Swim, Bike, and Run your Age!
If Not Now, When?
Sprints Suck...
... or "Why Base Training is Inadaquate for a 2.5 km, All Out Sprint on a Downhill Mountain Bike".
Wow, one week to go, and I am feeling COMPLETELY unprepared. The world is conspiring against my training plan. Oh well, thats life.
Last week, after fighting off a cold, I had a couple good days of training, and was planning on a couple good rides / runs at the end of the week. Then work went and got in the way. BIG TIME.
I normally work two day shifts (10 hours long, starting at either 6 am or 8 am), followed by three nights (usually 11 hours, but sometimes 10, 9, or 8, and starting anywhere from 5 pm to 7 pm). I have found that my 6 am day shifts are good for running in the evening, as I have time to get home, unwind, eat, unwind some more, then go run before bed. That was my plan for last week. Thursday, 3 pm, I was already visualizing my run. How bad is it when I am visualizing a planned 5 mile run on the track. Thats how bad I have it right now. I really want to train, pretty much all the time. I haven't felt like this in ages. I love it.
But anyway, back to my story. Three pm, I'm a peon at a management meeting, upsetting management because they made the mistake of asking me what I thought. Fifteen minutes later, I finish the meeting, get back to my desk just in time to take what is probably one of my 3 biggest files of my career. And I have had a pretty decent career for big files.
I went from daydreaming about running counter-clockwise, to being incident commander for a bomb threat, in literally 30 seconds. I had ten minutes to evacuate half of the downtown core of my community at 3:15 on a Thursday afternoon. I won't go in to details, but we got it done, nothing blew up, and about nine hours later we confirmed that everything was safe. No run, home, lay wide awake in bed astounded by what we accomplished that day, finally fall asleep at 3:30, wake up again at 5:30 to crawl in to work again at 6 to do it all over again. I didn't think I would live to see 4 pm that day, I was so exhausted. And, because of followup from the day before, I didn't get home until 6 pm.
A great side affect of getting that tired: the cold I had fought off from the week before hit me again. I got home at 6, was asleep by 7, slept until about 1 am, then woke up, and did an hour and a half zone 2 trainer ride. Back to sleep at about 6 am, slept until about 3 in the afternoon, woke up and did another one hour Zone 2 trainer ride, then worked from 7 pm until 6 am. Sunday, I slept. And slept. And slept some more, before working another 11 hours that night. Repeat Monday.
Now, I am on days off, and a week away from The Day. I managed to swim yesterday, and had a great swim. I did 1000 m in 45 minutes, which for me is a huge improvement. When I started this challenge two months ago or so, I had to rest every 25 m or I would have drowned. Tuesday, I was doing sets of 250 m without resting. I felt way more efficient in the water. It was good. I went back again today, and while I didn't have the energy of the day before, I still had "the feel", and I did a couple lengths going hard, breathing every 4th instead of every 2nd stroke, and could not believe how fast I felt. I burned out early though, and left after 750 m.
Now, to explain my post title and why I just didn't have it in the pool today: I was asked to take part in a fun relay at one of the local high schools. Four of my coworkers and me decided to take on some young punks in this years "Milk Run". I chose the cycling part of the relay. First leg of the relay was two laps of the track. Lap two was an obstacle course in the infield, which included running, soccer, football, frisbee, balance beams, and some other things. Cycling was third, followed by another lap of the obstacle course, and ending with another two laps of the track. I couldn't decide if I should use my road bike or mountain bike, so I took both. The roads here are still covered in gravel from winter, making things a little sketchy on the road bike, and everyone else there was on a mountain or bmx bike. I had left my bmx at home (my long legs don't like anything more than about a minute on that little thing, but its great for hill workouts of about 25 meters long). Hilly course, flat out, heavy bike, with no anaerobic training in about 4 years. Yep, feel like I am coughing up a lung, and tasting blood the rest of the day. I still went swimming afterwards, and although I still feel dead, I want to go running.
