Got this link from a buddy in the Boulder Tri Club. I can't say I've experienced anything that bad, though I'm usually at the back of the pack (and seed myself as such at the start) so i think i avoid the worst of it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Post of Shame...
I hate missing workouts. If I miss one, I get grumpy, a couple and I'm miserable... miss a whole week and all I've got is shame.
Ok, so maybe I shouldn't feel that bad about it. my thesis was due on Friday and I literally didn't leave the school except to go home and sleep (one night not even that happened). I'm sure Matt over at Athletic Wannabee knows what that's like. Surviving off of homemade trail mix and whatever food I could get delivered and spending a ridiculous number of hours writing. I missed the whole week. As excited as I was to get going on training with the new benchmarks, the time just wasn't there.
however, i'm back in the saddle now. I got a decent ride in Saturday while watching the Original version of Empire Strikes Back, then got ina nice long run outdoors on Sunday. I'd have gone for a swim too but the rec was closed for Easter. I had forgotten it was Easter... this time last year I was in Boulder.
Oh, and I turned 29 on Friday.
Today i had a great swim. Well, not great, but certainly quite enjoyable. The pool was set to the 50m orientation for a change so i got to do my workout in a 50m pool for the first time. it was also a 3400m swim, my longest single workout yet, just over 2 miles. I thought about shooting for 2.4 miles... but decided against it, I'll get there soon enough.
Ok, so maybe I shouldn't feel that bad about it. my thesis was due on Friday and I literally didn't leave the school except to go home and sleep (one night not even that happened). I'm sure Matt over at Athletic Wannabee knows what that's like. Surviving off of homemade trail mix and whatever food I could get delivered and spending a ridiculous number of hours writing. I missed the whole week. As excited as I was to get going on training with the new benchmarks, the time just wasn't there.
however, i'm back in the saddle now. I got a decent ride in Saturday while watching the Original version of Empire Strikes Back, then got ina nice long run outdoors on Sunday. I'd have gone for a swim too but the rec was closed for Easter. I had forgotten it was Easter... this time last year I was in Boulder.
Oh, and I turned 29 on Friday.
Today i had a great swim. Well, not great, but certainly quite enjoyable. The pool was set to the 50m orientation for a change so i got to do my workout in a 50m pool for the first time. it was also a 3400m swim, my longest single workout yet, just over 2 miles. I thought about shooting for 2.4 miles... but decided against it, I'll get there soon enough.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Hannah Emily Zizlsperger
My best friend, Nils, is like family. His whole family is like family really.
Yesterday, the day after my birthday, he became an uncle for the first time. I don't know if I could be much more excited about this and for him.
Hannah Emily Zizlsperger, welcome to life.
Yesterday, the day after my birthday, he became an uncle for the first time. I don't know if I could be much more excited about this and for him.
Hannah Emily Zizlsperger, welcome to life.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Gonna fly now...
I had been looking forward to this test from the moment Mark had told me I'd be doing benchmark testing this week. As much as I enjoy cycling and running, I consider myself a runner first and foremost. Not a great one, but a runner nonetheless.
I wasn't entirely sure, going into the run test, what to hope for as far as a time or pace. I had been doing an 8:10 pace during fartleks without much in the way of trouble, but that was also with a 1'00" break after every 5 so I figured I'd use that as a starting point. What I probably should have done have done was ask Mark but that crusty independent streak we New Englanders have kept me from even thinking about asking him. D'oh!
Still, I was hoping to break 40'00", although now I wish I'd set the bar higher. A lot higher.
The Workout: in the evening…. 5 mile TT at the track… even pace it… ALL OUT for this distance… WU and CD properly… focus… kill it (get splits please 400's if you can)
The Approach: I took a modified fartlek approach, I didn't want to burn out early and worked in occasional half laps that were easier than my steady pace by about :30/mile. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't done that (should have asked Mark).
