.

My shoulders and upper back are pretty sore today.  Swimming the remaining laps was difficult.  I felt like my recovery stroke was pinched and it was hard to keep my head in position because of the discomfort.  I spent much of the last set practicing sighting.  I need to continue to work sighting into my workouts.  Once every length. 

Fartlek - 4 x 3t, 2r

Ran fast this morning.  Felt good to get up to speed.  I ran the t-sets at 8:13/mi.  I started at 8:00/mi, but felt like I would be going too hard.  I'll work up to 8:00/mi.  Still week one.

Swimming tonight.

Spinervals 1.0

High cadence spinning, hill climbs, ladder sets, time trial effort and big gear intervals.  I feel like I did a good job.  My stomach has been bothering me.  I'm tired.  Listen to State of the Union, finish some reporting and go to bed.

Speed drills

Well, I am still not quite sure how fast I'm supposed to be going, but this workout helped me figure out what "too slow" is.

I started with 10 minutes warm up then switched to a 8 minute set of 30s/30s.  I set the treadmill at 7.7mph for "run", but three and a half minutes in, I still wasn't climbing past 170bpm.  So, I manually increased the speed to 8mph (7.5 min/mile) and that seemed to be better.  Unfortunately, I was so distracted by my speed that I missed my one-minute rest and plowed right into my 5 minute set of 45/30.  I'll do better next time.

I keep saying that.  I really do mean it though.  I'm trying.

Oh right, glutes... (Spinervals 4.0)

Oh, Coach Troy... you funny, funny man.

I was planning to do Spinervals 1.0 today, but I haven't finished updating my library and so I swapped Tuesday's bike with today's and did 4.0 instead.  I was just talking to my training buddy about 4 second acceleration intervals... they still hurt.  Bad.

What was really lame is the first set of 4s/4s (five minutes!) I had started in the gearing he recommends (big ring/15) and was dying after three accels, so I dropped the gear to big/17... or so I thought.  Had I been using the logical part of my brain instead of the animal part that was just responding blindly to Coach Troy yelling "GO!"... "STOP!"... "GO!", I might have noticed my error.  When I dropped my gearing down one cog during a 4 second soft pedal, what I actually did was go from big/15 to small/15.  The worst part?  It was still REALLY hard.  Yikes.

Anyway, I stuck to the gearing that he requested for much of the remainder of the "journey" and put out an effort I can be proud of.  I forgot how much these workouts can hurt.  Especially the 4s/4s sections and the 2 minutes steady effort in killer gearing sections and the super spin sections and ... oh, did I mention the isometric squats?  Yeah.  Those.

I know I finished strong and gave it what I had because when he told us to finish with three 20-second sprint efforts and I did the first one in sm/15 and the second in big/17 and stared down the cadence monitor and kept myself pumping even when it was nearly impossible *deep breath* and then he put us in big/12 and I blasted out twenty seconds at 80 rpm and pretty much cried afterward... I just knew I had given it a strong finish.  So, go me.

Woot.

Ladder

Good swim.  I warmed up with 100y backstroke, followed by 50y each of finger drag, one arm fs, 3T, high elbows.

After that, I completed a 25y ladder starting at 200y.  The results are by lap/length time (depending on the ladder "rung") and the rest times are all along the bottom.  Average length: 30.53s

Cooled down with 100y breast stroke.  And yes, that last 24s length was me punching it in the face.

	200	175	150	125	100	75	50	25
L1	57.78	58.69	56.05	56.93	58.28	58.57	54.9	24.12
L2	62.75	63.29	62.77	63.63	65.7	30.99
L3	62.75	65.71	66.46	31.37
L4	65.57	32.7
R	28.18	33.75	38.67	32.58	30.54	32.12	29.33
						Average Length Time:		30.53

And... you suck.

I went to the gym and did a Core Training class.  I really like giving my muscles thirty minutes to get to know one another.

Afterward, I ran on the treadie.  Wanted to do a fartlek, 5 sets of 3t, 2r, but I suck and didn't do it right.

Five minutes warm up, followed by 3 in the grey zone and 2 in the blue zone.


See for yourself.

It's only the HR data, I don't have a foot pod for indoor running.  I can't decide whether I care enough to get one.  The treadmills ball park speed reasonably well, plus I'm just running within a HR zone at this point anyway.  Maybe once I get that part right, I'll reward myself.

Give the saddle an hour

I didn't want to do a Spinervals video, but I did want to get on the bike.  So, I watched The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and some of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and rode 5x10mins steady aerobic effort on one minute recovery.  It looked like this.

Kept my HR between 148 and 163, which I realize now sucks... for biking, that's the grey zone. 

I need to get my head wrapped around my zones again. 
Running is 145-160 Z2, 161-170 Z3, 170-184 Z4, 185+ Z5, so biking would be 135-150 Z2, 151-160 Z3 (which is where I trained today), 160-174 Z4, 175+ Z5...

Bah!

Swim, I guess

I really don't like getting into a cold pool.  I wish winter wasn't so gross.

100y warm up
200y drills
2x300y freestyle
100y cool down

Whelm.

I am posting today because I feel like a loser.  I am sad and unmotivated, hungry and over eating.  I feel like I am accomplishing nothing with myself and I am trying really hard to allow myself to grow and to be proud of that growth... but it's hard for me to see.

