SC w/o 6 May
Thought I would give Kim a break and go ahead and start this thread! It is week # 10 for me and it is test week! Dropped 3"/100m for the 1000m swim TT today; down to 1:37/100m. 
Bike Test tomorrow! Hope everyone is training well!
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Thought I would give Kim a break and go ahead and start this thread! It is week # 10 for me and it is test week! Dropped 3"/100m for the 1000m swim TT today; down to 1:37/100m.
Bike Test tomorrow! Hope everyone is training well!
Comments
Joe- congrats, nice drop. Keep going at it.I will post my Tuesday later. Missed the swim yesterday due to work, did bike+run mid day now onto Monday swim.
Today was bike test day. My indoor test went up from 20.2mph @LTHR 153/MHR -172 to 20.4mph and 154/174. For me, that is good for this time of the year. Now, to finish up some strength exercises and go for about a 25' walk. My plan calls for a 25' run @Z1, but experience tells me to dial it back on bike test day so I am more rested on run testday - Thursday.
So - since last Wednesday optional swim went so well with the IMs and kicking, I'll do the same tomorrow to do some active rest. Hope everyone is training well and staying healthy!
So I guess I should have done some math to figure out my new VO2 after my bike test last week. I was shooting for old numbers and even though my VO2 WAS higher than 120% of FTP for previous test, it went up from 206 to 212. Oops. So my intervals fell below 120%, but on the plus side, I did longer intervals so I'm sure its all good. Plus I did hills repeats as part of Quassy prep.
2:30 @ 1.13IF
1' @ 1.18IF
2:30 @ 1.13IF
1:50@ 1.14IF
2:26@ 1.07IF
1:35@ 1.14IF
Then I ran around the 'hood up and down hills. 3 miles in 33:06. (With potty break afte mile 1 and brief "intermission" for a drink in between 2 & 3.
Mile 1 - 11:09
Mile 2 - 10:49
Mile 3 - 11:07
Feeling a little better about hills. I'm still super slow going uphill but it doesn't completely drain me so that as soon as I'm over it, I can get back to a reasonable pace.
Just getting started on the intermediate short course plan week 9. Monday was run at the track with MS: 1 mile @ TP/Z4/Hard with 4' recovery in EP/Z1/Easy. Then 6 x 400 all @ IP/Z5/Very Hard. Very Hard sums that up well.
This AM was swim 1900' with my coach, drills and 2 timed 400's. PM was 60 min Bike with MS of 1' ON (Zone 5) and 1' Off (zone 1) for 10 reps then a easy ride home.
Happy to be here with you all. Seems that my biggest lesson to learn is pacing. Run day tomorrow.
@Joe that is a blistering swim pace. I am currently shooting for steady 2 min hundreds for 500.Good morning. Got a chance to post this, so here we go.
Kim- the work is in, the difference is negligible but recovery will be quicker, I say you have a winner!
Joe- I wish I had a running background. I have no background in any of the 3. I am a late comer to all of this, now at 42 years old, I became a self developed swimmer 6 years ago, never had a race bike before that, hated running. Used to weigh 215lbs at 5'9".
I did compete at the top level in late 80s as a flat water Sprint paddler, kayak, K-1 500m, 1000m, K-2 and K-4, olympic sport, some consider sister to rowing. I was on the National Team of than Yugoslavia, been long time ago, 7 years of 6 days a week, doubles......Worlds...European Champs......got an aerobic engine from that. Never ran, but now I have a huge love for running and also a huge regret for not pursuing it earlier.
Tuesday, Week 19 SC adv, bike 3x8min(4min) per plan, in Houston, by Hobby airport, found 24hr fitness, some stationary bike as usual on the road, knocked it out, very very hot gym, legs felt tired and I kept dialing back the resistance to find sustainable but solid effort. After that, run on treadmill, 30min as 10min@HMP+10min@TP+10min@EP, went down as .5 grade up, 7:03 pace 5min, than 6:49 pace for the rest, all treadmill paces, so take it with reservation. HR gradually built to my race range of 162-165....was very hot indoors...
After that returned to swim in a little nasty pool they have, EN flavor 16x100 50 fast/ 50 easy, did total 2100 in 30min, all 100s were coming in 1:24-1:20@1:40 send off, fast 50s were 35s, no lane lines, very choppy water......Dun!
Wednesday, PM in Sacramento around Capitol Park, 75F, S@12mph, plan says run 4x800M(2min)IP, legs very heavy and tired so I cut it back to 4x2min(2min)IP+ 1mi@HMP, paces went 6:02, 6:02, 5:59, 5:58, 5min recovery than 1mi in 6:51, than cooldown.
No swim due to work, I hate that, schedule and no pools around me.......
Well - today's run test was as bad as the swim and bike test were good. Here is South Texas it was 90% humidity and 74 degrees when I tested. For the 4mi run, my 2 mile mark was about what it was last test, then the wheels fell off and I averaged 8:08/mi down from 8:00/mi just 4 weeks ago. But, my LTHR went from 159 to 168 and my max from 183 to 188! So, I was certainly working way hard.
My analysis is that, okay, in these conditions I am slower. Also, it is likely that since this is Texas I will get this a lot more. I now have new paces and there you have it. it is because of this that I am very wary of doing IMTX! It could be easily 100 next week!
