Half Ironman Training: Week 1

My "Off Season" is officially over.  Quotations are necessary because it wasn't much of an off season.  I got a ton of specific work done on the bike and on the run, and I'm pleased with my progress!  The 12 week block kicked my ass most days, but in a good way!  I now have a great base fitness to build on, which will be happening throughout the remainder of the winter and spring.  Starting this last Monday, the volume will be going through the roof....

As Dwight Schrute would say,.......

Yes, Dwight.  Indeed it is...

Changes for me shall include:

• Workouts will no longer be somewhat optional.  Not that they were to begin with, really...
• Early morning workouts will be happening... NOOOO!!!! I'm committing myself to 3 a week. I can do this!
• Focus each workout as it would pertain to a race (negative splits, Mark...)
• Swimming!  Yeah, I'm getting back in the pool to flop around!  Cuhrazy!
• Cut back on some resistance training, but increasing the foam rolling to aide in recovery.  Ouch....

The first week in my plan resembled the previous few weeks of training, but I added my first swim in over 3 months!  The swim itself did. Not. Go. Well.  I didn't drown (that's a plus), but I was barely moving.  My splits were pretty sad, but I knew the speed would be gone after the layoff.  Now I get to work on getting it back....

My overall week, however, was great!  I got in every workout, and was pleased with paces/speed/intensity throughout my runs and rides!  

I got in my first double digit run of 2012 (10 milezzz), and fit in the largest amount of run volume since late August!  

I'm hoping the consistency stays with me, but I know it won't.  And I'm okay with that.  I just want to make sure I get in what I can, without hurting my school/work/home life.  Ahh, let the 'real' balancing act begin....

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday's Semi Long Run

With school in full swing already, I took advantage of my morning off work and school by getting some ever-growing homework done, and heading out for a semi-long run before work! Yeah!!! That never happens...

The training plan called for an hour run today, with a few half mile and mile repeats at around a 7:15/pace. No problem, right?  Hmmm.... wrong.  My legs were feeling it WELL before the run started.  Actually, I really noticed they were pretty sore as soon as I stepped out of bed.

The fatigue is probably from the long run Sunday, but might be due to swimming.  I've finally made it back into the pool this week, after a 3-4 month layoff.  Yeah, I know... shame on me.... Future post: "how to not lose your swim fitness" where basically I will tell you to not do what I did....

Okay, back on track.  My legs were pretty fatigued, but after a few cups of coffee, an ample breakfast, and a couple hours of studying, I was ready for a stroll in the park.  I headed to the Indian Creek Trail, where I did Sunday's run, and headed south.

It looked like it was about to rain when I got there.  Temps were in the low to mid 30s, so a bit brisk, but after a couple repeats, I was getting a bit warm.  There was literally no one out on the trail.  I was kinda surprised.  This weekend, it was bumpin' (like da clubz).  I guess everyone was working, after all, I was on the trail at 10:30am on a Wednesday.

I even ran to another CITY!!!

To avoid my wardrobe issues from Sunday's run, I chose to wear some tights.  Like Robin (in da) Hood! Ohhh!

Don't be impressed... I stuffed socks in my tights to give the illusion of calf muscles....

This prevention technique worked with great success.  It also kept me quite warm during the run.  But, it did come at a cost.

My inner monologue:
"Mark,  dude (yes I say dude), you are wearing tights..."
"Inner Mark, I know brahhh.  I can't keep flashing people.  I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is frowned upon..."
"Girls wear tights. I'm pretty sure those are Rach's..."
"Uh tons of manly men wear these things.  Superman, Batman, Spiderman"
"All fictional characters"
"Apollo Ohno.  That dude just ran the New York City Marathon, according to every Subway commercial I have seen since November...Uh, and there was no tag in these, so how do I know?"

This goes on for awhile.

Anyways, I had a great run, and was able to "rollercoaster" split my 3 1mile repeats.

Mile 1: 7:12-----Low
Mile 2: 7:18-----High
Mile 3: 7:13-----Low

Yeah, not negative, but I'll take it.  I got in just under 8 miles in a little over an hour!  That's already 25 miles ran this week! Alright!!!