Plus, the book I'm listening to is hitting a little too close to home right now.  I feel drained and confused and sad.

But I'm posting because I'm going to forgive myself for today (and yesterday) and move on.  Tomorrow will be better.

Spinervals 17.0

Bike was making a lot of noise today.  Almost enough to warrant hopping off... but I was too far into the workout before it bothered me and I didn't want to mess up my HR.  I'll take it in to get a tune up next week.  I don't think I had it checked after racing last year. 

Bones felt a lot better today than I was anticipating.  Still sore, but not as bad.  Once we got into some of the stand up/sit down sections I felt a little worse for the wear.  It's hard to reposition my hips quickly.  I am also grateful to be doing these workouts on the trainer because I can ride with no hands and give my hips a break.


Reasonable.  I feel good about this effort.

Ouch Run

It is too cold out.  This run felt impossible, my muscles were not happy with me.  Do not, I repeat, do NOT attempt to run when the weather is below 20 degrees F.  You will fail.  Your muscles will stop functioning.  It's bad news.  Do not try this at home.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect two hundred dollars.

Lonely day today.  I went to meeting then to work.  When I got home I went for a run.  Feeling sluggish and depressed.  I keep snacking on bad things.  I'm tired a lot.  I have been procrastinating and generally just want to stay home and watch movies or listen to books.  I am worried about how this winter is going to go for me.  I am lonely a lot.

Core Training

I was supposed to work today, so I was going to go to Core Training and then to the office.  Now that I don't have to work, I thought about adding another workout to my day... but my bones are still too sore to bike, I swam yesterday, and it is freezing outside for running.

I figure, aside from a great 30 minute core training class, today will be an off day.

Woot.

Swim with tired arms

I really didn't want to be cold.  The weather is starting to turn to chill and the last thing I want to do is dip into a pool of cool water.  I contemplated doing all of my drills in the (much warmer) rec. pool, but it was packed with kids and their fathers, happily splashing and being generally obnoxious.  Conversely, the often busy lap pool had only two occupants.  I sucked it up.

I got into the slow lane, which is wider than the other three lanes and began back stroke.  After 100y, I was warmed up and the temperature of the pool no longer bothered me.  I still hate the initial shock. 

I swam 150y backstroke, followed by 150y breast stroke and then went right into 100y of finger drag drills.  I tried to focus on the shape of my arm throughout the stroke and took my time swimming each length.  I took about 30s to rest between each drill and swam 100y each of 3T, one-arm freestyle and high elbows, then 50y each of underwater switch and catch up.  In total, I swam 300y to warm up and 500y of drills.

I was pretty tired at this point, mostly because I had paid such close attention to each stroke and was trying my hardest to concentrate on my form and pull without losing focus and without going too fast.  However, I still had 3 sets of 300y to swim. 

I tried to swim with the same kind of attention to my stroke during the main set.  That, coupled with fatigue, slowed me down.  After the first set, which was pretty consistent, I felt very tired.  I completed the second set and felt unable to do the final set.  But, I told myself that I should experience what it feels like to swim tired.  I feel confident enough now in my stroke, my breathing and my muscles to know that I won't drown.  As I began the last set, everything seemed fine, but I quickly became fatigued and it felt as though someone had turned on the "infinity pool" settings, sending me backward with each stroke.  When I finally finished the last set, I felt glad to have done it and exhausted for the effort.

L1	61.59	L1	62.13	L1	62.22
L2	65.1	L2	69.09	L2	68.32
L3	68.39	L3	69	L3	72.34
L4	69.26	L4	69.31	L4	72.64
L5	69.34	L5	71.26	L5	70.94
L6	69.75	L6	67.5	L6	69.97
R	64.03	R	63.46	Av	67.78

Ah, the Gym

Did some plyo and some core exercises today plus a quick run to get the blood pumping.  I don't have a foot pod any more, so I can't track indoor runs.  Was good.  I hope I'm sore tomorrow.

Spinervals 16.0

Got on the bike this evening.  Rode for 1hr 20 to Spinervals 16.0, an aero-base builder.  My bones still hurt and it was uncomfortable to sit in the saddle.  Coach Troy does a lot of standing in this one.  By the time I got through 50 minutes, I was too sore to stand because repositioning myself upon sitting was brutal.  I also found that my level of general fatigue was pretty high during the second half.  I probably didn't eat enough beforehand.  But I did do a good job of staying in the appropriate zone.  Was more conscious of my effort throughout.  In a slightly easier gearing, I could have raised my cadence, but all things considered, I'm going to choose to be happy with this ride.

Brisk Run

Sub-thirty 5k.  Pretty cold out, since the sun had set.  I would like to invest in some cold-weather running gloves.  I really like these Saucony Ulti-Mitts.  I saw them at Jack Rabbit for fifty bucks... maybe I'll do some online shopping later.  I did get my two new pair of Recovery Socks in the mail, I got a great deal on those.  

Good run.  I'm happy with the effort.  HR was a bit high, but this was a Z3 workout, and it was relatively short.  I won't be too hard on myself.  Trying to focus on form and on engaging my big muscles (hamstrings, glutes) while I run.  I am also trying to focus on good arm position, keeping the elbows bent and behind my body, while wrists relax at waist height.  Makes my shoulders and upper back sore.  Tired, not sore... tired.