Trilifegear.com

Trilifegear.com
Your Triathlon Headquarters

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sun feb 28 and weekly totals...

am run- 12 mi easy run, easy pace ~8min/mi...

pm- easy bike, 2:10 total, ~35mi, easy day today...nothing exciting to blog...

weekly totals:

16:10 hrs total
35 mi running
8:30 hrs biking
12,000 yds swimming...

excited about the running total, would like to see my cycling and swimming still creep up a little if i can...we'll see how demanding my next rotation for school is!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Sat Feb 27

awesome day!

am bike- 50 miles with triclub group and CRC, really hard, we avg 20.5 mi/hr over the CRC course which is smoking...really really hard and tough, wheww!

right after: tempo brick on the track with Rick....5.5 mi total (40 min) main w/o: 20 min tempo on track, mile splits: 6:17, 6:15, 6:07....Went through the 5k mark at 19:19 which is great...really excited about this workout and how i felt considering the 50 mi hard ride before. really excited!! Rick was smoking today too with Dave pushing him as well...watch out cville men =)

Friday, February 26, 2010

feb friday 26

am swim- 4k, main set is 3x (300 moderate, 3x100 descending)...100s: 1:18, 1:15, 1:12- pretty slow but i am feeling pretty heavy and slow in the pool recenting, just got to keep grinding...

pm bike- 1:30 pretty easy on trainer indoors, bailed on a great outdoor interval workout due to the weather but i was happy because i am feeling a bit fatigued and i think i need to work in more recovery...trying not to break down too much this earlier

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thus Feb 24

am run- 10 mi with Rick's group...great run, sooo fun to finally run with some other people, soo great, avg around 7:30-7:45 with 3 sub 7:00 miles in the middle...great turnout, over 15 people, great job rick!

pm bike- 2 hours, super super easy with wes (wes doesnt like it when i make him go so easy...) crazy windy out, felt like i was staying still while going into some headwinds, it is supposed to be even worse tomorrow..yikes!

Wed Feb 23

pm swim at AFC- finally back in cville, i am a little slower with the swim now but i expected that: 5k total, 500 at 6:12, 2x400, 3x300, 4x200, 5x100 on the 1:20 (1:11-1:14s)...felt great to have some training buddies again!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

totals from last week, sorry forgot to post!

total: 12:15 total, this was my low week for the month but I maybe did a hour too much, i was shooting for 11hrs

swim: crap! the worst, only 4k cause i forgot to bring my swimsuit to roanoke, this is why my swimming has declined probably =( wayyy tooo little even for a down week

running: 20 miles, i didnt really do a long run so that is why this is so low....

bike: 7:45, pretty good for a down week, first rides outside!!

i did weight for the first time this week, ( this is not something i would recommend, i am just lazy but i should have started weights months ago, in fact it should be first on the training macrocycle, whoops...)

TUES Feb 23

so sorry for not staying up dated for people that read this, I didnt realize anyone was actually reading this until i didnt update for a few days and people started asking me about it...sorry! I will stay current now that I know people may actually use this.....sorry!!


ok so am- swim with roanoke master- 3k, 1hr...short intervals, too short for triathlon really in my opinion, a lot of 50s and 100s, my swimming feels much slower now that i have not been swimming with my normal cvill group and i am kind of bummed about that...hopefully it wont take me too long to get it back..

pm- fartlek run, 1:10 total, 9mi- 4 X (4 mins at 10 K pace, 2 mins rest jog slow, 2 mins at 5k pace, 1 min rest jog slow, 1 min at 1500m pace- this is very fast, 30 seconds rest, repeat!) make sure to only take 30seconds before your restart the 4 min 10k pace interval as this is the whole point of the workout....felt great!! I am finally getting back to a place of really relaxing when i am running fast, i havent really felt that way for 5 years since college....I really think this is the way to run fast, you have to find a way to relax everything else as much as possible, when you are really running a fast distance race, the rest of your body should feel limp almost...it is a hard thing to describe but i think most great distance runners do this from what i understand....maybe ill write some more on this later....

