Training Under Time Constraints

      Now that I’m working full-time, it has gotten more difficult to find both the time and the energy to train hard.   So, as I approach the month when I will be increasing the amount of mileage and intensity of my training, I have to re-think my training strategies to accommodate my working life.  A little unsure about what might be the best course of action, I approached several of my triathlete friends who have previously completed Ironmans.  And, I got some great insight that I think will not only help myself, but can help you plan your workouts the most efficient way as well.

Problem: I need to increase my pool yardage but I’m limited by the lap swim hours at the pool.

Solution: Doubles!  As a college swimmer, I used to spend about 6hrs a day logging yardage in the pool.  It’s exhausting and not too enjoyable to go back to the pool for a second time in the day.  But, the benefits of increased DAILY yardage can be almost as beneficial as increasing yardage in a single workout.  Not TOO much recovery can occur in the 8-10 hours you’re at work.  So, when you go back to the pool in the PM, you should still be pretty tired from the AM.   Additionally, in case weather or timing get in your way, doing a PM swim workout one night followed by an AM workout the following day can be beneficial too.   Just remember, it’s all about forcing your body to log the yards when it’s still tired. 

My Plan: To add one day of double swim workouts a week.  My goal is max out at about 5000-6000y in the next month and a half.  Since I just don’t have the pool availability to swim this long during the week, I plan on splitting my yardage in two separate workouts and adding 1-2 weekend test sets at my max yardage when I DO have the pool availability.

Problem:  I don’t have the time to increase my run mileage during the week unless I get up SUPER EARLY or stay out SUPER LATE since I need to wait for the sun to start setting before beginning a run. 

Solution: Doubles!  (Yes, doubles is the solution YET AGAIN).  I asked my resident running expert and Ironman, Frank Green, for some insight here.  And basically, he seems to agree that the same solution to my swimming problem above is applicable to my running problem as well. Yes, a single long run is optimal.  But, with extreme summer heat and the fact that I can’t wake up at 4am if I want to be functional at work, splitting my mileage between two workouts can still be very effective.  Essentially, the goal is to add as much running mileage as possible to wear down the body in the month before taper.  Splitting the workouts and running on tired legs is beneficial to training any which way you do it.

My Plan:   Much like my swim plan, I’m going to add one day of double run workouts a week to increase my overall weekly run mileage and to practice running on tired legs.  I’m going to do an easy “get in whatever miles you can” sort of warm-up run in the AM followed by a harder, more focused, PM run.  

Problem: It storms during the summer…a LOT!  So sometimes my afternoon workout plans are ruined and I feel guilty about the missed workout. 

Solution: Realize that a missed few miles here and there are not going to prevent you from doing well.  Mother Nature and work get in the way sometimes.  Accept it and move on.  Just be aware of the key workouts you absolutely NEED to do each week and reschedule them if you need. 

My Plan: To stop being so hard on myself over missed workouts.  Last week I was sick, still in recovery after IM 70.3 FL, and could barely complete any workout. I felt like I had taken a major step backwards because I hadn’t been able to recover properly or complete my key weekend workouts.  But, recovering from illness was most important.  So, I’m trying to forget about the disaster of last week and stay focused on the week ahead.  It was only ONE week…I didn’t lose anything.  I’m healthy now and ready to get back to business.

RACE REPORT: Ironman 70.3 Florida

      This past Sunday was my very first race of the season: Ironman 70.3 Florida in Haines City, FL. I did this race last year but it was in a different location. And let me start out by saying, the course this year was SIGNIFICANTLY harder. Nevertheless, I finished 16 minutes faster than my previous fastest Half-Ironman time and am now extremely excited for this year’s Triathlon race season because I think it’s going to be a great one.

RACE BREAKDOWN: 

THE SWIM 

Swim Split: 31.00 (1:36/100m) 

Swim Division Rank: 3 

      I’m extremely happy with my swim. If you convert my swim pace this breaks down to a 1:26.02 in short course yards which is pretty fantastic. The course was a bit odd and narrow which made everyone very clumped together so once I caught up to the waves in front of me, it was a very big struggle to swim through the sea of people. Additionally, I lake water was so dark and murky that I couldn’t see my own hands let alone a person in front of me. So I frequently found myself just toppling over people with no forewarning to swim around them. To some extent I feel bad that I did hit many people on the swim, but it’s a free-for-all in a race like this so there really isn’t any way around it. Even with all the people in my way, I still managed to bust out my best half-ironman swim to date by over a minute. So for that, I’m very proud.

