Week 5 of Ironman Prep Training Phase – 07/19/2010

Ahhh, back to normal life again...no traveling this week, no crazy schedules, just normal life and back in the groove of Ironman training.

The theme for this week was swimming.  I made an unplanned decision early in the week to put in as much swim volume as possible.  It looked liked I could get in about 16K for the week if everything went right.  In the end I fell a little short because of some bad weather that prevented me from doing a 1.6 mile open-water swim on Friday, but I was pleased with what I attained.

The Swim
I hit all 3 swim workouts in the Endurance Nation Ironman prep training plan for the week plus a couple extra to achieve my highest ever yardage in the pool of 12,000 meters for the week.  I felt great in each and every workout to the point where the muscle memory of excellent stroke technique was very ingrained by the end of the week.  I'm thinking about carrying this same load another week to see what happens.  The swim is a low-impact, recovery-type discipline for me and I know I can put in some major volume without risking a blow up or injury - I just have to be mindful of the slightest twinge on the shoulder.

The Bike
After having a decrease in bike volume last week from all the travel, I was ready to get back at it this week with a serious focus on hitting both the prescribed volume and intensity from my training plan.  I'm pleased to say I did just that.  I'm starting to feel the increase in fitness from the big miles I put in in Madison a couple weeks ago.  I'm feeling much stronger in the saddle!

The Run
I did my longest run this year on Wednesday - just over 18 miles - and hit all the prescribed paces even though it was in very warm and very humid conditions.  I crossed some big mental hurdles toward the end of the run which is giving me great confidence in my ability to push through the pain and suffering that is inevitable late in the Ironman marathon.

Body Composition
It appears the increased training load of Ironman-specific training has led my body to crave more food.  I'm still eating very well - lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats and healthy fats, no processed foods - but I can't seem to get enough on my plate!  My weight has come up a bit, hovering in the 170-171 lbs area, which may also be due to excess water weight since fluid intake has been much higher due to the heat.  Additionally, I'm consciously taking in more salt with my food so I probably am retaining more water. My goal is to be in the 167-168 lbs area for IMWI.

Here's the day-by-day view of the training I did for the week followed by a summary of the week's data:

Monday: Speed day: started with 8 mile morning run with 3 x 1 mile at 6:08/6:01/5:54 pace and 1.5 miles at 6:45 pace.  In pool at lunch for an excellent 3,330 yards.  Surprised myself on paces during a very tough 2,500 yard set.

Tuesday: 1 hour on the trainer with 30/30s and 15 minutes at .8 IF followed by 4.5 mile brick run.  Nice to hammer out some 30/30s again!  Then did my longest swim of the year at lunch: 4,100 yards with 3,500 yard set at or below my T-pace (1:28/100 yards).  Stroke never broke down but it hurt!

Wednesday: Long run: 18.1 miles, 2:10, last 4.5 miles at marathon pace was BRUTAL!  Kept telling myself "It's mile 18" - ended up nailing it.  Then easy recovery swim at lunch of 2,000 yards of easy swimming with drillwork.  Felt great to stretch out and let the legs soak in the cool water after the morning run.

Thursday: 3,300 meters in outdoor pool.  Feeling major fatigue after yesterday's long run - tough to get the body moving this morning.  Then did an easy 5 mile lunchtime run with strides.  Man, did that long run leave me shelled!!  Hope to bounce back strong for tomorrow's long ride.

Friday: Long ride in very hot and humid weather: 87 miles, 4:15, 52 minutes of threshold power (FTP) work, 75 minutes of "sweet spot" work (80-85% of FTP) and 80 minutes at 75-80% of FTP.  Solid workout with over 260 TSS points at an IF of .78.  Transitioned to a 30' brick run at 7:15 pace.  Took in over 200 oz of fluids on the ride and still lost 6 lbs.

Saturday: Nice to sleep in for a change (no early morning workout).  Did get in a 35 minute easy run later in the morning with some strides to keep the legs loose.  Then did a great 30' yoga session afterwards.

Sunday: Great ABP (always be pushing) ride with fellow EN teammate and friend Matt Ancona on his home course in the Barrington, IL area.  Perfect weather and great roads.  He had me digging deep and hammering the final hour - exactly the kind of riding I needed!

