1 down, 11 to go

I've finished my first month of Ironman training, and I'd say everything went well. I believe I gained some fitness, but most importantly I learned a few things. Here they are:

- Stretch. Increase (or at least maintain) your flexibility. If one muscle is tight others overcompensate and that's when injuries happen.

- Get a professional bike fit. I went to Crono Metro and got a bike fit the other day and they made quite a few changes. I can tell a big difference already in my pedaling efficiency. I still need to get a new stem to put my handlebars in the ideal position so my bike isn't perfect yet. The stem I need has a 17 degree rise and I'm going to have a hard time putting a stem like that on my bike. I'd rather buy new forks and add more spacers so I don't have a stem that looks like it came off a comfort bike. They said I'm really stretching the limits of my frame so I think I technically need a larger frame.

- Form is king. Swimming, running, cycling. It doesn't matter. Good form will make you faster and prevent injuries. I actually learned this a long time ago when I raced motocross, but it was reinforced this past month. Always work on improving your form. It's a never-ending process.

- Have a plan. Don't just go through the motions. Have a plan for every workout. You'll progress much quicker.


Month 2 has me throwing in a few more interval workouts so it's definitely going to be a tough month. Hopefully, everything will go well and I'll gain some strength and endurance. I'm looking forward to it, that's for sure.

Speedster

Every now and then you have a breakthrough workout, and it makes all of those so-so workouts worth it. Because you don't get to have breakthrough workouts without the groundwork, and that's what the so-so workouts are. You just don't see it until you break through that plateau.

The last time I went swimming my main set consisted of 3 sets of 300 yards on 6 minutes, which means I start the next set every 6 minutes (3 x 300 on 6:00). The faster I can do the set, the more rest I get. I did each set in about 5:30. Typical. Then I finished up with 2 sets of 100 yards for a cool down. I do those pretty slow and focus on form.

My form has improved quite a bit in the past few months, but my speed hasn't followed and I've been getting frustrated. I convinced myself that I needed to work on my balance and that my legs were sinking and creating drag and that's what's been slowing me down. While doing my cool down, I focused on balance and pushing my chest into the water to keep my legs from sinking. "Pressing my buoy" as they say in Total Immersion. While doing that, I pressed my legs together for some reason and I suddenly started swimming faster and cutting through the water. I've read a lot about swimming form and they always tell you to keep your kick small, but it never really sank in (pun intended). They don't just mean short kicks, but keep it tight too. Keep your legs together.

So tonight I focused on keeping my legs together. I imagined they were tied together at the knee. I started to feel skinny in the water, so I started focusing on keeping my arms tight too. Close to my head. Shoulder to my ear. Extend. Streamlined. Like a pencil slicing through the water. No drag.

I did my main set of 3 x 300 on 6:00 faster than last time. 5:08, 4:58, 5:02. Finally a speed increase in the water. It felt great. But I'm still convinced I need to work on my balance because I think my legs are sinking. I'll need to add some balance drills.

Tonight, I also used swim fins for the first time. I bought some TYR split fins (pictured), and they were pretty fun. You can really cruise with fins on, and they make drills easier and more fun. I've been doing some drills that focus on your arms, and I've been going so slow when I do them that I've been sinking. So I focus all of my effort on staying afloat and that's been making it difficult to do my drills. The fins help you keep your speed up so you float and allow you to focus on what your arms should be doing. It's a little weird though when you take them off and swim without them. You feel really slow (maybe they contributed to my new found speed). It's like motorpacing.

I really believe that part of my speed increase is due to going to the pool with a workout, a plan, instead of just showing up and swimming for a while. I've also been very committed to improving my form lately and the drills are definitely helping. Here's the workout I did tonight. 2,000 yards and it took about an hour.



