#75: Bloodied & Busted, what NOT to do.

This week was a bust.....plain and simple. It was as if I had said "what could I possibly do to derail my training".....after all, things (as I fatefully dared to write last week) were going well so why not set myself back a bunch all in one hit right?


This was supposed to be lovely week 4 of the up 3, down 1 training method......and who doesn't like a down week?  You get to take your foot off the accelerator in your training, recover a little bit and refresh for another hard 3 weeks.  After last hard brick on Saturday and Sunday's long swim session I was feeling ready to focus on the swim and run w/reduced volume while my bike went in the shop for a tune up until......


STICK WITH WHAT YOU KNOW:


At BaseCamp31 we have been dealing with a few of those annoying "building ownership issues" that go w/the territory and one, which would require some floor tile removal has been a particularly long, drawn out PITA.  So like any "self-directed" person with some time on his hands (training volume down remember) I took matters into my own hands.....literally.  After breaking up and removing some of the chards of tile, I went in for another smack of the hammer and felt a pinch in my R 3rd (middle) finger.  "Ouch" - I looked down to see a nice hold in my knuckle.  Now having been a person who has had enough sutures to be a pro, I'm fond of just performing home-surgery with surgical glue, but this time there was no denying.....sutures it was.  I drove over to the local urgent-care and got through what seemed like a long time (making the bet that it would be less than the ER) and the doc came in an pulled me back together literally.  I think they were expecting me to be a little more emotional or something b/c they all seemed tentative. The nurse even asked me "are you ready?" before she gave me a tetanus shot......or maybe it was because she knew I'd be more sore from that than the gash and was taking pity on me?  Dunno; but after a couple of days of tenderness, instructions to take antibiotics and no water for several days and everything was on the mend.......annoying setback.....but on the mend.  Bottom line is that if you're left handed and NOT someone who works with your hands very often, you should probably pay someone else to do it.....or at very least WEAR GLOVES STUPID!


MEANWHILE.....BACK AT THE RANCH:

After dropping my bike off for planned service, I was now down to run only training, which of course has to be tempered with not leaving the legs so beat that you make things worse......and so I was relegated to a whopping 16 miles of running prior to the weekend......no biking, no swimming......just 16 miles.


To complicate the situation training was blocked on Saturday for a professional conference which left me with a brief window today.  The good news is that the bike was back, looking shiny and riding smoothly.  The bad news is, I had only 2.5 hours to squeeze in whatever I could today.  Seems funny to say, but 2.5 hours of exercise on a weekend at this point is almost nothing......but we press on.


STATS FOR THE WEEK:
Well, this is a pretty short story unfortunately - but I guess something is better than nothing:


Swim - big fat ZERO
Bike - 2 hours
Run - 2 h 35 min


Total = +/- 4.5 hours, about 4-6 hours short.


WHERE FROM HERE? 
Well, the simple answer is...."up" of course, it's sort of the only feasible direction really. But there is some solace in the fact that my training stress balance has restored to slightly greater than neutral which (in short) means that my body has gotten the benefit of the time off and is ready to get back in the swing of things.  This time last week, I was at a score of -33 (ouch), but now I'm at +5.5, so that's something positive out of the rubble of the week.....and perhaps not surprisingly, today's workout felt very strong.  I took the bike portion easy and still averaged nearly race pace and then got off and ran at a pace more than a minute per mile faster than last week's brick.  Sure it was a longer bike last week, and it was hotter, but my legs felt so fresh after a virtual week off.......it's important that I build on that and have a strong week, which isn't going to be easy.....but  that's the game right?


Saddle up, 


Mike E.

