The difficult part of the week is over. I finished the last of my 3 challenging runs this morning...120 minutes at 11-15% incline on the treadmill for a total of 10.1 miles. As physically challenging as it was, the mental aspect of this was even worse. One thing that is exciting though is the fact that I had not even put any thought into how much this was equivalent to in terms of ascent. Upon arriving at work, I grabbed my Wizard...10.1 miles times the sine of 11 times 5280 ft/mile = 10175'. What?! Certainly I must have calculated that incorrectly. Nope, it's correct. Cool! The most challenging day of the race is going to be ~22-26 miles with 6000-7000' of elevation change. Yes, running on the treadmill is only a weak surrogate for running on trails, I'm not at altitude, and I'm also not pounding the crap out of my quads on the downhills, but at this point, just two weeks in, I'm thinking that I'm progressing better than I had hoped.
But what I'm most excited about, shockingly, is my swimming. I had my second lesson on Tuesday. After the first lesson and two subsequent swims on my own, it was time to try to start breathing. Never has something so simple and natural like taking a breath posed such a challenge. But by the end of the lesson, I was able to swim the entire length of the pool while breathing properly. (Of course, properly is used very loosely here. My form that I have worked on for the past three sessions has completely gone to shit. If Lloyd Christmas were ever to swim, I'm pretty sure we'd look quite similar.) Thursday night was supposed to be my 3rd lesson but my instructor was a no-show. I still swam. I did a total of 11oo yards in 25 to 50 yard intervals with ~60 seconds respites. Yes! 50 yard intervals! After a about ten 25 yard repeats, a couple of changes to my technique, and some timing changes, I was feeling optimistic and invigorated (though at the start of practice I was pissed and ready to go home because I was doing so poorly). So I decided to try a 50 yard lap without stopping to rest. Success! I was definitely excited at this point but also said to myself "La Di F-ing Da. Just do that about 50 more times and you're up to the distance you'll need for the triathlon. Now stop getting excited about something stupid and get back to work." I did 50 yard repeats the rest of the session and even succeeded in doing 75 yards at the end. There were problems along the way like crashing into the rope, swallowing what seemed like a few gallons of water, the occasional snort of water up my nose (I don't even breathe through my nose, how the F did I get water up there!?!?!), but it was a success nonetheless. I'm sure Helen would be very impressed, too.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Week 13 Summary
Weekly Totals:
Exercise Time 10:50
Running 6x, 33.85 miles
Biking 2x, ~50 miles
Swimming 2x
End of week averages:
Weight (lbs) 160.5
Body Fat (%) 6.7
Caloric Averages:
Expended 3511/day
Consumed 3451/day
Fat 104g (27%) CHO 473g (55%) P 140g (16%) ROH 8g (2%) Fiber 56g
Delta -60 cal/day
Exercise Time 10:50
Running 6x, 33.85 miles
Biking 2x, ~50 miles
Swimming 2x
End of week averages:
Weight (lbs) 160.5
Body Fat (%) 6.7
Caloric Averages:
Expended 3511/day
Consumed 3451/day
Fat 104g (27%) CHO 473g (55%) P 140g (16%) ROH 8g (2%) Fiber 56g
Delta -60 cal/day
Well Goddamn it Indy, where doesn't it hurt?!
So my weekend was rather uneventful. Nothing materialized for either evening and the plans I was hoping for on Sunday got crapped on. So what did I end up doing? Working out excessively, of course.
My workout week (which runs Sunday to Saturday) was good. I had spent the past few weeks resting and taking it relatively easy. My goal was to gain a few pounds and some body fat before I started training for the Rockies race. I was only somewhat successful though. I got my weight up to 162.2 but that is around where I usually bottom-out at around marathon time. I'm normally up closer to 170 at the start of a training season. My body fat increased to 6.7%. Having just purchased the test equipment 6 weeks ago, I'm not really sure where I should be. But, that is the highest its been since I started measuring it.
I kicked off the new week on Sunday with an hour of lifting, an hour in the pool swimming intervals (still just practicing my stroke), an hour-forty bike ride, and an hour run. 4:40 total workout time. I was definitely exhausted after all that and every muscle seemed sore. Well, I thought I knew everything that was sore but when I hopped in the shower I found even more soreness (chafing). Ouch! I'm pretty sure I screamed like Indy did when the mirror clocked him in the chin.