The Results:
Splits are per/400 with the net time after
1. 2'00" 2'00"
2. 2'07" 4'07"
3. 2'00" 6'08"
4. 2'00" 8'08"
5. 2'07" 10'15"
6. 2'00" 12'15"
7. 1'56" 14'12"
8. 1'52" 16'04"
9. 2'02" 18'07"
10. 1'56" 20'04"
11. 1'55" 21'59"
12. 1'56" 23'55"
13. 2'03" 25'59"
14. 1'55" 27'54"
15. 1'57" 29'52"
16. 2'05" 31'57"
17. 1'49" 33'46"
18. 1'49" 35'35"
19. 1'45" 37'21"
20. 1'35" 38'56
I'm pretty pleased with the results although, honestly, I think I could have done better, which is a shame. I started a little timid I think, reminding myself not to burn myself out early like I felt I did on the swim. As far as how i felt, my lungs never really got pumping until the last lap and a half though my legs were certainly feeling the burn throughout. I was very pleased with the finish and was stumbling pretty good after the finish but I think I underestimated myself early on.
*Edit: I was a little down on my results by the time I finished my post. Out of curiousity I decided to see how it compared to my last best 5k time. My best 5k was 23'46" a 7'40" pace. The last 5k of my 5 mile run was 23'48"... just under a 7'41" pace. This was after putting in almost 2 miles in front of it. maybe I shouldn't be quite so dissatisfied...
I wasn't entirely sure, going into the run test, what to hope for as far as a time or pace. I had been doing an 8:10 pace during fartleks without much in the way of trouble, but that was also with a 1'00" break after every 5 so I figured I'd use that as a starting point. What I probably should have done have done was ask Mark but that crusty independent streak we New Englanders have kept me from even thinking about asking him. D'oh!
Still, I was hoping to break 40'00", although now I wish I'd set the bar higher. A lot higher.
The Workout: in the evening…. 5 mile TT at the track… even pace it… ALL OUT for this distance… WU and CD properly… focus… kill it (get splits please 400's if you can)
The Approach: I took a modified fartlek approach, I didn't want to burn out early and worked in occasional half laps that were easier than my steady pace by about :30/mile. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't done that (should have asked Mark).
The Results:
Splits are per/400 with the net time after
1. 2'00" 2'00"
2. 2'07" 4'07"
3. 2'00" 6'08"
4. 2'00" 8'08"
5. 2'07" 10'15"
6. 2'00" 12'15"
7. 1'56" 14'12"
8. 1'52" 16'04"
9. 2'02" 18'07"
10. 1'56" 20'04"
11. 1'55" 21'59"
12. 1'56" 23'55"
13. 2'03" 25'59"
14. 1'55" 27'54"
15. 1'57" 29'52"
16. 2'05" 31'57"
17. 1'49" 33'46"
18. 1'49" 35'35"
19. 1'45" 37'21"
20. 1'35" 38'56
I'm pretty pleased with the results although, honestly, I think I could have done better, which is a shame. I started a little timid I think, reminding myself not to burn myself out early like I felt I did on the swim. As far as how i felt, my lungs never really got pumping until the last lap and a half though my legs were certainly feeling the burn throughout. I was very pleased with the finish and was stumbling pretty good after the finish but I think I underestimated myself early on.
*Edit: I was a little down on my results by the time I finished my post. Out of curiousity I decided to see how it compared to my last best 5k time. My best 5k was 23'46" a 7'40" pace. The last 5k of my 5 mile run was 23'48"... just under a 7'41" pace. This was after putting in almost 2 miles in front of it. maybe I shouldn't be quite so dissatisfied...
Swim TT... Take 2
let's cut right to the chase shall we?
2000 FOR TIME (4x500 with :05… get your splits)
Splits (not counting the :05 breaks)
1. 9'22"
2. 9'41"
3. 9'46"
4. 9'42"
T. 38'31"
For a total time of 38'48" counting the :05 breaks
This felt so much better. Not just the time, but as soon as I started warming up I really felt like I was much looser, more relaxed and freer in the water. I started out too fast (which is pretty obvious) but my other times were pretty close to what I was hoping for, so I'm not sweating it too much. It wasn't a personal best, but it was close and I'm pretty pleased.