TRANSITION #1

T1 Split: 3:18
    I knew that I’d be a little tired because I pushed so hard on the swim. But, I also knew that I’m in good enough shape to be able to bounce back from a hard swim rather quickly. There was a long run up the beach, up a hill, and into transition. I felt a little tired on the run up but as soon as I hit “swim in” I was focused and ready to go.
    My Transition time isn’t all too terrific because the transition area was VERY VERY LONG, two separate levels, and took forever to get through. I successfully fought the urge to sit down in transition to get my shoes on, which was undoubtedly an excellent decision and will save me a lot of time in the future. My only problem was that my bike shoes aren’t meant for Triathlon and I had a hard time getting the Velcro to stick once they got wet. This added a bit of time to T1 because I had to stop before “bike out” to adjust them and get them to stick adequately. But, I know I need new shoes so that problem should be taken care of before my next race.

THE BIKE

Bike Split: 2:58.06 (18.87mph)
Bike Division Rank: 14
    The bike course was significantly more challenging than what I was expecting. However, I really feel that I rose to the occasion. My first 40 or so miles were FANTASTIC. I was averaging about 19-21mph rather easily which is far better than I’ve ever been able to bike before. It was a great feeling being able to hold such a strong pace on such a challenging course. I have no doubt that I’m really going to be able to maintain a strong bike pace for some of my races here in Miami. Biking has always been my weakness and this time I was able to hold off much of my competition until about mile 40. I’ve clearly made great strides on the bike and have now become a different class of Triathlete altogether.
    The last 15 miles didn’t feel so great however. We hit some very large hills and I was starting to feel extremely dehydrated. I had two bottles with me on my bike. I had one bottle between my aeorbars with water and one bottle below with Accelerade. I went through both these bottles and was still thirsty. The main problem was that although they have aid stations on the bike, I didn’t have anywhere to put these bottles once I took them. So I had to grab a few quick sips and then chuck them before the end of the aid station so that I wouldn’t get penalized for littering later on. I think so long as I get 2 more cages behind my saddle with room to put these extra bottles, I’ll be okay from now on. I’m so used to just carrying 1 bottle and refilling it on my long rides that I never really practice the logistics of not having that luxury in a race. So, I’m going to get those two extra cages and actually practice not refilling all but one bottle on my long rides to see if that will work. I’ll keep you updated…
    Additionally, as I got dehydrated I felt my mind start to wander a bit. I had done such a great job staying focused on the race for so long and it was becoming a struggle to keep my mind on point. I’m not sure if my focusing issues were from Dehydration or just difficulty staying focused on biking for that long. But, I did still stay more focused that previously in races so although it’s a problem, it’s getting better. I think a lot of improvement in this area will come from practicing on longer solo rides.

TRANSITION #2

T2 Split: 3:16
    No real comments to make other than what I’ve already mentioned regarding T1. My only suggestion to myself would be to have a bottle of water available for myself in Transition that I can carry onto the first part of the run just in case the first aid station isn’t very close. I didn’t know it at the time, but the first run course aid station was well over a mile from T1. So I was extremely dehydrated and had to struggle up two hills before I could finally drink. It would be a good decision to have a bottle in Transition available for me to grab just in case I need it.

THE RUN

Run Split: 2:08.32 (9.48/mi)
    The run was a bit of a struggle for me. I was extremely dehydrated coming off the bike and unfortunately the first aid station wasn’t nearby and the sun was out blazing. And, after about a ¼ mile run on flat land out of the expo area, we made a right turn DIRECTLY into 2 large hills. That wasn’t all too enjoyable. But, finally after making it over the second hill we rounded another corner to hit the first aid station where I grabbed about 2 cups of Gatorade, 2 cups of water, and 2 cups of ice to mix together and chug. Luckily, I started to feel a tiny bit better. I had to stop a few times over the next few miles in because I felt as though I needed hurl into the bushes (my stomach was having a hard time digesting all the liquid) but after a little while, the liquids finally settled and I felt much more coherent. Just because my stomach had a hard time digesting all the liquid, didn’t mean that my body didn’t need it. Feeling better, I slowly decreased my pace over the next two laps and was able to finish the race.

THE RACE AS A WHOLE

Finish Time: 5:44.12
    I’m satisfied with my final time because it’s technically a PR. But, I know that I could have done better. I think that if I fix my nutrition issues and do some more tempo runs in an attempt to get my run pace down, I’ll be able to improve even more. Additionally, I'm looking into getting a good bike trainer to be able to do some more hill work at home.

RACE PREVIEW: Ironman 70.3 Florida

      Okay, so it's finally here.  It's the day before Ironman 70.3 Florida and I'm all packed and about to start my journey up to Haines City for registration.  I first have to drop off my pup, Princess Leia, at a friend's house and then I'm off!  About 5 hours from now I'll be checking into race registration, racking my bike, and figuring out where in the world I'm going to eat dinner.  I checked out the restaurants last night in Haines City and there doesn't seem to be much to choose from.  Luckily, it's only about 25 minutes away from Kissimmee so I'm certain I'll be able to find somewhere to serve me some bland chicken and salad and potatoes.  My boyfriend, Craig, is up in Milwaukee for his sister's graduation from Marquette University (again, Happy Graduation Samantha Bohn!) so I'm forced to make the trip up alone.  Luckily though, I have a few of my bike group friends and a friend from Law School that will also be racing.  So at least I won't be totally alone up there!

