Went out with Maverick and Martin to Fort Ord. I had a great time. The weather was ass but the roads were smooth with no traffic; much better than the roads I've been training on.
Mavrick is doing a brick today (4 hr bike, and 30 min run) but I'm ready for that maddness just yet. If I recover from today's ride quickly and without insident, I'll do the brick with him next week. Sure is nice to know someone that's done this stuff before.
Oh, to be honest, the ride was really more like 48 miles and some change.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
2004 Ironman Triathlon television schedule
The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) will televise seven of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship qualifying races each Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern beginning October 3 through November 14.
- October 3: St. Croix Half Ironman Triathlon
- October 10: Ironman New Zealand Triathlon
- October 17: Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene Triathlon
- October 24: Karnten Ironman Austria Triathlon
- October 31: Opel Ironman Germany Triathlon
- November 7: Ironman USA Lake Placid Triathlon
- November 14: Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon
In addition, ESPN International will televise the following races: Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene Triathlon, Karnten Ironman Austria Triathlon, Opel Ironman Germany Triathlon and Ironman USA Lake Placid Triathlon, air date and time TBD.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
7/19/04 Totals
Swim: 8,000 yards
Bike: 75 miles
Run: 10.25 miles
Felt good this week. Made the most progress in the swim. Intervals are getting easier and I can swim slow-and-steady without sinking. Biggest issue is not knowing how much to eat and drink. I'm taking in ~2,000 kcal daily and this may not be enough.
Bike: 75 miles
Run: 10.25 miles
Felt good this week. Made the most progress in the swim. Intervals are getting easier and I can swim slow-and-steady without sinking. Biggest issue is not knowing how much to eat and drink. I'm taking in ~2,000 kcal daily and this may not be enough.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Friday, July 23, 2004
August Rides in the Salinas Valley
Thanks to Maverick Malech, I've discovered the letusride charity rides going in the Salinas Valley on August 21, 2004. Think I'll sign up for the 50 miler.
[Listening to: Name of the Game - The Crystal Method - Tweekend (4:15)]
Thursday, July 22, 2004
American Cycling Character
I just started reading Bob Roll's book on the TdF. He points out that since American's have started riding in it, they've accounted for 1% of the riders, and 45% of the victories. (Not exact numbers, but something like that.) To me, this is a perfect example of the American character. Completely pragmatic. The goal is to win the Tour: We are going to do what it takes to reach that goal. We are going to go about it scientifically. We don't care about tradition. We care about achieving that goal. And that's what we do.--vitus979
Like many triathletes, I've been watching US Postal's performance in the tour and find it awe-inspiring but I'm not sure that the US Postal teams approach is necessarily "American", but it is indisputably the most effective.
What
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Wednesday Struggle
This week is not starting the best. Same as Rob, I have day off on Monday and Tuesday. However, I peddled on my trainer for 20 minutes yesterday to warm me up for the week and stay with an advice from Marc Evans to do at least light exercise on off days. Today morning I was supposed to get up at 4.30am and run my 3 miles with intervals. But guess what, I couldn’t sleep all night, did not hear the alarm, and woke up feeling fatigue just in time to go to work.
After work I tried to meet Rob for a swim. Pool was full of children horsing around and no space for “triathlete” to practice. I was too tired to argue with management about the proper use of swimming pool. (“swimming” being the important word here.) So, I returned home and went for a half hour run. Run was little bit more difficult than usually as I tried to practice higher stride. Other than that it was a good run (of course I’m not counting that my iPod refused to play for the second 15 minutes of the run).
I hope this is not an indication how the rest of my week will look like.
After work I tried to meet Rob for a swim. Pool was full of children horsing around and no space for “triathlete” to practice. I was too tired to argue with management about the proper use of swimming pool. (“swimming” being the important word here.) So, I returned home and went for a half hour run. Run was little bit more difficult than usually as I tried to practice higher stride. Other than that it was a good run (of course I’m not counting that my iPod refused to play for the second 15 minutes of the run).
I hope this is not an indication how the rest of my week will look like.
More Equipment
After borrowing Rob’s trainer for week or so, I finally bought my own trainer. I went to Supergo Bike Store (by the way, great store) and I got a Blackburn Trackstand Fluid Trainer.
Blackburn Trainer
This trainer is not as smooth as Rob’s Cycle-Ops Fluid II, but with 30% discount, it is a great buy. With that, I also ordered a Cateye CD300WD cycle-computer from Lickbike.com. This will allow me to track my cadence, speed, and distance even if using a trainer. Plus I like the wireless feature.
Blackburn Trainer
This trainer is not as smooth as Rob’s Cycle-Ops Fluid II, but with 30% discount, it is a great buy. With that, I also ordered a Cateye CD300WD cycle-computer from Lickbike.com. This will allow me to track my cadence, speed, and distance even if using a trainer. Plus I like the wireless feature.
