Let the Rehabs Begin! (Finally)

Swim
1 x 200- warm-up
5 x 100- increasing intensity by 25

Single Leg Squats
4 x 10/per leg

Stability Ball Curls
3 x 10

Planks
2 x 1:00

Rode the bike up the hill to the gym and got a short swim in. 700 yards is barely a warm-up as far as I'm concerned but I was more interested in getting some of the rehab workouts in. I don't see many intense training days in my near future. I'm going to try and use this off season to get strong and stable so that when the next season comes around I can be fast and injury free.
I started the rehab workouts with single leg supported squats. I put one foot up on a box jump box (?) and then tried to execute slow, stable squats, keeping my knee tracking straight forward without too much side-to-side wiggle. This was harder than it should be. Especially the right leg, which had all kinds of wobble wobble. My hips also liked to drop to one side. Ah, all the little running issues explained in one short exercise. I'm going to need to do a lot of these.

Get him a body bag!

 The next piece of the puzzle is strengthening the hamstring and tendons behind the knee, again to strengthen and support. Laid on my back, feet up on a stability ball, raise my hips to the sky, and roll that ball to my butt, touch, and back out again, all nice and slow and smooth. It hurts my ego some to say that I felt both of these exercises. I'm a young, strong, tough Dirtbag. Couple of squats and curls shouldn't be a thing. But they were. This might be a long, slow road, but the end of it has Health and Strength and Speed waiting, so it's worth it.
And, because a strong core will mean better swimming, biking, running, and overall health, I brought in the planks.
Now all I have to do is keep this up on a regular basis. Like always, the hardest part of working out it making it a habit, especially when you have to break the couch habit to do it.

An Ironman, A Half Marathon, Some Workouts, And A Request

It was a big week for Team Dirtbag. Not so much for me, but the team had a good week.
I did a few workouts, went on a run or two, did some swimming, and tried not to feel too lame. Right now every swim workout feels like the first swim back. Stella does not have her groove going right now and nowhere is that more frustrating than in the water. Ego says that is where I am always strong. Ego is sometimes a moron.
My lower back has been bugging me too for the last few weeks and I don't know why. But I have a theory now, thanks to Barefoot Angie Bee's Superhero Husband. He recently posted something on the Facebooks along the lines of, "Lower back pain? How have your core workouts been going?" Cue lightbuld. Core workouts? Normally swimming is my main core workout. But I haven't been putting in as much tiiiiheeeeey now! So along with today's swim I did two one minute planks as a way to kickstart the core strengthening. I bet that is a big part of the problem. The other part is our futon is kind of a piece of junk and I bet that isn't helping any.

The Grey did the Gunstock Half Marathon this Sunday. I guess he got lost and that is why he didn't win All The Things. But I'm hoping he will write a little thing for us about it. Anyway, way to go Grey! Runners are crazy.

Speaking of crazy (yes, I am the king of the segue) Diesel completed the Kona Ironman over the weekend. Last year I did an interview with him about it and I'll probably make him do something along those lines again because it was really cool last time. For now all of us at Team Dirtbag stand and applaud his efforts and dedication. When you're in the middle of training and doing big endurance things isn't a Big Thing anymore it's hard to remember what kind of accomplishment something like that is. So big congratulations to Diesel for getting in there and getting that did.

Pictured: Me

Now for my request- I try to be involved one way or another in charity things. I have this small soapbox and a few of you gather round to hear me shout, which I appreciate. Sometimes I'm going to try and sell you on something more than fitness. Almost always that thing is a cancer-related charity (I'd also hit you up for supporting Planned Parenthood, but that doesn't come up as much). Cancer is one of those things that touches almost all of us. And the most basic way of getting in there with cancer is giving to one of the many organizations out there. Right now, however, I've got another way.
The name Tig Notaro might be familiar to a few of you. She's a comedian who is, depending on your taste, really funny to pretty amusing. She's going through some heavy, rough stuff right now and, because of who is she and how she sees the world, she did what she knew to deal with it. She took it on stage. It isn't really a spoiler what she talks about. A few days before the stand-up show I'm talking about she was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts. Then she went on stage at the Largo in Los Angeles and was as open, honest, and funny as any human could possibly be about it. The Largo tapes almost all the shows that happen there. Brilliant comedian Louis C.K. was there that night and after the show, with Tig's permission, he took the Largo's recording and now it is on his website. If you would please, take a few minutes and click on this link. Louis tells the story better than I do. Then, if you feel like it, please either follow the link on that page or this one and spend five dollars on the recording. One goes to Louis, four go to Tig to do with as she sees fit. I really recommend this. Trust me, it isn't a bummer. You come away from 30 minutes of a person sharing some raw stuff more confident in the human condition than you were before you started listening. Thanks.

