Eric's Half-Ironman Training

I am now training for my second half-ironman race. The race is in Boulder this time in August, 2007. I finished the Florida Half-Ironman in May, 2007. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Swim
Speed Day
Warm Up: 200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main: 16x50, decend 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16
46.71, 49.21, 51.36, 50.61
48.06, 52.29, 50.32, 48.23
47.62, 52.05, 49.70, 51.04
46.23, 50.33, 49.55, 51.15
Cool Down: 200 easy
Total: 4x50 each slower than last

Core Exercises
Squats, rows, V's, Steps, Push Ups, Planks, Lat Pulls, Dips

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Swim
Warm Up: 400 continuous. last 50 in each 100 is kick
Main: 9x100 EBEH (Each 100 = 25 easy, 25 build, 25 easy, 25 hard)
(1:43.47, 1:48.50, 1:50.05, 1:50.57, 1:50.49, 1:47.84, 1:51.70, 1:47.57, 1:48.34)
Average 100: 1:48.73
Cool Down: 6x25, each slower than last
Total: 1,450 meters

Bike
1 hour with some climbing or low cadence work if you're on the trainer. RPE 3-4 on the flats and allow yourself some out of the saddle work of RPE 7-8 on the hills.

My swim today got done early, so I went to work early. I left work early so I could ride while it was still daylight. I went to Cherry Creek State Park. My front bike tire seemed to be making a funny clicking noice. I stopped, checked it out. I thought I fixed it, same thing. Then my computrainer fell off. I went back, grabbed it. It fell off again just a short bit later. I noticed a piece was broken off. It probably broke off last time I crashed. I did not get a very acurate reading today, because I forgot to turn it on until a mile or two into the ride. I rode for about 14-16 miles. My max speed was in the 30's and my avg was about 16.5mpg.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Weeks Goals
Here in Base 2 we will have "theme" weeks where a single sport will be focused on. Now in Week 12 we're focusing on the swim with reduced time spent on the roads.

Swim
Long swim
Warm Up: 4 x 150 swim, kick, pull, swim
Main: 1650 ladder: 275, 250, 225, 200, 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, 25
Cool Down: 200 easy
Total: 2,450 meters

What a swim workout today. It was long. I didn't time anything because the times won't mean much. I am more focusing on "Just Swimmin" this week.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Run
My running plans changed today. According to my plan I was to run 1 hour long at RPE 2-3 steady. The Rocky Mountain Road Runners Club had a Colfax Marathon training series today. It was a 10 mile run.

Nicole came with me today because we were going to my grandmothers birthday party. Grandma is turning 88 years old.

My run today was awesome. I finished in 4th place overall today. The top 3 runners won prizes, but I didn't care. I thought I started too fast!!! I told Nicole that I was not going to run a 6:00 min mile. I was going to run my first mile in 8:00 minutes. I was told that Miles 5 and 6 were a little longer than the rest. That would make sense why the times were off a little. A runner was catching up to me towards the end. I was not going to let him catch me. I pushed it extra hard just so he wouldn't catch me. I couldn't sprint the finish like I normally do, but I finished it strong.


Distance:
10 miles
Mile 1: 6:39, Mile 2: 6:08, Mile 3: 6:41, Mile 4: 6:39, Mile 5: 8:08, Mile 6: 7:51, Mile 7: 6:54, Mile 8: 7:30, Mile 9: 7:21, Mile 10: 7:18
Pace: 7:07
Total Time: 1:11:07

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Swim
1000m time trial. Do short warm up then record TT time.
100m split times: 1:35.16, 1:55.43, 1:59.29, 2:01.05, 2:00.56, 2:01.60, 2:02.45, 2:01.55, 2:03.63, 1:54.66
Average 100m: 1:57.53
Total Time: 19:35.38

