#70 Get out of my head Mark Cuban, this is Triathlon not Shark Tank

I've mentioned to people before that I'm pretty sure my life is the basis of the movie The Truman Show where the star character is the unwitting plot of a reality show that everyone else is playing a part for viewers in TV Land.....the birth of reality TV except the star doesn't know it....


There have been so many weird coincidences in my life that I'm pretty sure it's a big script and I'm just playing a part......I guess somewhere in the universe if there's a master plan it's not that different..... But, I'm starting to think that Mark Cuban is in on the plan....the guy is popping up in front of me everywhere lately.....Last week I watched part of "Shark Tank" for the first time....it's a show right up my alley.....which is strange b/c it's a show about entrepreneurialism, venture capitalists, etc, stuff that I'm interested in.....but I've never paid much attention.....I randomly caught a little bit of it and really liked it......two days later I read THIS BLOG POST authored by Cuban, which was re-posted by Daniel Pink, (an author I really like) which pretty much speaks to my view of the world:  


"Time is the most valuable asset you don’t own. You may or may not realize it yet, but how you use or don’t use your time is going to be the best indication of where your future is going to take you."

And then ends with a simple idea:

"Don’t follow your passions, follow your effort. It will lead you to your passions and to success, however you define it."

The sound of resonance:

I think this is what The Red-iculous Effort is all about really.....about working really hard to achieve something and that NOT in-spite of, but rather BECAUSE OF the hard work, it becomes enjoyable and almost a part of you......and that grows into a passion.....and not necessarily in the reverse order.  I'm reserving judgement some b/c the guy definitely has an arrogance that doesn't usually draw me in (maybe b/c I feel like people mistake my own passion for arrogance, one of those things you'd like to change about yourself).....but, on the flip side, despite the fact that he owns an NBA team as well as a handful of other big businesses and is a TV personality viewed by millions each week, I absolutely love the fact that his Twitter Description is simply "Entrepreneur".  Love it.  Might even have to read his book.

So back to this week's effort?

It was a good training week....not a great one....but a good one.  Still trying to find a way to string it all together, but it's getting there.  My focus was on the bike this week and my knees are testifying to the fact that it was a success.  Secondary to the bike miles was to continue nudging the L heel along and not losing too much ground on the swim.  Generally speaking, mission accomplished:

• 11.25 Hours of training (5% increase over last week despite missing one day b/c of family busy-ness)
• +/- 120 miles on the bike (33% increase)
• +/- 20 miles of running (5% increase)
• +/- 3300 m of swimming (46% decrease)

Overall I was tired by the end of this week....with legs that are teetering on the edge of "too much".....just about right b/c this coming week is a down week.  Need to throw some testing in, but overall, it's time to drop it down a bit before resuming the increase.

When it comes to mindset I'm feeling pretty good.  It's busy for sure, and life's little juggling act takes its toll....but I'm still finding myself wanting to increase training toward the goal....which for me is a good sign, no burnout at this point.....

And (sooooo thankfully) Super-Linds has my back which makes it all doable.  I think her blog this week pretty much captures what an enormous ask this little hobby of mine is....I'm a lucky guy for sure.

So with +/- 4 months to go I think I'm on track.  The formula at this point is to keep cranking up the volume but retain the quality and intensity without going over and breaking down.  Simple enough right?

Movin' forward,

Mike E.

#69: Go with instinct on this one....Saddle-up partner

With a heel still not ready to cooperate 100%, but some weather that was, the goal for this week was begin to build some endurance on the bike using the 40-ish mile brick last Sunday as a springboard.  However, having had 7 days of training in a row, I needed to work in some recovery as well to avoid ramping up too fast.  


TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS


Monday - ride: I decided to push it a bit through Monday mostly because I had the time and the weather was going to work.  I got a solid swim session in and was able to get another 37+ ride in on a hilly course but at a relatively easy pace.  I felt good about this, but if there was any question about needing recovery going-in, there was no question remaining.....I needed it.  


Tuesday - off: was a planned off day......ahhh......planned off days are the best.  Sort of hard to follow-through with this time b/c the weather was really nice again.....but I knew my legs needed the break and so I took the day completely off.  


