Rest in Peace Our Romy - We miss you dearly...Love you forever - Kristen and Brian10.12.1997 - 05.23.2008
Intervals on River Road
1 day ago
Friday, May 23, 2008
Romy
Rest in Peace Our Romy - We miss you dearly...Love you forever - Kristen and Brian10.12.1997 - 05.23.2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
back at it...
Wednesday morning:
Exercised this morning for the first time since the Galena Duathlon last Saturday plus I had my sports chiropractor appointment for my MAT therapy yesterday evening which meant no workout yesterday also, it would have been counter-productive. I ran early in our neighborhood an easy recovery run of 5.4 miles in 47:00 flat for a pace of 8:42 per mile. My average HR was at 127bpm with a max HR about 30 minutes into the run at 136bpm. Felt ok during the run but I am still feeling the effects of the hilly run at Galena, mainly my left heal plus a few other niggles which could have had to do with the chiro appt last night…
B
Exercised this morning for the first time since the Galena Duathlon last Saturday plus I had my sports chiropractor appointment for my MAT therapy yesterday evening which meant no workout yesterday also, it would have been counter-productive. I ran early in our neighborhood an easy recovery run of 5.4 miles in 47:00 flat for a pace of 8:42 per mile. My average HR was at 127bpm with a max HR about 30 minutes into the run at 136bpm. Felt ok during the run but I am still feeling the effects of the hilly run at Galena, mainly my left heal plus a few other niggles which could have had to do with the chiro appt last night…
B
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
B's Galena Duathlon Race Report Card...
This is the third straight year I have raced the Galena Duathlon which is located in the extreme northwest Mississippi river valley region of Illinois and by far this year was the most challenging of all because of the very strong constant 20-25mph winds out of the WNW with gust’s getting 30+mph which were in your face the whole 16.8 mile hilly biking route. But then again all the athletes’ racing in the tri & du had to deal with this weather element also…
I arrived to Galena Friday afternoon to settle in before a very early start to race day on Saturday morning. I was more than happy to help out Kateri and her sister via the phone with some pre-race preparation and about the logistics of race day morning parking & bus transfer from downtown Galena up to Apple Canyon Lake 17 miles away. I wasn’t able to meet them for dinner but I found out from Kateri they had a great meal at a restaurant I have always wanted to try in downtown Galena.
My alarm went off much too early Saturday morning as I loaded up the car to drive up to the lake to drop-off my tri-bike at transition number one. The pre-sunrise is very majestic & peaceful in the rolling hills of the region of Illinois plus I get a chance to pre-drive the biking course twice to learn every little bit of it for race day knowledge. After the tri-bike drop-off I headed back to Galena to transition number two to drop-off my running gear for the second run and I was very lucky this year to find a parking spot in this area so all I had to do was wait in line for the buses to arrive from the remote parking region to take us up to the lake. Well wouldn’t you know it as I was sitting down in the bus sure enough its Kateri and her sister Lynne I spotted. I was very happy to see her on the bus and as we chatted the long bus ride went by quickly.
After we all got dropped off at Apple Canyon Lake to get ready for the race day events which is where I was able to help prep Kateri’s and Lynne’s bikes for the climb out of the transition one which is about 300 feet upwards out of the lake region at about a 7 percent climb, a challenging first climb. I prepped my bike for the last time with proper fluids and gels in the flask on the steering stem for easier consumption while out on the bike course. We then waited around the swim starting area to get out of the strong sunlight and watched the first swim wave leave at 9am sharp and we watch a few more waves take to the open water. At about 9:20am I wished Kateri and Lynne a great race & told them I would see them at the finish line post race area later. As I walked up the hill about a half mile away it was then that I noticed how really strong the wind was that day, it wouldn’t be a variable on the 1st & 2nd run but it was going to be in our face the whole bike ride portion.
