#58: It's the most wonderful time of the year....back to base-ics.

This guy obviously stole my sweater!

OK, Christmas time is pretty spectacular for most folks, it brings the kid out in many, generosity out in most and (hopefully) a spirit of optimism and renewal in all.....but this time, I was referring to something a little more blog-specific......when it comes to my Red-iculous effort, this too is the most wonderful time of the year.  


Over the last week, I've come down from the post-race high of last week's marathon PR and although it's been a sprint to the 2011 finish professionally, it's been all about regrouping, strategizing and planning out the next phase of training on the endurance racing front; which if done well will result in another solid jump forward toward my primary goal of an age-group qualified spot at Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.  






___________________


"Give the laziest person the hardest job.....and he'll find the easiest way to do it"

OK, this may be a bit much.

One of my favorite quotes....and often in my professional work (physical therapist & prevention consultant) I find much truth in it.   I am often faced with the engineering aspect of preventing injury and illness (Ergonomics, i.e. maximizing human and system performance through user-centered system design) but I think this may be why I find myself so drawn to Triathlon.....because there are so many aspects that require tinkering with the system (positioning, design, aerodynamics, fueling, etc) to maximize efficiency.....so many little details, especially in ultra-distance (given the amount of time the system has to run) that can drastically change the outcome.


It was about one year ago that I started writing this blog to document my progress with that singular (albeit lofty) goal in mind.....A goal to do something truly extraordinary.....by definition something that very few people will contemplate, even fewer will aspire to and fewer yet will complete......in our local endurance-racing language, the Red-iculous; and despite a very ordinary biological "platform" to build on, here I am behind the computer with a year of experience under my belt having made a solid step in the right direction (from middle of the pack to generally top-quartile), but not "there" (top 1%) yet.


Going back to the well......


This has been about science and art for me....not just blind-follow of any one training plan or method, but about learning and applying the process and finding what works (science) and what I can make work for me (art).  To that end, I've been thinking a lot about the "keys to success" so far, that will absolutely find prominence in my training efforts in 2012.....my own little "good-list" so to speak.  First up?


COMPUTRAINER, COMPUTRAINER, COMPUTRAINER!


Being a total geek, I did my research and the computrainer by RacerMate Inc kept popping up.  

This thing pretty much rocks!

• The idea of a console that gave me power specific data was enticing.....as this seemed to be the common language of cycling.
• The ability to pick from a library of other courses to ride was super-cool as it would keep me from getting bored training indoors.
• To think I could save my performances and compare later appealed to the deepest layers of my inner-geek as I tracked my progress.
• The interactive video was a really cool feature.....the ability to virtually ride the race course would be a huge advantage for St. George (and it was both physically and mentally)

But the thing that really put me over the top.......since this was about learning the process and building a racing machine from the ground up.....was the idea of real-time biofeedback that gave pedal-stroke efficiency information.....what computrainer calls "SpinScan".

Having had more than a decade of professional experience in the realms of "motor-learning" i.e. teaching brains & bodies to learn and relearn proper movement patterns, I knew that learning to do it the "right way" and getting thousands of reps to ultimately imprint my nervous system with those correct patterns was by far the best chance I had to quickly learn how to be a decent cyclist (technically), which would be far more important at the ultra-distance than being power-masher in the short term.  I always had relatively powerful legs, but ultra-distance as far as I could tell, was more about what what you "didn't lose" over the course of the event than what you had at the starting line.  Truly a game of system efficiency.

Getting a little caught up on the price tag I wasn't sure I could swing it and began to doubt even what I knew was right.....could this thing really be THAT good?  Sure it came with plenty of rock-star endorsements and a long track record for the pros, but what about for the everyman....would it really make that much of a difference for me?  


I settled on a toe-in-the-water approach and picked a used one up on eBay.....and, looking back a year later.....it was hands-down the best training investment I've made to date.  Wow, pretty big claim for a guy that bought a new bike, rented racing wheels, got some "aero" gear, continues to experiment with the right nutrition strategy, etc right?  

Onward!

Here's my logic....in 2010 I did my very first triathlon, the NJ State Oly.  For a guy with ZERO cycling experience (beyond experience as a  kid with a bike growing up).  Left to my own training methods and what I could quickly learn, I was able to bike somewhere near the top 1/3rd of finishers on that day.  Not terrible, for a first-timer, I thought, but I definitely couldn't be satisfied (given my goals).  


After a winter of sweating it out to movies, music and a host of other media while compu-training a few times a week which generally entailed a long session (often the IM St. Geo real-course vid), one threshold-power session and one spin-scan/cadence session I returned to NJ State Oly and was able to:

• increase my average speed by 12%, 
• lower my finish time by 14% 
• lower my cycling placement amongst finishers by 24% 
• ride in the top 12% that day

It actually got so much work that I nearly sweat-it to death at one point (short circuited it, but the resilient little unit bounce back.....whew!).  It made such a difference in my performance that as our contingent of triathletes and cyclists (whether coming in for therapy or joining our PACER endurance team) increases, I've been lobbying hard for the purchase of a few more units.  Not sure we have the numbers to swing it quite yet, but there is no doubt, if I can make a similar jump this winter as I did last......I'll be MUCH closer to the end-goal.

So yesterday, I pulled the trainer out and in the next few weeks after my couple of weeks recovery.....it's time to add another base-layer......and the craziest part?  From a guy who loves being outdoors.....I'm really looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

Not sure if I'll carve out the time to blog next Sunday (do bloggers take holidays?) but either way......even though it hasn't been Red-iculous yet, it's been a great ride so far and I can't wait to see what the next 58 episodes bring!  Thank you for being with me on this part of my journey.

Merry Christmas to you and your family,

Mike E.

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Did I already share this one?  Be careful, it gets under your skin?

