Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Monday, June 28, 2004
10 Mile Run
I accomplished my 10 mile long run! Yesterday, immediately after checking into the hotel, I pulled on my running shoes and set out for the prisideo. I won’t cover the details of the run but there a couple of things that stand out.
1] Chafing suck! Even a little.
2] To avoid becoming freakishly tired after 90 minutes of running, be sure to fuel up properly. I think I consumed all of 300/400 calories the morning before my run and I likely burnt most of that during my 1.5 hour swim workout.
3] I really do need to move to San Francisco. The place has it all: Art, culture, technology, scenic beauty, and some great bars.
That’s all for now. Gotta get back to the conference.
1] Chafing suck! Even a little.
2] To avoid becoming freakishly tired after 90 minutes of running, be sure to fuel up properly. I think I consumed all of 300/400 calories the morning before my run and I likely burnt most of that during my 1.5 hour swim workout.
3] I really do need to move to San Francisco. The place has it all: Art, culture, technology, scenic beauty, and some great bars.
That’s all for now. Gotta get back to the conference.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Heading out
Its been a really busy week and now I'm off to San Francisco for a conference. Yesterday Martin and I did a couple of open water swims and a short ride along Monterey's 17 mile drive. Our first swim was spent focused on learning the kelp crawl. 
I think my weekly numbers look good. Now I just need to go do my morning swim and then I'm off to the city.
Loads to write about but no time. Here's what's on my mind:
Cycling cadence
Race preparation
Running along the presidio in SF
Moving to SF
Finding people to train with
I think my weekly numbers look good. Now I just need to go do my morning swim and then I'm off to the city.
Loads to write about but no time. Here's what's on my mind:
Cycling cadence
Race preparation
Running along the presidio in SF
Moving to SF
Finding people to train with
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Failure
I started the day with a 1 hour ride out to my new training grounds; an area of hills and mountains between Salinas and San Jaun Bautista. Unfortunately, I missed my turn and instead of going for a hill climb (4-6%) on San Jaun Grade, I spent my time spinning over the rollers of old stage road. I guess I really could have turned around and headed for the hills once I realized I missed my turn but I didn't.
Then, this evening I did my swim workout without my training partner. I did somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 yards but didn't keep track of my distance. My intention was to do 2000 with sets of 300 yards but I didn't.
Having failed to achieve all of my training goals for the day, I'm sitting here trying to figure what went wrong. A little training retrospective, if you will. Here's my conclusion:
1] Self deception is the real enemy, not failure.
2] Have a plan and a purpose for each workout.
3] Plans are meant to be broken, but only after much reflection.
How do you deal with failures? How diligently do you plan?
Then, this evening I did my swim workout without my training partner. I did somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 yards but didn't keep track of my distance. My intention was to do 2000 with sets of 300 yards but I didn't.
Having failed to achieve all of my training goals for the day, I'm sitting here trying to figure what went wrong. A little training retrospective, if you will. Here's my conclusion:
1] Self deception is the real enemy, not failure.
2] Have a plan and a purpose for each workout.
3] Plans are meant to be broken, but only after much reflection.
You don't have to plan to fail; all you have to do is fail to plan.
How do you deal with failures? How diligently do you plan?
[Listening to: Creeper - The John Scofield Band - Up All Night (7:28)]
Friday, June 18, 2004
Apex Predator
Like most people, I'm not too keen on being nibbled by some Leviathan but try as I might, and despite all the facts, I'm just plain nervous about swimming in the open ocean. Mind you, I really have looked at the shark attack stats and I realize I'm more likely to get in a car accident on the way to the beach, but I'm still a Nervous Nelly. I'm mostly worried about white sharks ( Carcharodon carcharias) as they frequent the Monterey Bay in a haunt known as the Red Triangle.
