My Garmin Forerunner 405

My wife knows how hard I train. She hears my alarm go off every morning at 4:30am. She has the joy of hearing all about my training session every evening when I get home from work (or when I get my morning phone call from her once our little one is up). I tell her with excitement about how great I felt or if I break through some milestone. She also has to suffer through my complaining if it was a bad day. I know that she isn't always (if ever) interested in my specific workouts, but bless her heart, she listens and always offers words of encouragement.

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know that through the last two years of triathlon training I have progressed from just a stopwatch; to a stopwatch and a separate heart rate monitor; to a watch that combined both. After having two friends tell me how awesome their GPS-enabled watches were, I started to look into getting one. Having all the capabilities of my stopwatch/HR monitor PLUS being able to know instantaneous and overall pace while I'm training was the main thing that had me envious of my friend's new toy.

The only reason that I hadn't bought one for myself was the cost (they'll set you back a couple Benjamin's). It was clearly and want, not a need...so I wasn't going to spend the money.

To my surprise, after my non-prize receiving 3rd place finish at the Tom Sawyer Triathlon, my wife decided that she wanted to get the GPS-enabled watch that I'd been wanting. I was surprised that she knew the exact watch that I wanted (Garmin Forerunner 405), and it was funny to listen to her rattle off all of the features the day that she surprised me with it. I guess I had mentioned which one I wanted a few several times.

So not only does the watch give me more info that I can even use while training, it allows me to wirelessly download ALL of this information to my computer...and more importantly, to the Training Peaks website. This is the website that I will use from now on for planning and tracking my workouts. Here's some screenshots from the Training Peaks website (click on each picture to view a larger image - then use your browser's BACK button to return to the blog):

Calendar of all my workouts - if I click on one of them, I get the following pop-up:

This workout summary detail shows time, distance, speed, elevation gain and calories burned. I can click on the "Reports, Map & Graph" botton and see this:

The Reports page shows me info on how long I was in each heart rate zone as well as min, max and avg heart rate data. It also shows me how many miles I have on my current pair of shoes (I'm already up to 155)!

If I click on Map & Graph, I get what you see above. A map of my route and a graph showing heart rate, elevation and pace from my entire workout.

Lots of cool stuff from this website - all made possible by the Garmin Forerunner 405! What an awesome invention!

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:

BRICK

Bike

Covered 13.36 miles in 39:50 (20.1 mph). Good ride with lots of rolling hills and s steep climb at the end. I wasn't sure how I would feel after my week of battling a stomach virus, but my legs responded well.
Avg HR = 145 bpm

Transition

Approx. 2:40

Run

Covered 4.30 miles in 31:20 (7:17 min/mile pace). All the info pictured above from Training Peaks is of this run. My legs felt heavy for about half a mile, then loosened up. My body responded surprisingly well and I had a lot more energy than I expected. Taking Friday and Saturday off and getting lots of extra rest was the trick to my recovery - I should have done this much earlier in the week...I know better!
Avg. HR for the run = 165 bpm 

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

58 minutes on the bike. Nothing special here, just a tough Spin Class at the gym with lots of good intervals. Got the HR into Zone 4 for 15 minutes of the ride, and even touched zone 5 for a few seconds!
Avg HR = 140 bpm
Max HR = 162 bpm

Almost Back to Normal

I've been battling a stomach virus all week. It hit me Monday afternoon and came in waves all week long. I took Tuesday off thinking a few hours of extra sleep would help me heal up. Feeling a little better, I attempted to continue with my planned workouts on Wednesday and Thursday...neither of which worked out very well. After four days of watching what I was eating and cutting my workouts short, I actually felt worse Thursday night than I had all week. So I decided to hit the sack early and sleep until I didn't feel tired. My body was fighting this virus and by getting up early and working out and continuing to eat, I wasn't giving my body a chance to fight. So I skipped yesterday's workout and worked from home, taking naps throughout the day. I also fasted (with the exception of a piece of toast, a banana and some applesauce) all day.