My "8 Miles in Before Working" face

I had pretty good timing, too.  As soon as I got to my car, it started raining!

Hope everyone is kicking some ass this week. I'm just taking names....

Thanks for reading!

Short Shorts and a Long Run!

Yesterday, temps were in the 10s and 20s.  Today, temps were in the 40s and 50s.  Welcome to Kansas.

With the nice temps, I was really excited to head out for a long run along the Indian Creek Trail in south Kansas City.  I usually head north on the trail, but decided to head south today, into a nice and steady headwind. I love running along the trail, and enjoy the landscapes.  However, I do not enjoy jumping every time I hear a squirrel rustling in leaves... I did a long out and back, with some half mile and mile repeats to start out with.

A partially frozen creek! And I didn't drop my phone in!!!

Since the weather was nice, I just headed out in shorts and a long sleeve shirt.  Before I left, I had to snag a pair of shorts out of the dryer.  For some reason, the static electricity in the shorts was causing some "issues" while on the trail.  They kept creeping further and further up my legs, to the point where I thought I'd be flashing some oncoming runners a little more than my white and hairy thighs....  It reminded me of one of my favorite bloggers, Steve in a Speedo!

Looking good, Steve!

The trail was pretty busy with runners and walkers.  Every time I saw someone coming, I basically had to hold the ends of my shorts down with my hands.  I'm sure it made for some comical relief for the oncoming runners.  Hey, I'm always happy to do that!

The run, despite my wardrobe issues, went really well!  It was the longest run I've done since my half marathon training in October, and fit in just under 10 miles in 85 minutes!  My legs (and hip) felt pretty good throughout the run, even with the intervals!  I was really relieved, and hope all the stretching and strengthening I've been doing is paying off!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Thanks for reading!

South Carolina!

Last Thursday, I headed to South Carolina with Rach and her family to visit her brother and his family.  They had just had a baby, and we were planning on just "hanging out" and getting some quality family time in!

They live basically in the middle of nowhere, nestled somewhere between Anderson, SC and Greenville, SC.  The geography was kinda different from Kansas.  The rural area where they lived had a good amount of trees and forest, which was really cool.  Also random, but along the country roads you could find a $500,000 house nestled right next to a trailer park.  We actually saw this on a few occasions.  Odd....

3 out of the 4 total flights were delayed during the trip, which isn't too surprising, but we arrived in South Carolina around 1:00am Friday morning.  We had planned on getting in around 11:45pm, so the delay kinda stunk.  It was really eery getting off the plane and walking into an ENTIRELY EMPTY airport...

Creepy...

Training while I'm traveling is tough.  I don't travel often, so when I leave KC, my motivation for training is usually not packed with all my stuff.  Or maybe it's lost with other baggage... I was able to squeeze in a short easy run along the country roads.  I was really turned around and was having trouble getting my sense of direction, so I stayed fairly close to the house, and did some repeats on a nice country road with some rollers.

AAAAND that's all I did.  During the 5 day trip, I got one 45 minute run in.... Yeah, not so good... But I had fun! I already know I lost a little fitness due to my layoff, but I'm sure I will get it back after a few consistent weeks!

While we were there, we basically just lounged during the morning, and ventured out during the early afternoons!  Clemson University is about 25 minutes away, and Rach's bro is a project manager for one of the new buildings under construction.  We decided to meet him for lunch, and cruised around Clemson to check out an ACC school!

A quick peek at Clemson's football stadium

Slightly bigger than ol' Memorial Stadium at KU

I was really surprised to find out that Clemson is actually a fairly small school, with an enrollment around 15,000 students, which is less than half the size of KU.

Another little adventure had us going to Greenville, SC and checking out their downtown area!  There was a Main St drag, which contained tons of little shops and restaurants!  We stopped in a general store, and loaded up on some CANDY!!!

The candy section.  I consumed 2.15 lbs in a matter of a few hours.... 

After a short little jaunt (?) down the strip, we checked out a waterfall.  It was surprising to see, especially right in the middle of the downtown area.

Perfect nature photo, minus the suspension bridge

All in all, it was a great trip, and was really great to see Rach's family and kids (not Rach's kids...).  It was probably the perfect little getaway, especially right before my school semester starts and training REALLY begins for IM Kansas.

