Week 17 was my 2nd week in a row at high volume. My total training time was 22 hours. For the week I ran 63.5 miles which again was my highest since competing in cross country for Augustana College in 2002. On the bike I hit 111 miles. I had planned to ride 30 more Sunday but the volume had me worn down and I decided it best to rest up Sunday night so I could get some good quality this week. In the pool I had my most yards since week 9 when I was on winter break. I swam 13,000 yards this week over four swims. In addition to those totals I lifted three times, did strides and speed drills three times, plyometrics and lunges twice and core work 5 times. I had a few great workouts that really helped me gain confidence this week especially considering the volume.
On Wednesday I was able to ride outside with the slightly warmer temperatures. I went 40 miles from my house through the hilly roads past McCausland and back home. For the 40 miles I averaged 21.3 mph. After looking back at last summer's workouts that was faster than I ever rode 40+ miles. Upon returning to the house I did what they call a "brick" run. This is a run immediately following the ride. They call it this because your legs feel like bricks. I went 9 miles and averaged 6:09 per mile. I was REALLY excited about this to say the least. To put this in perspective...last year at the QC Triathlon in June I averaged 6:15 pace in the race that was only 3 miles. This 9 mile brick run was in training shoes as opposed to lightweight racing flats and half of this run was on gravel which slowed my pace. This workout made me think I should be focusing more to the 1/2 Ironman distance which ends with a 13.1 mile run. I feel like I could run 6 minute pace for that distance in a race. The workout reinforced to me that my fitness level is higher than it has ever been for triathlons.
On Friday I was able to get two runs in. The first was 5 miles easy. The second was a workout with a 3 mile warm-up, then 5x 1 mile fast with 3 minutes rest between each. My times were 5:34, 5:27, 5:22, 5:18, and 5:12. I was hoping for 5:40's so needless to say I was really pumped about this workout. I did it all alone which also makes it tougher. I hate running workouts where I get slower because it is a sign of not running smart and not being strong. Being able to get faster as I went was another sign of how good my mental and physical conditioning are right now. On Sunday I had my longest run so far, 13.5 miles and it was about 10 degrees out. I originally planned to do 1 more week at high volume but I have a very busy week planned outside of training so I think I will cut back the volume but get some very quality workouts in. I'm hoping to ride outdoors more with the weather warming.
When I began this journey I wasn't sure if it would be possible to place top 3 at the Pro-Qualifying races which is what I need to do to turn professional. Each week I look at those results from last year and they appear more attainable. I'll find out in 11 weeks in Memphis where I stack up. Thanks for reading. DREAM BIG!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Chili Chase Race Report, Week 16 Summary
This week was my highest volume of training yet this year. My total training time was 23 hours and 15 minutes. For the week I ran 61 miles which was more than I have run in a week since I was running cross country at Augustana over 6 years ago. I also had my highest bike week this year with 140 miles. For swimming I was able to get in 12,000 yards over three swims. I also lifted weights 3 times, did speed drills and strides 3 times, lunges, and plyometrics twice, and core work 6 times. I was excited by how well I was able to recover from this high volume. My plan is to keep the volume up for two more weeks before backing down a couple weeks while my family is on a cruise for Spring break. On Thursday I received ART treatment from Dr. Kaminski at Kaminski Pain and Performance Care and that had me feeling great when I left his office! I had a couple good bike workouts with Jeff Castro who is a local triathlete that finished very high at Ironman Kona in the late 90's. The workouts with Jeff were on a computrainer (a fancy device that measures the watts, or power you are cycling at). On Monday we did 5x5 minutes at 300 watts and it was a killer. Friday I did a long run of 13 miles and then finished with 4x200 in 35 seconds on the track at PV. Following that I met Jeff for another 5x5 and my legs were pretty tired. I managed to hold the 5x5 at 270 watts. My favorite workout of the week was actually in a local road race on Sunday called the Chili Chase. It took place in Davenport, Iowa.
