Cold Weather Riding

There are moments nearly every season where you realize that you are making mistakes of the past. One of these days, I promise to learn my lesson. NO big races early in the season. At the time, April sounded warm. I mean, Atlanta doesn't have cold winters (comparatively). That should provide me ample time to get in a few long rides without a problem. (Just shakes my head).

No more early season races. As much as I hate the trainer, I starred at it Saturday morning wondering if I could honestly endure 2.5 hours on it. It sounded reasonable. Well, compared to braving the 30 degree temperature that awaited me outside the house. For I had allowed that asshole Marc Street (damn Canuck) to drag me out for a 9:00 am start. I knew it was the right call but the thought of riding at 1:00 when it was 55 and sunny sounded SO much more enticing. Alas, I bundled up and dared Jack Frost to come get me.

I have a simple theory when it comes to cold weather and working out. Inherently, I believe that there is no such thing as poor weather; just poor gear selection. This is why I can run in 15 degree weather. I have the right gear. Cycling....not so much. I am too cheap to invest into warm clothes for those 3-4 rides a year. The cost-benefit analysis doesn't workout in my head when I look to buy a $150 pair of winter tights. So, instead, I just bitch about it.

During my first year of cycling, I adopted the rule that I would not ride if it was under 45 degrees. It was simple, there was no need. I wasn't trying to be a serious triathlete. When I started training for IM CDA, fear was a solid motivator. I lowered the bar to 40 degrees and invested in some tights. But I never made that next leap to wind resistant, warm gear. Hence, the debacle that unfolding on Saturday.

I rolled up to the comet bundled up like Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story. I had cycling socks on, with knee high soccer socks over them and toe warmers on the shoes. I had on my cycling pants, with another pair of tights on them. I wore a under armor long sleeve shirt, long sleeve jersey and a cycling jacket. Then I put on my gloves and I always wear my aero helmet to keep my ears warm.

I survived the ride but I wasn't happy. As planned, I overheated my upper body a bit. This works for me because it warms my hands as the blood rushes that direction. So for the first time, my hands weren't frozen. But my legs and feet were numb. Honestly, my legs felt like bricks. I had no perceived effort out there. If I thought my cadence was at 75 it was at 95. If I thought I was doing 200 watts I was at 120. I had no clue what I was doing out there. 2.5 hours later I just laid in the parking lot waiting for my feet to warm.

Maybe I should invest in some warm tights....but I won't get around to it until March...when the weather gets warmer. Hence the cycle continues

My Newest Passion

I am back on a smoothie kick. I was already known around the office for carrying my big blue cup into the various, mundane meetings that I am forced to attend. Now I have an army of them on my desk. I am adopting the motto that a smoothie a day keeps the aches and pains away. Let's hope I am still saying that in October.

I have always been a fan of smoothies dating back to my time in college were I had an estranged relationship with the manager of the local smoothie king. I could just roll up nearly any night and she would make me whatever smoothie I wanted. The best part about smoothie stores is that they only real inventory they can take is on the number of cups. You can't account for more bananas or a scoop of powder missing. So I exploited this loophole and gravitated toward a liquid diet...err....snack.

I would occasionally travel this route in training. I used smoothies as a reward. Maybe I had a 15 mile run in the morning and needed some extra hydration. Why not add some fruit, protein and carbs. I would treat myself to the 32 oz drink that sometimes resembled the nectar of the gods. In Atlanta, they closed the Planet Smoothie closest to my apartment a couple of years ago. This forced me back to Smoothie King (long story). It wasn't quite as convenient so it became a bit of a luxary. Maybe 2-3 times a month.

When I visit Nashville, Jess is a big proponent of the liquid diet especially after a good workout. And rightfully so. I have written about this before but recovery is key. And what better way to rebuild my fatigued muscles than with fruits. It sure beats grabbing the bag of chips or cookies.

So the one real thing I wanted for Christmas was a nice blender. Moving into the house provided the opportunity needed to revisit my smoothie passion. So each morning, after getting dressed I prepare myself about 20 oz of smoothie. I keep it relatively simple:

1 banana
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup of other fruit if needed
1/2 cup of skim milk
1 scoop of whey protein (26g)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (sometimes)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 cup of fresh spinach (really)

Then blend. It is that simple.