Wednesday - off? Had a bit of a hiccup on Wed b/c with busy family schedules, that became a day off as well.....not great b/c I likely need the the training time, but I pledged to make up for it the remaining week and hit the weekend hard and my body was happy to have some extra sleep time.


Thursday - Hilly Run: Having recently moved, Lindsay and I are having to recalibrate our standard running routes some, which is a good thing b/c it keeps it interesting "I found a new X miler" or "If you go out to Y and back it's almost exactly * miles"......yes, this is the kind of nerdy conversation that we share......he says as he hangs his head in acceptance of the realization of what he has become.  :)


ANYWAY....I decided on Thursday it was time to test the heel a little and build up the mileage on the run.  The previous week I had done 2 x 4-ish miles and felt pretty good and the heel was responding nicely, so figured it was time to go for a little slow and steady.   So I figured I'd go out and get some miles in and find a 10-12 mile route.  It turned out to be mostly out and back with a climb at the mid-point.....if that looks like something less than fun....it was indeed.


I went out really easy, and the heel was cranky as expected.  I figured it would loosen up around mile 2, it did, sort of and I kept moving easy reminding myself that slow was the trade off for miles today b/c the heel couldn't really handle long and intense. Somewhere around mile 2 the route started doing the up 2, down 1 thing which can be a beating.  It kept this up until roughly the turn (mile 5.5) and then it started the up 1 down 2 on the way back.  A little 1 mile climb back home and 11 miles of smackdown in the books.  Retrospectively, this may not have been the best choice, heel and knees were chatty by the end.....but I was happy to have the miles and the hill work in....


Friday Swim & Strength: The heel needed a break and I had a big bike planned for Saturday so it was to the pool and a follow-up stretch & strengthen session @BC31.  Both were solid sessions and the stretching and core work felt really good on my legs.  I always leave a stretch session telling myself I need more of those.....even PTs need to stretch more!


Saturday - 2 loops
Saturday was to be the "big" day and the plan was to complete 2 x 22 mile loops.  Part of the reason for the loops is to work on the skill of staying mentally focused.  Most triathlon race courses are 2 loop courses (at least) and I find that there is real potential for me to have somewhat of a let-down on the second loop, so this year I'm going in with that as a skill on my "to improve" list.  The second reason for the 2 loops is that I was picking up a co-rider (thank Eric) for the second loop.  It's a nice break to have another person along with you.....it's a double edged sword of course......on one side, there will not be a person along w/me on raceday.....so, like the uplift of an iPod on the run, I can't get used to it; on the other hand, it's a great distractor from the discomfort and lets me push a little bit more as I now have some fresh legs to gauge myself against.  Well, the 2x22mi loops actually turned out to be 1x24 and 1x28....so a bit longer than I had originally planned, but it's always a good benchmark to get over the fifty mile mark.  Due to the less than stellar road surfaces in some sections of my area I decided to alter the route and opt for chipseal over potholes big enough to swallow me up.


Editorial Comment - OK, they're downright dreadful in places which really pisses me off when I consider the amount of taxes we pay in NJ....not to mention the nearly non-existant shoulder and drivers who will NOT share the road.....not exactly a super inviting environment for those looking to ditch their petroleum addiction....or their body fat for that matter.....BUT....I digress


I was saying?  Oh yeah, so after some route modifications, 44 miles became 52 and that nixed the time I had aside to make it a brick.....kid #2 soccer game after all.  It was probably better, my legs were pretty fried......and I was feeling pretty good about it (until of course I saw Lance Armstrong's tweet that he did 120 in Hawaii.....can you say #knocked_down_a_peg ?....ok, that was lame twitter humor)


Sunday - Swim and shakeout run?


And so, I made it to Sunday and the goal was to get in a longer swim and a shorter run.....after doing a little "Julie and Kristen spotting" by watching a little bit of the NYRR NYC 1/2 Marathon on TV.  Another amazing race by NYRR btw......they do a great job.  Not to mention these 2 speedsters.....amazing! 


When I got to the pool I was quickly turned around.....swim meet until 1230P.  Bummer....suppose I should have checked before I went.....another thing to think about....so I got back and put in an easy 4 miles.  The heel felt pretty good and I diligently iced afterward.  1/2 hour later I was back out the door for the swim, which was to be +/- 2500 meters of endurance swimming (up/down the ladder 250, 500, 1000, 500, 250).  Felt pretty good and my pace was reasonable which left me just enough time to get back grab the kids and head to practice......