Now I'm quickly trying to get back in the flow of school, work, and training!

Thanks for reading!

Old Lady Hip

No, that's not my new nickname.  It's basically what my left hip has been feeling like recently.

After the last couple weeks, my hip has been a little tender following runs.  I thought it was no big deal, and after icing and stretching, it felt normal.  This last week, however, it's been really flaring up.  Ice is no longer dulling the pain, and I'm usually pretty sore the following day after a good run.

I'm thinking it's the early stages of bursitis, or inflammation of the fluid sac in yo hipz.  It's science.

I started looking back at race photos, you know, to re-live the moments and cry about the lack of current races.  However, I noticed in my last race, the KC Half Marathon, that my left knee appeared to be buckling inwards a bit.

My left knee is practically hitting my right knee!

Here's a comparison photo from the Cerner 15k, which I ran 1 month before KC.

Although a different angle, the left leg is looking straight!

These pictures hint at a muscle imbalance or abnormality in the hip, and made me watch my form during my last Sunday run.  Turns out, my left knee kept buckling inward, and hit my right knee on several occasions.  Not good, and probably a good sign as to why I'm having hip issues.

After discussing my issue with several PTs at work, it turns out my hips are weak, especially when moving my leg outward.  This makes sense, as all of my workouts take place in a "sagittal plane" (going anatomical on you), or moving forward (running, biking, swimming, etc.)  I rarely have any lateral movements, or to the sides, which probably work the weaker areas of my hips.

To make matters worse/better, I had a quick running evaluation today at work, where some co-workers completely tore apart my running form.  Needless to say, I now have quite a bit to work on :) !

I got some good hip strengthening exercises, stretches, and tips on improving my form (increase your cadence!!!).  I'm really hoping these exercises solve the problem, and make me a stronger runner!

I'm getting a good amount of rest the remainder of the week/weekend, as I'm going to be heading to South Carolina for a LONG weekend!  I only have 2 runs planned, and no biking/swimming.  I will definitely have time to rest the hip, and work in my new exercises!

Thanks for reading!

2012 Race Schedule

Alright!  I finally have next year set!

Haha...okay, not quite. But for the most part, I have every race narrowed down that I'm planning on doing. All that I'm still waiting on are some solid race times and placing in my age group! Let me explain:

Race Number 1 for 2012 is going to be the Westport St. Patrick's Day Run!  It's a 4 mile course, and will be the shortest race I have ever done!  Rach is going to do it too, and I'm shooting for a quick race!  I'm already trying to plan my "festive" outfit!

Next up will be the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon, on April 14, 2012.  This will be in the heart of my large volume training for the triathlon season, and I will probably be using this more as a training run of sorts.  Well, at least that's the plan right now...

Two weeks later, I will be doing my second 4-mile race of 2012, the Sabates Eye Center Trolley Run!  This is a fairly popular race in Kansas City, one that I've never done before.  I am hoping to qualify for the elite group by running a sub 7:30/mile pace at the Westport run in March.  The course is almost all downhill, so I'm expecting an INSANE finish time from this race!

Triathlon season OFFICIALLY begins on May 20! The Kansas City Triathlon will be my first triathlon of the year, and my first Olympic distance race!  The race will be part of the 5i50 Series, which will allow athletes to qualify for the Hyvee Triathlon 5i50 US Championships in September (this might be foreshadowing....).  Top 10 in each age group qualify, with the top 5 in each getting free race entries.  My guess is the race is going to be HUGE!!! Much bigger than previous years!

Next up is my A race!  My number one focus for 2012:  Ironman Kansas!  My first Half Ironman race is going to be the first triathlon I have ever seen!  I am already a bit nervous, as I hear the bike course is hilly and windy. But I'm putting in a good amount of saddle time already, and I will be ready to go come June 10! And I'm hoping Chrissie Wellington will be handing me my finisher's medal at the finish line!!!

July 8th, I will be defending my 2nd Place finish in the 25-29 age group at the Shawnee Mission Park Triathlon!  I will be doing the short course for the 2nd year in a row, and will try to focus on speed and trashing my legs on the hills!  Oh boy!

