Ladder Intervals on the Bike

Mixed it up in Spin Class this morning. We did some interval training, which was a good way for me verify my cycling heart rate zones.

After a good 15 minute warm-up we started in with 5 minutes at an easy pace (Zone 1). Then 4 minutes of a little harder work (about 5 beats per minute higher). I was trying to stay around 125 bpm during this interval, which is right on the edge of Zone 2. Next it was 3 minutes of even a little higher intensity, 130 bpm, which is in the middle of my Zone 2. Then, you guessed it...2 minutes at a little harder pace. HR increased into Zone 3 during this interval (138-142 bpm). Then it was 1 minute as hard as I could go. HR made it up to 156, which is in Zone 4. Any more than a minute at this pace and HR would have no doubt made it into the 160's...pushing towards my 175 max heart rate.

We repeated this set one more time, then did a smaller ladder of 3 min., 2 min., and 1 minute before cooling-down. When it was all said and done, I spent and hour on the bike and got in lots of good aerobic (Zone 2) and even some anaerobic (Zone 4) work.

My heart rates during the intervals matched what I thought they should be. Level of exertion was low during the 5 minute and 4 minute intervals, and my HR reflected that. Once I starting pushing it, my HR moved up into Zones 3 & 4...as expected. I think I've finally nailed down my HR Zones on the bike!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
1 hour on the bike (description above)
45 min. of weights (chest, triceps, abs)

Back on the bike

Headed out around 7:30 this morning for a ride. It was about 45F, so I put on the Under Armour gear and long bike pants. I pledge my allegiance to Under Armour...the stuff works! Only part of my body that didn't stay toasty was my toes.

With all of the run-specific training I did over the last two months, I haven't been on my bike in a long time. I knew that I was going to forget something. I remembered everything with the exception of my HR monitor and my Chamois Butt’r. What's is Chamois Butt’r? Well, it keeps my underside from hurting on long rides.

I noticed about 10 miles into my ride that my perineum was hurting. Look it up, it's a real place. It's also the place that usually get's some Chamois Butt'r rubbed on it before I ride. So other than being a little sore, it was a great ride this morning!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
19.09 miles on the bike in 1:02:53 (18.24 mph). A little slower than I usually ride, but I made an effort to stay seated on the hills...which there were lots of!

Heart Rate Zones

During my run on Tuesday of this week, I wore my HR monitor and was disappointed to learn that my "comfortable" running pace put my HR in the 155-161 range. According to my HR zones established during my VO2 Max test, this put me in Zone 3-4. In order to train aerobically and increase endurance, I need to train in Zone 2 (139-151).

So this morning, I strapped on the HR monitor and hit the pavement for another run. Keeping a close eye on my HR, I kept it below 151 for my entire run. If it jumped to 152, I would slow the pace. Average was probably around 148. One big problem...keeping my HR in this zone really slowed me down. Lap 1 was done in 9:35 (7:55/mile), Lap 2 was done in 10:15 (8:28/mile) and Lap 3 took me 10:38 (8:47/mile). Would I have to run this slow to build my endurance? I felt like I was barely exerting myself...well below what I would consider a "comfortable" pace.

Something wasn't adding up. While on the bike, I can go all-out and not get my HR much above 160. Why was my running HR so much higher? So I pulled out my "Triathlete's Training Bible" to see what it said about HR zones in running vs. cycling. Sure enough...they are different.

So the zones that I calculated based on my VO2 max test are only accurate for cycling. HR zones for running are 6-10 beats per minute faster. So my target HR for Zone 2 in running is 154-162. What a relief! I can handle running in this zone and my pace won't suffer. I'm not sure how I missed this little bit of information about the different HR zones. It was in the early part of the book, which I read a few months ago. Or I may have been dozing off while reading that page!

Heart Rate Zones for Running
Zone 1 (recovery) 60-73% 134-153
Zone 2 (extensive endurance) 74-81% 154-162
Zone 3 (intensive endurance) 82-84% 163-168
Zones 4 & 5a (threshold) 85-93% 169-180
Zone 5b (anaerobic endurance) 93-95% 181-183
Zone 5c (power) 96-100% 184-189


TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Ran 3.63 miles in 30:28 (8:23/mile) - it was a little cold. I had my gloves, but could have used something to cover my ears!
30 minutes of weights (shoulders, traps, abs)

Trying to eat heathy...

My wife and I have been making an effort to eat at home more often. We've decided to do this for lots of reasons (it's cheaper, we have a 4 month old, it's easier to eat healthy at home). We both try and eat as healthy as possible and it's just tough to find something "healthy" when eating out. Even things that may seem to be a wise choice (salads, wraps, etc.) aren't always.

Found this little handy guide in Men's Health magazine on restaurant survival tips:

- Don't ruin a healthy meal with your drink (we all know soda is bad, but sweet tea isn't much better...stick with water. Add a lemon if you want some flavor)
- Leave the "free" bread alone (anything that's put on the table before your food arrives is usually unhealthy. A couple bread sticks or biscuits can add hundreds on calories)
- Front load with protein (eat an appetizer loaded with protein to start your meal...preferable something that isn't deep-fried or covered in cheese)
- Personalize your order (ask for whole wheat pasta & bread, hold the mayo, leave the bacon off...you get the idea)
- Order just side dishes (2-3 side dishes of veggies and/or fruit can make for a good meal)
- If you are getting pizza, go with thin crust (somewhere around 400 less calories per slice!)
- Don't order combo meals at fast-food spots (go with the entree only)
- Eat slowly (it takes your stomach about 20 minutes to tell us that we're full...give your food time to "settle")
- Don't clean your plate (get a to-go box and eat it for lunch the next day)
- Don't eat dessert (duh!)