#74: The mystery machine stops here....no more foolin' this guy

There's no doubt I have a long way to go in my training before this year's "big" race, IMNYC on 8/11.....110 days to be exact, but, dare I say it, things SEEM to be starting to come together.  St. George last year, the train wreck that it was for me, is delivering exactly what I hoped it might this go around.....PERSPECTIVE.  At some moments, it's the nagging voice in the back of my mind that says - "respect the distance, layers of bricks, get out there, you'll be happy you did"......and then at other times it's the motivator telling me "you know you can get through this.....it wasn't pretty, but it doesn't have to be....you found a way in Utah, so find a way now".  This weekend it was the bully who I so badly wanted to punch "you think it's hot now?  Heh, heh,  wait until August"....."legs getting a little tired?  Yeah.....they do that.....heh, heh".....and even after meeting most of my goals for the week's training, it got the better of me on my brick on Saturday.....PERSPECTIVE: it was still a largely successful workout (long enough and fast enough on the bike), but a hot, hilly 5 mile run-portion got the better of me this time and as I wobbled myself up the driveway, in and out of the shower and across the street (literally) for kid # 2's soccer game (which, admittedly I drove to b/c I wasn't sure I'd get there in time if I walked), it was made very clear to me that I lost this round.


Mike (walking by the group of soccer parents):  "Hi"
Soccer Parent #1 (who know's what I'm training for):  "tough workout today?  you look like you're in pain"
Mike (trying to muster up something funny to say, but failing to find anything): "I'm pretty beat"
Soccer Parent #1 (who has done some endurance events): "what'd you do today"
Mike (a bit defeated): "70 on the bike, 5 run"
Soccer Parent #2: "did he say 70?" which to me sounded like: "that sounds dreadful"
Mike (in his head):  "I couldn't agree more.....it was".


And I slumped down and tried to put some calories down.....which, with 40 ounces of water seemed to do the trick.

I wish this were a belt buckle!

Sure, I set myself up for it a little, picking a fairly steep climb to run right off the bike, but that's pretty much what the run course does (200 feet of gain in the first mile?).......and doing so in the hottest part of the day.....but that's what I feel like I need to be ready for.....so, even though it took me a full day to say this, and mean it that is.....I say, bring it on bully-voice-in-my-head......I'm coming after you this time......because the mystery is over.....I know what's in store for me.....and I'm willing to pay the price......it'll be worth it.


So where do things stand?

• Got my 11+ hours of training at this point (still have some stretch and stability work tonight) this week and as I had hoped for a good chunk of it was on the bike: +/135 miles worth.  This could've been a little more ideally but I decided to skip my Friday "easy" ride and take Lindsay out for an anniversary dinner instead (I chalk this up to being a hopeless romantic.....or maybe I'm just learning the art of self-preservation?).
• Felt strong on the long bike, at a pace that I was happy with at this stage
• Cut the running miles roughly in 1/2 (16 miles this week), but this was strategic, b/c next week my bike goes in for a tune up, which means big "run week" for me.
• Got 3 solid sessions in the pool and was able to do an endurance set of nearly 80% race distance today.....certainly not at race speed yet, but not terrible.
• Need to keep a close eye on my intake:  Getting pretty lean, which is good, but have to make sure I stabilize for a while and not get down to goal-race-weight too early.  Probably need to start tracking my nutrition more closely.
• Body is tired from an intense week; knees are feeling it, achilles is still barking now and again, but no breakdown at this point.

The week ahead:

• Bigger running week - partly by choice, partly by consequence (bike tune-up) - but it'll be good to get a long run in....I'm due.
• Need to keep building endurance in the pool.....but at this point, need to start mixing in some intensity as well.
• Bike will depend on weather (apparently monsoon season is here, which we need badly, so no complaints), but would like to get at least 2 rides in.
• All said, it's my "down week" though......so need to prioritize recovery as well......according to my training log, I'm running a bit too much of a deficit in training stress......and need the rest......Amen to that.

A little further out:

• Fuel Management:  Still not taking in enough fluids....better, but not there yet
• Fuel Management:  Definitely not enough calories either.....this will make a big difference.....IMPORTANT
• Transitions: This is free time....need to start working on it....big area of opportunity for me
• Equipment: Some odds and ends to get....but also looking to replace my cycling shoes soon.
• HEAT Management:  The great equalizer.

