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December OutSeason Week 3 Bike AND Run Thread - Red, White, and Christmas

Marc TaylorMarc Taylor
in General Training Discussions
Small group yes, but definitely making progress ... arguably one of the busiest weeks of the year as last minute preparations for Christmas are demanding time and attention.  Focus, visualize success, and chisel out time for you and your training.  Also, put week 5 testing on the radar screen now ... it will be here right after the first of the year.


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  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    I'm starting Week 4 today.  Three weeks of off season took its toll, and I was running out of mojo this past weekend. But after naps on both Saturday and Sunday I was able to get up early today and hit the pool for 2800 yards and the weight room for 45 mins.  I also did a short 25 min run this evening. 

    All Christmas cards hit the mail this morning.  Week 5 FTP testing for me is 26 Dec...that's going to be either brilliant or a dismal failure!
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Happy Holidays team!!  Looking forward to another strong week, while simultaneously dealing with this head cold...so far, so good; seems like I actually feel better when I out running.  Got 4.75 in today; probably should've stuck with a shorter run, but was able to get some hills in at a Z1 effort.  As hills are my nemesis in races, I need to continue to gauge efforts to keep moving at pace that isn't putting me in a mental or physical hole...I have plenty in my neighborhood approaching 10-12% grades, so lots of fun...but I digress.  Depending on how Nyquil impacts any early rising, I'm looking to get the bike in in the morning.  If not, I'll just get'r done after work.  Get it done gents; the podiums await!
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Did my first Zwift race today, starting small...6 miles in 15 minutes, with 25 min warm up, five min cool down. 0.996 IF, so it was basically an FTP interval, xcept  with me trying to stay ahead of a guy from Norway, and one from Australia. Succeeded, finished mid-pack, 5/9 in C cat. But first 60+ finisher...
  • Marc TaylorMarc Taylor
    No swim today ... still in jail ... 5.9 mile run tonight, cold 45 degrees (F) but did my end of season cadence and felt good coming in ... heart rate a little high but in the books. Trainer in AM. Roll-on!

    @Al Truscott way to rep!
    @Paul Hough I’m jealous of everything including Christmas cards ... mine slid to Happy New Year cards officially today!
    @Mark Hickman Way To lock in NyQuil and all, legendary!

    talk soon!
    Marc
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Solid 3x12' @z4 this afternoon, followed by a 2.3 mile run.  Each rep was a few watts higher than last week, and considering I was thinking about calling it because my legs felt dead all day, I was quite pleased.  Head cold seems to be working it's way into the throat, so will see how long I can keep this up.  Supposed to be raining all day tomorrow, so will have to get the run done on the dread mill ~ which sucks for a long run:o(
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Mark Hickman - great job, especially with a cold. Some days you don't feel you have it and you surprise yourself, and some days you just don't have it!  Better go easy tomorrow.  

    @MarcTaylor - why are you in swim jail again?  I'm having some shoulder issues right now, and may put myself in jail after my first race on January 8.

    Today - solid bike this morning.  I biked 90 mins so I could watch an old Jean Claude Van Damme movie and did a classic 2 x 20 mins but only at 85% sweet spot.  I didn't feel great but I made it.  Tonight I did a short 17 min yoga routine (Yogaletics) followed by a 4 mile run + 4 strides after that.
  • Marc TaylorMarc Taylor
    @Paul Hough torn flexor tendon in forearm ... don't know when i'll be back in the water ... KILLING me!



    STAY strong team ...



  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Passed up the long run today and did a solid 45 minutes of sweet spot riding on zwift, then 2.5 miles on the treadmill.  Even tried the zwift running, but seems the pace shown there is way slower than what treadmill shows...and my efforts on the treadmill already feel way harder for RPE than same paces on the road.  Interesting; perhaps I need to calibrate the foot pod power meter thingamajig.  Nevertheless, I feel that as long as I keep the consistency up with at least one longer run per week, I'll be just fine...and perhaps even better off.
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @MarcTaylor, how did you hurt the tendon in your forearm?

    Today I mixed things up and ran 7 miles in the morning and did my swimming (3200 yards) in the evening.  I've been doing lots of core exercises to stablize my hips so my left foot and leg strike the ground and push forward correctly.  My goal for 2018 is to drop my average running pace by 20-30 secs per mile simply through regaining proper form.  Speedwise that would be an improvement from depressingly slow to plain old slow.  
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Thu AM - 90 mins on the drainer with 10 x 1 min @ 125% FTP and 20 hard @ 30/30.   Movie = The Hunter's Prayer.
    Thu PM - 4 mile run ... slow.  Felt like I was running hard but the watch said otherwise.  Ugh!
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Ran a slow 2 miles with the dog...which will was clearly too soon after a double helping at the Chinese buffet.  Came home and got after the bike; ended up doing 30 straight reps of 30"/30"s instead of 2x16.  Was going to do 32, but hammy was starting to twinge a bit.  Ran another 2 after the bike, and laid it down at a very quick pace.  Not sure if I need to tone down the hard runs, but dang it felt good.


