DO WORK

After the broken toe, I thought I was in the clear. Well, not really! Monday and Tuesday were really good....but Wednesday was another story. I got some stomach virus that's been going around.

This thing was BAD and I mean bad. I woke up on Wednesday like a freight train ran over the front of my head. I couldn't eat anything and was so weak I could barely walk around. I didn't know what was going on. I thought maybe I was dehydrated since the weather had changed and we were seeing warmer temps but that really wasn't the case. I went back to bed at noon and woke up feeling a little better. I decided to go out for a bike ride since it was like 80 degrees outside and I'd kick myself later if I didn't at least try and workout. After about an hour, I felt like I was going to pass out. I was so tired and dizzy I almost called for a ride back home.

Later that day I ran a Google search and came up with a CNN report about a winter stomach virus that was going around. It literally described every symptom I had. Bad news was that it usually goes away in 10 days. How long? No way I could deal with 10 days of this!

Thursday I woke up feeling better but horrible when I got out on the bike. 90 minutes into the ride, my stomach felt the worst yet. I couldn't take anything down. I was so nauseous. I turned around and packed it in after 3 hours or so and went to bed. Later on that day I tried to swim but it only made me feel worse. Friday was a little better and I decided to run. The run really didn't bother me. The swim later in the day did! Same situation as Thursday.

Saturday things were starting to look better. Running was a little tough on Saturday and Sunday because of some cramping. I think its the virus still hanging out....not really sure. It's Sunday night and I'm feeling much better...about 80% on the stomach front.

On a good note: I can't feel my broken toe. What I mean is, it doesn't hurt when I exercise. Kind of achy when I put fins on but A-OK on everything else. Good Stuff.

This week was the first week with any sort IM specific intensity or focus. Tuesday was a good day as I always look forward to a 3-Sport brick. One discipline right after another, race simulation style...just without all the crazy intensity. Tuesday was a 4200 yard straight set...followed by a steady 50 mile bike...followed by a moderate 10k run. It was a beautiful day and I had a blast. I truly enjoy these workouts and look forward to the next several weeks as I will implement these into my regimen on a weekly basis.

My swimming has really started to come alive this year. During Tuesday's brick, I cleared the 4200 yard swim in a drag suit in a hair over 1 hour at "1:00:12". My pace was steady and nothing more. Zero speed and zero emphasis on anything hard. I tend to have my best swims when I just let my body settle in and find it's own rhythm. I stated the drag suit as I swim most every day in a drag suit. When I wear a Speedo, Tri-Shorts or Blue Seventy's Point Zero3 Skin Suit, I'm at a "minimum", 3-5 seconds a 100 faster. Although you'll never catch me in anything but a drag suit for training...race day's another story.

2 weeks out from a race that doesn't allow wetsuits, I'll drop the drag suit and dawn the speed-suit to get used to the speed changes I'll see come race morning. It's really amazing how much faster you become with less effort using a drag suit in training and a speed suit like the one I mentioned earlier during the race.

On a mental training note: My swimming has been very different this year, training that is. I really don't have any special regimen when going to the pool. When I step on deck, I really have no idea what I'll be doing. I assess everything in the opening 100 yards. Some days your body just doesn't have it, so why do something just because the schedule tells you too. I've gone to the pool so many times with intentions on one thing and ended up doing another? These days I think about it on the drive there or in the locker room...jump in the water...and either go with it or change it based on the way I feel.

Thank goodness the stomach thing sort of left my system Friday as I was finally able to get in that long run I've been aching to do. It was a true please to run long again as I look so forward to every second I can just get out and listen to the shoes slapping the pavement. No headphones, no distractions to take away from the enjoyment I get while out on the road. Oh yeah...I was so happy the broken toe didn't affect anything as well....whew!

I was also able to get out on the road bike Sunday for another solid effort and wrap the week up with some solid bike volume. In the next couple weeks, I'll leave the road bike world and jump on the TT bike. Trying something new this year on the cycling front.

Swim was way down but that will change next week starting tomorrow.

Until then....

Mg

I really need to stop running into things. In Florida it was the sign! Saturday it was a tree root along a very hard and technical trail run.

This week has really been a mess. Not a typical week and definitely not what I had in mind as I went into Monday. The weather was horrible. Cold, windy, freezing on some days. It just wouldn't turn in my favor.

