March 31 - KEY WORKOUT - 20 Mile Run on Boardwalk

AM Workout:

Key Workout: 20 mile run, Ultra Style (8 minute run/2 minute walk intervals)

Course: 5 laps on Boardwalk
Time, including walks: 3:15:40 (9:47 pace)
Weather: 45F, Cloudy, Moderately Windy

Oh boy I was just itching, ITCHING to get this run in. Yesterday I was thwarted by being underdressed for the rainy weather. Today, I brought my entire wardrobe with me for the run. After getting the proper gear ready, I finally headed out for the 5 laps needed to pull off the 20 miles.

The Boardwalk course is very nice for long runs because there are water fountains and bathrooms all along its length in case nature calls. In to those lovely perks, I get to run by my car after each lap in case I need Cliff Bars or Gatorade. I needed none of these today, just a little water to keep the skids greased.

The run was strong throughout. As a matter of fact, as I write this 3 hours after the run, I feel my legs have more to give. I wouldn't be surprised to go out for a nice short run this afternoon. Heh, it'll definitely be posted here when that happens!

Total Mileage this week so far since Monday:

2000 meters swimming
39 miles running
0 miles cycling

(Key Workout 1 of 4 done this week)

March 30 - 6 Mile Run

Note: This was not an easy day to fit a workout in. The morning started with a light rain, so I decided to actually try to do the 20 mile Key Workout in the morning. But when I arrived at the boardwalk, the rain was coming down really heavy and the wind was actually howling. I was woefully underdressed for the run and decided to postpone the workout. With a busy day in other activities, I was happy to get in a 6 mile run in the evening when the weather was a tad better.

This was an eventful March weatherwise. We broke records in precipitation this month and a lot of the area is still flooded. This is on top of the major wind-cane that stormed through the area 2 weeks ago. The area is so bad that the NY Governor has asked the President to declare this area a disaster area.

PM Workout: 6 Mile Run

Course: Travis
Time: 54:26 (9:06 min/mile pace)
Weather: Heavy Rain, Moderate Wind, Flooding

This was a day to get really, REALLY wet. The flooding from the soaking rain today created lake-sized puddles everywhere. I was running through ankle-deep water in some cases. My legs were a little flat but loosened up midway through the run to keep the pace comfortable. After the run, the soaking wet clothes were immediately hung over the shower door to drip dry.

Rain should clear with temps in the 70s toward the end of the week. Good. I would love to see the sun again sometime in my lifetime.

March 29 - 5 Mile Run & 2000 Meter Swim in PM

PM Workout #1: 5 Mile Run - Easy Pace

Course: South Ave (slightly hilly)
Time: 46:26 (9:17 min/mile pace)
Weather: 53F, Light Rain, Moderate Wind

A nice and easy run designed to gear for tomorrow. 13 total miles of running are done in the first day of the week. Not bad.

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PM Workout #2: 2000 Meter Swim

1x500 Warmup
10x100 paddles (right breathing, left breathing, bilateral drills)
5x100 bilateral breathing swims (no paddles)
----------
2000 Meters Total

This was a nice, easy swim designed to improve breathing on both sides and enhance symmetry of my freestyle stroke. The swim this week is pretty easy, so I did put a little effort into the paddles, but not much to tax me significantly. All in all, a good workout.

March 29 - 8 Miles Running in Morning

AM Workout: 8 easy miles

Course: Victory Blvd. Easy (moderately hilly)
Time: 1:11:04 (8:53 min/mile pace)
Weather: Cloudy/Light Drizzle - 50F

If there ever was a time to start off the week and the mesocycle right, it has to be on the first day. Somehow that first session seems to set the stage for the rest of the mesocycle.

And this turned out to be a good start. This course used to be problematic 2 months ago with the hills. Now the hills really don't bother me much. It was a very comfortable pace. At the end, I felt that I could have done more. Perfect pace, perfect session!

Week of March 29 to April 4 - Lots of Running to Do!

First Week of the Second Build Mesocycle.

70 miles of running slated for this week. Awesome! Will my legs hold up?

The volume itself tells me that the endurance racing season is just around the corner. Time to really kick it into gear now for these mesocycles are the most important in building endurance for the types of races that I do, which is ultras and triathlons.

