JK's 2014 "Creating MAGIC in the uncomfort zone" micro mojo thread (of awesome)
OK so new year, new Micro thread!
I was scheduled to do run durability pre-OS however I decided to pull the plug on all pre-OS training because my last race of 2013 was just November 10th and I need a mental break before starting in the OS. I spent time earning Spousal Approval Units the last 3 weeks and now am getting geared up (bike fixed, etc.) for the JOS.
HAPPY NEW YEAR and I will check back in on 1/6. 
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I am so so so excited to see how 2014 unfolds. Let's get the party started.
OMG OMG OMG
I totally absolutely GET. IT.
So I felt like I under tested last week but am so skerrrrd of over achieving intervals that I was just going to train at the number it gave me. After a less than challenging Saturday ride I decided to listen to Coach R's "What to do if you feel you under test" podcast and decided, what the hay - give it a shot.
Tonight I rode by RPE and HR (hiding the power numbers). And tonight I knocked it out of the ball park. I started each Vo2 max set at 140 bpm HR and ended each at exactly 175 - I have crazy high bike HR zones... freaky high really - recovering right back to 140. I did not vary one single hearty beat a set. CRAZY! I also rode the SS 20' by HR and RPE and ended up with my HR right in the middle of my Z3. I felt like I was in an actual sweet spot - good effort but not hard to sustain.
I felt amazing and really happy with the ride from an execution standpoint, and then I looked at the numbers. The SS zone that felt good but not hard - was 4 Watts below my tested FTP last week (so 30+ watts over the SS target). I was very consistent on the Vo2 Max intervals as well with between 206 and 214 watts each (goal was 190 based on test last week) I totally did not overcook and was able to recover and stay consistent each set without even looking at power. I like this!
I don't even care about the numbers as they are totally arbitrary - I am just so happy that I am finally FINALLY getting execution and getting my ego out of the way. Thank you SO much for teaching me how to think and approach these workouts.
Now to enjoy a rest day before giving it another go on Saturday and see how consistent I am.
QUESTION: If the numbers are in the same ranges as tonight, do I have to re-test sooner than plan calls for or can I just scale up the workouts a few % until next test. Not that I don't LOOOVE testing... but you know. I don't. :-D
Note, that same mentality is what makes the boys not so good at the whole race thing I mentioned ^above^.
So, you got your mind out of your own way...I like it. If you are consistent (again) on Sat, you have clearance to up the FTP by the workout performance, no need to retest. As long as you are consistent across the intervals, I'll take it!!!
Per our last "conversation", for weeks 2 and 3 after riding consitently at the same values by HR, did some magic math and determined that I was riding at the equivalent of ~ 166 watts FTP. I geared all of my workouts to 166 and continued on.
Come week 7 I was exhausted - but not cummulative fatigue type of exhausted. Something was definitely up. Super tired even after 7, 8, 9, 10 hours of sleep. I could not feel refreshed or alert. Then it hit me - everyone around me is sick! My immune system was under attack and waging war. *dramatic gun shots and muffled yells from the front line*
I stood down. I rested up and made sure to let my immune system do it's thing without any interruption from me. That was mentally harder than a bike test, BTW. I came back yesterday, bike tested and increased the watts to 186 FTP (196 NP) up from 156/166, and 220 Vo2 (Up from 190)! All this on an avg HR 10 BPM lower than before. BOOM! Now how is that for some awesome sauce?
I am now sleeping like a rock-star, am mentally alert, and am back in the game feeling really good. That rest was key I believe. I am meal planning and getting this machine into race ready weight.
I started to supplement with Tian Chi, which I have found to provide some mental clarity and increased concentration so I do not get so distracted anymore (helpful on the trainer so I don't drift off and lose sight of the work). Plus it helps with adrenal fatigue, so I will not be digging myself into any holes any time soon!
I live near Shiela T and have attended workshops with her and had the pleasure of swimming with her. I have recently started some tubing exercises to help with swim strength without compromizing my bike and run integrity, and will be in the pool again on rest days just for short techniique sessions to get my body used to water so when swim camp comes, I will not be freaking out. My focus is on Bike and Run and Recovery of course. Also I am going to restorative yoga each week and taking a yoga/pilates class on Fridays which combined has dramatically assisted in my periformus pain. It is nearly completely gone now and my flexibility is improving (pretty dramatically actually) so hopefully I will not see a repeat of 2013's crazy fascia fail and 6 months of expensive recovery.
