Good news -- I am doing Gulf Coast -- sorta. Going to do the bike leg of a relay team. I would love to race the whole thing, but just don't want to risk re-irritating my achilles tendon. Plus this way, I can still do the Beach Blast Oly and Madison Oly -- which will be a lot gentler on my AT.
More good news -- I ran intervals Tuesday night for the first time since Nov 2. I was really worried about being slow or having my AT act up, but things turned out ok. We ended up doing 3x1600 (i.e. 3 x 1 mile runs). Obviously my times were a little slower than last year, but I was actually very impressed. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70834810 I thought I would struggle to break 2:00 per lap, but ended mostly being in the 1:45 range, with mostly negative splits. My HR was higher than it was last year at these times, but I am not complaining b/c have not really run since November/December. For not being in running shape, I am thrilled with where I am.
I think part of what helped is that I am trying to run differently than before. Way back in the day I ran with my legs out in front of me, heels striking first. Bad, especially when overweight. I slowly worked that back to being a mid-foot striker, and worked on quicker turnover, but didn't have much push off. After watching videos of Craig Alexander, Chris Lieto, and Rinny, I am trying to be more consious about running taller, pushing off more, keeping my hips/core/chest in line, keeping my feet under, trying to have a "power band" or whatever it is called, etc. Basically I notice that I run taller and use my glutes/hamstrings more. That means less beating on my calves and quads. We will see how it works out.
Other good news. During my swim Wed morning, I was supposed to do 2750. The main set was 3x (2x100 at Tpace plus 10 RI; 4x50 at Tpace plus 10RI; 50 slow at 2:00). During the second set, my body kept saying that I was tired, needed to take it easy, and not do the third set. Well, I finished the second set, and sat there in the pool trying to decide what to do, when a little voice in the back of my mind said -- "Jason, you know that when you race you think back about all the training you did. What do you think is going to happen when you are suffering at IMFL and think back to your training and remember that you quit and didn't do the 3rd set?" So I sucked it up and did the third set. So glad that I did.
So to recap the week -- Monday was a recovery day from the Sunday bike ride. You know what I did tue and wed (rode the stationary bike we pm).
Thurs was an incredible day. I went to bed late, so decided to sleep in till 6AM. Woke up, rode the stationary cycle for 15 min to warm up, and then did P90x Plyometrics X. According to them, "it puts the X in p90x." I call BS. Compared to Insansity -- this was a recovery session. It was still hard, but nothing like Insanity at all. Still enjoyed it though, b/c I was hoping to do a trail run thursday PM.
So I managed to get out of the office at 5:30, (on time, but actually early for as busy as we are) and headed over to Tom Brown Park. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71121604 When you reminisce about how much enjoy running -- this is the kind of run you (at least I) think about. Temp was a touch on the cool side, sun going down, absolute silence -- all I could hear was my breathing, the wisper of a breeze in my ear and the sounds of my feet on the pine straw, dirt, etc. I. was. in. heaven. Just a easy trail run. This is why I have been so misreable the last few months -- not being able to do a run like this.
So Friday I woke up on time (5AM) and hit Trousdale. Did "Workouts in a binder -- Swim workouts for Triathletes" Anerobic Endurance Workout Number 5. 3150m in 1:16:30. Reason it took so long was I did a lot of sets with a certain swim interval, so I did not keep exact times. The pool opened 15 minutes late, so by the time I was done it was 7:15 and I had to haul ass to get to work. I still had a blast, b/c that is the longest workout I have done to date (by 50m).
I ate bad Friday -- Hopkins for lunch -- Ultimate Turkey Sub, conga bar, sweet tea, sugar cookies in the pm. So I did a 90 min easy spin session on the stationary bike friday night while watching IMNZ.