My duathlon wave started at 9:55am which was to be a rolling downhill with a turnaround back up the same road and onto the transition area. Since I have done this race before I knew not to go out too fast on the 7% grade rolling downhill’s but where the turnaround was this year was completely further away than last years turnaround plus it was about 150 feet up a 8% climb. I kept my HR aerobic after the opening run and as I got to my tri-bike my Garmin 305 indicated a 2.49mile run (verified with other garmin duathletes after the race)…just as I thought it was long! I had an ok-to-slow transition time as I carried my tri-bike out of the pebbly/gravel transition area across the exit chip mat…
I clipped into my pedals and off up the hill I went out of transition one focusing once again on parceling out my energy to last the event distance, meaning staying just below the an-aerobic zone but once I got to the top of the hill my competitive cycling legs unfortunately took over my mind power with the strong headwinds and hills I realized about 15 minutes into the bike portion that I was totally an-aerobic & in the HR red zone (Kateri said I passed her in the opening miles of the bike portion as she gave me a positive shout out but I do not remember seeing and/or hearing her) I was so in the zone I heard/saw nothing around me because I was on a mission to tear up this bike course, those opening miles on the bike were just a blur. I finally regained my senses due to my right calf cramping up going up one of the many hills we needed to climb as I stood up on the pedals to stomp my climbing gears which forced me really quickly to adjust my riding style and pace if I was going to last the distance. At that point I realized just how much a rider had to fight the wind going both up the hills and even going down the hills. With my 6’4" body frame and Zipp wheels on I felt like a main sail on a sailboat out there even while tucked in the most aero position. The wind literally wanted to push you back up a hill and down the other side you just rode up…
During the whole bike ride I was passing a lot of people similar to last year but it took much more effort for me to do that this year. Last year not a single person passed me on the biking portion and this year I was passed by one person at about mile 8, I received the courteous on the left shout out from the women whom eventually won her age group in the F45-49 triathlon race. She provided words of encouragement to me as she zipped right by me and I returned the courteous also to her, she walked away from me on the bike like I was standing still :-)
Every time I would attempt to climb a hill out of the saddle my right calf would cramp-up immediately so back in the saddle it was for me every time…I repeated this process on 6 more hill climb attempts. On a different note I realized that over the bike course I had seen a lot of people either walking their bikes up the hills or with flat tires on their bikes, in previous years I have never seen this. So I was more than happy to see the transition area ahead with the get-off your bike zone as I call it. As I hit the brakes and un-clipped my right shoe both my right hamstring and right calf cramped up in a big, big way. I hoppled into the transition area two it only worsened…
I hung my tri-bike on the rack and took a seat on the grass to take off my cycling shoes and put on my running shoes while my right hamstring was fighting me about this simple procedure. I put on my coolmax cap and grabbed a gel & electrolyte elixir drink and stood up to start running out of transition the hamstring was much better but my legs were really tight from the strong effort parceled out on the bike. As you exit the transition here the crowds are enthusiastic which was great needed for the last 4.3 mile run plus the "wall" hill hits you right in the face at that moment at an 8.5% grade climb for about a third of a mile. After you hit the crest of this you turn left for another 5% climb for about another third of a mile. The rest of the way up was between 1 to 3% of a climb till the turnaround point so once you turn 180 degrees there its all downhill till the finishline. During this run I had various leg cramps in both hamstrings and calves but nothing that didn’t go away after a quick stride adjustment. On the run down the hill I saw Kateri running very strongly towards the uphill turnaround and we exchanged cheers to each other my running legs returned with about a mile to go as I cruised down the big hill and sprinted across the finishline in 1:57:38
I ended up finishing 27th Overall out of 223 finishing duathletes and in my AG M45-49 I finished 5th out of 25 racers. I was the 13th fastest duathlete cyclist (average 17.7mph) out there that day which saved my lackluster running performances. My average HR for the event was 151bpm with a max HR in the opening biking miles at 161bpm. As a reference point my 2007 bike leg time was 53:54 (7th bike overall) and this year it was 56:51 due to the winds and other variables.
After I drank my recovery drink, changed into some clean clothes and attempted to eat some food I finally found Kateri & Lynne in the post-race celebration area. We shared our experiences of the day, had some more food plus I was very glad to hear that they both enjoyed the event it was a privilege & honor to be able to spend some time with them both that day. I wished them both a safe trip home and I then packed up my car for the return trip home also.
Now that I had a few days to reflect on Saturdays duathlon race I did leave everything I had on the course that day based on my current fitness level. Last year was my quickest year at 1:49:22 but the first run was short last year (1.8 miles) and there were no winds to deal with also like this year. I plan on returning in 2009 yet again :-)
Thanks for reading the long winded report ;-)
b
I arrived to Galena Friday afternoon to settle in before a very early start to race day on Saturday morning. I was more than happy to help out Kateri and her sister via the phone with some pre-race preparation and about the logistics of race day morning parking & bus transfer from downtown Galena up to Apple Canyon Lake 17 miles away. I wasn’t able to meet them for dinner but I found out from Kateri they had a great meal at a restaurant I have always wanted to try in downtown Galena.
My alarm went off much too early Saturday morning as I loaded up the car to drive up to the lake to drop-off my tri-bike at transition number one. The pre-sunrise is very majestic & peaceful in the rolling hills of the region of Illinois plus I get a chance to pre-drive the biking course twice to learn every little bit of it for race day knowledge. After the tri-bike drop-off I headed back to Galena to transition number two to drop-off my running gear for the second run and I was very lucky this year to find a parking spot in this area so all I had to do was wait in line for the buses to arrive from the remote parking region to take us up to the lake. Well wouldn’t you know it as I was sitting down in the bus sure enough its Kateri and her sister Lynne I spotted. I was very happy to see her on the bus and as we chatted the long bus ride went by quickly.
After we all got dropped off at Apple Canyon Lake to get ready for the race day events which is where I was able to help prep Kateri’s and Lynne’s bikes for the climb out of the transition one which is about 300 feet upwards out of the lake region at about a 7 percent climb, a challenging first climb. I prepped my bike for the last time with proper fluids and gels in the flask on the steering stem for easier consumption while out on the bike course. We then waited around the swim starting area to get out of the strong sunlight and watched the first swim wave leave at 9am sharp and we watch a few more waves take to the open water. At about 9:20am I wished Kateri and Lynne a great race & told them I would see them at the finish line post race area later. As I walked up the hill about a half mile away it was then that I noticed how really strong the wind was that day, it wouldn’t be a variable on the 1st & 2nd run but it was going to be in our face the whole bike ride portion.