Totals for the week:

Training duration: 17:36
Time spent at or above FTP on the bike: 69'
Time spent at or below lactate threshold pace on the run: 53'
Avg bike intensity factor (% of FTP): .775
Mileage: 220 miles (Swim: 12K, Bike: 169 miles, Run: 43 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 1232
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 132.9
Training Stress alance (TSB): -27.3
Weight: 170.0
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 55.3 (but training at 56)

Performance Management Chart through week 5 of Ironman Prep Training:

Week 4 of Ironman Prep Training Phase – 07/12/2010

This week was a bit of a challenge in that I had an early morning flight to Las Vegas on Monday (I arrived home from the EN Madison Tri Camp Sunday afternoon) where I was holed up in business meetings through Thursday.  So, this triggered the creative juices to flow in terms of how I would schedule my workouts.  Welcome to the life of the typical age group triathlete.

Luckily, my legs were pretty shelled from all of the riding from the triathlon camp in Madison so taking a break from the bike was a given.  And running for the first couple days in Vegas was also not advised.  So I focused on recovery for a couple days, then got back at it with some light workouts and resumed normal training by the weekend.  The tough part of the recovery focus was getting the sleep my body was craving since the week would be filled with many long dinners and subsequent late nights.

The Swim
As many times as I've been to Vegas in the past couple years while training for triathlons I have a "go to" pool that serves my needs...the Las Vegas Athletic Club.  The nice thing about this club is that it's open 24 hours - nice for someone whose body clock is 2 hours ahead of Pacific time, so going to swim at 4:00am is no big deal.  I only went once this week but it turned out to be a decent, comfortable swim on the heels of the big tri week.

The Bike
As I mentioned, this would be a "down" week for me and the bike.  I did get a short spin in on Thursday on a spin bike in the hotel.  I threw in some harder efforts just to see where the legs were at.  By this time, my legs were feeling pretty decent so I know I was recovering well from the hard training last week.

I had a great long ride on Friday riding pretty comfortably for 4 hours, nailing all of my power zones during the intervals.  But during my 3 hour ride on Saturday (where I was trying to hold 80-85% of FTP) I just didn't have it.  The power was slowly falling throughout the ride, no matter how much my mind was telling my legs to push harder - probably the fatigue from the previous week in combination with the hot and humid weather from the previous day's 4 hour ride where I lost 7 pounds of fluid!

The Run
My running has been kicking some butt lately - I've been feeling great despite startting most runs feeling pretty fatigued.  But after the big tri week I wanted to be sure I didn't do anything stupid that could dig me into a big fatigue hole or, even worse, injure myself.  So I chilled from running for a couple days and picked it back up on Wednesday with an easy 10 miler that left me hungry for more - again, I knew I nailed my recovery and was ready to get back at it.  The rest of the week, though, was just short easy/steady runs.

Body Composition
Despite being at a business meeting where every meal is buffet-style I stayed disciplined and made smart choices.  I did allow myself one binge at Nobu (sushi!!) but it's not like it was In-n-Out Burger for God's sake!

I came home weighing a pound less than when I had left.  This was probably due to water loss from the 110 degree temps!

Here's the day-by-day view of the training I did for the week followed by a summary of the week's data:

Monday: -60 TSB after IMWI tri rally means day off today. Solid 10 hrs of sleep last night. Wish I didn't have to sit on plane for 3 hours!

Tuesday: 2500m smooth, steady swim in Las Vegas Athletic Club pool.

Wednesday: Easy 10 mile run to test out legs.  Felt great!  Legs are back!  Enjoyed the awesome Las Vegas sunrise but 92 degrees at 5:00am sucks.  Binged on some Nobu sushi for dinner.

Thursday: 45 minutes on hotel spin bike, then 5 mile steady-effort brick run down the Strip.  Legs are 100% and ready for a long ride tomorrow.

Friday: Day started with a 1.6 mile open water swim sans wetsuit.  Felt a big difference in swim time and smoothness of my stroke without the added buoyancy.  Then got in an 82 mile ride later in the day at .79 IF and 260 TSS in 4 hours followed by a 3 mile run at 6:30 pace.  Took in 160 oz fluids and still lost 7 pounds!

Saturday: Horrible 3 hour ABP (always be pushing) ride this morning - power outage at halfway point. Only manged .7 IF and 148 TSS.  I need me some rest and hydration!  Highlight of the day (and week) was Date Night with Andrea!
Sunday: Rest/recovery day.  Spent most of it hanging with Drew where we cheered on friends racing the Racine 70.3 triathlon.

