That was the question today...actually, it really wasn't so much a question as it was a direct ORDER from Scott for all lanes to practice throughout our long, steady sets--he literally paced alongside the pool to ensure execution (loosely defined), so we were forced to oblige (ARG!). If you're not privy to the voices in a triathlete's head already, allow me: You don't flip turn in a triathlon, so why fret over practicing them? Well, APPARENTLY, maintaining momentum improves efficiency and cutting the breath of air you get from open turns out of each turn increases lung capacity over time. I've been dodging such debate/muting the voices since my last attempt to concur the world-o-flip turns last year resulted in me pushing off of the wall into ANOTHER LANE...I thought that was a clear indication that I should just cross out the idea all together.
But today was a new day (thank you, Suzy Sunshine). I fought my aquatic demons and gave it my best shot. Ali led the lane because she doesn't need to breathe when she works out; she's so "elite" that she just holds her breath for an hour and exhales when she sips her protein shake afterwards. The pace was fine, but I'm saying, this tummy tuck/roll over thing underwater takes the O2 out of you and is VERY dissimilar to the front flips I did as a kid in the above-ground pool in my backyard. Nonetheless, I pushed. I didn't make every turn (in fact, I missed the wall once), but I was stoked that I tried--so much that I spent 600 extra yards swimming after the team left to better my technique. I will continue to tri (get it? knee slapper) until I take 1st place in the FLIP TURN OLYMPICS.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
New York Road Runners Half-Marathon
NYRR Half-Marathon | 13.1 Miles | Central Park
I didn't really know what to expect in my first half-marathon race, and had no idea what pace I should run. When I started training at the end of November, my goal was to break 1:23:00 (6:20/mile), but it had become clear that there was no way that was going to happen for this race. I was just as likely to set a new world record, so I decided that I would take this race as a training run - an opportunity to set a benchmark for myself, hopefully without blowing up. I picked 7:30/mile as my pace for the first mile or two and decided to reassess the situation after that.
Unfortunately, because I showed up pretty late as I didn't want to be standing around in the cold, I ended up getting stuck near the back of the corral and found myself "running" with the 10:00/mile pacers. Not ideal when there are 5,000 other runners and no where to pass except outside the race course (and on the outside of all the turns). I'm not sure how much distance it added to my run, but I was having too much fun passing people to really notice. 7:30s felt really easy - thanks to training runs with Tommy - I decided to try and negative split each mile to the end, really dropping the hammer after mile 7. Looking back on my splits, that's not exactly what happened, but the second half of my race was faster than the first half so overall I'm very satisfied. I'm really looking forward to the NYC Half-Marathon in March.
Distance: 13.1 Miles, 21.1 Kilometers
Date/Time: Jan. 24, 2010, 8:00 a.m.
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 37 deg., 76% humidity, wind 5 mph.
Finish Time: 1:34:33
Pace/Mile: 7:13
Overall Place: 607
Gender Place: 539
Age Place: 110
I ran with RunKeeper, but the pacing and distance was a bit off. Still, it give a general overview of elevation and pacing changes throughout the race. For details, click on the link in the upper left hand corner:
Full Throttle was well represented by Charles Howe, Colin Stewart, and Maria Mahn. Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone else was racing until after checking the results and searching for Full Throttle Endurance Racing on NYRR's results site. Hopefully, they'll share their race experience on this blog or in the comments section below.
I didn't really know what to expect in my first half-marathon race, and had no idea what pace I should run. When I started training at the end of November, my goal was to break 1:23:00 (6:20/mile), but it had become clear that there was no way that was going to happen for this race. I was just as likely to set a new world record, so I decided that I would take this race as a training run - an opportunity to set a benchmark for myself, hopefully without blowing up. I picked 7:30/mile as my pace for the first mile or two and decided to reassess the situation after that.
Unfortunately, because I showed up pretty late as I didn't want to be standing around in the cold, I ended up getting stuck near the back of the corral and found myself "running" with the 10:00/mile pacers. Not ideal when there are 5,000 other runners and no where to pass except outside the race course (and on the outside of all the turns). I'm not sure how much distance it added to my run, but I was having too much fun passing people to really notice. 7:30s felt really easy - thanks to training runs with Tommy - I decided to try and negative split each mile to the end, really dropping the hammer after mile 7. Looking back on my splits, that's not exactly what happened, but the second half of my race was faster than the first half so overall I'm very satisfied. I'm really looking forward to the NYC Half-Marathon in March.
Distance: 13.1 Miles, 21.1 Kilometers
Date/Time: Jan. 24, 2010, 8:00 a.m.
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 37 deg., 76% humidity, wind 5 mph.
Finish Time: 1:34:33
Pace/Mile: 7:13
Overall Place: 607
Gender Place: 539
Age Place: 110
I ran with RunKeeper, but the pacing and distance was a bit off. Still, it give a general overview of elevation and pacing changes throughout the race. For details, click on the link in the upper left hand corner:
Full Throttle was well represented by Charles Howe, Colin Stewart, and Maria Mahn. Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone else was racing until after checking the results and searching for Full Throttle Endurance Racing on NYRR's results site. Hopefully, they'll share their race experience on this blog or in the comments section below.
Friday, January 22, 2010
And then there was my ego...(not for long)
One of the most important things that the sport of triathlon forces you to learn is how to be prepared. With three sports, the amount of gear you need to train/race is remarkable; every gadget, gismo and garment is essential, so there's no room for error. I'm not exactly a veteran, but coming up on my 4th season, I was quite surprised this morning when I opened my gym bag to get ready for the swim: Speedo--check. Goggles--check. Cap--check. Skills--oh SNAP!! That's right, ladies and gents, I apparently forgot how to swim today. The workout itself focused on longer sets with hand paddles, so the lane lovelies and I agreed that we would slow down the pace and work on our form(s). Little did I know just HOW slow I would go--seriously I kept checking to see if a HEFTY bag was suddenly tied to my feet acting like a parachute/drag. I checked my ego at the door and held onto the end of the line (by a thread). That's something everyone comes to accept: you can't always be on top of your game...certain days you're just "garbage," as Scott likes to put it.
The spin leg of our workout was all about keeping our cadence at/above 90, which I'm proud to say comes naturally to me now. I kept the resistance low mostly because my legs refused to acknowledge any hard sets I tried to introduce them to, but also because I knew my body was trying to tell me something: "You will always lose in an argument with me. Keep it steady." Dagon IT...
The spin leg of our workout was all about keeping our cadence at/above 90, which I'm proud to say comes naturally to me now. I kept the resistance low mostly because my legs refused to acknowledge any hard sets I tried to introduce them to, but also because I knew my body was trying to tell me something: "You will always lose in an argument with me. Keep it steady." Dagon IT...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Today being the "long run" day, I did not feel obliged to go to Chelsea Piers at the pre-crack-of-dawn. This was a very good thing not only for me (nice to "sleep in" until 5:30) but also for my seven year old, who's been a little teary about my not being around in the mornings. I ran seven miles in Central park at about 8:30 pace. This isn't long for me but I do my long runs on the weekend. On the bridle path I ran into FTE's own Mikael Hanson, who turned around and ran with me for about a mile, until I exited the park. Was great to catch up.
I ran a few errands on the way home. When I got in the front door, I called out, "Kieran, I got you a blueberry bagel and ginger snaps for your lunch." Whereupon Kieran came running at me from the living room, grabbed me around the waist, and said, "Best of all, you brought your own self." Did I just enter a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie?
But the headline of the day should go to Kieran's dad, Stuart. today marks the 23rd anniversary of his running streak. For 23 years, he's run at least 1.25 miles every single day. No days off--not for anything. Most of our runner friends are more critical than admiring of this streak, but Stuart started it for laudable reasons--at least I think so. Twenty-three years ago he was coaching his high school cross country team (ultimately, to be state champions in California) and he realized that his own running was vanishing. He decided that he needed to choose: was he in or out? He opted in and figured he'd need a somewhat radical commitment to make it stick. so he decided to run every day--at least one continuous mile. To make sure he got a full mile in, he soon made the requirement a mile and a quarter. And so he's kept that commitment for 23 years now. Of course there have been some streak-threatening scares and some hilarious streak-preserving runs resulting from this vow, but I'll save them for another post.
I ran a few errands on the way home. When I got in the front door, I called out, "Kieran, I got you a blueberry bagel and ginger snaps for your lunch." Whereupon Kieran came running at me from the living room, grabbed me around the waist, and said, "Best of all, you brought your own self." Did I just enter a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie?