Joe- Those paces sound reasonable given the conditions. Ouch!
Decent swim last night, 250yd then 3 x 500yd. I found a good way yo pace myself, which has always been a challenge in the pool. I set an alert every minute. My pace is a little faster than 1' per 50 so each time it beeps, I should be a little further than the previous 50. Run afterwards not good. Super hot in the gym. WKO was supposed to be 3 x .75mi. Managed .75 then only 2 x .50mi.
Good, super short bike WKO tonight. Done in 20mins. Really needed some down time tonight! Got the work done. Note to self: It is easier to hit your VO2 targets when 1) you update your FTP in your Joule and 2) you remember your number! 8 x 1' @ 1.20-1.26IF.
May miss tomorrow's swim to go to lunch and shop w/ Mom tomorrow for early Mom's day. No biggy.
1900 total Swim this AM. lots of drills and some descending 400's. Ouch.
Run this PM with 10 min WU then 1200 meters in zone 4 x 2 and some stride sets before cool down.
Tomorrow is bike and run day.
@Joe - I am in SC but I lived in San Antonio for a while in the late 80's working at UT San Antonio. We also have pretty good heat here in coastal SC what with the 100% humidity and all.
Quick question for the group:
I have 4 sprints on my schedule about 3 weeks apart ending with my A race on 8/1/13 The training plan has a built in taper for the last week but how (if at all) should I taper for each of the earlier races without totally screwing up my training plan? Haven't asked the coaches yet, just kind of getting some sense of what is reasonable.
Thanks in advance
Joe- I was an Air Force Academy grad, flew Mig-21s out of Pristina until 1994, when I came to US. Very cool, we almost crossed the path. My father was born in Prizren, Kosovo, pretty town in the valley on the West side. It has been long time......
On your 5K test, humidity greatly affects the performance, even when heat acclimating is done, and you have regained some performance, humidity always slows you down dramatically. That is a solid test, regardless, document temp+humidity and attach VDOT to that. Should you run into race conditions of similar character, you have solid data to base your pacing. It is never easy in TX. When I travel there I greatly suffer. Speaking of SAT, I usually run from airport Doubletree to River walk and back, 14mi of some undulating terrain....kicks my butt.
Kim, I love EN swims, they are down to the point and mean business, get in and get out, as one coach I worked with would teach kids the wall work and use GI/GO. Get in swim it and get out.
Jamie- love the consistency of your intervals+ negative splitting power, looks great....
Ralph-400s are meat and potatoes of swimmers training, when you reach the point of being able to carry your cruise interval speed on 400s, you are becoming triathlon race ready.
I had a day in Sacramento, back into another hot 24hr Fitness, so happens it is a walking distance from hotel.
This AM, went for 10 ON as 3x3min(3min)+1min at VO2max, stationary bike, all by feel and I suffered,legs are not great. Got in only 45min, that is all I could tolerate. I did flip Saturday intervals for today as I hope to be on my bike on the weekend with powermeter on, so that I can observe the output week before race on 3x8min.....
Wednesday swim got pushed into today PM, EN says 3x500, I went into 3x1000(30sec), came out desc to avg 13:50......in and out in 45min, 3200SCY.
I really enjoy hanging with you and reading about your work. Thanks for motivating me.
Ralph- coaches are your best official resource as these plans are their labor of love and their taper patterns are the one to do. However, on a general note, if your last race is the only A race, you will be tapered only for that one. The other races, need to be labeled as B or C. For C races, you train through, for B races you go in a bit rested, which is very different from being peaked and tapered. You can time taper/ peak if races are week apart, two of them, yes you can effectively achieve that.
If you start tapering and peaking for your very first race, you will miss it on your last. Can you just explain 4 races, 3 weeks apart, give us some dates and let's see what we can come up with. Official guidance is best by coaches. So, make sure you ask there. They are wonderful and will give you very sound advice.
Charleston SC has a 5 race sprint series over the summer. think all out in 100% humidity. the course doesnt change and they have a series champ based on how you place. The final race counts double so it is an A race. Really the others are just to help me practice my transitions. I can't lie tnough, I would like to see a trend of improvement in my performance. The last race in the series is 8/11/13
My real goal is an Olympic on Kiawah Island in September.
Prescribed WKO: 3 x .5mi @ Z5 (9:53) + 2 x 1mi @ Z4 (10:18) and then Z3 (10:46)
3 x .5 mile @ 9:37, 9:56, 9:46
2 x 1 mi @ 10:31, 10:09
1mi @ 10:46
.5mi @ 11:18
I finished the last workout of the week this morning with a strong run of 8.3 miles that included 2x1000 Z5 and 2x3/4mi at Z4.
SC Week 16 is in the books!
I forgot how hard it is to do Z4 intervals on the road with downhills, stoplights, etc. plus crappy road conditions. Still a decent solo ride:
First three were supposed to be Z4...
11' @ .845IF
20' @ .869IF
20' @ .782IF
45' @ .76IF
Overall .76IF, 2:25, 32miles, the ft. of gain varies on what device you want to "believe" but Joule says 2,300 and the Ride w/ GPS I pulled the cue sheet from was about the same. Longest ride since IMFL in Nov.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311803623
Then I ran 1mi around the hilly block in 12'.