2000 FOR TIME (4x500 with :05… get your splits)
Splits (not counting the :05 breaks)
1. 9'22"
2. 9'41"
3. 9'46"
4. 9'42"
T. 38'31"
For a total time of 38'48" counting the :05 breaks
This felt so much better. Not just the time, but as soon as I started warming up I really felt like I was much looser, more relaxed and freer in the water. I started out too fast (which is pretty obvious) but my other times were pretty close to what I was hoping for, so I'm not sweating it too much. It wasn't a personal best, but it was close and I'm pretty pleased.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Aauuuuuuugh!
I was really excited about my swim test... and it did not go well at all.
I got to the rec this evening and realized that I didn't have either pairs of my shorts. I had running pants and two shirt (one short sleeve one long) and no shorts. I usually have two pairs of shorts i can swim in and i quickly realized I had left both at home in the dryer. Ugh.
Not only that, but because I had put off the swim until the end of the evening when I knew I'd be able to get the lane I wanted, I didn't have time to run home and get those shorts and get back in time to do the workout. In fact, I'd have gotten back in time to see them close the pool. Bad decision on my part. My next thought was my underwear, could I wear that? I have a couple pairs that could pass for speedo type swim wear. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days. I then remembered I had one pair of running shorts in studio. A twelve minute trip later I was changing into some very baggy shorts. I normally wear clingy bicycle type shorts on my swims, I was a little skeptical about these shorts, I kept them in studio for spur of the moment runs, not swims. Still they were all I had.
I did a quick warm-up and I knew right away this was going to be tough. I felt like I was swimming through thick seaweed. Still, I told myself to relax, the shorts aren't going to affect my time very much, they're just shorts after all. I centered myself a bit, floating on my back in the water, then started the TT.
I started out way too strong and realized it after a couple laps, partly a result of my earlier frustration and partly, I think, a reaction against starting the bike TT too slow. I told myself to relax, calm down and focus on maintaining a steady pace... no point exhausting myself on the first 500. I was halfway through the first 500 at that point and looked at my watch... 4'59"! Not what I had been expecting at all. based on how hard I had been swimming I would have expected a much, much faster time at that point. 4'59" was, honestly, devastating.
I finished the 500 in 10'02", collected myself a bit in the 5 second break, then headed into my next 500, trying to salvage the TT. I tried focusing on my form, making it as clean and perfect as I could, making my strong long and trying to maximize every movement without pushing too hard, knowing I had another two 500s after this one. I finished in 10'08".
I started the third 500 and immediately my mind shifted to whether I was making the right decision. This was possibly the worst I had felt during a swim in a long time. I felt like each stroke was getting me nowhere and it was driving me bonkers, alternately angry, frustrated and miserable.
Within the first 100 yards of the third set, I made a decision. I stopped. I wasn't getting anything out of this workout except anger and I doubt it would tell Mark much about my progress. So I decided to stop and get up early tomorrow to do the workout properly. I don't know how much the shorts actually slowed me down, but I can be pretty sure that my anger and frustration was certainly ruining the workout. I usually find swimming to be very peaceful and relaxing, even when I swim hard, but this was just horrible and angry.
So tomorrow I'm going to get up early and tackle the swim. in fact, i think i'm going to head home now and make sure I get enough sleep before I do it. Less than twelve hours from now I will have a new post about how I rocked the swim and how glad I am that I didn't try to power through a bad workout. I can and I will.
I got to the rec this evening and realized that I didn't have either pairs of my shorts. I had running pants and two shirt (one short sleeve one long) and no shorts. I usually have two pairs of shorts i can swim in and i quickly realized I had left both at home in the dryer. Ugh.
Not only that, but because I had put off the swim until the end of the evening when I knew I'd be able to get the lane I wanted, I didn't have time to run home and get those shorts and get back in time to do the workout. In fact, I'd have gotten back in time to see them close the pool. Bad decision on my part. My next thought was my underwear, could I wear that? I have a couple pairs that could pass for speedo type swim wear. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days. I then remembered I had one pair of running shorts in studio. A twelve minute trip later I was changing into some very baggy shorts. I normally wear clingy bicycle type shorts on my swims, I was a little skeptical about these shorts, I kept them in studio for spur of the moment runs, not swims. Still they were all I had.