One week later, I will be doing the shortest race of my short career, and my first 5K!  I will be racing in the Sunflower State Games, and will be doing the Governor's Cup 5K race!  I will also be sporting some Team Beef gear, as they are the sponsor for the 5k and 10k!  I'm hoping my pace is better than my 13.1 pace!

After a month layoff to get my legs back under me, I'm going to be doing my first KLM race in Kansas City, the Jackson County Triathlon, Long Course.  The race promotors have had a long and sometimes "difficult" history in Kansas City, but I'm really hoping for a great race!  It's one of the longest standing triathlons in the Midwest, and I'm excited to see what I can do on the course!

And now we come to the undecided part of my schedule:  September.  What I am shooting for is a qualification spot in my age group for the Hyvee Triathlon 5i50 US Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.  It's probably one of the biggest Olympic Distance races in the world, and I think it would be incredible to qualify.

As I mentioned before, all I have to do is get in the top 10 in my age group at the Kansas City Triathlon. While this might seem easy/easyish, I'm pretty sure the race is going to be packed full of people wanting to qualify.  Plus, it's not my A race for the year, and I know I won't be tapering and peaking for the race.  I could still race at Hyvee if I don't qualify, but I think it would mean quite a bit more if I earned a spot!

 I'm probably going to be throwing in one more stand-alone run in October or November, depending on how my September looks, to round out the year at 10 planned races.  I'm still considering the Kansas City Half Marathon (again), or the Gobbler Grind Marathon in November.

Regardless, 2012 is shaping up to be a fun and race filled year!  I'm just hoping I can stay on top of my training, all the while remaining injury free!

Hope your year is looking great! Anyone racing any of these?  I'm looking to draft AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! Kidding... totally kidding.

Thanks for reading!

Dear Newbies...

I just found and read an AWESOME post on beginnertriathlete.com, addressing the feelings and thoughts that go along with signing up for your first triathlon.  I'm hoping there are a few brave peeps out there willing to give it a go in 2012, and I wanted to share this great post!  It was posted by The Tri Pirate. Hope you enjoy!

Dear Newbies,

Let me be, perhaps, the first to welcome you to our sport.  We are extremely glad you are here.  You should hear it first, from a humble triathlete, that we welcome you with open arms.  Do not be intimidated or put-off by anything you read here.  Every one of us, the 100x Ironman and the first-timer alike; we started where you are.  We started as a regular guy or gal - bitten by the bug of triathlon.  We started as one who was infected with an idea that we couldn't shake.  We started 100lbs overweight; as injured runners; as bored cyclists, as out of shape fathers and mothers; as home-makers, business-people, students, retirees, and more.  We are you.

I can confidently promise you many things that are true, and many things that are not.  

I can promise you, 100% guaranteed or your money back, that you will work hard.  You will train more days in a row than you thought possible.  You will gain energy with each completed swim, bike, and run.  You will be sore, and you'll grow to love the feeling.  You will feel what we call "the wall", and in that moment you will know despair and the desire to quit.  You will feel the victory of breaking through "the wall", and in that moment you will feel powerful, and unstoppable.  You will feel tired, accomplished, and proud - and upon completion of your first race, after months of training, planning, and trepidation, you will feel accomplished.

What will you not feel?  You will not feel motivated every day of the week.  You will not feel the beat of motivational music following you around like a YouTube video.  You will not feel stronger every workout (though when you look back week over week, you will).  You will not feel sure of yourself when your friends, family, and co-workers look at you as a crazy person for attempting the "impossible".  Triathletes are crazy.  They're young.  They're athleteic.  They're in great shape.  You must be crazy.

The truth, however, is that you are crazy.  You have been, for whatever reason, bitten by the triathlon bug.  If you've made it this far, finding this forum and this very post, it's too late for you.  You will continue your journey.  You will research equipment, training, nutrition, and races.  You will meticulously prepare yourself to achieve what you feel drawn to.  I know that right now you can't fully articulate or explain it; there is just something you have to do.  You have to swim, bike, and run - you have to finish something that you started.  Whether you have done your first workout/training session or not.  If you've made it this far, you've already started in your head.  You will be a triathlete.  You will join our ranks and be welcomed with open arms. You have only to complete your first race to assume your title officially.