I had my wife, Nicole, come with me today to time my swim. I am very glad she came with me. I was able to show off a little. Because I wanted to show off, my swim was better. You would think I would show off and slow down, but I didn't. My first 100 meters was too fast, but I am expecting it to be because of the half-ironman start. I want to start fast so I don't get trampled over. I will have another time trial in 3 weeks.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Bike
Time: 1:00:00
Odo: 388.0 miles
Max: 20.5 mph
Avg: 16.4 mph
Distance: 16.45 miles

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Swim
Recovery
4 x 300 (300 easy, 300 kick, 300 easy, 300 pull)
Total: 1,200 meters

I showed up a little later than expected. I couldn't find my wallet this morning? I turned around on my way to the pool. I looked and never found it. I decided to go swim or else I would miss my workout.

Run
30 minutes with strides every 5 minutes. Mostly RPE 3.
Time: 30:00
Distance: 3.60 miles
Pace: 8:20/miles

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Run
30 minutes easy RPE 2-3
Name: Mission Viejo Parkway Loop (x2)
Time: 33:34
Distance: 3.64 miles
Pace: 8:47/mile

Bike
30 minutes inside or out, just easy spinning, RPE3
Name: Mission Viejo Parkway Loop (x?)
Time: 30:55
Odo: 371.0 mph
Max: 24.1 mph
Avg: 17.8 mph
Distance: 9.20 miles

Today was a rough day of workouts. Several things happened. My nose started bleeding a little over half way during my bike. It could have been a much worse situation. I was very close to home so I took a pitstop. I went back out for the rest of the bike. When I came back I should have stopped. Instead I went and ran. I was wiped out. I should have had a GU or something. I was just exhausted when I came back. I didn't take the run too hard, and it seemed like I was very slow.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I changed my schedule around this week because it is my recovery week and I was headed to Castle Rock for a swim lesson.

Bike
30 minutes inside or out, just easy spinning, RPE3
Time: 34:13
Odo: 360.80
Max: 23.7 mph
Avg: 18.4 mph
Distance: 10.48 mph

Swimming went well today at the Castle Rock Rec Center. I worked more on backstroke and breaststroke. My breaststroke is really coming along. I re-learned it again which made a difference. I went at least 600-800 meters today.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Today was my day off.

I went to the triathlon class because today was the last one. The series will start up again in March. We ran, core exercises and went to the pool. We were racing, boys vs girls. That was awesome. It was good to see our triathlon coach swim and to race. I timed my 100m swim during a relay. It was was fastest 100m so far!!
100 meters: 1:34.10 - PR

Sunday, February 18, 2007

What an excellent/crappy day for riding today. Since it was nice weather I decided to go out for a long ride and run afterwards. It was plesent for a while until it got cold. I knew I should have got out sooner, but I was enjoying time with my wife and food shopping.

There were a couple of very icy spots underneath bridges. Yikes. There were a few that were so bad I had to get off the bike and walk over them. I wouldn't even attempt them on my mountain bike.

Cherry Creek Reservoir runs into Cherry Creek Trail if you take the right path. I was headed towards Denver along the Cherry Creek Trail and there was a detour because the sidewalk was closed. I took an immediate left and was headed towards the wrong direction. There were several areas where snow/slush was still on the ground. I made it through the first 2. I attempted to make the 3rd one and crashed. I was upset that I crashed and a nearby walker saw everything. I slammed my hand down to the ground and shouted "I knew that was going to happen". I got back on the bike, noticed a piece of the bike was broken off, went back. I found the piece and continued on. I noticed there was another detour a couple of miles further and decided to turn around.
Time: 1:27:08
Odo: 349.70 miles
Max: 30.8 mph
Avg: 16.2 mph
Distance: 23.52 miles

My run went well. I parked Nicole's car near Cherry Creek State Park. I used the car as my transition station. I moved the car before the run because it was parked next to a mexican restaurant. It was packed, so I figured I would move the car a little. I was off running back to Cherry Creek State Park. I ran for about 30 minutes total. It was dark and time to come home. I really felt like I was running off in the sunset. What a day.
Time: 32:44
Distance: 3.85
Pace: 8:30/mile

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Today was Race #3 for the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon. What a good experience! The weather was really nice and the roads were clear. I was running behind today. I turned around because I left my computrainer at home. I finally showed up at the race with 15 minutes to spare. I need to get better at this.