If you've viewed my training log, you can see I spent almost every day in the pool prior to the weekend. Reason...yep! Every morning was the same thing....Freezing cold. I told myself..just get to the pool and maybe afterwards it'll be warm up enough to ride outside. Not really the case. I spent the majority of my workouts on a trainer, or on a treadmill.

When it did finally warm up outside...the wind picked back up, gusting to 35mph+ on Saturday. I decided this would be the day to do a long run and an easy middle distance ride. Save the long one for tomorrow was the thought rolling through my head. Forecast was calling for some beautiful weather on Sunday and I wanted every part of that.

There's a 9 mile trail out at Grapevine Lake. Super technical and almost crazy scary in some parts. I've never done a trail run and had been told it was an awesome workout. I figured what the heck.....9 mile out and 9 miles back. 18 would make a good days worth of work...especially since I was only planning a 3 hour ride afterwards.

I had no idea what to expect. I laced up my DS Trainers and off I went. Yeah, barely a trainer...more like a racing flat.

To be honest, other than landing on rocks and uneven terrain...that more or less bruised the bottom of my left foot....the run was going awesome. I was flying....having the time of my life. I felt like I was in a dream or some sort of wild adventure. Remember...this was my first trail run.

At mile 8 or so....I hit a tree stump or so I think it was. When I hit it, I was turning a small corner and going full speed. I T-Boned that stump like nobody else. I flew forward and barely caught myself before hitting the ground. I knew something was a miss. My foot felt weird but I could still walk and run on it without utter pain. I figured it was just a toe jam and I would be fine.



At mile 9 I had to stop. I turned around and made my way back to a camp ground I saw around mile 8. I didn't have a phone and really didn't want to walk 9 miles back to the other side of the lake. Some lady saw me limping and asked if I was OK. I told her what happened and her nice husband gave me a ride back to my side of town. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what they did. They didn't have to be so nice and thoughtful. It's always nice to meet people like that.

Anyway, after that little debacle....I was pissed. The whole ride home I was thinking about IMAZ. What was I going to do now. I came home and immediately jumped on the trainer to see if it would bother me to ride. Much to my surprise...everything felt fine.

I woke up this morning and the toe was now twice as big and purple. I guess the swelling and bruising set in over night. I figured it would be best to have it x-rayed and get some idea what I was dealing with. The X-Ray show a piece of bone chipped off. I guess that OK. It's not like the bone is cracked and has to heal. It's already broken off.

When I got home I immediately jumped on the bike to see if all was good. I went out for an easy 2 hour ride and felt wonderful. When I got home I just had to know how bad it was. I laced up my shoes and went out for an easy 2.5 mile run. Everything was fine other than a little tenderness after 20 minutes. I decided to stop and let it rest. After the run I jumped in the pool and turned a few laps.

Looks like everything is going to be fine. Swollen, Bruised and a little sore. Other than that...everything seems to be ok while swimming, cycling or running. I might back off a bit from the running over the next week and see how things go...but as far as cycling...the weather's opened up and it will be 70's all week long. I'll be right in that saddle and it couldn't be better timing with Ironman 8 weeks away! I'm so thankful things weren't any worse...given the circumstances...

Talk to you next week....

Mg

If you look at my log you'll notice I'm back at it this week. The recovery week I took paid off and paid off big. The volume I laid down this week was both substantial and all quality! Needless to say I'm feeling strong and ready more than ever for next weeks sessions. I've got something a little extra special for next week. More on that next Sunday....

I took my cycling right back up to where it should be right now. The goal was 20 hours on the bike but fell a little short with only 18. Reason? Yeah...the inconsistent weather and the stinking wind! Tuesday I rode 6 hours. The first 2 hours and the last hour were into a 25mph headwind. In the end....I was pretty spent. Throw in a 3 mile transition run and that's all she wrote.

Wednesday I took it down a bit to recover from Tuesday's ride. After Wednesday...the sun went away and on came the cold....Monday through Wednesday's temps were around the high 50's to the high 60's. On Thursday....the temp dropped to the mid 30's and I was back inside. I just get so stir crazy on a trainer.

Today I made it back outside for a steady 60 miles. Temperature was still in the low 40's but I needed to feel the road again. Never mind the fact that I lost the sensation in my toes after 90 minutes. Since I've never been one for riding with socks...I suppose I got what I asked for! I felt really good...really strong and that's important right now.