To Feed and Train the Intensity

Swim Day

1 x 150 Warm-up
3 x 200 Pull- 3:15
4 x 400 Swim- 6:00
1 x 100 BCY kick set
1 x 100 Cool down
Total Yardage- 2550yds

Core
2 x 1:00 Plank
1 x 1:30 Plank

Here we are, the last stretch of training before the race. No more recovery weeks lay between me and Oct. 24th. It needs to be hardcore from here on out. Those thoughts drove me at the pool today, and will keep me fueled every day from here on out. Feeding the Intensity. Making it strong.
Today's swim was great. After I finished writing it up I realized it was about 300 yards longer than I originally planned. "Meh," thought I, "this works." All it means is that as the suggested yardage (which I've ignored the whole time) goes up so does the real yardage. And with today's swim at over 2k, that means soon I'll be spending a whole lot more time in the water.
Which kind of brings me to my next point: Training the Intensity. Today during my 400 set I really tried pushing it hard. I wanted to hit the point where I knew that if I had to get out and ride right away there would be no way that would be any good at all. I need to know where my line is as far as, "I can get this tired in the water, but once I get here I have to dial it back or I'm screwed." This is important to me as I realized deeper and deeper that races like this aren't hard because it's a mile swim, or a 13 mile ride, or a three mile run. They are hard because those three things get stacked back-to-back-to-back. I know that's not an especially deep thought, nor should it be a shocking, "Holy crap! You mean I can't rest between events in a triathlon? WTF?" revelation, but it is an important thing to drill into my brain.
You see, when I was a swimmer I was always a strong finisher. No matter how tired I was I could dig deep that last lap, or last 50, or whatever, and find another gear to drive home hard. I had that trained that into my head and my body by every coach. "Last one, best one," is a phrase just about any athlete will punch you for saying unless you're training them. God, that last one...
But I can't do that here. I can't see the end of the swim coming and step it up, because if I do then I'm stealing energy I'll need during the other two legs of the race. I need to discipline the Intensity so it knows its boundaries. I need to keep the stroke strong and long and measured the whole race, front to back. This I am thinking to myself with every training stroke. And so I swim hard, pushing that line further and further back.

The Tattooed Wake

Swim Day

1 x 150 Warm-up
2 x 150 Pull with paddles- 2:15
3 x 500 Swim- 7:45
1 x 100 BCY Kick set
1 x 100 Cool down
Total Distance- 2150yds

Today's swim was the opposite of yesterday's run. It was clicking like nobody's business. Felt really strong in the water today. I'm thinking part of that is my lackluster workout yesterday, but I don't care. I feel great compared to my self-pitying rant 24 hours ago.
The main set today was the 500s. This is a tricky distance. Much too far to sprint, too far really to go all hard the whole time, but short enough to keep a high pace the whole time and survive. The swim leg is 0.9mi total, though broken with short runs to the next lagoon, so I need to be preparing my body with longer and longer sets of unbroken swimming. I'm also going to look again at the race because if its four lagoons over one mile, that's about 550yds a stretch. But if its the four lagoons, turn around and do them again, then it breaks down to 200yds and some change each. So I can include in my training intense bursts over shorter distances (200+yds) with little rest, along with the longer distance main sets like the one above.
Speaking of little rest, I did not get little rest today during my 500 set. I got A TON of rest. I was as shocked as you are. I came up with the 7:45 time standard by basing it on a 1:30/100yds pace (7:30/500yds) and then including some fade. I was killing these things, getting nearly 30 seconds rest each time. I couldn't believe it. After the first one I was sure I'd miscounted and skipped a 50. But I ran the times in my head while I was swimming and it always came out right. My pace was simply great today. Very swim-positive.
Oh, and I had the middle lane all to myself today. The pool nearly all to myself, with just some fat guy struggling away off to the side. I love having the center lane all to myself. So nice. I'm sure that helped with my pacing too.