Monday night was a long, slow run. My goal was 2.5 hours at a very slow pace. Even with the heat (~86F after work) I still found it hard to run my slower than low 8s. I did 17.9 miles in 2:34:18 for an 8:37 pace. Too fast for this kind of workout. But, at least I felt much better than I expected after Sunday's almost 5 hour session. And, my elbow felt fine, too.
My workout week (which runs Sunday to Saturday) was good. I had spent the past few weeks resting and taking it relatively easy. My goal was to gain a few pounds and some body fat before I started training for the Rockies race. I was only somewhat successful though. I got my weight up to 162.2 but that is around where I usually bottom-out at around marathon time. I'm normally up closer to 170 at the start of a training season. My body fat increased to 6.7%. Having just purchased the test equipment 6 weeks ago, I'm not really sure where I should be. But, that is the highest its been since I started measuring it.
I kicked off the new week on Sunday with an hour of lifting, an hour in the pool swimming intervals (still just practicing my stroke), an hour-forty bike ride, and an hour run. 4:40 total workout time. I was definitely exhausted after all that and every muscle seemed sore. Well, I thought I knew everything that was sore but when I hopped in the shower I found even more soreness (chafing). Ouch! I'm pretty sure I screamed like Indy did when the mirror clocked him in the chin.
Monday night was a long, slow run. My goal was 2.5 hours at a very slow pace. Even with the heat (~86F after work) I still found it hard to run my slower than low 8s. I did 17.9 miles in 2:34:18 for an 8:37 pace. Too fast for this kind of workout. But, at least I felt much better than I expected after Sunday's almost 5 hour session. And, my elbow felt fine, too.
Friday, June 22, 2007
So far, so good...so what!
Training has officially begun and the first week was a success. Based on numerous training schedules that I’ve perused and machinated to fit my needs, it appears that my key workouts are going to consist of three successive days of long and ‘challenging’ runs. These runs will be on the trails, on hills, and/or (unfortunately) on treadmills set at steep inclines. Speed is not the focus of these runs…time on my feet at incline will be. Wednesday morning was 60 minutes on the treadmill at 11-15% incline, Thursday was a 75 minute trail run at Fair Hill, and Friday was a 90 minute treadmill run at 11-13% incline. I also threw in a 20 mile bike ride Thursday night. At this point in time, my glutes feel like they could make a movie about me and name it after Terrance and Philip’s famous biopic, though obviously for different reasons. (Ironic, considering most of you would agree that, at any other time, this movie title would be appropriate for me for the very same reasons as it is for T+P!)
Thursday’s trail run was probably the first time I ran in the woods at FH (or on any trail) in over 5 years. Damn it was nice! I really miss running on trails. That is definitely what I miss most about my switch from FH to APN. It was also wonderful being on a real road bike for the first time ever. Justin is letting me train on his bike and the difference between that and my non-tuned-up, 10+ year old P.O.S. mountain bike that hadn’t left my basement in over 5 years was amazing. Riding from home to Rte 1 took 80 minutes on my bike and just 67 on Justin’s. Sweet ride!
I’m happy the first week’s difficult workouts are finished. But that was easy. Maintaining this effort for the next 12 weeks and gradually increasing these runs into the 3, 4, and 5 hour range is daunting. Daunting? How about terrifying? Its moments like these where I think about Ian sitting in Wyatt’s room moments before the missile shoots through his bedroom floor and he screams “I’m shitting in my pants!!!” Fortunately, I’m not wearing a bra on my head.
Thursday’s trail run was probably the first time I ran in the woods at FH (or on any trail) in over 5 years. Damn it was nice! I really miss running on trails. That is definitely what I miss most about my switch from FH to APN. It was also wonderful being on a real road bike for the first time ever. Justin is letting me train on his bike and the difference between that and my non-tuned-up, 10+ year old P.O.S. mountain bike that hadn’t left my basement in over 5 years was amazing. Riding from home to Rte 1 took 80 minutes on my bike and just 67 on Justin’s. Sweet ride!