So in your coaching eyes, does this sound like a solid eye on the prize plan? I am trying to equally build up and restore what I am tearing down. :-)
So .. yeah. I have taken a huge dive in motivation over the past 2 weeks thanks to this crazy weather. OK more like 4 weeks truthfully. I just have felt so OUT of it. I had doggie drama - a full week of vet ER visits for 2 dogs, and then subsequent follow ups, as well as a trip to sunny Flroida which typically makes me really happy as I bike and swim a lot down there, but was there for the purpose of helping out around the house for my Mother IN law who just had cancer surgery on her lungs - it was just a whole crazy past few weeks and combined with the Winter from hell, I have been in a funk big time.
I can only stand so much time inside and this year was the WORST. I was forced to do all of my runs inside due to safety, combined with all trainer rides in my basement I think that meant that I was just not getting the sun exposure I typically would in the winter.
I am back on track now though and even got in my run and bike OUTSIDE yesterday! In the sunshine! Ahhhhhh... It felt awesome and really recharged the batteries. I even wore my bright pink Superman knee-high socks and my new bike skirt which certainly amped up my mojo!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7XuKY_SOups/UzlhruyNRYI/AAAAAAAAB5I/JfX7wBQs_tk/w780-h585-no/20140330_164737.jpg
It is amazing what some sunshine and 50* weather will do to one's desire to be active.
This week I am in Week 11 of HIM Int. training. I was looking over the week and notice a comment on the BTD bike ride:
MS1: 30' @65-70%/Zone1/Easy.
MS2: 2.5hrs @ 75-85%/Zone2-3/Steady.
These long rides are a combination of 3 elements:
Zone 4: a continuation of the interval work you're doing during the week, to make you faster. This work is your 1st priority...do your best to get these in.
Zone 3: HIM race-specific intensity, to make you "better" at the intensity that you'll be racing at. 2nd priority, fine to adjust the length of the Z3 work, according to how you feel. See the Sunday workout notes for additional guidance.
Zone 2: additional endurance work. 3rd priority, totally bonus, the first to go if you're pressed for time. That said, if you're just not feeling the Z3 love, Z2 is fine instead.
It mentions Zone 4 as 1st priority - however there is no Z4 work in the sets. Is this a generic footnote?
Also as a side note - I am so geeked! I did my swim today early this morning and realized in the middle of the MS2 that I actually just got up at 5am, and went to the gym without even questioning or thinking about it... I declare that my winter induced funk is OVAH!
so much work!
I feel re-energized and had no issues getting the work in this week.
Thank you for always being there to guide me when I feel lost. I trust the plan and am so happy that I found EN You all saved my Ironman life and gave me the tools I need to regain confidence in myself.
As a sidenote, it might be worthwhile next winter to invest in one of those special lamps that emits faux sunlight. Could really help you given how awful this winter was. That or a weeklong vacation to someplace awesome. :-)
The weather lately is making outdoor work so much better and allowing my motivation to return! The issue now is cumulative fatigue. I am really noticing a rough Monday / Tuesday and then getting back into the swing of things on Wednesday, fully on board and in it to win it Thursday - Sunday, only to be zapped by Monday night again! I get in my Monday swims in the morning, but for some reason am struggling with the Tuesday workout. I will get there! Every week I am learning something, so that is good.
So a recap of the Half Ironman Race Rehearsal weekend: Overall the RR went well for the most part I think.
Overall Summary
The crazy weather made it hard to gauge if fueling was right or not. I felt fine independent of weather fatigue (which was extreme)- but as it was such a departure in weather from race day, I could not grasp if I was doing well or just moving along. RR #2 in a few weeks will shed more light I think.
Swim
The RR swim was my exact half ironman swim time as it has always been. I am crazy consistent, and felt pretty good out there but was ready to be done at the last lap.
What is working for me: I am training myself to deal with boredom. It is OK to be bored and the boredom is only going to last a very discrete time or distance. This mindset shift has made a world of difference in my motivation and getting it done.