#57: Battle-scars, Bests and Beer-chasers . Red-emption in Rehoboth?

"Why do you do this stuff to us? All we do is work and THIS is how you repay us? What good could possibly come of it?"  

Actually, it was the R

Pain has a funny way of making you think doesn't it?  As I sit here "the morning after" marathon doing a little body-inventory, I imagine that if I could translate, into actual words, the message being sent from my right hip & friends to my brain, it would go a little something like that......from the ground up: a body that includes a sore foot, two tight legs (from achilles through hamstrings and quads), a hip that battled despite being a something-less-than ready and is now dealing with after-effects of a long day, and, well, a few other "sensitive" areas that don't do well with friction.


Truth is, I love competing.  It's really that simple.  I love games and figuring out the best way to play.  People that have known me for a while can attest that I used to love winning above all else.......it is no-doubt fun and exhilarating....and although I still pretty much hate out-right losing, it's really become about the spirit of games & competition for me.....working your hardest....battling through something challenging and coming out on the other side.....all while learning enough to do it again, even better next time.


This week the Red-emption tour made its final stop for 2011 with a quick trip to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to put the final touches on the longest season of my (now 3 year old) endurance-racing career.  It was time to test myself against a race-distance that has, so far, gotten the best of me.  So after a busy week, and a couple of false starts, we got on the road and headed 4-ish hours south to a beach town in December.  


________________________


A Small Saturday Race.....


A Small-Saturday race has its benefits....most of the "big" races, where thousands of people flock to the event, are completed on Sunday.  Presumably this is to give people enough time to get there, pick-up their packet(s) and prepare.  For this race, we got down there with only enough time to unpack, set out the gear for the AM and go to bed.  As I was finishing up for the evening, I remarked to Lindsay how "full" my legs looked.....the result of carbo-loading and hydration.........they weren't swollen, but they looked downright thick......this would play out as an important detail later.


We stayed 2 blocks from the start/finish so I was able to wake-up, fuel, prep a little and head down to the starting line to check-in and ready myself. And after several weeks of planning and prep, I felt ready enough; I knew the right hip wasn't 100%, but I had treated it well in the last 3 weeks (hopefully well enough) and expected to get a decent push from it


A crowd of 700-ish assembled around the quaint little "bandstand" at literally the end of the main drag through town and with a "ready, set, go" we were off.  Within 30 seconds I saw Lindsay and the kids yelling and screaming and thought that I probably wouldn't be feeling quite as good the next time I saw them.  As I came around the first turn (1/2 mile or so out) I looked to my right and there was Brian, a local guy who although older than me, is an accomplished endurance athlete and a guy who has a competitive streak. I've done some training runs with him and ultimately he was the guy who turned me on to this race so it was good to see him.  I was looking for him at the start and couldn't find him and there he was, standing next to me.  We talked a little bit about our plan for the day and we agreed that we'd probably separate around mile 4-ish.


As we got out of the first neighborhood and were running parallel with the beach, I felt the wind for the first time.....I pretty much hate wind because of the tricks it can play.....but I figured we'd experience some....it being a shore-race and all.


____________________________


At the controls...

I once read an article that referred to an interview with Lance Armstrong at the height of his cycling career.  The interviewer asked "what do you think about during the race?"....his response was simple "I think about cycling".  They say the best endurance racers in the world are constantly in tune with their bodies and like a pilot, making small adjustments along the way, and this was part of my plan for the race.  I wanted to not place all of the focus on my pace, but rather try to tune in to how I was feeling, and run a smart race......


Well, by mile two, I could already feel the hip a little.....hmm.....not good I thought.....but not painful either.....just going to have to manage it.  Shortly thereafter my focus switched from how my hip felt to how full my bladder felt......and by mile 3-ish, I was wishing Brian well as I stopped to go......this was frustrating for me b/c it signaled that I still haven't figured out the right hydration plan......this time, over-compensating.  Thinking back, I wish I hit my lap timer to see how much time that little break cost me, but it was time to get back in the mix....now about 10 sec per mile behind pace.  In my head I figured that if I could get myself back to goal pace by mile 10, push the pace a little through mile 20 and then slowly empty the tank (assuming the hip was still playing along) over the last 10K I could still meet my goal of 3:17.....and things went about as I expected........for a while.


The wind was picking up between mile 7 and mile 13 enough to see it in my pace some and make me happy that I wore a skull cap, arm-sleeves and gloves despite it being 40-ish degrees, but I wondered if perhaps I should have worn something to protect my chest.....as it turned out, it wasn't my chest (per se) that needed the protection.....but I was feeling pretty strong and cruising along.  By the 1/2 marathon mark I had just about made up the time I lost and the hip pain had only marginally increased, so I figured things were on track.  We entered a park where the only real "hills" of the course existed and briefly the wind died......it was great.  It was also amazing to see what that did to my pace.....like running downhill.....a significant drop in effort.  Somewhere around mile 17 I started to feel the bladder AGAIN.....which was really annoying to me and at the mile 19 water-station I jumped into the porta-john to AGAIN relieve myself (of the precious seconds I had worked hard to achieve and likely my goal)......but when you gotta go....you gotta go.


As I started back up I got a zap of pain down the right leg reminding me not to push too hard to get those seconds back.  It slowly loosened up and by mile 20 I was feeling decent......I took some calories in and refocused for my last 10K.  I slowly picked up the pace b/c I wasn't quite ready to give up on the goal......by 21 I was hanging in there but despite my efforts, it seemed the 2 porta john breaks and the extra effort to make-up time against a windy day were going to factor in.....by 22 the hip started barking louder and by mile 23 it was hurting so much that I had to stop and stretch to see if anything would give.