But the headline of the day should go to Kieran's dad, Stuart. today marks the 23rd anniversary of his running streak. For 23 years, he's run at least 1.25 miles every single day. No days off--not for anything. Most of our runner friends are more critical than admiring of this streak, but Stuart started it for laudable reasons--at least I think so. Twenty-three years ago he was coaching his high school cross country team (ultimately, to be state champions in California) and he realized that his own running was vanishing. He decided that he needed to choose: was he in or out? He opted in and figured he'd need a somewhat radical commitment to make it stick. so he decided to run every day--at least one continuous mile. To make sure he got a full mile in, he soon made the requirement a mile and a quarter. And so he's kept that commitment for 23 years now. Of course there have been some streak-threatening scares and some hilarious streak-preserving runs resulting from this vow, but I'll save them for another post.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Swim/Cycle | Chelsea Piers
This morning was supposed to be a recovery day. It sure didn't feel like one. I'm not sure if it's because it was such a long, hard week or if my body is still getting used to 4:45am wake-ups followed by 2+ hour workouts. Or maybe I'm just a baby. Your pick.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300 pull / 200 kick / 100 swim
Tech - 100 backstroke kick / 100 backstroke / 100 Butterfly kick / 100 Breaststroke
Mainset
CYCLING
5 min ez intensity effort
25 min steady effort aero
5 min climb steady effort
25 min steady effort aero
3 min ez effort cadence at 105
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
This morning was the first day I used the Suunto heart rate transmitter belt in the spin room. While probably not necessary (as most of the FTE athletes already own a heart rate monitor), they sure are fun. Every athlete wearing a belt has his/her heart rate and percentage of maximum H.R. projected on a screen at the front of the room. This way, you can see who's working hard (CheChu) and who's dogging it (Scott - he's gawbage).
This morning was supposed to be a recovery day. It sure didn't feel like one. I'm not sure if it's because it was such a long, hard week or if my body is still getting used to 4:45am wake-ups followed by 2+ hour workouts. Or maybe I'm just a baby. Your pick.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300 pull / 200 kick / 100 swim
Tech - 100 backstroke kick / 100 backstroke / 100 Butterfly kick / 100 Breaststroke
Mainset
- 2 x 300 swim steady with paddles R=20
- 3 x 200 swim steady with paddles R=20
- 4 x 100 swim solid; no paddles
- 5 x 50 alt. kick/ hard swim
CYCLING
5 min ez intensity effort
25 min steady effort aero
5 min climb steady effort
25 min steady effort aero
3 min ez effort cadence at 105
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
This morning was the first day I used the Suunto heart rate transmitter belt in the spin room. While probably not necessary (as most of the FTE athletes already own a heart rate monitor), they sure are fun. Every athlete wearing a belt has his/her heart rate and percentage of maximum H.R. projected on a screen at the front of the room. This way, you can see who's working hard (CheChu) and who's dogging it (Scott - he's gawbage).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
NYAC Cycling | 24 Miles | Central Park
I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I going to do some racing this summer with the New York Athletic Club and I'll be joining them in Central Park for team rides twice a week - Thursdays and Saturdays. The team is composed almost entirely of former rowers so we're excited to see how we stack up against other amateur cyclists. Other than carryover thunder thighs, I'm not sure how well rowing translates over to cycling. We'll soon find out...
Only a small group showed this morning. It was a bit colder than it has been for the past few weeks. I don't mind the cold so much now that I have the proper clothing for cold-weather cycling. It keeps most of the riffraff out of the park. (Did I really just use the word "riffraff"?) I did happen to spot a very large TriLife peloton this AM. I'm not sure if it's because they're tougher than Full Throttle or if it's because they don't have sweet indoor training facilities like we do. Wait... just checked race results. Definitely the latter... oh, BURN!
NYAC ended up riding four laps of the park, about 24 miles. I think our average pace was around 22 mph. It wasn't particularly hard, nor was it easy. Click on the link embedded in the map below to see details. Note that the average pace is off because I forgot to stop the gps after I finished the final lap and spent 10 minutes chatting with a teammate at Columbus Circle (hence the 14 min mile vs. 3 min for the others):
I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I going to do some racing this summer with the New York Athletic Club and I'll be joining them in Central Park for team rides twice a week - Thursdays and Saturdays. The team is composed almost entirely of former rowers so we're excited to see how we stack up against other amateur cyclists. Other than carryover thunder thighs, I'm not sure how well rowing translates over to cycling. We'll soon find out...
Only a small group showed this morning. It was a bit colder than it has been for the past few weeks. I don't mind the cold so much now that I have the proper clothing for cold-weather cycling. It keeps most of the riffraff out of the park. (Did I really just use the word "riffraff"?) I did happen to spot a very large TriLife peloton this AM. I'm not sure if it's because they're tougher than Full Throttle or if it's because they don't have sweet indoor training facilities like we do. Wait... just checked race results. Definitely the latter... oh, BURN!
NYAC ended up riding four laps of the park, about 24 miles. I think our average pace was around 22 mph. It wasn't particularly hard, nor was it easy. Click on the link embedded in the map below to see details. Note that the average pace is off because I forgot to stop the gps after I finished the final lap and spent 10 minutes chatting with a teammate at Columbus Circle (hence the 14 min mile vs. 3 min for the others):
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Only three weeks into FTE training and I'm already semi-dreading Wednesdays: the day we do speed work in the pool and then on the track. But today's swim session wasn't too terrible. In all honesty I think it was easier than last Wednesday's swim speed session, and that is fine with me. Ten x 50 alternating hard and easy on the one minute seemed to be the "meat" of the workout. The little rest on the easy laps and the longer rest on the harder laps seemed to make the two speeds a draw in terms of difficulty.
As usual, I was more comfortable once we were sneakered-up and back on dry land. Even though I've competed in triathlons for many years now, I consider myself a novice at both swimming and cycling. Not so with running. The track feels like home turf--with the possible exception of the non-banked turn at Chelsea Piers.
The on-land speed workout was 4 x 800 with only a 200 recovery--pretty short and therefore pretty toughening. I ran with Tommy, Bobby, Joe, and Jose. I suggested that we take turns leading the intervals. My track team observes this tradition to prevent people from "racing" the workout. It's also a great study in pacing. The idea is that each person take a turn leading an interval. No one is to pass the leader. My team established this tradition after too many guys in our A group (the fastest one) raced the workouts to the degree that they left it all on the track; they were road kill by the time the weekend race rolled around. So in order to race better, and blow out fewer hamstrings, we take turns. The idea is to really stick to the goal pace, not run seconds under it.
I led the first 800, Bobby led the second, and Tommy led the third. I could just barely keep contact with Bobby and Tommy; it was nice to feel pulled along by them just slightly ahead. I ran the four 800s in: 3:08, 3:06, 3:06, 3:05.
My ultimate goal is to sneak back to the hot tub after some of these sessions, as I've seen other teammates do. But today wasn't my chance.
In the evening, I finished up the day with an hour-long spin class with Chris Griffin at Equinox.
As usual, I was more comfortable once we were sneakered-up and back on dry land. Even though I've competed in triathlons for many years now, I consider myself a novice at both swimming and cycling. Not so with running. The track feels like home turf--with the possible exception of the non-banked turn at Chelsea Piers.
The on-land speed workout was 4 x 800 with only a 200 recovery--pretty short and therefore pretty toughening. I ran with Tommy, Bobby, Joe, and Jose. I suggested that we take turns leading the intervals. My track team observes this tradition to prevent people from "racing" the workout. It's also a great study in pacing. The idea is that each person take a turn leading an interval. No one is to pass the leader. My team established this tradition after too many guys in our A group (the fastest one) raced the workouts to the degree that they left it all on the track; they were road kill by the time the weekend race rolled around. So in order to race better, and blow out fewer hamstrings, we take turns. The idea is to really stick to the goal pace, not run seconds under it.
I led the first 800, Bobby led the second, and Tommy led the third. I could just barely keep contact with Bobby and Tommy; it was nice to feel pulled along by them just slightly ahead. I ran the four 800s in: 3:08, 3:06, 3:06, 3:05.
My ultimate goal is to sneak back to the hot tub after some of these sessions, as I've seen other teammates do. But today wasn't my chance.
In the evening, I finished up the day with an hour-long spin class with Chris Griffin at Equinox.
