Oh Paul - I hit that wall last week. The reason I did so well on the saturday work out was because I was the bag lady twice in the week before and was well rested.
have an extra rest this week if you need to.
And thank you for the "get your head in the game" - now all I cna think of is Troy from High School Musical!!
you all are beasts with those cold weather workouts and indoor rides. amazing!
jane don't sweat the extra pound, that's just the inner mark cavindish in you (i.e. did you see him at Qatar? tubby). your inner jens voigt will fully take over once race prep starts.
paul: i recommend you not cut the session short if you can't get to 100% for the assigned time. instead, do whatever % your body can muster on that day. by default, that becomes your "100%" for that day. you are seeing a natural fluctuation in your body's response to the workload over time. rather than stop, get used to riding that wave. this happens to all of us and it is super helpful to learn to recognize it and adjust accordingly without hesitation during 'practice' , so that on race day, should something like that happen, it doesn't mess with your head.
here's a pic of the monster climb (9 to 16% grade) from sea level that Rich Strauss, David Ambrose, and i did Saturday. We came up, but thankfully on April 9th for the Mulholland Challenge 116miler we will be going down. unfortunately, after we reach the bottom, we'll head 7miles along the coast to a 18% grade 1.5mile climb at mile 80 or so!!!!! and strauss just informed me that another climbing century that we'll be doing has a 22% grade climb at the end!!!
@ Gilberto thanks for the advice on getting used to what you can do at 100% for the day "in case" something like that happens on race day or race rehersal.
wow - those 200s, 800s adnd 400s were fun - in -20*C weather. Not! oh well - with an exception of two slow 200s at the beginning I hit every single one on my Z5 7:27 pace or better - way better!! bwahahahaha!
well today was a totally different day, did the ride mid-day and immediately did the brick outside in the sun -- hit all the IF's and felt great during the run.
amazing what a day off and switch of times to coincide with sunlight does the mental faculties.
Could not get my lazy butt out of bed this morning for the bike intervals but did come home from work and get them done along with the run. Good workout. 5 x 2.5 at 1.21,1.22,1.22,1.24,1.25 and 19 min at .84 total IF for ride .92 for 58 minutes. Little spring weather coming our way end of week looking forward to getting outside on the bike for a long ride. Hope everyone is having a good week.
man I love those 2.5 intervals - fun fun fun. Really. 118/120/122/124/124 % - and all done to @thesufferfest's #revolver workout - it's brilliant. Madisons, pursuits and cyclocross with Zdenek Štybar who is cute cute cute. Um, and old enough to be my son. Sigh.
Good job everyone with the 2.5 intervals. Despite two hours of sleep Monday night (late night at work!), I was able to do my five intervals last night and hit them all. Couldn't bring myself to get the layers on for a run afterwards but was happy I got the workout in yesterday nonetheless.
I am excited for the 60 degree weather coming to NY on Friday; I may need to try and do Saturday's workout on Friday to take advantage of it. We'll see.
Nice work, everyone! Had to miss Tuesdays workout but did the run today and am hoping to get Tuesdays workout done tomorrow and Thursdays workout done on Friday. I did pilates on Monday and MAN I have lost flexibility. GOing to possibly make that monday class permanent thing.
Just got some Newton running shoes (i know, i know, drinking more koolaid). I ran a mile and a half in them so far and they feel pretty good. I feel lighter on my feet, but might just be placebo.
@Jane, i've been wondering about those sufferfest videos. Which do you recommend the most? I watched Prince of Persia while on the trainer last time and it did the job ok, but need some other options.
@Melissa, I like them all, although I've not seen the newest ones (The Hunted and Local Hero).
I like Fight Club and Revolver the best. Angels is okay too. I have as well the downward spiral, which when I first did it, I couldn't finish it.
What i would personally like (if I had the time and skills) is to take all the chase scenes from Casino Royal and other action movies and slice them together for 45-60 mins of high cadence work.