Before this run I did my last swim workout and then headed straight to the race. I wanted to get 9 miles in so I warmed up for 3. The race was a 4 miler and it was pretty cold...about 13 degrees with the wind chill. My plan was to tempo run the first 3 miles at 5:40 pace and then race the last mile hoping for a 5:20. The first mile started down a bit of a hill but then came back up a hill and went through a snow covered street and I hit the mile mark at 5:47 feeling very relaxed. I was in 4th place and could see the leaders about 10 seconds ahead of me. The second mile was slightly downhill and I ran it in 5:31 still feeling very relaxed. I was right back on the pace I had hoped for crossing the 2 mile split in 11:19. The leaders were about 6 seconds ahead of me at this point. In the 3rd mile I caught the lead pack of 3 guys and stayed with them waiting to hit the 3 mile mark when I would start my hard mile. I came through the 3 mile mark exactly where I had planned at 17:00, a 5:40 pace for the first 3. I changed gears right away and started running the last mile hard. It was flat for the first half mile but then finished up a long gradual hill nearly 1/2 mile in length. It hurt but I ended up running it in 5:11 and won the race by about 10 seconds. I was really excited about running the workout exactly as I had planned. I didn't think I would be able to run 5:20 once I saw the course finished up a long hill so I was very pleased with the 5:11. It left me knowing I'm in better running shape than I've ever been for triathlons. I was especially glad to be able to do that kind of workout at the end of a week where I did so much training. It was also exciting to watch my wife Jen win the women's race. We each received a gift card to Chili's Restaurant for our wins. It will be tough to stay away from the Chili's Loaded Cheese Fries but I read somewhere that's one of the worst foods you can eat with 3 days worth of fat so I'll have to remember that when we go there. 3 months until my first big race in Memphis...It's coming fast. I think about it every day and it motivates me to lose my last few pounds and to train hard. I have no doubts my biking and running will be at the level I need them to be but I'm still scared to death about the swim...Thanks for reading! DREAM BIG!!
Before this run I did my last swim workout and then headed straight to the race. I wanted to get 9 miles in so I warmed up for 3. The race was a 4 miler and it was pretty cold...about 13 degrees with the wind chill. My plan was to tempo run the first 3 miles at 5:40 pace and then race the last mile hoping for a 5:20. The first mile started down a bit of a hill but then came back up a hill and went through a snow covered street and I hit the mile mark at 5:47 feeling very relaxed. I was in 4th place and could see the leaders about 10 seconds ahead of me. The second mile was slightly downhill and I ran it in 5:31 still feeling very relaxed. I was right back on the pace I had hoped for crossing the 2 mile split in 11:19. The leaders were about 6 seconds ahead of me at this point. In the 3rd mile I caught the lead pack of 3 guys and stayed with them waiting to hit the 3 mile mark when I would start my hard mile. I came through the 3 mile mark exactly where I had planned at 17:00, a 5:40 pace for the first 3. I changed gears right away and started running the last mile hard. It was flat for the first half mile but then finished up a long gradual hill nearly 1/2 mile in length. It hurt but I ended up running it in 5:11 and won the race by about 10 seconds. I was really excited about running the workout exactly as I had planned. I didn't think I would be able to run 5:20 once I saw the course finished up a long hill so I was very pleased with the 5:11. It left me knowing I'm in better running shape than I've ever been for triathlons. I was especially glad to be able to do that kind of workout at the end of a week where I did so much training. It was also exciting to watch my wife Jen win the women's race. We each received a gift card to Chili's Restaurant for our wins. It will be tough to stay away from the Chili's Loaded Cheese Fries but I read somewhere that's one of the worst foods you can eat with 3 days worth of fat so I'll have to remember that when we go there. 3 months until my first big race in Memphis...It's coming fast. I think about it every day and it motivates me to lose my last few pounds and to train hard. I have no doubts my biking and running will be at the level I need them to be but I'm still scared to death about the swim...Thanks for reading! DREAM BIG!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Augustana 3K Race Report; Week 15 Summary
My week of training was a little less than it has been partly due to racing at Augustana on Saturday. I didn't want to work out a lot of Friday, then Saturday was race day, and Sunday I was sore and only made things worse by going skiing for Valentine's Day. For the totals this week I trained 15.75 hours. I hit 50 running miles, 70 biking, 9,000 yards swimming, lifted twice, did plyometrics and lunges once, speed drills and strides three times, and core work 5 times.
On Saturday I headed to Augustana to race 3,000 meters in a meet that Augie was hosting against St. Ambrose. There were about 15 guys in the race. 