Bike
This sucked. It was 45* outside with crazy winds, I don't even want to know the real feel. White caps on the lake we ride around should have been the warning flag that it was abnormally windy. My typical pacing on this route is ~ 18-19 MPH on an ABP effort, I averaged 15.5. The wind was ridiculous and with that came the wind chill resulting in frozen feet and wind-burned cheeks! But we did it - 56 miles. Managed to hold my power numbers the best that I could which was hard in the wind. A note here - I held on to IM power numbers and not HIM numbers as I realized the wind was pushing my HIM pacing into sub- IM pacing and I recall from last year that once that happens to go for IM intensity. The last 20 miles I just did not even care anymore and rode pretty easy. The wind had stolen my happy in a big way and I was mentally exhausted.
What is working for me: I am actually very consistent on my bike training. I think that this consistency as well as knowing HOW to execute has made me appreciate the bike leg even more.
Run
The run off of the bike was rough at first as I could not feel my feet for the first half. I have Reynaud's disease, a circulation issue, so I have to wear full-on gloves in chilly temps or wet conditions as my hands will go completely white. I was feeling horrible in that cold and wind, but by the time we hit our turn around at 30 minutes I was feeling much better, and my toes and hands had warmed up to where I could move them freely without issue. We ended up taking a few bonus walk breaks due to the exhaustion of fighting wind all day long, but the end result was that I did not quit and I am going to be totally honest here - I really REALLY wanted to.
If I did not have Yvette with me, I would have stopped somewhere around mile 40 of the bike and called it a day. #truth
What is working for me: I am actually starting to love running again! Who would have thunk it. I am excited to see runs on the plan now and like pushing myself past weather and myself to jump back into action. I am feeling stronger and when things go bad I stay in the zone just rolling with the suck. My mantra is "Push through the suck"
Nutrition
On point as always! The wind blew a PB&J straight out of my hand. Don't judge me that I ate the jelly off of my knee-high socks when I got back to my car. It was darn good jelly!
What is working for me: Don't kill me. Please. So.... I decided to go back to making my own. I like the idea of eating real foods because I feel so much better afterwards, while feeling fully fueled during. I only have done this for Half Ironman distanced races before, so I know that it works for me on that level. I will have to train hard with it to know for sure if I want to do this for the full Ironman in September or not.
Below is a comparison of the recommended nutrition and what I make (super simple - dates, salt caps, agave, coconut water, lemon juice/zest and for the gel some dulse (a sea vegetable) for added electrolytes).)
Perform Jenn Powergel Jenn
Calories 210 203 110 91
Sodium 570 446 220 331
Potassium 30 532 20 206
Carbs 51 65 27 30
Sugars 30 37 10 21
I carry with me a PB&J as well as some savory foods like a mushroom/thyme bread pudding of sorts to switch it up in the case that I need more salt or something less sweet to keep on eating. These all have the equivalent to a gel's worth of calories sodium and potassium. I keep a back up of 3 Vega brand gels taped to my frame in case I drop a flask, and my bike carries 3 bottles perfectly (1 for each hour of riding) so I have all my liquid calories on the bike no issues. If I drop one, I can supplement with the solid food and sodium dumped into an on the course water bottle. In 4 years of doing this I have never dropped my nutrition - but because I have extra at no space cost to me, I have saved a few people's day ha ha .
I have hesitated doing a sweat test since the weather has been so crazy but I think that I will need to do one before my next RR so that I can dial in the exact nutrition that I will need come Half Ironman day. When do you suggest doing a sweat test? Can it be done inside on my trainer? I was thinking of doing it next week Wednesday during my scheduled brick.
Now a question on what to do next weekend.
I will be in HIM Week 16 next week. Saturday is a 30 minute pre-ride run and a 3.5 hour ride. Sunday is a 30 minute pre-ride run and a 2.5 hour bike.
There is a local sprint duathlon on that Saturday that I would like to do for fun. Sort of a chance to knock the cobwebs out from my transition set up before the HIM in June. My inclination is to do the duathlon, then pick up the last 3 hours of the ride and then complete Sunday's workout as planned, nixing the pre-bike run. Would that be a good plan?
Thanks again Coach P!