I feel focused to the task.

The bike and swim are still being done this week, but the volume is reduced significantly to focus on the run. The tallies for all 3 disciplines are thus:

6000 meters of swimming
60 miles of cycling (now outside)
70 miles of running

The Key Workouts are one swim, one bike, and two run. Here they are:

Swim: 2x1000 meter swims with 1 minute rest in between sets (hard endurance akin to a triathlon swim)

Bike: 15 miles at Anaerobic Threshold (Zone 3 - very hard) at Great Kills Park (time to Time Trial, I love these!)

Run: 10 miles Zone 2 Intense Aerobic Run to Bayonne and Back (throwing some hills in, oh baby!)

Run: 20 miles Zone 1 Ultra Format Run (either on Boardwalk or on D & R Canal Towpath, depending on schedule; both are flat courses).

(Ultra Format is roughly 2 minutes of walking after every 8 minutes of running, the ideal way to run ultra distances)

Let the training begin!

March 29 - April 25 - Second Build Mesocycle

Some charts now, explanation below:





Before I go into the second build mesocycle, I want to apologize for not placing my training on this blog for the past 2 weeks. Sometimes I am called away on business which consumes me and the blog suffers for it. I'm still in the experimental stage with this blog, so there will be "glitches" or "gaps" here from time to time. I've recently connected my blog over to my mobile phone in case I get called away again; this way I can "text" over a brief message about my training. The texting will be very brief and basic as compared to the more detailed posts but at least I will have at least public record of it on the blog instead of nothing. Lastly, regarding the 2 weeks I had training, I had done very well on the run, but suffered a little on the bike and on the swim. I couldn't bring my bike on my travels and the only pool that was available was very small and very crowded.

I did very well on the last mesocycle. My running is doing very well, and the bike and swim are supporting it nicely. But now it's time to start focusing on the 100 mile ultramarathon in July.

The next 4 week mesocycle will be the Second Build, and it's designed to hone in on the running. Again, there will be 3 very active weeks and 1 week of recovery at the end. Unlike the First Build, where the each of the 3 active weeks was focused on one discipline of triathlon (1 week for swim, 1 week for bike, 1 week for run), the Second Build will focus two weeks on running, 1 week on both the swim and bike, and 1 week of recovery. In essence, I'm bringing the run to the forefront of my training. The swim and bike will be supporters of the run. In several months I'll focus more on the swim and bike when my 100 mile ultramarathon is done.

The charts take advantage of 70 miles of running on the first week and 80 miles of running in the third week. It's an ambitious challenge and I'll be happy if I can get 90% of the mileage done. If I feel that my body is breaking down too much I will lower the volume to accommodate. I'm hoping that the 2nd week will give me adequate rest to gird for the 80 miles in the 3rd week. Again, I need to state that these are ambitious figures and that there's a good chance that I might not reach my target. It is my philosophy to try to push the envelope in your training to see how much your body can tolerate. And this means either by speed, if you're a sprinter, or volume, if you're an endurance athlete. Yes, there is a chance of a breakdown, but there are always warning signs before that happens.

The 4th week, as always, is a recovery week with mileage in all disciplines down.

So here we go!

March 16 - 10 Mile Run w/ Camelbak

AM Workout:

KEY WORKOUT: 10 Mile Run
Course: Staten Island to Journal Square (Jersey City PATH Train to NYC, moderately hilly)
Time: 1:18:46 (7:53 min/mile pace)

I had a meeting in NYC today. I mentioned that in a previous post but I had the date wrong. It was today, not yesterday.

With a change of clothes needed I took my Camelbak with me. I was really interested on how fast I can be with the Camelbak on today.

Well, I'm very pleased with the result. I went significantly under 8 minutes per mile and I felt great! The Camelbak never hindered me at all, just like always.

Tomorrow is a travel day. I'm not sure if I have internet access where I'm going, but I'll catch up when I get back.