My duathlon wave started at 9:55am which was to be a rolling downhill with a turnaround back up the same road and onto the transition area. Since I have done this race before I knew not to go out too fast on the 7% grade rolling downhill’s but where the turnaround was this year was completely further away than last years turnaround plus it was about 150 feet up a 8% climb. I kept my HR aerobic after the opening run and as I got to my tri-bike my Garmin 305 indicated a 2.49mile run (verified with other garmin duathletes after the race)…just as I thought it was long! I had an ok-to-slow transition time as I carried my tri-bike out of the pebbly/gravel transition area across the exit chip mat…
I clipped into my pedals and off up the hill I went out of transition one focusing once again on parceling out my energy to last the event distance, meaning staying just below the an-aerobic zone but once I got to the top of the hill my competitive cycling legs unfortunately took over my mind power with the strong headwinds and hills I realized about 15 minutes into the bike portion that I was totally an-aerobic & in the HR red zone (Kateri said I passed her in the opening miles of the bike portion as she gave me a positive shout out but I do not remember seeing and/or hearing her) I was so in the zone I heard/saw nothing around me because I was on a mission to tear up this bike course, those opening miles on the bike were just a blur. I finally regained my senses due to my right calf cramping up going up one of the many hills we needed to climb as I stood up on the pedals to stomp my climbing gears which forced me really quickly to adjust my riding style and pace if I was going to last the distance. At that point I realized just how much a rider had to fight the wind going both up the hills and even going down the hills. With my 6’4" body frame and Zipp wheels on I felt like a main sail on a sailboat out there even while tucked in the most aero position. The wind literally wanted to push you back up a hill and down the other side you just rode up…
During the whole bike ride I was passing a lot of people similar to last year but it took much more effort for me to do that this year. Last year not a single person passed me on the biking portion and this year I was passed by one person at about mile 8, I received the courteous on the left shout out from the women whom eventually won her age group in the F45-49 triathlon race. She provided words of encouragement to me as she zipped right by me and I returned the courteous also to her, she walked away from me on the bike like I was standing still :-)
Every time I would attempt to climb a hill out of the saddle my right calf would cramp-up immediately so back in the saddle it was for me every time…I repeated this process on 6 more hill climb attempts. On a different note I realized that over the bike course I had seen a lot of people either walking their bikes up the hills or with flat tires on their bikes, in previous years I have never seen this. So I was more than happy to see the transition area ahead with the get-off your bike zone as I call it. As I hit the brakes and un-clipped my right shoe both my right hamstring and right calf cramped up in a big, big way. I hoppled into the transition area two it only worsened…
I hung my tri-bike on the rack and took a seat on the grass to take off my cycling shoes and put on my running shoes while my right hamstring was fighting me about this simple procedure. I put on my coolmax cap and grabbed a gel & electrolyte elixir drink and stood up to start running out of transition the hamstring was much better but my legs were really tight from the strong effort parceled out on the bike. As you exit the transition here the crowds are enthusiastic which was great needed for the last 4.3 mile run plus the "wall" hill hits you right in the face at that moment at an 8.5% grade climb for about a third of a mile. After you hit the crest of this you turn left for another 5% climb for about another third of a mile. The rest of the way up was between 1 to 3% of a climb till the turnaround point so once you turn 180 degrees there its all downhill till the finishline. During this run I had various leg cramps in both hamstrings and calves but nothing that didn’t go away after a quick stride adjustment. On the run down the hill I saw Kateri running very strongly towards the uphill turnaround and we exchanged cheers to each other my running legs returned with about a mile to go as I cruised down the big hill and sprinted across the finishline in 1:57:38
I ended up finishing 27th Overall out of 223 finishing duathletes and in my AG M45-49 I finished 5th out of 25 racers. I was the 13th fastest duathlete cyclist (average 17.7mph) out there that day which saved my lackluster running performances. My average HR for the event was 151bpm with a max HR in the opening biking miles at 161bpm. As a reference point my 2007 bike leg time was 53:54 (7th bike overall) and this year it was 56:51 due to the winds and other variables.
After I drank my recovery drink, changed into some clean clothes and attempted to eat some food I finally found Kateri & Lynne in the post-race celebration area. We shared our experiences of the day, had some more food plus I was very glad to hear that they both enjoyed the event it was a privilege & honor to be able to spend some time with them both that day. I wished them both a safe trip home and I then packed up my car for the return trip home also.
Now that I had a few days to reflect on Saturdays duathlon race I did leave everything I had on the course that day based on my current fitness level. Last year was my quickest year at 1:49:22 but the first run was short last year (1.8 miles) and there were no winds to deal with also like this year. I plan on returning in 2009 yet again :-)
Thanks for reading the long winded report ;-)
b
Monday, May 19, 2008
The first swim wave at the Galena triathlon last Saturday...
promptly at 9am in 60 degree water temps...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday morning:
Woke-up bright & early this morning while the sun was still shining to get in an easy run & bike before work. I needed once again to hold back during this easy recovery day for my process to hopefully peak on Saturday; the race day…
I ran my normal neighborhood 3 mile loop in 26:05 for a pace time of 8:41 per mile. I kept my average HR in the proper zone at 123bpm with a max HR at about minute 17 of 131bpm. The run felt good as to be expected but 3 miles is just enough to get your body active and before you know it, it’s over!