For me, this is where the battle really began.  The wheels were starting to fall off, the pain was building and the stretch felt soooo good.  Wouldn't it be great to just linger there for a little while?  Nope....can't do it.....so I got going.....the stretch helped A BUNCH......but only for about a mile......by 24 I was hurting again and it was time to gut it out.


Looking back, I wonder if there was another way to get through this section.....perhaps I should have stopped and stretched again.....but at that point, I just wanted to finish.


___________________


Getting "Old Schooled"

Wisdom from experience? If you live thru it.

Brian, who I hadn't seen since one of the turns around mile 18 was still chugging along. He is a part of an informal bunch that I've done some training runs with and although they are all very good runners with some serious racing results under their belts, who, despite it not being the case.....like to joke about how "old they are" in comparison to Eric and I.


Somewhere around mile 25+ when I was rapidly declining, I heard "c'mon Mike, we've still got 3:20 if we hurry".  Oh how I wished I could hurry at that point......not in the cards....I was barely maintaining at that point.  "You are an F-ing animal.....hip isn't doing well.....go for it" I said.....I just didn't have it.  I laughed a little to myself realizing how impressed I was with him.....he kept a steady pace throughout and it was paying off....he was going to meet his goal......and I wasn't.  I was happy for him and (a bit to my surprise) for myself....I had just been taught another valuable (albeit humbling in the moment) lesson about endurance racing.....a lesson that can ONLY be learned during those trying moments.....when you feel like your goals are slipping away......today's lesson: youth is a shrinking lever, but experience can continue to grow.....


As I rounded the final turn and tried to muster up some pace.....I got to the mile 26 marker and knew that I would be hearing a familiar sound soon.....and there it was.....the loud yell and scream of my family standing near the finish.  I knew that I had crushed my previous time and was flooded with emotions (pain + relief + happiness + let-down is a weird brew). I crossed the finish line and Brian, who crossed about 45 seconds ahead of me was there with a congrats as my kids gave me a big hug......26 minutes and 50 seconds off my previous best......3 minutes and 10 seconds slower than goal, but still a solid effort.  Knowing that I didn't race 100%, I knew that I should be happy, and I was, but not satisfied.....I wondered how much I lost during my multiple pee-breaks and stretch break.....wondered what would've happened had I been more patient and steady.....wondered what could've happened if I was healthy during training.......and knowing that I wouldn't have long before the pain and stiffness set in, we walked to the hotel for a much needed shower.


_________________________


Simple Formula: Salt from evaporated sweat + chilly wind + friction for hours = ROOKIE MISTAKE!


"Your legs look different now" Lindsay remarked.....they did, all of the swollen, glycogen-packed muscles were now depleted back to a normal level.....and then "ooh....ouch" as she pointed to my shirt.  "What?" I asked, looking down to notice the rookie mistake of all rookie mistakes......the true mark of a warrior-marathoner.....a spot of blood about chest high, about the size of a quarter......so, either a sniper shot me and I hadn't realized it, or well, friction got the better of me....

More "experience-based learning"

"OOOOOH NOOOOO!"  I said  "That's going to KILL in the shower".  The worst part about it was that I specifically thought about this prior to the race but since I didn't bring any band-aids I extra "lubed"........


A few hours later and after a DogFishHead Brewpub visit for some post race grub we were back on the road headed North. 


______________________


Where do we go from here?


Happily, I'm not at ALL burned out, which I've felt after completing a race before......sore?  YES, but not burned out.  By that time, I was already thinking about how much more room there is for me to improve.


I got home and caught some of the NBCSports presentation of IronMan World Championships from Kona.  So awesome......and even though I sat there sore and stiff, as I watched the story of Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington as well as all of the other amazing age-groupers who qualified, I wanted to get started right away on improving......so I can continue taking steps toward qualifying....but that's not going to work quite yet is it?


Next steps are to take some time off and get healthy......a little recovery before the next leap forward.


Red-emption tour complete for 2011.


Happy for the improvement, but not yet satisfied.


More to come,


Mike E.


_________________
Still in the queue?  RED-iculous

#56: Final Stop 2011 Redemption Tour. Finish strong or limp-in?

Somehow last week got ahead of me.  I woke up Monday AM and realized "yesterday was Sunday" and I never wrote my blog....doh!  It's funny how twisted my brain gets when my calendar is thrown off.  Thursday Thanksgiving and the ensuing long weekend was enough to totally mess me up.......so my apologies to all of you who wrote emails to me to relay the stories of how, like a butterfly flapping its wings in another part of the world, your entire week was thrown into a hurricane with my lack of blogging, I am truly sorry.


OK, so there were none of those emails.....but I press-on.


If you HAVE been reading along (and BTW, thanks, I'm over 4500 reads, more than double my goal for this blog) you know that I'm coming up on the final stop of what has changed from my attempt to achieve the "Red-iculous" to one related more closely associated with an "attempt for Red-emption" for 2011......


Of course, the actual tour will continue until 8/12/12 when I'm hoping to be getting the better of an ultra-distance-triathlon and achieving the "Red-iculous"......but since May of this past year, when my first attempt at Ironman didn't pan out exactly the way I wanted it to (as in swim - bike - crash & burn - trudge), I've been committed to getting more serious and going back and besting those events (or distances) that have gotten the better of me in my (now 3 year old) endurance racing career.  



From the bottom....3 stops done, 3 to go.