Game on,


Mike E.

#73 A Compounding Interest: Nurture, Cultivate and Grow

I used to think I was born in the wrong era, that it might have been better if I was born in the time when people had to build their homes by hand, or manually plow fields or some other physical beat-down on a daily basis to sop up my energy…..Admittedly, I love the sense of giving everything I've got and then resting fully at the end of a hard day.  It's more like a "shutting down" than a slow relaxing ride into dreamland, but it's feeling of accomplishment. 

For a while, I almost believed that this "energy" was some sort of innate gift (or curse) that was bestowed on me….some type of genetic trait that was passed down…..certainly my maternal grandfather hustled most of his life (and continues today in his own right) and my mom's need to be doing something…..anything in some cases…..is apparent to most people that know her.  Every once in a while, when Lindsay would offer me the "you're just different" (the kinder-gentler version of the "face it, you're crazy") explanation when my frustration at the delays in life, would bubble over I'd actually buy into it a little……but then it started to change.

When I ran my first road race in Philadelphia in 2008 (marathon) and saw the literally thousands of people who committed to the same kind of energy-draining training I had done, and more so, the many racers who had strung years of base-building upon base-building to easily best my relative youth and "energy" that day, I knew it was far more nurture than nature.....they had cultivated energy and grew their success in a painstaking way over time.  

I think missing my goal that day, utter failure (in my own eyes), may well have been the best thing that could have happened to me, because, being a competitive sort, I wanted nothing more than to try again……and I did…….and I failed…..AGAIN 6 weeks later…..and it stung.

Is the most powerful force in the universe consistency? 

It was at that point that I realized that not unlike anything else in life, there was not going to be a quick and easy WAY to do this, and that simply applying my "natural" energy to running was not necessarily going to result in the personal achievement I was after……

• It was going to be more about what I could learn and apply consistently over time; what I would be willing to cultivate and how long I could train hard enough to keep improving but not so hard I'd injure myself; 
• it was going to be about focus and attention to detail coupled with enjoyment of "the pursuit" itself over the long term……
• about the effort itself and about appreciation of the small gains that only happen with steady forward progress.  
• Not unlike the guy who puts a little bit into his retirement plan EVERY week to find it worth millions at the end of his career, I would need to find a compounding strategy for my training.

Achievement in multisport, not unlike business or life, is not always about who can push harder (alone)…..but most often seems to be about the balance of working hard "enough" AND consistently "enough" all while minimizing the expense of fatigue (physical or mental or emotional) to get a compounding effect; and for me, this is much closer to a game of chess than a world's strongest man competition.  

Attempting to think two or three moves ahead and finding ways to be consistent with what's important and letting go what isn't has been great exercise for me……knowing when pushing hard will result in a benefit vs. when it will draw on my energy account and drain me too deeply for my next segment has been a hard thing to learn…….but such a great learning experience; finding a way to let the failures sting only long enough to keep me focused on finding a better plan has been powerful for me;  Getting excited about the little wins and building on them has too…..

This week I've been thinking a lot about how this applies to many of life's fronts which ultimately culminated in a late evening discussion w/Eric over a few glasses of wine the night before he headed north for his second running of the Boston Marathon……in a training season which seemed a little forced for him.  

The conversation was, as they often are, peppered with work-related as well as training-related as well as life-related components……and even though Eric is so focused that he sometimes struggles to take his foot off the accelerator, I was really happy to hear in his voice the sound of someone who was ready to let the day in Beantown unfold and enjoy a race that is soooo wildly popular and soooo difficult to get into by normal standards that it is historical each and every time it's run……and if it takes the reality of an unseasonably hot race day to force this "letting go", I so hope for him that he does…….I'm sure it'll have a compounding effect for him.

A solid week

From a training perspective, this week's was solid for me, with 11.5 hours in so far, and with any luck a short easy run this evening to bring me up to 12 hours which is just about where I wanted to be.