      As for my race strategy tomorrow, I've been giving it a lot of thought.  I'm a little bit worried about how my recent job and the weather has forced me to have a minor cut-back in training.  But, I KNOW I'm significantly stronger than last year and that 10 hours of training a week is still much more than really necessary for a Half Ironman.

So, here is my race strategy breakdown:

The Swim: I've had to cut back a little bit on my yardage the last 2 weeks because of TERRIBLE weather. But, I know that I'm just as strong, if not stronger than last year.  I've been feeling incredibly comfortable in the pool and since this is a lake swim, I know that my pool training will translate well.  Last year I was the 5th or 6th girl in my age group out of the water with a 1:41 pace.  This year, I hope to hold closer to a 1:25 pace (I held 1:17 in the pool a few weeks back in the 1000) and be in the top 3 in my age group out of the water. Granted, I can't control how fast other people swim, but swimming is my forte and I know I can push it in the water without really wearing myself out.

Transition #1: I haven't really gotten around to practicing my transitions like I had hoped.  But, I'm planning on not sitting down to get my shoes this time.  My transitions are never really too fast or too slow, so as long as I don't sit down I think I'll be okay.  A lot of my speed here also depends on where my bike is racked.

The Bike: I am going to really push myself on the bike this year.  Before this race last year I had maxed out at about 35/40 miles.  This year, I've been biking over 50 consistently for 3 months and have now maxed out at 76miles.  My 30 mile rides have now become my short workouts and I'm confident that my body is fully ready to tackle the 56mi course.  I'm a little bit worried about maintaining a high speed but I'm going to turn up the gear and really push it since I now know that I can fully handle the distance.  I'm also far more comfortable in aero position this year and my new Rudy Project Wingspan helmet is incredibly light and comfortable which seems to help with neck and shoulder cramping. Last year I held a 17.73 bike pace but this year I hope to hold between 19 and 20.  I know that my body can handle this pace but it requires actual mental concentration to keep it up.  My goal is just to not let my mind wander on the bike this year and to stay focused on the race and pace.

Transition #2: I don't have quick zip laces on my sneaks and for some reason they seem a bit more difficult to get on than other brands I've previously used. But, it's really too late to do anything about that now.  So if I lose a few seconds, so be it.  I'll work on fixing this situation before my next shorter race where time will be far more of an issue.

The Run: Ugh, the dreaded run.  This is the only discipline I'm a bit worried about.  I've ran (no pun intended) into a bit of shin pain in the last week or two so I've been trying to stay off my legs as much as possible.  Additionally, because of my shin pain I haven't really been able to get my run mileage up.  However, after talking to some of my other Triathlete friends, I've come to believe that by putting in more mileage on the bike, my legs will be less tired for the run.  Let's hope so!  I know that I can make the distance but I'm hoping that I can hold a strong enough pace to not let myself get passed.  Granted, if a girl is running a 7min pace...she's going to pass me.  But, last year a held a miserable 10min run pace.  This year, I'm hoping to hold a 8:30 pace not taking into account any bathroom breaks or problems getting to the water stations (last year the water stations were so crowded I HAD to walk through some of them just to get a cup).

I did the math AND...

 if I hold 1:25 on the swim, 19mph on the bike, 8:30 on the run, and 2min per transition, I'll finish in a time of 5:18.37 

(would be FAR Better than my time last year of 6hrs). 

So....Let's see what happens!!!!

Happy Mom Day!!

Me and my mom after the Calle Ocho 8k '10

I just wanted to make a special post to my own mother, Joanne Deutch, on Mother's day. 

Happy Mom Day, Mom! Enjoy a poem by one of my favorite kids poets, Shel Silverstein. And, thank you for being relatively patient with me and supportive of my athletic career.

A Cat, a Kid, and a Mom

"Why can't you see I'm a cat." said the cat.

"And that's all I ever will be?

Why are you shocked when I roam out at night?

Why are you sad when I meow and I fight?

Why are you sick when I eat up a rat?

I'm a cat."

"Why can't you see I'm a kid?" said the kid.

"Why try to make me like you?

Why are you hurt when I don't want to cuddle?

Why do you sigh when I splash through a puddle?

Why do you scream when I do what I do?

I'm a kid."

"Why can't you see I'm a mom?" said the mom.

"Why try to make me wise?

Why try to teach me the ways of a cat?

Why try to tell me that 'kids are like that'?

Why try to make me be patient and calm?

I'm a mom."