I'm relatively certain that my shoulders think they've done something to upset me, because after today's swim, they're SCREAMING. But it's the kind of scream that's synonymous with the bark of those mighty muscle men you hear in the gym slamming down their 8740-lbs dumbbells: SOMEthing just got a whole lot stronger. Ali (a great friend of mine/the best female athlete on the team) and I traded off taking the lead of lane 4, the second fastest lane in the pool. Our crew was 6 people deep and we were cruising through the main set, which consisted mostly of intensity changes. Alternating between slow and fast efforts helps me get reacquainted with what Scott calls "active recovery." Basically, you can't stop in a race to catch your breath, right? So we train our bodies to function despite fatigue, which could be a result of heat, overexertion or in this case, a lack of oxygen. It's not a pleasant process, but it's a necessary one for endurance racing.
I was particularly pleased with my (our) times during the main set because they show that my swim has improved from last year. The times I'm seeing now (so early in the game) are consistent with what I was holding at the end of last year. Most people stopped swimming during the off-season (FOR SHAME!), but Scott led an unofficial, show-up-if-you-want group swim that I went to on an average of twice a week. We cut out intensity and lowered the volume, but I think practicing my form and making slight changes really contributed to the jump. I also focused on weight training this winter, which is something I never did and vow to never stop.
Coming off of an ITB issue last season and having just started to run again, I participated in speed work for the first time this season during the run leg of our practice! Side note: holy monkey we have some SPEEDSTERS on the team this year. I watched them flash by on the track in front of me while I jacked up the speed of my treadmill's conveyor belt to an alarming....10-minute mile for 3 miles with a few 2-minute 8:30 intervals interspersed throughout those 3 miles. Patience. Patience.
I was particularly pleased with my (our) times during the main set because they show that my swim has improved from last year. The times I'm seeing now (so early in the game) are consistent with what I was holding at the end of last year. Most people stopped swimming during the off-season (FOR SHAME!), but Scott led an unofficial, show-up-if-you-want group swim that I went to on an average of twice a week. We cut out intensity and lowered the volume, but I think practicing my form and making slight changes really contributed to the jump. I also focused on weight training this winter, which is something I never did and vow to never stop.
Coming off of an ITB issue last season and having just started to run again, I participated in speed work for the first time this season during the run leg of our practice! Side note: holy monkey we have some SPEEDSTERS on the team this year. I watched them flash by on the track in front of me while I jacked up the speed of my treadmill's conveyor belt to an alarming....10-minute mile for 3 miles with a few 2-minute 8:30 intervals interspersed throughout those 3 miles. Patience. Patience.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Today's spin session featured 15 to 20 minute seated steady intervals with 5-minute climbs in between. The seated steady intervals were to have a cadence of 90 and we were to pick a resistance level that was challenging but that we could sustain for the duration. Then the climbs were to be 3 to 4 notches about that. Scott and Dan were hooked up to the cool new Suunto monitoring system, so we could see their heart rates and intensity levels at all times.
I picked level 10 for my seated intervals. It seemed reasonably challenging to keep the cadence at 90 but I noticed that my heart rate wasn't nearly as high as Scott's or Dan's. The room was on the warm side but I'm very used to a hot spin class since Chris Griffin--my Equinox spin class guru--likes to keep the spin room really warm for his sessions. No AC and usually no fans either. We call it Bikram Spin Class. Definitely an acquired taste--and there's no acquiring Chris's musical taste, in my opinion--but his classes are the absolute toughest so Stuart and I are regulars. Anyway, I was trying to convince myself that my heart rate wasn't as high as Scott's or Dan's because I'm more acclimated to the heat, but I think this was bs. Scott confirmed my suspicions when he quizzed us about our heart rates and I had to confess that mine was easily a good ten fewer per minute than his at any given moment. So next spin I'll ratchet it up to 11 or 12 and see how it goes. I did go to 15 for the climbs, but maybe I should go a notch higher there, too.
I was tempted to do the core work after the spin but the treadmill called. I run every day and I really wanted to knock out my run. This new FTE schedule is causing trouble on my home front. Stuart, who is not a morning person, has to get Kieran ready for school and take him to school solo--something we always used to do together. And Kieran had a melt-down one day last week when he realized that he hadn't seen me all day; I'd left before he woke up, of course, and then an author reading and dinner kept me out until 11:00. So the last thing I want to do is get home from work and announce it's time for my run. I'm already looking forward to the warmer weather which will mean not just riding in the park but also getting home by 7:30 or so and not heading straight to work from Chelsea Piers. It's funny that what I thought would be toughest about joining FTE in the morning (getting up so early, getting down to CP) is already not so tough, but these other factors that I hadn't considered are--and I'm not sure they'll get better with time.
I picked level 10 for my seated intervals. It seemed reasonably challenging to keep the cadence at 90 but I noticed that my heart rate wasn't nearly as high as Scott's or Dan's. The room was on the warm side but I'm very used to a hot spin class since Chris Griffin--my Equinox spin class guru--likes to keep the spin room really warm for his sessions. No AC and usually no fans either. We call it Bikram Spin Class. Definitely an acquired taste--and there's no acquiring Chris's musical taste, in my opinion--but his classes are the absolute toughest so Stuart and I are regulars. Anyway, I was trying to convince myself that my heart rate wasn't as high as Scott's or Dan's because I'm more acclimated to the heat, but I think this was bs. Scott confirmed my suspicions when he quizzed us about our heart rates and I had to confess that mine was easily a good ten fewer per minute than his at any given moment. So next spin I'll ratchet it up to 11 or 12 and see how it goes. I did go to 15 for the climbs, but maybe I should go a notch higher there, too.
I was tempted to do the core work after the spin but the treadmill called. I run every day and I really wanted to knock out my run. This new FTE schedule is causing trouble on my home front. Stuart, who is not a morning person, has to get Kieran ready for school and take him to school solo--something we always used to do together. And Kieran had a melt-down one day last week when he realized that he hadn't seen me all day; I'd left before he woke up, of course, and then an author reading and dinner kept me out until 11:00. So the last thing I want to do is get home from work and announce it's time for my run. I'm already looking forward to the warmer weather which will mean not just riding in the park but also getting home by 7:30 or so and not heading straight to work from Chelsea Piers. It's funny that what I thought would be toughest about joining FTE in the morning (getting up so early, getting down to CP) is already not so tough, but these other factors that I hadn't considered are--and I'm not sure they'll get better with time.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 17, 2010
Ran an easy 8.5 miles in the Wissahickon in the morning--slower than the last two days, just slightly over 9:00 pace.
Made it back to NYC in time to do Chris Griffin's hour-long spin class at the 92nd Street Equinox with Stuart, followed by a very speedy transition home to watch "24."
Made it back to NYC in time to do Chris Griffin's hour-long spin class at the 92nd Street Equinox with Stuart, followed by a very speedy transition home to watch "24."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
I got up early--well, not early by FTE standards--but early for a weekend so I could beat the rain. I had a wonderful long run--15.25 miles--along the same dirt train in Philly that I'd run on the previous day. My average pace was 8:49. Felt great.
Saturday, January 16
It was so nice not having to get up at 4:45 today--although of course I did wake up then. But I just rolled over and went back to sleep.
I was going to run 8 miles on a wonderful winding dirt trail along the Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia's largest park, but my weekly mileage jones got the better of me so I did 10 to cap off a 55-mile week. My pace, my trusty Garmin informed me, was 8:47.
I was going to run 8 miles on a wonderful winding dirt trail along the Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia's largest park, but my weekly mileage jones got the better of me so I did 10 to cap off a 55-mile week. My pace, my trusty Garmin informed me, was 8:47.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Although today's swim was theoretically an easy day, it was challenging for me in that if featured the use of paddles and later fins--neither of which I'd ever used before. I was comfortable with the paddles but they definitely slowed me down more than they slowed down my lane #3 mates--to the degree that the paddle portion of the workout became one continuous swim for me. But the pace wasn't bad so I didn't feel anxious or exhausted--I just had to keep going and going without any rest.
After the swim--and a transition that was long even for me--we headed to the spin room for two 25-minute rides with 3-minute climbs after each. Continuing in the easy mode, Scott had us dial down the resistance two notches from normal for the longer intervals. Cadence was to be at 90 or just above. We got a preview of the very cool Suunto monitoring system that will eventually publicize everyone's heart rate and "zone" while we're cycling. We'll also be able to know our heart rates while we're in other areas of Chelsea Piers--like on the treadmills.