I was hoping to be able to run 9:25 which would be equivalent to about 10:03 for 2 miles. I wanted to hit each 800 in 2:30. When the race started I was careful not to get sucked out too fast by some of Augustana's runners. I came through the first 800 right on pace at 2:29. The next 800 I stayed right on the heals of a guy I thought was going 5:00 mile pace and we came through the mile in 5:00. My second 800 split was a 2:30. I knew the tough part was going to be the next 800. The 3rd 1/4 of any race is always the tough part. I passed the runner I had drafted behind for the 2nd 800 because I could feel the pace slowing. I tried to maintain the 5:00 pace but came through the next 800 with a 2:36 split. Ouch! I had let it slow 6 seconds. I now had 3 laps to go. My next lap was my slowest of the race and then I was able to drop the pace back down for the final 400 meters to 5:00 pace. 
I passed a couple guys on the end and finished in 5th pace with a time of 9:31. That converts to about 10:10 for 2 miles. I was initially a little disappointed because I thought I could run a bit faster but the race was much tougher than I expected. I also know that racing more consistently would help me drop my times but I don't want to load up on a bunch of races right now. It had been 5 weeks since I raced on the track. Next weekend I'll be doing a 4 mile road race in Davenport called the Chili Chase but I'll be using it as a workout so I won't have to miss any training sessions to prepare for it. My favorite workout this week was my long run on Sunday with Dave Terronez. Dave has been instrumental in helping me get my Sunday long runs in. I am very thankful to have someone to meet each week and a set time to get it done. The conversations we have make the time go by much quicker as well. Thanks Dave! On a side not, race directer for the Quad City Triathlon has agreed to a $10.00 race discount for all Tri-Fit members so I'd encourage any who hasn't to sign up for Team Tri-Fit. We're excited about having a Tri Club in the Quad Cities. This week will be a much bigger training week with no races to back down for. DREAM BIG!
I was hoping to be able to run 9:25 which would be equivalent to about 10:03 for 2 miles. I wanted to hit each 800 in 2:30. When the race started I was careful not to get sucked out too fast by some of Augustana's runners. I came through the first 800 right on pace at 2:29. The next 800 I stayed right on the heals of a guy I thought was going 5:00 mile pace and we came through the mile in 5:00. My second 800 split was a 2:30. I knew the tough part was going to be the next 800. The 3rd 1/4 of any race is always the tough part. I passed the runner I had drafted behind for the 2nd 800 because I could feel the pace slowing. I tried to maintain the 5:00 pace but came through the next 800 with a 2:36 split. Ouch! I had let it slow 6 seconds. I now had 3 laps to go. My next lap was my slowest of the race and then I was able to drop the pace back down for the final 400 meters to 5:00 pace. 
I passed a couple guys on the end and finished in 5th pace with a time of 9:31. That converts to about 10:10 for 2 miles. I was initially a little disappointed because I thought I could run a bit faster but the race was much tougher than I expected. I also know that racing more consistently would help me drop my times but I don't want to load up on a bunch of races right now. It had been 5 weeks since I raced on the track. Next weekend I'll be doing a 4 mile road race in Davenport called the Chili Chase but I'll be using it as a workout so I won't have to miss any training sessions to prepare for it. My favorite workout this week was my long run on Sunday with Dave Terronez. Dave has been instrumental in helping me get my Sunday long runs in. I am very thankful to have someone to meet each week and a set time to get it done. The conversations we have make the time go by much quicker as well. Thanks Dave! On a side not, race directer for the Quad City Triathlon has agreed to a $10.00 race discount for all Tri-Fit members so I'd encourage any who hasn't to sign up for Team Tri-Fit. We're excited about having a Tri Club in the Quad Cities. This week will be a much bigger training week with no races to back down for. DREAM BIG!Thursday, February 12, 2009
2009 Race Schedule
I think I've got a schedule for 2009 pretty well in place through August 30. After that time I'll evaluate where I'm at and decide whether I need to take time off then or do a couple more races. Here's what I've got so far.
May 17- Memphis in May Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Memphis, TN
June 7- Pigman Sprint Triathlon (Elite Registered) Cedar Rapids, IA
June 20- Quad City Triathlon- Sprint Distance Davenport, IA
June 28- Hy-Vee Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Des Moines, IA
July 11- Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Minneapolis, MN
August 30- Chicago Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Chicago, IL
This will be a very competitive race schedule. Memphis, Hy-Vee, Minneapolis, and Chicago are all pro-qualifying races that will be extremely competitive. The top 3 amateurs in each of those races can turn professional. I am keeping a longer break between Minneapolis and Chicago so I can train hard for a month without worrying about the effects of being tired. I'll probably do a local sprint distance sometime in those weeks to stay sharp but I'll definitely plan my taper for Chicago. I'm contemplating a smaller 1/2 ironman the weekend after Chicago. It will be more for the experience. DREAM BIG!