I did a quick warm-up and I knew right away this was going to be tough. I felt like I was swimming through thick seaweed. Still, I told myself to relax, the shorts aren't going to affect my time very much, they're just shorts after all. I centered myself a bit, floating on my back in the water, then started the TT.
I started out way too strong and realized it after a couple laps, partly a result of my earlier frustration and partly, I think, a reaction against starting the bike TT too slow. I told myself to relax, calm down and focus on maintaining a steady pace... no point exhausting myself on the first 500. I was halfway through the first 500 at that point and looked at my watch... 4'59"! Not what I had been expecting at all. based on how hard I had been swimming I would have expected a much, much faster time at that point. 4'59" was, honestly, devastating.
I finished the 500 in 10'02", collected myself a bit in the 5 second break, then headed into my next 500, trying to salvage the TT. I tried focusing on my form, making it as clean and perfect as I could, making my strong long and trying to maximize every movement without pushing too hard, knowing I had another two 500s after this one. I finished in 10'08".
I started the third 500 and immediately my mind shifted to whether I was making the right decision. This was possibly the worst I had felt during a swim in a long time. I felt like each stroke was getting me nowhere and it was driving me bonkers, alternately angry, frustrated and miserable.
Within the first 100 yards of the third set, I made a decision. I stopped. I wasn't getting anything out of this workout except anger and I doubt it would tell Mark much about my progress. So I decided to stop and get up early tomorrow to do the workout properly. I don't know how much the shorts actually slowed me down, but I can be pretty sure that my anger and frustration was certainly ruining the workout. I usually find swimming to be very peaceful and relaxing, even when I swim hard, but this was just horrible and angry.
So tomorrow I'm going to get up early and tackle the swim. in fact, i think i'm going to head home now and make sure I get enough sleep before I do it. Less than twelve hours from now I will have a new post about how I rocked the swim and how glad I am that I didn't try to power through a bad workout. I can and I will.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
iRock...
Heard back from MarkyV on the testing and based on the information I provided he puts my LT on the bike at around 195-200 Watts. That's up from 175 Watts in August.He seemed a little shocked by the 219 I put up over the last 10 minutes of the ride and I was concerned about how I had started out too easy and maybe a retest was necessary...
His response:
I don't think we'll need a retest. Taking the last 30 minutes of the test gives me ~193. Given that you CRUSHED the last 10 minute segment I'd venture that we could start using 195-200 as our new number. If there are indications in the training of that being too high then we can back it down but I think we should be all right.
See underlined below… you nailed the workout! Awesome job! That's the way a TT is meant to be ridden… like you are going to die when it is done.
I don't think I could have even unclipped properly when I first finished, I was wiped.
From 175 to 195-200, that's an 11-14% increase. Nice progress...
Testing time.... Day One
I spoke to mark a few days ago about the tests. The Swim and Run benchmark tests seem pretty straightforward but I had some questions about what he wanted as far as information on the bike
Here's the workout: in the morning… on trainer… 40 minute all out TT grab avg wattage at 10 15 20 30 and 40 minute marks… WU and CD properly
Because the power meter for my bike trainer is somewhat simplistic, I had to reset the timer for each period and I wasn't sure if Mark wanted the Power Averages from 0-10, 10-15, 15-20 etc. or just total averages at 10, 15, 20, etc. He decided on the first method, with sections from 0-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40. That data leaves the ability to figure out overall averages anyway. he also gave me some advice on how to approach the test...