Monday, February 22, 2010

feb 22

off- booo.... in the hospital today...boooo!!! cant wait to get through next few days and have a big training weekend!!

sun feb 21

pm bike- 2:15 on bike outside...35 miles total...easy easy easy zone 2, felt good!

sat Feb 20

yes! great day

am- 2 hr bike with chipotle group, did a lot of drafting but pushed the hills, sucked rudy's wheel the whole time....42 miles total...

run right off the bike- 7 mi total, 50 mins: 10 min w/u, 3x10 mins with 2 mins rest in between intervals- i think i was really going quick, maybe 6:15ish....felt great, tired but strong....this was a clutch workout for me, so excited!

friday feb 19

pm swim- at AFC by myself, 4k total: main set: 300 long strokes, 6x150 on 2:15 descending 1-3/4-6, 300 long strokes, 6x100 on 1:30 descend 1-3/4-6, 300 long stroke, 6x50 descend....I am so slow now, crap! I am around 1:13-1:15 pace for these things.... I cant wait to get back to cville for wed night swim with the group!

wed/thur feb 17/18

Wed- off, on call in the hospital

Thurs- pm: indoor bike on trainer 1:30 total: 30 min warmup, 6x5 min power intervals with 5 mins rest in between....quick transition to run...

run 40 mins at zone 3 on treadmill, 7:30-7:40 pace....

weights- arms: big focus on triceps, lats for swimming/hamstrings cause i have weak ones....

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

mon/tue feb 15/16...

mon- pm bike on trainer, 2 hrs total, 2x40 mins aerobic intervals...wheww..a hard hard workout...i was sweating more than i ever have..i think this workout is awesome for building power and strength...i am always amazed by how long you can go with burning legs on the bike- it is so different that the impending bonk that that feeling brings with running....

tues- pm treadmill run, 8+ miles, 1hr....main workout was a 30 min tempo run...i started at 6:45 pace and then brought it down every 5 mins until I finished at 6:15 pace...felt great! I dont even think i really touched my lactate threshold which is really encouraging...felt really pretty easy which is weird??? very strange....also, with treadmill runs, make sure you do 1% incline to mimic the road accurately.....

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Sunday, feb 14 and weekly totals...

Sun- am long run, 1:30, roughly 11 miles due to some slow ice/snow spots, but it is better than doing it indoors! Zone 2 the whole way..... slipped and fell on my back banana peel style at one point...worst part is I fell into a puddle of ice water and still had an hour left...no injuries though, other than embarrassment...

weekly totals: 16:30 total, 31 miles running, 12000 yds swimming, 8:30 biking...highest volume week yet, I am beginning to finally work into my running...I still want to be getting at least another hour in on the bike but Ill have to work on that after next week cause next week is my down week with a little more rest (I am on a 3 weeks high volume, 1 week lower volume schedule) so i will be shoot for around 10 hours total training....

happy valentines day!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Sat Feb 13

another great day!

am trainer ride- 3 hrs steady indoors on trainer with a crew of friends, I am back in cville now and enjoying the company of other humans in training finally =))) There is nothing better than training with others after being alone for 2 weeks!!!

am swim- 3800 total, this is a weird workout that I created myself and all swimmers tell me is a bad idea so be warned! 3000 in one interval, descending every 1000: 1st 1000- easy, 2nd 1000- 1:20 pace, 3rd 1000- 1:18 pace...I have really found this workout helps my endurance in the pool bigtime, however, swimmers tell me (and I believe them) that it may promote bad technique when you get tired at the end of the set- so I only do this workout about 1x per month....I would advise others without awesome technique to limit this type of workout....

Thurs/Friday Feb 11/12

Thurs: am swim- 32oo yd swim with the roanoke masters group, lots of 50s and 100s, I used this workout for my short swim day...

am run- 30 mins, 4 mi easy right after swim on treadmill, I had a little ache in my shin and stopped right away...I am getting smarter in my old age =)

pm bike- 2:10 total indoor bike, main set is 3x30 mins in big ring gearing at 60-65 rpm. This is a great workout for building strength/power and especially good for females! My legs are tired now....

Friday: pm run: 8mi total, 1hr...Fartlek workout: 20 mins warmup, 3x( 4 mins at 10k pace, 2 mins easy, 2 mins at 5k pace, 1 min easy, 1 min at 1500m pace, 30 seconds easy, repeat!) take note- this is a great workout! I did this workout all the time in college for 10k preparation (althought I did a few more sets then but I am working up to that)...the 4 mins after only 30 secs rest is the secret to this workout...and I got to run it outside! A great day!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wednesday, Feb 10

am- bikeness, fire drill in the building at 3:30am..couldnt get back to sleep so of course I hopped on the bike trainer...1:40 total: 30 mins one leggeds, 90 seconds alternating legs...same principle as I described before, but these are also done best at avg cadence (85-90ish rpm) and down on the tri bars...I used to do these sitting up on the bike and i think my stroke has gotten much better by being down on the bars...5 min rest, 6x (4 min on, 1 min off) high cadence- 100+ prm...a pretty light workout on the legs overall...

pm- 1 hr total, 8+ miles: warm up...20 min tempo on treadmill, first 15 mins at 6:40, last 5 min between 6:15-6:30... cool down This pace isnt blazing fast but I was happy with how I felt, very relaxed, and it is really early so the pace is ok, plenty of time to get faster later on....right now i am just trying to get a little strong...