I’m happy the first week’s difficult workouts are finished. But that was easy. Maintaining this effort for the next 12 weeks and gradually increasing these runs into the 3, 4, and 5 hour range is daunting. Daunting? How about terrifying? Its moments like these where I think about Ian sitting in Wyatt’s room moments before the missile shoots through his bedroom floor and he screams “I’m shitting in my pants!!!” Fortunately, I’m not wearing a bra on my head.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
But Mr. Creosote, its just a wafer thin mint…
Did I mention that I’m also hoping to train for triathlons this summer? Yes, I’m going to hopefully run a Half Ironman in September. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. Justin, my triathlete roommate, has been trying to convince me for some time to try one. I actually convinced myself that this was a good idea several weeks ago. With all of the running and lifting I do already, what’s so hard about adding a couple of swims and bike rides to my weekly schedule, right?
However, one minor problem has kept me from doing this sooner. I can’t swim. I can propel myself 10 or 15 meters using a spastic and short-bus looking freestyle stroke, stop, tread water and regain my breath, then repeat. Hardly the technique I’ll need to compete in a race. So I took my first swimming lesson Tuesday. Man, do I suck. I can’t even begin to describe this ricockulous excuse for swimming with any brevity. About half way through the lesson, after my instructor has already had me try to focus (simultaneously, no less) on my arm movements, my kick, my breathing, and the depth of my head and shoulders in the water (which may I mention that at <6% body fat I sink like a freaking bag of rocks…screw all those heifers zooming by me in the adjacent lanes!!!), I decide to instruct the instructor. “How about this…all I’m going to do is practice getting my arms to do what they’re supposed to do. I’m going to just hold my breath as long as I can and focus on my arms.” It worked. By the end of the session, I was actually making some progress. It was also pretty cool that I impressed him by swimming the entire length of the pool without taking a breath. I’m actually looking forward to my next lesson. One word of wisdom to anybody else looking to swim…chlorine &*@#ing burns your eyes! …they (feel) like burning! After 30+ minutes in the pool and keeping my eyes open when my head was in the water, the entire whites of my eyes had turned bright red. Its 16 hours later and I can still feel some burning when I close my eyes. Think I might need to buy some goggles.
However, one minor problem has kept me from doing this sooner. I can’t swim. I can propel myself 10 or 15 meters using a spastic and short-bus looking freestyle stroke, stop, tread water and regain my breath, then repeat. Hardly the technique I’ll need to compete in a race. So I took my first swimming lesson Tuesday. Man, do I suck. I can’t even begin to describe this ricockulous excuse for swimming with any brevity. About half way through the lesson, after my instructor has already had me try to focus (simultaneously, no less) on my arm movements, my kick, my breathing, and the depth of my head and shoulders in the water (which may I mention that at <6% body fat I sink like a freaking bag of rocks…screw all those heifers zooming by me in the adjacent lanes!!!), I decide to instruct the instructor. “How about this…all I’m going to do is practice getting my arms to do what they’re supposed to do. I’m going to just hold my breath as long as I can and focus on my arms.” It worked. By the end of the session, I was actually making some progress. It was also pretty cool that I impressed him by swimming the entire length of the pool without taking a breath. I’m actually looking forward to my next lesson. One word of wisdom to anybody else looking to swim…chlorine &*@#ing burns your eyes! …they (feel) like burning! After 30+ minutes in the pool and keeping my eyes open when my head was in the water, the entire whites of my eyes had turned bright red. Its 16 hours later and I can still feel some burning when I close my eyes. Think I might need to buy some goggles.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Chrysalis of an adventure (How does somebody decide to do something this stupid?)
So why do something like this? Stupidity is the first thing that would pop into the mind of most people. Now, I’m not trying to say that this event is am not stupid (or that I'm not stupid). Let’s step back to the summer of 1997. At this point in my life, my running ‘career’ consisted of a few weekly runs during college to counteract my pizza and alcohol consumption. I ran a couple of 5ks after graduating (in 1994) and I think one 10 miler and one half marathon. My roommate, Ira, had run a marathon and I thought it would be cool to someday have that accomplishment under my belt. However, 2 years later, I still hadn’t thought it was so cool that I actually started training for one.