Good news is that I'm feeling a lot better this morning. Still no workout and I'm limiting what I eat today in hopes of getting in a good workout in the morning. With only a week to go until the Boilerman Triathlon, I need to get back to 100% and have a good week of healthy eating and short, high intensity workouts. It will be interesting to see how I feel once I get back on the bike or try to run. I've lost 7 pounds this week and I'm down to 171. Hopefully I can start getting larger amounts of food down in the next few days and get back to 175 or so by next Sunday!

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

45 minutes on the bike.
The plan was to ride for 30 minutes, do the 45 minute Spin Class, then get in a good swim session. After only a few minutes on the bike, I knew that it wasn't going to happen. I was very tired and didn't even have the energy to get me heart rate above 120. Spin Class started and I attempted to keep up, but for the first time ever, I had to bow out and leave only 15 minutes into the class. I took a quick shower and headed into work, feeling defeated. I normally wouldn't try and workout when feeling like I was Thursday morning, but the two weeks before a race are very important and I wanted to do something. Turns out nothing would have probably been a better idea. Here's my heart rate chart from the "workout". As you can see, it was a struggle to even make it into zone 2:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

If you read nutrition labels at all, you know that you should try to avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  It is a sweetener and preservative used in many soda's and fruit drinks. It is made by changing the sugar in cornstarch to fructose. The end product is used to extend the shelf-life of processed foods and drinks, and is cheaper than sugar.

Consuming too much of any sweetener has the potential to promote obesity - which, in turn, promotes diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

So why do I mention all this? Well, the manufacturers of HFCS have found out that people are starting to look for it on labels and are avoiding products that contain it. So what are they doing? They are changing it's name. It will now be called "corn sugar". New name - same stuff.

They claim that they are doing this to ease confusing over what HFCS actually is, but I have a feeling that they other motives...especially since they are also launching a marketing campaign. Hmmmmm.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Run

8.54 miles in 1:14:36 (8:44 min/mile pace)
Wednesday has been my long, zone 2 run day for the last few months. Training plan for today called for 18 miles....and I was excited to go. Even had on my brand new fuel belt full of Gatorade! 

I've been battling a stomach virus since Monday morning, so I was having my doubts about what I was going to be able to do today before I even took that first step. I revised my planned route so that I didn't venture too far from from the gym...so that I could get back quickly if nature called. Sure enough, I had to cut my run short due to things out of my control (I'll spare you the details). I felt bad (no energy and stomach cramps) pretty much the whole run, but especially after mile 3. Here are my splits...note how my pace dropped off staring at mile 4:

Triathlon Dominator

I first heard the name Ben Greenfield back in April while searching for triathlon related podcasts on iTunes. I listen to podcasts to help pass the time while I am doing my long rides on the indoor bike. Ben has a podcast called "Ben Greenfield Fitness". This weekly podcast gives lots of good info on training, nutrition and triathlon overall. He knows a lot about the sport and with his background in exercise physiology and biomechanics, as well as being a personal trainer and tri coach, he's someone who's opinion I value.


While listening to one of his podcasts, he discussed his "Triathlon Dominator" training program. He developed this Ironman (or Half-Ironman) training plan for those people who do not have the 20-30 hours a week most feel is required to train for a full Ironman distance triathlon.


I was immediately intrigued. I can squeeze in 12-15 hours of training a week during most weeks and maybe do 16 or 18 hours every once in a while. Time was really my limiting factor is my decision to not race Ironman this year. I felt that I just didn't have the time required to train properly. Here's the sales pitch:

"The Triathlon Dominator Package is your ultimate solution to 1) defying the myth that the you have to give up your life to train for Ironman triathlon, to 2) obtaining for yourself a complete, scientifically designed, step-by-step training, nutrition and lifestyle roadmap to cross the Ironman finish line with zero guesswork; and 3) a comprehensive solution to be 100% confident in your triathlon body, your Ironman fitness and the fact that you didn't have to neglect work, wife, children, family and life to achieve your dream."

After doing some research and reading lots of testimonials, I decided to bite the bullet. I'll share lots more info on the "package" later on. I downloaded the training plan today and my first day of training for Ironman 2011 is officially Monday, December 20th. So much for a relaxing Christmas week!


FRIDAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

2 hours on the indoor bike in Zone 2...building endurance
Same workout as the last few Friday's - I did a 10 minute warm-up, then increased my heart rate to zone 2 (125-137 bpm) and held it there for an hour and forty minutes, then did a 10 minute cool-down.
Avg HR = 131 bpm
Max HR = 139 bpm


YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:

BRICK

Bike

Covered 13.43 miles in 38:47 (20.8 mph). Good ride with lots of rolling hills. I pushed it pretty hard to try and simulate how my legs would feel coming off the bike during the race. 
Avg HR = 149 bpm with most of the time (over 24 minutes) spent in Zone 4.

Transition

Approx. 3 minutes

Run

Covered 3.06 miles in 21:53 (7:09 min/mile pace). My legs felt heavy at first, but began to fire after about half a mile. The first half of the run is mostly downhill, then I turned around and went back up the incline. My average heart rate increased each mile I ran (159, 165, 170), which isn't ideal, but considering I was able to hold my same pace going back up the hill, I would expect an elevated heart rate.
Avg. HR for the run = 165 bpm 

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

50 minutes on the bike. Nothing special here, just a tough Spin Class at the gym.  Instructor really pushed us with lots of hill work and intervals. 
Avg HR = 131 bpm
Max HR = 157 bpm

Weights

30 minutes of legs with some arms and chest mixed in.

I Thought Running Was GOOD For Your Body

Relax, running IS good for your body. It sheds fat and makes your body lean and your heart strong. But, it does have some side effects...see if any of these issues sound familiar:

1. Runners Trots - Thought I'd start off with the fun one! When you run, your intestines get jostled around and move any contents they may have on down the "road". This can result in some unexpected cramps that have you desperately looking for a bathroom. Best way to avoid this is to stay clear of fiber and any new foods 24 hours before a long run.
2. Nipple Irritation - This usually only pertains to men...unless you are a woman who runs bra-less (there's lots of jokes here, but I will leave it alone). Sweat is a mix of mostly water and salt, and a few other minerals. When the water evaporates, you are left with salt. I'm sure you've all seen a white streak on your face or arms after a long workout. This salt is abrasive and makes the makes a sweaty shirt rubbing on a nibble feel like sandpaper! The solutions include wearing bandaids on your nips or a tightly fitted mositure-wicking shirt.
3. Leg Twitching (aka the "Jimmy Legs")- If your legs twitch when you lay down to go to bed at night, you are not alone. When you have a hard workout, you lose sodium and calcium, which are responsible for muscle relaxation. If these electrolytes haven't been replaced, your muscles can't relax. To keep this from happening, don't skip your post-workout meal or get up and drink some milk if you are already in bed.
4. Black Toenails - For regular runners, getting a black toenail is not a matter of if, but when. Three things cause this not-so-beautiful pedicure. A shoe that's too small, a toenail that comes in contact with the top of your shoe too often, and using your toes to "grip" when you run. Usually, they just look bad, but if they hurt, there's is something you can do. Heat up the end of a safety pin with a match and press it through the top of your toenail to release the pressure. If you are too big of a scaredy-cat to do that...go see your doctor. The nail will eventually die and fall off, with a new one growing underneath or after the old one is gone.
5. Side Stitches - This is caused by breathing. Your diaphragm is the muscle that controls your breathing. It is attached to your liver on the right side. When you run, the attaching ligaments stretch, which stresses the diaphragm and causes pain. You can slow down or take deep, slow breaths to ease the pain. These are more typical for beginners, so keep running...and they will eventually go away.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:

Run

16.88 miles in 2:22:39 (8:27 min/mile pace)
Pretty good run, although I found it hard to get me heart rate HIGH enough. This usually isn't the problem, but my heart was telling my legs that they could go faster but the legs just didn't have it in them. I still got in a good Long Slow Run, which by the way, was the furthest my legs have ever carried me! I plan on breaking this new record next week!
Avg HR = 151 bpm
Max HR = 161 bpm

Here's my HR data from the run (notice that the majority of the time was spent in Zone 1):

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

55 minutes on the bike: 10 minute warm-up followed by 45 minute Spin Class
Some really good long intervals today, ranging from 1 minute to 3 minutes in length
Avg HR = 129 bpm
Max HR = 150 bpm

Swim

1776 yards (1 mile) in 33:04 (1:52/100yd pace)
I felt pretty good during the swim, focusing on sighting and body position.