30 mins weights: upper body, mostly focusing on lats and triceps for swimming..also think the bench press is always good and I always do hamstrings because my quads are much stronger than my hamstrings after year of running so I always try to help out my puny hamstrings...

overall a good day...thinking about racing earlier to help get motivated for collegiate nats coming up fast in april!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Mon Feb 9- Back to business....

today was great, out of the hospital by 4:30 and back to training...

pm bike- 1.30 total on trainer, 2x30 mins aerobic intervals...supposedly this is a good w/o for 40k TT but i would like to be workout up to doing a couple more....watched a great documentary on Fred Ledow(?) founder of the NYC marathon...it was very touching and interesting, i cried at the end...great movie for lovers of running....

pm swim- not the greatest, 5k total yds, main set was 2x400 on 6:40 which was moderate pace with tons of rest, then 4x200 on 2:30 ( then repeat entire set for a total of 3200 in the main set) I started out ok for the first 2 200s but then had to change the interval to 2:35 cause i just wasnt making it....maybe it was the bike before or maybe doing the workout on my own...i am not a great solo worker but i dont have a choice at this point....

Cant wait to get back to Cville this weekend!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Sun Feb 7/Mon Feb 8- the worst

In the hospital 14 hrs on sunday and just got back from 17 hr today with back to back call days...so no training either day! terrible...this med school things sometimes really messes up the important stuff like triathlons =)...but i will have a better schedule now for a while so time to make it all up starting tomorrow! looking on the bright side-my back feels 95% now...i try to make all unplanned things become part of the plan- you have to believe in what you are doing no matter what on race day, this is true even if you are doing the wrong things right!?!? I think so- the belief may be more important that what you are actually do to get there anyways...... goodnight!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Sat Feb 6

Sat- bike- 3 hrs in zone 2-3 on trainer..mostly zone 2 steady nothing special...Watched Food Inc., this is a GREAT documentary that all americans should see! I think its convicting message is good for triathlon nutrition too!

Mon- Fri this past week (Feb 1-5)

Monday- am Swim: 3700 yds, 1:15 total time with Dustin and Jen (former Olympic trials qualifier and Division I allstar at SMU where I ran track/XC ) at AFC....the main set was 5x500 descending (which means getting faster each one) all on 7:00...times: 6:39, 6:35, 6:25, 6:17, 6:09...I was wiped out by the last one but encourage by my times...thanks Jen and Dustin!

I moved to roanoke for the month today for my pediatrics rotation so I hurt my back moving my stuff out to the car...this sucks...

pm Long Run- in the late afternoon, 1:30 total time, going really slow cause it is snowy/icy out and my back hurt most of the run..crap, not good...I thinking 8:00+ pace...when will spring come, shoot me now..

Tues- am Swim: Went to the masters group swim at Roanoke YMCA coached by Pat who was 12th pro in the 1987 Ironman- dang that is good.... mostly easy 3500 yds that took about 1:10 total time, main set was 6X100 with alot of rest on 1:45, times: 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, 1:11, 1:09...rest was easy sets. My back is still hurting and flip turns are somewhat painful today.

Stood on my feet all day in the newborn nursery in the hospital...my back is screaming at me! shoot...not good

pm Bike- 1:45 on indoor trainer, the roads are nasty and cant ride outside...w/o was 3x20 min intervals at zone 3.5-4ish, this set is good for starting to build TT endurance..I do everything pretty much on effort cause I get discouraged when I wear a HR monitor (I can rarely get my HR above 160 on the indoor bike even with great effort??) and I cant afford a power meter... my back doesnt hurt at all when I am on the bike! =)

Wed- off, my back is really hurting, time to take a day off, i moved my bed to the floor in these aweful dorm rooms in roanoke with beds that are not suitable for prison institutions...hopefully that will help

Thurs- am swim- masters in roanoke again, I took at the sets pretty easy and didnt even look at my times so it is not worth recording...35o0 yds total, 1hr, zone 2-3 I would guess...lots of shorter sets (50s-150s). back feels a little better, not great though, definately cant run today like I was planning on...

