Sunday Run With Friends

This morning was a great 90 minute run at Frank and Keri's place (friends of ours from trail running) it was an "athlete's Christmas party" with a sock exchange and a terrific breakfast. Nice to fit in a workout while connecting with friends. AD and I ran together the entire time and I think she was happy to run with me for once, I was happy too. Frank sounds like he is missing Ironman training, but is excited for his running events next year he's planning on doing an ultra-marathon and he and Keri will be joining us on the BC bike tour.

Yesterday was our usual trainer ride and we were both happy to keep it in zone 2 for the entire two hours. I was starting to feel really exhausted after 1hr 20mins but AD kept me going, thanks babe! We do make a great team.

The Saturday winter training environment...

Giving It All on the Bike!

Yesterday was a tough bike class at TCR, 10 one minute intervals at 110% threshold followed by a 4.5km TT and six one-legged intervals as a cool down. AD and I were still tired from a tough effort on the treadmill on Wednesday and our own tough bike training on Tuesday. I've gone to the well a few too many times this week and I paid for it during the attemped swim tonight. After 1500m I was done, the shortest swim work-out I think I've done in well over a year. Normally 2500m is my minimum but I just wasn't feeling it tonight. I'll rest up tonight and take it nice and easy on the trainer tomorrow, can't go a Saturday without some type of bike training!

Running to Stand Still

Yesterday AD and I decided to hit the gym after work, I've been working late every night and haven't felt much like training but sometimes I just need a swift kick from Amber to keep me motivated. Once I was in the gym I was ready to roll; I started by taking it easy on the treadmill 2% @ 8mph and gradually increased the incline by 2% every five minutes until I was doing 8% @ 8mph. At that time I was hurting and had to back off to 4%, but I was ready to gear up again during the 2nd half hour and hit 8% again.

Amber pushed herself too (I could tell by the strong running) it's probably not the best time of year to be doing intensity work, but damn we are going to be FAST for the early season races!

Great result in the cold weather

Yesterday was the fourth race in the Calgary Road Runners x-country series and I had a great result, better than other races anyway. Officially I finished third but Luke Way was ghost running the race and finished just ahead of me, so fourth. 34:46 was my time but it was a relatively good run given the cold weather. The 9mm spikes really helped with the soft snow and poor footing. The terrain was difficult to run in, it was like running in sand half the race and by the second lap I was really starting to tire out. I held on to the place I was in, even though I could feel myself running slower and slower, by the end I was completely spent. At least I earned my soup at the end.

8K
Plc Name Time Div Plc/Div
1 Trev WILLIAMS 33:56 M3039 1/11
2 Don KING 34:05 M3039 2/11
3 Darin HUNTER 34:46 M3039 3/11
4 Curtis SAMPSON 35:58 M3039 4/11
5 Adam SAVILLE 36:28 M1829 1/4
6 Bruce DALTON 36:39 M4049 1/17
7 Lindsay MCLAREN 38:06 F3039 1/8
8 Mark LEGGETTE 38:21 M4049 2/17
9 Laurence MARKS 38:23 M3039 5/11
10 Adam TEASDALE 38:40 M1829 2/4

Today we worked hard on the trainer for a couple hours while watching "Overcoming" the story of team CSC during the 2004 Tour de France. Very inspiring but even a Z2 effort can seem difficult the day after racing, great motivation though.

Easy day, finally

I know it seems like all my latest blog posts have been killer workouts but yesterday was an easy swim with AD. She was great to even get in the pool with me, given she didn't want to from the start. I managed to get in 2km, even though it was packed in the lane (damn sincro swimmers) I needed some recovery time before bike class tonight, apparently we're starting some TT work for the next few weeks.

We saw "The diary of Anne Frank" played out by some MRC students, it was really great and makes me appreciate the time and place we live in now. I have no reason to complain about anything in my life given what they went through in WWII. Imagine trying to live on rotten kale and potatoes for two years and never being able to go outside!

Long Runs are Not Supposed to Hurt like That!

Yesterday was a lot more painful than it was supposed to be. I started out okay, nice easy pace out towards Stanley Park and things felt pretty good. My legs were juiced from Saturday's ride and I knew it was going to be tough but the first half hour went quick. After reaching 4th street I started running into a really cold wind and the effort was extremely tough, I could tell that my speed dropped considerably but I was determined to get through it. This is where I started thinking about the run in an Ironman, your legs are tired, you're running into a tough wind, you're feeling depleted, and you just have to KEEP GOING! Don't stop, just think about completing the next five minutes and then the next, and so on...

I reached the top of the hill at River Park and my legs were completely solid, that climb is really steep and the lactic acid burn can really put a damper on your run. I kept shuffling and headed out towards South Glenmore park, one hour down, one more to go. I worked out the kinks in my legs and was going slower but feeling a little better. Once I reached the Rockyview hospital I felt low on calories so I downed a honey stick that AD bought at the farmer's market ages ago and immediately had a stomach ache. I kept running, drank some water and it went away after about 10 minutes. On the way back I hit the wall at 1hr 40 mins, 20 mins to go and I felt like I was in a daze, just trying to put one foot in front of the next, again I started thinking about the next five minutes but this time five minutes took forever! I had chaffing in between my legs, it was really cold out there, and I was starting to bonk, this run needs to end. I kept it up, struggling my way back home and feeling like I had just run a marathon. Another great day of training, is it November or June? Why am I running this hard now? Oh well, supposed to make you stronger, right.

Preparing for "long-run Sunday"

AD and I are having a great weekend, not really training because it's necessary but because we're just trying to stay in shape. Although it's still a little tough to get going when you are really comfortable sitting on the couch and you know you have to get out there for a run that your legs will hate you for. I keep telling myself that it is part of Ironman training, to make your body do a workout even though you really don't feel like it. I know I'll feel better afterwards and I don't really have any time or distance expectations right now so it's nice to run just because I love it.

Friday we did our usual swim and after taking off a week and a half from being in the water, it was a little tough. I got through 3km though and felt a lot better that I was back swimming. Yesterday we rode the bike for 2hrs I was stronger than last week, but it was AD's turn to be tired. We're getting ready to do an hour and a half run this morning and that should wrap up a great weekend of not training, but keeping in shape. I wish all Ironman training was like this weekend, I might actually have time and energy outside of triathlon to have a life.