Bike
time- 2:15
distance- 35.91mi
Transition- 4:26
Run
time- 20:51
distance- 2.01mi
Regular, long-time readers are familiar with my Fortress of Fitness. Those of you who aren't should follow the link if you're really really interested (which I'm sure you are!).
I missed my workout Wednesday due to a sick Super Awesome Wife needing to go to the doctor and I used that as an excuse to crank out a simple brick yesterday. I haven't bike/ran in a long time and it will be a good idea to start throwing those into my workouts every once in a while. Not so much for fitness, but to prepare to run off the bike. The legs do feel a little bit funny going from cycling to running, and keeping the heart rate controlled in transition is important too. Speaking of transition, brick workouts are a great place to practice those, though yesterday's was slow. Not sweating that, I'm training for a half Ironman. Transition speed is waaaaaay down on the list of concerns at this point. It's Mr. Larmstrong who should be practicing. If there is a place he might might get ahead of me that is where it is. If I'm feeling generous.
This was also a great opportunity to test out the multisport setting on my fancy-shmancy Garmin Forerunner 310xt. It's kick ass. You set it to multisport (duh), and define what sports you're talking about and whether or not it should include transition, then you just hit START. The watch tracks your first sport, you hit LAP, it switches to transition and times that, you hit LAP again, it switches to the second sport. Very very cool. It's going to come in handy during races.
My bike today was going to be an easier bike so that the brick was more more run-centric. But then I started thinking about how weaksauce it would be to just go to the bottom of Pineapple and come back up. So I ended up all the way out at Dillingham. Wind out there felt brutal and I struggled to keep a strong pace coming back. Gotta stay low on those aerobars, keep the gearing light, and spin.
The new plan for Pineapple is stay steady on the uphills, then drop into a heavier gear on the flat sections and try to make up the minutes. This is both easier and harder. It's easier because I spend more time thinking about the flats than about the climbs, but harder because I used to use the flats as rest periods between struggles upwards. The most important factor is that it's quicker. So I'll keep on keeping on.
The sun was setting as I pulled into my driveway. I knew I would be behind the light, I was at school later than I wanted to be dealing with crap that drove me to want to workout for two and a half hours when I got home (Note: Not student issues. I love students, even the ones with problems. I can't stand adults. Students have a chance to change.) I don't normally run under lit street lamps so when I pulled in I took a quick nature break, then switched my bike jersey for a bright yellow tech shirt, making me a Sneetch without stars upon thars. I wore my toe socks for the ride, something I plan on doing for the Honu, so transition from cycling shoes to Bikilas was quick and easy.
Like I said, the original plan was a longer run/shorter bike. But it was getting late and dark and I was getting tired and hungry so I scrapped that plan in favor of a easy transition run of twenty minutes. I don't feel lame about this because in his excellent book I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack writes about easy runs after hard rides. So there.
And it was an easy run. I'm trying to figure out what an ideal heart rate goal would be, and I think it's probably somewhere in the 150s. As you'll see from my data, I was way above that last night. If I can get fit enough and smart enough to run in the 150s that will help control how many buckets of fluid I sweat, which will help hydration and cramping issues. We are talking for the Honu here. The Honolulu Olympic tri will probably result in a much higher average heart rate, but its a much shorter race. (I'm kinda blown away I thinking about an Oly as "much shorter". Please see any post from a year ago for evidence.) Both Achilles protested quietly for the entire two miles. Never enough to make me stop, just enough to remind me to ibprophen, ice, and roll when I got home. Guess I ain't healed yet.
I like brick workouts, and I like running off the bike. For some reason it is easier to think about than just getting up for a run. Maybe I use the ride to make excuses for why I'm not running as fast. Speed is not the point, I know that, but it's still hard to internalize sometimes.
Preparations are moving along. To steal from the fantasy world, Honu is Coming.
Showing posts with label transition practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transition practice. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A Live-Fire Brick (Now With More Gunshots!)