I went for a run in Central Park around 7:30in the evening. It was such a lovely night and the temperature was in the mid-forties. I ran 7.25 miles at a comfortable pace. The park was pretty empty. I always find that when the park is at its emptiest, and there's maybe only one other runner out there besides me, chances are I know that runner. Tonight was no exception, for one of the two or maybe three runners I crossed paths with was Warren Street's Stephan Bois. I think Stephan gave me grief because I had headphones on and was listening to music--something very new for me--but frankly, I had the volume up so high, I couldn't quite hear him. But from the gleam in his eye as he passed me, I know he was razzing me about something.
After the swim--and a transition that was long even for me--we headed to the spin room for two 25-minute rides with 3-minute climbs after each. Continuing in the easy mode, Scott had us dial down the resistance two notches from normal for the longer intervals. Cadence was to be at 90 or just above. We got a preview of the very cool Suunto monitoring system that will eventually publicize everyone's heart rate and "zone" while we're cycling. We'll also be able to know our heart rates while we're in other areas of Chelsea Piers--like on the treadmills.
I went for a run in Central Park around 7:30in the evening. It was such a lovely night and the temperature was in the mid-forties. I ran 7.25 miles at a comfortable pace. The park was pretty empty. I always find that when the park is at its emptiest, and there's maybe only one other runner out there besides me, chances are I know that runner. Tonight was no exception, for one of the two or maybe three runners I crossed paths with was Warren Street's Stephan Bois. I think Stephan gave me grief because I had headphones on and was listening to music--something very new for me--but frankly, I had the volume up so high, I couldn't quite hear him. But from the gleam in his eye as he passed me, I know he was razzing me about something.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
It was great to be able to stay up late Wednesday night as I didn't plan to head down to Chelsea Piers so early in the morning for once. Since the workout was a long run, I decided to do that in nearby Central Park. This meant no 4:45 a.m. alarm, no lugging three changes of clothes on the subway with me, and best of all: I could check up on my old morning crew pals on the bridle path.
I left my apartment around 6:20 and jogged the two blocks to Central Park. I'd had trouble with my left Achilles starting last summer, and I was feeling it a bit thanks to Wednesday's track workout. But by the time I got to the park, it felt okay. I still decided not to push it. So I ran two laps of what my Central Park Track Club friends calls the bpn--for "bridle path north" at a little slower than 9:00 pace. This is a 2.5-mile dirt lap that goes around the southern part of the reservoir and then through the 102nd Street Transverse. That, the run to the park, and my bagel run on the way home got me 7.15 miles--not at all long by my standards, but I'll get a true long run in this weekend. It was nice to have an easy day, both with regard to waking up and with regard to effort.
I loved seeing my old gang. In the mornings, people tend to run like clockwork, probably because everyone needs to get to work. So I often see the same people in exactly the same spot day after day--or I used to! I wonder if they wonder where I've been. And of course I wound up wondering what the Full Throttle Nation was up to just then.
I happened to squander my late Wednesday night on work. I was going back and forth with a writer until 1:00 a.m. regarding revisions to a certain chapter of his book. That book is called LATE, LATE AT NIGHT and I've decided that if I got to name this blog, I'd want to call it EARLY, EARLY IN THE MORNING.
BTW, if you're interested in keeping track of your mileage online, I can recommend a terrific website that a friend of mine designed. It's free, and it's very easy to register. The site is: www.therunninglog.com.
I left my apartment around 6:20 and jogged the two blocks to Central Park. I'd had trouble with my left Achilles starting last summer, and I was feeling it a bit thanks to Wednesday's track workout. But by the time I got to the park, it felt okay. I still decided not to push it. So I ran two laps of what my Central Park Track Club friends calls the bpn--for "bridle path north" at a little slower than 9:00 pace. This is a 2.5-mile dirt lap that goes around the southern part of the reservoir and then through the 102nd Street Transverse. That, the run to the park, and my bagel run on the way home got me 7.15 miles--not at all long by my standards, but I'll get a true long run in this weekend. It was nice to have an easy day, both with regard to waking up and with regard to effort.
I loved seeing my old gang. In the mornings, people tend to run like clockwork, probably because everyone needs to get to work. So I often see the same people in exactly the same spot day after day--or I used to! I wonder if they wonder where I've been. And of course I wound up wondering what the Full Throttle Nation was up to just then.
I happened to squander my late Wednesday night on work. I was going back and forth with a writer until 1:00 a.m. regarding revisions to a certain chapter of his book. That book is called LATE, LATE AT NIGHT and I've decided that if I got to name this blog, I'd want to call it EARLY, EARLY IN THE MORNING.
BTW, if you're interested in keeping track of your mileage online, I can recommend a terrific website that a friend of mine designed. It's free, and it's very easy to register. The site is: www.therunninglog.com.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, January 13
I was semi-dreading today's workout. The prospect of double speedwork (swim, then run) was unnerving enough. A work commitment kept me out until 11:00 the night before, so I was also worried about sleep--as in lack thereof. But I woke up ahead of the alarm and got up at 4:45 as is now usual.
The swim workout was challenging but I definitely drew strength from the camaraderie in our lane--although it was alarming to lose Don, our usual lane #3 leader, to lane #4 in a last-minute shuffle by Scott.
In recent days, I've discovered that my kick is weak relative to the rest of my swimming. Definitely something to work on. But as a result, my kicking laps leading into the intervals was sort of endless; I finished too late to get much rest.
My old running coach used to refer to the most important part of a particular session as the "meat" of the workout. Not the aptest metaphor for a vegetarian like me, but it's always stuck . So today's "meat" was 10 x 100 steady followed by 50 hard with 30 seconds rest after both the 100s and the 50s. Somehow after the fourth set, I knew that I would make it through. The feeling came as a real sense of relief. I'm not one of the stronger swimmers in the group so I was especially pleased to take out the 4th and 9th sets. Another thing my other team (Central Park Track Club) does is share the load of intervals this way by having everybody take turns leading. So it was nice to see this same tradition observed in the pool.
I came to triathloning from a running background, so I'm always most comfortable in that leg. But last June I got a partial tear of my Achilles in the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon and I hadn't done speedwork since then. So I was both nervous and excited to be back. The 6 x 400 workout with a 200 "Kumbaya" recovery was a perfect re-introduction for me. I ran with Tommy, Bobby, and Joe. As in the water, the best way to be pushed to faster speed is to be able to attack the challenge with teammates.
This evening I took an hour-long spin class at the 92nd Street Equinox with Chris Griffin, my favorite instructor there.
The swim workout was challenging but I definitely drew strength from the camaraderie in our lane--although it was alarming to lose Don, our usual lane #3 leader, to lane #4 in a last-minute shuffle by Scott.
In recent days, I've discovered that my kick is weak relative to the rest of my swimming. Definitely something to work on. But as a result, my kicking laps leading into the intervals was sort of endless; I finished too late to get much rest.
My old running coach used to refer to the most important part of a particular session as the "meat" of the workout. Not the aptest metaphor for a vegetarian like me, but it's always stuck . So today's "meat" was 10 x 100 steady followed by 50 hard with 30 seconds rest after both the 100s and the 50s. Somehow after the fourth set, I knew that I would make it through. The feeling came as a real sense of relief. I'm not one of the stronger swimmers in the group so I was especially pleased to take out the 4th and 9th sets. Another thing my other team (Central Park Track Club) does is share the load of intervals this way by having everybody take turns leading. So it was nice to see this same tradition observed in the pool.
I came to triathloning from a running background, so I'm always most comfortable in that leg. But last June I got a partial tear of my Achilles in the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon and I hadn't done speedwork since then. So I was both nervous and excited to be back. The 6 x 400 workout with a 200 "Kumbaya" recovery was a perfect re-introduction for me. I ran with Tommy, Bobby, and Joe. As in the water, the best way to be pushed to faster speed is to be able to attack the challenge with teammates.
This evening I took an hour-long spin class at the 92nd Street Equinox with Chris Griffin, my favorite instructor there.
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Swim/Run | Chelsea Piers
I had a small issue with turning my alarm clock off this morning instead of hitting the snooze button. When I woke up again it was already 6:00am and I knew I wouldn't make it in time for the swim. I got over to Chelsea Piers as quickly as I could and stretched until the rest of the team finished up swimming and joined me on the track for speed work.
With fresh legs, I ran in group 1 (the fastest group). We were supposed to run a 90" split for the quarter mile intervals, but Tommy pushed the pace and we ended up running 82-85" splits. I didn't think the pace was too challenging (I wasn't bent over dry heaving after the set), but to be fair I didn't swim before the run.
