So the last few weeks have been tough- lot of hours at work, bumpy home life and not enough time to train. But Things always have a way of working themselves out. Work is not better, but I am focused on the things I can control (as well as keeping my eyes open for shorter commute!). My bumpy home life is getting smoother- let's just say we are communicating better and seeing each other's perspective more clearly. And training- I would like 30 hrs a week- I get 10-15. So it is not like I am not doing good things- just not enough.
But what have I been up to? Spinervals Super6. As you may recall, I was a participant and finisher of the first Spinervals 32 Day challenge. An indoor bike focused training event during the month of December. Coach Troy Jacobson (www.spinervals.com & www.coachtroy.com) the genius behind the spinervals series of cycling training videops created the program. And it was great! So continuing on his successful program, he launched the Spinervals Super 6- six days a week for six weeks, but not just cycling- a lot running and weight training (there was a pretty good amount of weight's in the 32D challenge too).
The good news is my daily fitness is way up for this time of the year- the downside is I want more time!
Now you may also recall that I am on a search for the right running/ racing shoes to replace my beloved Saucony Kinvera 1's. The Kinerva 2's are sized wrong for my feet (have tried both the 9 and 9.5 and neither fit right). So I have embarked on a search for my new kicks.
Key requirements are light, minimalist and sockless friendly. In short I need to be able to pull them on during T2 super fast in order to keep my T2 times well be low 1 minute (for everything but full iron- I learned that taking my time on T2 for a 140.6 is worth it in spades!).
So my first attempt was the brooks connect pure- interesting shoe, light weird walking feel, but super smooth running feel. However not the insides are not barefoot friendly. A couple of seems and the tongue is hard to adjust quickly. Plus there are no loops to ease the shoe on my foot. Perhaps I will consider it for full irons, but definitely not for 70.3 and below.
2nd has been a couple of KSWISS shoes- the Ruuz 1.5, Blade Light Run and Blade Foot run. Ruuz had to be sent back since the sizing was off. The Blade Light Run is comfortable, and works with elastic laces & has toe/ heel loops. But it is not great barefoot and a bit heavier than I like. The blade foot run is a slimmed down version of the blade light. First Run with them was great, but I wore socks. This morning- sockless and miserable. Blisters on both heels and my left foot too. Really bummed as I was hoping KSWISS would be the right shoe. The Blade foot run is a strong contender for full irons, but alas likely out of the 70.3 and below option.
So the next shoes up are some from Zoot- I had stayed away from zoot based on some reviews of the TT 4 with the heel collar being too high. But the newest version is much lower and zoot does have a good reputation for sockless comfort and transition ease.
My new zoots will be here in about 2 weeks (shipping on 2/6) so look for my review soon after.
And I ordered from RoadRunner Sports which has a pretty cool vip program- check out the details here
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
Day 30 of the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge
I am on the home stretch- just two more big days to go and this challenge will be history. But today was not a good day effort wise. Sometimes you get on the bike (or in the water/ on a run) and just don't have the legs. Today was that day for me. After doing the warm-up (nothing beats 3X30 in a 53/15), I realized my legs felt blah. What is blah you ask? An inability to get power, HR and cadence up- at all. So sometimes you have to accept that you can't go hard. So what I did today was spin easy for about an hour. My HR was low- about 120, power was low about 115-125, speed was slow- about 16-18 and cadence was low- about 75-80.
But I got off the bike feeling two things- 1) I road through a day I would have rather stayed in bed & 2) I just felt better. Legs still feel blah, but I know I will be ready for tomorrow and Sunday- 7-8 hrs total on the trainer.
The last 30 days have been a roller coaster for me at work and home. Things are not great and I am working on fixing both. What has been great is the challenge- day in, day out & working on improving my engine. I know I am stronger, faster and leaner! And the best part- Coach Troy is running a second challenge- Super6. Six weeks of training, 6 Days a week. So stay tuned!
But I got off the bike feeling two things- 1) I road through a day I would have rather stayed in bed & 2) I just felt better. Legs still feel blah, but I know I will be ready for tomorrow and Sunday- 7-8 hrs total on the trainer.
The last 30 days have been a roller coaster for me at work and home. Things are not great and I am working on fixing both. What has been great is the challenge- day in, day out & working on improving my engine. I know I am stronger, faster and leaner! And the best part- Coach Troy is running a second challenge- Super6. Six weeks of training, 6 Days a week. So stay tuned!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
End of the Year Reflections
Today is 12/28/2011 and as I sit here, I amazed at how fast the year has blown by. And like many, this the end of December is often a time to think about the what has happened in the past year, as well as outline some goals for 2012. 2011 was a mixed year for me; racing, work and family. So here we go:
2011 Race Performance
Jan- Spa 23 Indoor Tri- 1st place Overall. Not sure I am a fan of the indoor racing format, but it was good to push my body up to race pace.