So I then changed into my cooler weather cycling clothes and loaded up the race-prepped tri-bike into the car to take a short drive to a Park District in our neighborhood which as a walker/runner/bike loop of only 8/10ths of a mile. This is actually perfect for a shake-down ride on the tri-bike to make sure everything is functioning correctly such as; race rims/tires, front and rear derailleur, shifters, etc…I covered 4.8 miles in 16:39 time wise for an average rate of speed of 17.3mph. My average HR was spot-on at 119bpm with a max HR of 139bpm while I was testing the large 56t chainring with the small 11t rear cassette gear. My average cadence was slightly slow as I was attempting to focus on other critical tech stuff at 82rpm with a max cadence of 105rpm while testing my climbing gears…I gotta say everything felt really good while riding the tri-bike…felt like I had a need for speed in a big way ;-)
Tomorrow morning I’ll run another 3 mile warm-up run at a slightly quicker pace then I go visit my Doc Chiropractor for another MAT therapy session geared more about race preparation then mid-day I shall head out to Galena…
b
Woke-up bright & early this morning while the sun was still shining to get in an easy run & bike before work. I needed once again to hold back during this easy recovery day for my process to hopefully peak on Saturday; the race day…
I ran my normal neighborhood 3 mile loop in 26:05 for a pace time of 8:41 per mile. I kept my average HR in the proper zone at 123bpm with a max HR at about minute 17 of 131bpm. The run felt good as to be expected but 3 miles is just enough to get your body active and before you know it, it’s over!
So I then changed into my cooler weather cycling clothes and loaded up the race-prepped tri-bike into the car to take a short drive to a Park District in our neighborhood which as a walker/runner/bike loop of only 8/10ths of a mile. This is actually perfect for a shake-down ride on the tri-bike to make sure everything is functioning correctly such as; race rims/tires, front and rear derailleur, shifters, etc…I covered 4.8 miles in 16:39 time wise for an average rate of speed of 17.3mph. My average HR was spot-on at 119bpm with a max HR of 139bpm while I was testing the large 56t chainring with the small 11t rear cassette gear. My average cadence was slightly slow as I was attempting to focus on other critical tech stuff at 82rpm with a max cadence of 105rpm while testing my climbing gears…I gotta say everything felt really good while riding the tri-bike…felt like I had a need for speed in a big way ;-)
Tomorrow morning I’ll run another 3 mile warm-up run at a slightly quicker pace then I go visit my Doc Chiropractor for another MAT therapy session geared more about race preparation then mid-day I shall head out to Galena…
b
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
recovering towards saturday...
Wednesday:
The doc chiro worked me over bigtime on Monday evening so today I'm feeling some soreness but that should ease away starting tomorrow...that MATS therapy is tough but good for the body...my next session is early this friday morning as a tune-up session before the race.
I have chosen to take complete rest days Monday and Tuesday so far this week and depending on the weather tonight it might be yet another day of rest & recovery towards healing and saturdays race. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as the weather forecast is not looking too kind for Galena this saturday morning...time will tell :-)
Also over the next two days I have to get my bike, equipment and gear set-up for the trip out to Galena...better get moving!
b
The doc chiro worked me over bigtime on Monday evening so today I'm feeling some soreness but that should ease away starting tomorrow...that MATS therapy is tough but good for the body...my next session is early this friday morning as a tune-up session before the race.
I have chosen to take complete rest days Monday and Tuesday so far this week and depending on the weather tonight it might be yet another day of rest & recovery towards healing and saturdays race. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as the weather forecast is not looking too kind for Galena this saturday morning...time will tell :-)
Also over the next two days I have to get my bike, equipment and gear set-up for the trip out to Galena...better get moving!
b
mothers day...
Sunday morning:
Woke-up very early with all intentions of going down to the lakefront to run my training ten miler but once again Mother Nature forced me to go to the health club at 7am to run it on the treadmill. It was raining ‘tons with very high winds and quite cold for this time of the year…not an optimal time to run outdoors hence why I choose the treadmill to get this run over with early on Mothers Day morning
So I hopped on my favorite treadmill and turned on all 3 TV’s in my viewing region (not may people there on a Sunday morning) as I could watch the live Formula One race from Istanbul Turkey which just so happened to start at 7am our time zone…bonus to watch my F1 Ferrari’s! By coincidence the race ended just as I was on my last quarter mile of my treadmill ten miler run.
During the 10 miles I varied the incline of the ‘mill from 0%, .5% and 1% all the time and changed the pace quite abit while I was running. I went thru alot of hydration while running since the health club seems to be always warm and muggy plus I took one vanilla hammer gel at mile 5. I completed the ten mile run in 1:18:46 which works out to be a 7:52 mile pace with an average HR of 142bpm. My max HR occurred at about mile 9 of 155bpm as the warmth of the health club had gotten the best of me while attempting to run near a 7:30 mile pace so I backed off the pace.