And now for my quandary. I fly out of town tomorrow, don't get back until Monday, and go right back to 3 night shifts, uncluding on my birthday. Therefore, my Birthday Week is being forced into being the week after my birthday. My current plan, if all goes well, is to hopefully get a good sleep after that last night shift, and get to the pool for about 1 pm. Swim until I either can't swim anymore, or get kicked out of the pool, and then ride my bike. Bike ride should be done around 6 pm, home to eat, rest, and go start my run between 8 and 9 pm (I am a night runner. The later the better.) After the run, go home to sleep (hopefully this is around 10 or 11 o'clock), then wake up to get to the pool for about 10 to finish what I have left. That should fall under the Gold challenge, and if I manage to do that, and live to make it to the computer to type up my report, I am getting a new helmet. If you all don't vote for me to get one, I will make my wife buy me a new one. She seems to be enjoying the new shape my body is taking on from all this training, so she can pay for the benefit... :P
One final thing. As I live in a town that gets 310 days of rain a year, pray (or hope, if you aren't religious) for me to have nice weather. For those that want to try to simulate what it feels like to run in the rain here, do the following:
1) turn on your shower, full cold, as much water flow as possible. Low Flow shower heads not allowed, old-school-drain the reservoir in half an hour flow rates only.
2) now put your treadmill in the shower.
3) now put your shower, with treadmill, in a windtunnel. On a turntable. That only ever turns to the sides, then returns to the front (for some reason, tailwinds don't exist here).
Pray for me. I beg of you...
Wow, one week to go, and I am feeling COMPLETELY unprepared. The world is conspiring against my training plan. Oh well, thats life.
Last week, after fighting off a cold, I had a couple good days of training, and was planning on a couple good rides / runs at the end of the week. Then work went and got in the way. BIG TIME.
I normally work two day shifts (10 hours long, starting at either 6 am or 8 am), followed by three nights (usually 11 hours, but sometimes 10, 9, or 8, and starting anywhere from 5 pm to 7 pm). I have found that my 6 am day shifts are good for running in the evening, as I have time to get home, unwind, eat, unwind some more, then go run before bed. That was my plan for last week. Thursday, 3 pm, I was already visualizing my run. How bad is it when I am visualizing a planned 5 mile run on the track. Thats how bad I have it right now. I really want to train, pretty much all the time. I haven't felt like this in ages. I love it.
But anyway, back to my story. Three pm, I'm a peon at a management meeting, upsetting management because they made the mistake of asking me what I thought. Fifteen minutes later, I finish the meeting, get back to my desk just in time to take what is probably one of my 3 biggest files of my career. And I have had a pretty decent career for big files.
I went from daydreaming about running counter-clockwise, to being incident commander for a bomb threat, in literally 30 seconds. I had ten minutes to evacuate half of the downtown core of my community at 3:15 on a Thursday afternoon. I won't go in to details, but we got it done, nothing blew up, and about nine hours later we confirmed that everything was safe. No run, home, lay wide awake in bed astounded by what we accomplished that day, finally fall asleep at 3:30, wake up again at 5:30 to crawl in to work again at 6 to do it all over again. I didn't think I would live to see 4 pm that day, I was so exhausted. And, because of followup from the day before, I didn't get home until 6 pm.
A great side affect of getting that tired: the cold I had fought off from the week before hit me again. I got home at 6, was asleep by 7, slept until about 1 am, then woke up, and did an hour and a half zone 2 trainer ride. Back to sleep at about 6 am, slept until about 3 in the afternoon, woke up and did another one hour Zone 2 trainer ride, then worked from 7 pm until 6 am. Sunday, I slept. And slept. And slept some more, before working another 11 hours that night. Repeat Monday.
Now, I am on days off, and a week away from The Day. I managed to swim yesterday, and had a great swim. I did 1000 m in 45 minutes, which for me is a huge improvement. When I started this challenge two months ago or so, I had to rest every 25 m or I would have drowned. Tuesday, I was doing sets of 250 m without resting. I felt way more efficient in the water. It was good. I went back again today, and while I didn't have the energy of the day before, I still had "the feel", and I did a couple lengths going hard, breathing every 4th instead of every 2nd stroke, and could not believe how fast I felt. I burned out early though, and left after 750 m.
Now, to explain my post title and why I just didn't have it in the pool today: I was asked to take part in a fun relay at one of the local high schools. Four of my coworkers and me decided to take on some young punks in this years "Milk Run". I chose the cycling part of the relay. First leg of the relay was two laps of the track. Lap two was an obstacle course in the infield, which included running, soccer, football, frisbee, balance beams, and some other things. Cycling was third, followed by another lap of the obstacle course, and ending with another two laps of the track. I couldn't decide if I should use my road bike or mountain bike, so I took both. The roads here are still covered in gravel from winter, making things a little sketchy on the road bike, and everyone else there was on a mountain or bmx bike. I had left my bmx at home (my long legs don't like anything more than about a minute on that little thing, but its great for hill workouts of about 25 meters long). Hilly course, flat out, heavy bike, with no anaerobic training in about 4 years. Yep, feel like I am coughing up a lung, and tasting blood the rest of the day. I still went swimming afterwards, and although I still feel dead, I want to go running.
And now for my quandary. I fly out of town tomorrow, don't get back until Monday, and go right back to 3 night shifts, uncluding on my birthday. Therefore, my Birthday Week is being forced into being the week after my birthday. My current plan, if all goes well, is to hopefully get a good sleep after that last night shift, and get to the pool for about 1 pm. Swim until I either can't swim anymore, or get kicked out of the pool, and then ride my bike. Bike ride should be done around 6 pm, home to eat, rest, and go start my run between 8 and 9 pm (I am a night runner. The later the better.) After the run, go home to sleep (hopefully this is around 10 or 11 o'clock), then wake up to get to the pool for about 10 to finish what I have left. That should fall under the Gold challenge, and if I manage to do that, and live to make it to the computer to type up my report, I am getting a new helmet. If you all don't vote for me to get one, I will make my wife buy me a new one. She seems to be enjoying the new shape my body is taking on from all this training, so she can pay for the benefit... :P
One final thing. As I live in a town that gets 310 days of rain a year, pray (or hope, if you aren't religious) for me to have nice weather. For those that want to try to simulate what it feels like to run in the rain here, do the following:
1) turn on your shower, full cold, as much water flow as possible. Low Flow shower heads not allowed, old-school-drain the reservoir in half an hour flow rates only.
2) now put your treadmill in the shower.
3) now put your shower, with treadmill, in a windtunnel. On a turntable. That only ever turns to the sides, then returns to the front (for some reason, tailwinds don't exist here).
Pray for me. I beg of you...
Comment
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Comment by romanmica on April 29, 2008 at 11:25am -
No Worries, you and Andy both will be taking the challenge in May for an April B-Day. I wrote Andy and said we'll wait on the April sponsor prems vote until you both finish.
So good luck, have fun, happy B-Day and take lots of pics to share with the rest of the us.
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Comment by Skinny on April 29, 2008 at 11:02am -
Birthday is tomorrow, however, just found out that after working an 11 hour night shift last night, I am required in court this afternoon, work another 11 hours tonight, and back in court tomorrow. So, even though I am an April birthday, I will be completing the challenge in May.
I just got back from a weekend in the city, and came home with some new gear as well. New shoes (probably split time with the old ones during the run), new aero bars (more adjustablilty, should work much better), and new bar tape (just to look cool during my 30 mile ride). I should get things started Thursday, hopefully in the morning. Swim til I'm either done, or can't move my arms, then get on the bike. Ride 30, rest/refuel, and then hit the run in the evening. While I will be happy to complete the Silver, I am going for Gold. Can never turn down a challenge...
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Comment by romanmica on April 24, 2008 at 9:24am
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I know you'll look good in that new Helmet.
But you may want something else. We should be getting a shipment of 2XU gear any day now and that may be something that will temp yo away from the helmet.
Anyway it sound like you are well on your way to getting the Challenge done. Please remember to take lots of photos so that you can share your Challenge with the rest of us and HAVE FUN!
Happy B-Day and Good Luck!
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