(Key Workout 1 of 4 done)

March 15 - 3000 Meter Easy Swim

AM Workout: 3000 Meter Swim

4x200 Warmup
10x100 Easier Paced Individual Medleys with 45 seconds rest in between the reps
8x100 fin kicks (butterfly, back, breast, free) - untimed drills
4x100 snorkels
-----------
3000m total

I took off a little speed from the IMs to concentrate on my hand placement on each of the strokes. Most of the sets were done at around 1:40 (the harder IMs done earlier this month were around 1:32)
The fin kicks worked on my kick efficiency. And the snorkels worked on symmetry. I felt good after this workout; I was not tired at all.

Week of March 15-21 - Change of Plan - Need to Travel

Like everything else, life gets in the way. That's OK. My principles of training don't forget about the unexpected things that might be thrown my way. And don't forget that the training volume that I set is what I hopeto do in a week. Sometimes I don't achieve that goal. That's where feedback comes in. If life gets in the way or I start to overtrain, then I scale back the numbers for the next mesocycle.

So here I'm presented with a travel date from Wednesday to Saturday. I can probably only run during those times. Therefore, a modification of my mesocycle needs to take place.

Tomorrow will be a 10 mile run from Staten Island to Journal Square. That was originally on the schedule and will still be there. I plan to keep the other key workout, the 15 mile ultra-style run, on Sunday. The rest of the week will be a short active rest consisting of daily runs within the 4 to 7 mile range. This shorter rest period will be brought forth from the 4th week recovery week the next week. I will do a couple of harder workouts within the 4th week, but will end the week with another rest period before the next Mesocycle begins to get a good recovery.

Sound confusing? Well, to keep it simple, I'm taking a whole week of active rest and splitting them into 2 smaller periods. That should make it clear.

The 2 runs mentioned above are 2 Key Workouts. The last two, a bike and swim, will happen next week.

Here goes...

March 14 - Wild Weather and Work - Holy Crap

Wow, what a heck of a storm. The winds actually roared as if a hurricane came through. I got up as if to run and found it very, very windy out there. So windy that trees are down and 26,000 people had blackouts. One of the large trees in my neighborhood was toppled in this storm. In all, the city is officially stating that the calls to 911 actually topped that of the September 11 attacks. Here are some pictures of the aftermath of the storm. These pictures are courtesy of the Staten Island Advance:






This is one of my running routes in Clove Lakes Park. I ran in the park yesterday morning:



I decided to bag the run due to safety reasons and proceeded to work with my father on a project today. I also intended to get an easy ride in today also, but we wound up working all day. Well, life does intend to intrude on the best of plans. At least I got all of my Key Workouts done. For this week, I finished 7000 meters of swimming, 70 miles of cycling, and 28 miles of running. The running mileage stings a bit, especially when I have to do 60 miles of running this upcoming week.

I'll get the new week posted as soon as I can. Have patience; I need to catch up on things today. :-)

March 13: Key Workout: 30 Mile Bike on Computrainer

PM Workout:

Key Workout: 30 Mile Bike on Computrainer

Time: 1:33:11
MPH: 19.3
Watts: 210

Not a bad way to end the week, a great workout. Felt powerful throughout the workout. The effects of the run this morning didn't affect my bike today.

The weather is acting pretty wild today, with the winds picking up seriously. I'm not sure if I can get a run in the PM, although I will try.

(Key Workout 4 of 4 done).

March 13 - AM: Fun Run at Clove Lakes Park

AM Workout: 1 Mile Warmup, then a 3 mile Fun Run (Staten Island Athletic Club) at Clove Lakes Park.

Time for Fun Run: 22:45 (7:35 min/mile pace)
Weather: Heavy Rain, 42F, Heavy Winds

Why I choose a raw, ugly day like this to go out to Clove Lakes Park and do a Fun Run is a question that I can never answer. But heck, I decided to go despite the high winds and heavy rain that no sane person would venture out into.

But I encountered about 11-12 other "insane" people from the Staten Island Athletic Club and the Richmond Rockets who dared the elements to go out for the Fun Run. And so at 9AM, our intrepid group started the run to see what we can do in this weather.

I didn't have a hard run slated for today, so I decided to run a competitive pace, but well within myself. I didn't want to bust a gut today. I started out at a nice steady pace and started building on it after the first mile. The second mile was right into the teeth of the wind, so the trick is to get tight and cut through the wind with as little effort as possible. Going into the third mile, with the wind at my back, I felt really great. I was quite surprised that I finished at 22:45 because it really didn't feel like I gave that much of an effort. It's all the more to assume that I'm getting more and more fit. Yeah, I like that assessment! :-)

With the warmup I'm recording 4 miles down in the log.