May 17- Memphis in May Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Memphis, TN
June 7- Pigman Sprint Triathlon (Elite Registered) Cedar Rapids, IA
June 20- Quad City Triathlon- Sprint Distance Davenport, IA
June 28- Hy-Vee Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Des Moines, IA
July 11- Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Minneapolis, MN
August 30- Chicago Triathlon Olympic Distance (Elite Amateur Division) Chicago, IL
This will be a very competitive race schedule. Memphis, Hy-Vee, Minneapolis, and Chicago are all pro-qualifying races that will be extremely competitive. The top 3 amateurs in each of those races can turn professional. I am keeping a longer break between Minneapolis and Chicago so I can train hard for a month without worrying about the effects of being tired. I'll probably do a local sprint distance sometime in those weeks to stay sharp but I'll definitely plan my taper for Chicago. I'm contemplating a smaller 1/2 ironman the weekend after Chicago. It will be more for the experience. DREAM BIG!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Week 14 Summary- The Journey Resumes...
Week 14 was a bit of a chapter turn for me. After 12 weeks of solid training I took 4 days completely off last week before starting a new cycle of training. Early in the week I could tell I had taken some time off as I was sore from the workouts. By Sunday night I was feeling back into the groove of training again. It was a good week. My total training time was right at 19 hours. I hit my goal of 40 miles running. I stepped up the biking this week thanks in part to the nice weather. I was able to get outside on Saturday for a 42 mile ride with Tri-Fit director Steve Meek and my ART provider, Dr. Kaminski. Despite being super windy it was nice to be outside for the ride. I suffered the last 10 miles due to what I think was a lack of calories. I felt very nauciuos and weak the last 2 miles and ate everything I could get my hands on when I finished. The distance shouldn't have affected me like that and the ride wasn't hard so I think it was a lack of food. Earlier in the day I felt really hungry during my swim workout. In the pool this week I focused my attention back to drills much like I did my first weeks of training. Over half my yards were swim drills which got very boring but I feel like it is helping me cut down my number of strokes each length. I lifted weights three times, did core work 6 times, speed drills and strides three times, and lunges and plyometrics twice. My favorite workout this week was a bike interval workout of 5x5 minutes hard with 5 minutes recovery between each. I did it on the trainer on my time trial bike fresh out of Healthy Habits with my aerobars cut down. The fit felt awesome and I'm looking forward to training more this year on my TT bike to get more comfortable on it. Hopefully the added comfort will lead to faster times on race day when I put the Zipp wheelset on it. This week I plan to run a 3,000 meter race at Augustana College on Saturday if I'm feeling fresh. My first big triathlon is Memphis in May on May 17 and it feels like that is rapidly approaching. I have a lot of work to do between now and then but have no doubts I'll be ready for a good opener. DREAM BIG!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Quad City Triathlon Club: Team Tri-Fit
I'm thrilled to be part of the start of a Quad City Triathlon club called Team Tri-Fit. The club will be a USA Triathlon club. The director of this club is Steve Meek. Steve and his family moved to the Quad Cities earlier this year from Reno, Nevada. Steve is a former Category 1 cyclist and is a HUGE advocate for fitness. I first met Steve at the Bettendorf Fitness Center and he asked me if there was a local Triathlon Club. I told him they tried to start one a few years ago but it never really got going. This sport is growing so fast and the area has huge interest in triathlons. The Quad City Triathlon fills up well before the deadline and the Crossroads Triathlon and IowaMan Triathlon are other races in the area that are growing very rapidly. When Steve sent me his initial plans of starting a club I was super excited. He will be an outstanding director. He's very well organized, has great leadership skills, and has coached elite cyclists and been in charge of a club in Bloomington, Indiana. I will do everything I can to be involved in helping the club grow. The lifestyle of a multisport athlete is one that values heath and fitness. Steve and I hope to see membership grow in the Quad Cities. We want to help athletes of all ability levels to reach their personal fitness and race goals. I'm very excited to watch this club grow and to help reach out to the community to promote the healthy lifestyle that comes with this sport. If you're in the area we'd love to have you join Team Tri-Fit. There is a website for Team Tri-Fit where you can find information. Membership sign-up will soon be available online for no additional cost or you can e-mail Steve or myself for Team Tri-Fit application. I dropped off my membership form to Steve at the Fitness Center on Saturday and Im' excited to be part of this new QC Tri Club. DREAM BIG!
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