My Mind Wanders

During every run and ride now my mind seems to drift towards next year's Ironman. It's only been 6 days since I signed up, but this race, which according to the handy countdown clock to the left of this post is still 356 days away, is dominating my thoughts as I train.

As difficult as it might be, I need to refocus. I still have two races left this year...one of which (The BoilerMan Triathlon) is only three weeks away. My training has been going well, but as I get down to the last few weeks before the last triathlon of the season, I need to be thinking about this race, not one that I won't run until next August. I've had mixed results this year in Olympic distance races and I want to finish the season on a high note - so doing well in West Lafayette is very important.

I doubt I will be able to push the thoughts of Ironman out of my head anytime soon; and it was once again the first thing I thought of as I hopped on my bike this morning. The sun had just come up and it was a very Autumn like, 52° F. That's down right chilly for riding a bike. I couldn't help but think about the drastic difference between the temperature this morning and what it was just one week ago - the morning of the 2010 Louisville Ironman. It was more than 20 degrees warmer as the athlete's started their race. As the morning turned into afternoon, the temperature rose to 92° F. As I type this today, just one week later, it's a very comfortable 78° F outside, with little to no humidity. Is it too early to start hoping for weather like today next August 28th???

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

2 hours on the indoor bike in Zone 2...building endurance
Same workout as last Friday - I did a 10 minute warm-up, then increased my heart rate to zone 2 (125-137 bpm) and held it there for an hour and forty minutes, then did a 10 minute cool-down. I listened to a podcast on why you should use microwaves - interesting stuff!
Avg HR = 131 bpm
Max HR = 142 bpm

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:

Run

6.76 miles in 50:16 (7:24 min/mile pace)
Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to run at "race pace" on my Saturday morning runs. The distance has varied a little bit, but the object is to get my body used to running at this pace (or faster) for 6.2 miles (10K), which is the run distance for the BoilerMan Triathlon.
These runs are done at a pace slightly above comfortable, but they are not all-out...I save that effort for my intervals. The goal is to be able to hold this pace longer without my HR climbing out of zone 3 (163-168).
8/14 - 5.32 miles (7:18 pace) - out of zone 3 around 3.5 miles
8/21 - 6.19 miles (7:30 pace) - out of zone 3 around 4.5 miles
8/28 - 5.27 miles (7:11 pace) - out of zone 3 around 3.75 miles
9/4 - 6.76 miles (7:24 pace) - out of zone 3 around 5.8 miles

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Bike

20.33 miles in 1:01:24 for a pace of 19.9 mph
I've done this same ride three times now, and today was my slowest...by over a minute. I was feeling kind of sluggish, but honestly my hands and feet were numb for the majority of the ride. Here's a comparison from the previous time I did this ride and this morning:

So what jumps out when comparing the two rides? It's hard to tell, but my top speed on the downhills was a little slower today. I got up to 37 mph on the downhill at mile 7 on 8/22 and only reached 35 mph today. On the downhill at mile 11, I got up to 38 mph on 8/22 and only up to 36 mph today. I'm blaming it on the windchill!

Ironman Registration

E-mail confirmation of my 2011 Louisville Ironman Registration:

I've registered for lots of triathlons and road races over the last few years, but this one was definitely unique. Typically you are just asked your name, age, and your USAT Member number. The Ironman registration asked a total of 30 questions. Here's some of the things that they require participants to answer:

- Country you will represent

- 5 questions on existing and past medical issues

- Do you wear contact lenses?

- Your insurance provider and policy number

- Your hometown newspaper and TV station

- Athletic accomplishments

- Level of education

- Occupation

- Professional or academic honors

- Why are you competing the Ford Ironman?

- Significant information regarding your training

The registration literally took me 20 minutes to complete. I'm not sure what they do with all this information, I guess I'll find out.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Run

15.0 miles in Zone 2, completed in 2:07:09 (8:29 min/mile pace)
Pretty good run this morning, I was able to keep my HR in zone 2 for all but 22 minutes of the run and still maintain a decent pace.
Avg HR = 158 bpm
Max HR = 167 bpm

Here's one of the charts that I get from Training Peaks, the new website that I use to track my workouts. This chart shows the amount of time I was in each HR Zone.