    @Paul Hough  I might throw in some of those 1 min reps as well next week ~ actually kind of looking forward to week 5s FTP test.
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Easy 5 mile run tonight; looking to ride with 10AM EST EN Zwift group tomorrow morning, plus a short brick.
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Mark Hickman - hang in there...the next few days are the toughest to balance input vs output (i.e., don't pig out)!

    Fri AM - 45 mins in the weight room
    Fri PM - Easy 2000 yards in the pool + 2.5 mile run

    I have to flip the schedule this weekend and get the ride in tomorrow before I drive up to Georgia.  But I'll be riding some real time video routes on Rouvy.  

  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Keep up Dec peeps!  Rode 2hrs 33 mins on the trainer today including a 13 mile segment in Warm Springs, Oregon.  That had a ~2mi climb that was mostly 6-7% until towards the end when it kicked up to 10.6%.  My legs were toast afterwards but I was upgraded on Rouvy from "Talented" to "Amateur".  Yeah, sounds like a downgrade!  

    Just running the next 2 days and resting for my power test on Tuesday.
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Nice Ride @Paul Hough!  I think I'd be happy to just be considered talented. Rode with the EN Team on Zwift this morning, though "with" may be a bit of a misnomer.  They say they are going to go out easy, but continually drop me on the first hill seemingly always within the first mile of the start.  That being said, a few of us regrouped for a little while to ride together and push for 60-90 minutes.  I continued on an did just short of 2.5 hours, then followed up with easy 2.5 mile brick.  Super happy I could stay on the trainer that long, but did require me to stand up a bit more frequently towards the end.  As I sit here in the Normatecs, looking forward to tomorrow's long run.  Not sure how hard I'll be able to push, but the plan to do it as written is there.
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    @Mark Hickman Yeah, we've got no discipline...there seems to be a group of us comfortable in the 2.5-3.0 w/kg range, amd are eager to get there. But keep trying,  that's when the training happens.

    I managed 2 hours@ 0.834 IF, with significant PRs going up the Fox and Box hills. It showed when I ran this PM. 4.4 miles, but 15-30 sec/mi slower @the same HR. Swim & run tomorrow before 2 PM, then 24 hours off minimum to celebrate the holiday.
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    @Al Truscott  Definitely get it, and not knocking the crew up ahead of me.  2.5-3.0 (85 kilos) is Z4/5 for me, so not really sustainable when trying to get my OS long ride in (already "weight doping" about 2.5kilos).  I might flip it next week and get my sweet spot stuff in before the team rides starts, then give her all she gots...
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Christmas Eve!  4 weeks of OS complete!  Ran 8 miles this morning ...got poured on at about 5 miles in as a front started coming thru South Ga.  Hit the gym at Moody AFB for 45 mins before they closed at 4pm.  Hit 28 miles total running this week.  I will probably treat 30 miles as a weekly cap for Jan. 
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    Nice work @Paul Hough.  I generally prefer my rain towards the end of my run:o)  Solid week of running as well; great work.  I did 10 today, with 7 around TRP and 3 around z2/3; hills in the last 1.5 were soul crushing.  31.5 run miles for me this week...not sure I want to run much more than that for any week for the rest of the out season.  Will see, but want to ensure I am putting my energies into the bike more than anything.  At a minimum, I really going to be conscious of tempo during non-tempo runs.  Tomorrow is day 50 of the run streak.  Planning to do my run test during a 5k race on New Years Day; need to try and find the course profile to ensure it's relatively flat.  Will do bike test later that week, and head to Alabama for 5 week of Army school the week after that.  Taking the trainer with me to set up in the hotel room.  Wishing you each a very Merry Christmas, Holidays, and New Year!!
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Mark Hickman - I meant to ask earlier what kind of Army school you are attending where you get time off for the holidays and report back.  You going to Fort Rucker for helicopter training or something?
      
  • Mark HickmanMark Hickman
    @Paul Hough  I'm a walking warrant, so no flight training for me.  Attending Warrant Officer Senior Service Education course; last professional military education required for my career.  Hoping I get something out of it.  As for lots of free time during the holidays, the Army usually runs a day on/day off or half-day work schedule for about 3 weeks during the holidays, and 2 of those weeks are only 3-day work weeks.  Been using the time to catch up at work, and get in an extra workout here and there.  Are you prior or current military?
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Mark Hickman - I retired from the Air Force in 2005 after 26 years.  No, I was not a pilot.  And I'm still working to support my tri-habit.  The Air Force did away with Warrant Officers long ago, but I thought the Army allowed WOs to fly helos.  Regardless, congrats on finishing out your PME.  My oldest son is a SMSgt in the USAFR and an Air Reserve Technician ... so basically a full time reservist.  

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