Saturday, October 24, 2009

A "crack" in his armor

I did nothing on Tuesday and my knee appreciated it. I had a really strong swim Wednesday morning. I did three rounds of descending 200's on a short rest send off. I picked up the speed each round. My knee felt so good, I was actually tempted to run. I didn't. It feels like my knee is back to normal.

Crowieto decided to join me for a zone 5 bike workout. My knee felt great until a little over half way thru the workout. The workout was tough. I was hoping to push harder on the second time through, but my legs were dead and my knee was starting to get worse. We cruised back and then I went for a quick 30 minute run.

Friday morning I had a sprint workout in the pool. Aerobically I felt great. Muscularly, each 100 got harder as my pecs & lats started to get really tight. I wasn't going to run, but my knee felt good after physical therapy. I ran for 90 min. I am amazed at how easy my runs are this year. The second half is always faster.

It was in the low 40's for the bike ride Saturday. It is the first time I put tights on since March. My legs did not feel good. Was it because I ran last night? Umm... Yeah!!! That along with my knee bothering on and off. I decided to ride the Crowieto express. There was a steady wind going out and a little tail wind on the way back. We saw a Vizsla out on Johnson Creek Road. It was almost as tall as Oden. The Crowieto express averaged 21.8 for 113 miles. He actually let me pull 1% of the time today. The most exciting part of the ride was when we were on Reservation Rd. I was in la la land, when all of a sudden I saw a blur go by me. It was Crowieto. He caught me completely off guard. I laughed and said, "That m... f..." I put it in overdrive to catch him. He decided to ease up and let me catch him. What a bum!!! I wanted to give it a go. O well. I did find a "crack" in his armor. It is very noticeable. Especially when you sit on his wheel 99% of the ride.
I had to run early Sunday. It was in the low to mid 30's I had a beanie, long sleeve shirt, mittens and tights. Suffice it to say, I still froze!!! My legs felt tired, so I just ran. I took a page from Forrest Gump. Crowieto came by later and ran Fina for an hour. It was good because she was snoring lights out afterward. I went back to the pool later that evening for an easy 1600 meters.

This morning I swam a lot. I cannot remember the last time I swam 6700 yards. I think it has been over a decade. My main set was 3x1650. I felt good. I was surprised with my first one and disappointed with the last one. That's ok. Less than 4 weeks to go.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Getting Closer

My knee has been a little more tweaked than normal. I must be getting closer to the race. Athletes generally tend to walk on the tightrope of training. We try to push ourselves to the point of breaking. We do this so we can have an amazing race.

I took Tuesday off. My knee was not happy with me for all of that cycling/running last weekend.

My body was still feeling the effects on Wednesday, so I swam an easy 3500m. I was supposed to do a track workout. Instead I decided to just go out and run. I do not recommend eating 12 danish cookies before hand. At one point, I almost stopped and made myself puke. As for my punishment for eating stupid food before training, I ran down to the bottom of Solo Point hill. The interesting thing was once I got to the top, my running pace picked up and I felt better. I ran a little under 11miles.

I lucked out with the weather on Thursday. It sprinkled just a few times. I basically stayed dry. I felt pretty good. Afterward, Crowieto and I had a I-Sushi feast. I ordered 4 dishes and we split them up.

Friday morning, I chose to swim at work. The "Y" group doesn't challenge me at all on the short stuff. It took several sets before I felt strong in the water.

I was going to ride 6 hours on Saturday. It was pouring. We set up the trainers and went to work. A couple of times, Crowieto decided it was better to turn the fan off and see how long before I noticed. My knee was not feeling good, so I stopped at 5 hours.

I had an awesome run on Sunday. I have never felt this good for a long run. The first mile was 7:19 and the average for the entire run was 6:44. I ran 22.22 miles in 2 1/2 hours. The last 10 I was averaging 6:30. During my long runs last year, I could start a decent pace. After 90 minutes or so, my pace would slow and my legs would feel heavy. This year, my fastest splits are on the second half. The best part of the run was when Crowieto was ahead of me and laid a challenge down (no, he was not running faster than me. I was adding loops into to get extra miles.). He yelled out, "I'm running 6:50's, catch me if you can." At that point I was running 6:35's. He thought I was going to run all the way to the top of Solo Point. I didn't need to because I already had enough miles. I figured he had about 90 seconds on me. I picked up my pace 10-15 seconds. I caught him 2 miles down. The first reason, he is like Fina (he has to mark his territory or has a small bladder). Do you think once I caught him, he would let me pass him? Of course not. If you said yes, you don't know Crowieto at all. Every time I tried to pass, he would throw in a little sprint. I laughed. I let him play his little game. He did this for about a 1/2 mile and then said, "I'll let you have it this time."