Well, today was my turn to bag a workout. Felt extra tired after yesterday's VO2 run and then my old pinced nerve in my neck started acting up. So rest today me, and maybe tomorrow I'll do the Thursday bike wo. Will see how the neck feels in the am as sitting in the aero bars tends to aggrievate it.
Sounds like everyone else is doing some good work this week. Way to go!
Don't worry about it, Bill. Get yourself healthy before you push it too much.
@Jane, thanks for the info! I"m checking them out right now. I didn't realize you could download directly to the computer then upload to iphone/ipad. I will be using one tonight for my workout, awesome!
oh and I am totally with you on action scene montage, someone should do that! I love when an interval is timed just right and coincides with action/chase scenes.
melissa and jane: you both are monsters, thinking up 100 different ways to hammer on the bike. i have 'the hunted' and 'Angels' sufferfest videos, bought during the one week it rained in Los Angeles. i like them both very much, but now they sit in my computer in a file that is entitled: open only in case of emergency.
bruce: smart call to rest up. do core or run if the neck keeps bothering. stiff neck on a tri bike is not safe. also, don't try anything jane or melissa come up with, they are monsters!
all: so, my bike Vo2 sessions are coming along. the during the week ones are 'by the book', but my weekend session is off program/black ops stuff trying not to get dropped too bad by Rich's crew for 3 to 4hrs on mainly climbing rides.
my run training has also become off program/special forces in nature with a classic vo2max track session with a running club and 2 to 3 difficult trail runs per week, vo2max in nature with the intervals done on the way up a 2.5mile pretty steep climb up echo mountain.
so far it has been fun and i feel i am getting my weak points stronger. we'll see.
also signed up for a 25km trail run with 2900ft of climbing on march 6th! and will likely do a 35km trail run on April 6th with 4600 ft of climbing!!!
after this my official race prep period begins and except for a bunch of climbing centuries spread over the 12weeks, all will be by the book.
stay healthy, motivated, and getting in hard work when you can!
wow, gilberto, that's some pretty impressive black ops stuff going on there! I'm sure riding with Rich on the weekends is only a positive as far as your bike fitness goes. that's great that you are able to ride with him. Trail running seems like a great way to mix things up too so running doesn't get too stale. Are you doing any other races besides IMCDA?
Well, I did the sunday run today since I wasn't sure what the weekend would bring. It was a bit of a killer for me. I made it through the first 2 mile interval, but then during the second I had to slow it down after the first mile and then brought the treadmill back up to speed for the last half mile. I was drenched and dead. Maybe things are catching up with me. Still felt awesome after, in a "i left it all out there" kind of a way. Considering that z4 is the kind of pace I was hoping to hold for my HIM in July, I'm a little less sure of the likelihood of that now...We'll see what the rest of the outseason and race prep brings.
@ melissa - i know, the chase scene at the beginning of casino royale is awesome for that. I've also put together a running playlist of music (mostly classical actually), with 100-240 BPM, culminating with the second movement of Brandenburg 3 (as played by my husband's orchestra of course!) - it totally rocks - about this pace - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBmygI-N3M&feature=related
If I get my act together, I will figure out how to post it on itunes
and for a cool down, try Yefim Bronfman and Manny Ax playing Rachmaninov's Suite #2 for 2 pianos, 2nd movement the waltz, in 6/5 time, if I am not mistaken. gorgeous, romantic, like running in dark chocolate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQR5s6uMyec
sigh. can you tell my husband is out of town!!
so GH - is this farewell??!!
I bagged my second weekly bike - two late nights (saw a fabulous Magic Flute last night at the Canadian Opera Company - the other white meat) and with Elly on tour today, just too much going on.
jane: i am still in the OS until last week of March. great that you bring in classical music to hammer rides. the techno or whatever that comes with the sufferfests at first isn't the type of music i want to battle my inner demons with, but eventually the tempo of the beats synchronize my cadence and rhythmn and then it's cool. but to bring classical music into it is super cool!!! i LOVE classical music. baroque period is my favorite. if it ain't baroque, why fix it?! (sorry, i am a closet nerd)
melissa: excellent treadmill session. 2miles at hard pace is solid, especially on the treadmill. if you were outside you could have done both the 2 mile intervals. all your running senses would have kicked in and you would have knocked them out. treadmill is too controlled and the runners DNA in you only gets partially activated.
