Tim beat me to it. TOC followed by LP-Camp-while-sick is a big one-two punch. I too would probably be shelled, and I would listen to my body and rest a few days, then get back at it this weekend. If you go to the Micro and P tells you to ignore your body and to plow through the fatigue, please let us all know so that we can collectively search for a new coach.
Just a cautionary Note to all of us overachievers! Overtraining, Camps, Fatigue, Training Holes, Illness, PMC's, STRAVA competition etc... For everyone but specially those looking to perform at the very pointy end (to which we have quite a few in our LP group) it is such a balance of work , muscle breakdown , nutrition, rest/recovery and repeat, always being on the very edge of too much... Always remember its not how much you can do but how much you can absorb... Yes more is more (intensity and volume) until it isn't... Everyone should be tired/fatigued at this point its just normal but we have to be honest with ourselves in how we really feel an no one can answer those questions except ourselves... Not a PMC chart... Not another athlete... Just ourselves... I have had blood work done several times and it always says I am severely overtrained LOL no kidding we all are and that is where you must go to improve... But there is that fine line of how much overtraining we can do (the more work you do the more work you can do) recover, absorb, rebuild and improve and actual break down...
IMLP mid camp update - I arrived monday afternoon, swam 5k, biked tues 5hrs/90miles got a flat and stuck in the pouring rain, biked weds 6hrs/110miles and yep got caught in the rain again, today I swam another 5k and taking the remainder of the day off while it rains some more... The water is warm although I'd say a bit cooler than my lake in NH so if I had to guess I'd say 68-70 since my lake was 72... The bike course is in good condition and they were even out filling a few cracks between rain showers... Mirror Lake drive is closed to traffic for some construction (I'm sure it will be open on race day)... Weather sucks, cold, rainy, windy but doesnt look too bad relative to today anyway for the next couple days so hope to get in a few more rides and another swim before heading home on Sunday.... Did I mention the weather really sucks here??? I dont know why I signed up for this race???
My update- Ribs are good almost 100% and swam pretty damn hard today for at least one lap... Hip is not so good , it is feeling a lot better but if I try to run a bit I can feel it, so rather than reset the run jail clock to ZERO (today is day 15) I am standing down a few more days to re-evaluate... So its looking more likely I will be a Swim/Bike kinda guy on race day... Taking the longview and I dont want to miss CascoBay SwimRun and KONA....
WE have 1.5-2 weeks more of work ... please find a balance between now and then :-) If you need to ease up a few days so that you can nail your last RR's etc the confidence builder will more than pay for any loss in training on those day... be SMART
Overtraining, Camps, Fatigue, Training Holes, Illness, PMC's, STRAVA competition etc... For everyone but specially those looking to perform at the very pointy end (to which we have quite a few in our LP group) it is such a balance of work , muscle breakdown , nutrition, rest/recovery and repeat, always being on the very edge of too much... Always remember its not how much you can do but how much you can absorb... Yes more is more (intensity and volume) until it isn't... Everyone should be tired/fatigued at this point its just normal but we have to be honest with ourselves in how we really feel an no one can answer those questions except ourselves... Not a PMC chart... Not another athlete... Just ourselves....I have had blood work done several times and it always says I am severely overtrained LOL no kidding we all are and that is where you must go to improve... But there is that fine line of how much overtraining we can do (the more work you do the more work you can do) recover, absorb, rebuild and improve and actual break down...
IMLP mid camp update - I arrived monday afternoon, swam 5k, biked tues 5hrs/90miles got a flat and stuck in the pouring rain, biked weds 6hrs/110miles and yep got caught in the rain again, today I swam another 5k and taking the remainder of the day off while it rains some more... The water is warm although I'd say a bit cooler than my lake in NH so if I had to guess I'd say 68-70 since my lake was 72... The bike course is in good condition and they were even out filling a few cracks between rain showers... Mirror Lake drive is closed to traffic for some construction (I'm sure it will be open on race day)... Weather sucks, cold, rainy, windy but doesnt look too bad relative to today anyway for the next couple days....
My update- Ribs are good almost 100% and swam pretty damn hard today for at least one lap... Hip is not so good , it is feeling a lot better but if I try to run a bit I can feel it, so rather than reset the run jail clock to ZERO (today is day 15) I am standing down a few more days to re-evaluate... So its looking more likely I will be a Swim/Bike kinda guy on race day...