Core (0:45 rest between sets)
3 x 1:00 Plank
3 x 5 Fitness ball Plank Crunch (hold plank with feet on the ball, then roll knees up to chest) followed immediately by 5 Fitness ball Plank Twists (plank position with feet on fitness ball, crunch then roll knees to one side until parallel with ground, release and do same for other side)

My foot is still kinda sore. Iced today at school. Icing again in a minute. I don't wanna talk about it. I'm in a good mood right now.

Paddles Are Fun

Swim Day

1 x 200yds Warm-up
4 x 50yds 5, 7, 9 breaths with long strokes- 1:00
4 x 300yds Odd- Pull, Even- Swim- 4:30
1 x 200yds Cool down

Total- 1800yds

Swimming felt good today. I missed using paddles. I think at least once a week I'll be doing a paddle set. It's going to make my finish stronger and really help my stroke. I'm also really happy with how my yardage is going up. I was able to push it pretty hard today during my main set, keep my pace up, get some burn going. I'm not paying nearly enough attention to my breathing rate, but that focus is going towards stroke technique. In a race this long, I'm pretty sure breathing every three won't impact my time in any significant way. But I do feel that I'm cutting the water better, getting a good rotation in my shoulders, and getting a decent grip on the water most of the time. Thinking about it now, I'm focusing a lot of the front end of my stroke and my finish has probably been suffering for that. Noticed it while I was using the paddles and tried to finish all the way past my hips with a flick. That'll be one more thing to fix.
Felt great to swim in zoomers rather than board shorts. Felt my body position fix itself almost immediately. Not perfect, but so much better. I feel faster, lighter, better. Love swimming.

Core
3 x 1:00 Plank
3 x 10 Thread the Needle

Felt good to get some core work in today. Six pack abs, here I come! Oh, right after this bowl of popcorn.
Tomorrow is my first brick, 70 minute ride and then a 10 minute run. Should be fun.

The Quest for My Fast

Cycle Day
Suggested time- 60min
Actual time- 66min*
Distance- 17.62mi

*time does not include first descent



My goal today was to pump as much as I could. To really get my legs churning, get my cadence up, and try to go fast. It worked-ish. You see, my focus is on racing. I realize its, for me, a long race at 13mi on the bike, but I'd like to be able to pump for most/all of that. I know how to run fast and I'm relearning how to swim fast. But I've never cycled fast. I think it's going to be a muscular more than a cardiovascular issue, but I'm not sure. Climbing this hill over and over, like I'm doing, is making my legs stronger, but I started to worry its making them strong in the wrong way. So on my shorter days, Wednesdays, I'll be doing what I did today. Start at the bottom, pump hard for as long as I can, because its flat or relatively flat for about two miles, and then try to keep my stroke rate high even as I'm climbing. Then, when I get to the top, gear way up and pedal all the way downhill, which will both teach my legs to move fast and act as active rest, getting the lactic acid out of my muscles. And I mean all the way down to my starting point. Then I turn around and do it again. This increases the amount of time I spend riding on more level ground and the amount of time I can spend working at a higher rate. My times today were alright, I'm decently happy with them, but not thrilled. My first summit was after 24 minutes, then I stopped the clock, turned around, and restarted when I turned again at my starting point. My second summit was at 50 minutes. So a two minute fade, not too bad. Not too fast, but not too bad. Kept the clock running on the way back down and, as you can see from the map, took a little bit of a different route back. I turned where I normally turn around and followed that back to the parking lot. Different is good.
When I got home I did some core work on the balance ball, plank but with my feet up. To be honest, I'm slipping on my core work and I need to do better. My mental excuse is that my rides are more challenging so I'm tired afterwards. I need to either fight through it or start doing core after my swims. Stretched after the core. Not long enough, it feels like. Quads are tightening up. Will have a banana or a kiwi and stretch a little more before bed. Trying to recapture my Fast during my run tomorrow since its only 25 minutes. Going to fight through the soreness and get some.