"start out at your perceived current threshold wattage and after awhile gradually step it up from there; let the fatigue and pain come to you... let it build slowly... don't go looking for it; still feeling good with 10 minutes to go.... start churning"
Well, now the test is done and the results are in:
0-10'00": 167 Watts
10'00" - 20'00": 177 Watts (172 overall average)
20'00" - 30'00": 182 Watts (175.3 overall average)
30'00" - 40'00": 219 Watts (184.75 total average)
I have to say, i'm pretty disappointed with how the test started out. I feel like I should have been at 177 for the first 10'00" and stepping up from there. I had some trouble warming up, I think partly because I'm not used to riding in the morning, I usually ride in the evening. I did some laundry and other chores to try to wake up and loosen up a bit before hopping on the bike to warm up. I thought I was warm and loose enough when i started but when it was over, I didn't feel that way. I think I should have tossed a quick 10 second interval into the middle of the warmup to really loosen up.
The last 10 really was fun and hard and I feel like I gave it everything I had left at that point, which was quite a lot more than I expected to have at that point.
Lesson learned I suppose.
But, now it's done and I get to sit and wait to see what Mark says (hint, hint... I know you read these!) I'm not even sure what to compare the result to. I had my LT test in August and my LT at the time was 175.
Anyhow, swim test tomorrow!
Here's the workout: in the morning… on trainer… 40 minute all out TT grab avg wattage at 10 15 20 30 and 40 minute marks… WU and CD properly
Because the power meter for my bike trainer is somewhat simplistic, I had to reset the timer for each period and I wasn't sure if Mark wanted the Power Averages from 0-10, 10-15, 15-20 etc. or just total averages at 10, 15, 20, etc. He decided on the first method, with sections from 0-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40. That data leaves the ability to figure out overall averages anyway. he also gave me some advice on how to approach the test...
"start out at your perceived current threshold wattage and after awhile gradually step it up from there; let the fatigue and pain come to you... let it build slowly... don't go looking for it; still feeling good with 10 minutes to go.... start churning"
Well, now the test is done and the results are in:
0-10'00": 167 Watts
10'00" - 20'00": 177 Watts (172 overall average)
20'00" - 30'00": 182 Watts (175.3 overall average)
30'00" - 40'00": 219 Watts (184.75 total average)
I have to say, i'm pretty disappointed with how the test started out. I feel like I should have been at 177 for the first 10'00" and stepping up from there. I had some trouble warming up, I think partly because I'm not used to riding in the morning, I usually ride in the evening. I did some laundry and other chores to try to wake up and loosen up a bit before hopping on the bike to warm up. I thought I was warm and loose enough when i started but when it was over, I didn't feel that way. I think I should have tossed a quick 10 second interval into the middle of the warmup to really loosen up.
The last 10 really was fun and hard and I feel like I gave it everything I had left at that point, which was quite a lot more than I expected to have at that point.
Lesson learned I suppose.
But, now it's done and I get to sit and wait to see what Mark says (hint, hint... I know you read these!) I'm not even sure what to compare the result to. I had my LT test in August and my LT at the time was 175.
Anyhow, swim test tomorrow!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Product Review: Hornet Juice
Over at Tri-Scoop, many of the members have been going wild over a product called Hornet Juice. I've been meaning to try it and when one member gave away a couple packets, I took him up on the offer.
From the company website:
At the very least, it sound like an interesting product, but color me skeptical. Some of the Tri-Scoopers noted that they felt much fresher after HJ powered workouts than the normally do, though any researcher worth the paper their degree is printed on could point out that could be a placebo effect. I was thinking about conducting a blind study on myself to see how I reacted to it, but for now I had only one packet, not exactly good for a reliable sample size.
So, a couple weeks ago, I mixed up some Hornet Juice for a Wednesday run and gave it a shot. The results were mixed at best. I can't say i noticed any improvement in performance or in how I felt... but that may have been partly due to the fact that Hornet Juice just tastes plain old AWFUL.
How bad is it? Have you ever smelled a skunk? Well, imagine a skunk spraying directly into your mouth...
Yeah, it really tasted that awful. And, of course, it left an aftertaste.
Maybe it does improve your performance or your recovery. I don't know, I don't know if I could say that without seeing some more reliable science or conducting a blind study myself. But there's no way you can conduct a blind study with this stuff tasting as terrible as it does. Nor would I want to.