Brick Day
Ride
distance- 23.7mi
time- 1:14
Run
distance- approx. 2.4mi
time- 20min
total time- 1:34
Another brick has been placed into the Fortress of Fitness, and its a strong, confident brick at that. Rather than ride down into Waipahu as I have been doing recently I rode instead on to the military base near my house, Schofield. At the beginning of my training I rode here all the time. It is close, it has a good climb, and it feels safe because the roads are well maintained and people drive like they are scared of/respect the MPs on patrol. And did I mention Kolekole Pass, the good climb? Yeah, because there's that. Not the longest climb in the world, but is hits some pretty decent grades, which is important to me as a teacher (get it? get it!), and takes me about fifteen minutes to get up. Any quicker I count as a win. But halfway up today I encountered a sign that one only finds when riding on a military base:
This sign was guarded by two bored looking soldiers and a barricade. I thought I heard more ratt-a-tat-tatting and pew-pew-pewing than normal. So I flipped an n-turn (downhill = n-turn, right? No?), rode back down to the base of the hill, turned around again, rode back to the barricade and the now confused guards, and then back down and off base.
I got home, practiced taking off my shoes while still riding the bike to make for a quicker T2, and I think this is going well and plan on doing it next Sunday, and quick fast threw on my Bikilas to run.
The run plan was a simple out-and-back to the main road. I pushed hard, didn't negative split but came close, and it felt good. It was a solid confidence-building transition run. I remember my first brick and how much that run sucked. Now I feel strong running after a decently fast 23 mile ride. The whole training for an Olympic distance tri has something to to with that I'm sure. My runs overall still aren't where I'm happy, but next Sunday should be successful in that it will be fun.
Rest day tomorrow, swim and game plan for Sunday on Friday.
Ride
distance- 23.7mi
time- 1:14
Run
distance- approx. 2.4mi
time- 20min
total time- 1:34
Another brick has been placed into the Fortress of Fitness, and its a strong, confident brick at that. Rather than ride down into Waipahu as I have been doing recently I rode instead on to the military base near my house, Schofield. At the beginning of my training I rode here all the time. It is close, it has a good climb, and it feels safe because the roads are well maintained and people drive like they are scared of/respect the MPs on patrol. And did I mention Kolekole Pass, the good climb? Yeah, because there's that. Not the longest climb in the world, but is hits some pretty decent grades, which is important to me as a teacher (get it? get it!), and takes me about fifteen minutes to get up. Any quicker I count as a win. But halfway up today I encountered a sign that one only finds when riding on a military base:
 |
| Ohh, that's what all the boom-boom is... |
I got home, practiced taking off my shoes while still riding the bike to make for a quicker T2, and I think this is going well and plan on doing it next Sunday, and quick fast threw on my Bikilas to run.
The run plan was a simple out-and-back to the main road. I pushed hard, didn't negative split but came close, and it felt good. It was a solid confidence-building transition run. I remember my first brick and how much that run sucked. Now I feel strong running after a decently fast 23 mile ride. The whole training for an Olympic distance tri has something to to with that I'm sure. My runs overall still aren't where I'm happy, but next Sunday should be successful in that it will be fun.
Rest day tomorrow, swim and game plan for Sunday on Friday.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Practicing Putting on Shoes, Then Changing Them (Then I Talk About Shoes)
T1 & T2 Day
Today I worked on both T1 and T2. So I grabbed my gear and went outside. I set the bike up and arranged my helmet and glasses on the handlebars, with both pairs of shoes opened as wide as they will go near a small towel laid out on the ground.
Then all I had to do was go. I jogged up to my makeshift transition area, pretended to wipe sand off my feet, slipped said pretend-sandless feet into cycling shoes, popped on my glasses then my helmet, and grabbed the bike and jogged off. Once I was a few feet away I climbed on and clipped my left foot in.I didn't clip in right away because, as I learned after doing a little research on transitions, there is a special transition area at triathlons and those are a No Ride zone. Keeps everything safer and more organized.