Harnessing My Competitiveness

Last year ACTUALLY racing

    I am an EXTREMELY competitive person.  When I go out for a run and see somebody in front of me, I always feel the need to catch up and pass them.  When I don't do a race, I always log online and look up the results to see how I would have placed.  However, in a race, I am so zoned into how I feel myself that I rarely inspire myself to go faster and to catch a person in front of me.

    Over the past year I've thought about the competitive things that I do and have realized that I use my competitiveness in the completely wrong way.  Why am I competitive about races that I am NOT in and yet lose my competitiveness in the races I AM in?

    All throughout my swimming career,  I had been told that I am a "practice swimmer."  I work incredibly hard in practice with the ability to hold an "at-or-near race pace" for incredibly long sets.  Then, when I race in an actual swim meet, I don't go very much faster. People I crushed in practice now somehow beat me. I can always push myself to new levels in practice but come race time,  I can't rise to the occasion. I'm not exactly sure how I can fix this problem...but, I'm working on it.

First Place- I obviously know SOMEWHAT 'how to race'

    Last year while training for the ING Marathon (my first full marathon) I came to the conclusion that I can't always run and pass people when I'm training.  Ultimately, what the person in front of me is doing has no bearing on what I'm doing.  The person in front of me might look slower than me BUT they might also only be out for a 3 mile run.  Myself, on the other hand, might still have 10 miles left in my distance run.  So, if I'm doing 10 miles and they're only doing 3, should I be running faster than them? Probably not.  I'm only hurting myself and my training by feeling the need to 'beat' them.  My goals are different than every other person out there and it's important to keep that in mind.  The key, in essence, is competing against myself in training and not against others.

    As to the need to log online and look at race results to see how I would've placed, this practice both has benefits and a down side.  The plus is that it gets me excited for my next race and motivates me in training.  The down side is that I'm spending so much time fixating on races I never competed in. Then, I get upset when I don't perform in my own races the way that I had imagined I would. The problem here comes down to a problem with myself.  By the time I hit a race, I've already created a mental image for how well I expect myself to perform.  If I beat those people that I thought I would...great. But if they beat me, I'm crushed.

Looking focused at IM 70.3 Miami

    When I set such high expectations for myself it's hard to ever live up to them. So, although I find it fun to check other race results, I think I need to constantly keep in mind that: I wasn't in that race, so I can never really know how I would have done.  It's fun to imagine how I would have placed.  But, it's important to realize that my thoughts aren't real.  Ultimately, the way I perform in a race comes down to how I feel at that very moment and NOT how I expected that I would perform.  Staying in the moment is essential to competition.  It's going to take a lot of hard work on my part, but I'm going to try.

    Lastly is my issue with being a "practice" athlete.  How am I so able to push myself in training and have issues with pushing myself even harder in a race? Honestly, I don't know.  Maybe I just really enjoy the thrill of pushing my body on a daily basis.  I admit that's it's not as easy to push myself in a run as it is in the pool. Maybe I just really enjoy swimming.   I'm not sure. But I don't think that I've ever really left a triathlon knowing that I pushed myself as hard as possible.  I think I'm still too cerebral.  In a race I'm so caught up in my mind that I don't really 'let go' and allow my body to test itself.

    So, that's this seasons' race goal...to stop thinking as much and to let my body take control using my competitiveness to my advantage.  The training is there.  I just need to let my body embrace the competition and really test itself.  Hopefully I'll be impressed with the results.

TRAINING UPDATE: 15 days until Ironman 70.3 FL

Out biking after work with mascara running down my face

     I started work this week and so far it has been pretty awesome (not to mention the fact that I seem to be working at the only law firm that keeps normal-people hours).  Training has been a bit more difficult this week because of work exhaustion and my body not being used to sitting behind a desk all day.  But, I still managed to get in a few great workouts and have a long weekend of intense training coming up.

     As of my last "Training Update" Post I had yet to hit my mileage goals for the month.  But, I made it happen right in time.  75 miles on the bike? Check. 12 mile run? Check. So, regardless of the fact that I've been a bit exhausted this week, my training is coming along nicely and I'm really hoping for a good showing two weeks from now in Haines City.

THIS WEEK'S FAVORITES:

FAVORITE WORKOUT: Yesterday's afternoon Brick. 20 miles of biking at race pace (19-20) followed by 4.5 miles of running with an 8:22 average.

Clearly excited to test out my new helmet

FAVORITE NEW TOY: My new Rudy Project Wingspan helmet.  Feels super light! I'm hoping the lightness of the helmet will make my neck less knotty at the end of a long ride.

FAVORITE MEAL: Monday's Turkey Franks and Beans dinner. Hahahaha. Do you remember the last time YOU ate Franks and Beans?

FAVORITE MOMENT: Signing and filing my first court document as an Attorney!