• 5K redemption? Not sure this was a major goal for me, as 5K has never really been my focus......but having felt like I could do better, I put it on the radar.  In July I checked it off my list by taking a minute off my time at PSE&G Teterboro 5K and put myself within striking distance of cracking 19 minutes a personal goal.  Redemption Grade = B+

• Oly Tri redemption? This was definitely one I wanted to get the better of.  In 2010 was my very first triathlon and although I felt prepared, between a failed nutrition strategy, excessive heat and very limited understanding of how tired I'd be coming off the bike, I was not a fan of my performance.  A week after the 5K, and with very limited training (esp swim training) I took 22 minutes off my time at NJ State Tri and put myself within striking distance of cracking the top 10 in my age-group.  Still something to be desired here (shoulda, coulda if I'd trained) but relatively pleased with the improvement. Redemption Grade = B

• 1/2 marathon redemption? Having only done one 1/2 marathon (2009), I was primed to take a stab at this event this year.  Again, it being my first, I had the fitness but not the race experience......and it hurt me.  I blew up somewhere around mile 8 and coasted the rest of the way.  In Sept, I made my way back to Virginia Beach to see if I could redeem.  Again, training for this event left a little to be desired so I knew going in I wouldn't be at the top of my game, but figured I'd be in a position to redeem nonetheless.  Still felt like the race got the better of me some, just didn't feel great throughout, but managed to take 25 seconds/mile (+/- 5.5 min) off my previous time and put myself within striking distance of breaking 90 minutes, a big milestone (and would put me in the top 15 in my age group for this event).  Redemption Grade = B-

So where does that put me now?

Well, the tour is certainly not over.  The 3 "bigger" events are still to come.  The marathon, which I've yet to have a race that I've felt good about, is less than 1 week away.  My first marathon was OK, but sort of an environmental disaster.  Super cold (25 deg) day making for a long, lonely run.  Missed my goal by 17 minutes.  I followed that up with a second attempt 6 weeks later (generally a bad idea) and found a course that wasn't exactly setup for personal bests (narrow, lots of people, etc)......managed to do worse.   Followed THAT up with a super hot, dehydrated attempt in Utah as part of Ironman and did even worse.  Not exactly the trend one might hope for.  This is leaving me a little nervous because I know I'm in a ton better shape, and now have several races under my belt (the first marathon was my first race ever so I didn't really know what to expect), but I also know I'm going to have to stay patient and run a smart race....oh and there's this little hip thing.

The "limping-in" part.


Well a lot has happened over the last two weeks, so here's the cliff-notes version:

• Cranky R hip flared up, 
• rested & started rehabbing, 
• Turkey-trotted with my daughters, ate a lot, saw that Team Pro-Activity got robbed of it's team title.
• took my youngest for a minor (if there is such a thing) surgery, 
• attended the end of season PACER party, drank a lot, sang some Johnny Cash, 
• ate some more, started questioning if the hip would hold up for 12/10 Marathon, tried to relax & recover 
• traveled to south Jersey to eat some more, launched a glass of wine across the room at in-laws house (dumb-ass mistake), ate some more, washed it down with some pie
• woke up early & did some speed work, felt much better, 
• rested a day, worked a couple long days, hip feeling better
• did an evening 6-miler at race pace feeling pretty good, proclaimed victory over the hip (stupid) 
• Paid price for speaking too soon, felt terrible the next day, began seriously questioning if the hip would hold, replaced my shoes, rested & rehabbed some more
• saw that Team Pro-Activity's score was reconciled and we got the "win" after all.  NICE.
• admired the new sign at BaseCamp31 (progress)
• shaved the No-shave-November "soul patch" offering
• did a 7+ mile tempo run, felt 85%, had no-soreness the next day, felt much better although kept waiting for the other shoe to drop
• did some thinking and reflecting
• complained about people who complain (struck me as funny when I thought about it)
• got a little jealous that my wife's "shoe-tester" gig for Self Magazine has yielded yet ANOTHER great pair of shoes from K-swiss to test.  C'mon K-Swiss hook me up with some Kwicky Blade Lights!
• attended a meeting with some PT students and future leaders
• Did a race-sim 6.5 miler and pushed the pace.  Hip felt 85% (Woo Hoo!)
• Helped to set up the Christmas Tree (which ironically was worse on the hip than the run)
• Got some more rest and woke up feeling.....FINE! (YES!)
• Did some modeling to see what sort of time I can run in Delaware.
• .....and....well, this is where I sit.

Seem a little all over the place?  A little perhaps, but that's only by normal-person standards.....


The Finish Strong Formula?

It's finals-week:  What's in is in, so there's no sense in trying to "add to" my fitness.  My focus needs to be on making sure I'm doing the right things for the hip and (starting Wed-ish) packing myself full of carbs.  


I also need to make sure I'm deciding on a race strategy (including nutrition strategy) that I can stick with.  Right now it's looking like a start easy, build the pace for a while and hold-on approach might make the most sense.  I'm fully expecting the hip to fatigue and then start barking so a slow first half and then making up time in the second 1/2 (aka negative split) is likely off the table......however pushing too hard early on is only going to bring on the point of fatigue that much faster......much to think about.


I've been doing a lot of "tempo" work in my training which is sort of a warm-up, speed-up, cool-down approach so that has some comfort in it, however I think the key above all keys is going to be NOT to obsess about my pace and rather dial-in to my perceived exertion.  This will keep me from focusing on my own mental barriers for pace and also prevent me from stressing too much too early.  I guess if I get all of the stress out now, maybe I'll just "let go" next Saturday.


Hope to have a great story to tell next week, how everything went perfect and on my way to serious redemption, I ran a great race....but no matter what, I hope to relate that when I find myself in that trying, difficult part of the race, regardless of mile-marker that I will push on and find a way......because no matter what your circumstance, finishing strong is a choice.  Don't believe me?  Watch the video below!


FINISH 2011 STRONG!


Mike E.

#55 There's no time to slow down, it's Peak Phase

You gotta know when to hold 'em.....


To me, knowing the time to be patient and the time to push (and having the discipline to follow-through) are some of the key elements required for top-notch endurance racing.  It's so difficult to predict how much you'll have left "in the tank" and therefore how best to position yourself to peak at the right moment......