One thing I have noticed the last two times that I have run on the treadmill is that it really wears on my body much more so that running outside. The rest of the day yesterday my lower back, left glute, left hamstring and left calve were killing me…so no more treadmill running for me till next winter
b
Woke-up very early with all intentions of going down to the lakefront to run my training ten miler but once again Mother Nature forced me to go to the health club at 7am to run it on the treadmill. It was raining ‘tons with very high winds and quite cold for this time of the year…not an optimal time to run outdoors hence why I choose the treadmill to get this run over with early on Mothers Day morning
So I hopped on my favorite treadmill and turned on all 3 TV’s in my viewing region (not may people there on a Sunday morning) as I could watch the live Formula One race from Istanbul Turkey which just so happened to start at 7am our time zone…bonus to watch my F1 Ferrari’s! By coincidence the race ended just as I was on my last quarter mile of my treadmill ten miler run.
During the 10 miles I varied the incline of the ‘mill from 0%, .5% and 1% all the time and changed the pace quite abit while I was running. I went thru alot of hydration while running since the health club seems to be always warm and muggy plus I took one vanilla hammer gel at mile 5. I completed the ten mile run in 1:18:46 which works out to be a 7:52 mile pace with an average HR of 142bpm. My max HR occurred at about mile 9 of 155bpm as the warmth of the health club had gotten the best of me while attempting to run near a 7:30 mile pace so I backed off the pace.
One thing I have noticed the last two times that I have run on the treadmill is that it really wears on my body much more so that running outside. The rest of the day yesterday my lower back, left glute, left hamstring and left calve were killing me…so no more treadmill running for me till next winter
b
mtb'in...
Saturday morning:
Kristen and I headed out early as cold weather permitting for a Des Plaines River trial MT. bike ride since the sun was out this day. We need to work on distance since the half IM is coming up in less than 3 months time now so k controled the pace the whole time we were out on the rolling hilly limestone path trial. She decide to have us ride a total distance of 30 miles which we did in a crusier pace of 2:48:46 which is a pace of 10.7mph...this kept my average HR down low at an average of 92bpm! Only a couple times during the ride did my HR go above 100bpm.
It was a very nice spring day for a ride...
b
Kristen and I headed out early as cold weather permitting for a Des Plaines River trial MT. bike ride since the sun was out this day. We need to work on distance since the half IM is coming up in less than 3 months time now so k controled the pace the whole time we were out on the rolling hilly limestone path trial. She decide to have us ride a total distance of 30 miles which we did in a crusier pace of 2:48:46 which is a pace of 10.7mph...this kept my average HR down low at an average of 92bpm! Only a couple times during the ride did my HR go above 100bpm.
It was a very nice spring day for a ride...
b
Friday, May 9, 2008
same day...round two...
Thursday evening:
Right after work I headed over to the local bike shop for the Thursday evening one mile repeats group of that they do weekly on this evening. They basically ride on an industrial parkway area that allows us to have a perfect 1.1 mile straight away in both directions connected by roads at each end so it’s a nice 2.2 mile loop. I attended this once about a month ago so this would be my second round for this outdoor cycling season. Temps were perfect at 54 degrees with a nice strong breeze out of the NE at 16mph. Since I was dressed properly for this biking session I was perfectly comfortable out there last night.
At one point we had 38 bike riders out there last night with about 90% of them being roadies and the last 10% comprised of triathletes/duathletes. The roadies ride the mile repeat as a large peloton (group) but in the tri/du/time trial racing world drafting is illegal in races. So for my full benefit of this workout I would hang back about an 1/4th of a mile then I would drop the throttle with full power on with peaking during the repeat in the second half of the repeat distance. So my repeat distances were each different because I would end up catching the peloton or getting pinched out on road space. I also made it a point to ride out of the pack on the recovery mile which just so happened to be into the headwind but that’s a big benefit training and racing wise…no drafting for me!
So I was able to get in 8 repeats in various distances with the 1st one not being recorded by me because I considered it my stride-out repeat and the 8th one being a cool-down repeat…so below is my repeat mile distance, time for the repeat, average & max HR for repeat and average & max speed for repeat:
.9 mile – 2:00 – AHR 139bpm – MHR 150bpm – Average 26.7mph – Max 32.8mph
.75 mile – 1:36 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 153bpm – Average 27.2mph – Max 30.1mph
.75 mile – 1:31 – AHR 145bpm – MHR 158bpm – Average 28.8mph – Max 30.3mph
.85 mile – 1:53 – AHR 150bpm – MHR 163bpm – Average 27.1mph – Max 28.8mph
.5 mile – 1:08 – AHR 145bpm – MHR 151bpm – Average 27.3mph – Max 29.3mph
.85 mile – 1:51 – AHR 148bpm – MHR 152bpm – Average 26.5mph – Max 28.5mph
I rode on the bike for a total time of 1:04:12 for 19.6 miles with and average speed of 18.3mph. My average HR was 128bpm with an average cadence of 94rpm & a max cadence at one point of 116rpm. I would have ridden more but the sunlight was going down quickly as I felt quite good on the bike during the whole duration. Actually I was amazed at how good I felt out there on the bike, no pain what-so-ever like running even though I have a very specific tri-bike to help activate running muscles. Plus in the morning I ran those 400’s & 800’s repeats and on the bike I felt like I never ran them...