Warmup
2 x 100 - fins, easy, slow, focus is on good form

Drills
5 x 100 - 25 yards of each drill so the total set is 100 yards with fins
- One arm drill - right arm
- One arm drill - left arm
- Catch-up drill
- Whole stroke (normal stroke, focus is on perfect form)

Breathing on left side
2 x 100 - no fins

Main Set
3 x 300 on 6:00 - no fins (focus is on speed while trying to keep good form)

Cool Down
2 x 100 - no fins, easy, slow, focus is on perfect form

10 Flip Turns

Testing: 40K TT

Part of my training program is doing testing on recovery week. These tests will allow me to monitor my progress and make sure I am in fact making progress. I did my first test last night: a 40K time trial on the trainer. It was a beautiful day so it was horrible being on the trainer, but I'm using the trainer so I have the same conditions every time. The test went well, but I definitely could've pushed a little harder. I didn't know how many watts I could hold for that long so I decided to shoot for 230. I think I could've done 250 because I had way too much energy left at the end. But this gives me a good starting point. After that, I went for an easy 30 minute run.

Today was the gun show. The gun show technically ends in September so I didn't think there would be a big turnout so I figured having tired legs wouldn't matter much. When I got outside there was a good sized group gathered, including several members of the race team. When we got to Saris, they had a big group as well including Jordan (Jordan is one of the best cyclists in Wisconsin). That's when I knew I was in for a rough day. I knew the pace was going to be fast and I was wishing I had done the time trial on Tuesday so I could've had a recovery day on Wednesday. But then I reminded myself I'm training for the Ironman and that's what I need to focus on. Not the gun show.

It was a tough ride. I had nothing for the first sprint and got dropped quickly. I have been doing well in the first sprint lately so I was a little disappointed I couldn't get in there and battle it out. I managed to sneak in for 3rd on the second sprint so I did get some points for the day. I got dropped early on the 3rd sprint and was on my own the whole way. The 3rd sprint is 5.64 miles and I averaged 24.29 mph. I'd like to know what the leaders averaged because I was busting my butt and they were pulling away. I think if I hadn't been so tired I could've hung with the group, but that's the price you pay when you train for the Ironman. Even though it's fun to get in there and try to win the sprints, I was a little happy to be on my own. That's what I need to work on for the Ironman. No drafting in triathlons.

So my recovery week has taken a bit of a turn. The intensity has been pretty high the past 24 hours. Tomorrow won't be so bad though. The intensity gets turned down for my 1 hour run.

Rest days are tough

What a boring day. I can't wait to get back to working out. It's only been 24 hours, but it feels like I haven't worked out in a while. Luckily, I don't need to take any more rest days for a few weeks. Recovery days are much more fun than all out rest days. Tomorrow is a recovery day. Only an hour of working out - swimming.

I went to physical therapy today for my knee, and the doc was actually helpful...I think. We'll see. He didn't tell me to stop running, which was good because there's no way I'm taking time off. That's not an option. He thinks my injury stems from my left side not being as flexible as my right, especially in my hips. I overcompensate for that when I run and that's putting stress on my joints, tendons, muscles...you name it.

So I have some stretches I have to do everyday. I also need to massage the tendon twice a week, buy new running shoes and get some supportive insoles for my everyday shoes. That's it. That's what he prescribed. I guess we'll see if it helps. If not, then we're moving on to more aggressive treatments. Hopefully something involving electricity. I don't know why, but I'm convinced high voltage is the cure. It will at least deaden the pain.

He also said he thinks I have a high tolerance for pain, which isn't necessarily a good thing. He did some tests on my tendons where he applied pressure to them, and he said most people squirm in pain when he does that. I barely felt it. He said people with a high pain threshold are very susceptible to serious injuries because they can't tell they're injuring themselves until it's serious. So I need to listen to my body and take small aches and pains more seriously than I typically do. That's going to be tough. I prefer to ignore the pain.

On to another subject...someone needs to force Cost Cutters out of business because that's the only way I'll stop going. And I need to stop going. I hate making appointments for anything and that includes haircuts. So I go across the street to Cost Cutters for the inevitable bad haircut. Today's was worse than usual. It's a good thing I workout a lot and my workouts include a helmet, visor or swim cap. Maybe I should just shave my head and get it over with. That place is a like crack. I know it's bad for me, but I can't stop.

Week 3 Recap

I should start by saying that I am now officially signed up for Ironman Wisconsin. When you sign up in person, they give you a certificate that you use to finish your registration online a few weeks later. Basically you just get a guaranteed spot. I finished up my registration the other day so I'm committed now. It's official.

