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[back2iron]

Injury Report

I have officially decided to extend my rest from 11 days, to the full two weeks.  My knee is achy today, although, that may be the result of the intense deep tissue massage I had yesterday.  My legs, and especially my IT band are pretty bruised.  There were times during the massage that the pain was so intense I became nauseated!  I just kept reminding myself that I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my knee healed, even if it means puking!

Since I can't do any real cardiovascular training, I have been hitting the weights.  On Monday I benched 225lbs six times, and today I put up 135lbs six times on the seated barbell shoulder press.  This certainly isn't what it used to be during my pre-triathlon days, but it is acceptable for now.  Maybe once medical school starts I will get into CrossFit or something.

Still, I have 7 days left of rest and recovery.  I am still stretching/icing/foam rolling every day, and will continue to do so until the Ironman.  Fighting off the depression that is constantly seeking to pull my down into its depths is becoming a daily battle.  I am used to training 16-20hrs a week, now I am down to less than 5.  It's killing me, but I know in the long run this is what I have to do to be successful.

Happy Training :(

[back2iron]

Injury Report

Well, my IT band injury is worse than I thought.  After that 60 mile Computrainer ride, my knee was pretty achy, but not terrible.  I thought I would try a couple of 5 mile runs and see how it went.  I ran 5 miles last Monday, and felt a slight ache, but nothing major.  Tried running again on Wednesday, and the pain and inflammation was definitely back.  So I've had to make a pretty major decision.  I am officially taking at least 11 days off of training. :(  I started my "no training" diet on Thursday, March 1, and will not begin my training again until AT LEAST Monday, March 12.  I am even considering continuing my rest through Wednesday, March 14, which would give me a complete 14 days of rest.

I'm not going to lie, this loss of training is incredibly frustrating and depressing.  I should be making serious gains right now!  This was supposed to be the PEAK of my training.  Not only am I not making gains, but I am LOSING ground!!  My time goals are going out the window.  Originally, I was hoping to complete the race in under 13 hours, now, I'm just hoping to cross the finish line with my knee intact.  

I am icing my knee every day, stretching three times a day, and foam rolling in the morning and evening.  I am also scheduled for two deep tissue massages this week, one on Tuesday and the other on Friday.  I am very scared right now.  This is absolutely my worst nightmare.

[back2iron]

New Swim Record

Put in a 5k in the pool!  Took me about 1hr 45mins.  Followed up with a light 5 mile jog.  No substantial knee pain!  Hopefully this is a good sign.

[back2iron]

Block 6 - Week 2 Recap

Depressingly low mileage this week, and no running whatsoever.  Trying to get my knee back into running shape.

Swim - 7500 meters

Bike - 60 miles

Run - 0 miles!!!

Hope your training is going better than mine!

[back2iron]

Computrainer

I had my first experience with Computrainer yesterday, and let me tell you, it was much harder than I thought!  Me and my friend Ben, a two-time Ironman finisher, road the first 60 miles of the Ironman Texas bike course.  I averaged 18.6 mph, which is faster than I plan to ride during the actual race, however, I was at 85-90% of my RPE (rate of perceived exertion) the whole time.  Usually, at 90% RPE, I would be averaging between 20-23mph!!

That is SCARY!!!  It means that I would have to ride the course at about 17mph to keep my RPE at about 75%.  Ben tried to calm me down, telling me that I need to add at least 1mph, and maybe 2mph to what I was seeing on the screen.  I pray he is right!  Regardless, it gave me a chance to "ride" the course, and get a feel for the inclines and hills.

I plan to ride the last 60 miles next week, and fortunately, it looks like it will be much easier than the first 60!  Anyone out there have experience with computrainer and can confirm that it is more difficult than the actual road?

[back2iron]

Med School Interview

Just got an e-mail from Wayne State University.  I have an interview scheduled for April 3rd!! Who knew they interviewed so late in the year?  Until yesterday, I still had 5 schools left to hear from, and I just assumed they were all rejections at this point.  Maybe that means Baylor will still call?

[back2iron]

Just got my first email from Ironman Texas!!  Nothing too informative, just a general greeting, letting me know more is to come.  I guess the course is undergoing some sort of change...I hope it's for the better, and I certainly hope it doesn't get harder!  I have been training for flat land!

