Me (Hovering over Cheryl’s shoulder as she logs into something on the Web): What are you doing there?
Cheryl: I have to record my exercise data for work.
Me: Why?
C: Jolie’s [her boss] making us do it. We have a team, and we trying to meet some goals. They say they’re counting on me, ‘cause they know I run and gym and swim.
Me: It’s not fair, is it? Just using your routine so they can be a little lazier.
I guess it’s time for me to do a status check on my training and fitness. Last year at this time, I was scrambling to find enough energy, strength, time and fuel to get geared up for an Ironman at the end of June. This year, I decided maybe, after 9 years of doing an Ironman in June, and also with at least 3 minor mouth surgeries which would impact my swimming and eating in Jan, March, and May, that maybe I should try a novel (for me) approach.
I have yet to spend a full 4-5 months doing just improvement training. That is, training in shorter, harder bursts in order to get stronger and faster, then building on that for 3-4 months of focused Ironman training. So, starting Feb 13th, I began a 20 week program which has me working at most 10-11 hours a week, with the primary work being 2-3 one hour sessions each week of intense cycling or running.
This week is actually a perfect example of what I’d like to do. Monday, I spent half an hour in the weight room. Then in the evening, I ran 40 minutes at an easy pace, finishing with six short, fast runs (called “strides”) of 20 seconds, on the school track up the hill. Monday was designed as a “rest” or “recovery” day. I felt more rested at the end of that day than at the end of Sunday, so it served its purpose.
Tuesday, in the morning, I rode on my trainer for 80 minutes. A 20-25 minute warm up, followed by 4 separate 8-10 minute hard intervals working around the effort level I can sustain for an hour. I was using an internet based program called “TrainerRoad”. It basically does two things for me. First, it takes over control of my trainer, making sure I am working against the proper resistance level. Second, it has scores of custom designed workouts I can choose from to meet my specific training goals. This type of workout is very hard to do, requiring a lot of focus, and much sweat. I do it on my upstairs porch, outside in 50 degree weather, and still drip all over the place. My favorite part: I get to watch “24” on TV (via Amazon Prime on Roku), which is mindless, absorbing, predictable, and moves along briskly. I moved through two of the final episodes in the first season. It’s now 10:00 PM on the day of the California presidential primary, and Jack Bauer has just been freed (via a sniper’s bullet through his handcuffs), but his daughter remains captured by Serbian terrorists (the head honcho is lethally played by Dennis Hopper.)
Anyway, in the afternoon, I drove to the YMCA pool, and swam for 51 minutes, doing intervals of decreasing length and increasing effort. Due to my surgeries, my swimming has been stop and start since the first of the year, and I have only been going at it for 4 weeks now. This week I finally started to see some results as far as endurance and speed improvements, giving me hope that I won’t drown at the race I’ll be doing in ten days down in California.
Next, today, Wednesday. This is an hour on the treadmill. But what I do, after a 20 minute warm up, is intervals at about 5K race pace, a total of two miles in 12 different segments: 200 meters x 4, 800 meters x 2, 200 meters x 4, and 400 meters x 2. Doing it on the treadmill allows me to makes sure I don’t slack; even on a track, it is just too easy to ease off at some point. And, it allows me to progressively increase my speed throughout the workout. Again, lots of sweat and heavy breathing. I have three fans blasting at me, and wear my tank top unzipped and rolled up to my ribs. Seeing me do this is a roomful of plodders must be like watching the heavyset guys grunting under 10 plates of barbells in the weight room.
Tomorrow, a swim set in the morning for 50-55 minutes. And an hour on the trainer in the afternoon, with six x 3 minute intervals 20 % harder than what I did on Tuesday.
Friday is another rest and recovery day, so I’ll go to the gym before my 24 hour work shift.
Saturday will be a group bike ride of about 55 miles/3 hours. I’ll have specific effort levels pre-programmed, but nothing as hard as what I’ll do tomorrow. Followed by a 30 minute run, possibly at a slightly higher than easy effort.
Finally, Sunday, another swim session shy of an hour, and then a hour of running, which will include 2 x 2 miles at a half marathon>>10K pace, with an mile easy in between. I might end of making that just 2 x 1.75 miles, as that is how long the Cushman Trail bike path measures out.
So, no long biking or running expeditions, just a bunch of short, intense bursts of effort. This week, I’m at last beginning to feel the effects, not as fatigue, but as getting stronger and more tolerant of the work. Just in time for the race Cheryl and I will do in ten days down at Lake San Antonio, California – the Wildflower Triathlon. I’ll swim 1.2 miles, then bike 56, and she will finish up with 13.1 miles of running. I’m feeling perfectly ready for this.
I’m also feeling like maybe I should up the ante, and start throwing down some more Ironman specific training, in light of Ironman Canada coming up the end of August. But, really, I don’t need to fret about that. I can take another 10 weeks of this easy stuff, bike for two weeks in Colorado in mid-July, then start a twelve week program designed to get me to the start line in Hawaii on October 13. Along the way, I’ll do Ironman Canada, simply as part of the training process. I’m actually beginning to look forward again to racing long at Penticton.