The bad news is, this is an antsy time for me......one which allows my relative inexperience as a racer shows through...I find this to be the confounding time when I start to question everything and try to put the final touches on many weeks of training in order to set myself up for that great racing experience so many go after and so few really obtain.  Lacking the experience to sit back and stay calm and not question every detail is a huge advantage, one I'm unfortunately not working with yet.....and so I press on.


The current status of things is good but not great.....I had a super busy work-week which really limited my training time and I only managed to get 3 workouts in.  After my 2-a-day session last Sunday, I decided (based on my trashed legs) to not recover on the roads, but rather to hit the pool......short swim did me wonders, I felt pretty good by Tuesday.  Tuesday evening, I did a 1200m repeat "ladder" workout (1 fast, 2 faster, 3 fastest, 4 faster, 5 fast) with a mile warm-up and mile cool down......and then nothing.....Wed and Thursday were super crazy days and with an only slightly less crazy day on Friday and my last "long" planned for Saturday AM, I just decided to go to bed early and be ready for "22" in the morning.


The 22 miler went fairly well......for the first 18.  I was just about where I wanted to on pacing and things were feeling pretty good.....and like clockwork, I started to get real tired.  I decided to allow myself to let my pace drop a bit (something I always regret a little b/c I wind up thinking I could-a, should-a) and finished up with some very very tired legs.....hmmm, enter the "questioning":  

• Did I push too hard in the early miles?  Possibly.  
• Should I have taken some different nutrition? Possibly.  
• Should I have taken in more fluid?  Likely.  
• Different clothes to adjust for a cold AM and then more warmth by the end?  Perhaps.  
• Was my pain appropriate for the distance and pace?  I guess.  
• Should I start slower and push harder later on?  Almost always.

Well, there's no changing it now....it is what it is....and now it's time to work toward a peak. So I've decided to really try to focus on this phase to make sure my legs are fresh and pain is controlled (the hip and R lower extremity were pretty tolerable, but not great on the 22) and my fitness level is at it's top.


3 Pronged Plan: Intensity, Nutrition, Recovery

In general this means crank up the intensity and down the volume, to give my legs some time to repair and "refresh" themselves, but at the same time work on that top gear a little......that's the theory anyway.  Most people look at this phase as a "taper", which sounds so much better b/c it implies a slow reduction.....however, I find that mentally, I do much better at staying focused in this part of the plan if I think of it as "peaking", which is a concept often used by triathlon coaches.  


This week I'll be trying to get in at least 4 and possibly 5 workouts, a couple of short-ones (30 minutes or less), a couple of pace sessions (speed work or the like but not more than 1 hour) and one tempo run (not more than 8 miles).

In case you're wondering, I'm NOT on his diet plan

On the nutrition front, I've been increasing my percentage of calories from protein, to help with the repair from the increased pounding.   I probably need to make sure my micro-nutrients are in check (vitamins & minerals) too. 

As the volume decreases, even with the increased intensity, I'll likely lower my caloric intake a bit to get toward race weight which translates to about a 3-5 lb weight loss over the next three weeks (doable).










In addition to speed work and nutrition, the final leg of my 3 pronged peaking plan will be REST.  I need to get some badly.  I can feel my semi-annual cold coming on (which says the seasons are officially changing and the air is drying out some) and, let's be honest, I'll be really pissed if I worked this hard to only be rundown walking to the starting line.


And on that note......there's a foam roller calling my name.


To the summit,


Mike E.


P.S.  Shout out to my PACER teammates who completed the Philly 1/2 and Full Marathon.  Chris, Gina, Linda and Wandy.....great job!  Glad the race went well.  Thoughts and prayers to the racers and families who suffered losses today.  Heard the unfortunate news that 2 men suffered fatal heart attacks at/near the finish line and as many as 10 others were taken to the hospital.

#54: Life on the run can't always be glamorous

What wild week it's been:  


It started on Monday with a visit by Marshall Ulrich, endurance machine, to BaseCamp31 to talk about some of his adventures, run with a few of us and sign some copies of his book "Running on Empty" for those in attendance.  For most folks running from coast to coast or achieving the "7 summits" (mountaineering) or competing in ALL of the eco-challenges just sounds crazy.....but to me it was inspiring.  The guy is not only a very accomplished athlete, he is a cool person, often raising money for good causes while fighting battles against personal demons on the adventure-trail.  It was a great connection for all of us.  I was able to sneak a 7 miler in before that event and then the 3-ish I ran with the team who went out with Marsh, I was happy to get in 10 on Monday......20+% done with my mileage goal for the week.....cool.


Tuesday was a bust from a training perspective.....too much going on work-wise to fit in any training......


Wednesday was....well.....an awakening, of the worst kind.  I was able to plan my day in such a way to line up my first "race-simulation", a 22-mile flat and (fingers crossed) fast, course.  There's a lot to tell....so here's the short short version:  It started with a little hitch in my step, the cranky R hip was there.....but (like an idiot) I was determined to ignore it and get my run in.  As I got to the 1/2 point, I was tired, but not more than I expected, and my pace was a little better than I expected.  Usually by now, the hip has loosened and "let go"....not this time.  Oh well.....if it hung on like this, I'd be stiff, but fine.....so on I pressed.  By mile 12, it was starting to hurt.....but hey, there's bound to be some pain involved right?  B/t mile 12 and 13 that pain went from there to stabbing and pretty much shutting me down.  It was intense and my entire R leg was feeling it somewhat.  I debated with myself and with 30 days out from race still, decided there was very little value in a "push-through" attempt and so I did the 3 mile walk of shame back to my car.  In general, I feel like this shouldn't happen to me.  I know enough to recognize body-issues arising (after all I do this for a living) and deal with them appropriately.  