• +/- 70 miles in on the bike, 
• +/- 30 running (after all said/done) 
• +/- 12 using the Ellipti-GO (super cool, no impact, great for recovery, read about Eric's review of it HERE)
• 3x1 hour sessions in the water
• 2 strength & stretch sessions

Also got a chance to test myself on a 50+ mile bike course with a reasonable amount of wind and was excited to check on my data-points and find that even with more climbing than I'll see on Ironman US Championships course I was able to meet my "checkpoint" goal of >20 mph.  Solid progress.

Where from here?

This coming week needs to be a good training effort for me.  My main focus is to get at least 3 swims and 3 solid efforts on the bike (so far weather looks supportive)......even if this means I let the total run miles slip a little, it needs to be a big bike week and consistent swim week....the final step up before a recovery week and only 4 weeks out from the beginning of my racing season.  

Plenty of time to nurture....plenty of room to grow,

Mike E.

#72: Into the wind.....bring it.

Oh what a week.......this was my annual "life hitting you in the face" week.....personally, professionally and from a training perspective....SMACK...."hello, this is life, pay attention.....I'm talking to you".

• maybe this is b/c it was my birthday week.....yep, another year gone by.
• maybe it was b/c I'm training up to a new level of fatigue.....certainly tired
• maybe it was b/c we've been gaining some momentum in some of our projects professionally, but with the little steps forward there's even more to be done.

So to that end, I feel like I've been doing at least as much mental and emotional work as I have physical work this week......and it's been DRAINING......truly though, this is a good thing....sometimes you just have to get whacked hard enough by life to get the message.

OK, your move

From a training perspective, I'm feeling accomplished, but STILL trying to get it all together.

• Wanted to ramp the bike volume back up. Success (120-ish mi and a 60 mi long ride)
• Wanted to keep the run miles up. Success (25-ish mi and a 10 mi tempo run)
• Wanted to get back in the water 3-4x. FAIL...big time (haven't yet gotten in the pool and it being Easter Sunday....not at all sure I will).

It wasn't terrible within the context of all of the other juggling life brought, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make the swimming work.

Into the wind

As an endurance athlete, I've come to really dislike wind.  Sure it's nice to have a breeze when it's hot outside.....the gentle type that cools you nicely.....but wind, now that's something different.....like the bully big-brother of breeze.....that powerful wall-like force that hits you in the face and knocks you back a step.....that's the kind I really dislike.  All week it seems that the wind has been whipping.  Misjudged it on Monday and got back home with frozen hands and feet.  Felt it again on Wednesday....but it was tolerable......it was back on Friday night for my tempo run and then the message was slammed home for me about 1/2 way through yesterday's ride:

The planned 60 mile course was uphill for a the first third, then an aggressive descent quickly and along the bank of the Delaware river for the next third and finished moving back uphill and "rolling" all the way home for the final third.  The first third went about as planned.....lots of climbing and some tired legs.  Next section (1/6th if you're a math person) also as planned....beautiful roll along the river moving at about the pace I had hoped for......then as I walked my bike across the footbridge to get back to the Jersey-side of the river another cyclist came up and said "that headwind is something today...." I agreed, but thought to myself that it hadn't been THAT bad.  Oh foreshadowing.....then, as I turned back toward town I got hit by such a hard wind that I laughed out loud and let out (perhaps) a few "you've got to be [expletive]-ing kidding me" sentiments.  So as I slogged through the wind feeling the energy drain from my legs, I thought about what a fitting metaphor it was for me, not just from a training perspective.......keep pushing.....put your head down, have some courage and get through it......it'll pay off later......this is what you signed up for......keep pushing through it......you're not preparing for ordinary.....you're preparing for extraordinary.  

Jam with your toast?

