Today I was asked about my time goals for Beach to Battleship. I felt pretentious and overly ambitious when I stated my perfect condition race time, especially considering this will be the first time I will try and cover 140.6 miles. I think sometimes it's easy to get lost in times and figuring out where you can make up time and where you might lose it...especially when you're thinking to yourself and wishing and having pipe dreams!
That being said, I think it's really important to have goals in life. Sure, my goals may make me sound cocky and/or overly confident but if you don't set high standards for yourself how will you ever get motivated enough to do better?? I remember when I was gearing up for New Orleans 70.3 I thought I was capable of running a 1:25 half marathon after a 2:30 bike and a :35 swim. NOT! I struggled to the line with a 1:37! That taught me that you can't do stuff in races that you've never done in training. I never put in the work to be able to run a 1:25 half marathon. That's a longgg way to be holding fast miles that I've never even come close to in training. I realized that I had to work HARD to be able to run as fast as I wanted to in a half ironman. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have enough time before the next one to put in the work and consequently went the same pace in my second effort at the distance!
So, just to hold myself accountable my goals for Beach to Battleship (on a perfect day where everything goes right including my nutrition, my pacing, and most importantly I don't fall apart on the run due to all the factors that can contribute to that happening...)
Swim 2.4 miles in :53-:55 (tide-aided!)
Bike 112 miles in 4:58-5:05 (this may very well be a bad idea but why not try for it?)
Run 26.2 miles in 3:25-3:35 (this one's the big question mark. No idea what to expect!)
To elaborate, my main goal for this race is simply to FINISH. That is my main objective on November 7th: to cross the finish line intact and mostly healthy. Having said that, if conditions are perfect and nothing goes wrong mechanically or physically I'd LOVE to see those times. That may be asking too much from myself and I may very well not come anywhere close to those splits but if I don't then I'm not ashamed. I know that I'm not trying to come off as overly confident but if you don't set high standards for yourself, who will?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Taper
It's taper time... The hard work is done and now it's just about making sure I'm peaked for the race.
Swim and bike have been strong but running has been almost nonexistent since my IT problems started. I've been doing everything I can to keep it in check but to a certain extent there's just not much I can do about it.
This week I've just got to start making sure that I have everything I need for the race itself. Wetsuit, clothes for all conditions, wheels, nutritionn, bike check-up, race shoes, etc etc. Should start to get pretty exciting!
Swim and bike have been strong but running has been almost nonexistent since my IT problems started. I've been doing everything I can to keep it in check but to a certain extent there's just not much I can do about it.
This week I've just got to start making sure that I have everything I need for the race itself. Wetsuit, clothes for all conditions, wheels, nutritionn, bike check-up, race shoes, etc etc. Should start to get pretty exciting!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Almost there...
Swim: 11,000 yards
Bike: 197 miles
Run: 16.5 miles
This week was the first running since last Tuesday. My IT band is not tight but my calves and knee are quite tight. I had a ~4 mile run on Thursday and a 10 miler on Sunday.
Got in a lot of good swimming again this week. Even without true workouts in the pool I'm getting a lot stronger. My pull is super powerful right now and that will prove valuable ... Someday.
Lots of biking but it was all crammed inti 3 days: Friday 40, saturday 100 with Behme and a Sunday 56 miler in the NC mountains (again with Behme). We had intended to do 100 but the weather was uncooperativeve.
Next week is my last big week woo hoo
Bike: 197 miles
Run: 16.5 miles
This week was the first running since last Tuesday. My IT band is not tight but my calves and knee are quite tight. I had a ~4 mile run on Thursday and a 10 miler on Sunday.
Got in a lot of good swimming again this week. Even without true workouts in the pool I'm getting a lot stronger. My pull is super powerful right now and that will prove valuable ... Someday.
Lots of biking but it was all crammed inti 3 days: Friday 40, saturday 100 with Behme and a Sunday 56 miler in the NC mountains (again with Behme). We had intended to do 100 but the weather was uncooperativeve.