April- Sandy Hook Time Trial- 7 miles on a flat and windy course. I was happy with my effort- about 26MPH, but got crushed and finished in the 50s.
April- MainStreet 10k- 10th overall and 2nd in my AG- rainy day, but I ran pretty well- about 41:20.
May- JerseyMan Half 70.3- 29th overall, 5th in my AG - 5:15:21. Nutrition was a bit off on the bike which hurt on the run. But overall I was happy- first race of the season (not including the indoor) & things went pretty well.
June- DC Olympic Tri- 164 Overall, 13th in my AG (and Qualified for the 5150 Championships & 2011USAT AG National Championships) 2:23:29
July- Ironman Rhode Island 70.3- 213 Overall, 39 in my AG- 5:14:00. Raced a solid race- nutrition & Pacing were very good (swim sucked)
July Muddy Buddy with my son. Fun!
August- TriRock NY Sprint- 10th overall, 2nd in MY AG (Qualified for the 2012 USAT AG National Championships- 1:24
September- Toughman Half 70.3- 210 Overall, 27th in my AG- a TERRIBLE race. My nutrition was off- not enough pre race eating, and I walked on the run. But I learned a lot from this race (which I had very high hopes for since I did so well last year). Worst and best race of the year. 5:37:40
October- Ironman Pocono Mtn 70.3 (well 66.xx) No swim and a slightly shorter bike due to very bad weather. But I really did well. 111 Overall, 21 AG. 4:22. Likely would have PR'd and broke 5 hrs for a 70.3. The good news is everything I needed to learn from past races - taper, pre race eating and hydrating, in race nutrition, pacing, etc worked & worked well.
October Beach to Battleship 140.6- MY FIRST FULL IRON. 141 Overall, 27 in my AG. 11:38:13. I hurt my knee at a potty stop at mile 100 or so of the bike- just twisted it a bit, but it hurt on the run and forced me to walk about 8 miles of the run. (lesson learned- bring tylenol just in case). But it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my next full in 2012.
November -Turkey Trot 5K- 87 Overall 10 in my AG- 20:54 A bit slow for me, but I was definitely fighting some post B2B injuries (knee and toes) as well as trying to find new shoes- Damn you Saucony for changing the Kinvera! The Kinerva 2 is MUCH different on my foot.
2011 Job-
I switched from Dynamic Logic- a part of the WPP group (advertising) to a start-up -EachScape, a mobile app development company. Long hours, lots of commuting- not sure if it is for me.
2011 Family- Being a Husband, Dad, Employee and Competitive Triathlete is very tough. It is a balancing act that I am not always good at. I am sometimes very selfish about training & racing, but make sacrifices in the number of races I do. The reality is I want to race more, but don't and that sucks for me. 3 races that I did not do in 2011 were the HyVee 5150, USAT AG National Championships & the Ironman Timberman 70.3- all for family reasons. I know my wife does not love my triathlon training and racing- which sucks for both of us & and I am not sure what the next steps will be. I am trying to adjust my racing and training but if I cut back I am MISERABLE. And if I train off hours (early and late) I am exhausted.
2011 Wrap -up- A good year of racing with a lot of ups and downs. Good lessons learned. And more time needed in my day.
2012 Goals:
1) Improve my work, family and Tri dynamics- not sure how that is gonna work (new job without a 2HR commute might work) But real family acceptance could work as well.
2) Race in the USAT National Championships- am registering, but the race is one week after IM NYC (may be a tough fit, but will cross that bridge when I get there)
3) Break 5 Hrs for a 70.3
4) Break 11 hrs for a 140.6
5) Continue to have fun.
6) Find my new race shoes (see above- Damn you Saucony)
More to come on the race schedule for 2012.
2011 Race Performance
Jan- Spa 23 Indoor Tri- 1st place Overall. Not sure I am a fan of the indoor racing format, but it was good to push my body up to race pace.
April- Sandy Hook Time Trial- 7 miles on a flat and windy course. I was happy with my effort- about 26MPH, but got crushed and finished in the 50s.
April- MainStreet 10k- 10th overall and 2nd in my AG- rainy day, but I ran pretty well- about 41:20.