some things that have worked for me on the treadmill:
-set incline at warm up to 1.0;
-once the work begins set incline to 1.5;
-for vo2 sessions i even go to 2.0 once i am completely warmed up (i.e. after the first interval at 1.5incline);
the above simulates outdoor running more because the gravity effect starts to engage more accessory muscles. the social impact is also beneficial, since you don't look like some loon going insanely fast and flailing, while everyone else is just cruising watching CNN. of course, your speed might be lower than the assigned pace for the day, but the work is actually the equivalent.
IMCdA is my only A race, but more than ever i am completely gearing up for it. I have a slew of difficult trail runs and climbing centuries (6 climbing centuries and 2 race rehearsals) scheduled all the way through the 12 week race prep period. Ever do the Grizzly Peak century in Berkeley/Orinda? that's a great one.
@GH. hey, Did you know that I manage a baroque opera company and my husband plays in a baroque orchestra? Tafelmusik (the orch) tours alot. They'll probably go back to Disney hall or to the Getty next year. I'll let you know.
yesterday's bike: 2 x 14' @ 97 and 96%, 2 x 2.5' @ 121, 121 % and 30' in Zone 3 - nice ride.
today I tried to pick up the 5 x 2.5' I bagged earlier in the week. I don't know why, but i just did not have it. managed 3 of the and then rode zone 3 for the rest of the ride. poop.
@ Jane, thanks so much for posting the music! LOVE IT! I was in serious need of something to break up the monotony of my hip hop/dance slump I've been in. Sounds like you've had a busy week, especially with your husband being gone. I hope things slow down a little bit for you soon. Way to try to squeeze a bike in today.
@ Gilberto, thanks for the tips! I usually set the incline to 1 for the whole run, but I tried upping it today and it felt good. And like you said, this should keep the other people working out from giving me sideways glances as the treadmill starts whirring disconcertingly loudly. Never done the Grizzly Peak century in Orinda. I just started biking last spring, so I'm not fully immersed in the culture yet. I will have to check it out.
Couldn't do the Saturday bike today, but ran 5 miles with some z3 and z2 splashed in there. Will do the bike tomorrow.
tried to do yesterday's run today. #fail - too much snow to get good footing and too cold to do 2x1 mile repeats - so had a nice chin wag with my gf. oh well.
start of week 12 - this was a good one - 60 mins to @thesufferfest #Angels - 5 x 2.5' @194W+ 201/203/197/195/206 after two not so great days, I am back. thanks David! thanks @teamEN #workworks
Hope everyone had a good weekend and is having a nice week. Bike done today, 5 x 2.5 at 1.23,1.24,1.24,1.25,1.26, and 2 x 10 at .85. 30 min run later today.
Snow cleared enough to run on the side of the road..... I'm in for my hour ! I'm going to give a 10 mile race a shot this weekend too. It's on the fly. I figured why not. Lets get this season rolling.
as usual, good job by everyone with the Vo2 sessions.
so looks like my ability to produce 120% is settling around 270 and 280 watts. not sure if you guys remember, but my FTP went down from the start of the OS from 232 to 221. well, judging by my rides since then and the Vo2 sessions, my FTP is likely now in the 225-233 range. my weight is now consistently at 153, 3.0-4.0lbs less than start of OS. all in all, things are headed in the right direction.
Comments
I am just starting week 10 - it's Monday and I am a bit sore from Sat - Sun workouts!
With that in mind - my eye is on the prize; 197 days until IMLOU!!
have an extra rest this week if you need to.