March 12 - 8 Mile Intense Boardwalk Run

AM Workout:

KEY WORKOUT: 8 Mile Zone 2 Intense Aerobic Run
Course: Boardwalk (flat)
Total Time: 1:03:57 (slightly less than 8:00 min/mile)
Weather: Light Rain, 45F, Moderate Winds

If you looked my schedule at the beginning of the week, it mentioned that I was supposed to do a hillier course (Victory East) than what I did today. True, but here's where "it's a long story" comes in.

First, I decided late last night that I wanted to get a trail run in before the government steps in and robs my morning daylight from me this weekend (Daylight Savings Time switch over). OK, fine then. I drive on over to the extremely hilly Greenbelt Blue Trail entrance, park my car, and start running. About 2 minutes into the run, the watch dies on me. I train on trails a different way, I go by time instead of distance, because it is not easy to measure a trail. I use Gmaps Pedometer to measure the roads; that tool doesn't work on trails. Since my "time indicator", my watch, died, there is no way for me to know when to turn around, so I walked back to the car, defeated.

That was when the idea for running on the Boardwalk dawned on me. It was only a 5 minute drive from where I was to the Boardwalk, and I already had the course measured. All I had to do is start the stopwatch on my cell phone, leave the phone in the car, run the 8 miles, then turn it off when I finished.

It worked like a charm. I got my hard 8 miles in, and I'm a happy man once again. And even happier since my pace was under 8 minutes per mile again. The weather was deteriorating as the run progressed, but not much to affect my pacing or my time.

I might or might not do a second run tonight. I'll decide on it when the day progresses.

(Key Workout 3 of 4 done).

March 11 - Completing the Triple - 20 Mile Bike and 1900 Meter Swim

PM Workout #1: 20 Mile Bike on Computrainer

Course: First 20 miles of Columbia Course.
Total Time: 1:17:33
MPH 15.5
Watts - 151

After the easy 5 mile run this morning, and some of the other work that had to get done today, I found myself training lightly on Computrainer. This was an easy ride, designed to get ready for the hard 8 mile run tomorrow.

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PM Workout #2 - 1900 Meter Swim

1x500 warmup
1x100 Easy Paced Freestyle w/ Fins
4x100 snorkels, easy, untimed
--------
1900m swim total

I had to debate whether to do this workout today. Not because I was tired, but whether I wanted to finish my weekly mileage in the swim this early. Three days without swimming (Monday would be the next time I would swim) is a bit of a stretch, but I decided to do it anyway. The ideal time would have been Friday night, but the pool is closed early, and Saturday and Sunday mornings would be tough to put in because it would interfere with my running and cycling. In addition, if I didn't swim, I would have to run instead, and I wanted to save my legs for tomorrow's hard run. So it would be in the best interest to finish the weekly swim distance off tonight.

As stated, this was real easy to do. The theme here was to smoothen out my stroke over a set distance, and that I did easily yesterday in the 1000 meter set.

I did the triple (run in the AM, bike and swim in the PM). For the week, I am done swimming. 7000m worth. Bike and run weekly totals are getting there. Hard run tomorrow, Hard bike either Saturday or Sunday. And a REALLY tough week shaping up for next week.

March 11 - Pleasant 5 Mile Run

AM Workout: 5 Mile Run

Course: South Avenue (slightly hilly)
Time: 46:55 (9:23 min/mile pace)
Weather: Cloudy, 43F, Light Winds

Woke up a bit weak today. Knowing that I did 2 Key Workouts yesterday, today is the day to relax and take it easy. This little run helped a lot. Going at an easy pace, the run served well to energize my day, especially when waking up with the blahs.

March 10 - Two Key Workouts Done Today - 3100 Meter Swim & 20 Mile Bike

The decision to go for two tough sessions today was made on the fly...after the swim I felt I was still strong enough for the hard bike session. The basis for doing 2 Key Workouts today was to get my hard run in on Friday instead of Saturday. Next week's schedule focuses on the run and I want to make sure my legs are well rested for the challenge come Monday.