How I ended up here was a series of unfortunate stressful events that happened in complete secession from March - this past week. Nothing has let up for me and every day a new crisis or crazy happens. I am beyond mad and angry and sad... I am numb.
I cannot get my head together.
Outside of the weekend workouts, I have no motivation or desire to do anything triathlon related. M-F is a wash to me lately between home and work stuff. The last thing I have time for is long training sessions or trying to make time to swim bike run when exhausted and mentally out of the game. I have not been to the pool since the last 1.2 mile RR back in April. I have run the long runs and rode most of the Wednesday rides - missing the last 3 weeks worth due to travel late night at work and vacation - but outside of half hearted attempts I just have no desire to do it. I am now contemplating pulling out of my 140.6 this September and transferring to the 70.3 option instead.
I am just not feeling the love any more - and after training for a 70.3 or 140.6 every year straight since 2010.... I think that I am at risk of permanent burn out.
I no longer have a "why" - the thing that keeps me in the game. I always have one and keep it with me so that when things get tough I pull it out and say - yes that is why I am doing this... get back on the horse and go! Only now... that page is blank. I cannot find one why, only 10's of why nots.
I am totally, undeniably, emotionally shelled.
I have tried to force the love but it is starting to backfire. Fake it until you make it is not working here. This seems to me to be a sign that I am on the brink of big trouble.... digging a hole that I may not be able to recover from.
And the thought of giving up every single weekend from now until September to be gone away from family, school work, and friends for 6-8 hours a weekend is making me cringe.
What can I do to save myself from jumping head first into the pit? I have a Half ironman next Sunday. I am thinking of taking a few weeks off from it all after I finish it- no obligations no training, just DESTRESS and DECOMPRESS and then see what my heart tells me about September.
Is that a good plan? Would I be a failure if I pulled out of the September race all together?
OK I think that I got my head together better now. :-) I am not a failure - my goals have just changed. I am going back for my PhD and need to respect that I have only so much bandwidth this year. I am doing the Rev 3 Half instead of the full and will train to rock it out.
Today I did a 1.25 mile open water swim, then 25 mile bike and short brick run. I felt good. Like really good. Next Sunday is Grand Rapids half iron and I am going to toe the line and give it my EN ALL!
Being type A can certainly be a superpower, we have to use it wisely. :-)
Enjoy your taper, and work on that race plan. :-)
Well I am the 2014 Long Course National Champion of the Athena division.... if there was such a thing! Ha ha ha. Some days it pays to show up.
I am glad that I showed up, honestly. Just a week ago I was going to pull out or do the Olympic or the Aquabike. I am glad that I stuck with it and gave it my all. It was my 3rd best Half Ironman - and much faster than the death fest of Miami man. In fact - it was tough but not that bad at all. I am getting STRONGER.
SWIM
It felt good on the swim, it was my happy place just swimming along. Kept in my box - form was great, politely spun a few chicks around when they swam sideways in front of me, and kept on going.
BIKE
It felt not fun on the bike as I had a 56 mile mechanical that took me down to a turtle's 17.6 MPH pace due to only having a climbing and a descending gear. Which was great on the hills, but not so great the other miles of near flat. I was either going to have to go too easy or too hard so I had to baby the bike and get to the run with as good of intentions as possible.
The good thing is that even with the mechanical, I passed many people on the bike, climbing 56 positions in my gender, not including all the men I chicked on the back half. I am very strict on my bike execution and took it per plan the entire day, even if I had to wing a bit of it out there. I negative split the bike and rode what I HAD to ride that day - not what I could have ridden. Huzzuh!
RUN
The run was actually very strong mentally. Deceptively hilly on the back half of each loop. It was sunny and little shade, so I had a cooling towel with me and that helped me keep my temperature under control. My knee hurt a little and I started to have some calf cramps mid-way possibly due to the bike, so I walked a portion of the course - but it was not due to a poorly executed bike. I am A HORRIBLE RUNNER.
NUTRITION
I nailed it. I skipped the first hour of the bike as I was pizzed at my mechanical issue. Then I realized at mile 17 or 18 that I was in trouble if I did not start eating. Ate all of my calories and felt great through the bike and run.