After dinner, bath, teeth and stories, I sit here finishing my blog for the week.


_______________________________


STATS


Time: 10.25 hours of training this week, 5 in the saddle, which isn't bad, although taking Wed off unexpectedly hurt some as I was hoping to be closer to 15 than 10 hours in total; but they were challenging sessions, more intense than I had figured on, so it was a solid effort.


Distance: 106 miles, nearly 90 on the bike, which needs to come up some.  I figure I'm at week 3 w/the heel issue, so as much as 9 more weeks to contend with this.  Not my favorite thought, but the more realistic I am the better.


Energy: I'm tired, but not beat.  This is a good thing.


Focus: Feeling good here.  Over the initial hump and starting to get more in tune.  Good weather certainly helps here.


Pain: The heel is manageable.....but it's not where I want it obviously.  My hips are tight and my knees are a little cranky....but this is about what I expect at this point.


Nutrition:  Starting to lean out.....and for good reason.....I burned an estimated 8,200 calories this week in training.....so I need to be careful here.  I want to slowly bring myself down to race weight....but not crash and burn.  Likely need to increase the dietary protein.


Hydration: Fair here.......been a focal point and it helps, although I'm not getting enough in during actual training.  I was pretty dry after the riding miles.


______________________________


WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?  


This coming week is going to be more of the same.....

• keep ramping up the volume in all 3 areas without over doing it.  
• Be careful not to over-do and beat myself up too much
• Be ready to hit testing hard in the last week of the month

A little sore, but back in the saddle nonetheless,

Mike E.

#68 A cautious return to the starting blocks

This was my favorite caution sign

With "official" training scheduled to start on March 1st, last week wasn't exactly the blast out of the gates and big-entrance to the training season I was looking for.....a torqued left heel and the subsequent ripple-effect "you'd be wise to leave me alone for a bit" messages from my body combined with a crazy kid activity weekend became a down training week pretty quickly......these things happen I guess.....well they do to me anyway.....but it's a long road.


So, this week, it was time to get back into the starting blocks for me, a metaphor that, with the increased presence of NJNYTC* speedsters going after their dreams in our area ,  I found myself thinking a little bit about the mental toughness required for this aspect of higher level training; the need to push yourself hard and bounce back when things don't go your way.  


To me this is one of the defining characteristics of a champion (current or eventual).  We all take lumps, no doubt we've all experienced the stun of life smacking us in the mouth, but the question of whether you stay down or brush yourself off and get back up is a choice......


This week was a little bit of that for me.....after putting in what I considered a measured, but very productive winter and saw some improvements, I took my eye off of the ball (or the road in this situation) and just like that (snap your fingers here if you want the full effect), I was set back by 1/3rd.......


*(check out NJNYTC and hit this non-profit with a donation if you have the means.....hard working group of athletes building a framework for East Coast track excellence....but like most pioneers.....they need help funding their journey)


Shake it off and refocus the lens


This week, I tried to get my mind right....to not stress over time lost (it's minimal), to not worry about the potential of a nagging injury (being a PT is an advantage) and let my body do what it needed to do. So it would just be a bike-swim heavy week and practice the skill of every long-course athlete....patience....a skill that isn't in the "strength" column for me.  


After today's ("long") session, I'm feeling like I got mostly there.  2.5 hours of swim work and 6 hours on the bike.  I was able to get in about an 1.5h of running in (2 short bouts + a brick today) with no significant pain and the heel issue seems to be moving in the right direction.  This puts me just under 10 hours of training time for the week, which is still a bit lower than I had hoped, but with the abbreviated ability to run, it's tolerable.


Goals?


So at this point in my training, the shift goes from solely reflecting on "how I did" to equal emphasis on "where do we go from here?".  It's so important for me to have clear objectives not only long-term, but mid-term, short-term, near-term, immediate and even present.  For me it's too easy to get into the trap of losing sight of the little things that matter.


Long-term goal (at some point): Simple:  Qualify for Kona.  I'm not putting a timeframe on this.....I think it's dumb to do so.....long-term goals are by definition for the long-term.  Rather, I'll rest assured that I'm on the right trajectory and if I stay focused, I'll achieve it.