[Listening to: KCRW Music - - (0:00)]
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Itchy and Scratchy
Notice the two red marks on the upper chest near the shoulder? I discovered these marks last night after my swim workout. Could not figure out what they were. Thought I had got a little sunburn during my afternoon run. Nah. Turns out my stubbly cheek is the cause. I wonder if this is an indicator of good form? Guess I need to shave.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Swim: Nice and Easy
Had a good 1hr 15min session in the pool today. Basically did some-large-number@100 yrds. I did probably half of them with my friend the pull buoy and half with no help. Not sure if I can do the race distance (440 yrds) unaided and without stopping yet. Using the pull buoy, I have no problem. Oddly, using the pull buoy feels a lot like swimming with a wet suit on which I will be doing in the race. It seems strange that a sport known for being so athletically challenging would allow wet suits to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I'm real happy with the way things are. ;-)
I'm gonna ask Martin if we can add more distance using the pull buoy. Makes me feel macho doing lap after lap after lap without stopping.
Hey, Martin! Get well! I need you at the pool.
I'm gonna ask Martin if we can add more distance using the pull buoy. Makes me feel macho doing lap after lap after lap without stopping.
Hey, Martin! Get well! I need you at the pool.
[Listening to: Quintet for String Quartet and Contrabass: Movement III - Edgar Meyer & Emerson String Quartet - Meyer: Quintet & Rorem: Quartet (6:51)]
ironclm's tri world: USAT ELECTIONS--Who Am I Voting For?
ironclm's tri world: USAT ELECTIONS--Who Am I Voting For?
I don't know Dan Empfield but what little I've read suggests to me that he is an original, a free thinker, and a free spirit. He'd get my vote if I had one.
I don't know Dan Empfield but what little I've read suggests to me that he is an original, a free thinker, and a free spirit. He'd get my vote if I had one.
Karvonen Running Numbers
Martin turned me on to Marc Evans' training methodology and I've decided to reworking my training zones to follow the the approach described in Triathlete's Edge.
These numbers only represent training zones for running. I've not tested my Max Heart Rate (MHR) for the other disciplines. To get my MHR I ran a warmup followed by a short sprint, followed by a recovery jog and yet another sprint. I should have paid more attention to the time spent sprinting and recovering as I'm not sure I pushed myself long enough. I also think I might have ran too fast; my lungs might have given out before my heart reached its max. I plan to do this test a couple more times in order to get more accurate numbers.
Target heart-rate = % intensity * heart-rate reserve + resting heart-rate
Resting HR: 50
Running Max: 180
HR reserve: 130
LVT-b(80%) is considered "Lactate Threshold" beyond which lie much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Apparently, this is the zone in which an athlete can apply maximum effort for long periods of time without going insane.
These numbers only represent training zones for running. I've not tested my Max Heart Rate (MHR) for the other disciplines. To get my MHR I ran a warmup followed by a short sprint, followed by a recovery jog and yet another sprint. I should have paid more attention to the time spent sprinting and recovering as I'm not sure I pushed myself long enough. I also think I might have ran too fast; my lungs might have given out before my heart reached its max. I plan to do this test a couple more times in order to get more accurate numbers.
Target heart-rate = % intensity * heart-rate reserve + resting heart-rate
Resting HR: 50
Running Max: 180
HR reserve: 130
| 02 | LVT-a | LVT-b | LVT-c | VO2 | LAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | 75% | 80% | 92% | 95% | 98% |
| 141 | 148 | 154 | 170 | 174 | 178 |
LVT-b(80%) is considered "Lactate Threshold" beyond which lie much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Apparently, this is the zone in which an athlete can apply maximum effort for long periods of time without going insane.
Mission: Pacific Grove Triathlon
I've made the commitment to race in the Sept 11th, Pacific Grove Triathlon. I'll be racing in the Sprint Distance (1/4 mi swim, 12.4 mi bike and 2 mi run) event as this will be my first triathlon. This race looks to be a good gentle introduction to the sport. It's a pretty short race and the tri-california folks are offering clinics to ensure that all the participants are well prepared.
To help in my preparation, I'm gonna head over to Pacific Grove this weekend a test the waters. Pun intended. Oh, and I've read an old race report from 1995 that covers the swim,bike and run. Really good read. Looks like I need to learn the Kelp Krawl.
To help in my preparation, I'm gonna head over to Pacific Grove this weekend a test the waters. Pun intended. Oh, and I've read an old race report from 1995 that covers the swim,bike and run. Really good read. Looks like I need to learn the Kelp Krawl.