The funny part is that I think I can tell how much my body is benefiting from a smoothie a day. I can also tell how much it is hurting my wallet. Keeping fruit, fresh or frozen, in the house isn't easy. My goal each day is to consume the smoothie around 9:30. This tends to hold me until lunch. However, there is a huge distinction on the days that I include peanut butter. It always holds me until lunch. On the other days, I find myself rummaging through my snack drawer around 11.

As expected, the smoothies give me a bit of a kick too. I am finding myself with a bit more energy. I also feel like it is helping me recovery from workouts a bit more. I have long suspected that I fall well short of the proper amount of protein needed in my daily diet. The addition of 26g is probably helping a great deal. Is it enough? Not sure. I will report back when I reach a different conclusion.

Tundra Time Trial

Saturday marked my second Time Trial. I really like the time trial format and hope to add a few more to the schedule this season. It is so much simpler than racing. I showed up around 8:30, hopped on my trainer to warm up, chatted with a few friends and then spent the next 25 minutes pushing as hard as I can.

The Tundra Time Trial is held on the Silver Comet Trail over in Powder Springs. The format is simple...riders go off every 30 seconds. You go for about 4.7 miles, turn around and come back. It is that simple.

I didn't really have any expectations for the day. I never sat down and tried to calculate a time. I knew I would likely be around 25 minutes if I pushed it.

We were a little late arriving and after a tube mishap, I was on the trainer trying to warm up. The weather was sprinkling and a bit on the chilly side. I rode for about 15 minutes to just loosen up the muscles that were tight from the 2 threshold workouts I had this week.

About 20 minutes before my start, I wondered over to the All 3 / EC tent and caught up with everyone out there. I made a few minor changes to the bike and prepared for my start.

I guess my goal was to have a consistent ride and really push it. I think that was accomplished. What makes a TT hard is that you don't really know how hard to start. Go out too hard and you are cooked for the return. Ideally you want to start building for the first few minutes, push then attack. Well I pushed and seemed to hold it there. I was watching my watts and heartrate as both seemed a bit high yet my body was feeling good.

I made it down to the turn around feeling fresh. In fact, I knew I wasn't killing myself out there. I was kinda having fun. On the return I began to push a little more. But I was far from optimizing my ability. When I saw the overpass I kicked and kicked hard. Too bad it was the wrong over pass. Oops. That will kill your time trial. I was out of gas with another mile left. I did what I could but as the data shows, I wasn't able to get back up to that level.

I crossed the finish like in 24:37 (23.2 mph). I finished 30th out of 105 in the Cat V division. Again, I didn't really have any expectations. I know I left time out on the course. Maybe a few more of these and I will have a better feel for my max.

Overall, I am very pleased with my output. I like to think that I actually outperformed what was expected. And that is a good place to be at this point in the season.

General Update

So this week I was really blah and uninspired. I had the time to blog but I didn't have creative thoughts springing from my head. Alas, I will just provide a general update on a few things.

Training resumed this week. I think last week I was really run down from Hawaii and traveling. This week I felt fresh and energetic. I am excited about racing and ready to hit training hard.

My running is coming along. It is hard to isolate the cause but something is working for me. I recently changed shoes. After three years with the Kayano's I kicked them to the curb just before Hawaii. I probably have 50 miles in my new shoes and only irregular irritation in the knee. I don't want to get ahead of myself but the outlook looks better with each run.

I have developed a basic core routine that I am doing 3x a week. I am to sit down this weekend and put it down on paper. Right now it is a lot of pushups, isometric stretching and squats. I hope this will tighten up my trunk. Hopefully, I can get back to some yoga.

There might be a few more big announcements coming in the next few weeks. One might have something to do with this blog. I have some big ideas. I just need to flush them out and get moving.

My diet has been good sans the nachos, wings and beer during the UNC-Duke game. I am having a smoothie each morning which ups my fruit intake (generally 1 banana, 4-6 strawberries and blue/blackberries). I need to make a conscious effort to keep this up. I recently bought whey protein as I feel that I never have enough during the day.

Also stay tuned for my race calendar. I have not finalized it. I am racing New Orleans 70.3 on April 5th and that is about all I know. I am giving Triple T a really careful consideration and every thing hinges on that. If I pull out, then I need to create a whole other schedule.

Finally, I am racing the Tundra Time Trial this weekend. 9 miles of snot flying fun. I am looking forward to it. I don't have the power I need right now so this should be a good kick in the butt.