Mid-term goal (within 2 years):  Have a tactically perfect Ironman Distance race.  This, to me, means cross the finish line at the exact moment the reserves run out.  Have enough energy to muster an arms-up finish and know that, short of injuring myself, I have raced hard and raced smart at the 140.6 distance


Short-term goal (this year):  Break the 11 hour mark in Ironman.  This will take a confident and smart race and getting the details right. When I do quick-math my high-level analysis puts me around the 11.5 hour area on a good (but not necessarily great) day.  FOCUS in training and a very good race could get me there so a solid goal for me.


Near-term goal (90 days): Now it gets tougher.....what in the next 3 months will put me in line to break 11 hours and still set me up for near perfect tactics?  Hmmm.....that puts me in early June, which is when my training plan really begins to ramp up from an intensity perspective.  Consistently average more than 18 hours of high quality training per week with no less than 3.5 hours in water, 9 on the bike, 5 on the run and 1 hour of cumulative stretch & strengthen.  Whew.....this is a lot and I'm glad I spelled it out to keep it in perspective and the realistic workload in front of my face.


Immediate goal (30 days): This is a little easier for me, because it seems obvious to me....it's technical, technical and more technical work.  Need to continue to refine my swim stroke to the point where I am at least 10% faster in my next 1000m time trial than last; Need to get outside on the bike A LOT and work on my gearing and fueling to the point where I am able to maintain 20 mph at a reasonable heart rate for at least 50 miles on a moderately "rolling" course; Need to continue to build endurance back up on the run, would like to be able to do at least 13 miles in a 7:35 pace with a heart rate average below lactate threshold.  I don't usually put specific times/pace goals down at this point in the season, but I'm confident committing to these.


Present goal (7-10 days): This of course should be a relatively easy goal to set because it's right here.....and in general, it is:  I need to get my training volume up to 12-13 hours with continued improvement in the L foot and no signs of overtraining.


OK, so I've got my work cut out for me for sure.......but that's what I signed up for.


Gettin to work,


Mike E.

#67: Tri Training for Dummies? Watch out for speed bumps

That'd be me folks

The week started out with a few obstacles that I knew were coming down the path….and a few that were unexpected.  The first (expected) was that my swim training was going to be thrown off a bit with my normal "Y" doing some pool maintenance for the week.  Although this was a little bit of an inconvenience, with some planning, not a huge deal, something I could overcome by dropping-in somewhere nearby.  The next was that my weekend "long" sessions were going to be tough to get b/c this weekend was to be one of the peaks of winter-season kid-activity craziness, which meant my sessions during the week would have to be nearly perfect.  It was supposed to end there……but as you might suspect, it didn't.

Monday = planned day off, but it was gorgeous outside and I had to drop my car off for service.....why not ride home from the service station right?  Save a little gas and someone from having to follow me there....win-win.  So I got about an hour of rolling hills in and felt GREAT to be outside.....an unplanned (extra) hour making it even better.

And then there was Tuesday

Was able to swim early in the day (sometimes things just workout) and felt like it was a productive session working on form and technique.  The best part about it is this would leave me the time to do a run-strength-run session while the sun was still shinning, a luxury that I don't take lightly this time of year.  So, trying to cash in on the luxury I figured I'd run 3-ish to BaseCamp31, get a 20-30 min strength session in and then run back.  A nice +/-6 miles of running and some strength.  The first 3 went well.....legs felt good, fitness was fine to run a solid pace even keeping it "easy".  Got to BaseCamp31 and got in 20 minutes of strength work......turned the Garmin back on and headed out the door for the last three.  I got to a stoplight where I had to cross the highway and when the lights were in my favor started the watch and made my way.  For some reason crossing the highway is always a little tenuous for me, there's the safety issue of course (pedestrians only have the right of way per the law.....real world rules often have a different interpretation), but also, I hate the feeling that a bunch of impatient people in their cars are cursing me as I scamper across the intersection......I probably shouldn't care, but I know how frustrated I get as the driver, so I try to get across quickly.  As I made my way across I jumped a curb in stride to get onto the shoulder of the roadway.  All was well except that in the next step I landed on a rut of soft soil and felt a bit of a snap as my L heel torqued.  Tenderness but nothing major so I kept moving.  By the time I finished, the heel was stiff....never a great sign, so I iced and popped some ibuprofen and figured I'd have a sore day or so......sort of.