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
1 hour on the bike. Good workout in spin class, lots of long (3-5 min.) hills.
25 minutes in the pool. 5 minute warm-up, then 20 minutes at comfortable pace. Finally felt like I was in a good groove in the water today. Did 48 lengths (1152 yards) in 20:15 (30:56 min/mile pace).

Power Output at VO2 Max

Read this on Joe Friel's blog this morning...regarding VO2 max:

If you want to be an elite athlete you need to have a high VO2max. But that just gets you to the start line. To compete well you also must be economical...and you need an anaerobic/lactate threshold at a high percentage of your VO2max.

[The winner of the race will be the person] with the highest power output at VO2max. Given the choice of a high VO2max or a high power output at a lower VO2max, always pick power. It should be obvious that the person who can put out the most power when at his top end is the person who is most likely to win. There's a close relationship between power and the results of a race. In the same way, if you know the paces a group of runners can do at VO2max, you have the best indicator of how the race results will come out.

After reading this, I went back to my VO2 Max Test results. My power output at my VO2 max was 400 watts. I've always felt like I have good power on the bike. My thoughts have been confirmed with race results (2nd, 7th & 7th in my age group on the bike leg in my three triathlons). Although, I'm not sure how good 400 watts at VO2 max really is.

A little research shows that Greg LeMond (three-time winner of the Tour de France) had a power output of 450 watts at a VO2 max of 92.5! I found another professional cyclist that had a power output of 390 watts at his VO2 max of 65.2. A quick Google search turned up the results of an amateur cyclist that tested at 350 watts at a VO2 max of 59.

So if power trumps VO2 max, then I'm in good shape on the bike. After reading more on the subject, I've decided the one reason I often "bonk" on the run in my triathlons is because of the leg power/force I use when riding. I tend to hang out in the high gears (smaller rings) and use my leg muscles to get over hills and push it on the flats. I can achieve the same speed and use less energy by changing to a lower gear and increasing cadence. I plan to work on this over the winter....we'll see.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Ran 1.5 miles as fast as I could. This is a new part of my training. This is one of the many "tests" that I will do every month or so to see how things are progressing. Today's run gives me a baseline to start from. I did the distance in 10:13 (6:47 min/mile pace). This isn't very fast, but it was done around the track at the gym...21 laps. There's a lot of slowing down to turn involved in running 21 laps around a small track. Next time I do this test I'll try it on a long, flat stretch of road.
1 hour of weights (back, biceps, abs)

Training zones

Today's workout consisted of a run and a quick swim.
The run was to be a 5 minute warm-up followed by 25-30 minutes of running in zone 2 (extensive endurance zone). My heart rate for zone 2 is between 139 and 151. This is the zone that I need to train in to build my endurance.

After my warm-up, I set out to make 3 loops around the mall (if you follow my blog, you know that this is my preferred route during early morning runs). First lap was done in 9:05 and my heart rate was hanging around 145. So far, so good. During lap 2 I noticed my HR had moved up into the 150-155 range...a little too high. So I slowed down the pace. Lap 2 was done in 9:35. During lap 3 I made an effort to slow down even more (time was 9:45), but my HR was hanging out around 160. Not only is this out of zone 2, it's all the way into zone 4! Zone 4 is supposed to be reserved for short workouts that aim to improve anaerobic threshold...which is not what I need to be doing right now.

I haven't worn a Heart Rate monitor much in the past, so I'm not sure if this is where my HR has been during running all along, or if it was just a little elevated today since I'm still getting over my head cold. I guess time will tell. I'm not that excited about running slow enough to keep my HR below 151 though!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Ran 3.63 miles in 28:42 (7:54/mile)
Swam for 15 minutes. Did intervals 6x96yd (4 lengths - close as I can get to 100 yards in this pool). With 30s recovery between each. Average interval time was 1:44. I intended to do 10 intervals, but the only other person in the pool left, so I had to cut my workout short in order to follow the new rules. Cooled-down with 5 minutes of drills.
I did this swim workout wearing some baggy shorts. This gives the same effect as running with a parachute. It's much harder to swim with baggy basketball shorts on than with a nice sleek pair of swim shorts (take a minute to enjoy the mental image that you now have). This added drag helps directly build the muscles used for swimming. I throw one of these "drag" workouts in once in a while.

Training for 2010 starts today!

Finally getting back into a routine following a few weeks of easy training after the Louisville Half-Marathon.

This phase of my training is called the "Prep" phase. Based on the training plan outlined in Joe Friel's "The Triathlete's Training Bible"; you start with the date of your first "Priority A" race. Then counting backwards, you have race week, 2 weeks in the "Peak" phase, 8 weeks in various stages of the "Build" phase, 12 weeks in various stages of the "Base" phase, and then 5 weeks in the "Prep" phase. My first "Priority A" race will be sometime in mid May (date hasn't been set yet), so counting back 27 weeks...we come to today!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
1 hour on the bike (Spin Class) - lots of intervals, some speed, some force (hills) - heart rate was in the 135-150 range most of the time (zone 2). Covered somewhere around 20 miles.
20 minutes in the pool - 5 minutes of drills (single arm, catch-up, finger-tip drag), followed by 15 minutes of swimming at a comfortable pace. I didn't count laps, so I'm not sure exactly how far I swam, guessing somewhere around 40 total lengths (approx. 840 yards or .47 miles). Thanks to the two elderly ladies that were in the pool this morning. If it wasn't for their pool-based cardio workout, I wouldn't have been able to swim...still not happy about this!