AM Workout:

KEY WORKOUT: 3100 meter swim

1x800 warmup
8x200 meter swim set with 30 seconds rest in between each rep.
5x100 easy swims with snorkels
1x100 all out sprint
1x100 warmdown
------------------
3100 total meters

Result of 8x200 - 2:48, 2:48, 2:49, 2:49, 2:48, 2:46, 2:46, 2:45. Good strong set, negative splitting on the last half.

Result of 1x100 - 1:12. Stroke wasn't clicking, probably because I was tired from the 200s. Still, a decent time.

(Key Workout 1 of 4 done)
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PM Workout:

KEY WORKOUT: 20 mile bike
Course: Ironman New Zealand on Computrainer
Time: 58.32
MPH - 20.5
Watts - 216

I'm still seeing the overall power (watts) increase over the past 2 weeks. It shows concrete evidence that my legs are getting ever stronger, both on the bike and the run.

(Key Workout 2 of 4 done)

March 8 - 10 Mile Run and 2000 Meter Swim

AM Workout: 2000 Meter Swim

1x500 Warmup
10x100 Paddles Alt Breathing Left, Right
5x100 Bilateral Breathing
--------------
200 Meters Total

This was an easy session designed to promote breathing on both sides. This in turn strengthens symmetry and a stronger stroke.
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PM Workout: !0 Mile Run

Course: From Journal Square (Jersey City) to Staten Island (over Bayonne Bridge)
Time: 1:32:42
Weather: 54F, Sunny, Moderate Winds

I decided to put this run in the afternoon, coming home from business done in Manhattan instead of going toward Manhattan in the morning to take advantage of the mild temps in the afternoon and run in shorts. I had stomach problems at the midpoint of the run and had to duck into a bathroom in a nearby park to heed nature's call. All was settled down afterwards and finished nicely.

I'm a bit tired after the run. I haven't decided yet whether to do a key workout tomorrow; it'll depend on how I wake up tomorrow morning.

Week of March 8-14: Focus is on the Bike

First Week of the First Build is Successful. Let's go for 2!

The focus for this week is the bike, with 100 miles to do. If the weather actually warms up, I might try to venture outside for some real riding. I will be doing some work on the bike to make it road worthy and safe.

The distances for this week is 7000 meters of swimming, 100 miles of cycling, and 40 miles of running.

There will be 2 key workouts on the bike, with 1 on the swim and 1 on the run.

Key Workout #1: Swim Set 8x200 meters with 30 seconds rest in between reps

Key Workout #2: Bike - 30 miles intense aerobic on Computrainer - Ironman New Zealand

Key Workout #3: Bike - 20 miles intense aerobic on Computrainer - Ironman Canada

Key Workout #4: Run - 8 miles intense aerobic - Victory East Course (hilly)

Tomorrow is a unique start. As I have to do some business in Manhattan, I'll be starting off tomorrow with an easy paced 10 mile run through Bayonne to Journal Square (I'll be taking the Path train to NYC). I will be wearing a Camelbak on this run so that I can change into my dry clothes when I arrive in Manhattan.

Week two of the Build starts...

March 7 - Completed Week! Summarizing

AM Workout 1: 8 mile run - easy

Course: Mall Run
Time: 1:16:24
Weather: 42F, Clear, Light Winds

Legs were pretty tight on this run. It was very pleasant with few cars out on a Sunday morning. I wish other days were this serene.

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AM Workout 2: 4 mile run - easy

Course: College Ave Run
Time: 35:37
Weather: 50F, Sunny, Light Winds

Spring is in the air. I decided on this route to catch a glimpse of Staten Island's St. Patty Day parade. I could have actually marched in the parade with a group but I decided to take a pass. Finished 50 miles for this week on the run

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PM Workout: 20 mile bike - easy
Course: Wildflower
Time: 1:12:46
MPH - 16.5
Watts - 165

Can't think of a better way of finishing a great week than having very loose legs on the bike. This was a real enjoyable ride on the Computrainer.

DONE! Total tallies of all disciplines for the week of 3/1 to 3/8 - 10200 meters of swimming, 70 miles of cycling, 50 miles of running. Lost 5 pounds in the process too.