January Training

Overall I am very pleased with how the month turned out. Obviously the crux of the training was done in Hawaii. Most importantly, I am thrilled about running 50 miles this month. It is well shy of the 100 I was doing this time last year but it gives a solid foundation for the year...especially with all the injuries I incurred last season.

The key will be keeping the momentum over the next few weeks....

January's totals:
Bike: 20h 39m 37s - 338.6 Mi
Run: 7h 51m 57s - 50.5 Mi
Swim: 6h 54m 57s - 17300 Yd
Strength: 1h 40m
Yoga: 1h 00m

PWND!!!

Pwn (/ˈpoʊn/, /ˈpuːn/, /pəˈʔoʊn/, /ˈpɔːn/, /piˈoʊn/, /pwəˈʔn̩/, /ˈoʊn/) is a leetspeak slang term, derived from the word "own",[1][2] that implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g. "You just got pwned!"). The past tense may also be spelled pwnd, pwn3d, pwnt or powned.

While the orgin of the term is founding the computer gaming nomenclature, pop culture has caught on to the epidemic too. Most often it is seen when someone attempts something that turns out drastically wrong. Or it is an attempt to ridicule someone's follies. Case in point below:




I had a moment yesterday. Thankfully there were no cameras; otherwise, my moment might end up on the internet. Jessica had the brilliant idea to introduce me to the crossfit circuit class that she is joining. Hesitant at first, I thought the class would be good for me as well as teach me a few strength exercise to incorporate into my routine.

The class followed a simple format. There were 12 station, 12 different exercises. You did each one for a minute in length followed by a 15 second transfer/rest period. There were 8 of us in the class ranging from endurance athletes to an overweight guy to a kid. Sounds simple...and I know I can't be broken...let's go.

Up first...I am jumping in a box pattern. Sounds simple. Well after a minute of it, I am bit more winded than expected. Next, high arm rows with the TRX ropes. Ok...more of my thing. Again...a minute is pushing where I am capable of performing. I am accustom to just doing reps. 12 reps probably takes 30 seconds. Next is front squats on a stability board while holding a 25lb kettle bell. My legs are just wobbling under me. Then to the ropes. You have to create waves with the ropes and keep them going. A minute now feels like ten. Onto more TRX exercises. Pikes, dips and lunges. I am sweating like a mule. Then jumping jacks while lifting a 6lb medicine ball above your head. Next is the dying cockroach followed by push-ups on the ropes. Finally, abs and oblique twist with the stability ball.

I noticed that my heartrate was through the roof and we were just finishing the first circuit. I still had another one to go. Back to the jumping boxes. I am slowing down big time. I am focused on trying to control my breathing. High rows...my arms are on fire. Squats...I am ok...just slower. Then the ropes. This is where is began going down hill for me. My heartrate shot back up. Then going into pike position made me a little light headed. I survived for 30 seconds on the dips and was feeling really bad. I looked at the lunges and said no way. I excused myself from the class.

Outside the air temp was a solid 20 degrees cooler, my heartrate was equalizing but my stomach was churning. Heave...1. Heave...2. Uh-oh. I walk to the side of the building and revisited breakfast. Hmmm....can't remember the last time that happened.

I reluctantly rejoined the class and kept it to a minimum. I was so pissed that I let the class own me today. It wasn't anything that I couldn't do. Instead, I think I went out WAY too hard and with TOO much intensity. I had nothing left during the second circuit. I let my HR spike and lost focus of my breathing.

This is what I call an ultimate FAIL!!!

Over reaching and Under recovering

If there was one concept that stuck with me most this past week it was the notion of over reaching and under recovering. This isn’t a philosophy that is new to me; instead, I think it just finally culminated with hearing the simplistic phrase.

The Ironman calling is strong. It is difficult to enter this sport and within a year NOT begin setting your sights on the goal. It is the pinnacle of our sport. It is like playing professional baseball but never carrying to play in the world series. But triathlon is not a team sport; it is individual. And that there lies the problem.

Over reaching. We all do it. We get a crazy notion to sign up for an Ironman after we have completed 2 sprints and bonked during an oly. Brilliant. In recent years, I have become an advocate of the philosophy that Ironman will always be there and that you should wait until your body is ready. In theory, the average age grouper needs a solid 3-5 of consistent training to build the body to the point that it can sustain the damage Ironman races inflict upon it.