When Wednesday morning rolled around I was looking a little less like an Ironman and a little more like the tin-man as I put my stiff and achey feet down on the floor and gingerly made my way to the shower.  This should have been the obvious sign for me to pay attention, but (right on cue), I muttered to myself those fateful words that every athlete says right before making a mistake "nah, I'm good". I'll just continue to RICE it and move on I figured.....or something.  By Wed midday I was feeling 75% so I figured a swim would be the right choice and it went fine.

Thursday was more of the same, except by the end of the day I was feeling about 90%, without any notable issue....cool.  So I figured what better way to test the heel than to run for an hour.  This probably would have been OK, except I made 3 critical mistakes in my planning:

1. I decided I'd jump in for 8-ish miles with a guy who is a solid runner, who would undoubtedly push me, which on most occasions is a real benefit to my training

2. That run was to be on a very soft trail at night, which a bit counterintuitively actually makes the foot and leg "stiffen" more during impact

3. I couldn't resist a couple of slices of veggie-pizza somewhere around 30 minutes before going out.

So we set out and I was doing OK.....but by mile 3-ish, I could feel that veggie pizza in the pit of my stomach, never a fun sensation.  By mile 4 at the turn, the heel was also starting to talk-back some......and by mile 5, I was fighting.  The next three miles were not pleasant; I was having a hard time deciding what was worse the discomfort on each step or the small alien that I was convinced was attempting to bore through my abdomen.

By mile 6, I'm guessing it was getting pretty obvious that I was battling (even though it was dark outside) as Bill said "You OK?" and I offered back "I'm second guessing my choice of pre-run fuel....veggie pizza" to which he simply responded "oooh".  And taking pity on me (probably b/c every runner has experienced the misery I was going through) he said "we can slow it down if you want", which I wanted to badly, but wouldn't allow myself b/c I didn't want to drag down his session.....I decided to keep after it and see if I could finish the now 2 miles remaining.

Today's Training Objective: RUN IN PAIN

OK, this is just weird

As I was running along, I found myself thinking that maybe this pain was a good thing since it was so similar to what I experienced last year on the marathon portion and such a big barrier for most ultra-distance athletes.....so why not accept it and get better at battling through.  And thus, onward.  At this point my heel was really barking, but the stomach pain was the worse of the two so it kept my mind off the heel at least.  By mile 7.5 I was HURTING.  Bill must've thought I was going to die b/c my breathing sounded loud even to me and I was undoubtedly struggling to keep the pace.  By the time we got to the parking area I thanked him for pulling me through and apologized for the need take off quickly.  He understood and we parted ways.

A lesson in Hurt vs. Harm

Hurt vs. Harm is a concept I often discuss w/people who are seeking out my professional opinion for a variety of aches and ailments......but I guess I needed a personal refresher course.  By Friday AM, I was PAYING for my stupidity.  I stepped out of bed and WOW, pain shot up my L heel and I hobbled to the shower.....'harm'.  I decided right then and there that Friday would be the "off day" I didn't get on Monday....or at least that's how I justified my now forced recovery day, knowing this is not the time to push the pain too far.  

Saturday I got an hour in on the bike of aerobic work and felt no worse for the wear, a good thing, but still pretty achey all day.

This morning (Sunday), I woke up with continued stiffness and discomfort and without much relief in the heel during the day, I decided it would be prudent to sit here and type my blog with ice on my heel instead of trying to squeeze in some training time.  

Do Over?

This clearly was NOT my intended start to the formal training portion of my year and I was only able to amass a whopping 5.25 hours of training time this week.....not great and actually 3 hours LESS than transition week which is somewhere around a 8 hour net loss of what I was expecting; but it's the wise choice if I want this to heel to, well, heal.  

And so I'm calling a mulligan and hoping to not lose much ground on the grand scheme......but I should be able to swim and ride without much issue.....so maybe it's just back to the pool and bike trainer.

No grades to report......just going to get some rest and come back ready to work.

Beware the uneven ground,

Mike E.