Tomorrow's weather should be rainy and 60. Dude, that sucks! I get another 60 degree day but it's raining. On Tuesday...it will be 30 something and by Friday were back into the 60's through the weekend. I'm sure you need no clue what I'll be doing those 3 days. Remember that bit of extra special training I was talking about. I'll give you a hint...it will always revolve around the sun!

Off to bed.....

Mg

This past week I decided to take it down. Seemed like a good idea seeing how Arizona's now 10 weeks out. I rolled through some of my early logs from last year and noticed that I had huge gains after a down week and at least 2 days of rest mixed in. Since I haven't had a complete day off in a little over 3 months, I figured maybe some r-n-r was due.

All in all, it was an extremely smart move. I'm more excited to hit the next few weeks and my legs and body couldn't feel better. Even some of the most talented athletes can be idiots when it comes to down time and rest. The push, push, push attitude always seems to over-ride any rationale thoughts we're supposed to have.

When I played golf, I'd occasionally go through a funk period where things didn't click. A handful of chilly-peppers or a half dozen shanks would always let me know when I'd overdone it. When this happened, I always had the smarts to step back, catch a break...maybe some basketball, video games, late night drinkin with the fellas, whatever would take my mind off the sport. Needless to say, when I came back..my mind and my body forgot what it was doing wrong, and positioned itself right back into alignment.

Come to think about it. If I picked up a set of clubs, I'd probably shoot high 70's - low 80's, maybe scratch after a couple weeks worth of practice. I've never been able to shake golf. It was bred into my blood and it's like walking. While it was always a nice talent to have, I could never take it to that next level. Probably because I never stayed consistent with it. I could never hit the numbers I needed in order to succeed. I would have always been a sub par player in the eyes of those that mattered... Reason? I never stayed with it. I never put in the time needed to develop. It's not that I didn't have the talent. There were just so many other things occupying my mind and I definitely wasn't a child "self disciplined" enough to keep on the straight and arrow with golf. Things like skateboarding would come into play, video games, bmx bikes, anything that didn't require practice or any solid structure. I'd bounce in and out of golf like a kid in a candy store. Since my father taught me when I was 4 years old, I never really remember learning....only playing. Like I said, playing was the easy part....staying dedicated enough to get any good....that was another story.

I always tell my buddies who ask about my past days as a golfer that if you want to play with the Pro's, you've got to fire high 60's on a pretty regular basis...at least at your local club. If you can't do that, you'll put up high 80's, maybe 90's on a pro-cut track (course)!

Back to Triathlon and my current life....

I was actually thinking about starting back up today with an 8 hour bike. I know. The day was beautiful and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather. I've been aching to ride super long for a while now but never taken the opportunity to do so. In the end, I resisted the urge and took another zero today. I wanted to recharge one last time before my final 10 week push to Ironman.

Resisting an urge to push the envelope, go that extra mile or put in that extra hour of training has really been hard this season. It might have to do with the physical changes taking place within my body or possibly the mental. It could be because my desire to do well this year is far stronger than the prior 3 combined. While all these things can be solid assets, they can be great liabilities as well. Needless to say, holding back has definitely taken on a special meaning.

I think most of us struggle at the end of workout's or during sessions while our legs and minds are fresh. At the end of a 90 minute run when were not as tired as we thought....why not push the pace...finish strong. These times always seem to arise when were feeling our best. I seriously doubt people go out when there run down thinking about a 20 min tempo run. These are the pitfalls most athletes make.

The temptation is always there. Since were all various athletes with different goals...there's no one answer to solve the problem....only options. When situations like that arise for me, especially now, I try to think about the next day's workout. I ask myself various questions. Is what your thinking about doing going to impact tomorrow's session. Are you in a base, build or peak phase. For me, I'm in a base building phase.

I've got another long season ahead....with Ironman Arizona in April, and Ironman Florida in November....that pretty much sums up my year. In the end, the answer's always easy for me. If the workout falls into a situation that may affect my week or the next days workout...anything that would break consistent training....it's a wash and a waste of time.

Back to the long ride. Hopefully I can put the final touches on a solid base and role up the final weeks up with some race specific prep. I'll save my workouts over the next couple weeks for my next blog and training log entry. I'm gearing up for some pretty exciting training over the next couple months so I'll make sure and update consistently with various changes.

Until next week....

Mg