I did the swim workout by myself after the run and it wasn't fun. There's a reason why I'm on a team and that reason is to train with others, more specifically, others who are faster than I am and can help me push myself to make huge improvements in my technique and fitness. I ended up pushing myself really hard in the pool today, despite not having a lane full of teammates, but I'm not sure how many days a week I'd make it to the gym without my teammates and coaches. The solo swim reinforced how great it is to be a part of Full Throttle.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 200 swim / 200p / 100 backstroke
Tech - 100 each rlcsw / 3-stroke / 2x scull
Mainset
RUN
1 mile warm up ez
6 x 400 at RP w/ 200 down ez
1 mile cool down
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
I had a small issue with turning my alarm clock off this morning instead of hitting the snooze button. When I woke up again it was already 6:00am and I knew I wouldn't make it in time for the swim. I got over to Chelsea Piers as quickly as I could and stretched until the rest of the team finished up swimming and joined me on the track for speed work.
With fresh legs, I ran in group 1 (the fastest group). We were supposed to run a 90" split for the quarter mile intervals, but Tommy pushed the pace and we ended up running 82-85" splits. I didn't think the pace was too challenging (I wasn't bent over dry heaving after the set), but to be fair I didn't swim before the run.
I did the swim workout by myself after the run and it wasn't fun. There's a reason why I'm on a team and that reason is to train with others, more specifically, others who are faster than I am and can help me push myself to make huge improvements in my technique and fitness. I ended up pushing myself really hard in the pool today, despite not having a lane full of teammates, but I'm not sure how many days a week I'd make it to the gym without my teammates and coaches. The solo swim reinforced how great it is to be a part of Full Throttle.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 200 swim / 200p / 100 backstroke
Tech - 100 each rlcsw / 3-stroke / 2x scull
Mainset
- 10 x (100 steady / 50 solid-hard) R=30
- 5 x 100 steady pull R=15
RUN
1 mile warm up ez
6 x 400 at RP w/ 200 down ez
1 mile cool down
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Today Scott had us do two longer spin intervals: 15 minutes and 20 minutes with a 3-minute standing recovery in between. Not two minutes into the ride Scott noticed that my seat was set too far back and I was too stretched out. I adjusted it and instantly had more power. I upped my resistance from 10 to 11 and was able to keep at the desired cadence (90)--with some effort, but the right effort.
I take a lot of spin classes so I felt in shape for this but it was a new challenge to have that cadence number right in front of me. I kept my eye on the dial and also on Scott, figuring that he was doing the right cadence. The second interval was actually much easier for me because the music got faster and because I started chatting with Dave, who was on the bike to the left of me.
After spin I headed for the treadmill. Stuart is hugely amused by the fact that I've become a regular treadmill runner when I'm on record as hating it so. But given the circumstances, it's a great option and I'm actually getting more into it every day. Seeing my pace right in front of me keeps me even more honest than my Garmin does outdoors. I put in 6.1 miles, averaging about 8:00-8:15 pace.
One thing that's already hard for me as I advance into triathlon training is seeing my weekly mileage dip down. For the nine weeks leading up to my FTE morning debut, I was logging in fifty-plus to sixty-plus miles a week. Last week I ran forty-five. I know I don't need to run so much given all of our other training, but the mileage junkie in me is already disappointed. Just another thing I'll have to let go--along with The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
I take a lot of spin classes so I felt in shape for this but it was a new challenge to have that cadence number right in front of me. I kept my eye on the dial and also on Scott, figuring that he was doing the right cadence. The second interval was actually much easier for me because the music got faster and because I started chatting with Dave, who was on the bike to the left of me.
After spin I headed for the treadmill. Stuart is hugely amused by the fact that I've become a regular treadmill runner when I'm on record as hating it so. But given the circumstances, it's a great option and I'm actually getting more into it every day. Seeing my pace right in front of me keeps me even more honest than my Garmin does outdoors. I put in 6.1 miles, averaging about 8:00-8:15 pace.
One thing that's already hard for me as I advance into triathlon training is seeing my weekly mileage dip down. For the nine weeks leading up to my FTE morning debut, I was logging in fifty-plus to sixty-plus miles a week. Last week I ran forty-five. I know I don't need to run so much given all of our other training, but the mileage junkie in me is already disappointed. Just another thing I'll have to let go--along with The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Bike/Strength Work | Chelsea Piers
Today's spin workout was exactly the kind of work that I hate doing: long intervals. In my former life as a rower, I used to dread any erg workout that included pieces that were longer than 10 minutes (6k, 10k, and the "hour of power" being the worst). I have zero interest in dull pain for extended periods of time. I much prefer quick, intense bursts of speed such as climbing hills on the bike or any anaerobic work on the erg. My preferences probably stem from the fact that, compared to the rest of my crew team, I was always much faster/stronger on a relative basis on the shorter pieces. Today's steady effort intervals (15 and 20 minutes, respectively) were out of my comfort zone (probably slightly above what would be considered "steady" for me), but exactly what I need to work on at this point. Building a strong base this early in the season will pay dividends come race day and set the team up nicely for blazing lap times around the park.
We had a smaller group doing strength work today, so the team went up to the strength deck to use dumbbells. After hitting our shoulders, lats, legs, bis, and tris, Scott has us do a few monster ab moves.
Workout of the Day:
CYCLING SET
5 min ez intensity effort
15 min steady effort aero
3 min climb solid effort
20 min steady effort aero
3 min climb solid effort
2x (1 min seated hard effort aero / 2 min steady effort seated)
5 min steady effort aero
3 min ez effort cadence at 105
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Today's spin workout was exactly the kind of work that I hate doing: long intervals. In my former life as a rower, I used to dread any erg workout that included pieces that were longer than 10 minutes (6k, 10k, and the "hour of power" being the worst). I have zero interest in dull pain for extended periods of time. I much prefer quick, intense bursts of speed such as climbing hills on the bike or any anaerobic work on the erg. My preferences probably stem from the fact that, compared to the rest of my crew team, I was always much faster/stronger on a relative basis on the shorter pieces. Today's steady effort intervals (15 and 20 minutes, respectively) were out of my comfort zone (probably slightly above what would be considered "steady" for me), but exactly what I need to work on at this point. Building a strong base this early in the season will pay dividends come race day and set the team up nicely for blazing lap times around the park.
We had a smaller group doing strength work today, so the team went up to the strength deck to use dumbbells. After hitting our shoulders, lats, legs, bis, and tris, Scott has us do a few monster ab moves.
Workout of the Day:
CYCLING SET
5 min ez intensity effort
15 min steady effort aero
3 min climb solid effort
20 min steady effort aero
3 min climb solid effort
2x (1 min seated hard effort aero / 2 min steady effort seated)
5 min steady effort aero
3 min ez effort cadence at 105
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Swim/Run | Chelsea Piers
I stayed up pretty late due to the Arizona-Green Bay game going into OT and struggled waking up this morning. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination so it's never easy to just jump out of bed when the alarm goes off at 4:55am. After snoozing once or twice, I did manage to drag myself out of bed and put on all my cold weather cycling gear. By the time I arrived at Chelsea Piers and changed for the pool, I had already missed the warm up and tech work. I jumped right into the first set of 200s and felt really strong for the remainder of the practice. I don't know if my swim fitness is coming back quickly, if dropping the tech work gave me an extra boost, or if it was a combination of both, but today's swim was much less difficult than last week's.
I only managed to run a mile and a quarter before my left knee started to hurt. I ran 14 miles in Central Park yesterday so I'm not surprised it felt a bit shaky. I decided to do the smart thing and stop running, and stretch/ice it before I put myself out of commission for the next few weeks or even months.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300p / 200k / 100sw
Tech ("work on power") - 2 x 100 scull / 100 backstroke
Main Set
RUN
3-5 miles at a steady effort (2nd mile 2% grade down to set the body position)
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
I stayed up pretty late due to the Arizona-Green Bay game going into OT and struggled waking up this morning. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination so it's never easy to just jump out of bed when the alarm goes off at 4:55am. After snoozing once or twice, I did manage to drag myself out of bed and put on all my cold weather cycling gear. By the time I arrived at Chelsea Piers and changed for the pool, I had already missed the warm up and tech work. I jumped right into the first set of 200s and felt really strong for the remainder of the practice. I don't know if my swim fitness is coming back quickly, if dropping the tech work gave me an extra boost, or if it was a combination of both, but today's swim was much less difficult than last week's.
