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Workout posts - week of Apr 30
Well, after another weekend of big indoor biking, I was cautiously optimistic about the 60' run this morning. So I hit a gel, walked out of the hotel, and started up now-familiar Capitol Crescent Trail. And UP is the watchword…when I do a classic 60' run on this path it's flat for the warm-up and first mile interval, then a gentle but constant uphill for the second interval. But then the third interval is downhill before getting flat again.
The workout called for 60' including z4 intervals of 3x7'(4'), but as usual on this path when feeling good I ended up running 4x7'(4') for the main set (this is because the third interval is net downhill so I'm always feeling good enough to do a fourth).
Overall 8.68 mi in 1:00:01 (6:55 pace). No stops!! Current z4=6:45, z3=6:52, z2=7:09
Warmup – 10' @6:59
Main Set
4x 7' @z4 – 6:34, 6:38, 6:19, 6:24
(4' recoveries – 8:05, 8:06, 8:02, 8:12)
"Remainder time" of 6' @6:21 – finishing strong!!
Now the legs get a rest!!
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@Matt, really nice run there! I'm impressed that you travel so much and are still able to be really consistent with your workouts.
Today starts week 13 of the HIM plan for me. A speed workout was on the schedule but I skipped that due to running the half mary yesterday. Legs were a little tender but nothing major. They'll be ready to do a little something tomorrow and should be good for some V02 work on the bike for Wednesday.
I did 3200 yards of swimming tonight as
350 yard warmup
1000 yards in 17:44
800 yards in 13:56
600 yards in 11:25
400 yards in 7:38
50 yard cool down
Man, I was struggling with the last 1000 yards of the swim. During the 600 I lost my focus and could only think about how my form was disintegrating. The 400 wasn't any better. In the end I was happy with the workout and the ability to get that type of yardage in. A big step forward from what I was doing just a month ago.
Non-standard 23.75 yard pool in Bethesda, Garmin set to 24 yd, so times appear slightly faster than actual. I may have to measure the pool, because these times are a bit faster than usual, and 0.25 yards should not make much of a difference. I suspect the pool may even be shorter. I'll check tomorrow.
Overall 1728 yd in 32:07 (avg pace 1:52/100yd, incl rest intervals). Avg efficiency 37.
Paces:
W/U 200 – 1:34, then rested for 1:01
MS1: 4x200(30) with last 50 of each a sprint: 1:33, 1:35, 1:36, 1:34
50 easy: 1:33
MS2: 5x150(20) with last 50 of each a sprint: 1:31, 1:33, 1:32, 1:31, 1:32
Then got booted from the pool, so did not do my 6x100 or 8x50. I'll try to add them to tomorrow's workout if practical.
Overall felt very good in the pool today.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/173488481
Overall I settled into quite a groove for the 6x400(30) endurance set. The beginning of that workout is mentally taxing due to the sheer number of yards and lack of variety to break it up. But I settled in well and was actually able to negative-split the set (despite the form starting to fall apart in the last 400, as can be seen in the graph). Actually I think this year's focus on form and the need to concentrate on the strokes makes the sets go by easier.
Non-standard 23.75 yard pool, Garmin set to 24 yd, so times appear slightly faster than actual in Garmin Connect. I manually adjusted the paces below to account for the difference in yardage…the diff is about 1 sec/100 yd.
Overall 2785 yd in 49:19 (avg pace 1:46/100yd, incl rest intervals). Avg efficiency 37.
Paces:
W/U 300 – 1:35, then rested for 1:02
MS: 6x200(30) – 1:38, 1:38, 1:38, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37
Rested 1:01
C/D 200 – 1:41
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/173715035
Another day another swim for me. 3200 yards again today as:
400 Warmup
2X500(40'') - 8:50, 8:45
2X400(40'') - 7:07, 7:07
2X300(40'') - 5:11, 5:14
2X200(40'') - 3:30, 3:24
I felt a lot better at the end of today's workout compared to yesterday. Probably due to the shorter sets with rest breaks throughout the workout. I'm ready for a couple days away from the pool!
Overall 1500 yd in 29:29 (avg pace 1:58/100yd, incl rest intervals). Avg efficiency 36.
