Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Swimming And the Medius

Today's swim session included some drills and speed work. Typically, my Intermediate race goal is to keep my pace around 45 seconds per 50. Today's speed work involved 4 sets of 150 on 3 minutes, 3 sets of 150 on 2:50, 2 sets of 150 on 2:40, and 1 set of 150 on 2:30. I was happy to see my splits staying in the 2:14-2:18 range until the last couple of sets which saw times around 2:23 (I was toast). While it's still early in the season for me swimming wise, it was good to see that my lack of speed work over the winter months didn't totally kill what I had accomplished last year. I still struggle with kicking even the least bit. I'm working this extensively in drills. What could I do if I only knew how to kick?

Afterwards, I hit the weight room for some light shoulder and back work. Also as all good little triathletes should do, I made sure I did adequate core work as well. But the newest exercise to my regime is working the all important gluteus medius. I've listened to even podcasts and read enough articles on the importance of this little muscle to know that I need to start paying some attention to it. Having a strong 'G.M.' can greatly decrease your chances on IT band injuries. The muscle works as a pelvic stabilizer while running. Odd eh? The exercise is aptly name the "fire hydrant". Basically you get down on your knees and elbows and do your best impersonation of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. 3 sets of 10 reps per side will have you screaming for mercy, as well as looking like an idiot.

That's all for now. Tailwinds to all.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tuesday Morning Hill Repeats

First of all, this past weekend was amazing. It was our first sure sign of Spring. Temps were in the high 60's and the sun was blazing. Dr. Nitrous and I had a great ride on Saturday which left my aching during my run on Sunday. It was good to hurt.

After taking the "day off" with a pool session yesterday, I decided to tackle hill repeats this morning with my training partner, the evil Dr. Nitrous.
The good thing about the Dr. is that he's just a little bit better than I am on the run. He's on form right now with a recent 1/2 Mary in 1:33. Nice work and definitely on track for NOLA 70.3 in April.

The plan this morning was to get a 1 mile warm up in and then tackle a .32 mile hill beside my office. Yes, this is the same hill that I get to see the local Cross Country kids run during the day while I'm stuck inside working. After today's workout, I won't feel so bad about being the one in the office in the future.

I thought that I would have been fully recovered from this weekend's training after the day off, but half way up the hill I could start to feel the fatigue of the weekend start to creep in. During the second interval, my body was asking if this could be our last. My quads felt tight, swollen, and dead. Despite the pain, I was only 3 seconds slower. I could feel a bit of a change in my third hill and actually felt faster, but still was 3 seconds slower than my first. But no drop off. The fourth and yes final hill actually felt like my best. My body was adapting and my legs felt a little lighter. I came in 1 second slower than my first hill. Not bad.

The workout was short and sweet. Overall, only about 3.5 miles of running, but it was quality work. Next week, we'll see about adding a 5th and maybe a 6th.

Tailwinds.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Let's Talk 2010

Like a bear emerging from a long winter's hibernation, triathletes all around are gearing up for yet another exciting year of triathlon. This triathlete is no exception. 2009 was great. I made some great strides in stretching my abilities and have learned a lot about myself and where I want to go, but it's time to build on that and not rest on any past laurels.
2010 will be a year to focus on speed and more speed. Due to a new baby in the house, I've taken IM out of the equation and will focus on sprints and Olys. I've laid out a manageable and exciting schedule that has me racing twice most months this summer. The hope is seek out a few races that I either haven't done yet or haven't done in a while.
So physically where am I right now? Honestly, since my last post it's been a lot better. I've picked up two pool sessions a week where before I was maybe only swimming once. I'm not exactly happy with my technique right now, but the times are still there. I'm about 80% where I want to be on the bike. Endurance has picked up, but I'm just not climbing the way I used to right now. I'm on the bike/trainer at least three times a week right now so hopefully that will change soon. The run is still an unknown. I've had good days and bad days. I'm ready to stretch out some of the speed work I've been doing to see if I can maintain my goal pace for the entire run. This is where I've fallen back in the past in Sprint races. I'd love to be able to get under 20 minutes for a 5K in Sprint but I haven't been able to maintain that pace.
This biggest thing that needs to happen is for this damned winter to end. It's making life and training way to difficult and complicated. I'm ready to sweat and suffer on the road instead of in my garage or on the dreadmill. Regardless, the motivation is there, and it's time to get serious. 2010 is here and I'm ready to play. Game on!