I only managed to run a mile and a quarter before my left knee started to hurt. I ran 14 miles in Central Park yesterday so I'm not surprised it felt a bit shaky. I decided to do the smart thing and stop running, and stretch/ice it before I put myself out of commission for the next few weeks or even months.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300p / 200k / 100sw
Tech ("work on power") - 2 x 100 scull / 100 backstroke
Main Set
- 2 x 200 steady effort R=20
- 3 x 150 swim solid effort R=20
- 4 x 100 kick steady effort R=20
- Combo set - 3x (150 steady pull / 100 solid swim / 50 hard swim), R=30 at the breaks
RUN
3-5 miles at a steady effort (2nd mile 2% grade down to set the body position)
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
I've noticed that the swim days are harder for me than the spin days. It's just a little tougher to get in the water than on the bike. I'm sure I'm also feeling this way because I have a lot of spin classes behind me but no swimming--not for months.
That said, I'm loving my lane #3 teammates and the solidarity I feel training with them. The toughest part of today's session was definitely at the end: 3 x 200 pull/150 solid swim/50 hard--all with 30 seconds rest in between. It was exciting as well as challenging to see what I had left for those hard 50s, especially the last one. Just enough to get through the workout, it turns out. Also, a set or two before we had to do 200 kicks and I discovered that my kicking is noticeably slower than the rest of my group's. I can pretty much keep up with everyone for everything else, but not the kicks. Scott shouted some kind of encouragement to the effect that I'm a runner and should therefore have a kick, but my legs must not have been listening.
Hit the treadmill again afterward. One of my many New Year's resolutions is that I won't be such a techno-moron. I had been calling myself a Luddite, but Stuart tells me that Luddites want to destroy machines. I don't want to do that; I just want to learn how to use them properly. So don't laugh, but Sunday night for the first time I downloaded music to my iPhone. It took me a phone call to Apple but I finally got it to happen. So I had music for the first time for my run! This could be a mistake. I was so excited, I ran 8:00 pace for the first three miles and 7:30 for the second three--much faster than usual. Shows what a little "Boom Boom Pow" and a lot of Rick Springfield can do for you. (I'm doing books with one of the Peas and with Rick so this could actually be considered work in the traditional sense, not just as exercise.)
Finished out the day with an hour-long spin class with Chris Griffin at Equinox. Guess that means I'll have my next spin class in less than twelve hours from that one. Maybe not smart. We'll find out tomorrow.
That said, I'm loving my lane #3 teammates and the solidarity I feel training with them. The toughest part of today's session was definitely at the end: 3 x 200 pull/150 solid swim/50 hard--all with 30 seconds rest in between. It was exciting as well as challenging to see what I had left for those hard 50s, especially the last one. Just enough to get through the workout, it turns out. Also, a set or two before we had to do 200 kicks and I discovered that my kicking is noticeably slower than the rest of my group's. I can pretty much keep up with everyone for everything else, but not the kicks. Scott shouted some kind of encouragement to the effect that I'm a runner and should therefore have a kick, but my legs must not have been listening.
Hit the treadmill again afterward. One of my many New Year's resolutions is that I won't be such a techno-moron. I had been calling myself a Luddite, but Stuart tells me that Luddites want to destroy machines. I don't want to do that; I just want to learn how to use them properly. So don't laugh, but Sunday night for the first time I downloaded music to my iPhone. It took me a phone call to Apple but I finally got it to happen. So I had music for the first time for my run! This could be a mistake. I was so excited, I ran 8:00 pace for the first three miles and 7:30 for the second three--much faster than usual. Shows what a little "Boom Boom Pow" and a lot of Rick Springfield can do for you. (I'm doing books with one of the Peas and with Rick so this could actually be considered work in the traditional sense, not just as exercise.)
Finished out the day with an hour-long spin class with Chris Griffin at Equinox. Guess that means I'll have my next spin class in less than twelve hours from that one. Maybe not smart. We'll find out tomorrow.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
It was hard getting up early after the CPTC awards banquet Saturday night, but my husband Stuart had a long-run date with guys from that team and I wanted to put in a long run, too, so I was out the door by 8:30 a.m. I ran two laps of Central Park, staying on the dirt as much as possible. My average pace was about 8:40. I ran a total of 14 miles and got home at the exact minute that Stuart had to be out the door to meet his friends.
One of the many great things about living with someone who's equally committed to training and racing is that it makes for great tag-team cooperation. Stuart and I have a seven year old, so someone always has to be with him. Until Kieran was about four, we always ran together with Stuart pushing Kieran in our Baby Jogger. Stuart put in over 4,700 miles pushing the Baby Jogger in those four years. We had to get new tires twice because they went bald from use. Stuart is a terrific competitive runner. He's raced over 60 marathons (including his debut, at age 16, in a double marathon, which he won). His lifetime PR is 2:28:05. This spring he set American records for his age group (50-54) on the track for the 20K, 25K, and 30K (all in one run at Icahn Stadium). So we're birds of a feather who don't get to flock together just now because Kieran is too big to push. But in another few years, I'm sure we'll be running together again, once Kieran can stay home by himself--assuming Stuart is willing to slum it and run with me. In most races if we're both on, there's usually a minute between our per mile paces.
One of the many great things about living with someone who's equally committed to training and racing is that it makes for great tag-team cooperation. Stuart and I have a seven year old, so someone always has to be with him. Until Kieran was about four, we always ran together with Stuart pushing Kieran in our Baby Jogger. Stuart put in over 4,700 miles pushing the Baby Jogger in those four years. We had to get new tires twice because they went bald from use. Stuart is a terrific competitive runner. He's raced over 60 marathons (including his debut, at age 16, in a double marathon, which he won). His lifetime PR is 2:28:05. This spring he set American records for his age group (50-54) on the track for the 20K, 25K, and 30K (all in one run at Icahn Stadium). So we're birds of a feather who don't get to flock together just now because Kieran is too big to push. But in another few years, I'm sure we'll be running together again, once Kieran can stay home by himself--assuming Stuart is willing to slum it and run with me. In most races if we're both on, there's usually a minute between our per mile paces.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I had hoped to do an hour-long spin class at 8:30 on Saturday morning with Chris Griffin at the 92nd Street Equinox. I tried to sign up online but the online seats were all already taken by the time I got out of the pool at Chelsea Piers on Friday. Popular class! Some computer genius needs to figure out a program akin to esnipe for Equinox so you can sign up automatically for a particular class while your busy doing something else. Anyway, I was the 11th person to show up that morning which landed me the #1 spot on the waiting list. I started a half-hour free weight routine that I try to do twice a week while I waited to see if I got in. It turned out there were no bikes available so I finished my free weight routine and then did sets of sit-ups (5 x 51 of various types) and other core work. Then I went home and changed into my running clothes and headed for Central Park.
Mid-morning found the park teaming with members of my other team: Central Park Track Club. I must have crossed paths on the 2.5-mile bridle path with at least 20 friends. I ran for about a mile with sprinter Andrea Ostrowski and then later another mile with marathoner Kimi Oishi. It was great to catch up and our annual awards banquet was that night, so everyone was atwitter about that (and I don't mean atweeting, although there may have been some of that, too). Anyway, I put in 8.2 miles at about 8:15 pace.
My final workout of the day was dancing up a storm at the CPTC party, but I guess that doesn't really count--even if it was pretty aerobic.
Mid-morning found the park teaming with members of my other team: Central Park Track Club. I must have crossed paths on the 2.5-mile bridle path with at least 20 friends. I ran for about a mile with sprinter Andrea Ostrowski and then later another mile with marathoner Kimi Oishi. It was great to catch up and our annual awards banquet was that night, so everyone was atwitter about that (and I don't mean atweeting, although there may have been some of that, too). Anyway, I put in 8.2 miles at about 8:15 pace.
My final workout of the day was dancing up a storm at the CPTC party, but I guess that doesn't really count--even if it was pretty aerobic.
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Long Run | 14 Miles | Central Park
It's mornings like these when I really don't feel like leaving my bed, but with the NYRR half-marathon only two weeks away I knew that I had to get a few more long runs in before the race, so I dragged myself up to Central Park for a couple of laps. Despite it being only 4 degrees with the wind chill, the sun was warming, and I didn't really notice the cold after the first mile or two. I'll be using RunKeeper, a GPS enabled app, to keep track of my outdoor runs. Check out the map below and click on the link in the top left corner for more stats:
Anyone else from Full Throttle running in the NYRR half-marathon in Central Park on January 24th?
