Calf and learn

It started off as a hotly anticipated long run, spanning two states, North Dakota and Minnesota. I was due in to Fargo in the mid afternoon and was looking forward to following a half marathon course I had found online, which snaked its way along the Red River, either side of a line marking the Minnesota and North Dakota border. It couldn't have been better conditions for a long run. 2 hours in 70F beautiful summer weather. Certainly a welcome change from the 90's I had been training in of late.

However, an hour in to the run, not long after my trusty biking colleague had left my side, that my left calf popped up to ensure I knew it was there. It was immediately obvious what the origins of the pain was. A strain? Cramp? It wasn't uncommon to experience muscle fatigue after a day of flying and then heading out for a long run. However, this pain became progressive and there came a lot of stop-starting, stretching and walking. I was still 3 miles from the hotel I was faced with 40mins of awkward running and walking back. Certainly not ideal for 6 weeks from race day.

With every setback there is an opportunity. The focus, after I had finished sulking, immediately began to focus on what I could do. Fortunately, the discovery that biking provided no discomfort at all set out a week of biking and swimming. Not a bad thing really, based on the premise that I am not your strongest cyclist and I had been neglecting the swimming side of things. Yes, there was and is a continue subconscious pull calling me to go for a run. Just a short one. However, a week off of running will allow the injury to repair and also help my biking a lot, if not my posterior pain! 

This week has also encouraged some good recovery work, loosening many of my tight abductors and hips, a source, no doubt, linked to the possible calf injury. A lot of rolling in the basement and reflection of how my body is doing. Again, a positive, if not painful, step along this training route.

It also gave me time for experimenting with Training Peaks - a new toy, which has proven, so far, a usual tool in logging all this training malarkey.

Hopefully, the forthcoming week will prove successful, following the week of resting the calf. 

Good luck to us all!

My long bike route this week:

It's a sprint!

The first clap of thunder woke me up at about 3:30am with a loud introduction that rattled the windows. As I rolled over to check the radar to be sure the thunder wasn't a precursor to a rare tornado in the area, I saw lots of red, in a continuous line, stretching from north to south, indicating the severity of the storm that was passing over head. "Ah good", I thought, "this should be by soon and leave race day clear". Not quite. 

The 2013 edition of the Lifetime Triathlon Minneapolis was less that straight forward. The storms began to self sustain, rolling back on itself and not moving from the area. By the time I had called Napoleon to get a ride, it had rained about 2 inches and would rain 2 more by the time it stopped later that morning. As we past thought the bike route on the way to transition setup, the water was half way up the tires. The creek,  having broken it's banks, was now covering much of the International bike route. Not a positive for time trial biking. A sinking and oddly somewhat of a relieving feeling began to pass over me. Perhaps there would be no race today. Fatigue had been hanging around a little since the beginning of the main Ironman training earlier in the week and although the Olympic distance would be a good indicator of my fitness, I wasn't overly enthralled with actually competiting.

At 7am the course was closed and contingencies would begin to play out. By 8 we were all racing the sprint distance course. Half the amount expected. Double the effort. Adapting was needed, which again added to the experience bag that I was slowly collecting throughout all this triathlon malarkey.  It was definitely a good one, as I now had to apply some of what I had read to the diverse situation developing ahead. Longer warmup. Bike bottles removed. Nutrition adapted. Transition was ready.

A sprint really is exactly that. All out mayhem right from the gun. Don't look back until the finish. This distance is not what I would expect to do leading in to an ironman race, but that was what was on the menu and onwards I thrashed. I very crowded and chaotic 5min swim later and I was on the bike. Much to my own surprise, I went out harder that I had done before and maintained it the length of the bike course. Certainly not setting any records, but certainly putting out a good showing for my lowly bike skills. The YouTube video by Joe Friel on biking technique, which was watched the night before, appeared to having a desirable effect. With the fastest bike split of my racing career behind me, I thrashed out a respectable 5k at a much higher pace that I would have expected from a slow poke, long distance guy, like yours truly.

Crossing the finish line, I knew I had to be close. Very close to Napoleon. A quick check an the most depressing 20seconds of my triathlon life came in to view. 20seconds!!! That was the margin of "victory" he put on me. How depressing. Yet how encouraging, to have discovered that my body was capable of putting out that kind of speed.