From the company website:
A powdered sports drink containing 17 amino acids that you mix with water or your favorite electrolyte drink, which you take before, during and after exercise, to give you increased energy, endurance and improved recovery time.
Hornet Juice works as a trigger for the oxidation of fat, which provides you with an abundant and long lasting source of energy.What’s in it?
17 Amino Acids including; Proline, Glycine, Lysine, Threonine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Valine, Isoleucine, Alanine, Arginine, Phenylalanine, Glutamic Acid, Tryptophan, Histidine, Methionine, Serine, Aspartic Acid.
This unique combination of amino acids combine to trigger the burning of fat for energy, thereby increasing your athletic endurance.
Where did it come from?
It was developed after extensive research of the giant hornet's amazing ability to fly 50 miles a day.
At the very least, it sound like an interesting product, but color me skeptical. Some of the Tri-Scoopers noted that they felt much fresher after HJ powered workouts than the normally do, though any researcher worth the paper their degree is printed on could point out that could be a placebo effect. I was thinking about conducting a blind study on myself to see how I reacted to it, but for now I had only one packet, not exactly good for a reliable sample size.
So, a couple weeks ago, I mixed up some Hornet Juice for a Wednesday run and gave it a shot. The results were mixed at best. I can't say i noticed any improvement in performance or in how I felt... but that may have been partly due to the fact that Hornet Juice just tastes plain old AWFUL.
How bad is it? Have you ever smelled a skunk? Well, imagine a skunk spraying directly into your mouth...
Yeah, it really tasted that awful. And, of course, it left an aftertaste.
Maybe it does improve your performance or your recovery. I don't know, I don't know if I could say that without seeing some more reliable science or conducting a blind study myself. But there's no way you can conduct a blind study with this stuff tasting as terrible as it does. Nor would I want to.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Snow, USAT and UBUNTU
I'm supposed to get in a 2500 yard today but the blizzard that struck Cincinnati has shut down my gym... Booooooo! I'm going to do the ride I'm supposed to do tomorrow, this evening instead. if the Rec doesn't open tomorrow (the storm is supposed to last until 4 or 5 tomorrow and these Cincinnatians are sissies) then I'll do my Sunday run either outdoors or in one of the academic buildings. Yeah, it's feasible, just not highly desirable.
The perk to this should be that the Rec was closed because school closed.... except we're grad students so my thesis adviser came in and held class from 1-5 anyways. His dedication is admirable but it would have been nice to have the whole day off to work on my document.
I got my USAT membership yesterday in the mail. I'm entered in enough races this year that joining made sense if only to save money on the insurance fees. Plus, now I have a new sticker to slap on my laptop... some people put bumper stickers on their cars, I put them on my laptop (since I don't own a car).
I also recently put Ubuntu on my old laptop. Ubuntu is a Linux release for the less than tech savvy. Most people hear Linux and they freak out because it's not Windows or Mac... but it was really easy to install and, honestly, is probably easier to use than Mac or Windows. Oh... and it's free. Completely free. So are almost all the programs used on Linux (and yeah, there are a lot). The only thing that was even a little bit of trouble was that it doesn't play DVDs. Technically the software to run the DVD players to watch movies is proprietary and, thus, legally questionable to reproduce in the U.S but there are some very easy tutorials online for doing this (if it's legal where you are of course).
Gotta poke a little fun at Coach Mark who emailed me to ask if I use Instant Messenger... Mark... Mark, Mark, Mark... I'm a GenXer, graduate student, and blogger who also has Facebook and LinkedIn accounts (both of which I'm buddied with him on). C'mon, the question shouldn't have been whether I use an IM client, but which ones! Silly Mark!
The perk to this should be that the Rec was closed because school closed.... except we're grad students so my thesis adviser came in and held class from 1-5 anyways. His dedication is admirable but it would have been nice to have the whole day off to work on my document.
I got my USAT membership yesterday in the mail. I'm entered in enough races this year that joining made sense if only to save money on the insurance fees. Plus, now I have a new sticker to slap on my laptop... some people put bumper stickers on their cars, I put them on my laptop (since I don't own a car).