Pace: 8:30ish average
Total Distance: 14 miles (including my run home)
It's mornings like these when I really don't feel like leaving my bed, but with the NYRR half-marathon only two weeks away I knew that I had to get a few more long runs in before the race, so I dragged myself up to Central Park for a couple of laps. Despite it being only 4 degrees with the wind chill, the sun was warming, and I didn't really notice the cold after the first mile or two. I'll be using RunKeeper, a GPS enabled app, to keep track of my outdoor runs. Check out the map below and click on the link in the top left corner for more stats:
Anyone else from Full Throttle running in the NYRR half-marathon in Central Park on January 24th?
Pace: 8:30ish average
Total Distance: 14 miles (including my run home)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
So today makes 5 for 5: 5 mornings in a row of Full Throttle Endurance--my New Year's resolution--at least for Week #1.
I feel like the new kid on the block even though I joined FTE in June; until this week, I was training with the team only on the Tuesday and Thursday morning rides in Central Park. But that experience was so positive in every way, for 2010 I decided to take it up a notch--a few notches, actually. So here I am, waking up at 4:45 a.m. weekdays, slipping out of my Upper West Side apartment a little after 5:00, taking the 1 train to 14th Street at such an ungodly hour, I usually don't see a single soul on my walk to Chelsea Piers.
Getting out of bed and getting launched from my apartment are the toughest aspects of this training for me so far. I actually enjoy the early morning walk and I love training with the team. But those first two hurdles are still hurdles for me.
Today's swim workout felt harder than this week's previous two, but I'm not sure it actually was harder. Until Monday, I hadn't been in the water since the Nautica NYC Triathlon, so my lack of a swim base could be catching up with me. (I switched to training exclusively for the Duathlon Worlds immediately after the NYC Tri so I had no need to swim after that point). But when the going gets tough it's easy for the would-be tough to keep going when there are so many friendly/tough people in her lane. I love the supportive camaraderie. It's worth getting up early just for that. I was pleased to be able to keep up with my lane #3 teammates, especially since I found this workout to be harder than the others. Had only one minor mishap when my leg cramped badly--oddly enough during one of the "pull" laps, just after I pushed off the wall. Loved the quick group dip in the hot tub--I'd been eyeing it Monday and Wednesday but there never seemed to be time.
I can't say I don't like the Chelsea Piers track since I haven't actually run a lap on it, but I'm pretty convinced I don't like it. I prefer the treadmill. It keeps me honest as far as pace goes; it also keeps me going progressively faster through my run. After today's swim workout I did 5 miles averaging about 8:20 pace--slower than my other runs this week but I was feeling tired.
I'm looking forward to next week's sessions but plan to go only 4 days. I'll skip Thursday's long run; it will be easier for me to do it on my own in Central Park. No commuting time, no lugging three changes of clothes downtown.
I'm sure I'll continue to figure out this whole scheduling thing in the weeks/months to come. I have a seven-year-old son Kieran who's in second grade and a newish job as a publisher of an imprint at Simon & Schuster, so my responsibilities are a bit to juggle against the early-to-bed-early-to-rise-early-out-the-door lifestyle mandated by true citizenship in the Full Throttle Nation. But having deliberately traded in my green card, I feel ready for the challenge.
I feel like the new kid on the block even though I joined FTE in June; until this week, I was training with the team only on the Tuesday and Thursday morning rides in Central Park. But that experience was so positive in every way, for 2010 I decided to take it up a notch--a few notches, actually. So here I am, waking up at 4:45 a.m. weekdays, slipping out of my Upper West Side apartment a little after 5:00, taking the 1 train to 14th Street at such an ungodly hour, I usually don't see a single soul on my walk to Chelsea Piers.
Getting out of bed and getting launched from my apartment are the toughest aspects of this training for me so far. I actually enjoy the early morning walk and I love training with the team. But those first two hurdles are still hurdles for me.
Today's swim workout felt harder than this week's previous two, but I'm not sure it actually was harder. Until Monday, I hadn't been in the water since the Nautica NYC Triathlon, so my lack of a swim base could be catching up with me. (I switched to training exclusively for the Duathlon Worlds immediately after the NYC Tri so I had no need to swim after that point). But when the going gets tough it's easy for the would-be tough to keep going when there are so many friendly/tough people in her lane. I love the supportive camaraderie. It's worth getting up early just for that. I was pleased to be able to keep up with my lane #3 teammates, especially since I found this workout to be harder than the others. Had only one minor mishap when my leg cramped badly--oddly enough during one of the "pull" laps, just after I pushed off the wall. Loved the quick group dip in the hot tub--I'd been eyeing it Monday and Wednesday but there never seemed to be time.
I can't say I don't like the Chelsea Piers track since I haven't actually run a lap on it, but I'm pretty convinced I don't like it. I prefer the treadmill. It keeps me honest as far as pace goes; it also keeps me going progressively faster through my run. After today's swim workout I did 5 miles averaging about 8:20 pace--slower than my other runs this week but I was feeling tired.
I'm looking forward to next week's sessions but plan to go only 4 days. I'll skip Thursday's long run; it will be easier for me to do it on my own in Central Park. No commuting time, no lugging three changes of clothes downtown.
I'm sure I'll continue to figure out this whole scheduling thing in the weeks/months to come. I have a seven-year-old son Kieran who's in second grade and a newish job as a publisher of an imprint at Simon & Schuster, so my responsibilities are a bit to juggle against the early-to-bed-early-to-rise-early-out-the-door lifestyle mandated by true citizenship in the Full Throttle Nation. But having deliberately traded in my green card, I feel ready for the challenge.
Friday, January 8th, 2010
Swim/Run | Chelsea Piers
Today marked the end of week one of the 2010 training season. It's been great to dust off the cobwebs after three months of hibernation. It's also serves as a reminder how important it is to continue to train during the off-season - even if the off-season is spent cross training or training at reduced volume and intensity. The table below lists changes resulting from 3 weeks of not training (Friel, Joe. The Triathlete's Training Bible.
Note: Adapted from R.L. Wilber and R.J. Moffatt. 1994. Physiological and biochemical consequences of detraining in aerobically trained individuals. Journal of Strength Conditioning Research 8: 110.
Ugly. Fortunately, it's a long road to Team Nationals and there is plenty of time to build a solid base and some real speed. As Drew said in his first post, there's been great energy and the team is ready to work hard. It's good to be back.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300 swim / 200p / 100 kick
Tech - 100 each rlcsw / 3-stroke / finger tip drag
Mainset
RUN
3-5 miles at a steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Today marked the end of week one of the 2010 training season. It's been great to dust off the cobwebs after three months of hibernation. It's also serves as a reminder how important it is to continue to train during the off-season - even if the off-season is spent cross training or training at reduced volume and intensity. The table below lists changes resulting from 3 weeks of not training (Friel, Joe. The Triathlete's Training Bible.
| Measure of Fitness | Change | |
| Aerobic capacity (VO2 max) | -8% | |
| Heart stroke volume (blood pumped/beat) | -10% | |
| Submaximum heart rate (beats/minute) | +4% | |
| Blood plasma volume | -12% | |
| Muscle capillary density | -7% | |
| Oxidative enzymes | -29% | |
| Blood insulin at rest | +17-120% | |
| Blood lactate during exercise | +88% | |
| Lactate threshold | -7% | |
| Use of fat for fuel during exercise | -52% | |
| Time to fatigue (minutes) | -10% |
Note: Adapted from R.L. Wilber and R.J. Moffatt. 1994. Physiological and biochemical consequences of detraining in aerobically trained individuals. Journal of Strength Conditioning Research 8: 110.
Ugly. Fortunately, it's a long road to Team Nationals and there is plenty of time to build a solid base and some real speed. As Drew said in his first post, there's been great energy and the team is ready to work hard. It's good to be back.
Workout of the Day:
SWIM
Warm up - 300 swim / 200p / 100 kick
Tech - 100 each rlcsw / 3-stroke / finger tip drag
Mainset
- 8 x 50 swim ez / solid accelerators @1:00
- 10 x 100 swim alternating steady / solid -5 sec diff, R=20
- 200 kick
- 5 x 150 pull steady effort, R=20
RUN
3-5 miles at a steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Full Throttle | Cycling/Core Work | Chelsea Piers
The one word that best describes the spin sessions: sweatfest. It may not be a real word, but you understand what I'm saying. I must be seven pounds lighter when I walk out of that room. I absolutely love building a strong cycling base this early in the year. There's nothing better than showing up in Central Park in early March and dropping other cyclists left and right.
