#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.