pm bike indoors- 2hrs, zone 2-3...I do a pyramid set where I start in my easiest gear and move 1 gear down every 5 mins and then back up all in the smaller chain ring...it is a good steady, somewhat easier base building workout...and it eats a long of time up on the indoor trainer which is always important

Fri- am run on treadmill- horrible snow storm, cant run outside....1 hr total, 8+ mi, 15 mi warm up, 3x10 min intervals with 2 mins easy inbetween each interval...intervals at 6:15-6:30 pace right now with the rest intervals as slow as you want...cool down 10 mins....felt good, back feels better!! Running indoors in tough on the soul though....

am swim- 1 hr, 3k drills: 1,000 distance per stroke drill- really important for me and a lot of triathletes because our cadences tends to be too high in the pool and we arent getting enough out of our stroke, I am taking 12 strokes per length right now- which isnt that bad for being 5 foot 5- if you are taller you should be doing definately fewer...1,000 drill variety: one arms, finger drag, switch drill, catchups, ect..1,000 with paddles working on stroke form and this is helpful to build strenght (which i need!)

pm bike- 2hrs indoors, 2x15 min of one legged drills on 1:30 min switching each leg, 5 min easy in between sets- very important to work on your pedal stroke here, making sure there are not weak spots in your stroke- try to pedal perfect circles focusing particularly on "scraping the mudd of the bottom of your shoe" motion during the downstroke...then 30 mins of high cadence (100+ rpm) broken into 4 mins on, 1min off- try to keep goot technique...legs feel not too bad...back feels good...

Quick Overview

So a quick overview of my training so far this winter is I have been trying to do 4 week blocks of 3 weeks at 13-15 hrs per week and one week of 8-11 hrs/wk. I have to change this often becuase of my medical school schedule but that has been my goal. I have also been sick once this winter which took me out for an entire week and travelled a bit but no injuries or major set backs! I started ramping up for this base season in Oct and got to goal at the beginning of Jan. I have been focusing heavily on swimming this winter with roughly 15k yds/wk and have put running on the back burner (15-20 mi/wk) and have been trying to maintain my cycling somewhere in the middle (7-8hrs/wk)...however, I think going forward I am going to ramp up big on the cycling (at least 10hrs/wk going forward) and running now (30-35 mi/wk) and cut back a little on the swimming becuase I have made huge improvements with swimming and would be happy to maintain where I am right now without improving too much more for this season. Strength training has been my one big weakness thus far, I havent been able to do much at all due to lack of motivation and time but I know it is important and hopefully I can get my butt into gear with that soon (although it would have been better to do more strength in the pre-base phase of training but that is gone now).....I am going to post my training from now on starting with this past week (feb 1-7)!

Why I am doing a blog.....

I have never "blogged" before and I dont even really know how to use text messaging much less...but here I am.....I wanted to create a forum for sharing training ideas, things that worked, things that didnt work and really just make my daily training available for others to see and to learn what to do and probably what not to do in some cases.

I have done triathlons for a while but this off-season has been the first year since my college track/XC days that I have really intentionally trained to the amounts that one probably should if they are going to try to be fairly competitive in this sport. I started off planning my training by trying to research what pros and truely elite age group level athletes do for training schedules. What I found was that nobody shares what they are doing on a daily basis for training. I suppose this is becuase most people are paying for a coach to write their schedules or they dont want their competitors to read what they are doing. Either way, I wanted to make my training pulic for others to learn from if possible. The caveat being that I am self coached (with consistent input from people who are experts in swimming/cycling) and so probably I am doing some crazy things, but i hope i am doing some good things too and maybe sharing that can help someone else in thier training......

A quick note on where my training plans come from...I believe more in the model of becoming a great runner, swimmer and cyclist individually then I do the idea of becoming a great triathlete. This model seems to be more common among the people that win races on raceday from what I have observed. So I try to get expert swimmers and cyclists to help me....

I ran Division I XC/Track for 5 years at two separate programs and was pretty successful, then I was an assistant coach for a Division I level program after my eligibility expired...so I get most of my running stuff from myself. I get swimming advice from Dustin (wont mention last names without permission), a surgery resident and nasty swimmer; he has helped improve my swimming this off season to a level I would have never thought possible at the end of last year...it has truely been dramatic and so I trust him empirically. Cycling input I solicit mostly from Saul, a friend who has coached many great cyclists and an elite triathlete too. My husband Wes is also a great cyclist, especially in a race, so I bounce stuff off of him as well.

I hope this blog can be helpful to someone out there when they are planning their training!