How can we help?

Everything said is absolutely true.  There are times when I feel absolutely invincible, stringing together great workouts over the course of weeks.  There are also times when I have zero motivation to do anything because my legs feel like they are pumping battery acid. But I love this sport.  I love everything about it.  I love the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens.  There is truly nothing like it.  Be brave.  Do something you never imagined possible.

If you don't know where or how to start, try looking for a simple training plan.  I got my first one HERE! They are free, you just put in the work.  Or EMAIL ME! I may be still new to the sport, but I want to help anyone if I can.  

Thanks Tri Pirate for a great post, and a great start to 2012!

Thanks for reading!

2011 Training Totals

307 hours, 41 minutes, and 30 seconds.  That's the amount of time I spent exercising in 2011, according to my training logs.  This is kind of astounding to me.  This looks like a ton of time, but in reality, it's 'only' about 13 days.  13 days out of 365 doesn't seem to be too over the top, at least to me.

225 hours were spent specifically swimming, biking, and running.  During these hours, I covered a total of 2,535.25 miles.  This is equivalent to me swimming, biking, and running to Phoenix, AZ and back home to Overland Park, KS. And I'd still have ~150 miles remaining, just in case I got lost!

Tolls? NOOOO!!!

While I am really happy with the totals, I really could honestly care less.  I never had any goals this year based on mileage or time spent training.  Besides, 70% of the totals came after May.

Next year, I will have some somewhat specific totals I would like to attain, but not based on mileage.  I am now understanding that pace and intensity drastically influence your mileage totals.  I am planning on increasing the mileage a lot, but I would rather have quality workouts (consisting of specific goals and intensities), than quantity workouts (run or bike for a LONG time...).

The plan next year is to almost double everything, especially my swim time.  I don't think doubling my run time is necessary, or safe, but I do want to increase the frequency of my runs earlier in the season. And I'm getting my wish early.  I start a running-focused training block today!

I hope 2012 is off to a great start for you!

Thanks for reading!

A Windy Track Workout!

For my last workout of 2011, my plan called for some track intervals of 200s and 1000s, all at my heart rate zone 5 .  All in all, short and intense, just the way I like it!

Currently in Kansas, we are experiencing quite the December heat wave!  Usually by now, we have had at least one significant snow, and temps are usually hovering in the low to mid 30s.  We have yet to get any snow really (sooooo thankful), and today's forecast called for temps near 60 degrees!!! Unbelievable!

Before I left home, I checked the weather to make sure there wasn't any chance of rain.  Here's what weather.com had to say:

Looks pretty good, right? 63 degrees on New Year's Eve?!  Notice anything odd? How about challenging?!  Yeah.... the wind....

When I got to the track, which is in a large open parking lot, I knew it was going to be a tough day!  The wind was a howlin'!!!  I nearly lost my car door trying to get out!!! Even the recycling trash cans couldn't keep their lids closed!

I quickly began my warmup, starting with the wind behind me.  As soon as I rounded one of the bends, I hit the wind wall.  It wasn't quite head-on, but more from a diagonal. It was definitely slowing me down, but also blowing me to the side.  I could barely stay in my lane.  As I continued on with my workout, I could identify the exact spot the wind would hit me.  As soon as I was there, my pace would drop my nearly a full minute/mile!  That's insane!!! Luckily, my pace picked up quite nicely with the wind at my back!

After looking at my Garmin upload, it was pretty easy to see when I was running into the wind vs with the wind at my back during my 1000 yard intervals:

And a closer, more obvious look....

Usually, these are fairly sustained runs at an even pace, thanks to my Garmin.  With the wind, it looks like I was doing intervals INSIDE an interval!!! Maybe a new training technique!? My brain hurts...

After the 30 minutes was up, I headed to my car to get out of the wind!  I couldn't tell if my cheeks were windburned, sunburned (probably not from 30 minutes), or just toasted from the intervals!

Hiding from the wind, or hiding my "wind hair" from the public!

The wind made for an interesting workout, and a good end to 2011!

Again, hope everyone had a safe New Year's Eve, and now a New Year's Day full of regret and awkwardness!  YEAH!!!!

Thanks for reading!