Alas we don’t wait. We want to do it now…and at the first available moment. I fell victim to that desire….that dream. Athletes lose focus of the big picture and that is triathlon should have long term goals. You shouldn’t look at it from season to season. You need a 3-5 year plan and everything works to that goal. Of course, that is easy to say. And I am living proof that the latter is hard to execute. It is called over reaching.

The law of inertia states that an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Enter injury and injury prevention. With overreaching comes the increased likelihood of injury. And that will certainly slow you down. I know this problem too well. I had great Ironman races. I had poor recovery. Both times resulted in injury when I began training again.

Telling a Type A athlete to take a break is difficult. We don’t respond well to bad news. We deny ourselves the truth and avoid medical attention because we don’t want to hear the truth. We give ourselves a couple of days and are ready to get back to training. We are still fueled by the race high and eagerly anticipate tackling the next goal. Under recovering. It is a major problem. Most of us don’t slow down enough to truly recover from what we put our body through. Recovery may be a few days, few weeks or even months. But without proper recovery, we are negating the gains we achieve through training and racing. For it is during the recovery phase that our muscles rebuild and come back stronger and faster.

So there it is…over reaching and under recovering. I would make the case that these are the two biggest issues facing our sport. And the two biggest issues where athletes fail. Wondering why your season isn’t going well? Ask yourself if you are over reaching and under recovering. I am willing to bet you find the truth resting between the two concepts.

My Road to Recovery

Recovery. After four years of racing this seems to be a great mystery to me. And it might be my biggest failure in the sport. Every injury I have sustained has two things in common….they are associated with overuse and need more recovery time than I am willing to devote.

When I started this blog, I sought a title that I thought reflected what I put myself through for 9 months of the year. Creating a machine. While it has multiple interpretations, the notion was on my mind constantly while I was in Hawaii. My machine seems to be under repair much more often then I would like. Unfortunately, I don’t have a warranty card and my service plan includes costly medical bills.

What I learned this week is that my body adapts. It adapts to stress VERY well. Probably too well. By that, I mean it takes a pounding. And so long as the pounding continues, it responds. But the minute the pounding is over…all the masked problems rear their ugly head.

I have always attributed this to the additional testosterone and adrenaline that comes with training for something as large as the Ironman. My body knows what is expected of it, so it responds. And it responds well. It does what I ask of it. But in return, when the event is over, my body asks things of me. And I don’t listen. That isn’t a fair relationship. I may not listen but the boy has the last laugh because when I trying to get moving again, it shuts me down.

Being injured this year provided me ample opportunity to learn more about recovery. I was constantly monitoring my fatigue level, my resting heart rate and my general demeanor. As a triathlete, I expect to be tired all the time. If not, then my coach isn’t doing his job or I am not doing mine. But when the general tiredness becomes fatigue, then I have a problem.

Over the course of the training camp, I kept a sharp eye on my fatigue level. It was easy most days because my power numbers or pace were down. So the question remains, how much recovery time is needed? How about the two days I spent laying by the pool and sleeping late? Is that enough? Goodness knows that I am going to come back more energized and motivated to train again.

Given my past, I am going to experiment a bit with recovery. Two weeks. I certainly hope that is enough time. The true test will be how I perform at the Tundra Time Trial. My focus for the next two weeks will be on three primary things—sleep, eating and stretching. I will aim for 8 hours of sleep EVERY night. No exceptions. I will eat more fruit, vegetables and protein than I am accustomed to. I will overload the system at times in hope that my muscles are rebuilt properly. Finally, I will stretch a lot. I don’t anticipate any intensity in my workouts. Instead, I will treat the next 10 days like a recovery week. I will swim a little, bike a little and run….well maybe some. Instead, I will work on keeping the core intact, strengthening my lower body and participate in ample yoga sessions to keep the body fresh. Then I will see if I can get the 10-20% gains that should come with training 25 hours in a week.

Back Home

Well I am back home. And as expected it is rainy and cold here in Atlanta. I departed from Kona airport last night at 9:30. Yesterday was a lazy day. I had ideas of kayaking or scuba diving. In the end, I just wanted to lay bay the pool and ocean for an entire day. Add in the fact that the resort had a tiki bar that was showing the game, I was set.

All in all, it was a good week. I have a bunch more to say. But for now I need to focus on recovery and curing the foreseen jet lag. The 8:00 am meeting at the Capitol will not help.

Total Training for the week:
Swim: 13,700y
Bike: 279.7 miles
Run: 22.2 miles
Total time: 26h 22m