Marc Evans 1-to-1 Camp
Sunday, I (martin)spend 4 hours with a professional triathlon coach Marc Evans (check out his two book here & here). It was a quite eye-opening experience. During these sessions Marc goes through your flexibility, core strength, running technique, bicycle setting, peddling technique, and swimming technique. All of which gets recorded on tape prior and after his technique adjustments (in my case it was very painful to watch :-) ).
The session started good, he checked my flexibility, which was without any problems, and we moved on. Core strength was surprisingly very good and again we moved on. (Note, every time we moved on it saved me about $100 ;-) )
Running - my weakest discipline. The biggest surprise. Marc discovered that together with my overall flat feet my left food collapses inward with every step, which creates additional stress on my knees and pelvis. After viewing a video of my run I could see my pelvis and shoulders tilting to left side. Marc recommended getting an orthopedic evaluation and inserts for my shoes to avoid any future injuries and further deterioration of my posture. It turns out that this mechanical disorder was the main cause of my knee injury one month after I started running and it causes the shin splints pain in my left leg after every longer run I do. Other than that my stride is a problem. I run with approx. 65 steps per minute compared with 90-95, which is optimal. Marc showed me a series of exercises to do with every run to improve it. With higher stride I feel that my running is smoother and I don’t waist lot of energy going up and down. The trade off is higher HR. Will see how quickly I can adjust to it.
Bicycle. Since I’ve purchased my bicycle I did not feel comfortable on it. I had to replace my seat and I spend lot of time playing with seat post and handlebars to improve it. Needless to say I had very little success. Marc spent some time running around me with different measuring gadgets while looking on computer showing the torque powers of my peddling. The result was adjustments to my seat post (1-2 in up), handlebars (2in lower), and few minor changes to my aerobars. Seems to work as I feel more comfortable and the torque powers improved. Cadence was also a focus of the session. I’m comfortable in around 85 rpm, when I should really be around 95-100 rpm. Marc showed some exercises to work on it and create the necessary muscle memory.
Swimming. We went to a flume (how fun is that !!) where Marc made a video of my technique. Per Marc I don’t really need to concentrate on swimming (I would hope so after years of competitive swimming :-) ) and we moved on.
Last hour and half we spent talking about nutrition, training, periodisation, intensity zones, and all the other stuff. We did not talk about specific training plan since that would different session and different fee :-). When I sort all of the information in my head I’ll blog little bit more. For now, I have couple sentences in my memory – base building, base building, base building, and one more base building. Also, “technique before intensity”; "higher frequency and lower intesity for base building"; perceived exhaustion is better indicator of intensity zones than HR, and the most important “always have fun with it”.
I’ll definitely return to Marc after another 4-6 months to make additional correction to my technique and sing up for his training program. Right now, I have plenty of stuff to work on, loose more weight, and build more base.
--Martin
The session started good, he checked my flexibility, which was without any problems, and we moved on. Core strength was surprisingly very good and again we moved on. (Note, every time we moved on it saved me about $100 ;-) )
Running - my weakest discipline. The biggest surprise. Marc discovered that together with my overall flat feet my left food collapses inward with every step, which creates additional stress on my knees and pelvis. After viewing a video of my run I could see my pelvis and shoulders tilting to left side. Marc recommended getting an orthopedic evaluation and inserts for my shoes to avoid any future injuries and further deterioration of my posture. It turns out that this mechanical disorder was the main cause of my knee injury one month after I started running and it causes the shin splints pain in my left leg after every longer run I do. Other than that my stride is a problem. I run with approx. 65 steps per minute compared with 90-95, which is optimal. Marc showed me a series of exercises to do with every run to improve it. With higher stride I feel that my running is smoother and I don’t waist lot of energy going up and down. The trade off is higher HR. Will see how quickly I can adjust to it.
Bicycle. Since I’ve purchased my bicycle I did not feel comfortable on it. I had to replace my seat and I spend lot of time playing with seat post and handlebars to improve it. Needless to say I had very little success. Marc spent some time running around me with different measuring gadgets while looking on computer showing the torque powers of my peddling. The result was adjustments to my seat post (1-2 in up), handlebars (2in lower), and few minor changes to my aerobars. Seems to work as I feel more comfortable and the torque powers improved. Cadence was also a focus of the session. I’m comfortable in around 85 rpm, when I should really be around 95-100 rpm. Marc showed some exercises to work on it and create the necessary muscle memory.
Swimming. We went to a flume (how fun is that !!) where Marc made a video of my technique. Per Marc I don’t really need to concentrate on swimming (I would hope so after years of competitive swimming :-) ) and we moved on.