I hope to carry this great feeling into the Galena Duathlon on May 17th…
b
Right after work I headed over to the local bike shop for the Thursday evening one mile repeats group of that they do weekly on this evening. They basically ride on an industrial parkway area that allows us to have a perfect 1.1 mile straight away in both directions connected by roads at each end so it’s a nice 2.2 mile loop. I attended this once about a month ago so this would be my second round for this outdoor cycling season. Temps were perfect at 54 degrees with a nice strong breeze out of the NE at 16mph. Since I was dressed properly for this biking session I was perfectly comfortable out there last night.
At one point we had 38 bike riders out there last night with about 90% of them being roadies and the last 10% comprised of triathletes/duathletes. The roadies ride the mile repeat as a large peloton (group) but in the tri/du/time trial racing world drafting is illegal in races. So for my full benefit of this workout I would hang back about an 1/4th of a mile then I would drop the throttle with full power on with peaking during the repeat in the second half of the repeat distance. So my repeat distances were each different because I would end up catching the peloton or getting pinched out on road space. I also made it a point to ride out of the pack on the recovery mile which just so happened to be into the headwind but that’s a big benefit training and racing wise…no drafting for me!
So I was able to get in 8 repeats in various distances with the 1st one not being recorded by me because I considered it my stride-out repeat and the 8th one being a cool-down repeat…so below is my repeat mile distance, time for the repeat, average & max HR for repeat and average & max speed for repeat:
.9 mile – 2:00 – AHR 139bpm – MHR 150bpm – Average 26.7mph – Max 32.8mph
.75 mile – 1:36 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 153bpm – Average 27.2mph – Max 30.1mph
.75 mile – 1:31 – AHR 145bpm – MHR 158bpm – Average 28.8mph – Max 30.3mph
.85 mile – 1:53 – AHR 150bpm – MHR 163bpm – Average 27.1mph – Max 28.8mph
.5 mile – 1:08 – AHR 145bpm – MHR 151bpm – Average 27.3mph – Max 29.3mph
.85 mile – 1:51 – AHR 148bpm – MHR 152bpm – Average 26.5mph – Max 28.5mph
I rode on the bike for a total time of 1:04:12 for 19.6 miles with and average speed of 18.3mph. My average HR was 128bpm with an average cadence of 94rpm & a max cadence at one point of 116rpm. I would have ridden more but the sunlight was going down quickly as I felt quite good on the bike during the whole duration. Actually I was amazed at how good I felt out there on the bike, no pain what-so-ever like running even though I have a very specific tri-bike to help activate running muscles. Plus in the morning I ran those 400’s & 800’s repeats and on the bike I felt like I never ran them...
I hope to carry this great feeling into the Galena Duathlon on May 17th…
b
Thursday, May 8, 2008
slowly back to running...
Thursday morning:
I woke-up super early this morning to run in our neighborhood region since we has a massive rainstorm that rolled thru our region last night when I was planning on running so it was delayed slightly which my body appreciated. Since I have not run since the Indy Mini half last Saturday and only tri-biked in the house Tuesday evening I believe its good I’m giving my body a little extra time to recover and heal itself also. But on the flip side of that I have my favorite Duathlon race in Galena, IL on Saturday May 17th 2008 so I’m feeling guilty for the lack of training. So hopefully my base running/biking condition from the winter/spring will carry me thru this event respectfully plus I have two more chiropractor MATS sessions before the race.
So this morning bright and early I ran a 400 and 800 meter repeat workout with a 2 minute recovery walk/jog in between each that I put together for myself. Below is the order of repeats, distance of repeats, average & max HR of each repeat:
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 142bpm – MHR 150bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 138bpm – MHR 149bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 139bpm – MHR 150bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 141bpm – MHR 151bpm
800 meter – 3:22 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 154bpm
800 meter – 3:24 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 153bpm
800 meter – 3:26 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 153bpm
800 meter – 3:25 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 155bpm
I couldn’t have been anymore consistent time wise on the 400 meter repeats but I dropped that consistency in my 800 meter repeats even though the 800’s felt better to me overall. My pacing is more in a cruise repeat zone for me but that’s because my stride/leg turnover is suffering right now plus I didn’t want to over-cook myself this morning and risk further injury setbacks. I ran a total of 7.5 miles with a 2.1 mile warm-up and a 1.2 mile cool-down.
All in all I was very pleased with my run this morning 100%
b
I woke-up super early this morning to run in our neighborhood region since we has a massive rainstorm that rolled thru our region last night when I was planning on running so it was delayed slightly which my body appreciated. Since I have not run since the Indy Mini half last Saturday and only tri-biked in the house Tuesday evening I believe its good I’m giving my body a little extra time to recover and heal itself also. But on the flip side of that I have my favorite Duathlon race in Galena, IL on Saturday May 17th 2008 so I’m feeling guilty for the lack of training. So hopefully my base running/biking condition from the winter/spring will carry me thru this event respectfully plus I have two more chiropractor MATS sessions before the race.