I got back home and my legs were toast.  I had planned on running for about 15 minutes off the bike just to capitalize on "running on tired legs" a skill that is so important to master for triathlon......and they were shot.....I got off the bike and started my short run at a pace that felt fine (minus the pain in my now rather stiff knees)......by the time my watched beeped out the first mile my knees were loosening up (as they usually do) and I was [just] starting to feel a bit better......as I got close enough to see the imaginary finish line (my mailbox) and heard my watch beeped mile 2, I was actually feeling decent and probably could have continued; a truly welcome sign......but I knew I was shot and decided to err on the side of caution......I got home, took a nice LOOONG shower, took in some refuel, sent Lindsay off for her run, played a few minutes of superheros (post-workout promise to the 5 year old) and bought a few items in the 8 year old's bedroom "store" (post-workout promise to #2) found some compression gear for my tired legs and crashed, tired but satisfied with the day, while #1 was at practice.

Just accept it, life is difficult

And as dawn found its way into the room and the 5 year old badgered us to wake, I walked downstairs and found the coffee.  I sat down and remembered that even though I am a year older and life just keeps getting faster; and even though regardless of who you are, there NEVER seems to be a shortage of headwind.....every little thing would indeed be alright if I keep putting the effort in.  

As I watched my three little birds (this makes more sense if you know the song) run around searching for baskets and eggs this AM and only 30 minutes later had to choke back a tear or two as my 10 year old came down ready for Easter Sunday Mass looking more grown up than I was ready for, I realized that life's headwind is really only starting.....even if I'm not a huge fan and even though I rarely miss it when it's not around.....without it, the gentle breeze that comes now and again would never be so sweet.

And so....after a week of reflection and hard work I am reminded of one of my favorite paragraphs of all times:

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand and accept it - then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."  - M. Scott Peck

Into the wind,

Mike E.

#71: slogans, mantras and baby steps....lots of baby steps

I'm a sucker for a good quote or slogan.....I don't really know why, but I really like reading them.....and when they resonate with me I often find myself thinking "yeah, you nailed it"....as if the person who thought of or said it was looking for my validation.  


Some of my favorites have become personal mantras of sorts, often representing the thoughts that push me through when I've hit a roadblock or dead-end.  This week I ran across a few of my old stand-bys and even though it was a down week for training volume (intentional and welcomed w/open arms) and I only needed them briefly here or there, I still appreciate seeing them to stay focused on the end goal:


"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE" (or Adidas' spin: "Impossible is Nothing")
This is part of the IronMan branding machine.....and I love it.  As far as I'm concerned it's something everyone should run their life by; the idea that if you're willing to do the work.....truly you can achieve ANYTHING you set out to.  Just enough optimism for my liking and they tie the slogan to all sorts of amazing video clips that get me all juiced up to work hard.




"WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOUR THINK YOU CAN'T.....YOU'RE RIGHT" (I like Apple's "Think Differently" here too)
- Henry Ford
This is an all time favorite in our house.....it's been read and re-read out loud by both me and Lindsay...to the kids and to ourselves.  No need for explanation....the ultimate "for good or for bad, it starts in your head".  Love it.


"THERE ARE NO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, ONLY ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS"
Not really sure who this is attributed to....there are a few quotes out there that speak to this same theme and Jim Collins' book Good to Great speaks to it, but it's become part of our fabric at Pro-Activity and at BaseCamp31 and a personal mantra and part of the vision for my life.  I have a simple mission in life - to be a doer of amazing things - and yet I know that I am starting with a set of very ordinary skills and tools to do it.  So quotes like this fuel me and keep me pushing forward.  I saw a great blog post this week (text at bottom) that was a very practical view that to me continued to support the notion that extra effort is the pathway to the Red-iculous for me.  
_________________________


So this week, which has been a week with a (much needed) recovery emphasis and some checkpoints (testing) has done just that.....it has allowed me to take a step back from the physical aspects of training and work on the mental focus.  Exactly as it is supposed to.  It's helped me to recharge my mental batteries and again prove to myself that the extra effort is paying (not paid as in past tense by any stretch) off.  That I'm getting "there"......but I have a long way to go.