I was up, I was ready, I was actually looking forward to it
But my wife took off with my goggles! Can't really blame her though since they were in her gym bag. Doh! Looks like I'll swim tonight after work and get my run speed work in this afternoon during lunch.
Monday, June 14, 2004
A Busy Person’s Guide to Rob’s Background
I’m 33 years old and live on the central coast of California with my wife Julia, our two cats and a Bulldog named Mac. My wife and I are recovering fatties. Yep. Fat. One day (2-2-2004) we decided to get into shape. At that point I weighed 219 lbs, which is a lot considering that I’m 5’8’’.
After spending several weeks fixing our diet, we joined our local athletic club.
At that time my workouts consisted of ~20 minutes on an elliptical machine. I continued to visit the gym ~3 times a week and after several weeks, I was doing 45+ minute workouts and feeling better than I had in a long time. After about a month a friend (Martin) invited me to play racquetball and thus began many weeks of running around in a white box sweating profusely. Loads of fun. :-)
After a couple months of exercising, I was happy with the progress I was making and I was certainly feeling better. At this point I had lost somewhere in excess of 15 lbs and my old cloths were starting to fit. I decided to step up the demand I was placing on my body so I began running. The more I ran the more weight I lost and the better I felt. So far, so good.
Somewhere around the 40 lbs mark I heard about sprint distance triathlons.
More to come.
After spending several weeks fixing our diet, we joined our local athletic club.
At that time my workouts consisted of ~20 minutes on an elliptical machine. I continued to visit the gym ~3 times a week and after several weeks, I was doing 45+ minute workouts and feeling better than I had in a long time. After about a month a friend (Martin) invited me to play racquetball and thus began many weeks of running around in a white box sweating profusely. Loads of fun. :-)
After a couple months of exercising, I was happy with the progress I was making and I was certainly feeling better. At this point I had lost somewhere in excess of 15 lbs and my old cloths were starting to fit. I decided to step up the demand I was placing on my body so I began running. The more I ran the more weight I lost and the better I felt. So far, so good.
Somewhere around the 40 lbs mark I heard about sprint distance triathlons.
More to come.
Killer Run!
Not sure if it was the cytomax or something I ate the night before but half way into mile 4, I suddenly felt sharp pains in my chest. Yikes! I immediately stopped running and just as quickly as the pain started, it stopped. Strange, no? Wondering what a heart attack would feel like and thinking about Jim Fixx and Douglas Adams, I walked a stretch. Having regained my composure, I started running again and lo and behold, the pain came back. It seems that bouncing was inducing the problem.
Still don't know what was causing the pain but I'm guessing gas.
Still don't know what was causing the pain but I'm guessing gas.
[Listening to: Intermission - Combustible Edison - I, Swinger (3:56)]
Friday, June 11, 2004
The week so far
Here's what my training week looks like so far:
T: Run, Swim
W: Run, Swim, Bike
Thur: Run,Swim
Fri: Rest
The triple I pulled on Wednesday really tuckered me out and I paid for it Thursday morning. Luckily, both the run and swim were done in the evening so I had some time to recover. Never the less, the 1.5 hr 1500 meter swim program was hard to do immediately after the 1 hour run. Ouch. Thank goodness it's Friday.
BTW, Martin and I are hoping to increase our swim program to 2000 meters in a week or so. Not sure if this is sane but it sounds like a fun challenge. I'm getting more comfortable in the water and my breathing is improving. I don't forget exhale as much.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Meet my new best friend, the pull float.
T: Run, Swim
W: Run, Swim, Bike
Thur: Run,Swim
Fri: Rest
The triple I pulled on Wednesday really tuckered me out and I paid for it Thursday morning. Luckily, both the run and swim were done in the evening so I had some time to recover. Never the less, the 1.5 hr 1500 meter swim program was hard to do immediately after the 1 hour run. Ouch. Thank goodness it's Friday.