Totals for the week:

Training duration: 11:39
Time spent at or above FTP on the bike: 32'
Time spent at or below lactate threshold pace on the run: 10'
Avg bike intensity factor (% of FTP): .742
Mileage: 176 miles (Swim: 5.2K, Bike: 155 miles, Run: 17.25 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 708
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 125
Training Stress alance (TSB): -7.6 (-56 at the beginning of the week - recovery worked!!)
Weight: 169.0
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 55.3 (but training at 56)
Performance Management Chart through week 4 of Ironman Prep Training:

Week 3 of Ironman Prep Training Phase / Big Tri Training Week – 07/05/2010

I've had the week of July 5th highlighted on my calendar for quite a while. This was the week I was going to throw a ton of triathlon training time and miles at the body to give my all-around triathlon fitness a big spike. The week was going to conclude with the Endurance Nation Madison Tri Rally, a loosely organized gathering of fellow EN members and non-members, as well as Q&A with one of the coaches. We all did a lot of on-course training and socializing.

Due to work and personal life commitments that came up early in the week I wasn't able to really crank up the training volume as much as I had intended, especially on the bike and swim. But in the end I was happy with the overall effectiveness of the week in terms of the training stress I put my body through. So here's a day-by-day view of the training I did for the week followed by a summary of the week's data:

Monday: 7 mile, 45 minute run in Michigan before heading back home from the 4^th of July weekend. The workout consisted of 2 x 1.5 mile intervals at threshold pace (6:07/6:05). I was happy with the effort given the tired legs and humid conditions.

Tuesday: 30 mile, 90 minute ride with 50 minutes of FTP work. Total ride IF=.86. Then did a 5 mile, 35 minute brick run with 2.5 miles at half marathon pace. Lots of work in a short amount of time = money in tha bank!

Wednesday: VERY tough long run: 17 miles, 125 minutes with 5 miles at half marathon pace and 3 miles at marathon pace. Hit some very dark places due to the humid conditions but made it through. Definitely a run to remember when the going gets tough in Ironman!

Thursday: Woke up very tired this morning but got by butt in the pool for a 2,600m rainy swim anyway. Then did a very easy 20 mile, 60 minute spin. Due to the fatigue I was feeling I adjusted the plan to be ready for the EN Madison training camp starting tomorrow.

Friday: 112 mile race simulation ride on the IMWI bike course: 5:40 ride time. Felt like the easiest ride of the year – nice and steady effort on a beautiful day. Transitioned to a 6 mile, 45 minute brick run along Lake Monona and into downtown Madison with 3 miles at race pace plus 30 seconds (8:15/mile) and 3 miles at goal race pace (7:45/mile). Felt great the whole 6+ hours.

Saturday: Rode 3 loops of the IMWI bike course with friend and EN teammate, Matt Ancona. 123 miles in just under 7 hours (most miles I’ve ever done at once). Then did a 4 mile brick run at long run pace. I hit a few difficult spots but I always found a way out of them and kept the pedals turning. Great, epic training day!

Sunday: 13.3 mile run in 115 minutes with EN teammates and new friends, Trevor Garson and Dan Gilliatt, on the IMWI run course. My legs were definitely feeling the fatigue in the first couple miles but things got loosened up to the point where I was feeling pretty smooth and strong. Nice to experience that feeling as it will help me prepare for the impending fatigue that will come late in the marathon on race day. Great company made for a great run no matter how the legs are feeling!

Totals for the week:
Training duration: 22 hours 40 minutes
Mileage: 337 miles (Swim: 2.6K, Bike: 282 miles, Run: 53 miles)
TSS: 1,312
CTL: 129.2
TSB: -52.4 (big hole=FATIGUE!)
Total calories burned: 10,566

Performance Management Chart through week 3 of Ironman Prep Training:


So, was the week a success?? Oh, yeah! I would have liked to have gotten more miles on the bike, as well as some more time in the pool, but given the time I had available to train I was able to maximize the training effect I was looking for.

The numbers (miles/training time) from the weekend seem daunting and many people have asked me, "How does your body not shut down being out there that long?" I found that the keys to being able to continually hit the body with big miles in consecutive days was a great amount of sleep and a focus on excellent nutrition. As long as I carved out the time and discipline for these two things I was ready for more the next day.