Then I turned around, unclipped, and jogged the bike back to my transition area for T2. This, I think, is going to be a more important transition for me. The key is not to rush it, but to use it as recovery time. I've already said that I plan to dial it back some the last half mile of the ride to get my heart rate down, and keeping the transition slowish and unpanicked will also help with that. I put the bike up, took my helmet off and hung it back on the bars, and slipped out of my cycling shoes and into my Vibrams. The toes aren't going to be too much of an issue I don't think. It seems more that I'm trapping the heel of the shoe under my own foot and I have to dig it out, so I need to be aware of that. Like I said though, I'm not going to panic or stress during this transition. I practiced breathing deep and slow and calming myself down so that I'll be ready to take off on the run.
I'm thinking after this race I might experiment with full-on barefoot running. I've been doing a lot of reading on it and the running world is very divided on the issue, as you can imagine. But it seems like a small step to go from FiveFingers to nothing at all. I read a running blog where the guy loves his VFFs but is not a fan of going completely without and I've been on some forums where the people swear by going unshod. The general consensus is, "Just try it. Go on a short run and just see." So I think I might. I have no idea how I'll like it, if at all, and I don't expect it to be a regular thing. But maybe barefoot every few runs will be something I really enjoy. Assuming I keep up with the triathloning (pretty sure I just created a verb there), going without shoes on the run will severely cut down my T2 time. Not like I'll be qualifying for pro races by doing that, but a PR (Personal Record) is a PR. At the very least it'll make other racers look funny at me, and we all know how much I enjoy that. Or I won't like it and stick with the VFFs, which I still love and want another pair or two of. The foot is still a little sore after runs, but it's not nearly as bad as it was and I don't feel it while I'm running. I think I'm a full on convert to the minimalist trend.
We are inside a week now. *starts humming Eye of the Tiger*
Today I worked on both T1 and T2. So I grabbed my gear and went outside. I set the bike up and arranged my helmet and glasses on the handlebars, with both pairs of shoes opened as wide as they will go near a small towel laid out on the ground.
Then all I had to do was go. I jogged up to my makeshift transition area, pretended to wipe sand off my feet, slipped said pretend-sandless feet into cycling shoes, popped on my glasses then my helmet, and grabbed the bike and jogged off. Once I was a few feet away I climbed on and clipped my left foot in.I didn't clip in right away because, as I learned after doing a little research on transitions, there is a special transition area at triathlons and those are a No Ride zone. Keeps everything safer and more organized.
Then I turned around, unclipped, and jogged the bike back to my transition area for T2. This, I think, is going to be a more important transition for me. The key is not to rush it, but to use it as recovery time. I've already said that I plan to dial it back some the last half mile of the ride to get my heart rate down, and keeping the transition slowish and unpanicked will also help with that. I put the bike up, took my helmet off and hung it back on the bars, and slipped out of my cycling shoes and into my Vibrams. The toes aren't going to be too much of an issue I don't think. It seems more that I'm trapping the heel of the shoe under my own foot and I have to dig it out, so I need to be aware of that. Like I said though, I'm not going to panic or stress during this transition. I practiced breathing deep and slow and calming myself down so that I'll be ready to take off on the run.
I'm thinking after this race I might experiment with full-on barefoot running. I've been doing a lot of reading on it and the running world is very divided on the issue, as you can imagine. But it seems like a small step to go from FiveFingers to nothing at all. I read a running blog where the guy loves his VFFs but is not a fan of going completely without and I've been on some forums where the people swear by going unshod. The general consensus is, "Just try it. Go on a short run and just see." So I think I might. I have no idea how I'll like it, if at all, and I don't expect it to be a regular thing. But maybe barefoot every few runs will be something I really enjoy. Assuming I keep up with the triathloning (pretty sure I just created a verb there), going without shoes on the run will severely cut down my T2 time. Not like I'll be qualifying for pro races by doing that, but a PR (Personal Record) is a PR. At the very least it'll make other racers look funny at me, and we all know how much I enjoy that. Or I won't like it and stick with the VFFs, which I still love and want another pair or two of. The foot is still a little sore after runs, but it's not nearly as bad as it was and I don't feel it while I'm running. I think I'm a full on convert to the minimalist trend.
