#96: Oh Far cryin' out loud - that was cool

It's been 2 weeks, so here goes another off season status update on the RED-iculous..... and the slow move back into inspired training.  If you recall a few weeks back I was riding the high of watching a good group of athlete-friends get their "liberty bell" at the RNR Philly 1/2 marathon......a great motivator for me.....

THE GOOD

• I took the bike out a couple of times for a few miles and (despite the burning legs/lungs) felt GREAT even though after a brief look at my training data, I quickly realized how much of my competition-level-fitness has been lost for another year which stung a little (it goes away so much faster than it arrives).

• I got in a few runs and after having a little delay on getting some badly needed new shoes (hooray, new shoes) b/c I guessed wrong on the width in my constant search for a shoe that can stand up to my silly foot-strike (midfoot WAY lateral)....this time ASICS.

• AND I got to help bring OhFar 2012 (a little cross country endeavor I'm a part of managing) to life yesterday at a local vineyard.  This event, which we started last year, and still a bit of a "labor of love" is a blast for us and yesterday did not disappoint.  So many clients and friends, colleagues and new acquaintances set out to conquer the hills and course that Justin dreamt up....challenged themselves and ultimately succeeded.  Very cool.

THE BAD

• Soft gravel trails and I don't have a great relationship.  Seems like every time I run on them (without building really really slowly) something winds up aching.....and last week, after 4-5 miles on the D&R Canal Trail in Somerset, I woke up to a very cranky R Achilles.  Huge bummer.....but these are the kinds of things that come up after not doing much for a while I guess.

• I'm really really busy.....so much goes on this time of year.....from workplace stuff to kids that seem to be busier by the day.....I've actually found myself saying those dreaded words.....the ones that so many people say right before they give in to a lapse in their healthy behaviors......"I just don't have the time"......this will need to get fixed RIGHT AWAY 

THE UGLY

what?

• you mean besides that guy?......it could be worse (not entirely sure how).....but let's just end it there shall we?

Onward,

Mike E.

#95: What inspires you? Thank you Philly.

It's sort of funny what the weeks following a race can do to you.  From hyper-focused and locked-in with every little part of daily life acting as part of a tightly scripted series of events......to a whole different animal, where it's so easy to feel tired and lazy, where the day sort of "gets away" and often I'm left feeling like something is missing.  This is the time of my season when I start searching, just that little bit lost in the craziness, wondering when it'll be time to get going again.  

It's not that I need anything else to add to my plate really, there is so much on the parenting and professional front that I can easily dive into with gusto, but when you've put so much into something and then it's gone, well......you mourn.  Sounds kind of silly when I read it back, but it's about the closest description I can find that works......almost every athlete I know, especially those who complete endurance races goes through this some.....and up until today, I was in the thick of it.

Today?
So there I was, with the family loaded into the car on the way to Philadelphia to do a little mom 1/2 marathon chasing.....oh, and 15 or so other PACER friends who were running the event.  We got down to the 5K split and it was about what I expected.....lots of smiles still, lots of spring in the step as folks were still feeling so good.....and soon after seeing a group of our folks pass by, I decided we'd get to where the cheering really counts.....down near the homestretch, the place were some folks find that extra energy and some battle themselves those last 2-3 miles.  We found a shady spot somewhere just ahead of mile 11 and we set up camp.  And as my 3 (who have done this countless times now) went to work unraveling their homemade sign, positioning themselves where their "high-5-hand" was easily accessible and finding some upbeat music to stream, I stood back and watched as the racers, with faded smiles and bodies in pain went out of their way to get a high-5, or to find the energy to dance a little and smile or to simply say thank-you.  It's an energy that is hard to describe if you've never been there....a connection that matters only for a few seconds, but matters nonetheless.....

So to the thousands that achieved a liberty-bell medal today by completing the Rock-n-Roll Philly 1/2 marathon.....I thank you.

Thank you for giving it your all.
Thank you for challenging yourself.
Thank you for showing my children the power of the human will, again.
Thank you for reinforcing that their parents aren't (completely) crazy.
Thank you for defying the excuses.
Thank you for finding the time to train.
Thank you for showing the world that ANYTHING is possible.
Thank you for being an example to your friends and family.
Thank you for raising countless dollars for charity.
Thank you for finding fun in hard work.
Thank you for smiling through pain.
Thank you for vowing never to do this again.....and then doing it again.
Thank you for taking ownership of your health.