WE have 1.5-2 weeks more of work ... please find a balance between now and then :-) If you need to ease up a few days so that you can nail your last RR's etc the confidence builder will more than pay for any loss in training on those day... be SMART
@Robert Sabo While not in the overachiever category I do tend to try to push my body and have experienced the feeling bad then feel like I'm back push it and end up back in the hole. As much as you don't want to listen to your body.
@tim cronk Awesome pictures, but too bad the weather has not been nicer for your camp. Hopefully that hip comes around.
For me I took the day off today (and Tuesday) after my long run Wednesday as I'm feeling pretty shelled. Feeling guilty for missing the swim but have an adjusted weekend as I'll be at the lake for Canada day until Monday.
@Robert Sabo ditto what Tim says. You have so much experience on this course...it's not your first rodeo! Rest is more important and getting better vs. a few workouts that will bite you in the butt come race day. Text Patrick. He will get back to you faster that way!
Couldn't agree more with Tim and others. This is that time when we are all physically and mentally tired. I know that the immune system can actually get weaker at this point and I for one usually get some kind of minor cold or cough that seems suck all my energy - right on cue that happened last week. Combined with recovering form Syracuse and now this cold, my Sunday ride was misery, maybe the lowest average power I’ve had in a long time. However I’ve recovered from the cold and had a great 18 mile run yesterday, so things are looking up again.
I also almost always have a really bad bike or run a few weeks before a big race that bums me out and has me second guessing everything. Usually it’s a good sign. For some reason I typically have a great race if I have a few crappy workouts just before.
Quick update on my week. I have been traveling since Sunday but managed to run and/or swim everyday. 7+ hours for the week. - ~33 miles of running, including a VO2 max session and an 18-miler in Tokyo. I squeezed in the long-run after four meetings and before having to meet colleagues out for drinks. Was able to hit my zone targets and finished with a 5k at Z3 pace. I felt much better than my 14-miler last Sunday. Got home late last night, but I was able to do an easy 3-miler before work today. - I had the good fortune of staying at a hotel this week with a 20-meter pool. Was able to swim three sessions of ~2k.
Unfortunately, I missed my Wednesday VO2 set and will miss my ABP set on Sunday. Tomorrow, I will get in my long ride during expected thunderstorms... Sunday, I am at the beach with my kids, and will only have the opportunity to run.
All in all, this has been a heavy run volume week for me. I should end up with my biggest mileage yet - possibly over 40 miles. The last few weeks were heavy cycling weeks, and this week I will only get 75-80 miles finished. My swim is generally on track. I am pleased that I was able to get through my big business trip and stay relatively on track with training.
@Trish Marshall Glad that your daughter is ok! That still is a lot of additional stress to deal with. Good to hear that your pedal situation is getting worked out. Thanks again for being a great training camp roommate!
I've made the difficult decision to not race Lake Placid. The training camp weekend was a huge reality check for me as I thought I had made more progress with my training. I've mulled it over with a number of people and while I could go with the "anything is possible" mantra it would be a super fugly day with a seriously high chance of dnf on the bike. I did another long ride last Sunday and by mile 70 I was ready to leave my bike in the middle of the road for a truck to run over so that helped me make the final decision. (I was also able to cancel my hotel reservation! - thank you Adirondack Spruce Lodge!) I just don't have the bike or run fitness to pull this off this year.
It is tough to admit that I bit off more than I can chew this season so I'm going to put the fitness I have towards Ironman Maine 70.3 at the end of August instead. This is a much more appropriate goal for me this year and will be challenging and fun instead of a total stressful sufferfest.
I hope you all have the race day you dream of and I'll be cheering and tracking from home.
@Patrick MarshTough work week nice job getting most of the workouts in. @Kirsten Surprenant It's a tough decision for sure and good to see you put a 70.3 on the schedule.
As for me I took the day off to get in the long bike and a run today as we are going away. Apparently I'm the latest individual trying to sabotage their IMLP. The rubber left the road about 85' in to today's ride. Bike fine I believe but I need a new helmet and I'll be taking the bike in for a check up at the LBS to make sure.