Paces:
W/U 300 – 1:37, then rested for 1:00
6x100(15) – 1:32, 1:32, 1:32, 1:34, 1:32, 1:32 (very consistent, the one outlier was a late lap button press)
50 easy – 1:36
8x50(15) – 1:29, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30, 1:28
50 easy – 1:33
C/D 100 – 1:36
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174027985
Had a brick on the schedule today. My first VO2 work since the OS. I was excited to get on the bike because I haven’t worked the legs since Sunday. I did the ride on the trainer because it’s just easier to control the environment that way. Weather was nice so I did it on the back porch. I forgot how much these things hurt. The good thing is that during the OS I would’ve been done after the ON time. Today I did the scheduled 30’ at .70 -.75 after and felt good the whole time.
6’ of ON time as 1’(1’) at IF’s of 1.26, 1.27, 1.26, 1.27, 1.31, 1.31
30’ @ IF .70
Total ride stats:
Entire workout (181 watts):
Duration: 1:00:53 (1:00:56)
Work: 648 kJ
TSS: 64.2 (intensity factor 0.806)
Norm Power: 205
VI: 1.13
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 18.247 mi
I ran right afterwards.
10’ warmup (shortened to 8’ to take advantage of a downhill for my speed work!) 8:17 pace
10’ @ 6:30 pace (should’ve been slower but part of it was downhill)
10’ @ 7:08 pace
Total: 3.93 miles in 28:11 for avg. pace of 7:11
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174173713
I also made the questionable call to get my 9' of z5 via 3x3'(3') intervals. That just didn't work since I only made it through 2' of the third interval. So I punished myself with another 2' interval to total 10' of z5 instead of the assigned 9'.
Overall 60' @ 221 watts, IF 0.907. Full 22' warmup incl 10' easy then 3x3'(1') @z3. Then 2x3'(3') and 2x2'(2') @z5, target AP 293+ for 120%
AP: 309, 311, 313, 309
HR avg: 157, 164, 163, 165
HR max: 169, 177, 176, 180
Cadence avg: 94, 94, 94, 94
Finally 18'@ z3 – NP 213 (IF 0.872), HR 159/166, cad 92.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174206221
@ Matt and Doug - you guys are MONSTERS!!
@ Paul - good luck!
My early morning long run:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174302020
Had a bad run tonight. Was in the mid 80's when I got to it, a lot warmer than it has been the last few weeks. I got my 30' warmup done and then murdered myself on the first 10' Z3 interval. I couldn't get it going again after my 3' rest so with not even half the workout in I dragged myself back. When all was said and done I got in 10.5 miles in 87 minutes.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174469752
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174469764
As planned I pulled back the run time from 120' to 90' -- I'm prone to injury and those 120' runs kill me injury-wise -- although I'm not sure I escaped uninjured from this one…my right achillies gave me no trouble at all but now my LEFT one is acting up…these injuries are like whack-a-mole.
It was a tough run and I ended up with quite a few water stops given the conditions. But I got it done…
Overall 12.97 miles in 1:30:01, 6:56 pace…although elapsed time added 8 mins to that…
Warmup 15' @ 7:02
3x12'(5') – 6:26, 6:28, 6:43
(recoveries 7:33, 7:46, 7:32)
10' @ 7:04 (5' recovery 7:40)
9' @ 6:55
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174495698
@ Doug and Matt - regardless of the total time on your runs, you still got a lot of fitness improving work in. Hope you guys get some recovery today so that you can blow the doors off tomorrow!
I did manage a 2,800M swim last night on the way home and completed my Fri 45' Z1 hill run early this morning. Both yesterday morning and this morning runs done in 90-91% humidity - so having to be careful and pay attention to hydration/sodium.....
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174597671
Good luck Ironmen!
SS
3200 yards in the pool tonight. Nothing special about it.
400 warmup
450 in 8:13
500 in 8:54
750 in 13:54
200 in 3:40
500 in 9:18
200 in 3:32
200 in 3:25
Have fun on your long bike rides this weekend!
I was able to cut out of work early on Friday, and the theory was that I'd take advantage of forecasted great weather and get in 2 hours on the bike ahead of a big weekend of scheduled rides, thus increasing volume at a good time ahead of the race.
Let's just say the plan didn't come together as intended. The weather ended up being high 40's and extremely windy. The temperature-dew point spread was very close so there was mist everywhere. So in other words it was miserable. My hands were freezing and sand was blowing everywhere in a spot where the lakefront trail goes by the beach, so I threw in the towel after an hour. To add insult to the waste of time, I then had to take apart my whole drivetrain and clean it, including removing the crank and cassette. So another hour wasted!!