[back2iron]

Block 6 - Week 1 Recap

This past week had several positive aspects about it, and one, giant negative aspect.  Let's start with the PROS:

1.  I put in three, long workouts in the same week.  4600 meter swim on Monday, 22 mile run on Wednesday, and a 108 mile ride on Saturday.  All the workouts were successful, and completed at the speed I had intended.

2.  I used my 6hr trainer ride on Saturday as a "trial run" for the Ironman bike portion.  I ate and drank only what I plan on using during the actual event.  At 30 minute intervals, I would alternate eating Honey Stinger Waffles and GU Chomps.  Every 30 minutes I would also eat 1 Endurolyte electrolyte pill.  As far as fluids went, I drank Ironman Perform (Lemon Lime flavor) with the Honey Stinger Waffles, and H2O with the GU Chomps.  After the bike I hopped on the treadmill for a 20 minute jog to see how my legs felt, and more importantly, to see how successful my nutrition plan was.  All in all, I would say it was a success.  I had a surprising amount of energy, and I didn't feel bloated or sick to my stomach.  So hopefully that means I got enough calories and fluids!

3.  I got some new nutrition and a new aero helmet!  Check them out!  The Honey Stinger Waffles are incredible, by the way, and I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone doing endurance training.  They are light, easy to eat and digest, and best of all, they are delicious!  Plus, they pack 165 calories, which is awesome considering how small they are.

The major CON of the week:

-My knee injury is worse then I thought.  I took two days off trying to get it to heal, but after that 6hr ride on Saturday, my knee was aching pretty bad.  It is my IT band again, and that scares me.  I'm taking a pretty drastic approach to ensure recovery.  This coming week I am forgoing all running and all biking, with the exception of the long ride on Saturday.  I am also only going to do three 2500 meter swim sessions, and pray that my knee recovers fully.  To further increase the healing process, I am icing it on a daily basis, using a foam roller, and of course stretching frequently.  I hope and pray this isn't the injury that knocks me out of the race.

Block 6 - Week 1 Totals:

Swim - 7100 meters

Bike - 144 miles

Run - 27 miles

Depressing totals.  They should have been much higher.  I hope my endurance doesn't suffer because of the loss of training miles!  Hope everyone else's training is going better than mine!

[chasefear-deactivated20140407]

[back2iron]

Found this video.  Made me very sad and disgusted at the same time.  Our country has become so addicted to processed food, that it is literally killing us.  I pray I will have the strength to save my kids from this future.

[back2iron]

New Run Record (again)

Put in 22 miles on the DREADmill today with a 1% incline.  Took me 3 hours and 7 minutes, or about an 8:30 minute per mile average.  Still not as fast as I would like...but it is acceptable.  Finished up with a 1000 meter swim.  It was supposed to be 1500, but I wasn't getting enough oxygen and started blacking out!  Since I didn't exactly feel like entrusting my life to the observational skills of the local lifeguard, I decided it was in my best interest to get out of the pool.

The down side of the long run today was that my right knee started hurting again.  It has been almost a year since I've had any pain in that knee, but in the last 4 miles of the run, a palpable ache set in.  Hopefully this doesn't mean I'm going to have tendinitis again!

[back2iron]

Pacing The Ironman

I've been really stressed about my pacing for Ironman Texas.  I've done three Ironman70.3's, but I have no experience with longer tri's, or even marathons.  So I did what I usually do when I have a question...I went to the Internet!!  The place with all the answers! :)  I found this article that tells me how to calculate my Ironman pacing based on my half-Ironman times.  So here is the breakdown:

Swim - double your HIM time, then subtract 5 mins

Bike - double your HIM time, then add 15 mins

Run - double your HIM time, then add 30 mins

Total Time = double your HIM time, plus 40 mins

If I use the last two HIM triathlons, these are the numbers I'm getting

Muncie 2011:

Swim = 45:51 x2 = 1:31:42 - 5mins = 1:26:42

Bike = 2:43:14 x2 = 5:26:28 + 15mins = 5:41:28 (19.67mph avg.)

Run = 2:04:49 x2 = 4:09:38 + 30mins = 4:39:38 (10:40 per mile avg.)

Total Time = 11:47:48

Steelhead 2010:

Swim = 39:02 x2 = 1:18:04 - 5mins = 1:13:04

Bike = 2:44:57 x2 = 5:29:54 + 15mins = 5:44:54 (19.48mph avg.)

Run = 2:01:47 x2 = 4:03:34 + 30mins = 4:33:34 (10:26 per mile avg.)