I started in Wave B. This was pretty neat because I could catch a few people, but didn't have to worry about passing too many people. There were more that passed me that who I caught. That was ok because some of those were very excellent riders. I was a little sad to see that the #1 girl passed me towards the end of the bike. I was going to catch her on the run I kept telling myself. A big part of the run was on snow/ice. That was hard because you could sink in.

I was supposed to ride my bike for 2 hours and run for 30 minutes. I flipped days and changed the schedule a little because I today was more race/tempo pace.

I finished 25th overall with a time of 55:00. I also finished 11th in my age division. That was awesome because I scored a few more points for the rankings. I was tied for 13th place overall in my age division. The bike was about 11 miles and the run was 2.5+ miles.

I got a huge side cramp on the run, it finally went away about half-way through. I will need to drink more water the night before and no eggs. I thought it was a good idea, but it seemed that I need more carbs and less protein.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Swim
Race Specific
Warm Up: 1 x 150, last 50 in each is backstroke
Main: 3 x 500, 1 is RPE3, 2 is RPE4, 3 is RPE5
(8:47.42, 8:39.43, 10:25.18)
Cool Down: 150 easy
Total: 1,800 meters

The first two 500's were in the smaller pool. I am pretty sure that I estimated the distance correctly. The last 500, I was able to swim in the main lap pool. It was very busy today!!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Today we'll do swimming and running together for a super endurance day. Keep the run at easy pace.

Swim
Speed Day
Warm Up: 400m continuous, last 50 in each 150 is kick (normally 100, but I changed it)
Main: 10 x 100 EBEH (each 100 = 25 Easy, 25 Build, 25 Easy, 25 Hard)
(1:43.14, 1:47.26, 1:44.22, 1:45.08, 1:47.46, 1:50.16, 1:42.98, 1:48.46, 1:47.79, 1:47.56)
Average: 1:46.41
Cool Down: 6 x 25, each slower than last

Run
90 minute long run. Keep RPE at 2-3, no harder! Strech well afterwards and have a good recover meal.
Time: 1:37.21
Distance: 10.75 miles
Pace: 9:03/mile
1st 5.37 mile pace: 8:31/mile (45:46 time)
2nd 5.37 mile pace: 9.36 (51:35 time)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Core Exercises
Squats, rows, V's, Steps, Push Ups, Planks, Lat Pulls

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Run
30 minutes solid effort at RPE 3-4
I switched these workouts today. I accidentally slept in this morning, so I decided to change things up with out skipping a workout. I ran during lunch at work today. I ran on the treadmill because it was snowing outside. I also cranked up the elevation on several intervals.
Distance: 3.50 miles
Pace: 8.34/mile

Bike
1 hour small chainring only effort outside or on trainer.
I came home after work and decided to bike inside. The snow flurries and cold just was not for me today. I did the entire ride on the middle chainring. I am working off a beginner plan, but I am a little more advanced than beginner.
Time: 1:00:21
Odo: 313.60 miles
Max: 19.6 mph
Avg: 16.8 mph
Distance: 16.95 miles

Monday, February 12, 2007

Swim
Long Day
Warm Up: 4 x 75
Main: 500 swim, 400 kick, 400 pull, 300 swim, all RPE 4
Cool Down...not enough time
Total: 1,900 meters

My swim was pretty good today. My kick was slow. It was so slow, I had to reduce the rest of my workout by 600 meters. I just ran out of time. I didn't time my workout today because it varied so much.