When I last reviewed my goals (HERE) 3 weeks ago, I said that within the next 30 days I felt I needed to:

• improve my next 1000m TT in the pool by 10%
• run x 15 miles below lactate threshold at a 7:35 pace
• continue to improve my bike splits to the point where I can cruise at 20mph x 50 miles

This week I tested all three disciplines and feel decent.....but never satisfied.

• Improved the swim TT by 2.5%: not the 10% I was hoping for, but real nonetheless. I'm continuing to realize how much concentration and how painfully slow improvements in the pool are going to be for me.  Perhaps 10% was aggressive.....not sure, but I'm still after it.  My over-the-top goal would be a 25% improvement from St. George last year.  My pace is currently around 20% faster....but of course there's no direct comparison to pool and race.  Verdict?  Keep working hard at least 3x/wk in the water, 4 where able.

• 15 mi TT on the run @ 7:14 pace and HR 163 (threshold +/- 165-170) on a course that had nearly (within 100ft) as much elevation as the marathon course in Aug: Success and perhaps I underestimated my fitness.  I think I could have done better too.  I didn't bring any fuel and only had some water at the 8mi mark.  Thought I could gut it out and ultimately it worked, but there was a DEFINITE decline in pace and equally notable increase in effort after mile 10 and then fatigue by 14.  Generally this was fine.....and it helps me to believe that I'm on track here.

• On the bike I wasn't able to get out and test a 50 mile course and I'm not really sure I'm ready for that yet anyway, so I decided to repeat the "hour of power" test that I did on Feb-14 (quite the Valentine's "gift" to myself).  This is arguably the worst test as far as I'm concerned b/c it is an all out effort for an hour that not only tests your aerobic power and muscle endurance but your will too.  I'm happy with the progress here +15.3% (average power) from the last test....but I always feel looking back "I could've pushed a little harder"...."mental will is as important as physical skill" (ME).

STATS for the week:

• +/- 6 hours of training when all done (one session left today)
• +/- 30 miles of running
• +/- 3300m in the pool
• 1 miserable bike session on the computrainer
• +/- 5000 extra calories burned

And so.....the down week is just about over and it's time to start ramping up the volume to somewhere b/t 12 and 15 hours this week; to get a couple of good long rides in and continue to move the run mileage back in line; to put the final touches on "the heel that's almost there" and to keep adding skill in the pool......

But before I do any of that....it's time to head out for the final run of the week.....as a little tribute to Caballo Blanco (Micah True) of "Born to Run" fame who's larger than life character in the book inspired many to get out there. Never met the guy.....but sometimes when you know their slogan.....you don't have to.  

I'm setting out to find a trail and do my best to RUN FREE!!

What's your slogan?

Mike E.

____________________________

HOW EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENS.

BY DAN WALDSCHMIDT

Doing something that is amazing isn’t an accident. Living an extraordinary life doesn’t come naturally. What comes naturally is for you to just be ordinary.

Which is how most of us stay.  That’s what is normal.

So we invented a new word to describe something that transcends mediocrity.  A word that communicates more than average. More amazing than everything else ahead of it. We simply call those “extra-ordinary.”  Not ordinary. Something extra. But even that begs explanation.  How does it happen? How can you manufacture something more than ordinary?

Extraordinary starts with you.

It starts with an ordinary person at an ordinary job doing ordinary things on an ordinary day. No special advantages.  No remarkable skills that can’t be duplicated.  No larger bank account. Just all-around “ordinary”. Then that ordinary person decides to do something extra. Something a lot-a-bit extra. And not just one time.

They do it day after day after day after day.

And then one day, all of us watching them notice that “ordinary” is no longer the accurate description for who that person has become. For what they have done. And all we can do is simply shake our heads and remark that what we have just seen is extraordinary. Because it was. And because they were. And that’s how extraordinary happens. By not being satisfied by what is ordinary.  By doing something extra.