And most of all, thank you for being a doer of extraordinary things......you inspire me.

Best, 

Mike E.

#94: Fat & Happy? Time to start looking....

It's been 3 weeks (22 days if you're one of those "exacting" types) since I last sat down to spill my story.  Feels like no time and forever all at once, a time period that is generally sufficient to let the damage heal, put some of life's pieces back together, get to the other side of the post-race mild depression, be a Dad again, find out that eating like an Ironman without training like an Ironman is a recipe for "gains", and realize how much fatigue you really have accumulated along the ride.  There's no real science (that I can find) that spells out the right amount of recovery.....it'll get there.....but more that you need it.....and you should focus on doing it right with the same intensity and focus that training gets.

Theory 1 - 1 day per 1 mile raced:  This is a common one, and might even be practical for races totaling a marathon or less - figure 3-6 months of hard training followed by 1 month off......that's not a bad strategy.....but following an Ironman?  That's 141 days off....as in train for 7 months, off (completely) for 5.  Hmm.....that's a lot of time to lose gains.

Theory 2 - Let your motivation be your guide:  The mindset lovers are a fan of this one.....because it's sooo common to feel burned out after a big "A" race....when you're hungry again, take a bite.  I like this one, except unless the "A" race felt like an "A+" (which this clearly was not) my voice-inside is usually STARVING and wants to get back out there and hit it harder; to make up for lost ground; to redeem and resume.  That clearly can't work on the long term......at least for me.

Theory 3 - Use data:  OK nerds, yes, this my preference.  Not always hard data points, but measurable nonetheless......gain a little weight (preferably body fat), accumulate some rest and shed some fatigue (as evidenced by a training stress balance that is significantly positive) and start back on some base building and strength training when the fitness score dips below 60% of peak.....and of course there's my irritability index (you know when every little thing that you were too tired to be bothered by now drives you nuts?) starts creeping upward.

So where does this leave me?

"BioMetrics"
Pre-Race: BMI was 22.7 (153.4 lbs) and my total Body Fat % was 6.1%, slightly more lean than 

Build-Phase: BMI 22.2 (150.0 lbs) and body fat 8.5% going into the heaviest training volume 

Current #'s: BMI 23.2 (157.6 lbs) and 9.6% body fat (average)

Training Stress Balance

Blue = CTL, Gold = Balance

This is definitely not an exact science, but if my logic holds, a positive balance of 50-ish should be very sufficient for me to start making my way back toward the routine.  If hard training puts me as low as a negative 30 (which is broken down but not injured) and racing around positive 30 has me feeling fresh and strong, a positive 50 is well rested.

Peak Training (July 2012): -21.9
Pre-Race (August 2012): +30.9
Current (Sept 2012): +49.9

Chronic Training Load
Again, part of the not-exact-science from above, but at least based on real data points, "chronic training load" is a measure of longer-term fitness.  My goal was to peak at/above 100 (elites race around 120-ish I'm told), so a CTL of 65 or less is a great place to get back into the swing of things.

Peak Training (July 2012): 109.7
Pre-Race (August 2012): 87.9
Current (Sept 2012): 59.5

__________________
"Survey says":  Back to work.

So, with the labor day holiday on me, a little "thickness" around the middle and a personality somewhere in the Mr. Cranky-pants end of the spectrum, all indicators are "go" to get back to work.  Of course, it's only back to base-building and strength, so it's not a huge time commitment, but it's something......and it's got to be consistent routine.

So for starters - I'll need to identify a goal - since consistency without one is unlikely at best.  This has big implications for me, because it has to leave me in position to make gains on the big Red-iculous.......but with Ironman on the shelf for at least a year, I know it's not "Qualify for Kona" (yet).

"A" race goal?  50 mile trail run - not sure when (or where), but I've thrown my hat into the ring for this one.

Triathlon Specific Goal? Timberman 70.3 (1/2 Ironman) in August of 2013 - for now, that's what looks most feasible.

Short Term Goal? Hmm.....this is a tougher one......because nothing is really jumping off the page for me, however I'm considering heading north to get a Connecticut marathon off my list.....and there's a cheap one in early December that looks like it might have potential.  The early December part will work well for me from a calendar perspective, however, the Dec in CT part could be colder than I'd like.....that's what wool socks are for I guess.

Bringing it back into focus is never easy.....but it's the right time for it.

The effort continues,

Mike E.