May- JerseyMan Half 70.3- 29th overall, 5th in my AG - 5:15:21. Nutrition was a bit off on the bike which hurt on the run. But overall I was happy- first race of the season (not including the indoor) & things went pretty well.
June- DC Olympic Tri- 164 Overall, 13th in my AG (and Qualified for the 5150 Championships & 2011USAT AG National Championships) 2:23:29
July- Ironman Rhode Island 70.3- 213 Overall, 39 in my AG- 5:14:00. Raced a solid race- nutrition & Pacing were very good (swim sucked)
July Muddy Buddy with my son. Fun!
August- TriRock NY Sprint- 10th overall, 2nd in MY AG (Qualified for the 2012 USAT AG National Championships- 1:24
September- Toughman Half 70.3- 210 Overall, 27th in my AG- a TERRIBLE race. My nutrition was off- not enough pre race eating, and I walked on the run. But I learned a lot from this race (which I had very high hopes for since I did so well last year). Worst and best race of the year. 5:37:40
October- Ironman Pocono Mtn 70.3 (well 66.xx) No swim and a slightly shorter bike due to very bad weather. But I really did well. 111 Overall, 21 AG. 4:22. Likely would have PR'd and broke 5 hrs for a 70.3. The good news is everything I needed to learn from past races - taper, pre race eating and hydrating, in race nutrition, pacing, etc worked & worked well.
October Beach to Battleship 140.6- MY FIRST FULL IRON. 141 Overall, 27 in my AG. 11:38:13. I hurt my knee at a potty stop at mile 100 or so of the bike- just twisted it a bit, but it hurt on the run and forced me to walk about 8 miles of the run. (lesson learned- bring tylenol just in case). But it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my next full in 2012.
November -Turkey Trot 5K- 87 Overall 10 in my AG- 20:54 A bit slow for me, but I was definitely fighting some post B2B injuries (knee and toes) as well as trying to find new shoes- Damn you Saucony for changing the Kinvera! The Kinerva 2 is MUCH different on my foot.
2011 Job-
I switched from Dynamic Logic- a part of the WPP group (advertising) to a start-up -EachScape, a mobile app development company. Long hours, lots of commuting- not sure if it is for me.
2011 Family- Being a Husband, Dad, Employee and Competitive Triathlete is very tough. It is a balancing act that I am not always good at. I am sometimes very selfish about training & racing, but make sacrifices in the number of races I do. The reality is I want to race more, but don't and that sucks for me. 3 races that I did not do in 2011 were the HyVee 5150, USAT AG National Championships & the Ironman Timberman 70.3- all for family reasons. I know my wife does not love my triathlon training and racing- which sucks for both of us & and I am not sure what the next steps will be. I am trying to adjust my racing and training but if I cut back I am MISERABLE. And if I train off hours (early and late) I am exhausted.
2011 Wrap -up- A good year of racing with a lot of ups and downs. Good lessons learned. And more time needed in my day.
2012 Goals:
1) Improve my work, family and Tri dynamics- not sure how that is gonna work (new job without a 2HR commute might work) But real family acceptance could work as well.
2) Race in the USAT National Championships- am registering, but the race is one week after IM NYC (may be a tough fit, but will cross that bridge when I get there)
3) Break 5 Hrs for a 70.3
4) Break 11 hrs for a 140.6
5) Continue to have fun.
6) Find my new race shoes (see above- Damn you Saucony)
More to come on the race schedule for 2012.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Spinervals Challenge Update- Sick Days
Sick Days-
I spent a long day in the car last Wednesday and was feeling kinda bad on Thursday morning. I did the normal set- an ABB, hit the pool for a short swim and then drove into the city. By the time I got to my office, I felt bad- head was in a vise and I had a low grade fever. So decided to head home and get some rest. I spent all of Thursday evening in bed and woke up Friday pretty much feeling the same. Since everything was above the neck, I decided to do a short spin- 30 minutes or so and then spent the rest of the day on the couch. Saturday I got up- feeling a bit better, but not ready for Tough Love, so I did a 45 minute spin, building to Threshold over the last 10 minutes. That really helped. I got a runners high from the workout and I think that helped to push whatever I had out fast. Finally on Sunday I did a 2:15 moderate spin at low zone two and about 180watts (yeah I finally have a power meter!).
Today is a rest day and I am taking it- I slept in until 7 AM and am taking it easy. I think my body will appreciate the rest. Tomorrow I am ready to hit it hard!
Hope everyone else is having fun with the challenge. Being sick sucks, but I definitely feel that the Spinervals 32 day challenge has had some awesome impacts on my fitness and motivation!