TAKE AWAY
I now that my baseline is that I felt mentally strong on the run - so now I need to get out there and stop slacking. This weekend kicked me in the rump and I feel like the mojo is coming back.
My plan is to be OFF this week and then start back up into week 9 of training next week and give it my all. I got the other anxiety ridden topics under control over the past few weeks and now feel ready to finish this season on a good note.
Gunning for top 3 Athena at Rev3 Half Ironman.
I have struggled with the run my entire career now. I just loaded the HIM Int plan back into my system ending at Rev 3 Sept. 7th.
I had a rough few months as mentioned above in my "waving the white flag" post, so my new POA is to train CONSISTENTLY, and to put runs at Priority 1. I have missed very few bikes due to that being my wheelhouse. I need to make getting uncomfortable my J.O.B. #1 for the next 12 weeks.
I have the fire. I want to end 2014 on a solid race effort in all 3 sports, not just pushing until the run and then throwing in the towel.
What do you think? Should I start the HIM training OVER again now that I am 13 weeks away from my next one? Or is there a way to start at a higher week given that I just finished one Sunday? I am taking this week as resetting the head. Starting back up Monday.
I was thinking about the following:
1 - EVERY RUN COUNTS. No more skipping my runs. They are TOP priority and if I have to budge someplace, the run is non-negotiable.
2 - Adding in Sunday negative-split runs and cutting my ABP rides to 90 minutes. I know that you say to do this on BEGINNER HIM and IM plans only, however - I am a consistent swimmer, solid cyclist, and even though I have ran for years, I am a HORRIBLE runner.
Do you think that adding in this run - keeping in mind the up stream workouts - would be a good plan for me?
Thank you for being the voice in my head that keeps me out of my own way when all I really want to do is sabotage my own success. I am working on replacing your voice with my own. I am SO happy that I found EN and that you and Coach R are always here for us.
It is also so amazing being at a race with all of the red EN kits - being able to yell GO EN! at all of my teammates leaving it all out there on the course. I met so many amazing ENers at Grand Rapids this past weekend and it was a lot of fun to finally put faces to names and feel CONNECTED to the greater EN organization. You are growing quite the family here on these pages, and it is meaning a lot to me and my mojo!
I'd like you to think outside of the box a little bit and maybe focus on a run durability program. Something where you're putting in 30 to 40 minute runs every day Monday through Friday. Nothing sexy, just building the engine which you will then train in the final few weeks.
I could see a basic week that you repeat which looks like this:
Monday: run plus swim
Tuesday: run
Wednesday: run plus FTP bike
Thursday: run
Friday: run plus swim
Saturday and Sunday: bike anywhere from 90 to 150 minutes, mostly AbP or hills.
THIS is exactly what I need. Thank you Coach P!
This week - REST and RECOVERY! Stretching and some light strength work (high reps low weights) and core, Friend and family time.
Weeks 2-5:
M - 30 min. Run & Core / Functional Strength / Swim
T - Run (40-45 minutes)
W - Run (30 minutes) / FTP Bike
R - Run (40-45 minutes) & Core / Functional Strength
F - Run (30 minutes) and Swim
Sa - Bike - HILLS! (1.5- 2.5 hours)
Su - Bike - ABP! (1.5 - 2.5 hours)
I need to add back in some slight functional training as my upper body strength and my core has gone to pot totally. :-( Nothing major - just supportive work.
I did a 3.5 mile run Thursday, 2.5 mile run Friday, 1 mile Brick run off of a 2.5 hour HILLS ride, and then Sunday I did a 4 mile trail run (hills!) followed by a 40 minute bike on the hills again from Saturday - my quads and knee were feeling it on the bike and at the risk of down hill workouts, I decided 1-loop of the park was enough.
I fly out tomorrow evening and have to take the dogs up north to my parents (3 hours round trip) tonight, so I am not able to run again until Thursday when I am in FL for the next week and a half.
My plan is as follows:
Monday - Massage and walking (those hills did a number on my legs!)