I was walking through the FairHill lab one day and overheard two friends (Chris McKay and William Sekyi) discussing their running plans. Apparently, they both decided to begin training for the November 1997 Philadelphia Marathon. What? By the time I left the lab, I had decided something to the effect of “Well, if you two can do it, so can I.” That’s right. I started running marathons for the simple reasons of ego and pride.
What did a wise man once say about pride? “You may feel a slight sting. That’s pride (messing) with you. (Screw) pride! Pride only hurts, it never helps.” Well, I have to say that after 18 marathons, I’m glad I followed Butch’s lead and ignored the advice.
Fast forward to this winter...I’m included on a Gore email detailing the inaugural Gore-Tex TransRockies Run. As the name suggests, it’s sponsored by Gore and it’s in the Rockies. I glance at the website and think “Yeah, that sounds awesome. I’ve been thinking that after I p.r. in the marathon this May, I’ll need to do something different for a while.” Then I remove my head from the orifice from which it obviously must have recently relocated and think “What?! 20+ miles per day for 6 days. At altitude. With 25000 feet of elevation gain.” Not exactly my idea of courage…more like…suicide. And then I find out that Gore is not footing the bill for any of us who participate. Ok, so now not only is it a stupid idea for me, it’s expensive. There are plenty of stupid things I can do (and have done, as many of you have witnessed) for far less money than that.
Last week another Gore email is circulated. Gore is paying for 4 teams! Cool. But I’m still not doing it. There is also the need for volunteers. Volunteers, after paying to get themselves to the race, are fed, sheltered, and transported between stages during the race in exchange for their services (working the Gore hospitality tent or an aid station). And, they get to run one of the stages of the race. This sounds great. If I pay for a plane ticket to Denver, I’ll get a week in the Rockies with other runners and a taste of what it will be like if I decide to do it next year. So I email the guy leading the efforts to recruit runners and volunteers and tell him to sign me up as a volunteer.
Less than a day later, I’m speaking with a friend who is interested in volunteering as well. During the conversation I learn that (insert two anonymous names here) are going to run the race. What?! I didn’t even know they were marathon runners. I’m told that they’re not. Well, if they can do it, so can I.
I was walking through the FairHill lab one day and overheard two friends (Chris McKay and William Sekyi) discussing their running plans. Apparently, they both decided to begin training for the November 1997 Philadelphia Marathon. What? By the time I left the lab, I had decided something to the effect of “Well, if you two can do it, so can I.” That’s right. I started running marathons for the simple reasons of ego and pride.
What did a wise man once say about pride? “You may feel a slight sting. That’s pride (messing) with you. (Screw) pride! Pride only hurts, it never helps.” Well, I have to say that after 18 marathons, I’m glad I followed Butch’s lead and ignored the advice.
Fast forward to this winter...I’m included on a Gore email detailing the inaugural Gore-Tex TransRockies Run. As the name suggests, it’s sponsored by Gore and it’s in the Rockies. I glance at the website and think “Yeah, that sounds awesome. I’ve been thinking that after I p.r. in the marathon this May, I’ll need to do something different for a while.” Then I remove my head from the orifice from which it obviously must have recently relocated and think “What?! 20+ miles per day for 6 days. At altitude. With 25000 feet of elevation gain.” Not exactly my idea of courage…more like…suicide. And then I find out that Gore is not footing the bill for any of us who participate. Ok, so now not only is it a stupid idea for me, it’s expensive. There are plenty of stupid things I can do (and have done, as many of you have witnessed) for far less money than that.
Last week another Gore email is circulated. Gore is paying for 4 teams! Cool. But I’m still not doing it. There is also the need for volunteers. Volunteers, after paying to get themselves to the race, are fed, sheltered, and transported between stages during the race in exchange for their services (working the Gore hospitality tent or an aid station). And, they get to run one of the stages of the race. This sounds great. If I pay for a plane ticket to Denver, I’ll get a week in the Rockies with other runners and a taste of what it will be like if I decide to do it next year. So I email the guy leading the efforts to recruit runners and volunteers and tell him to sign me up as a volunteer.
Less than a day later, I’m speaking with a friend who is interested in volunteering as well. During the conversation I learn that (insert two anonymous names here) are going to run the race. What?! I didn’t even know they were marathon runners. I’m told that they’re not. Well, if they can do it, so can I.