Triathlon Class
I made it a little late for class tonight. We ran for 10-20 minutes today. We also worked on core exercises. Next we jumped on the bikes and did some intense, sprint like workouts.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Bike
2 hour long ride
Today I went outside!! I went with the Bicycle Village crew. There were only 4 of us total. It was a much longer ride than I planned. It also started very slow. Instead of taking the safe route, we went along Parker Road. That was pretty dangerous, but it was early enough that traffic wasn't too bad. The two other guys were cruising pretty fast and we lost one rider. I am sure she might have been pretty upset that we left her?? I know I would be.

We kept riding and riding. We went up one path and I finally saw a firestation that said Castle Rock. WoW. That was pretty far. That was my cue to turn around. I was working the hill pretty hard and blew past the other two guys. I was averaging 12mph on the uphill section. It was awesome to have that uphill experience!! The downhill was even better.

I thought I saw the Cherry Creek trail...but I couldn't find a way to get there because of the snow. I found a port-a-pottie, so I took advantage of it while I could. After I finished, I saw the other two ride by. I tried catching up, but there were too many cars that I had to wait for. I was catching up..so I think and they were gone. I think they stopped to get coffee. I eventually rode back on Parker Road most of the way home. That was pretty crazy!! I decided to take Cherry Creek Reservoir home. What a day!!
Time: 3:16:53
Odo: 296.5 miles
Max: 41.5 mph
Avg: 15.8 mph
Distance: 51.86 miles clocked (56.7 miles)
(I forgot to turn the computrainer on...realize a little bit later to run it back on)

Run
30 minutes easy run - not immediately after the bike
Name: Mission Viejo Parkway Loop (x2)
Time: 28:18
Distance: 3.64 miles
Pace: 7:46/mile

After I was all done, I stretched a little, took a shower, and took an hour nap!!

Friday, February 09, 2007

No bike or run workouts today but get some walking in such as parking at the end of parking lot for work or shopping. A bit of walking will help any stiffness you may feel from yesterday's effort.

Swim
Warm up: 200m swim, 200m kick, 200m pull, 200m swim
Main: 1 x 1,500 RPE 4: 32:25.00 - PR
200 split: 4:05.54, 4:21.45, 4:15.46, 4:21.75, 4:25.18, 4:24.21, 6:31.61 (300m)
Average 200: 4:18.93
Cool Down: Not enough time...
Total: 2,300

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Swim
Speed Day - Tough!
Warm Up: 300 continuous (alternate 50 swim, 50 kick)
Main: 20 x 75 hold constant pace for each-so judge pace in the first few. REP 5
(1:18.12, 1:26.17, 1:24.15, 1:23.22, 1:23.55, 1:22.40, 1:20.08, 1:25.78, 1:21.62, 1:23.04)
Average 75m 1-10: 1:22.81
(1:21.62, 1:25.14, 1:24.02, 1:24.28, 1:23.98, 1:26.95, 1:21.18, 1:26.17, 1:22.61, 1:23.32)
Average 75m 11-20: 1:23.93
Total Time: 27:47.40
Cool Down: 200 easy
Total: 2,000 meters

I had a good swim day. I can't believe I did 20 x 75's. I took about 20 seconds rest between each repeat. I gave myself extra time after the first 10. I probably gave myself too much time. The total distance for the 75's is 1,500 meters was 27:47. This is about 7.5 minutes faster than my fastest 1,500m free. That is pretty awesome. This shows that I am getting faster. Little by little.

Run
75 minute long run combined with tempo effort
Warm up: 20 minutes easy
Main: 7 x (3 min tempo, 2 min recovery): 35 minutes
Cool Down: 20 minutes easy
Time: 1:14.18
Distance: 9 miles
Pace: 8:15/mile