As for the incident I've made a few cockpit adjustments this year while on the trainer, lowered the bars, seat angled down a little more and slammed the seat forward. Combine this with a reapplication of Chamois buttr and as I was putting a bottle back (right hand the road got really rough and my left hand just slipped off the aerobar. I did recover and get the back to the bars but it was too late as the physics were already in motion as the tire twisted and I went over the top. Basically I was too casual and I need to adjust my aerobars a bit and watch the slick hands during reapplication.
Result: Road rash, mostly right side (knee lower leg and a bit on the hip and shoulder, both pinky fingers took a beating. I hit my head scrape on the chin and right shoulder. My neck is a little stiff so we will see how I feel tomorrow.
After riding home another hour I showered cleaned up, switched out the tire and road another 100' on the trainer to get in 4 hours. I skipped the run an slept on the couch. Beyond the ABP ride tomorrow before we leave I'm interested to see how the wetsuit swims go at the lake.
@Gordon Cherwoniak OUCH...been there...take care!... @Kirsten Surprenant...Discretion is the better part of Valor....you are strong and brave enough to make the difficult decision...dissapointing I'm sure...but you will be back stronger another day.
Mish Mash continues...good long run Thursday followed by 5 hours of driving...and then 5 hours driving back yesterday...so Friday was a lost travel day....Looking for a good weekend of various run bike swim...feeling cautious but good.
Jumping in for 2 questions for those who know IMLP
1) is that feasable to train during the race week end ? a big training week end would be the plan but big run on race day while people are riding the course I was thinking to come down since its only a 1h30 drive 2) does anyone have any available space in their rental ? I will share the costs
@Francis Picard - it is feasible. the lake is set up for swimming through pre-race. Jump in, swim the cables. Bike the course, run, wherever. race day it isn't advisable to bike the course unless you do it in reverse. Keep in mind that the Keene descent is much more difficult up than Wilmington Notch. Other than that, they run traffic clockwise while the bikes are going counter clockwise.
@Kirsten Surprenant I am bummed you won't be in our extended family race week, but totally understand your position and thoughts on this. (((HUGS))) Just cause I won't see you race week!
Have a blast at the Maine 70.3 and Marine Corp Marathon. IM will be waiting for you when you, you know, don't want a truck to run over your bike!
@Gordon Cherwoniak man you are hard core! I don't know if I'd have had the dedication to hit the trainer after that. I hope you bounce back.
My week is done, 1129 TSS and every workout completed as planned for the first time in what seems like a year. I moved some things around to accommodate an annual family beach trip. As we're at the "shark bite capital of the world" (New Smyrna Beach) I moved tomorrow's swim to yesterday, got in an extra bike ride today and now have a REST DAY tomorrow.
I hope everyone heals up physically & mentally. Only one more week of hard work!
Kirsten sorry we'll miss you at LP... Heather and I will catch ya at OOB... BTW after just spending the week at LP I have that reminder wake up call of how brutal that course is.
Quite the mismatch of conditions we have going on here peeps... Steady as she goes...
Wrapped up LP camp this am with one last short ride, back in NH currently sitting thru a few cycles in the party pants.... 28.5 hrs, 1600TSS, 19.5k yds swim, 410 miles biked, with 24k elevation gain, ZERO miles run
Comments
Tim beat me to it. TOC followed by LP-Camp-while-sick is a big one-two punch. I too would probably be shelled, and I would listen to my body and rest a few days, then get back at it this weekend. If you go to the Micro and P tells you to ignore your body and to plow through the fatigue, please let us all know so that we can collectively search for a new coach.
MR
Overtraining, Camps, Fatigue, Training Holes, Illness, PMC's, STRAVA competition etc... For everyone but specially those looking to perform at the very pointy end (to which we have quite a few in our LP group) it is such a balance of work , muscle breakdown , nutrition, rest/recovery and repeat, always being on the very edge of too much... Always remember its not how much you can do but how much you can absorb... Yes more is more (intensity and volume) until it isn't... Everyone should be tired/fatigued at this point its just normal but we have to be honest with ourselves in how we really feel an no one can answer those questions except ourselves... Not a PMC chart... Not another athlete... Just ourselves... I have had blood work done several times and it always says I am severely overtrained LOL no kidding we all are and that is where you must go to improve... But there is that fine line of how much overtraining we can do (the more work you do the more work you can do) recover, absorb, rebuild and improve and actual break down...