Next week is my last big week woo hoo
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ouch ouch my leg
So my running definitely took a hit this week after my long run on Tuesday that ended so dramatically (the recovery from said long run actually).
Sometimes it's hard to explain how it feels to not believe that your body is at 100%. Right now I can't even imagine what it feels like to run pain free. That's about as exciting as a new pair of pants. For some reason running is my favorite thing to be good at (that's of course assuming that I AM actually good at it... Big assumption) so it kind of sucks to no longer be able to do it as regularly as I want to... Oh well. This week I'm going to try out some short easy runs just to see if I can back into some kind of a groove.
Biking has been going awesomely. That's been a trend through this training block and that actually IS exciting. I've been able to string together good long rides. I'm hoping that this trend continues because B2B is a race where the bike course can be taken advantage of big time.
Swimming has been good no doubt about that. Too bad B2B is a race where the swim is the LEAST portabt part of the race. Oh well, it is what it is.
This weekend I'll get in two 100+ mile rides on Saturday and Sunday and that will mark my last BIG weekend on the bike.
I'm hesitant to be too excited about this race be ause of my leg issues but I feel like I can tear this bike course apart. Time will tell
Sometimes it's hard to explain how it feels to not believe that your body is at 100%. Right now I can't even imagine what it feels like to run pain free. That's about as exciting as a new pair of pants. For some reason running is my favorite thing to be good at (that's of course assuming that I AM actually good at it... Big assumption) so it kind of sucks to no longer be able to do it as regularly as I want to... Oh well. This week I'm going to try out some short easy runs just to see if I can back into some kind of a groove.
Biking has been going awesomely. That's been a trend through this training block and that actually IS exciting. I've been able to string together good long rides. I'm hoping that this trend continues because B2B is a race where the bike course can be taken advantage of big time.
Swimming has been good no doubt about that. Too bad B2B is a race where the swim is the LEAST portabt part of the race. Oh well, it is what it is.
This weekend I'll get in two 100+ mile rides on Saturday and Sunday and that will mark my last BIG weekend on the bike.
I'm hesitant to be too excited about this race be ause of my leg issues but I feel like I can tear this bike course apart. Time will tell
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Big week yo
So this week marked this first of 4 big weeks in my main block of training leading up to B2B... I set career highs in hours spent training (in a week) and long ride distance/time.
S: 13,050
B: 208.6
R: 37
19.7 hours
This week my IT band has really been bothering me so to accommodate that issue I substituted a swim for every other run, thereby reducing my volume running (while still hitting my key session) and hopefully making the IT more manageable. I also got my first massage ever on Saturday, which was awesome albeit a little bit of a weird experience (not used to cute girls asking me to take my shorts off - surprising I know!) and that will also (hopefully) keep my IT issues manageable.
So my swim volume was a lot higher this week and I felt GREAT in the pool all week...I'm not sure if those two go hand in hand but if I respond well to higher volume then bring it on! I've also pretty much started doing flip turns exclusively, which may not sound like a big deal but it makes me look WAYYY more pro in the pool which is a big part of being fast. If you look fast, you are fast, period.
Running was obviously hit and miss. I got in my long run on Tuesday of 18 miles and that's all that really matters, simply put. Now I've just got to make it through the next three long runs (20, 22, and 24) and I'll be ready to race (or jog slowly) the marathon portion of B2B.
My cycling fitness has also felt spectacular for the past 2 weeks; ever since my 102 miler I've been on a big wave of feel-goodness on the bike. The long ride (121 miles) on Sunday was no exception. I felt strong and steady throughout and even though I was definitely tired and ready to be done around the 5 hour mark I knew that I had to git'r'done and finish strong. So I'm excited and hopeful that trend continues.