And thank you for the "get your head in the game" - now all I cna think of is Troy from High School Musical!!
you all are beasts with those cold weather workouts and indoor rides. amazing!
jane don't sweat the extra pound, that's just the inner mark cavindish in you (i.e. did you see him at Qatar? tubby). your inner jens voigt will fully take over once race prep starts.
paul: i recommend you not cut the session short if you can't get to 100% for the assigned time. instead, do whatever % your body can muster on that day. by default, that becomes your "100%" for that day. you are seeing a natural fluctuation in your body's response to the workload over time. rather than stop, get used to riding that wave. this happens to all of us and it is super helpful to learn to recognize it and adjust accordingly without hesitation during 'practice' , so that on race day, should something like that happen, it doesn't mess with your head.
here's a pic of the monster climb (9 to 16% grade) from sea level that Rich Strauss, David Ambrose, and i did Saturday. We came up, but thankfully on April 9th for the Mulholland Challenge 116miler we will be going down. unfortunately, after we reach the bottom, we'll head 7miles along the coast to a 18% grade 1.5mile climb at mile 80 or so!!!!!
and strauss just informed me that another climbing century that we'll be doing has a 22% grade climb at the end!!!
GH
Thanks All
@ Gilberto thanks for the advice on getting used to what you can do at 100% for the day "in case" something like that happens on race day or race rehersal.
looked like an awesome climb
well today was a totally different day, did the ride mid-day and immediately did the brick outside in the sun -- hit all the IF's and felt great during the run.
amazing what a day off and switch of times to coincide with sunlight does the mental faculties.
I am excited for the 60 degree weather coming to NY on Friday; I may need to try and do Saturday's workout on Friday to take advantage of it. We'll see.
Just got some Newton running shoes (i know, i know, drinking more koolaid). I ran a mile and a half in them so far and they feel pretty good. I feel lighter on my feet, but might just be placebo.
@Jane, i've been wondering about those sufferfest videos. Which do you recommend the most? I watched Prince of Persia while on the trainer last time and it did the job ok, but need some other options.
I like Fight Club and Revolver the best. Angels is okay too. I have as well the downward spiral, which when I first did it, I couldn't finish it.
What i would personally like (if I had the time and skills) is to take all the chase scenes from Casino Royal and other action movies and slice them together for 45-60 mins of high cadence work.
Well, today was my turn to bag a workout. Felt extra tired after yesterday's VO2 run and then my old pinced nerve in my neck started acting up. So rest today me, and maybe tomorrow I'll do the Thursday bike wo. Will see how the neck feels in the am as sitting in the aero bars tends to aggrievate it.
Sounds like everyone else is doing some good work this week. Way to go!
@Jane, thanks for the info! I"m checking them out right now. I didn't realize you could download directly to the computer then upload to iphone/ipad. I will be using one tonight for my workout, awesome!
melissa and jane: you both are monsters, thinking up 100 different ways to hammer on the bike. i have 'the hunted' and 'Angels' sufferfest videos, bought during the one week it rained in Los Angeles. i like them both very much, but now they sit in my computer in a file that is entitled: open only in case of emergency.
bruce: smart call to rest up. do core or run if the neck keeps bothering. stiff neck on a tri bike is not safe. also, don't try anything jane or melissa come up with, they are monsters!
all: so, my bike Vo2 sessions are coming along. the during the week ones are 'by the book', but my weekend session is off program/black ops stuff trying not to get dropped too bad by Rich's crew for 3 to 4hrs on mainly climbing rides.
my run training has also become off program/special forces in nature with a classic vo2max track session with a running club and 2 to 3 difficult trail runs per week, vo2max in nature with the intervals done on the way up a 2.5mile pretty steep climb up echo mountain.
so far it has been fun and i feel i am getting my weak points stronger. we'll see.
also signed up for a 25km trail run with 2900ft of climbing on march 6th! and will likely do a 35km trail run on April 6th with 4600 ft of climbing!!!
after this my official race prep period begins and except for a bunch of climbing centuries spread over the 12weeks, all will be by the book.
stay healthy, motivated, and getting in hard work when you can!
GH
Well, I did the sunday run today since I wasn't sure what the weekend would bring. It was a bit of a killer for me. I made it through the first 2 mile interval, but then during the second I had to slow it down after the first mile and then brought the treadmill back up to speed for the last half mile. I was drenched and dead. Maybe things are catching up with me. Still felt awesome after, in a "i left it all out there" kind of a way. Considering that z4 is the kind of pace I was hoping to hold for my HIM in July, I'm a little less sure of the likelihood of that now...We'll see what the rest of the outseason and race prep brings.
