Soreness

With 6 weeks to go until the Louisville Half-Marathon, it's time to step it up a notch! Instead of running only 3 days a week, I'll add in an extra day of running while still mixing in some swimming and biking on the off days. That means that there's going to be back-to-back days of running at some point each week.

I could definitely feel the effects of yesterday's 6 miles of hills during my interval training this morning. I did my usual 10 minutes of warm-up, starting out easy and slowly increasing the pace. I mixed it up today and added in about 5 minutes of drills after the warm-up (butt-kickers, shuffles and grapevines) . Then I started my 1/2 mile intervals with 1:00 rest in between.

As usual, I wanted to keep them around the 3:40 mark, but the hamstrings were still feeling it from yesterday's hills, so my times weren't as good this week:

(1) 3:34
(2) 3:42
(3) 3:44
(4) 3:46
(5) 3:48
(6) 3:32
(7) 3:35

As my times started to creep up, I told myself that if I could push it and get two intervals under 3:40, that I would call it a day. I managed to find some speed, so I stopped after 7 intervals instead of the normal 9. Finished with a cool down jog and 10 minutes of stretching. No running tomorrow, and I'm glad - the legs need a rest!

Hills!

Since changing my cadence last week, all of my training runs have been on fairly flat ground...that all changed this morning! I decided to take my new running style on to some hills. Total change in elevation for the 6.05 miles was 334 feet. I did an out and back course from my house. Way out only had a net +14 feet change in elevation, so the way back was a net of -14 feet...pretty much constant hills after getting out of my neighborhood - it was hard to find enough flat ground to check my cadence. Here's the profile:



Time was 23:17 on the way out (7:41/mile)
Time was 23:54 on the way back (7:54/mile)

Total time of 47:11 (7:47/mile pace)

I'm happy with this pace on these hills - they are the same ones that I do at the beginning of my long bike rides and they are tough!

Fartlek training

Say what?

Fartlek - Funny word, sounds like something my newborn does. Fartlek comes from the Swedish word for speed. Fartlek training involves varying your pace throughout your run. In other words, you integrate intense sprints into your workout, followed by a recovery run or slow jog slightly below your normal running pace.

For example, on my 4 mile run yesterday morning, every 3-4 minutes, I would increase my speed to near sprinting for 30 seconds, then slow down to just below my normal pace and slowly ramp back up to my typical training pace.

The idea here is that each time you increase your speed, you are putting stress on your cardiovascular system, which allows your system to improve its threshold. Thus, you will be increasing both speed and endurance. Give it a try sometime. It's a nice little way to break up a monotonous run.

Yesterday's Training:

4 miles in 29:19 (7:19/mile pace)

Little too much

My training plan called for me to do a distance run yesterday. It said to go 7-8 miles...so of course, I decided on 8. Left work and parked the car on 3rd Street north of UofL. Ran 4 miles south on 3rd St. & Southern Pkwy to New Cut Rd. and back.


First 4 miles was done in 29:14 (7:18/mile pace)
Second 4 miles was done in 32:22(8:05/mile pace)

Total time as 1:01:36 (7:42/mile pace)

I could tell that I was slowing down during the last few miles, but the first 5 or so felt really good. I probably should have just done 6 or 7 miles considering I'm still trying to get used to the new running style. Speaking of that, I checked my cadence several times during the run and I was always in the 29-31 touches per 20 seconds range, which is right where I need to be!

While I was waiting under the railroad overpass on 3rd Street for the freak rain storm to stop, two 12 year old boys ran up to wait out the rain as well. As most kids do, they starting asking me questions as soon as they walked up. We weren't there more than 3-4 minutes, but here's just a sample of the questions they asked me:

- How much can you bench?
- How fast can you run?
- Do you want to pet my snake? (yes, one of them was carrying a pet snake)
- Do you go to college?
- Do you play football?
- Are you married?
- What are you listing to?
- How old are you?
- Why don't you run in the rain?

It was some good entertainment while waiting out the rain. Also, thanks to whoever is responsible for putting two fresh and clean port-o-pots in the lot across from UofL's baseball stadium. I had to relieve myself and they kept me from having to hold it for 7 more miles! (I bet you were wondering why I had that picture of port-o-pots...now you know)

What's the goal?

Over the last few days, my wife Jessica and I have had a recurring conversation. The topic has been whether it's good or bad for the sport of triathlon that the number of people competing in the full Ironman distance races continues to rise while the number of participants in the shorter distances doesn't.

The Ironman race here in Louisville last Sunday was started by almost 3000 athletes. That's the largest ever...in any Ironman race...in the world! Ironman used to be reserved for only the elite athletes in the sport. Now it's become so "common" to compete in an Ironman, that the top athletes have looked for something even more challenging. Hence, events such as the double iron triathlon have come about. More extreme formats have evolved; there are in fact triple, quadruple, quintuple, deca, and 15× events that are multiples of the original Ironman distance triathlon.

The sport of triathlon offers several distances. Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, Full Ironman, and then those events listed above that literally take several days to complete.

