On January 31, 2012,
in So the first month of 2012 is done. Damn–the advance of time scares me. does not seem to let up and I know what happens at the end….
I think it was a very effective month of training for me. Here are the aggregate stats:
Swim: 30,600 yards
Bike: 748 miles
Run: 166 miles
Time: 81 hours
Last year, the same totals were:
Swim: 35,250 yards
Bike: 733 miles
Run: 164 miles
time: 84 hours
So, pretty comprable. I’m psyched about this–despite how close the numbers are, I feel like I’m way ahead this year as compared to last year. Last year (2010), my “A” race was Kona which was in early October. After that race I took about six weeks “easy”. I used December 2010 as a transition month and then I hit it pretty hard in January 2011. This year, my “A” race was right before Thanksgiving so I took it “easy” for a few weeks in Decembe 2011 and used January 2012 as an easy month recovery vehicle but also tried to get myself ready for the work of 2012.
I feel like I’ve been successful. I’m very motivated. I just completed my last knee injection cycle so I’m way ahead of last year and the major knee problem I had deal with last year. My shoulder seems to be recovered. I’m about 7 pounds ligher than last year at this time. My swim is very solid despite taking a week off in January for my new… Read the rest
On January 31, 2012,
in This is partially the reason I have decided NOT to run the Seneca Creek Trail 50k on March 3rd. I’m afraid right now my body can’t handle building up to an insanely long distance within a matter of weeks and with that I wouldn’t want to push myself at the beginning of a season when I have a whole season ahead of me!
Here we go…
On January 31, 2012,
in So it’s Tuesday, and this is what my day started off looking like.
Your first question is likely: What body part is that??
Your next question is probably: What in the world?
Well, the body part would be chubby swim bike mom knees, and the what would be marks from someone who gets out of the pool and kneels on the tile floor for a minute. Just a minute. And I’ve got grill marks on my chops.
This morning I had a swim and a run scheduled. To do a swim and a run before work requires some early rising. The Expert still has the plague, so he coughed alot last night, and I didn’t sleep well. Plus, I finished “The Hunger Games” right before bed, and in my dozing-dream sleep, I was using my bow and arrow to pick off people at work. I jest.
Needless to say, 5am came early today. Regardless of the early factor, I am still a HUGE cheerleader (no pun intended) for the early morning workout. In the spirit of my cheerleading, I sat outside of LifeTime Fitness for a bit and contemplated the early morning workout:
(Please do not look upon the eye-bags)
Four miles is still a long run. I’m telling you. I wonder when these
On January 31, 2012,
in Well, here we are at the end of the first month of 2012. The year is roughly 8% done. 1/12th over. The clock is spinning, and of course there’s no stopping it.
And I’m officially behind where I wanted to be.
How sad is that?
Even though I’m not “really” training for much right now, I am supposed to be in the midst of a general “prep” phase that should last through February. At the beginning of the year, I laid out my plans for the year (here) which include swimming a quarter million yards, running at least 750 miles, and biking at least 1600 miles. Well, one month down, and I’m lagging against those goals.
So far, I have swum exactly 11,700 yards, cycled 16 miles, and ran exactly zero miles. That translates to 56.16% of my swim target, 12% of my cycling target and a big goose-egg on the run. Spectacular.
Why did I miss? No excuses here – I just didn’t prioritize my training compared to other things. I didn’t get my butt out of bed in the mornings to run or ride the bike trainer. I let work get in the way (dang – who needs a job anyway?). I spent time with my family. Valid reasons for not training, for sure, but those things don’t do anything to help meet my training goals – or my weight, for that matter.
And so, I’ve recalibrated my targets for February as a… Read the rest
credit: Coveryourrace.com
There are many sacred truths in our sport. And a few myths as well.
After having read a pretty good thread on Slowtwitch (click here for the thread), TriMadness sought out to identify and capture a detailed listing of the most pervasive triathlon-related myths. After burning up significant amounts of internet bandwidth – as well as partaking in more than a few Mexican frosty beverages over the weekend, TriMadness is proud to present the following list of triathlon myths:
(feel free to debunk, refute, add to, or bash this list)
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Shaving your legs will make you go faster
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Running a 10-minute mile is NOT “running”
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Not qualifying for Kona or Boston means that you are not a “real” triathlete
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Replacing your down-tube water bottle with an aero bottle will make you significantly more aero, hence faster
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Breastroke should never be done in a triathlon
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Backstroke should never be done in a triathlon
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If you switch to a new gel/drink/nutrition product on a race day, you will automatically puke
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You must train with power
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Ironman puts on the best triathlon series ever
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You must have both a road bike and a tri bike
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You must race Kona before you die
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Triathletes
On January 30, 2012,
in 
While some researchers across the world are busy sequencing genes or developing new energy sources, others are investigating critical questions in triathlon and running. That’s right, there is a growing body of research devoted to endurance sports science emerging from those involved in elite athlete development, physical preparation of the military, or health promotion. A search on triathlon yields peer-reviewed studies on things like race warmup, run pacing, effects of aging, and characteristics of elites.
On Tuesday of each week I’ll pull an item of relevant research and post a short “microblog” on the new Ben Greenfield Fitness site on Google+. Research, by it’s very nature, has limitations and by no means are results definitive. But it provides a starting point for discussion and may yield new ideas for your own training.
So put me and BGF in your circles on Google+ and check it out!
If you are not already familiar, Google+ is somewhat of a Facebook alternative. BGF is also on the web, iTunes Podcasts, Facebook, and he also puts out the Endurance Planet podcasts that I listen to regularly.
Last week’s post was on the effect of music on treadmill running:
- Those of us who run with music may feel like it is helpful but wonder if it truly is. Researchers from Australia and Queensland believe the answer is yes! They had 11 elite triathletes run on a treadmill under three conditions: no music,
Very strong week of training. Probably a little more that I should do at this point in the season but I’m all there motivation wise. Good progress on my 100 swim intervals (under 1:30 now). I did two 2X20s (225/227 and 224/227 watts) so all good on the bike front. Big week of running. I want to get to hill training and up the anaerobic stress here shortly…going on a bit of a vacation with my bride next weekend so next week will be a consolidation week for me.
Here are the stats:
swim: 9000 yards
bike: 193 miles
run: 45.6 miles
stretch/weights: 2 hours
total time: 22:39
As a side note, I only had one week last year with more run volume–that week was during the meat of my IM build for IMAZ….I feel really good about my run now. Although I do worry about how slow my pace is….still, I think frequency and volume is what I need most so I’ll stay on the program for the next few weeks at least….
On January 29, 2012,
in