I will be posting next week's schedule shortly.

March 6 - Easy 6 Mile Run - Catching Up

PM Workout: 6 Mile Run

Course: South Avenue
Total Time: 59:30 (9:55 min/mile pace)
Weather: 49F, Clear, Light Winds

I took this run very easy knowing that I needed to do two runs tomorrow totalling 12 miles to complete the week. Legs a bit tight, but that didn't stop me. :-)

Tomorrow is going to be a strange day. Two runs and a bike. All easy.

March 6 - Swim Distance Set Destroyed! 3200 Meters in 50:40!

AM Workout:

Key Workout: 4100 meters total

4x200 Warmup Set
1x3200 Meters Distance Set - Nonstop
1x100 Warmdown
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4100 Meters Total

3200 Meter Distance Set Done in 50:40.

I half-expected this to be around 53-55 minutes. Yes, I counted the laps right; I almost never miss counting laps when it comes to the long distances. But with an uneasy sleep, some stiff legs from yesterday's runs, and, when getting to the pool, having the shoulders feel very tight from the get-go, I felt I was the lamb getting led to slaughter when warming up today.

When finally this set started, I made sure I took it easy, because my shoulders were just very tight. After about 500 meters, I gradually realized that my shoulders were finally starting to loosen up and that I could swim better. It wasn't until the second half of the distance set that I finally have my swimming arms back and was swimming comfortably in the water. I started picking up the pace at that moment.

I finished really strong. Upon seeing my time, I was very pleasantly surprised; my swim is now considered competitive again! If I swam at this pace for 2.4 miles (the distance in the Ironman swim), I would have theoretically finished at 1:00:48! It's still a bit slower than my all time record of 52:03, but at least I can now swim with the big boys again!

I'm ready to do some local triathlons now, where is the race schedule? :-)

(Key Workout 4 of 4 done this week)

March 5 - A Second Run - 6 Miles

PM Workout: 6 mile easy paced run

Course: Travis
Time: 54:22 (9:04 min/mile)
Weather: Clear, 42F, Light Winds

After getting some work done I ventured out to do another run in the afternoon. This time, it was an easy paced run. The legs were a bit stiff from the tough 10 mile run in the morning. Still, they loosened up quite nicely and finished refreshed.

Tomorrow is the tough 3200 meter swim distance set (nonstop). I'm sleeping early tonight.

March 5 - Key Workout - 10 Mile Run, Coming Along Nicely

AM Workout:

Key Workout: 10 Mile Distance Run Intense Aerobic (Zone 2)
Course: Mall Run (slightly hilly)
Time: 1:20:19 (8:02 min/mile pace)
Weather: Cloudy, 37F, Light Winds

With the rest day yesterday I decided I was strong enough to tackle the toughest run workout this week. I had some breathing problems in the beginning, due to some congestion in my airways, but things stabilized and felt pretty good in the second half of the run. The 8 minute miles are pretty legitimate now, since I'm now clocking them consistently on these tough runs.

As for the week, with the impromptu day off yesterday, I am just a little behind on finishing everything by Sunday. I should be OK though because the only tough workout left on my list is the swim distance set; that should be done tomorrow morning if everything is OK. I've done 6000 meters of swimming, 50 miles of cycling, and 26 miles of running so far this week. I shouldn't have any reason finishing them all up by Sunday.

(Key Workout #3 of 4 done this week)

March 3 - 1500 meters easy swimming

PM Workout: 1500 meters swim

1x500 warmup
10x100 snorkels, untimed drills
---------
1500 meters total

This was supposed to be done tomorrow but I'm going to be up to my knees in work tomorrow. who knows if I have the time to train. I was a bit tired from the bike, and a little time in the pool is therapeutic on the stressed muscles, right?

I focused on the snorkels today and my symmetry. I'll be working more on bilateral breathing and breathing out my weak side to further strengthen stroke symmetry.

March 3 - Evidence of Improvement! 30 Mile Bike

AM Workout:

Key Workout - 30 Mile Bike on Computrainer at Zone 2 Intense Aerobic Pace

Course: Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon - first 30 miles
Time: 1:33:35
MPH: 19.2
Watts: 217

Wow, some concrete evidence of improvement! On longer workouts like these I place "spot checks" in my log at certain points of the course to monitor improvement. On February 10, I did 40 miles on this course, in which I hit the 25 mile mark at 1:22:10. Today, I hit that mark at 1:17:43, about 4.5 minutes faster!