Last hour and half we spent talking about nutrition, training, periodisation, intensity zones, and all the other stuff. We did not talk about specific training plan since that would different session and different fee :-). When I sort all of the information in my head I’ll blog little bit more. For now, I have couple sentences in my memory – base building, base building, base building, and one more base building. Also, “technique before intensity”; "higher frequency and lower intesity for base building"; perceived exhaustion is better indicator of intensity zones than HR, and the most important “always have fun with it”.
I’ll definitely return to Marc after another 4-6 months to make additional correction to my technique and sing up for his training program. Right now, I have plenty of stuff to work on, loose more weight, and build more base.
--Martin
Hope: As seen on SlowTwitch
"I went from not running at all (never) to sub 37min in 3 years starting at the age of 42." -- Simon Poole
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
7/12/2004 Totals
Swim: 5,000 yards
Bike: 60 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
Retrospective
My swimming sessions are slowly improving with this week marking the first time I've found my groove in the water. Finally I was able to covered more than 600 yards without stopping and never felt like I was going anaerobic. In fact, I felt like I could swim for a very long time.
My main swim set has consisted of doing 5X(100 @ 2:00) with 60 seconds rest. These intervals are challenging for me but I seem to be adapting to the stress. I tend to finish the intervals around 1:35 wich gives me a 85 second rest. Not sure how to go slower and I really need all that time to recover. I plan to increase the number invervals in the weeks to come.
On the bike things have been going well except for an unfortunate mechanical mishap I suffered on Saturday's hill climb. Having failed to check my tire pressure (I did not own a gauge or a pump at the time), I climbed San Juan Grade with tires filled with ~40 PSI instead of the 110 that should have been in them. The ride was very challenging and I assumed it was so due to my poor fitness. It was not until Sunday afternoon that I checked my tire pressure and realized the true source of my struggle up the hill.
My running suffered the most this week due to improper planning and fatigue. I went on an impromptu trip to Santa Cruz w/ Julie and failed to get my Friday run in. Thursday's run was canceled due to the effects of Wednesday's 1.5 hour session on the trainer. Sunday's long run was replaced w/ a 10k @ race pace.
My overall health is good but I have some tightness in my back and a minor ache in the groin. Both of these ailments occurred after Sunday's run
Lessons Learned
Check your tire pressure before every ride!
Give the body time to adapt. This takes time and trust.
Bike: 60 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
Retrospective
My swimming sessions are slowly improving with this week marking the first time I've found my groove in the water. Finally I was able to covered more than 600 yards without stopping and never felt like I was going anaerobic. In fact, I felt like I could swim for a very long time.
My main swim set has consisted of doing 5X(100 @ 2:00) with 60 seconds rest. These intervals are challenging for me but I seem to be adapting to the stress. I tend to finish the intervals around 1:35 wich gives me a 85 second rest. Not sure how to go slower and I really need all that time to recover. I plan to increase the number invervals in the weeks to come.
On the bike things have been going well except for an unfortunate mechanical mishap I suffered on Saturday's hill climb. Having failed to check my tire pressure (I did not own a gauge or a pump at the time), I climbed San Juan Grade with tires filled with ~40 PSI instead of the 110 that should have been in them. The ride was very challenging and I assumed it was so due to my poor fitness. It was not until Sunday afternoon that I checked my tire pressure and realized the true source of my struggle up the hill.
My running suffered the most this week due to improper planning and fatigue. I went on an impromptu trip to Santa Cruz w/ Julie and failed to get my Friday run in. Thursday's run was canceled due to the effects of Wednesday's 1.5 hour session on the trainer. Sunday's long run was replaced w/ a 10k @ race pace.
My overall health is good but I have some tightness in my back and a minor ache in the groin. Both of these ailments occurred after Sunday's run
Lessons Learned
Check your tire pressure before every ride!
Give the body time to adapt. This takes time and trust.
Monday, July 19, 2004
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
I had some real sore legs after a trip to the gym. I could barely make it down a flight of stairs the next morning. Yikes. I'm sure this was just a case of DOMS but I've also been having some pain in my hips. I suspect that my entire core (glutes,lower back, etc.) are tight but I'm not sure how to diagnose this. I've done some stretching and plan to incorporate regular stretching or yoga into my schedule. If that fails, I'm gonna try screaming "Out Satan!" at my ass. Could work. ;-)
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
CycleOps - Power Tap Pro
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Monday, July 12, 2004
Friday, July 09, 2004
Trainer
I need to work more bike time into my schedule. Not really sure where the time will come from but I'm thinking of buying a trainer and sneaking in 1 hour blocks of spinning. I'm hoping to build up some cycling proprioception.
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