Saturday, I decided to give the TRBC 5k a shot. I have not raced a 5k since the FSECC 5k on November 4 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71337423 so I was not expecting much today. The course had some hills, and I was a little worried about re-irritating my achilles tendon(s), so I was hoping to maybe break 24 minutes. Well, I did it. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71337423 I had forgotten how painful 5ks could be, and I didn't push that hard until the end. For most of the race I stayed a heartbeat or two below my anaerobic threshold. I was a little worried about crossing that b/c I have not been training in the "pain cave" of late. Anyway, as I sit here typing this, my legs feel fine -- although I am wearing my zoot compression socks.
So for lunch I went to Ted's Grill and had a bison burger with bbq sauce, cheese and bacon. mmmmm.... good..... and fries.... mmmm.... better..... After lunch I ran some errands -- I also went by sunshine and saw a pimped out speed concept. Holy shit!!!! If I had $8k lying around I would have bought it on the spot. It was even green like Turbo Curbeau's. http://turbeaucurbeau.wordpress.com/pictures/ The level of detail and thought that went into that bike is absolutely sick. I mean there was a fairing of sorts around the stem, etc. So I then went by Higher Ground and got some new gear for my bike.
So all motivated, I went back to the house and started working on my 2009 Felt B12. I mean my bike is freaking sweet -- so says Tom Demerly -- http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/FeltB12-2009.shtml
I did make some basic mods to my bike -- I swapped out the oem stem 130mm for a 80mm stem that is raised up an inch. I also swapped out the seat (which was pretty darn good) for a cobb saddle. But the problem is that last weekend my water bottles ejected 5 times. I now know this was from a weak o-ring on my profile design water bottle holders, but after seeing that speed concept, it was time to upgrade.
So I bought a profile design kit that puts a water bottle horizontal on (i.e., perpendicular to) the aerobars. I have other things (40 oz. speedfill -- which mounts where the water bottles are mounted on the seattube/downtube -- and a profile design aerobottle -- that goes between the aerobars), but wanted to give this a shot. I also got some specialized water bottle holders for my profile design behind the seat attachment, and added another specialized water bottle holder on the seattube (where my 40oz speedfill usually goes).
Took it out for a spin today. Left the house and went one hour down the St. Marks Trail and turned around. You can see the results here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71444504 was the outbound ride, and this was the way back -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/71444497 what this doesn't show is that I had a 12 mph headwind going out and the opposite coming back. Big reason (obviously) why my speed back is faster and hr is lower. Of course, I also attribute that to the changes I made to the Felt.
So I can hold 4 bottles right now -- one on the aerobars, one on the seattube, and two behind the seat. If I wanted to, I could go up to 4 hours without needing to refill. Also, I am thinking of getting a flat xlab bag to put under my bike seat. The bag fist under -- almost within -- my seat and will likewise cuase less drag compared to what I have now (profile design full zipper bento box upside down under the rear of my seat). For race day, I suspect that I will get rid of the bag and bottles behind the seat, and maybe even the bottle holder on the seat tube (for sprints or olys anyway).
I also have to figure out how to clean up my front end. Option one -- lower the bars and add raisers for the armpads. I gotta see if they make stems that are 5mm long. Option two -- find a fairing or the like to cover up my not so aerodynamic stem (this is basically what I saw on the Speed Concept today and it was baaaad ass). I have to think about this some and see what I really want to do. The first option is cleaner but my brakes will be 1.5 inches lower so it will put more pressure on my wrists when riding w/my hands on the brakes (i.e., I sense the Malissa ride would suck big time with that kind of setup). For the second option -- I gotta see if there is a aftermarket fairing or the like.
Tomorrow I am going back to Blountstown for happy hour with the fam. But I am taking my wetsuit and going for a long swim in Lake Mystic. I have a 1500m course mapped out, and plan to do two loops. That should put me at 1.8 miles. Of course if I feel better, I may try to do add another lap or so to get it to 2.4-2.7. Will be good practice for Red Hills. I am going to take the TYR Cat5 Hurricane and see what that baby can do (if I can even fit in iet). Also, gonna see if my bro will join me for the swim. Should be interesting if he does -- first time in a wetsuit and in cold, murky water.... First time I did that I had a panic attack in the middle of Lake Hall.
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