Now on to the next 6 weeks of much higher volume and much slower activity.

Good luck to us all!

IM Base and July 4th

I must admit, planning my training, I could never had imagined coordinating a recovery week with a holiday week. However, that's indeed how it worked out this year. Doubt I could stumble in to that again. AND I didn't have to work.

So, here I sit, July 5th, feet up with a cup of warm "Joe" watching the last 30KM of Stage 7 of the Tour de France. Woke up a little worse for wear, but with a recovery week on the schedule, not too much to worry about. However, the next couple of days will be spent doing some serious recovery work and fueling for the beginning of the IM specific base period ahead.

What does this mean? A lot more volume combined with some very long rides. These are the weeks where the biking begins to reach for 6 hours with 30min runs after. This year, however, planning will be improved, with some early morning starts, which will lead to finishing at more reasonable finish times. The routes will be different with meeting points with different riders around the city, making the longer rides a little less monotonous. The goal is to not allow the bike to be a point of resentment by race day. Hopefully, I will be able to meet Napoleon and a few others around the rides and make these long training efforts an enjoyable time on the bike.

Perhaps a little inconvenient, Lifetime Fitness Triathlon takes place in 8 days. It's a yearly event that I do as part of a team. Good speed training, as it is an Olympic distance event. However, I'm sure I will have to play it smart as I will be tired from the long week of training that will proceed it. Looking forward to it though, as it is such a good cause we race for in Fraser. Our final year. Time to go out in style.

The final thought of the day lies with my current contemplation of Ironman Boulder 2014. A good friend of mine has stepped in and offered to sponsor my entry in return for me wearing his logos on my race day kit. A lot of thoughts are running through my head currently. What if I get injured? What if I fail to finish? How will I cope with the altitude? It's a daunting prospect, but one that brings quite a temptation to compete in this fantastic spot for an Ironman. Sign up is in 10days, so this all could be irrelevant if I don't click the mouse at just the right time.

Good luck to us all!

Tour de France and a long run.

Today was the first day of Le Tour de France and what a first stage it was. It perfectly fit the chaotic history of the island of Corsica with a chaotic last 20mins of racing. 

The day began with a lot more calm, heading out of the hotel in Syracuse to perfect running weather. Cloudy and 70F. Doesn't get much better than that. A lot more prepared for this run. Fuel belt securely attached and fuel on board. This all combined to result in a really good feeling throughout the 9 miles I put on the clock today. My hip and ankle are still a little irritable. Laid off running all week and although I was aware of the two irritants, like a person staring out you in a crowd, I ran on without too much restriction, maintaining my Maffetone inspired heart rate.  Yet again I was rewarded for heading out before most. The roads were quiet and I was fortunate to stumble across a deer venturing out in to the solitude of the early morning neighborhoods. Finished it all off with a warm cup of joe from Starbucks (other coffee establishments are available :)) and an unparalleled finish to the first stage of the Tour. A good morning all in all. 

Now the recovery week awaits which is always welcoming sight. Should give the hip and ankle ample opportunity for recovery. The roller will be my best friend!

Good luck to us all!

My new pint glasses from Hammer. For the beer type of recovery!

First week over

The first week of Iron distance training is over and I am left with a very sore hip.

The majority of the week went well. Managed to get a good swim in and a good, if not hot, bike with my roadie friends. Then came my long run yesterday in Indianapolis. It was very hot and I failed to have the fuel available and was left with only water for my 9mile run. That was a mistake on my part and I was left suffering for the last 30mins of the run.

My hip did not hurt at the time, but post run, I began to really feel it. Being a self professed "follower" of the Maffetone method (made famous by Dr Philip Maffetone) I knew full well that this injury had not occurred during the run. In fact, had probably happened earlier in the week, if not before, and had only surfaced during the long run. Just enough fatigue to let me know it had a problem. 

Now, I am faced with a psychological battle. A battle that many endurance athletes face and fail at. The battle not to run or bike and lay off those two disciplines for at least a few days and see if it recovers. The emphasis this week, at least in the beginning will have to be on recovery and strength. Time for a visit to the gym or the hotel room workout. Lots of rolling and some good yoga, should facilitate some good recovery and, hopefully, allow my hip to right itself. The truly hard part comes when the hip begins to feel better, to suppress the temptation to head straight back out the door.