I spent a long day in the car last Wednesday and was feeling kinda bad on Thursday morning. I did the normal set- an ABB, hit the pool for a short swim and then drove into the city. By the time I got to my office, I felt bad- head was in a vise and I had a low grade fever. So decided to head home and get some rest. I spent all of Thursday evening in bed and woke up Friday pretty much feeling the same. Since everything was above the neck, I decided to do a short spin- 30 minutes or so and then spent the rest of the day on the couch. Saturday I got up- feeling a bit better, but not ready for Tough Love, so I did a 45 minute spin, building to Threshold over the last 10 minutes. That really helped. I got a runners high from the workout and I think that helped to push whatever I had out fast. Finally on Sunday I did a 2:15 moderate spin at low zone two and about 180watts (yeah I finally have a power meter!).
Today is a rest day and I am taking it- I slept in until 7 AM and am taking it easy. I think my body will appreciate the rest. Tomorrow I am ready to hit it hard!
Hope everyone else is having fun with the challenge. Being sick sucks, but I definitely feel that the Spinervals 32 day challenge has had some awesome impacts on my fitness and motivation!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day 13 of the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge
Day 13- Another trip into the blue zone. The workout called for Spinervals 39- which I don't have yet, but one of the options was Spinervals 21 which I just got when I renewed my membership at CoachTroy.com.
If you have not done Spinervals 21 yet- go out and buy it. It only has 2 sets. A warmup set (the usual) and then just one more set. A SIXTY minute steady state effort. Nice! It is a nice long ride with Coach Troy having you changing gearing, cadence, hand positions and occasional short standing efforts. The goal of the rep is to stay aero- aerobic and aerodynamic (I added that part, but 95% of the hour you should be on your aero bars so a great way to practice solid technique and position).
I liked the workout a lot, although I definitely felt a bit slow- my legs were not as fast as I would like them to be. I felt like I was on the lower end of the cadence goals, but actually felt a bit stronger during the last 15 minutes (so I know I did not go out too hard). The other thing I noticed is I really need to get a new HR monitor strap- Several times my HR spiked to 240 in 15 degree increments and then down to 55-60. My effort was consistent, breathing was fine (not labored) and my focus was on maintaining good form and effort. So today I will head down to my favorite store in NYC - Paragon Sports and get a new strap for my Garmin.
Workout Details
Bike
Time- 1:25:23
Distance- 26.59 Miles
AVG HR- Blue Zone
Calories 1425 (approximately)
Tonight I am doing a 30-40 core Workout- planks, crunches, flutter kicks and all of those fun things!
Tomorrow we ride with the Harvest Bread Company- Spinervals 24-Hills.
If you have not done Spinervals 21 yet- go out and buy it. It only has 2 sets. A warmup set (the usual) and then just one more set. A SIXTY minute steady state effort. Nice! It is a nice long ride with Coach Troy having you changing gearing, cadence, hand positions and occasional short standing efforts. The goal of the rep is to stay aero- aerobic and aerodynamic (I added that part, but 95% of the hour you should be on your aero bars so a great way to practice solid technique and position).
I liked the workout a lot, although I definitely felt a bit slow- my legs were not as fast as I would like them to be. I felt like I was on the lower end of the cadence goals, but actually felt a bit stronger during the last 15 minutes (so I know I did not go out too hard). The other thing I noticed is I really need to get a new HR monitor strap- Several times my HR spiked to 240 in 15 degree increments and then down to 55-60. My effort was consistent, breathing was fine (not labored) and my focus was on maintaining good form and effort. So today I will head down to my favorite store in NYC - Paragon Sports and get a new strap for my Garmin.
Workout Details
Bike
Time- 1:25:23
Distance- 26.59 Miles
AVG HR- Blue Zone
Calories 1425 (approximately)
Tonight I am doing a 30-40 core Workout- planks, crunches, flutter kicks and all of those fun things!
Tomorrow we ride with the Harvest Bread Company- Spinervals 24-Hills.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Day 11 and Day 12 of the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge
Day 11 I took the blogging day off, but not training! The plan for Sunday was do your own thing- keep it easy and definitely not a hard day. So I decided to go for a Run- a long easy run over some rolling hills. No music, just the sound of my breathing and the thoughts in my mind. It was cold- about 20 degrees F, but sunny. The first few miles were easy- my breathing, legs and mind felt great. As I progressed on the run, there were a couple of sections on the road with lots of ice and the temp was significantly cooler when in the shade. My sunglasses kept fogging - yeah the temp changes must have been 10-15 degrees. But that is what makes winter time running so much fun. My favorite time of the year to run outside is January and February so this was a good precursor to the next few months. This run was also the longest run I completed since Beach2Battleship & I felt really good throughout. I kept my pace easy- about an 8:30 pace And I ran in my pair of K-Swiss Blade Light Run's. My initial feeling on these shoes is great road feel, light and comfortable. But only suitable for Full Iron distance- they require a bit of work to get them on your feet since the tongue is not sewn into the shoe upper. I am going to try the K-SWISS Blade light race (they have the velco closure) as well to see if those shoes are better for shorter distance races.