So after limping back to the car, it was time to put my wife to work.  Must be that Northern European descent, b/c with a little coaching "Olga the masseur" was really able to find those tender points and "massage" (I use this term loosely b/c there are very few massage techniques that are designed to have lightning shoot from your eyes).....but who's complaining.....it worked like a charm...and it provide some entertainment for the evening (for Lindsay).  


After a little stretch & strength based-rehab session on Thursday, I was ready to roll.  The pain btw was because I failed to take my own advice a few months back and maintain my flexibility......and I've not shut down long enough to heal......Dumb-ass.


Friday I gave the hip a test and did a +/- 6mile tempo run.  It was solid and I was glad to be back in the game.


Saturday I decided to head North to meet a few gents from a client site who had invited me to tag-along on their annual "Ride through the Catskills".  The title (they told me) was a misnomer b/c it was really a ride through the "foothills" of the Catskills.  Hmm.....a 40+ mile ride with a lot of climbing on a very cold part of the season......sounds dreadful....I'm in.  So with Lindsay handling kid coverage for the better part of the day, I went and rode the "foothills"......as it turned out, there were a few steep sections and on SERIOUS climb of about 1300 feet over 4.5 miles (in cycling they categorize their climbs with 4 being the easiest and 1 being the hardest, based on the definitions, this would have been either a LONG category 3 or a category 2)....it was the real deal and I had to work hard.  Since every major climb has a name and this one was without, I decided to name it "Gary's Scary Lung-buster".  My fitness was generally up to it (all the running was a bonus for sure), but not having done it before and therefore not quite knowing when it would end made it a challenge.....that and the 10-15 mph headwind.  A nice touch.....all-in-all it was a really fun ride with a good variety of athletes/ages/abilities, which to me always makes it fun.  There was a 15 year old who worked hard to claim the "finishers" title (I suspect he took a nap when he got home), the 50+ year old who calls the course "home" and organized and the 30-40 something stud who gave the rest of us a chance and road a fixed/single-speed (i.e. no gears, despite crazy hills) mountain bike.....and still out climbed the group.....impressive.  But the best part was it was a relaxed and humble group.....refreshing as there are so many snooty cyclists out there.....If I don't have any major conflicts next year, I'll be there again.


Which brings me to today:  In order to make my run-mile goal of minimum 45, (I was at 26, I would need 19 miles today).  Not that I get too caught up in having by-the-book training, especially getting the solid cross-training fitness-session on the bike, but I did want to get some add'l miles in to keep nudging the hip since I had to bag on Wed so badly.  The only trick was it was another kid-chasing weekend with my wife heading to a baby shower and me having to juggle a Chuck-E-Cheese birthday party (whoa buddy!) and a soccer game for kid #1.  I decided the only way to pull it off was to do a double session.  7 in the AM and up to 13 in the PM.  The 7 started a little stiff, but I loosened up and felt good.....no ill after-effects, a good sign.  Then after a crazy-exciting soccer game (I had NO IDEA U-10 soccer could be so exciting) that ended in a 1-1 draw, I geared back up (including goofy reflector vest, goofier headlamp and some goofiest? bright white compression socks) and hit the road.  I started (as planned) quite easy over the first 3 miles and slowly picked it up over the next 4.  The next 2 were quite hilly and then just kept my pace steady for 3 more and wrapped up at 12, pretty tired.


All-said, it was a solid training week and besides the little nagging thought in the back of my mind ("what if the hip doesn't hold up on race day?"), I'm feeling pretty good about things.  I got 45-ish running miles in and 45-ish cycling miles and as I sit here, the hip is sore but not terrible.  I'll stretch it before bed and tomorrow AM will tell me a lot. And so, I enter the last couple training weeks before taper/peak-weeks and then.....race.


But enough of this nonsense.....bring on the nonsense


OK....remember, you asked for it.  I think I would be remiss if I did not share two incredibly motivational quotes that found their way to me; one on the backside of my Magic Hat #9 bottlecap (and one from Linds' cap):


The first is something I think we can all agree on:  Sharp Cats Wear Cool Hats - There's so much truth there....they do.


The second I thought was pretty funny.....albeit a bit crude:  
Condoms prevent Mini-vans. OK, crude......but funny.


I think you've had enough for now.  Hoping for a pain free week around the bend,


Mike E.

#53: 278 days until Ironman Red-emption!

I started getting my head together and planning out (high-level) the next phase of training moving toward Ironman US Championships in NYC next August.  Never too early to start planning right?  Well, when it comes to Ironman, because of the limited choices and the growing popularity of the sport, this holds true.  In a sense, I've been planning this out (loosely) since May 8th (the day after St. Geo), but now it's getting time to get serious.


Phase-1 was to get some additional racing under my belt this summer and fall.  I did a 10K, an Olympic Triathlon, a sprint-Duathlon, a 1/2 marathon and am getting closer and closer to another marathon.  I've felt pretty good about this so far improving on each of my times.  If I stay focused, I'm confident I can do the same with the marathon as well.


Phase-2 is to plan out a 6-8 month training plan which will include a not-entirely-off season component, an aerobic + general strength component, an aerobic-build component


Phase-3 will be some build and power phases and then race-day with hopefully a top-notch performance and possibly even a Red-iculous effort.


In order to achieve all of this, I've got to find a way to keep it fresh and exciting, to push myself hard (but not too hard) and to steadily build over another long period.  Whew.


To do this, I'll likely need a few races mixed in with all of the training and right now, I'm looking at a few that will be tough, but that will keep me focused in training:


May = NorthFace Trail Running Festival, Bear Mountain, NY:  I'm SERIOUSLY contemplating signing up for a 50 mile trail run.......in general this is stupid.....but I'm contemplating anyway.  I'm thinking the technical terrain would FORCE me to take it slow and it would put something very challenging on my calendar early in the season.  The only drawback here is that I would be knowingly going in a bit under-prepared.  It wouldn't be wise for me to bring my mileage up that far that fast on the run while still training for the bike and swim (which should be my focus in the winter)......so I'd be testing the theory that cross training can be almost as good as run training for running.  Hmm....