Week 2 of 12 of Ironman Prep Training Phase - 06/28/2010

After a good first week of Ironman-specific training last week, I was eager to hit each workout to its fullest this week.  I'm happy to say I did just that and felt really good doing it.  The week ended in Michigan visiting family for the 4th of July Holiday.  I was able to get in some good, quality workouts while in Michigan and also did a 5K run for fun with my brother-in-law, Lonnie.

The Swim

Good swim workouts this week including an "extra" swim a few hours after my long run where I just swam easy and focused on drills, executing proper form and control.  Also had a nice open water swim where I just swam a steady Ironman-type effort.  Feeling smooth again this week.

The Bike

Continuing to find it tough to hit the FTP intervals and sustain 300 watts or greater.  The thought has crossed my mind that with my new very lean body composition I may have loss some muscle, i.e. strength, and have a tough time willing my legs to find and hold these hard efforts.  Or maybe I'm just being a sissy.  Either way, I'm focused each and every bike workout to keep at it and give it all I got to extend the amount of time I'm in the 300 watt zone.

I did have some nice long rides over the weekend in Michigan, including a beautiful evening ride along the Lake Michigan shoreline communities and East to my in-laws' lake house just north of Kalamazoo.  Andrea dropped me off about 80 miles from their house as we were driving to Michigan for the 4th of July weekend.  Then Sunday morning I rode one of my favorite routes around the Gun Lake/Yankee Springs area - very "Madison-esque" with plenty of rollers and some challenging, steep climbs.

The Run

Running is clicking along pretty well right now.  I had the best long run of the year on Wednesday hitting every single interval and feeling really good doing it.  Even after the run my body and legs felt awesome.  In the past, my body and legs have hurt after these long efforts.  Now, probably due to the increased emphasis on my nutrition, stretching, core strengthening and body composition, I haven't been feeling any bad residual effects of these serious workouts.

I also ran a 5K with my brother-in-law the Saturday of 4th of July weekend in Richland, MI (Pace for Poverty 5K).  Since I had finished a 80 mile ride only 12 hours before the race I wasn't sure the effort I could lay down but in the end I was pleased with what I put together: a new Vdot (55.3) and only about 20 seconds from a personal best (18:23).  I was happy for Lonnie - he set a personal best!!

Body Composition

Still maintaining 169-170 lbs which is just a pound or so above where I think I'll be for race day. I'm finding my body is craving higher volumes of food but I'm still eating the same foods: lean meats, lots of fruits and veggies and no processed foods.

Here are the day-to-day highlights for the week:

Monday: 5:00am run with 3 x 1 mile at 6:08 pace. Then a 50 minute lunchtime swim getting in 3,000m of lots of hard intervals. Good start to the week!

Tuesday: "Grind-it-out" ride this morning with 4 x 10' at FTP followed by 4.5 mile brick run with 3 x 4' at 6:20/mi pace (half marathon pace). Legs never really woke up.

Wednesday: Nailed the long run on this beautiful morning (low 50s, sunny and no humidity): 15.5 miles in 1:50 with 3 miles at marathon pace and 4 miles at half marathon pace.  Had an easy lunchtime swim with drills and a focus on good form.

Thursday: 60 minute early morning swim in the outdoor pool with tons 'o intervals.  Easy lunchtime run with strides.

Friday: Open water swim in the morning crusing along for 1.6 miles at Ironman intensity. During drive from Chicago to Michigan I got booted from the car near the MI/IN border and biked the 80 miles to the in-laws' lake house in 3.5 hrs.

Saturday: New Vdot in local 5K this morning. Not where I wanted it to be but hard as I could go on 12 hrs rest after 80 mi ride last night.

Sunday: 3 hour ride at .8 IF - just a steady/hard ride through the Michigan countryside.

Data for week 2 of Ironman prep phase:

Time spent training: 15:28
Time spent at or above FTP on bike: 38'
Time spent at or below LTHR pace on run: 63'
Avg bike Intensity Factor (% of FTP) = .783
Mileage: 208 (Swim: 9.5K, Bike: 162 miles, Run: 40 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 1099
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 117.4 TSS/d
Training Stress Balance (TSB): -29.6
Weight: 169.5 lbs
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 55.3 (Pace for Poverty 5K: 18:23)

Performance Management Chart (PMC) through 26 weeks of training:

Week 1 of 12 of Ironman Prep Training Phase - 06/21/2010

This week is the beginning of the serious training!  With 12 weeks to go until Ironman Wisconsin the training takes a higher priority than it has in the past 24 weeks when I could let things slip a bit.  This is GO TIME - time to put the head down, pay attention to every detail and not let things get in the way of achieving my goals.