BTW, Martin and I are hoping to increase our swim program to 2000 meters in a week or so. Not sure if this is sane but it sounds like a fun challenge. I'm getting more comfortable in the water and my breathing is improving. I don't forget exhale as much.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Meet my new best friend, the pull float.
[Listening to: Casa Bernardo (Rumba) - Paco De Lucía - Cositas Buenas (Edicion Limitada) (4:14)]
Heart rate zones determination....
Which hearth rate calculation method is more appropriate?
There are two methods: 1) A range based on zero (dead) to your max HR. 2) A range based resting HR to max HR. The second was named the "Karvonen" method. It creates narrower ranges and is (supposedly?) preferred by endurance coaches. Also there is some “logic” behind Kervonen Method. Since you are never going to have a HR below your resting HR, subtract resting HR from max HR. The HR reserve (=MHR-RHR) is the "working" HR span and HR will always fall within the HR reserve, no matter how hard or easy you go. It makes sense, then, to take percentages of HR reserve when gauging intensity. Does it?
Don’t get me started about determination of max HR for each type of exercise! ;-)
There are two methods: 1) A range based on zero (dead) to your max HR. 2) A range based resting HR to max HR. The second was named the "Karvonen" method. It creates narrower ranges and is (supposedly?) preferred by endurance coaches. Also there is some “logic” behind Kervonen Method. Since you are never going to have a HR below your resting HR, subtract resting HR from max HR. The HR reserve (=MHR-RHR) is the "working" HR span and HR will always fall within the HR reserve, no matter how hard or easy you go. It makes sense, then, to take percentages of HR reserve when gauging intensity. Does it?
Don’t get me started about determination of max HR for each type of exercise! ;-)
The Bay Area Velo Girls Cycling Club -- San Francisco, CA -- Guys Got Skills
The Velo Girls of San Francisco are hosting a cycling workshop called Guys Got Skills June 12, 2004.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Down in the Core
For a while now I have been avoiding having to work on my core, but the other day I observed something that may get me doing crunches. While I was running I noticed how much work my body was doing just keeping my upper torso errect. By the end of my run (1hr 30min) my core was pretty pooped. I've also observed core fatigue during my swim program spcifically when I'm working on my kick. Not sure how/when to work in some core development but my guess is that it will help my performance.
I think my Tensor Fascia Latae might be to blame. It burns like the dickens when I bike.
I think my Tensor Fascia Latae might be to blame. It burns like the dickens when I bike.
ACTIVE RADIO: PRO TRIATHLETE SIMON LESSING
A rather frank interview with Escape From Alcatraz winner Simon Lessing.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Just what is an Anorak?
In case you were wondering just what the heck an anorak is, let alone a tri-anorak, here's what the wikiperdia says:
In British slang, anorak has come to mean "geek" or "nerd", originally from their use as the invariable wear of train spotters, and then by extension to refer to anyone with an unfathomable interest in detailed information regarded as boring by the rest of the population - aided by the intuition that only a geek would wear something so terminally unfashionable.
Garmin Forum Over at Yahoo
Anoraks. ;-) BTW, this guy is my fit geek hero! He's quite an endurance athlete. He once took a picture of himself every 30 minutes for 21 days! ;-) Wonder what he eats...
What to Eat?
After having a fantastic run yesterday, I was really looking forward to a repeat performance this morning. Unfortunately, it never happened. First of all, I attributed yesterday's successful run to proper fueling. Instead of my usual carb intake of ~20 grams (can you atkins?), I increased my intake by a factor of 2 thinking the extra carbs would likely not kick me out of ketosis and would probably aid my speed work. Based on my split times and how I felt during the run, I think my theory was right. So what went wrong?
This morning as I prepared for my morning run I started scavaging around the kitchen looking for a good source of carbs. Unfortunately the nutrition fairy has not come around lately and all I found to eat was a lean cuisine lasagna. apparently this is not the perfect food to consume 20 mins before a run. It just sat there in the bottom of my stomach like so kind of pasta brick. Ug.
I think I'm gonna buy some Cytomax before this happens again.