The spin was followed by core and upper body strength work in the studio. I know I've said it before in an earlier post, but it's amazing how quickly strength and muscle endurance goes when you take a few months off from hitting the weights or doing body weight movements such as pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, etc. I wasn't able to complete today's push-up pyramid without dropping to my knees - and it's not just in the studio. I definitely notice major muscle fatigue halfway through the swim sessions; that's partly due to the fact that I don't swim properly, but I never really swam with great technique. I've always relied on upper body strength and endurance to muscle my way through sessions in the pool or during the swim leg on race day, so when the muscular endurance goes, it's particularly noticeable (and painful).
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
CYCLING SET
The one word that best describes the spin sessions: sweatfest. It may not be a real word, but you understand what I'm saying. I must be seven pounds lighter when I walk out of that room. I absolutely love building a strong cycling base this early in the year. There's nothing better than showing up in Central Park in early March and dropping other cyclists left and right.
The spin was followed by core and upper body strength work in the studio. I know I've said it before in an earlier post, but it's amazing how quickly strength and muscle endurance goes when you take a few months off from hitting the weights or doing body weight movements such as pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, etc. I wasn't able to complete today's push-up pyramid without dropping to my knees - and it's not just in the studio. I definitely notice major muscle fatigue halfway through the swim sessions; that's partly due to the fact that I don't swim properly, but I never really swam with great technique. I've always relied on upper body strength and endurance to muscle my way through sessions in the pool or during the swim leg on race day, so when the muscular endurance goes, it's particularly noticeable (and painful).
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
CYCLING SET
- 5 min ez intensity effort
- 5 min steady effort climb
- 5x (3 min seated steady effort / 3 min steady effort aero or neutral)
- 2x (4 min solid effort climb / 3 min steady effort aero or neutral)
- 2x (1:30 min seated hard effort / 2 min steady effort seated)
- 3 min ez effort cadence at 105
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
Full Throttle | Swim/Run | Chelsea Piers
The swim this morning wasn't much better than on Monday. I'm still thrashing about and getting gapped by my teammates in lane 3 (lane 1 being the slowest, 5 the fastest). It's simply a matter of me increasing my swimming stamina so that my technique/form doesn't breakdown 3/4 of the way through the workout. Once my form goes, so does my speed.
Total distance: 3,000 yards
Wednesday's run is normally speed work, but Coach Berlinger smartly decided to postpone speed work until next Wednesday after we've had a week and a half of practices under our belts. Instead, we were instructed to run 5 miles on the indoor track and/or the treadmills. I stayed on the track in order to work on mental toughness - the track doesn't keep the pace for you like a treadmill does. The first mile was a warm up at 8:00/mile pace, followed by three miles at a 7:15/mile pace, followed by a final mile at a 8:00/mile pace to cool down.
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
SWIM
Warm up - 200 swim / 200p / 100 backstroke
Tech - 100 each rlcsw /3-stroke / 2x scull
Mainset
RUN
3-5 miles at steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
The swim this morning wasn't much better than on Monday. I'm still thrashing about and getting gapped by my teammates in lane 3 (lane 1 being the slowest, 5 the fastest). It's simply a matter of me increasing my swimming stamina so that my technique/form doesn't breakdown 3/4 of the way through the workout. Once my form goes, so does my speed.
Total distance: 3,000 yards
Wednesday's run is normally speed work, but Coach Berlinger smartly decided to postpone speed work until next Wednesday after we've had a week and a half of practices under our belts. Instead, we were instructed to run 5 miles on the indoor track and/or the treadmills. I stayed on the track in order to work on mental toughness - the track doesn't keep the pace for you like a treadmill does. The first mile was a warm up at 8:00/mile pace, followed by three miles at a 7:15/mile pace, followed by a final mile at a 8:00/mile pace to cool down.
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
SWIM
Warm up - 200 swim / 200p / 100 backstroke
Tech - 100 each rlcsw /3-stroke / 2x scull
Mainset
- 8 x 50 kick @1:00-1:15
- 5x 150 swim R=20
- 200 ez
- 8 x 75 swim solid effort R=10
- 5 x 100 pull R=20
RUN
3-5 miles at steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Full Throttle Endurance | Bike/Strength Work/Run | Chelsea Piers
Day 2 of Full Throttle was great. We were in the spin room at Chelsea Piers for the first half of practice. After 5 minutes of high RPMs, low wattage warm up we got right into the work. We spent the next 60 minutes or so alternating between steady effort seated, solid effort out-of-the-saddle standing climbs, solid effort seated, and hard effort seated. My legs were on fire as they worked off the rust from the past three months, but I was happy with the wattage I was putting out, especially this early in the season.
After the spin, the team headed to the studio for strength work / cross training on the lower body. Because all of our movements in all three sports are forward, it's important for use to keep the body balanced and work on lateral movements and core strength.
After the Full Throttle session was through, I headed to the track to get some run mileage in. I'm still training for the January 24th half-marathon so I want to be sure not to let that training fall by the wayside as I gear up for triathlon season. I ran four miles at a 8:00/mile average pace with the first quarter mile of each of the four miles at a 6:20/mile pace. The purpose of this run was to flush the legs from yesterday's solid effort, as well as today's bike and strength training.
Finally, I did some abdominal work. I'm smoked.
Full Throttle Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
CYCLING SET
Day 2 of Full Throttle was great. We were in the spin room at Chelsea Piers for the first half of practice. After 5 minutes of high RPMs, low wattage warm up we got right into the work. We spent the next 60 minutes or so alternating between steady effort seated, solid effort out-of-the-saddle standing climbs, solid effort seated, and hard effort seated. My legs were on fire as they worked off the rust from the past three months, but I was happy with the wattage I was putting out, especially this early in the season.
After the spin, the team headed to the studio for strength work / cross training on the lower body. Because all of our movements in all three sports are forward, it's important for use to keep the body balanced and work on lateral movements and core strength.
After the Full Throttle session was through, I headed to the track to get some run mileage in. I'm still training for the January 24th half-marathon so I want to be sure not to let that training fall by the wayside as I gear up for triathlon season. I ran four miles at a 8:00/mile average pace with the first quarter mile of each of the four miles at a 6:20/mile pace. The purpose of this run was to flush the legs from yesterday's solid effort, as well as today's bike and strength training.
Finally, I did some abdominal work. I'm smoked.
Full Throttle Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
CYCLING SET
- 5 min ez intensity effort
- 5 min steady effort
- 3x (3 min climb / 3 min steady effort aero or neutral)
- 3x (2 min solid effort climb / 3 min steady effort aero or neutral)
- 2x (1 min seated hard effort / 2 min steady effort seated)
- 5 min steady effort seated
- 3 min ez effort cadence at 105
Monday, January 4th, 2010
Full Throttle Endurance Racing | Swim\Run | Chelsea Piers
Today was day 1 of Full Throttle training. We were in the pool and on indoor track focusing on technique mostly. That said, I'm in terrible swimming shape so the workout was closer to controlled drowning than swimming. It's amazing how quickly the swimming muscles go after 3 months of just running.
I went pretty hard on the run, relative to most of the team, because I wanted to get some good work in today. I ran five miles on the indoor track. The first three and a half miles were at a 7:00-7:15/mile pace with the last mile and a half cool down at a 8:30/mile pace.
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
SWIM
Warm up - 200 each p/k/sw
Tech - rlcsw / 3-stroke / scull
Mainset
RUN
3-5 miles at steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Today was day 1 of Full Throttle training. We were in the pool and on indoor track focusing on technique mostly. That said, I'm in terrible swimming shape so the workout was closer to controlled drowning than swimming. It's amazing how quickly the swimming muscles go after 3 months of just running.
I went pretty hard on the run, relative to most of the team, because I wanted to get some good work in today. I ran five miles on the indoor track. The first three and a half miles were at a 7:00-7:15/mile pace with the last mile and a half cool down at a 8:30/mile pace.
Workout of the Day ("WoD"):
SWIM
Warm up - 200 each p/k/sw
Tech - rlcsw / 3-stroke / scull
Mainset
- 200 ez
- 8 x 75 kick / drill / swim
- 5 x 150 swim steady effort
- 5 x 100 pull steady effort R=20
RUN
3-5 miles at steady effort
(For effort/intensity zone definitions, see the Full Throttle official website)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2010 FTE Week 1
The numbers have jump again this year! The team energy is electric. I'm looking forward to another dominating season with FTE.
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