June = Blackbear Olympic Triathlon - a new race for me, but I've heard it's a good one.


July = Amica 1/2 Ironman in Providence RI - again, a new race for me, but puts me in a good spot to ready for the NY August heat.


August = Ironman take 2.


But let's not get ahead of ourselves......I still have a little jog on 12/10 (Rehoboth Beach Marathon) to be ready for.


2-3 more hard weeks prior to final redemption stop 2011

OK, so this is actually Soledad O'Brien's knee,
but you get the idea.

This week I set out to get a little healthier: to get the left knee back in-line, to make sure the cranky here-and-there right hip didn't get too out of sorts and to make sure I could recover a little during this down-week and come back strong for my last couple of build weeks before taper and 12-10-11 marathon.


At Pro-Activity we talk about "recover" as one of our core human-elements and this was my week to put it into play.  From a training perspective, there was nothing special about it....I traded intensity for volume, which allowed me to recover some, but still move things forward.


Monday = 10.5 mi tempo run:  I pushed the pace for the first 6-7 mi and then eased across the last few as a test of the knee.  It was stiff by the end, but it held up and I was happy with the result.


Tuesday = I took off completely from training.


Wednesday = joined in with a group of runners on the Columbia Trail for 8 headlamp miles and got to test my knee.....and ankle......and hip.....and reaction time, perhaps a little more than I had hoped.  Sticks and stones may break my bones anyone?  Well, thankfully they didn't, but they didn't go down without a fight.  Within a 1/2 mile one of the guys had to pull up and send us on......about a mile later runner #2 of our 4-person group rolled his ankle.  He was able to keep going and so we did.....by mile 4 (the turn around point) runner #3 turned his ankle and so the odds were not looking good for me.  They assured me that it was an "old-guy" thing (I'm the junior member of this 4-some by +/- 15 years).....but I wasn't buying it.  Ankle sprains were a weekly thing for me up through my senior year in college, but I was able to be my own first PT case and get them strong......about 1x/year I roll one of them.....With 6 of 8 miles in the books, I stepped on something and SNAP, my left ankle rolled hard.  "F##K" I yelled but hobbled through. It took about another 5-6 minutes but the pain let go and I was able to consider it a close-call.


Thursday = I went out for another hard tempo run, this time 6.5 miles.  I pushed the tempo portion harder than is comfortable, but it went well and I survived.


Friday = Took the day off

This shoe looks a little too clean for the leg inside doesn't it?

Saturday = Needed to get in a longer run and was able to sneak a couple of hours after two kid soccer games.  Started out with some rolling hills and then hit the trails for something different.  A little bit more muddy than I had hoped, but was able to get almost 15 miles in at a decent pace and felt pretty good.....don't know if it was the hopping associated with avoiding the uglier parts of the trail (a common thread I've picked up in Nick's Blog) or the higher-intensity, lower duration runs I did during the week, but my legs were cooked by the time I got back.  My right hip and left knee were barking and I was glad to be headed for a shower.


Sunday = I contemplated getting a swim in today, but with an additional two kid soccer games on the docket, it didn't leave a ton of time.  If I get inspired after I finish this, I might go head that way......my "moving parts" feel so much better after a swim.....but I'm not feeling super motivated.....so we'll see.


This coming week, I've got my work cut out for me.  It's my second to last "big mileage" week with a 22 mile long run as well as at least another two mid-distance runs and possible some easy miles mixed in as well, but it's also going to be a little hectic with some meetings and such....so we'll see how it goes.  I probably need to get up to around 45-50 miles total (8+10+5+22+5 or something?) without over doing, so planning is going to be important.  I also have a planned 50 mile-ish bike ride thrown in there, more for fun than training, but that'll take the better part of Saturday.


______________________


So much to do and so little time.......and this is just the hobby-related-stuff.  I should probably fit in some time for real life too.


Still searching for that 28 hour day....


Have a great week,


Mike E.

#52b: the life of a pinball, part II

And now, page 2:


When I wrapped up the first half of #52, I was standing in the lobby at an internet kiosk in downtown DC as my weary post-marathon passengers patiently looked on.  Being the weekend's chauffeur they extended me a few minutes of extra patience as I finished typing......but I could tell they were ready to hit the road.


So where were we?


Friday after cutting out of BaseCamp31 a little early we packed the truckster and piled 4 adults and 2 kids in for the 4-5 hour trip to DC.  


It likely should have been 3 kids, but we left #1 home with the "grands" to support her team's bid at taking over sole possession of first place on the soccer front.  This was a really hard decision for her:  go watch Mom's big race vs. help my team.  I was glad to see her struggle with it a little.  Not because I like to see the 10-year-old wrestle with a very mature decision, but because she genuinely cared about both and could only pick one......maybe a bit mature for 10, but she's no average 10 year old (OK, that might be a bit of proud-Dad sentiment sneaking in).  


Anyway, we hit the road and the trip was, thankfully, mostly uneventful except for the weather reports that said a major storm system was heading toward home, with significant wet-heavy-snow and plummeting temps.


By Saturday AM (with soccer game 1 of 2 cancelled), I started to feel guilty about her being up there and started to trade emails to find out what the likelihood of game 2 (the more important of the 2) happening......and if not, I was seriously contemplating the 9 hours of a trip through sleet & snow to/from NJ to/from DC so she could be there for the race.  This would have been tough....but that's what pinball-dad's do right?

easy enough right?

We headed out to the race expo, and not knowing the DC roadway setup, we took an unofficial tour of Downtown.  Amazing how much more you appreciate it when you're an adult.  I think schools should nix field trips for kids......get them a bouncy house or those therapeutic foam things to beat each other with......let teachers and some UN-motivated parents stay home and "chaperon" the kids while the other parents board a bus and go to places like DC. More learning would take place.