If I get my act together, I will figure out how to post it on itunes
In the meantime, here's another tune that's really fast to run to
and for a cool down, try Yefim Bronfman and Manny Ax playing Rachmaninov's Suite #2 for 2 pianos, 2nd movement the waltz, in 6/5 time, if I am not mistaken. gorgeous, romantic, like running in dark chocolate.
sigh. can you tell my husband is out of town!!
so GH - is this farewell??!!
I bagged my second weekly bike - two late nights (saw a fabulous Magic Flute last night at the Canadian Opera Company - the other white meat) and with Elly on tour today, just too much going on.
Looking forward to rocking it tomorrow tho!
jane: i am still in the OS until last week of March. great that you bring in classical music to hammer rides. the techno or whatever that comes with the sufferfests at first isn't the type of music i want to battle my inner demons with, but eventually the tempo of the beats synchronize my cadence and rhythmn and then it's cool. but to bring classical music into it is super cool!!! i LOVE classical music. baroque period is my favorite.
if it ain't baroque, why fix it?!
(sorry, i am a closet nerd
)
melissa: excellent treadmill session. 2miles at hard pace is solid, especially on the treadmill. if you were outside you could have done both the 2 mile intervals. all your running senses would have kicked in and you would have knocked them out. treadmill is too controlled and the runners DNA in you only gets partially activated.
some things that have worked for me on the treadmill:
-set incline at warm up to 1.0;
-once the work begins set incline to 1.5;
-for vo2 sessions i even go to 2.0 once i am completely warmed up (i.e. after the first interval at 1.5incline);
the above simulates outdoor running more because the gravity effect starts to engage more accessory muscles. the social impact is also beneficial, since you don't look like some loon going insanely fast and flailing, while everyone else is just cruising watching CNN.
of course, your speed might be lower than the assigned pace for the day, but the work is actually the equivalent.
IMCdA is my only A race, but more than ever i am completely gearing up for it. I have a slew of difficult trail runs and climbing centuries (6 climbing centuries and 2 race rehearsals) scheduled all the way through the 12 week race prep period.
Ever do the Grizzly Peak century in Berkeley/Orinda? that's a great one.
have a great weekend everyone!
gh
Good training today everyone!
yesterday's bike: 2 x 14' @ 97 and 96%, 2 x 2.5' @ 121, 121 % and 30' in Zone 3 - nice ride.
today I tried to pick up the 5 x 2.5' I bagged earlier in the week. I don't know why, but i just did not have it. managed 3 of the and then rode zone 3 for the rest of the ride. poop.
@ Gilberto, thanks for the tips! I usually set the incline to 1 for the whole run, but I tried upping it today and it felt good. And like you said, this should keep the other people working out from giving me sideways glances as the treadmill starts whirring disconcertingly loudly. Never done the Grizzly Peak century in Orinda. I just started biking last spring, so I'm not fully immersed in the culture yet. I will have to check it out.
Couldn't do the Saturday bike today, but ran 5 miles with some z3 and z2 splashed in there. Will do the bike tomorrow.
Jane: wow, that's awesome. i'll keep an eye out for your husband's orchestra.
safe training to all!
gh
Hope everyone had a good weekend and is having a nice week. Bike done today, 5 x 2.5 at 1.23,1.24,1.24,1.25,1.26, and 2 x 10 at .85. 30 min run later today.
good luck at the race, david.
as usual, good job by everyone with the Vo2 sessions.
so looks like my ability to produce 120% is settling around 270 and 280 watts. not sure if you guys remember, but my FTP went down from the start of the OS from 232 to 221. well, judging by my rides since then and the Vo2 sessions, my FTP is likely now in the 225-233 range. my weight is now consistently at 153, 3.0-4.0lbs less than start of OS. all in all, things are headed in the right direction.
safe training to all.
GH