Day 11 Details
Run
Time- 1:21:15
Distance -9.58 Miles
AVG HR- 145
Calories 915
Day 12- Spinverals 33 Pain Cave Is my favorite video so I was very happy to see it on the training schedule. I however did not get a good night sleep last night so I was dragging a bit when I first got on the trainer. The good news with Pain Cave is there is a longer easy spin warm-up compared to other videos in the 45-50 minute time line. So when it was time to do the usual Spinervals warm-up of 3 x 53/15's my legs were pretty close to ready.
The intervals on Pain Cave are hard- this is a threshold plus workout- and not just the sprints. They get progressively harder, but the rest sessions are long enough to keep from overloading. The sprints are something else- the 10 seconds where you are standing sprinting flat out seem to be the longest 10 seconds of your life- I think Coach Troy's watch broke! But when I finished I knew that I had completed a good workout.
Bike
Time- 51:04
Distance- 16.05 miles/ Max Speed During Sprints- 45.3 MPH
AVG HR- 150, MAX 208
Calories 868
Looking forward to getting a good night sleep tonight and a another strong workout tomorrow.
Day 11 Details
Run
Time- 1:21:15
Distance -9.58 Miles
AVG HR- 145
Calories 915
Day 12- Spinverals 33 Pain Cave Is my favorite video so I was very happy to see it on the training schedule. I however did not get a good night sleep last night so I was dragging a bit when I first got on the trainer. The good news with Pain Cave is there is a longer easy spin warm-up compared to other videos in the 45-50 minute time line. So when it was time to do the usual Spinervals warm-up of 3 x 53/15's my legs were pretty close to ready.
The intervals on Pain Cave are hard- this is a threshold plus workout- and not just the sprints. They get progressively harder, but the rest sessions are long enough to keep from overloading. The sprints are something else- the 10 seconds where you are standing sprinting flat out seem to be the longest 10 seconds of your life- I think Coach Troy's watch broke! But when I finished I knew that I had completed a good workout.
Bike
Time- 51:04
Distance- 16.05 miles/ Max Speed During Sprints- 45.3 MPH
AVG HR- 150, MAX 208
Calories 868
Looking forward to getting a good night sleep tonight and a another strong workout tomorrow.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Day 10 of the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge
I have been looking forward to this day's workout for a while. Today's DVD was Spinervals 31 & it is one of the first DVD's in my collection. It is a series of long intervals- great for being on my aero bars at a steady pace. The intensity is high, but below threshold and after 9 days of the challenge I felt awesome! My legs feel like pistons- I know kinda hokey, but true. Plus I have dropped a couple of post Beach2Battleship pounds already.
Tomorrow is a low intensity day- the plan is to go out and spin for while- no video! My plan is to spin for 45-60 minutes and then run for 5-6 miles. And get in a nice core workout as well.
Today's Numbers:
Bike
Time- 1:48:37
Distance- 37.16 Miles
AVG HR- 140 (HR Monitor strap is ordered so I had to do some manual tracking)
Calories 2085
And this afternoon I am watching Army Navy. My wife's cousin is a senior and 2 time Academic All American for Navy - first time every at Navy. But while I am very proud of John, my loyalties to the Black and Gold of America's most senior service are not in doubt. GO ARMY!!!! beat Navy.
Tomorrow is a low intensity day- the plan is to go out and spin for while- no video! My plan is to spin for 45-60 minutes and then run for 5-6 miles. And get in a nice core workout as well.
Today's Numbers:
Bike
Time- 1:48:37
Distance- 37.16 Miles
AVG HR- 140 (HR Monitor strap is ordered so I had to do some manual tracking)
Calories 2085
And this afternoon I am watching Army Navy. My wife's cousin is a senior and 2 time Academic All American for Navy - first time every at Navy. But while I am very proud of John, my loyalties to the Black and Gold of America's most senior service are not in doubt. GO ARMY!!!! beat Navy.
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