eweeeeeeee...

Friday evening:

After picking up my old tri-bike from the LBS for specific trainer purposes now I went out for a 3.4 mile run in the neighborhood region in 32:09...my legs & body were flogged still from the 400 meter repeats the night before...ouch!!!

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got those 400's in the book...

Thursday evening:

Week number two had scheduled intervals on the 12 week Hal Advanced half marathon training program as 7 by 400 meter intervals with 90 seconds (or a 10th of a mile) of recovery time in between each one. I ran these at the health club due to weather and ran a 2 mile warm-up on the indoor track and then went down to the treadmills for the 400 intervals…below are my repeats time with average & max HR per each:

1:42 – AHR 150bpm – MHR 156bpm
1:40 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 156bpm
1:42 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 156bpm
1:41 – AHR 149bpm – MHR 157bpm
1:40 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 156bpm
1:42 – AHR 146bpm – MHR 157bpm
1:39 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 157bpm

Ran a cool-down mile afterwards on the track as it was quite warm & humid in the field house tonight. My times at this point still aren’t where they need to be especially running them on a treadmill. I covered a total of 5.6 miles in 50:03 with an average HR of 131bpm…another good run in the books :-)

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Lunch time boredom...

besides the iPod and song can anyone guess what else is in the picture?

now that felt right...

Tuesday evening:

Before I could get in my tempo run at the health club I rushed over to the bike shop after work before they closed to drop off my original components to be re-installed on my old Cannondale TT/Tri-bike so I can specifically use this bike as my trainer ride whether it be on my Kinetic trainer and/or on the bike shop Computrainer set-up plus I can always used the bike outdoors if the weather is foul outside…they tell me it should be done no later than Thursday evening…FTP 30 minute Time Trial Computrainer test this Sunday so I hope I haven’t forgotten on how to ride this bike ;-)

So I eventually made it to the health club not too late to start my 45 minute tempo run but I forgot to pack running socks…no fret as I ran via triathlete mode with no socks in the running shoes. I ran my first 2.4 miles via the track at the health club (5 laps to a mile) which works out well for me as I’m properly warmed up for the real tempo portion on the treadmill which was a 1 degree incline for 15 minutes which I covered 2 miles with an average HR of 146bpm and a max HR at the finish of the ramp up at 156bpm.

After that was completed I went back upstairs to the track to run my one mile cool-down portion. My total run time was 45:50 and I covered 5.4 miles during that timeframe with an average HR for the whole run duration of 132bpm.

That tempo run felt really good and I like this set-up for these style runs as the treadmill keeps me honest on the speedy stuff ;-)

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an odd night at computrainer class...

Monday evening:

Got to the bike shop in time for the final session of the first six week Computrainer 90 minute class. Tonight’s class was its usual drills, intervals, stomps, etc but at a slight higher and longer intensity. I still haven’t been able to get my Polar cadence & speed transponders to work on the new tt/tri-bike so hence no graph is being provided this week for those of you that might be following my progress over the last 5 weeks…sorry. I felt ok on the bike during the class with little energy I had in my system but I let it fly on the stomps in the last section of the class. My max wattage for a standing stomp came in at 768 watts…that’s 48 watts higher than last weeks best stomp as my average watts for the 90 minute class came in at 196 which was the same as last week but at a tougher training level. My average HR for the 90 minute class came in at 120bpm with a max during a stomp of 150bpm. Also during the pace line spin drills I was comfortably able to hold a 132rpm cadence per the Computrainers program. A good class as on Sunday February 22nd I have my first FTP (functional threshold power) test at the bike shop via a 30 minute Time Trial effort.

On a different note I was informed the week before and on Monday night that I might want to reconsider using my all carbon fiber new Ridley Dean on the Computrainer and/or via a stationary trainer due too flexing especially in the seat stay/post region. My coach and the shop mechanics recommend not using my bike in the rigid rear wheel floor trainers. So I had the joy after class to find all my old Cannondale tri-bike components at home to have that bike put back together for a trainer specific bike to train on…it was an interesting night to say the least…

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just a spin...

Sunday morning:

Rode the Ridley Dean tri-bike via my Kinetic trainer for 45 minutes as I watched a DVD of the 2005 TdF mountain stage 14 for continued motivation as Chicagoland winter has returned. Recovery and adaptation ride to get used to the new bike. All went well as flushed out my tired running legs with an average HR of 103bpm and max HR at minute 39 of 130bpm...