Total Time = 11:31:32

Let me conclude by saying, if I got either of those two times shown above, I would curl up in the fetal position, and cry like a baby...FOR JOY!!  I have to believe there is something wrong with those times.  I am hoping for somewhere around 13 hours...there is NO WAY I could do sub-12 in the shape that I am in...right?  Any other experienced Ironman Triathletes want to "weigh in" on this topic?

[back2iron]

To All My Fellow Triathletes:

CHECK THIS ARTICLE OUT - So You Wanna Be A Triathlete

Here are a few snippets:

1.  Check your ego at the door because chances are someone fifty pounds heavier than you will lap you in the pool. Not to mention she will be ten or fifteen years older than you, too.

2.  You will have early morning workouts. Really early.

3.  You will be up while others are sleeping.

4.  You will discover a whole new meaning for tan lines. 

5.  Food will become an extremely important part of your life.

Very good article...enjoy! :)

Happy Training!

[back2iron]

http://bit.ly/yxMjGJ

[back2iron]

Block 5 Recap

I don't think that I have ever enjoyed a recovery week as much I as have these past 7 days.  I usually dread the downtime and severely reduced training that embodies the nature of recovery weeks.  However, the three week build that led up to this recovery week was almost more than my body could take.  Each week I was breaking into new ground in all three disciplines.  

It is hard enough breaking a distance record for a single discipline, but to do it in three disciplines in the same week, and then to do it three weeks in a row!!  My body was at a breaking point.  I made it a point to sleep till at least 7am in 6 of the 7 rest days....and it felt so good!  In all reality, I could probably use a little more rest, but with less than 100 days to train for Ironman Texas, I need to make sure I put in all the miles I can!

Next week will be the culmination, or the "apex" of my Ironman Training Calendar.  After next week, my training will begin gradually - and by gradually, I mean VERY gradually - becoming more focused on race day.  I will eventually begin incorporating some speed work and intervals into my training, in order to get my VO2 Max up, and push my Lactate Threshold.  I may even write a little "Info Article" on what the Lactate Threshold and VO2 Max are, and how you can change them to help your training.  My pre-med background has given me the knowledge, and it has definitely helped me understand the training process better!

Here is another pic of my training calendar - as you can see it is filling up fast!  Only about 3 months till the Ironman!

Block 5 Totals:

Swim - 25,100 meters

Bike - 486 miles

Run - 102 miles

Total Ironman Training Volume:

Swim - 91,850 meters (57.4 miles)

Bike - 1,858 miles

Run - 351.5 miles 

Longest Single Distance Covered:

Swim - 4400 meters

Bike - 102 miles 

Run - 20 miles 

Happy training everyone, and keep up the good work!

[back2iron]

Go Lance Go!

Can't wait to see how Lance does at his first Ironman70.3!  I'm sure he is going to smoke it!  It will be interesting to see how he compares to Chris Lieto on the bike portion?

[back2iron]

100 Days

Only 100 days till Ironman Texas....my heart-rate jumps just THINKING about it!  So nervous!!! 

[back2iron]

Block 5 - Week 3 Recap

This has easily been the most brutal week of my training so far.  Obviously, Week 3's are typically the most difficult because I am finishing up 21 straight days of training with only 2 days of rest, and, Week 3's contain significantly more miles than either Week 1's or Week 2's!  

However, this Week 3 is almost at the apex of my training calendar...so all of my long workouts have been nearly Ironman distance, except for the swim - which was actually further than the Ironman distance.  It is really amazing to me that I actually complete each workout.  Every week I question whether or not I will be able to finish the next week, because the distances are so intimidating!  I remember wondering if I was going to be able to finish a 14 mile run...now...I WISH I only had to do 14 mile runs!  It's weird how your perspective changes with training.

Week 1 of Block 6 will probably be my hardest week, mostly because it contains the largest aggregate volume and nearly the longest distances of my Ironman training (Long Swim - 4600m, Long Bike - 108mi, Long Run - 22mi).  But I'm trying not to focus on that because, again, I question whether or not I can complete those distances!  Until then, I am trying to stay relaxed, get lots of sleep, and just enjoy this much deserved recovery week!

In other news, I got 2 new swim suits and some goggles from TYR, as well as my first pair of 2XU compression socks for running.  I have used compression sleeves, but this will be my first time using the compression socks...hope they help! 

Block 5 - Week 3 Totals:

Swim - 8400 meters

Bike - 156 miles

Run - 34 miles 

Happy Training!! :)