A positive to take away, is knowing that this has happened early enough that it shouldn't have an impact on Challenge Henley in September and as long as I win the battle not to train, I will be ok.

I'm off to a good roll!

Good luck to us all!

Challenge Henley begins!

 It's been a busy June so far. Completed Kansas Ironman 70.3 (bloody branding. Simply out, half ironman) in early June. Overall, it was a good performance race for me. Had one of my better bike performances, although there remains a lot of room for improvement! The most enjoyable part of the race, began when my tire exploded. Fortunately, I was going uphill at the time, at slow speed, so aside from the 'bang', it was quite a subdued event. It was quite calming in fact. I was quite tight at the time and in one loud bang, all the tension released with the realization that I was no longer racing, simply hoping just to finish.

 Once the outstanding support crew fixed me up with a nice new tire (not just an inner tube fix) I was on my way. It was enjoyable to be cruising along, in somewhat a sadistic way, and actually passing people. Normally, this is a rare occurrence for me. I will swim well and then proceed to bike for the next 3 hours with everyone insisting on passing me. Now the tables were turned, admittedly because I was at the back of the pack with all the new triathletes. However, I was actually beginning to enjoy the event, instead of just thrashing through it. This may be obvious to others who experience this every time they race on a bike, but it was a rare find for my bike leg. A feeling not to be forgotten.

 Once the race took us back to the park from which we began, the crowds became thicker and louder and the rest of the run was a blast. Despite the distinctly slow finishing time, I was really pleased with the experience I gained from the race.

 With a week off, I began Challenge Henley (a full Iron Distance race) training today. Hopped in the hotel pool early this morning, tethered myself to the steps and swam for an hour. A great way to turn the tiny hotel pool in to a reasonable workout. Downside is the tendency for nausea, swimming in e same spot with waves crashing back against you from the wall. The plus results from the same experience, giving you a small look in to the open water element of chop.

 It was a nice feeling to begin the training leading to the next major race. However, there was definitely some suffering experienced in Kansas at the half iron distance and it is difficult to escape the foreboding feeling of the suffer fest that the full distance will bring. "Welcome pain, I've been expecting you!"

 Good luck to us all!

Suburbia: Where Sidewalks End

Yesterday was windscreen repair day. The process taking a little less than two hours and conducted by a reputable establishment, yet one that insists on planting itself in the middle of industrial suburbia nowhere.

 So, with two hours to kill, I set out in search of my local Caribou coffee. It was only a about 1 mile north of my current location and considering I had two hours to kill, I thought I would stretch my legs. However, I did take my city attitude with me, failing to fully embrace my suburban surroundings.

 By this point, having visited many a suburban hotel around the country (on one occasion actually falling down a drainage ditch in the pitch black due to this very issue) one would think that full awareness should have already been gained about the pitfalls of walking around US suburbia. For some reason, I clearly had higher hopes for Minnesota.

 It simply amazes me how planners chose or not chose to build a sidewalk. Walking along and suddenly finding a sidewalk leading to an intersection suddenly and miraculously stop 100 ft short. Perhaps they ran of concrete. It is expensive, you know. However, as I dodged traffic and received looks of astonishment from commuters passing me in the enormous SUV as I walked the grass embankments (generous description) I began to wonder why on earth once you leave the city, sidewalks gradually disappear or are only built in short spurts. Having a little over a mile to contemplate this and the dominating sounds of honking horns and exhaust fumes to ensure I wasn't distracted, I came to a conclusion. There appears to be a fear of walking from A to B in the suburbs. Admittedly, things are much more spread out and take longer to get to. However, it's as if the world outside the city wouldn't dream of even trying to walk/run/bike such an endeavor. Why else would we simply stop a sidewalk 100ft short of the intersection? Or even better, provide a crosswalk for pedestrians at a traffic light, yet no sidewalk on either side to continue said walking?

 It truly baffles me. We complain of gas prices, yet wouldn't consider walking, or so it appears. We complain of the state of the roads, yet can simply avoid it, or even mitigate it, but simply choosing to walk/bike once in a while. I encourage all to kick their "fear of walking" and demand sidewalks in suburbia! It would add an all round benefit.

 Good luck to us all!