It was a pretty darn good run. My warm up was probably a little too hard, but I tried to take it easy. I started my temp run at 25 minutes. I wanted to start early...but I kept thinking "I need to wait just a little bit longer". I kept the tempo runs exactly what they are supposed to be. Some of them I took a little faster because there was no snow/ice. I slipped and fell about mile 5. That was about 45 minutes into the run because I just swallowed a GU and some gatorade. I was starting to accelerate because it was time for a tempo run, and I biffed it. I wish now I would have put my right glove back on because my right hand is a little scrapped. My left watch was also scrapped. I kept going once I got back up. I am glad I didn't get seriously hurt!!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Run
30 minutes easy run with strides every 5 minutes.
I started the strides a little late today. My mind was on other things for the first 15 minutes. I got at least some strides in. Today was a little slow, but I was feeling tired. before and afterwards.
Distance: 3.25
Pace: 9:14/mile

Swim
I was supposed to bike for one hour. Instead I went to Castle Rock to have a swim lession with my Aunt Linda. We worked on basics/form and I re-leared breaststroke. I will keep working on it, because you can tell I am novice. It was a good relaxed workout today.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Week Goals
This week's single hard workout will be tempo effort on the run...not all out effort but a reserved and proud crusing pace - a confidence builder!

Swim
Race-specific
Warm Up: 5 x 50
Main: 2 x 1000, both are RPE 4
1,000m: 22:15.94 (4:17.92, 4:29.20, 4:31.94, 4:31.30, 4:25.58) Avg: 4:27.19
1,000m: 23:05.81 (4:33.68, 4:35.63, 4:42.84, 4:42.23, 4:31.42) Avg: 4:37.16
Cool Down: 250 easy
Total: 2,500 meters

Core Exercises
Squats, rows, V's, Steps, Push Ups, Planks

Triathlon Class
We worked on running form, exercises and keeping the pace. We then went swimming and mostly worked on drills.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Run

Today was the Rocky Mountain Road Runners (RMRR) February Trophy Series. The race was a 7 mile run at Cherry Creek State Park.

I had a very good run. I felt strong and didn't fatigue too much afterwards. The only problem I had was that I got hot. The weather was really nice. The other runners mentioned to me that it looked like I was wearing too many clothes. I was trying to strip down towards the start, but I didn't give enough time. I was pacing off another runner, Ken. He eventually passed me, and beat me by one minute. I missed mile 1, so I did an average of the first 2 miles. Ken told me the first mile was under 7:00. That is pretty fast.



Distance: 7 Miles
Mile 1: 7:19 Mile 2: 7:19 Mile 3: 7:38 Mile 4: 7:18 Mile 5: 7:34 Mile 6: 7:49 Mile 7: 7:09
Pace: 7:27/Mile

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Try to get this ride a couple hours after breakfast in the morning. Figure out what feels good for pre-ride nutrition and hydration. Make notes in your log to refer back to later when preparing for race morning.

Bike
2 hours. We're increasing a bit from last week. Again, keep the pace at RPE3 except if you need to climb.

I did pretty good today. I woke up about 7am. I wanted a decent breakfast today so I made scrambled eggs. I also warmed up some pancakes from the other day. I was pretty tired when I woke up so after I ate, I went back to bed for a little while. I started my ride about 8:40am. I watched Superman Returns during my ride. It is a pretty cool feeling to know that I can exercise and watch movies. I felt pretty good during the entire ride. I also had a GU gel shot at 45 minutes and an energy bar at 1:30. I also drank 2 water bottles during the ride (1 water, 1 gatorade) .


Time: 2:00:00
Odo: 239.8 Miles
Max: 24.8 mph
Avg: 20.5 mph
Distance: 41.02

Friday, February 02, 2007

Today was supposed to be an easy pace run. I decided to take the day off because I will have a tough weekend workout.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Run
60 minutes with strides every 10 minutes. Finish run then add 5 more 20 strides back to back before stretching. Remember, strides should be easy speed effort. Stop if your legs are feeling exhausted.
Time: 1:01
Distance: 7.08 miles
Pace: 8:37/mile

Bike
recovery easy spin of RPE 2-3 ideally on trainer.

Keep fluid intake today and have a good recovery meal after the run session. I did well with the fluid intake. The meal was not right after the run.