We are inside a week now. *starts humming Eye of the Tiger*
Monday, October 4, 2010
I Practice Putting On Shoes
Transition 1 Practice
Today I practiced my first transition, which is going from the swim to the bike. This will be the slower of the two transitions and its good to get some runs at it in. Below I list the times for each attempt. Stitches, Team Dirtbag's official Nutritionist/Sexy Wife/Honey-Can-You-Time-Me-While-I-Put-On-Shoes Person, took the times. This transition entails going from barefoot to shoes, glasses, helmet, mounted, clipped-in, pedaling.
For the first three I ran up to my shoes, picked up one and put it on, then the other. Then glasses, helmet, bike, clip, go.
1) 31.56
2) 34.87
3) 31.85
Here is where you ask me, "Dirtbag, is that good?" and I reply, "I have no idea, I've never done this before." But Stitches and I did notice one thing: putting on shoes this way is hard. I kept almost falling over. Tired from a swim, my balance will be worse. I new way needed to be found.
So for the next four I pried the shoes as far open as I could (thanking my lucky stars and my mom for having bought the slightly more expensive but more efficient shoes with a big velcro strap instead of many straps or clips or anything like that), left the shoes on the ground, grabbed the tap and the heel, and slid my foot in. In practice this felt faster and smoother. Let's see how it worked out.
4) 24.09
5) 26.47
6) 30.22
7) 26.72
So much the better! Six was a pedal fail, which is why its so much slower than the other three of the second grouping. But even with the pedal fail it was still faster than the first three. Pretty sure four was the fastest because I wasn't thinking about it nearly as much.
Happy that I got those done. Once on the bike I got a few hard strokes in to get used to getting on and going. Next Monday I practice transition 2, and in two weeks I go over both transitions. It's getting close now.
Today I practiced my first transition, which is going from the swim to the bike. This will be the slower of the two transitions and its good to get some runs at it in. Below I list the times for each attempt. Stitches, Team Dirtbag's official Nutritionist/Sexy Wife/Honey-Can-You-Time-Me-While-I-Put-On-Shoes Person, took the times. This transition entails going from barefoot to shoes, glasses, helmet, mounted, clipped-in, pedaling.
For the first three I ran up to my shoes, picked up one and put it on, then the other. Then glasses, helmet, bike, clip, go.
1) 31.56
2) 34.87
3) 31.85
Here is where you ask me, "Dirtbag, is that good?" and I reply, "I have no idea, I've never done this before." But Stitches and I did notice one thing: putting on shoes this way is hard. I kept almost falling over. Tired from a swim, my balance will be worse. I new way needed to be found.
So for the next four I pried the shoes as far open as I could (thanking my lucky stars and my mom for having bought the slightly more expensive but more efficient shoes with a big velcro strap instead of many straps or clips or anything like that), left the shoes on the ground, grabbed the tap and the heel, and slid my foot in. In practice this felt faster and smoother. Let's see how it worked out.
4) 24.09
5) 26.47
6) 30.22
7) 26.72
So much the better! Six was a pedal fail, which is why its so much slower than the other three of the second grouping. But even with the pedal fail it was still faster than the first three. Pretty sure four was the fastest because I wasn't thinking about it nearly as much.
Happy that I got those done. Once on the bike I got a few hard strokes in to get used to getting on and going. Next Monday I practice transition 2, and in two weeks I go over both transitions. It's getting close now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)