Joe Friel is an expert endurance sports coach. He's coached Olympic and triathlon champions for years, has published several books and is looked up to in the sport. Here's part of a recent post on his blog:

It used to be that a fast Olympic-distance race was considered quite an accomplishment. Now it pales by comparison with the Ironman. Ironman has become such a force in the sport that you aren’t considered a “real” triathlete unless you’ve done one, or, better yet, finished Ironman Hawaii. I seldom come across a triathlete any more who isn’t at least thinking about doing an Ironman in the not-too-distant future.

I also come across people who have never done a triathlon at any distance and are contemplating doing an Ironman as their first race. There’s no concern for how fast they might go. It’s just get to the finish line so they can hear those magic words, “You’re now an Ironman.” Then they can get a tattoo on the ankle, I guess.

Most “normal” people have no idea what it takes to even finish an Ironman. They see TV coverage and it looks so easy. Of course, the pros in any sport will make it look easy. It isn’t. Most people couldn’t sit in front of their televisions for 17 hours let alone swim, bike and run that long. Most are doomed to failure by starting at this distance. It would be better had they started with a sprint and five years later did an Ironman. But that’s too time-consuming for people today, it seems.

Our fascination with long-distance events concerns me. I don’t think it’s good for the future of any endurance sport when going slowly for a long time just so one can cross the finish line is held in higher regard than going very fast for a short distance. The person who starts out with an Ironman will likely have a very short triathlon career. Then what? Three-day adventure races? And after a couple of those what’s next?

Perhaps I’ve become an old curmudgeon who longs for the good, old days when distance wasn’t the key issue; speed was. Of course, there will always be athletes who strive to see how fast they can go at short distances. But they seem to be a slowly diminishing breed of endurance athlete. One good thing I see about this shift in attitude in sport is that it encourages more people to participate. Finishing is a lot less challenging than going fast.

While I understand that just finishing an Ironman is a huge accomplishment, I feel that when people start the race knowing full well that they will be taking it easy on the bike, then walking the majority of the marathon, it's kind of cheating the sport. It's called a "race" for a reason. Having to walk the run portion of the race because of an injury is one thing. But not putting in the training to even have a chance to run the marathon is what irritates me. Am I wrong on this??

Tax deduction for gym membership?

The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2009 or the PHIT Act of 2009 was introduced in the House on April 27, 2009.

It amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses. It defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid for fitness center memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment. The act was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Covered expenses include:

• Youth camp & physical activity fees
• Membership and dues in a health club
• Exercise/fitness classes or instruction (personal trainer)
• Sports league fees (adult and youth)
• Marathon/Triathlon registration fees !!!!
• Equipment used exclusively for participation in physical exercise/activities

Excluded expenses include:

• Expenses incurred from private clubs owned and operated by members
• Clubs offering golf, hunting, sailing and horseback riding activities
• Apparel and footwear not used exclusively for physical activity
• Travel and accommodation expenses associated with participation in physical activity

So call or email your legislators' offices and encourage them to pass HR 2105 when they are back in session next week. Find their contact info here.

TRAINING:

45 minutes of weights, then 1/2 mile in the pool
Due to the crazy length of the gym pool, the actual distance swam was 864 yards (16 yards short of a half mile).
Time was 17:24
This is a little slower than I would like, but I was really concentration on good form, so I knew that I was going a little slow. Alternated breathing from left side to right side on each lap.

I would also like to quickly mention that Jessica, Kate and I attended the Louisville Ironman volunteer appreciation party at Slugger Field last night. It was a pretty fun time. Dinner, live music, lots of door prizes, etc. It's cool to see all the people that operate behind the scenes on an event this big!

The perfect food for runners is...

bananas! This is good news, since I love bananas and usually eat one everyday as part of breakfast. Bananas are nature’s energy food. They are easy to eat and transport, offer plenty of quick carbs, and are 75 percent water. So in addition to giving you needed fuel during and after a run, they keep you hydrated. It’s no wonder that aid stations in marathons and triathlons are often stocked with bananas.

A banana has about 28 grams of carbohydrates which is more than any other fruit. Carbohydrates are stored in our muscles as glycogen. As your body needs it, glycogen is broken down into glucose, the fuel that your body runs on.

Bananas also have a lot of potassium. Potassium helps keep your heartbeat regular, controls muscle tightening, and controls the body's water balance.

During physical activity the body loses potassium. Muscle cramps can sometimes come from not having enough minerals such as potassium. That's why bananas are so great!

Eat 'um up...every day! Yum, Yum!

TRAINING:
It's Tuesday, so I did some intervals.

9 x 1/2 mile intervals with 1:00 rest between (around 40 minutes)

Goal was to keep each interval around the 3:40 mark (7:20/mile pace), which I did for the most part...

(1) 3:35
(2) 3:38
(3) 3:37
(4) 3:41
(5) 3:44
(6) 3:45
(7) 3:45
(8) 3:41
(9) 3:37

Checked my cadence at least once during each interval and was always at either 30 or 31...making good progress on making this my natural cadence.