Tonight - Walking, take boys up to puppy-grandparent's
Wednesday - Fly at night - arriving really late (midnight) so need my rest
Thursday - Run
Friday - Run/swim
Saturday - ABP ride (no hills in South FL) and run (short) - swim
Sunday - ABP ride and run - swim
Monday - Swim/run
Tuesday - run
Wednesday - Bike/run
Thursday long run
Friday swim/run 4th of July fireworks (possibly sprint triathlon, but it is really early due to heat, and not so local)
Saturday - ABP ride - run
Sunday - fly home, pick up boys
Some big training opportunities that I have created are as follows: Do these sound good? My A race is September 7th - Revolution 3 Half Rev at Cedar Point
July 19th I am going to go on a training weekend in Northern MI with my friends Vickie and fellow ENer Yvette. Focus is hill riding and running
August 10th I am doing a 5k OWS
August 16th I am doing a 1.2 mile OWS in Madison as my RR swim for Rev3 half rev Sept. 7th. Vickie and I are making a training weekend of it and are going to swim then do a long ride out on the course of Madison and then Sunday do a run before heading back to MI.
Then I am in the last push to Rev3 Half!
I feel that my mojo is BACK! Sunday I did the 4-mile trail run at one state park then drove 20 minutes to another state park to ride, and then got on my kayak and kayaked the lake for a half of an hour. I almost went for another run after the kayak!
I am still finding it way easier to train Thursday - Sunday. The whole Monday-Wednesday work balance is still off kilter so I have room for improvement there. I also plan on incorporating 2 long OWS each month in addition to help bolster my swim confidence since I tend to bail on swimming and will do no swims leading up to my races.
Being run focused has made me happy, and I am once again excited to get out and run every day. This was JUST what I needed.
We will want some flavor of a groove there when HIM time kicks in, but given all your epic training you might actually want a few of those Mondays off.
Ps I Leominster not to tell your pugs what you texted today about running.
My plan of retiring from long course and Iron distance until after my PhD is completed is now put on hold another year lol.
My plan is to push to Rev3 Half Rev September 7th, and then take a mental break from Triathlon, focusing on total body and mental transformation until Out Season. How does one train for a 95.5 mile event (2.5 mile swim, 75 mile bike 18 mile run)? Like an Ironman?
So a recap of my race last night. I am pretty happy given that I had to search over my house to find not only my wetsuit, goggles, and biking shoes... but also my bike. Work has had me on high alert ever since I have returned from FL, so my training has been... pretty nill. On the swim bike run front. On the stretch/self care front it has been going really well!
So last night:
I had my 2nd fastest 1/2 mile swim last night - 18:04, prior PR was 17:56.
I had my 2nd fastest hilly sprint bike ride last night - 19.7 MPH, last year PR on same course was 19.8MPH and that was after weeks of intense training this time was off of a rest period. My actual ride time was 20+ MPH but this race has a long mount/dismount area with a very narrow winding entrance/exit so you have to really slow down the first and last 1/4 mile.
And I ran a SOLID STRONG 5k run, one of my better times out on this course. The first 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile was FILLED with cramped calves, but I realized that my sodium was off and corrected it. By 1/2 mile the pain was gone and I was able to negative split the run totally pushing strong through the final mile.
I had my 3rd fastest overall time at a TRex Tri Series race (have done this particular course 10-13 times now) and that was with that 3 week triathlon break.
Back to the grind!
Due to the pool situation (summer time means that our local triathlete gym has decided to become a VERY expensive daycare and the pool is now being used for Swim time for kids) and the same struggle Monday - Wednesday of getting in all that I need to, I will have to make some modifications and really make sure to NAIL Thursday - Sunday.
The rest of my weeks are going to be some flavor of this if you agree:
Monday: Pool Swim AM or lunch if can make it + PiYo (pilates/yoga mix for strength and stretch recovery)
Tuesday: Bike/Run + PiYo
Wednesday: OWS (2 miles) + Run
Thursday: Long Run + PiYo
Friday: PiYo
Saturday: Open Water Swim + Long Bike/run brick + PiYo
Sunday: Open Water Swim (2 miles+) + ABP Bike
PiYo is 18-30 minutes long and 6 days a week, so nothing too time consuming but is what is keeping me injury free and consistently building my core. My nagging pain is now TOTALLY GONE! And it has improved both my swim form and my run form because I am focused on posture.
Does the slightly modified HIM plan above sound good for the final 8 weeks?