So this morning bright and early I ran a 400 and 800 meter repeat workout with a 2 minute recovery walk/jog in between each that I put together for myself. Below is the order of repeats, distance of repeats, average & max HR of each repeat:
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 142bpm – MHR 150bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 138bpm – MHR 149bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 139bpm – MHR 150bpm
400 meter – 1:36 – AHR 141bpm – MHR 151bpm
800 meter – 3:22 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 154bpm
800 meter – 3:24 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 153bpm
800 meter – 3:26 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 153bpm
800 meter – 3:25 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 155bpm
I couldn’t have been anymore consistent time wise on the 400 meter repeats but I dropped that consistency in my 800 meter repeats even though the 800’s felt better to me overall. My pacing is more in a cruise repeat zone for me but that’s because my stride/leg turnover is suffering right now plus I didn’t want to over-cook myself this morning and risk further injury setbacks. I ran a total of 7.5 miles with a 2.1 mile warm-up and a 1.2 mile cool-down.
All in all I was very pleased with my run this morning 100%
b
HydroTail in place for Galena Duathlon event on May 17th 2008...
Set-up in single bottle mode since the bike leg is only 16.9 miles...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
back in the saddle...
Tuesday evening:
After two days of rest from exercising and seeing the sports chiropractor twice during that time for MATS treatment I decided to test how my body felt on the tri-bike last night via the Kinetic training at home. The nice thing about riding the bike is that I use a different set of muscles for the most part than running except when I sit in the aero-position forward on the saddle which activates the running muscle groups. The ride didn’t feel so bad because at least when your on a bike you can stand up in the pedals to give some relief to the lower back.
Anyways during the 40 minute tri-bike ride I focused on the smaller front chainring (42t) for usage with a slightly slower cadence to help simulate the hills of Galena in 10 days time. Basically the ride had a 10 minute warm-up then 20 minutes of progressive up-shift repeats then a ten minute cool-down. My average speed was slower at 16.5mph which happens when your average cadence is only 87rpm. My average HR was 108bpm with a max HR near the very end of my repeat session at 143bpm while I was in the larger 56 tooth front chainring.
I was able to handle the tri-bike ride with minimal pain as long as every 5 minutes of so I stood up on the pedals and spun out for 30 seconds. Believe it or not I was pretty sore from the two MATS chiro treatments than I was from the Indy Mini half…
b
After two days of rest from exercising and seeing the sports chiropractor twice during that time for MATS treatment I decided to test how my body felt on the tri-bike last night via the Kinetic training at home. The nice thing about riding the bike is that I use a different set of muscles for the most part than running except when I sit in the aero-position forward on the saddle which activates the running muscle groups. The ride didn’t feel so bad because at least when your on a bike you can stand up in the pedals to give some relief to the lower back.
Anyways during the 40 minute tri-bike ride I focused on the smaller front chainring (42t) for usage with a slightly slower cadence to help simulate the hills of Galena in 10 days time. Basically the ride had a 10 minute warm-up then 20 minutes of progressive up-shift repeats then a ten minute cool-down. My average speed was slower at 16.5mph which happens when your average cadence is only 87rpm. My average HR was 108bpm with a max HR near the very end of my repeat session at 143bpm while I was in the larger 56 tooth front chainring.
I was able to handle the tri-bike ride with minimal pain as long as every 5 minutes of so I stood up on the pedals and spun out for 30 seconds. Believe it or not I was pretty sore from the two MATS chiro treatments than I was from the Indy Mini half…
b
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
B's Indy Mini Report card...
Let's get right to the facts...mile 1) 7:45 - AHR 136bpm - MHR 145bpm
mile 2) 7:33 - AHR 145bpm - MHR 147bpm
mile 3) 7:33 - AHR 146bpm - MHR 149bpm
mile 4) 7:35 - AHR 148bpm - MHR 150bpm
mile 5) 7:49 - AHR 148bpm - MHR 152bpm
mile 6) 7:46 - AHR 149bpm - MHR 154bpm
mile 7) 7:49 - AHR 151bpm - MHR 156bpm
mile 8) 7:25 - AHR 153bpm - MHR 153bpm (Ahhh...the Speedway)
mile 9) 7:54 - AHR 151bpm - MHR 152bpm
mile 10) 7:55 - AHR 150bpm - MHR 151bpm
mile 11) 7:49 - AHR 149bpm - MHR 151bpm
...oops...
mile 12 & 13) 15:43 - AHR 152bpm - MHR 159bpm
mile 13.1) ) :34 - - AHR 161bpm - MHR 162bpm
Finish time of 1:41:18 with an average pace of 7:44 miles & average HR of 148bpm...
To me this year's Indy Mini was more about enjoying the event since I'm working thru some injury pain currently so I came into the race focusing on the best that my body would allow me to run at. I ran my 1st Mini in 2006 at 1:39:34 and in 2007 with a 1:37:14...so this year I was a little off pace but I'm already signed up for the 2009 Indy Mini for some serious payback time!