I got a text this morning telling me how sore his legs are. LMAO!!!

We went for a short swim to loosen up and headed out to visit Melissa's new place. It was really nice. We ended up taking the long cut version, which added 20+ minutes to the drive. The highlight was getting back to Lee's and hearing a hissing sound from my tire. Luckily we made it back. It was late and they were kind enough to let me crash and deal with it in the morning.

I didn't sleep well, so I swam at lunch time. It was okay. I didn't eat enough. I was going to run later. I don't want to take any chances with my knee, so I will skip a run and a bike over the next 2 days.

Less than 5 weeks to go. Getting Closer...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Mega Miles #2

The weather was nice Thursday. We started our ride a little after 1PM. We changed up our return route. If you haven't ridden the Crowieto Express, the only thing I can say, "It's one fast train. The train only has one gear. Supersonic" We (actually Lee decided to pull most of the first half) averaged 23.2mph out to the Texaco. I did most of the pulling on the way back. He had the easy part (mostly tail wind), while I had more of the head wind. We ended up with 90.5 miles in under 4 hours for an avg of 22.7.

I swam 4500 yards Friday morning. The main set was 4x(4x100 fast on 2:10 + 200ez on 3:00). I swam progressively faster on each set. All I did was chill for the rest of the day.

It was very cold Saturday morning (mid 40's). I cant remember the last time I put a vest, arm warmers and gloves on. We decided to ride toward Texaco, then Johnson creek, Starbucks, Forza, then back to his house. The winds were stronger than Thursday. I was not able to do much pulling today. I got to experience the razor effect on the crotch. It wasn't too bad because there was only a little bit of blood when I showered up. I sat on the Crowieto express for 70% of the ride. I rode a good portion standing on the pedals. I was hoping we would average 22 for the day. We fell just short. I guess the Crowieto express wasn't up for the challenge. I had a strong run off the bike. The most interesting thing to happen was when I saw a chipmunk standing on 2 legs on the white line. I thought I was about to see a chipmunk pancake. Luckily it darted back into the woods. The funny thing is Crowieto never saw it.

Crowieto told me he was going to run for 50 minutes off the bike. I didn't believe him. He decided to run with me. I could hear him behind me until the my watch beeped 1 mile (6:43). Then I heard, "That there Asian must have some Kenyan in him." I continued to accelerate the pace until my thirty minutes was up. I am amazed at how my breathing was very comfortable. If I could run like that in an ironman, I would be worthy enough to call myself a pro. Can you guess how much Crowieto ran? If you guessed two miles, you win. If Crowieto ever tells you he is running for 50, you should run with him. It's only 15 minutes.

I thought it was cold Saturday. It was even colder Sunday. I started the run in the upper 30's. I could feel the cumulative effect of the bike miles. I tried to settle into a good pace. After 15 miles, I decided to pick up the pace and finish the last four miles at 6:40 pace. I think you have to be flexible because you never know what the race day will throw at you.

I decided to go to the pool for a short swim. I wanted to flush my legs. I felt very tired. Crowieto looked strong in the pool. It must be nice when you get to cut the run short and swim with fresh legs.

We went and watched "Couples Retreat". I am a big Vince Vaughn fan. I thought the movie was funny. It doesn't beat the best comedy of all time "Wedding Crashers". It was nice to unwind.

I did not want to get out of bed to swim this morning. I woke up at one point hanging off the bed and sleeping sideways. No more movies that put me in bed at 10pm when I need to get up at 415am. Being the disciplined athlete that I am, I pulled myself out of bed. I could tell my legs were getting heavier each day. I swam 5x1000. After the first one, I thought the workout was gonna be horrible. It actually turned out to be pretty good considering how broken down I am.

Guys talk trash. Something about testosterone. Now when a chick talks trash, there really isn't much a guy can say. Unless this chick swam at college. I think my favorite quote from her last night was, "I am going to smash you in the pool tomorrow." What can I say, she was a distance swimmer. She started half way through on #2. She swam #3 with me. She started #4 with me. It was pull. I started pulling away after the 500 mark. I left for #5 and she had just touched the wall. She decided to kick instead of swim. It must be nice to be in off season mode. I guess the smashing will have to wait for a more convenient time.