IMLP mid camp update - I arrived monday afternoon, swam 5k, biked tues 5hrs/90miles got a flat and stuck in the pouring rain, biked weds 6hrs/110miles and yep got caught in the rain again, today I swam another 5k and taking the remainder of the day off while it rains some more... The water is warm although I'd say a bit cooler than my lake in NH so if I had to guess I'd say 68-70 since my lake was 72... The bike course is in good condition and they were even out filling a few cracks between rain showers... Mirror Lake drive is closed to traffic for some construction (I'm sure it will be open on race day)... Weather sucks, cold, rainy, windy but doesnt look too bad relative to today anyway for the next couple days so hope to get in a few more rides and another swim before heading home on Sunday.... Did I mention the weather really sucks here??? I dont know why I signed up for this race???
My update- Ribs are good almost 100% and swam pretty damn hard today for at least one lap... Hip is not so good , it is feeling a lot better but if I try to run a bit I can feel it, so rather than reset the run jail clock to ZERO (today is day 15) I am standing down a few more days to re-evaluate... So its looking more likely I will be a Swim/Bike kinda guy on race day... Taking the longview and I dont want to miss CascoBay SwimRun and KONA....
WE have 1.5-2 weeks more of work ... please find a balance between now and then :-) If you need to ease up a few days so that you can nail your last RR's etc the confidence builder will more than pay for any loss in training on those day... be SMART
IMLP mid camp update - I arrived monday afternoon, swam 5k, biked tues 5hrs/90miles got a flat and stuck in the pouring rain, biked weds 6hrs/110miles and yep got caught in the rain again, today I swam another 5k and taking the remainder of the day off while it rains some more... The water is warm although I'd say a bit cooler than my lake in NH so if I had to guess I'd say 68-70 since my lake was 72... The bike course is in good condition and they were even out filling a few cracks between rain showers... Mirror Lake drive is closed to traffic for some construction (I'm sure it will be open on race day)... Weather sucks, cold, rainy, windy but doesnt look too bad relative to today anyway for the next couple days....
My update- Ribs are good almost 100% and swam pretty damn hard today for at least one lap... Hip is not so good , it is feeling a lot better but if I try to run a bit I can feel it, so rather than reset the run jail clock to ZERO (today is day 15) I am standing down a few more days to re-evaluate... So its looking more likely I will be a Swim/Bike kinda guy on race day...
WE have 1.5-2 weeks more of work ... please find a balance between now and then :-) If you need to ease up a few days so that you can nail your last RR's etc the confidence builder will more than pay for any loss in training on those day... be SMART
@tim cronk Awesome pictures, but too bad the weather has not been nicer for your camp. Hopefully that hip comes around.
For me I took the day off today (and Tuesday) after my long run Wednesday as I'm feeling pretty shelled. Feeling guilty for missing the swim but have an adjusted weekend as I'll be at the lake for Canada day until Monday.
Couldn't agree more with Tim and others. This is that time when we are all physically and mentally tired. I know that the immune system can actually get weaker at this point and I for one usually get some kind of minor cold or cough that seems suck all my energy - right on cue that happened last week. Combined with recovering form Syracuse and now this cold, my Sunday ride was misery, maybe the lowest average power I’ve had in a long time. However I’ve recovered from the cold and had a great 18 mile run yesterday, so things are looking up again.
I also almost always have a really bad bike or run a few weeks before a big race that bums me out and has me second guessing everything. Usually it’s a good sign. For some reason I typically have a great race if I have a few crappy workouts just before.
- ~33 miles of running, including a VO2 max session and an 18-miler in Tokyo. I squeezed in the long-run after four meetings and before having to meet colleagues out for drinks. Was able to hit my zone targets and finished with a 5k at Z3 pace. I felt much better than my 14-miler last Sunday. Got home late last night, but I was able to do an easy 3-miler before work today.
- I had the good fortune of staying at a hotel this week with a 20-meter pool. Was able to swim three sessions of ~2k.