Speaking of goals...I put it out to the masses this week.  My goal for IMWI is to qualify for the Ironman World Championships on Kailua-Kona, Hawaii!!!  I've had it in the back of my mind since this training season began but with the running injury early in the year I didn't know if I could achieve the fitness it would take to contend for a qualifying spot in Madison.  Well, with recent race results and where I feel  I am with my training and mental fu right now I know I can give it a go.  I'll write more about what it's going to take and how I plan to execute in subsequent posts but, for now, just know that training has taken on a whole new meaning.

Besides this week marking the start of higher volume Ironman prep training I also threw in a local sprint triathlon race for fun.  My race report is here.  Since I did a Half Ironman race on Saturday preceding this week my plan was to do a mini-transition into this intense period of training, ideally a light week of doing whatever workouts I wanted.  But after the race my body was feeling great - very little fatigue and my mind was clear (not burned out by the previous 24 weeks of training/racing).  I did take 2 days completely off after the race, then spent the next 2 days just doing light stuff (easy runs, easy spins, easy swims).  By Wednesday I was hitting the Ironman training plan workouts and nailed the long run on Thursday.

Anyway, here are the highlights from this first week of a new, very important phase of training:

The Swim
Stuck to the prescribed swim workouts for the most part.  No matter what I do in the pool it's just a nice, therapeutic feeling to be off the legs and let the body stretch out, especially in the few days following a race.  My stroke was feeling a little "off" all week, though, which I just chalked up to a little fatigue and lack of focus.

The Bike
Didn't get back on the bike until Tuesday (very short, easy spin) but really it was Wednesday that I got serious and hit my first hard interval session of the week.  It felt great to do my first long, "Endurance Nation/Ironman training" ride of the season on Friday.

The Run
The run was the last thing I threw into to my training schedule after the race.  I stayed out of the shoes until Wednesday where I did just a very easy 30' jog but ended up nailing my long run on Thursday.  That's when I knew I was ready to go with resuming the serious training.

Body Composition
Maintaining 169-170 lbs which is just a pound or so above where I think I'll be for race day.  After the Half Ironman I took a couple days of eating anything I craved, but I found my body was eager to get back to my healthy nutrition it has become accustomed to.

Here are the day-to-day highlights for the week:

Monday: Gave the body a nice stretching out with 30' of yoga first thing in the morning.  Hit the pool at lunch with a bunch of 100m intervals followed by 2 x 300m hard.  Total of 2,700m for the session.

Tuesday: Did a very short, easy spin on the trainer before swimming 3,000m in the outdoor pool with some longer sets than yesterday (endurance-flavor swim).  Tough set but swimming in the sunshine helped make it enjoyable.

Wednesday:  90' reunion with the trainer due to t-storms with 55' at 97% of FTP. Total ride was 86% of FTP and 120 TSS. Easy run at lunch.

Thursday: Long run done: 100', 14 miles including 6 miles at marathon pace or faster. Then hit the ice bath...ahhhh!!

Friday: Great day of training in the books: 1.6 mile open water swim during a beautiful sunrise.  85 miles/4 hour ride in afternoon at .79 IF & 247 TSS followed by 30'/4.25mi brick run.  Refueled with Mexican food with Drew and Andrea in the evening!!

Saturday: No training today. Focus on the family: big breakfast, shopping, bike parade, picnic lunch, swimming, ice cream cones, USA soccer...I LOVE IT!

Sunday: Twin Lakes Sprint Triathlon: total crap swim, okay bike, decent run. Lucky to get 5th overall and 1st in age group. Props to friend and fellow ENer Matt Ancona for the overall win!  Got in 1 hour of "always be pushing" ride after the race until thunderstorms forced me to call it quits.

Data for week 1 of Ironman prep phase:

Time spent training: 12:53
Time spent at or above FTP on bike: 59'
Time spent at or below LTHR pace on run: 36'
Avg bike Intensity Factor (% of FTP) = .789
Mileage: 175 (Swim: 8.4K, Bike: 143 miles, 26 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 916
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 112.1 TSS/d
Training Stress Balance (TSB): -11.9
Weight: 170.0 lbs
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 54.3

Performance Management Chart (PMC) through 25 weeks of training: