Training Log Archive: O Steve!

decided to not clock watch during my workouts so I don't end up trying to beat spits and pushing a bit to hard...a trap I can fall into....making the sessions to hard makes them less fun and long term that is is counterproductive....

all of these by feel..

classic 5 x 200 on 5:00:

3:21
3:25
3:27
3:23
3:21

1:41.7/100 avg...definitely off the mark from last year.....swimming is not coming around. Keep at it and see where I land....

exploring the idea of substituting the elliptical for run training to try and help my knee recover...

to spice it up a bit I did 4 x 5:00 intervals pushing to 125-130, no hands run simulation....

6:12 107 warm up
5:00 126
5:00 111
5:00 124
5:00 113
5:00 124
5:00 112
5:00 126

open water swim up north......water temps not bad.....

Tried running slow on treadmill.....abandoned due to knee pain

Sub for run due to pain

Out and back to cedar crossing to sabo
29:04 130 avg

barely recovered from Sunday I figured I would run long but also insert some speed/pace/tempo within my long run for efficiency......

rain?...no problem, I actually run better in the cool rain. Knee pain about a 3.5....still not getting better. Whatever....its not getting worse and I need to continue to work on getting my run back so I am in for a planned 90 minute run...playing hooky from work (working from home) again so lets run....

workout was as follows


6 x 4 min keeping HR <135/1 min walk recovery

then:

3 x 8 min tempo pace (HR <155)/2 min recovery

and then:

6 x 4 min keeping HR<135/1min recovery walk....

plus 2:22 run to finish run

HR breakdown

first 6 x (4/1) HRA 124...no break down

3 x 8 min tempo pace w/2 min recovery

8:00 144 HRA
2:00 124 HRA
8:00 149 HRA
2:00 129 HRA
8:00 150 HRA
2:00 131 HRA

last 6 x (4/1)

4:00 131 HRA
1:00 125 HRA
4:00 133 HRA
1:00 124 HRA
4:00 133 HRA
1:00 125 HRA
4:00 132 HRA
1:00 122 HRA
4:00 133 HRA
1:00 123 HRA
4:00 133 HRA
1:00 123 HRA

2:23 130 HRA



notes on workout:

-Did 8.2 miles in 132:30 averaged 11:16/mile including walk breaks....much better pace than last Sundays race...(but it was on twisty trails)....perhaps I could run close to 10 min/mile on a road 10 miler....with cool weather.
-cool rain is better than hot and sunny...
-I actually had moments I felt like I was moving with some decent pace...
-tempo segments were tough but paced along pretty well using my HR monitor to inspire me to push it up a bit....

random thoughts from the aging process...
-yeah, I post this aging stuff here where few people read it rather than other places were there is an audience....just me assessing and venting a bit.....
-Its probably a good idea to not to be to results focused on my 4 triathlons this year....I dont seem to have enough time to get to a speedier version of myself and along with the knee stiffness/lingering pain its keeping me from feeling like I can charge....I am going to try and shift to a more do it and enjoy it mode....
-I am really starting to wonder if my knee is going to get better....some of this is arthritis and might not.....but I have always believed time is on my side and hope by the next year I will continue to improve...
-I ran the trail 10 mile on Sunday hard and its now Thursday and I am still sore....just took the steps down without....doing them one at a time this morning....good grief this is getting in my way of getting back at it...
-I will admit my knee has me thinking more long term.....The main goal I have is to finish 300 Triathlon/tri multi sport events.....I am at 283 right now....17 to go. Hitting 300 in a lifetime likely makes me the most prolific triathletes in the state...if not the most. If my running becomes compromised I will evolve into more of a mt biker/hiker/road biker/xc skier...sounds like the typical old guy endurance plan...
-Not sure where orienteering fits in....I am reluctant to do it with me knee feeling tentative but could still might give an event or two a go...its been so long know I am really not up on my map reading/navigation....
-Single Track mt biiking is the most summer fun with the best workout at the moment...with all the single track we have and going to have in the cities I would like to do as much as I can in this arena....

wanted to get something in without killing myself....decided on 3 sets pf 4 x 100 on 2:00.....

here is how it went (mentally making sure I wasn't trying to go all out)

1:36
1:40
1:40
1:40

2:19 recovery

1:36
1:39
1:39
1:40
1:39 (miscounted and did extra one)

2:20 recovery

1:36
1:40
1:40
1:37

averaged 1:38.6/100.....not great but its where I am at

still to sore to do anything else.....this is an issue I am running into as I age. The delay and extended recovery time required after a hard race cuts in to my ability to execute on more quality training. I need to get in more speed work on the run and bike but my body just cant seem to handle it.

I love hard workouts but between my knee issues, extended recovery required (as well as spending time with the family) has conspired to keep me from the speed work I need to do....

I have always been a naturally mediocre endurance athlete but my ability to train to get a decent result is now very difficult but not likely to ever get better as I age.....I am assessing how I can training given all the abive so that I can get a bit faster. Right now I appear to be slowing more than I would like.....

..so very sore this morning....

Recovery ride on cedar bike trails.......legs incredibly sore

Bike over to Citytrail loppet and back....

Citytrail 10 mile trail race....

Hot and hard.....really felt like this course handled me and not the other way around.....started off with a decent pace on the roads but the first singletrack section felt like some early body blows as the warm weather required a cautious approach to pacing......after the first 5K I was keeping my effort in check (keep HR around 150-155) which saw my pace slowly eroding as others around me seemed to maintain and do better.....

by mile 5 I was very aware I need to pace this in or implode to a walk.....

...and I managed it but "raced" the last 5 at a tip toe pace that wasn't impressing anyone...including myself....

My knee help up pretty good and it got a significant test with all the twisty off camber singletrack.but with two miles to go, to add insult to injury, I developed a monster blister in my right foot instep that burst that resulted in stinging pain on every step....this on my bad knee side and left me wondering if my slight wincing stride would cause more trouble for my right knee...

I did manage to hold it together and ran the entire event with the exception of some tough hills those around me were walking and finished with Kari waiting for me as she had distanced my by 5 minutes at finish end....I crossed and laid in the shade and grass for 10 minutes before getting up to go have a beer....

I really missed every goal I set by a wide margin and really felt like I just got through it.....leaving me to ponder what events I will be doing in the future to match my current and future fitness level.

It was a great course and event....it was just a bit rough for me, but you are always glad to have done it and survived it even if I didnt do what I wanted to do.....

I guess there was some good news:

-managed a straight run at 153 avg HR for 2 hours without imploding
-my knee held up, despite the some slight pain and stiffness, on a twisty track
-I did manage to get some of my run back since my surgery in December.

I have never felt so behind the eight ball in fitness as now....my swim and run are off the mark and biking is a question mark at best....nothing to do but keep at it.....

C • Well... 2

easy spin saving it for tomorrow......

3 x 100 on 2:15

1:34
1:38
1:38

2:51 recovery

main set:

4 x 250 on 5:30

4:12
4:13
4:14
4:17

avg 1:42/100

last year I said it was terrible slow on the same workout when I averaged 1:40/100.....that means I am more terrible-er

dinking around before doing a lap in the skills area I crashed and bent my brake handle.....tried to bend it back and broke it off soooooooooo....I did a loop with just a front brake....had to baby it around and check my speed......which wasn't bad sense I have a run race sunday.....

one loop of the bog and dirt over and back....

Finally out on the triathlon bike.....felt like a broken down jalopy.....knee felt wonky....its not normal but I have to get ready with what Ive got....I certainly feel I am not close to being in the kind of shape to perform well...

make that 9 lbs of weight loss........

C • Yikes! 2

slow re-entry after stomach flu....didn't take much to get aerobic......

Full on stomach flu.....terrible. In bed/bathroom for 24 hours straight......lost 5 lbs of fluid.

finishing up? on mild upper respiratory infection.......but last night I noticed I have a mild stomach bug....its not terrible but I feel slightly nauseous

place holder workout.....and good for endurance I guess.....

12:30 pace continuous run on treadmill.....kpain was a 4, when I started it did not hurt much but as soon as I started I could feel it......

and rehab........

Funny that this article came out right after my Brewery Run impression...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-millennials-ended-...

this captures the things I have been noticing lately about endurance events....Triathlons, after huge growth from 2008-2012 level off and starting going down in numbers in 2014....and losing significant numbers. And now I don't know when it will end.....

C • WSJ article 3

Classic 10x100 on 2:15

1:32
1:34
1:34
1:34
1:34
1:35
1:35
1:36
1:39
1:36

Tough effort...faded. Slower than last year 1:34.9 avg

2:07 recovery
4x50 on 1:30

:49
:49
:47
:48

Easy cooldown 50

easy ride on dirt

Bike over to Lyn Lake Brewery and back....easy both ways

Brewery Running Series run event from Lyn Lake Brewery......wanted to check out one of these events just to see what it was all about.......Pretty simple really.....

today 300-400 people gathered at the Brewery. They said go and we were like a running flash mob out onto the streets where the crowd piled up at the stop lights and intersections waiting for the green light. I started at the back and quickly ran up to the top 15% of the field over time running about 9:10 pace. The crowd ran the side walks on the open course and I used the street a bit more to keep from getting crowded. Halfway through there was a water spot where we were encouraged to take our remaining water and dump it on a tree to water it.....no kidding. These crazy millennial do gooders...What they lack in running speed they make up in "community" involvement. Run a race, save a tree, drink a locally crafted beer.....

https://www.facebook.com/MNBreweryRunningSeries/vi...

The plan was to make this a tempo run and my last hard run before next weeks 10 miler. Accomplished that perfectly.

Then you got a "free" beer with your entry and I wet up top to the rooftop patio to enjoy the weather and atmosphere. A Half beer later I was buzzed and after awhile headed back home on my bike.

probably a fun thing to do with friends and plan to stay around for a couple maybe 3 beers......this event exploits the wonders of a endorphin-ed fueled beer buzz......and that is not a bad thing.....

C • beer 3

tired from the Brewery run event but here we go anyway....

7 x 50 on 1:30


:45
:44
:46
:43
:44
:46
:45

2:15 recovery

4 x 200

3:17
3:17
3:19
3:19 (went hard at end to drop below 3:20)

warmer weather...not use to it....this felt tougher than it should have....wore me out....HRA was not that high so not sure what it was....general fatigue?

2 N loops
20:07 124 HRA
19:32 134 HRA

Easy bog loop of 13:07

Hour-long family bike ride I did not log.....not enough effort to count..sore from my swim and my bike today.....very stiff

This went surprisingly well....beat last years same workout at the same time of year....perhaps I pushed a bit more?...anyway, I will take it......

2x50 on 1:30

:43
:44

:46 recovery

2x100 on 3:00

1:33
1:33

1:26 recovery

2x200 on 5:00

3:15
3:15

1:44 recovery

1x300

5:02

5 x 50 on 1:15 in :48 avg (estimated)

Kari (on her new mt bike)and I did a pre kid pick up mt bike ride at Wirth

N loop in a mild 20:58

Impromptu post race craft brewery tour with Kari capped a great day

Forgot to add...highlight of yrsterday was high fiving Burt Carlson during his warm up....91 years old and nails the 10k in 1:45....new state record?

Sore body and knee....drug it through an easy spin