I also recently put Ubuntu on my old laptop. Ubuntu is a Linux release for the less than tech savvy. Most people hear Linux and they freak out because it's not Windows or Mac... but it was really easy to install and, honestly, is probably easier to use than Mac or Windows. Oh... and it's free. Completely free. So are almost all the programs used on Linux (and yeah, there are a lot). The only thing that was even a little bit of trouble was that it doesn't play DVDs. Technically the software to run the DVD players to watch movies is proprietary and, thus, legally questionable to reproduce in the U.S but there are some very easy tutorials online for doing this (if it's legal where you are of course).
Gotta poke a little fun at Coach Mark who emailed me to ask if I use Instant Messenger... Mark... Mark, Mark, Mark... I'm a GenXer, graduate student, and blogger who also has Facebook and LinkedIn accounts (both of which I'm buddied with him on). C'mon, the question shouldn't have been whether I use an IM client, but which ones! Silly Mark!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Good News, Bad News, Unrelated News...
First, the Bad News...
I changed the battery on my footpod Monday. Every time I have changed the battery in the past, I've checked the calibration afterwards with a mile run on the treadmill and a run on the outdoor track. I didn't do that this time since it's never, ever, been off before. I should note that the battery doesn't wear out fast typically, but I do often forget to turn the thing off after I run... oops. Anyhow, this time I didn't calibrate it first. This was also the first time I used a rechargeable battery in it. The instructions say not to use a rechargeable, but that just seemed silly and I wanted to be environmentally conscious.
Well, turns out, it made a difference... about .02 miles out of each mile. No big deal right? Wrong. That .02 difference is the difference between 5.19 miles and 5.29 miles a week later in the same workout and accounted for the difference in my paces that I was running this week on Tuesday night and the paces I ran last week during the same workout set.
So, that fantastic Tuesday workout, wasn't quite so fantastic.
Now for the Good News...
The Good News is that the paces that felt 'right' and 'good' Tuesday night were the paces I was supposed to be running. My bod was seeking out those paces on its own and knew what felt right. My watch may have been off, but my body knew what was right.
Also, I still felt great after the workout so i got in the workout I was supposed to and still felt really good afterwards, so it was still a great workout, it just wasn't quite Super Fantastic...
In Unrelated News...
Last night the Mies van der Rollers won the DAAP Bowling League Championship. This was the MvdR's 6th season in the league (where we have also been known as Frank Lloyd Strikes, Bowlhaus and The T-Spares) and we had to battle through a 3 round tournament, including facing two other teams of Thesis Year students to claim our prize and glory. Leading the way was Brendan "Father Time" Dillon who rolled 100 pins over his average for the three combined games.
Way to go van der Rollers!
I changed the battery on my footpod Monday. Every time I have changed the battery in the past, I've checked the calibration afterwards with a mile run on the treadmill and a run on the outdoor track. I didn't do that this time since it's never, ever, been off before. I should note that the battery doesn't wear out fast typically, but I do often forget to turn the thing off after I run... oops. Anyhow, this time I didn't calibrate it first. This was also the first time I used a rechargeable battery in it. The instructions say not to use a rechargeable, but that just seemed silly and I wanted to be environmentally conscious.
Well, turns out, it made a difference... about .02 miles out of each mile. No big deal right? Wrong. That .02 difference is the difference between 5.19 miles and 5.29 miles a week later in the same workout and accounted for the difference in my paces that I was running this week on Tuesday night and the paces I ran last week during the same workout set.
So, that fantastic Tuesday workout, wasn't quite so fantastic.
Now for the Good News...
The Good News is that the paces that felt 'right' and 'good' Tuesday night were the paces I was supposed to be running. My bod was seeking out those paces on its own and knew what felt right. My watch may have been off, but my body knew what was right.
Also, I still felt great after the workout so i got in the workout I was supposed to and still felt really good afterwards, so it was still a great workout, it just wasn't quite Super Fantastic...