Next week will see a couple of tests: the 20 mile long run on Tuesday (which I plan on doing at Mcalpine), the last Lowe's TT on Wednesday night (where I hope to break my own age group record and mayyybe go under 21 minutes but that's a stretch) and the 120 mile ride on Sunday (I'm scheduled for 120 but I wouldn't mind getting in 130...that will depend on a number of things, the least of which is how much of a bada** I feel like on Sunday).
I'm starting to get a little excited... 1/4 big weeks finished!
S: 13,050
B: 208.6
R: 37
19.7 hours
This week my IT band has really been bothering me so to accommodate that issue I substituted a swim for every other run, thereby reducing my volume running (while still hitting my key session) and hopefully making the IT more manageable. I also got my first massage ever on Saturday, which was awesome albeit a little bit of a weird experience (not used to cute girls asking me to take my shorts off - surprising I know!) and that will also (hopefully) keep my IT issues manageable.
So my swim volume was a lot higher this week and I felt GREAT in the pool all week...I'm not sure if those two go hand in hand but if I respond well to higher volume then bring it on! I've also pretty much started doing flip turns exclusively, which may not sound like a big deal but it makes me look WAYYY more pro in the pool which is a big part of being fast. If you look fast, you are fast, period.
Running was obviously hit and miss. I got in my long run on Tuesday of 18 miles and that's all that really matters, simply put. Now I've just got to make it through the next three long runs (20, 22, and 24) and I'll be ready to race (or jog slowly) the marathon portion of B2B.
My cycling fitness has also felt spectacular for the past 2 weeks; ever since my 102 miler I've been on a big wave of feel-goodness on the bike. The long ride (121 miles) on Sunday was no exception. I felt strong and steady throughout and even though I was definitely tired and ready to be done around the 5 hour mark I knew that I had to git'r'done and finish strong. So I'm excited and hopeful that trend continues.
Next week will see a couple of tests: the 20 mile long run on Tuesday (which I plan on doing at Mcalpine), the last Lowe's TT on Wednesday night (where I hope to break my own age group record and mayyybe go under 21 minutes but that's a stretch) and the 120 mile ride on Sunday (I'm scheduled for 120 but I wouldn't mind getting in 130...that will depend on a number of things, the least of which is how much of a bada** I feel like on Sunday).
I'm starting to get a little excited... 1/4 big weeks finished!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Rest Week!
After feeling great following last week's workouts the timing was perfect for this rest week to recharge and make sure I'm feeling top notch before the next 4 weeks (which will be the hardest 4 weeks I've ever done!).
S: 4550
B: 130
R: 26.5
Technically I missed all of my weekly targets swimming (6000), biking (140), and running (29) but in all three cases it wasn't because I was tired it was because something else got in the way. I actually felt GREAT on my long ride on Sunday (70 miles with a good bit of very intense sections) that was part of a group ride out of south Charlotte with a bunch of roadies.
On the other side of things I've been dealing with some minor arch pain (plantar precursors) that seems manageable and doesn't affect my running; I have also felt some IT band pain similar to what I went through last year. At least, as far as the IT pain goes, I know what I'm dealing with and how to keep it mostly under control.
The next week sees an 18 mile long run on Tuesday and a 120 mile ride on Sunday (almost certainly by myself as almost every one I know will be down in Augusta, GA for the 70.3). Woo. Hoo.
S: 4550
B: 130
R: 26.5
Technically I missed all of my weekly targets swimming (6000), biking (140), and running (29) but in all three cases it wasn't because I was tired it was because something else got in the way. I actually felt GREAT on my long ride on Sunday (70 miles with a good bit of very intense sections) that was part of a group ride out of south Charlotte with a bunch of roadies.
On the other side of things I've been dealing with some minor arch pain (plantar precursors) that seems manageable and doesn't affect my running; I have also felt some IT band pain similar to what I went through last year. At least, as far as the IT pain goes, I know what I'm dealing with and how to keep it mostly under control.
The next week sees an 18 mile long run on Tuesday and a 120 mile ride on Sunday (almost certainly by myself as almost every one I know will be down in Augusta, GA for the 70.3). Woo. Hoo.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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