Me, Sandra D., and the Big Bad Hill Part II

Cycle Day
Suggested time- 50 minutes
Actual time- 58 minutes*
Distance- 12.85mi

*plus the first descent time



Having trouble focusing on writing, so this may not read as smoothly as some do. Tired.
Today I had 50 minutes to ride and used them to go up and down the big, bad mountain. This is as mentally tough as it is physically. I know it's not that far. From where it gets difficult its only another 2.16mi, but it feels like a long 2.16mi. So I have to fight through it. My head got screwed with today too. I came to what I remembered as the last turn/tough climb section, only to clear the blind corner and see more road stretching up in front of me. Very little zaps strength from you like expecting to see the finish, only to see more up. Fought through it though, and made it to the top in about 24 minutes. When I made the turn for my descent I decided to stop my watch. Rolling downhill is recovery time, not workout time, and I've decided not to count it because of that.
After I got down to Lyman road, which is about where the real climb starts, I made a U-turn and headed back up. From there, like I said, its only 2.16mi to the top. I didn't go all the way back to my start because then I wouldn't have time to make a second ascent. This way I get the rough part twice. And I'm happy about that. I did make it to the top a second time, at about 44 minutes, which I'm very happy with, and then rolled all the way back down to the start, the truck, and the wife, who used my time on base to go shopping at the commissary. So while my time does not reflect my first descent, my distance does. If you want a more accurate time/distance, then subtract 2.16mi from my total. Why you would want that, I'm not sure. But if you do, there ya go. Perfectionist prick.
Tried to keep my cadence up, and focused on constant power output, using being clipped in to pull the pedal up while the other leg is pushing the pedal down. I think these two things are going to be key during the race, and for efficient cycling in general.
Got back home and alternated stretch and core, one minute core, one minute stretch, and so on.

Core:
3 x Plank
2 x 10 Thread the Needle

Felt good today. Sunday I have a much longer ride time, so I should be able to get three climbs in, especially turning around where I have been. Maybe on one of my super-long days I'll go all the way to my start before turning around.

With a Little Help From My Friends...

Run Day
20 minutes. Using the Jog Tracker app Meghan suggested I know for sure that I traveled 2.12mi with an average speed of 6.3mph. Good call, Meg! And a pretty good run for me. Short, but up a (very) slight incline one way and I tried to run a little quicker back. So it was good.
After my run I did a core workout. (all with one minute rest between sets unless otherwise noted)
3 x 1 minute Plank
3 x 12 V-Ups
6 x 0:45 second Side Plank (six because three on each side. You get? And I went straight from right side to left side so the minute rest was after the left side. Then back-to-back.)
6 x 10 Thread the Needle (six for the same reason. Also, not positive I did this right and was going to hit up YouTube to check, but my sister sent me a link before I could. Go her!)
Stretch

Body Monitoring Update: Knees have been feeling fatigued last two days. No pain, they just feel different, tired. I'm pretty sure this is because I'm asking them to move in new ways (especially the cycle) and they are adjusting to the new workload. But I've had knee pain before so I'll be keeping an eye on them. Will go in search of yoga poses or something that will help strengthen/better stretch them to prevent injury or aggravation.

Bike update: My lead has come through! A friend (really a friend of a friend, but now we are friends for real and I will wash his car and his dog and his house whenever he wants me to) who does Ironman triathlons is going to let me borrow one of his "cheap" bikes to train on and use for the race! How amazingly cool is that? The plan is to meet up with him this weekend to pick it up. More information and pictures will follow once I have it home. Means tomorrow I'll be heading to Sports Authority to pick up a helmet, gloves, and the oh-so-sexy bike shorts. Made my week.
Swim again tomorrow. Suggested 600yds. Probably will be higher. Grrrr, tough guy.