In Unrelated News...
Last night the Mies van der Rollers won the DAAP Bowling League Championship. This was the MvdR's 6th season in the league (where we have also been known as Frank Lloyd Strikes, Bowlhaus and The T-Spares) and we had to battle through a 3 round tournament, including facing two other teams of Thesis Year students to claim our prize and glory. Leading the way was Brendan "Father Time" Dillon who rolled 100 pins over his average for the three combined games.
Way to go van der Rollers!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Eat my dust...
I rocked my run tonight. Rocked it. I kept trying to slow myself down, trying to ease back to the 8:10 pace I'm supposed to keep up... but that isn't what happened. I'll have to check the workout tomorrow when i upload it but I know I rocked it.
More on the good news front, Mark has me scheduled for some time trial testing to set some new benchmarks. He's been very pleased with the progress so far and I've been thrilled. I can't wait for the tests...
More on the good news front, Mark has me scheduled for some time trial testing to set some new benchmarks. He's been very pleased with the progress so far and I've been thrilled. I can't wait for the tests...
30 days of swimming, a look back
Yesterday was my first swim in which I reached 3000 yards in a single workout. It's funny, there isn't really much difference between 2800 yards and 3000... it only took an extra 4 minutes or so, but just getting to that nice round number feels so damn good.
Less than six months ago I started doing my 30 days of swimming. At that point, 1000 yards freestyle was a challenge. My first workout was 800 yards and I bumped it up to 1100 the next day. My swim yesterday was as long as my combined swim for the first day of my 30 days of swimming.
It's amazing the progress I've made in that time and the 30 days of swimming was a big part of that. Mike Ricci of D3 Multisport was the one who gave me that all-important first swimming lesson and suggested the 30 days of swimming. Now Mark is building on that, pushing me faster, harder, longer.
3000 yards... I've come a long way to swim that far...
Less than six months ago I started doing my 30 days of swimming. At that point, 1000 yards freestyle was a challenge. My first workout was 800 yards and I bumped it up to 1100 the next day. My swim yesterday was as long as my combined swim for the first day of my 30 days of swimming.
It's amazing the progress I've made in that time and the 30 days of swimming was a big part of that. Mike Ricci of D3 Multisport was the one who gave me that all-important first swimming lesson and suggested the 30 days of swimming. Now Mark is building on that, pushing me faster, harder, longer.
3000 yards... I've come a long way to swim that far...
Monday, March 03, 2008
Week in Review
Well, last week was a pretty good week all around. I got my 2500yd swim under 50' 00" which was a goal from the prior week.
My long ride on Saturday was agonizing... not from a physical standpoint, far from it. Mentally, however, it's not easy to maintain focus, or even interest, when riding indoors for three hours. The last half hour was a conscious battle, tracking every step of the workout set, telling myself over and over again that it was almost done. That aspect, more than anything else, is where the most training is coming in on those days. I watched the end of Transformers, all of the first X-Men movie and about half of X-Men 2 over the course of the ride.
Sunday my long run started off slow and a little tough. The battery died in my footpod so I was out of luck with that and had to resort to other means to track my pace. It didn't help that the hardest part of my Sunday long runs is always the first 10-20 minutes (again, a mental thing) and I had trouble finding my groove but about halfway through my second mile I found it and felt great for the rest of the run.
My long ride on Saturday was agonizing... not from a physical standpoint, far from it. Mentally, however, it's not easy to maintain focus, or even interest, when riding indoors for three hours. The last half hour was a conscious battle, tracking every step of the workout set, telling myself over and over again that it was almost done. That aspect, more than anything else, is where the most training is coming in on those days. I watched the end of Transformers, all of the first X-Men movie and about half of X-Men 2 over the course of the ride.
Sunday my long run started off slow and a little tough. The battery died in my footpod so I was out of luck with that and had to resort to other means to track my pace. It didn't help that the hardest part of my Sunday long runs is always the first 10-20 minutes (again, a mental thing) and I had trouble finding my groove but about halfway through my second mile I found it and felt great for the rest of the run.
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