Unfortunately, I missed my Wednesday VO2 set and will miss my ABP set on Sunday. Tomorrow, I will get in my long ride during expected thunderstorms... Sunday, I am at the beach with my kids, and will only have the opportunity to run.
All in all, this has been a heavy run volume week for me. I should end up with my biggest mileage yet - possibly over 40 miles. The last few weeks were heavy cycling weeks, and this week I will only get 75-80 miles finished. My swim is generally on track. I am pleased that I was able to get through my big business trip and stay relatively on track with training.
I've made the difficult decision to not race Lake Placid. The training camp weekend was a huge reality check for me as I thought I had made more progress with my training. I've mulled it over with a number of people and while I could go with the "anything is possible" mantra it would be a super fugly day with a seriously high chance of dnf on the bike. I did another long ride last Sunday and by mile 70 I was ready to leave my bike in the middle of the road for a truck to run over so that helped me make the final decision. (I was also able to cancel my hotel reservation! - thank you Adirondack Spruce Lodge!) I just don't have the bike or run fitness to pull this off this year.
It is tough to admit that I bit off more than I can chew this season so I'm going to put the fitness I have towards Ironman Maine 70.3 at the end of August instead. This is a much more appropriate goal for me this year and will be challenging and fun instead of a total stressful sufferfest.
I hope you all have the race day you dream of and I'll be cheering and tracking from home.
@Kirsten Surprenant It's a tough decision for sure and good to see you put a 70.3 on the schedule.
As for me I took the day off to get in the long bike and a run today as we are going away. Apparently I'm the latest individual trying to sabotage their IMLP. The rubber left the road about 85' in to today's ride. Bike fine I believe but I need a new helmet and I'll be taking the bike in for a check up at the LBS to make sure.
As for the incident I've made a few cockpit adjustments this year while on the trainer, lowered the bars, seat angled down a little more and slammed the seat forward. Combine this with a reapplication of Chamois buttr and as I was putting a bottle back (right hand the road got really rough and my left hand just slipped off the aerobar. I did recover and get the back to the bars but it was too late as the physics were already in motion as the tire twisted and I went over the top. Basically I was too casual and I need to adjust my aerobars a bit and watch the slick hands during reapplication.
Result: Road rash, mostly right side (knee lower leg and a bit on the hip and shoulder, both pinky fingers took a beating. I hit my head scrape on the chin and right shoulder. My neck is a little stiff so we will see how I feel tomorrow.
After riding home another hour I showered cleaned up, switched out the tire and road another 100' on the trainer to get in 4 hours. I skipped the run an slept on the couch. Beyond the ABP ride tomorrow before we leave I'm interested to see how the wetsuit swims go at the lake.
@Kirsten Surprenant...Discretion is the better part of Valor....you are strong and brave enough to make the difficult decision...dissapointing I'm sure...but you will be back stronger another day.
Mish Mash continues...good long run Thursday followed by 5 hours of driving...and then 5 hours driving back yesterday...so Friday was a lost travel day....Looking for a good weekend of various run bike swim...feeling cautious but good.
1) is that feasable to train during the race week end ? a big training week end would be the plan but big run on race day while people are riding the course I was thinking to come down since its only a 1h30 drive
2) does anyone have any available space in their rental ? I will share the costs
Thanks!
Bike the course, run, wherever. race day it isn't advisable to bike the course unless you do it in reverse. Keep in mind that the Keene descent is much more difficult up than Wilmington Notch. Other than that, they run traffic clockwise while the bikes are going counter clockwise.
Have a blast at the Maine 70.3 and Marine Corp Marathon. IM will be waiting for you when you, you know, don't want a truck to run over your bike!
My week is done, 1129 TSS and every workout completed as planned for the first time in what seems like a year. I moved some things around to accommodate an annual family beach trip. As we're at the "shark bite capital of the world" (New Smyrna Beach) I moved tomorrow's swim to yesterday, got in an extra bike ride today and now have a REST DAY tomorrow.
I hope everyone heals up physically & mentally. Only one more week of hard work!
Quite the mismatch of conditions we have going on here peeps... Steady as she goes...
Wrapped up LP camp this am with one last short ride, back in NH currently sitting thru a few cycles in the party pants.... 28.5 hrs, 1600TSS, 19.5k yds swim, 410 miles biked, with 24k elevation gain, ZERO miles run