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grey sky day...

Saturday morning:

On the training schedule was a 90 minute 3/1 workout so it was business as usual at the lakefront path as always. I calculated the run into two timeframes; the first 60 minutes at a comfortable long half marathon training pace and finish off the last 30 minutes of the run with a stronger pace to simulate running though race fatigue. I ended up covering 11 miles in the 90 minute timeframe with an average HR of 138bpm and a max HR of 152bpm at about minute 72 of the run. Below are my splits times with average HR:

58:51 – AHR 134bpm
31:09 – AHR 146bpm

The run fell fine but my legs didn’t respond well & consistent during the last 30 minutes when the run matter the most. I guess my legs really weren’t properly recovered from the first week of speedwork during the 12 week session…but the run is in the books which is what matters the most!

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recovery spin...

Friday morning 02.13.2008:

Rode the tri-bike via the Kinetic trainer for an easy recovery spin of 45 minutes. Since my Polar cadence and speed sensors are still not cooperating the only data I have is HR for which my average was 98bpm and max at 122bpm...

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Saturday morning...

down by Diversey Harbor...brrr!

sweating indoors...

Thursday evening:

Ran my first 40 minute tempo run of the 12 week training program at the health club. Consisted of a 2.4 mile warm-up on the indoor track then popped on the treadmill from the pick-up portion of 1.3 miles then back on the track for a 1 mile cool-down. During the 1.3 mile tempo zone which I ran in 9:47 with average HR at 147bpm and a max at the end of 155bpm - Total run time was 40:36 for 4.7 miles plus an average HR of 134bpm and max of HR of 157bpm...a great tempo run for me!

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felt good...

Tuesday evening:

So it was my 1st scheduled interval on the 12 week Hal Advanced half marathon training program which actually called for 6 by hills but we have no hills within our direct region so I substituted 6 by 400 meter intervals instead with 90 seconds of recovery time in between each one. The last time I did any form of interval running workout was on 10.02.08 just 9 days before the 2008 Chicago Marathon. The running fast twitch muscles have not been used in quite a long time but I was glad to get back to them outdoors last night in the nice weather we were having. I ran a 2.2 mile warm-up in the neighborhood region as I leapt into the first 400 after my body was properly at temperature…below are my repeats time with average & max HR per each:

1:41 – AHR 145bpm – MHR 153bpm
1:38 – AHR 143bpm – MHR 155bpm
1:40 – AHR 143bpm – MHR 155bpm
1:39 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 156bpm
1:40 – AHR 144bpm – MHR 155bpm
1:37 – AHR 147bpm – MHR 158bpm

Ran a cool-down 1.3 miles afterwards as I reflected on my first interval workout in 4 months time and I was quite happy I didn’t forget how to run them and I was able to brick them time wise close together. My times at this point aren’t where they need to be but that will come back in the next couple interval workouts. I covered a total of 5.4 miles in 50:30 with an average HR of 129bpm…great run in the un-seasonally warm weather :-)

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suffering is a good thing now and then...

Monday evening:

Week four of bike shop Computrainer 90 minute coached workout completed with the new Ridley Dean TT/Tri Bike for the first time. The bike feels fantastic and so much different than my old Cannondale. Only 4 riders showed up for class so the other 4 slots on the trainers were vacant, maybe those folks were gonna ride outside on Tuesday as the temps are forecasted to be in the low 60 degrees. My average HR was at 122bpm with a max HR near the very end on a stomp interval of 154bpm. My baseline watts used for my profile is still at 245 with a max class wattage output of 720 during the last 200% stomp technique as my average 90 minute class wattage was at 179 for the evening. Class was great yet again tonight as it will take a few more rides on the new bike before my body adjusts properly to its geometry set-up. I was fatigued going into class by felt better when I was done…

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Here is my Polar HR graph from the session but you have probably noticed my cadence, distance and mph missing from the chart. I’m having a challenge getting the Polar sensors to work properly on the new carbon fiber bike as my old Cannondale was aluminum…I’ll get that stuff dialed in soon I promise…I need data!

http://www.twodogzdesign.com/cycle09/020909.JPG