This morning as I prepared for my morning run I started scavaging around the kitchen looking for a good source of carbs. Unfortunately the nutrition fairy has not come around lately and all I found to eat was a lean cuisine lasagna. apparently this is not the perfect food to consume 20 mins before a run. It just sat there in the bottom of my stomach like so kind of pasta brick. Ug.
I think I'm gonna buy some Cytomax before this happens again.
Audible Alerts for Pace Threshholds
I just discovered that my Garmin Forerunner has audible pace alerts. How cool is that? Now I can be notified when I'm going too fast or too slow. What a fantastically well designed and practical gadget this thing is. Now, if only it would talk to my Polar heart monitor.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Here's a map of runs to date. Thanks go out to UsaPhotoMaps and the GarminForerunner for making this image possible.
My Swim Program
My swim program consists of:
300 warm up
1X50 kicking
3X50 arms
30 Sec rest
1X50 Kicking
3X50 arms
Minute or more rest
200 catchup
3X100 freestyle 30 sec. Intervals
First 100 slow and smooth
2nd 80%
3rn Slow and Smooth
2X50 Breathing exercise.
100 Warm Down
-----------------------------
Total: 1400m
The Importance of Base Training for Cyclists makes some really good points I should take to heart.
The most important phase of our training is the base period. For most cyclists, since we plan to peak in the spring or summer, fall is traditionally the time when we focus on endurance/base-building rides. Also known as LSD (long, slow distance), these rides are high in volume (time), but low in intensity (heart rate). This can be a challenge on the road, because an endurance pace for most riders is pretty darn slow and doesn’t allow for much climbing (a challenge in choosing routes here in Northern California). It’s just so tempting to hammer, catch a rabbit on the road, or join in a fast-paced group ride. But to truly build base, it’s necessary to be extremely disciplined and spend most of our time on the bike at a lower (read slower) intensity.
Swim checklist
Checklist when watching someone swim or being watched:
eyes looking down, not straight ahead.
top third of head is above water
bottom goggle is in water when rolling to breathe
arms do not cross centerline of your body
rotation is equal to both sides, even on non-breathing strokes
high elbow recovery
legs are not splayed when kicking
kicking is consistent and doesn't stop when breathing
Swim Training
I just read an article on edurance swim training and it got me thinking about how much time I'm spending in the pool and what I'm doing while I'm there. I think I'm going to increase my distance per workout. Sure wish I had numbers from my previous workouts to know just how much I should/can increase. The article also made it clear that if I want to go farther, I might want visit the pool more often. I'm training for a November tri with a really short swim of 500 meters and I don't think I could cover that distance today. Pretty sad, really. Well, nothing that a little hard work can't fix.
Training Zones
I've been training within the zones identified in Daniel's Running Formula. Not sure if these zones work for Swimming and Cycling. In fact, I find it difficult to use a HRM in the pool let alone stay in the right zone. Most of the time I'm just trying to remember to breath!
| Zone | HRM | % |
| Recovery | 103-22 | 55-65 |
| Base | 122-140 | 65-75 |
| Tempo | 140-160 | 75-85 |
| Fast Tempo | 160 | 85 |
| Race | 160-178 | 85-90 |
Tri Blogs
There are a few tri-bloggers out there on the net. I like Kim's blogTri Training. There's a list of tri-bloggers over at beginnertriathlete.com
Running Stats
Running stats as of today. Gotta love the little forerunner. I've been thinking of hacking out some code to generate postable summaries from the XML that the forerunner log book exports. Wonder if anyone else is thinks this would be useful?
Okay for the 10K
Things are looking good for the wharf-to-wharf 10k in July. I’ve been diligent in my training and expect to be able to finish the race. This is no small feat considering the shape I was in 6 months ago. My 5 am run felt real good and I think my new fueling scheme is working. During this morning's run I ran with much more energy than usual. I ran just under 6 miles and my split times support my theory.
BTW, the slower split times were taken when I was running with my training partner. He's just getting started and is doing great considering he's been at it for 2 weeks.
- 12:00
- 12:05
- 12:40
- 9:57
- 9:07
- 9:51
BTW, the slower split times were taken when I was running with my training partner. He's just getting started and is doing great considering he's been at it for 2 weeks.
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