I went for a slow 9 mile run today and felt surprisingly good since my legs were very tired and sore this morning from yesterday's workout. After the run I was moving pretty slow and had some pain in my left Achilles tendon that I'm concerned about. I looked it up online and it could be Achilles tendinitis, which would be appropriate since I have to see the doc tomorrow for the tendinitis in my knee. I'm really hoping it's nothing because I'm getting sick of injuring myself running. Again, no pity from anyone. All Cheri had to say was, "You signed up for this. I have no pity for you and your choices you silly, silly man." Don't get me wrong, she's very supportive of this and helps keep me motivated. She just doesn't pity me. (I warned you this would make my blog)

After 21 days of training, tomorrow is my first rest day. The rest of next week is a recovery week so I'll only do about 8 hours of training. Some of it will be high intensity, but most will be at a moderate to low intensity to give my body a little time to heal itself. Even though I'm sore and tired right now, I really want to swim tomorrow. I thought I would be really happy to get to my first rest day, but I'm actually a little disappointed I don't get to work out tomorrow. I'm looking forward to week 5 when I get to turn it up a few notches again.

Week 3 stats:
Time: 15:32:30
Swim: 4800 yards
Bike: 130.08 miles
Run: 25.53 miles

The pain, the agony...

I'm in pain. Pity me.

I know. Self inflicted pain gets no sympathy. Today I did my first long brick workout. I've done several bricks, but they usually last around an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Today's workout was one of the toughest of my life. A 4 hour brick. I did the Ironman loop again - this time hoping to increase my average watts to above 200 - and then ran 7 miles - hoping to average 8:30 per mile.

I got through the workout all right, but I felt like crap afterward. I hit my goal on the bike but fell a little short on the run. Oh well. This was really just a test to see where I stand, and I'm happy with how the workout went. My average watts was higher on the bike this week and I did more work, but my average speed dropped by .1 mph. It was windy today.

The toughest part...I had tickets to the Badger game this afternoon. So I had to get ready for the game right after my workout. And I got a crappy parking spot and had to walk a couple miles to the stadium. Ouch. The Badgers won so that took away some of the pain. But standing and sitting and standing again was a little difficult since I was starting to feel the pain in my legs.

Tomorrow I have to run a slow 9 miles. With the way my legs are feeling I think those may be 9 very slow miles. Then...my first rest day.

Bike stats:
Time: 3:05:33
Distance: 56.33 miles
Ave speed: 18.2 mph
Max speed: 43.8 mph
Ave watts: 202
Max watts: 491
Work: 2283 Kj
Ave HR: 147
Max HR: 167
Ave cadence: 84 rpm
Calories: 3197

Run stats:
Time: 1:01:20
Distance: 7 miles
Pace: 8:45
Ave HR: 157
Max HR: 165
Calories: 953

Like a Fish

The toughest part of my training is swimming. I started swimming in March, and my form was horrible. I struggled to keep my face in the water, and I couldn't do more than one length of the pool without resting. Now, I can swim 2.4 miles in under an hour and a half without much trouble. It's tiring and I want to improve my time, but doing the distance isn't a huge challenge for me right now. That's a lot of progress in 6 months. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean my work is done. Not by a long shot.

I need to improve my form. The video shows the type of form I'm striving for. Watch how effortlessly he glides through the water. He barely disturbs the water. He makes swimming look so easy. Of course, there is no way I will acquire form like that in the next 12 months. Bill Kirby is an Olympic gold medalist. But it gives me something to shoot for.

Yesterday and today were the first times I went to the pool with a good, solid plan. I wrote down my workout and stuck to it. I started with a warmup, followed that up with some drills to work on form, then did some main sets for endurance and speed and finished off with a cool down. Yesterday's main set was short intervals - sprints. That's the first time I've done sprints in the pool, and they were brutal.

Today, I did longer distances to work on endurance and I was still feeling it from the sprints. I also worked on breathing on my left side which is terribly difficult for me. My left side just doesn't work right. It's like my right side competes in the Olympics and my left side competes in the Special Olympics. But I made some progress so that was good. Then I finished off my workout by practicing flip turns. That was interesting. I really, really suck at flip turns. Like I said, my work isn't done. Not by a long shot.