This is one thing I have to tell my athletes when I coach them. A lot of athletes tend to get discouraged for the first 4 weeks because they see no noticeable improvement. I preach patience at this time because after 4 weeks, things happen, and they happen quickly! And this is why I post my workouts online now. I trust my training strategies that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is.

The best part is that once the improvement comes, the athlete's motivation reaches the moon! That is when the REAL gains happen. And I'm just about there now. On to the next session!

(Key Workout 2 of 4 done this week)

March 2 - 20 Mile Easy Bike

PM Workout: 20 mile bike - Computrainer

Course: Ironman Germany
Time: 1:09:16
MPH - 17.3
Watts - 162

The first bike session of the week, his is an easy session for the hard day tomorrow, whether it would be a bike or run. I was leaning toward the run, but the weather outside tomorrow could be a freezing mix.

Anyway, I am ready for a hard session tomorrow.

March 2 - 8 Mile Enjoyable Run on Black Ice

AM Workout: 8 Mile Run - Easy/Recovery Pace

Course: Victory Blvd. East
Time: 1:16:18 (9:32 min/mile pace)
Weather: Clear, 30F, Light Winds

This was an enjoyable run, even with the numerous black ice spots out there. The stuff can kill you if you don't run the right way on it. Even with all the black ice around, I suffered no falls and cruised nicely.

It's days like these where I get to enjoy being out there. Working out early in the day is such a rush; and there is no better way to energize the rest of my day. A cup of coffee just doesn't come close. :-)

March 1 - Finishing up with an 8 mile run and 1600 meter swim

AM Workout #2 - 8 mile run

Course: Boardwalk
Time: 1:16:49 (9:36 min/mile pace)
Weather: 42F, moderately windy

This was a nice easy run late in the morning after the early morning swim. The snow and puddles made for a pretty sloppy run.I felt pretty refreshed throughout with the easy pace. It was unusual to see plenty of other runners at this time, but it was nice to have their company.
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PM Workout: 1600 meters of swimming (easy)

1x500 Warmup
1x1000 easy freestyle with fins - bilateral breathing
1x100 warmdown
-------
1600 meters total

I didn't have to do this workout today, but on a whim I decided to go back to the pool tonight and work easily on my stroke. My arms were not that tired from the early morning workout; everything felt fine. Combining the 2 swim sessions, I did 4600 meters of swimming total. Not a bad start to the week!

March 1, 2010 - Key Workout - 4x500 meters swimming (1 minute rest) - 3000 meters total

AM Workout: Swimming

1x500 Warmup
4x500 freestyle with 1 minute rest in between reps
2x100 warmdown
------------
3000 meters total

Times for each 500 meter rep: 7:13, 7:22, 7:20, 7:23.

I give this workout a B. Not too bad, but had room for improvement. I was found to be a bit tired since I did swim hard yesterday so my stroke was ever so slightly off.

Still, I'll take the times gratefully. They show a lot of improvement in this discipline over the past month; I love seeing the evidence!

I'll do some nice, easy training the rest of the day and take an active, easy day tomorrow. I am hoping to gear up for the difficult 10 mile run on Wednesday if all goes as planned.

Week of March 1-7: Focus on the Swim

The first week of the First Build Mesocycle is focused on the swim. I am hoping to do the following for each of the 3 disciplines:

Swim: 10,000 meters
Bike: 70 miles
Run: 50 miles

Unlike the base mesocycle, the overall volume has started to come up. Again the prevailing theme the next 4 weeks is "can I handle the increased volume?"

The 4 Key Workouts for this week is the following (2 for the swim, 1 for the bike, 1 for the run):

Swim 1: 4x500 meters; 1 minute rest in between reps
Swim 2: 1x3200 distance set (nonstop) at intense aerobic pace.
Bike: 30 miles on the Computrainer; course is Buffalo Springs Lake Tri.
Run: 10 miles - Mall Course (slightly hilly)

Here we go. :-)