All that said, I did get in some good effort for the hour I was out there:
Overall ride 1:04:20, NP 223 (IF 0.912), TSS 88.4. Distance 20.89 miles, avg 19.5mph (not bad at all considering the wind).
8.5' northbound – NP: 220 (IF 0.900), VI 1.03, HR 125/135, cad 84, 17.9mph
14.5' southbound – NP: 246 (IF 1.008), VI 1.01, HR 137/148, cad 91, 26.6mph
20.5' northbound – NP: 224 (IF 0.920), VI 1.00, HR 132/140, cad 86, 17.0mph
6.5' southbound – NP: 236 (IF 0.967), VI 1.00, HR 139/145, cad 96, 24.2mph
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174743283
BIG ride today...
I made the decision to wake up at 4:30am and trek an hour outside of Chicago to the Udder Century course where there are wide open country roads. The weather was crap but the decision was the right one. I extended the ride and did the 75-mile, the logic being to add volume to the plan at the right time. The numbers below tell the story…just huge…all of the z4 was well above FTP, most of the z3 was 90% of FTP, and the z2 remainder time ended up coming in at a solid z3 level as well. As for the brick run after the 4 hour ride, well that was painful for sure. But that's how I'll feel starting a half-marathon on June 10 after 56 miles on the bike, so good to practice…
@ Shaughn, way to battle, those long trainer rides can be brutal. I had the same experience last Saturday but I didn't do 52' at Z4, WOW!
@ Matt, awesome ride yesterday!
3 hour ride for me yesterday. I did the first 1.5 hours on the trainer and got in a 30' warmup, and 40' of Z4 work and some Z3 work.
The weather was fairly nice so I decided to take the bike on the road for the last 1.5 hours. Was supposed to get another 40' of Z3 but I basically just cruised around to get used to riding a tri-bike (just got it in February) and riding with power (1st season). Wow, it's a lot harder to be steady out on the roads that's for sure. My VI was 1.08 for the last 1.5 hours! Anyways here are the bike stats:
Entire workout (186 watts):
Duration: 3:06:21 (3:18:31)
Work: 2077 kJ
TSS: 194.3 (intensity factor 0.797)
Norm Power: 203
VI: 1.09
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 56.112 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 594 186 watts
Cadence: 31 188 86 rpm
Speed: 0 39.2 18.1 mph
Mile 1: 8:19
Mile 2: 7:47
Mile 3: 6:56
Mile 4: 6:29
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/175297207
When I got back I had my customary glass of chocolate milk. Then refueled with pancakes, high fructose corn syrup, and orange juice. Waited a couple hours and then hit the trainer for a 2 hour ABP ride.
I did an 18' warmup followed by one long 92 minute interval at IF .852! I skipped the 10' cool down, so not quite 2 hours but I figured I got the important part done.
Details:
Entire workout (207 watts):
Duration: 1:52:52
Work: 1401 kJ
TSS: 128.8 (intensity factor 0.83)
Norm Power: 211
VI: 1.02
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 37.051 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 304 207 watts
Cadence: 46 170 85 rpm
Speed: 0 21.7 19.7 mph
92' ABP:
Duration: 1:32:13
Work: 1196 kJ
TSS: 111.5 (intensity factor 0.852)
Norm Power: 216
VI: 1
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 30.978 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 104 304 216 watts
Cadence: 55 126 85 rpm
Speed: 18.8 21.7 20.2 mph
Well after a solid ride on Friday and an epic 4-hour ride on Saturday, it shouldn't be surprising that today was tough. But I battled through and got it done. The first interval was almost completely in the aerobars but remainder had a lot of time out of the bars. The final 2 intervals of 10' each were mostly out of the bars.
Overall 2:00:18 @ 196 watts, IF 0.803. Warmup 15' then z3 intervals with 3' recoveries between each:
- 25', although hit the lap button partway so it recorded as:
- 10.5' – NP 203 (IF 0.833), HR 137/143, cad 91
- 15' – NP 215 (IF 0.879), HR 146/150, cad 90
- 30' – NP 206 (IF 0.846), HR 142/149, cad 89
- 15' – NP 207 (IF 0.849), HR 138/145, cad 89
- 10' – NP 209 (IF 0.855), HR 138/145, cad 89
- 10' – NP 211 (IF 0.863), HR 140/147, cad 89
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/175566336