I refueled with a bagel, pop tarts, and mocha frap. We got on the trainer at 830am. We put on "Have Mercy" spinerval. There were parts that were tough (5 minutes straight in big 15 of 4sec all out, 4 sec ez). After that I watched a three 30 minute segments of triathlon and Star Wars III. For every commercial I rode standing. I finished up with 5 hours.

I am glad the weekend is over. I am tired, hungry, and exhausted.

I managed 12,000yards of swimming, 14+hours of cycling, and 24 miles of running.

4 more weeks of consistent training then 2 weeks of taper.

Getting ready for Mega Miles #2

Monday afternoon, I went to see the physical Therapist for my left knee. The doc decided I have bursitis. The PT used the ultrasound then some electrical stimulation for 15 min. My knee felt better. I went for a nice ez run that evening. It sure is getting cold at night.

I had a good bike on Tuesday. I got in just over 55 miles.

Wednesday morning I had a good swim. Lee actually beat Karen on one of the fast 200s. I'm not sure what to make of that. I felt off all day. I had a great run even though I had an issue with my feet going numb at one point. My night ended with Kona using my bed as a port-a-potty. Joy!!!

I changed up the plan for mega miles to save my knee. The hardest part about training right now is staying healthy.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Recovering from the last race before Arizona

I am very surprised at how fast I recovered from the race. After Lake Stevens, I felt like it took almost a week and a half to get back to the grind. This time around, I felt great after a day or so.

On Monday I started swimming with my new stroke. It is definitely much faster. The hard part is gauging effort. I knew how to stretch out the workout by feel. I almost feel like I am starting over. The good thing, there is plenty of time to adjust. I got in an easy hour ride. There was a nice head wind out and a tail wind back. After the ride, I dropped my bike off again for repairs.

I had a good one hour run on Tuesday. Kona is picking up things very quickly. I just wish she wouldn't get so startled at night when she is outside.

I had a strong swim Wednesday morning. I adapting to the new stroke very quickly. 20x100 on 1:30 in short course meters averaging 1:23. That is the first time I have done that, so I was happy. Later that day I ran for an hour and half. I was surprised that I was already running at full speed. Now I know how the pros get so much racing in. When you have a solid base and lots of training, recovery is quick.

I picked up my bike Thursday morning. Being a heavy sweater is not good for the bike. I have to do a better job of cleaning my bike immediately after rides. The salt is destroying the components. I went out for a ride at 1:45. Even though I ride a lot of the same roads, the conditions are never the same. You never know what kind of winds you'll get for the day. Nothing but a head wind to the Texaco. I avg 20.4mph. On the way back it was smooth sailing. I avg 23.4mph. I got a little wet toward the end. I don't mind the rain when I am out there. Especially at the end of the ride. I would prefer to stay dry, but I'll take what i get.

Friday morning I swam 5000. The main set was 8x(3x50 on 35 + 150 on 3:15). I think my legs were a little tired from the 75 mile bike ride yesterday. I made the first three sets. I missed the fourth. I made the last 4 sets on the dot. I am glad nothing for the rest of the day. I went and saw the doc for my knee. The X-rays looked good. He said to be smart about my training. If you need an orthopedic sport doc, who is board certified, he is great.

It was raining Saturday morning, so we decided to sit on the trainer for 5 hours. We watched a 3 hour Spinerval then some college football. The bad part of the ride was Kona only had 2 potty problems in the house. One was on the hard wood. I kept getting off the bike every 30 minutes or so and letting her out with great success. I decided to give her a treat every time, to reinforce outside not inside. There was a couple times Kona went to the car first for the treat. I told her to go potty and she would. Potty training is hard work. I felt very wiped after the ride. I always feel hungrier when I ride the trainer versus outside.

I ran at 6am Sunday because I had to be at work. It is the first time I have put a shirt on since May. I even wore long sleeve. I thought about getting gloves. I had to get gloves half way into the run. I could not feel my hands at all. I had to use both hands to squeeze the water bottle for a drink. It was a solid 2 hour run. I did a lot of mental training for Arizona. It was my fastest 2 hour run. It felt really good. I was just shy of 17.5 miles. Not bad for a guy trying to be an athlete. I am not sure what I ate, but my stomach has been weird all day.

It was in the upper 30's this morning. I had a pretty good swim. My calves were a little sore. The main set was 8x500 with short rest. I got in 5500. My stomach is still not feeling right. I have physical therapy later today and a moderate run.

Less than 7 weeks to go. A few more weeks of hard training, then taper time.