The bridge toward Arlington Cemetery gave me goosebumps with the gold statues; we debated the Washington monument's purpose & design; we looked for Lincoln in his big chair and discussed why the Capitol building was "the hill".  Pretty educational actually.  No doubt, a royal city by world standards, and despite my general lack of respect for the poor job that seems to get done down there lately, I was inspired. 

Or something.

By the time we got to the expo, the weather was crappy.....cold rain that chills you to the bone.....and I watched Lindsay starting to doubt herself and whether she "really" wanted to do this.  We got through it and made our way through the rain (and now snow) a mile down the road for pre-race dinner.  The dynamic made me think of the history of marathons.....was the purpose of the pre-race dinner only to fuel the physical? Seemed to me more like a modernized version of "sending off the warriors".  Sort of festive, sort of nervous....after all, there was going to be pain in the morning.  We parted ways with the George Cole and family who joined us and wished them luck.


The evening went, and the AM came.  The racers were off early and after the breakfast buffet we layered up (it was COLD) and got our troop out to mile 5/8.5-ish to spot the racers.  


I'd give us a C- for the loud-mouthing effort.  For whatever reason, we had a very tough time spotting our racers. Eric had already gone by the 5mi mark when we got there, but we'd catch him at 8-ish; We saw Stephanie next who was in good spirits.  A short bit after Lindsay saw us....she yelled "Mike" and I looked across the road as she passed, the kids waved ferociously; then we waited.  Eric came around mile 8 and I even managed to snap a few pictures.......and we waited......and waited.....no sign of them......and we waited......people threw their gloves at our feet as they started to get warm......and we waited.  What the?  


Then another "Mike"......it was George Cole......I yelled some encouragement and got a few pictures (from the back)......and we waited.  Hmm, they should've been past by now......but to be sure we waited just a bit longer and then a final "Mike"....this time it was Cassy Bush, who was running for team-in-training and was in good spirits.  Again, I yelled some encouragement and we got back to the car (and eventually the hotel).  It was time to sprint-pack up our room and move our stuff down the hall (Eric finagled a later check out time) and then back to the finish line......more navigating DC, this time with multiple road closures......but we got to Arlington, somehow found a parking spot and made our way to the finish.  


We wandered through the sea of finishers and families, me constantly reminding Lissie and Andrew to hold my hand or coat (fighting my own ever-present-worry of having them wander off) until we got to the letter "P" (as in Pro-Activity) meeting area and found a shivering Eric and Julie (coach/pace-runner for the day) who were sharing a finishers foil......if that doesn't speak to the bond of a couple of running friends......sweaty, stinky and huddling among thousands of the other sweaty/stinky and now getting stiff, trying to stay warm.  I took off layer #1 and handed it to Julie, who with a little reverse-chivalry handed it to Eric (it was the warmer of the 2 fleeces I was wearing).  I then took off layer #2 and handed it to Julie who zipped up and headed for the Metro.  Eric fought his emotions as he told me about the race....I'm sure he'll recap for the rest of you HERE so I'll just say this.....the guy has an inner strength that is enviable.....and although he may not have met his ultimate goal on this particular day (still smashed his last personal best).....I'm sure if he decides it's worth it, he will.


We connected with Amy & family, I handed them over the now warming Eric and we (Me, Lissie, Andrew) made our way upstream through the crowd to find Lindsay who would be finishing soon.

yup, that's the pee-pee dance

We got to a reasonable spot and polled a few runners to see where they finished.....yikes....a full 30 minutes from finish to the end of the chute......worked out OK though, b/c that was just about the time Andrew informed me that he needed to use the bathroom.  CRAP!  Well, not actually, but we were pretty exposed so finding a tree was not an option.  We asked a Marine and he must have felt my pain, he gave me access through the roped off area to the back of the medic tent to use the porta-potties there for the now "dancing" 4-year old.  10 minutes later we made it back to our perch looking at the runners coming through the chute......had we missed her?  Would we again?  I was starting to doubt.  Then I saw her.  "Linds"....she turned and saw us.  She just about got the words "I'm so tired" out of her mouth when she choked up a little and I gave her a big hug and told her how proud of her I was.  A HUGE accomplishment....absolutely SMASHING her last effort, more than a decade ago....again, I'm certain there'll be a good recap HERE.  Of course this was followed closely by the post-marathoners mantra "I'm NEVER doing that again".....but I've heard (and said) those words before.


We reconnected with Eric/Amy, sent our regrets to Chris that we wouldn't be able to meet Cassy at the finish b/c we were already late for our extended hotel checkout and made our way back to the hotel.


The racers showered, the kids stayed (relatively) patient and I blogged.....we left the hotel and made our way to Georgetown, pretty fun looking place, where we found some crappy-food with too much salt and then washed it down with patriotism (Sam Adams is an American Hero right?).....we hit the road North and shortly thereafter the passengers.....all of them.....crashed and were asleep.


It was quiet and traffic flowed steadily....and although I was pretty tired by this point, it felt pretty darn good to decompress.  We eventually pulled back into BaseCamp31, saw a few of the big tree limbs downed by the storm and realized that even though this wave has crested, an equally crazy one is without-doubt starting to swell right behind it.....


Speaking of swelling, the knee is still not 100% (but it's getting close) and I now have some snow on the ground to contend with (PLEASE PLEASE melt and get warm again) as I move into my last 4 weeks of training before Rehoboth Beach Marathon......but this is the "down-1" week.....and so while one part of life goes into recover mode, I can keep pinging on the other areas.


This deaf-dumb and blind-kid, sure is a good pinball,


Mike E.

My inspiration, for your listening pleasure