Kristen ran a fantastic race as she has been working through some terrible left foot plantar facitis(sp?) issues since mid-february also. She said at mile 11 it was so bad that she walked for a quarter mile and then said it was worst to walk and continued to the finishline running in 1:57:57...k figures she lost about two minutes walking...not a PR for her but dang close though :-)
The best part about this whole race weekend was hanging out with great friends as you can see from my pictures above...
b
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Regional Special Olympic's event at Prospect HS to qualify for State next month...
Our neice Sarah getting ready her portion of the 400m relay...
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
ez doz it...
Thursday morning:
This morning I woke-up early to get in a very easy 3.3 mile training run after two days of complete rest and acupuncture on Tuesday evening. It was 45 degrees this morning when I strolled out the door at 5:30am so I wore my CW-X compression tights to help hold together my lower back, glutes, hammies and calves together properly plus a long-sleeve tech shirt with a skull cap. Based on the 5 day specific taper cycle I’m following for Indy this Saturday I just need to run at a very easy pace for 30 minutes max this early morning.
I ended up meeting the goal for the day except I went for 31:00 minutes in the 3.3 mile distance for an average mile pace of 9:23. My average HR was perfectly in a low recovery, easy zone of 116bpm with a max HR at 120bpm. Tomorrows run I can run the same distance at a more moderate pace so it was good that I held to the program today…it’s all part of a taper program I use to hopefully peak on the 3rd day back from resting.
As for how my body felt during the run this morning I would love to say a lot better but the same pains were still present at a slightly reduced rate but then again I ran only for a very short time & distance…tomorrow mornings run will be the next test before race day on Saturday. I have to give this acupuncture treatment a few more days before I can judge it to more detail but I will have to say my ibuprofen consumption has lowered since the treatment…as always I will keep you posted!
b
This morning I woke-up early to get in a very easy 3.3 mile training run after two days of complete rest and acupuncture on Tuesday evening. It was 45 degrees this morning when I strolled out the door at 5:30am so I wore my CW-X compression tights to help hold together my lower back, glutes, hammies and calves together properly plus a long-sleeve tech shirt with a skull cap. Based on the 5 day specific taper cycle I’m following for Indy this Saturday I just need to run at a very easy pace for 30 minutes max this early morning.
I ended up meeting the goal for the day except I went for 31:00 minutes in the 3.3 mile distance for an average mile pace of 9:23. My average HR was perfectly in a low recovery, easy zone of 116bpm with a max HR at 120bpm. Tomorrows run I can run the same distance at a more moderate pace so it was good that I held to the program today…it’s all part of a taper program I use to hopefully peak on the 3rd day back from resting.
As for how my body felt during the run this morning I would love to say a lot better but the same pains were still present at a slightly reduced rate but then again I ran only for a very short time & distance…tomorrow mornings run will be the next test before race day on Saturday. I have to give this acupuncture treatment a few more days before I can judge it to more detail but I will have to say my ibuprofen consumption has lowered since the treatment…as always I will keep you posted!
b
resting...
Wednesday night:
Tonight I took a pro-active 30 minute ice bath with about a 20 minute session afterwards via a heating pad on my lower back...felt good to do these recover techniques and to help healing...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just finished watching online ESPN documentry on the Ryan Shay situation with his wife being interviewed...it really touchs ones heart to see such an un-fortunate situation happen like this to anyone
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the interview Joe Vigil was interviewed shortly whom coached Ryan after his years of coaching at Adams State in Alamosa Colorado...a great cross-country college. I haven't mentioned this before but my young brothers oldest daughter is graduating from HS this year and has a full-ride soccer scholarship to start playing at Adam State this late August...so I took a look at the colleges athletic website to find this article from 02.06.08 which includes all the girls that signed up for the 2009 soccer season:
Uncle Brian was pretty proud to seen this article about his neice Jessica getting this dream scholarship...now I have to convince k that we need to make a trip out there this fall to watch her play college soccer and maybe make a trip over to my alumni in Gunnison Colorado - Western State College of Colorado!
Thanks for listening to my ramblings this evening...
b
Tonight I took a pro-active 30 minute ice bath with about a 20 minute session afterwards via a heating pad on my lower back...felt good to do these recover techniques and to help healing...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just finished watching online ESPN documentry on the Ryan Shay situation with his wife being interviewed...it really touchs ones heart to see such an un-fortunate situation happen like this to anyone
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the interview Joe Vigil was interviewed shortly whom coached Ryan after his years of coaching at Adams State in Alamosa Colorado...a great cross-country college. I haven't mentioned this before but my young brothers oldest daughter is graduating from HS this year and has a full-ride soccer scholarship to start playing at Adam State this late August...so I took a look at the colleges athletic website to find this article from 02.06.08 which includes all the girls that signed up for the 2009 soccer season:
Uncle Brian was pretty proud to seen this article about his neice Jessica getting this dream scholarship...now I have to convince k that we need to make a trip out there this fall to watch her play college soccer and maybe make a trip over to my alumni in Gunnison Colorado - Western State College of Colorado!
Thanks for listening to my ramblings this evening...
b
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