So, I officially started my 3rd base phase this morning with a masters workout. I know everyone is suffering in the mornings with the time change but I have to say it...
Is swimming just not hard enough in the morning without a time change? Wow, I was beat this morning but I actually swam pretty well so that recovery week certainly paid off.
So, last week was my recovery week and I really enjoyed it. I caught up on things and had plenty of fun with Jess and friends. I felt really good as the week progressed (nice and rested) and I start this week fired up to put in some hard work for the next 3 weeks before my next recovery week.
I did do my 5k test run on the track and did alright since I have not done ANY hard running to date. Four weeks ago I ran
20:20 at an average 168 heart rate (this is 10 beats below my threshold). This time I ran 19:10 at an average 168 heart rate. So, decent improvement and I am happy with the result. I could tell my body really wanted to run harder, which is a good sign. It was a very, very comfortable pace for me...I would love to see what I could actually run if I didn't have to keep my HR at 168. So, a good result and plenty of rest...a great week to say the least!
Now, some of the harder work begins and I am looking forward to it. It is a balancing act at this stage...harder work but you need plenty of rest. Excitement (caused by increased fitness and post recovery week) can lead to overtraining at this stage so it is up to me to find that balance between work and rest. Often times, we (athletes) want instant gratification so we cram a bunch of hard workouts together to fit them all in during a given week but the trick is to avoid this, find a balance, and remain patient. Being a successful athlete takes a long time so trying to get there all in one season is a recipe for disaster. Lucky for me, I have some incredible resources around me and I have them to keep me in check during times of transition such as this one.
Well, have a great week and thanks for reading!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Ranked #1 in the country by USA Triathlon and a new sponsor
Well, USA Triathlon just published the final 2007 year-end rankings and I am happy to report that I finished the year ranked #1 in the country (25-29, off-road triathlete), which gives me All-american status. Props to James Walsh as we finished #1 and #2 in the country. Not bad, two California kids taking the top 2 spots. The link is below if you want to take a peek.
http://www.usatriathlon.org/misc/2007rankings.aspx
--Click on Off-road
Yesterday I picked up a new sponsor that I am excited about. I will be working with Avia for the next 2 years. What does this mean...free shoes of course and I am stoked!!!!! They have a broad product line and I am sure we will have a long and productive relationship.
Checkout my list of "for sale" items in the post below.
http://www.usatriathlon.org/misc/2007rankings.aspx
--Click on Off-road
Yesterday I picked up a new sponsor that I am excited about. I will be working with Avia for the next 2 years. What does this mean...free shoes of course and I am stoked!!!!! They have a broad product line and I am sure we will have a long and productive relationship.
Checkout my list of "for sale" items in the post below.
Items for sale...
Hi everyone. I am selling a few things and thought I would give you all a heads up if you are in need of some wheels, mtn bike, road frame
They are listed on ebay so I will provide the link. Let me know if you have any interest and/or questions.
--Just added! Mavic SLR wheelset. V-brake and UST. Like new with less then 300 miles on them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-SLR-wheelset_W0QQitemZ120230725766QQihZ002QQcategoryZ58087QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
--Zipp wheelset with newer tires...perfect for your TT bike!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Zipp-wheel-set_W0QQitemZ120230487739QQihZ002QQcategoryZ58099QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
--Full suspension mtn bike...aluminum, medium, disc brakes, etc
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wheeler-full-suspension-mountain-bike_W0QQitemZ120230579592QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
_-Carbon road frame and fork...Love this bike but have a new one to ride.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-carbon-road-frame_W0QQitemZ120230490486QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
They are listed on ebay so I will provide the link. Let me know if you have any interest and/or questions.
--Just added! Mavic SLR wheelset. V-brake and UST. Like new with less then 300 miles on them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-SLR-wheelset_W0QQitemZ120230725766QQihZ002QQcategoryZ58087QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
--Zipp wheelset with newer tires...perfect for your TT bike!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Zipp-wheel-set_W0QQitemZ120230487739QQihZ002QQcategoryZ58099QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
--Full suspension mtn bike...aluminum, medium, disc brakes, etc
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wheeler-full-suspension-mountain-bike_W0QQitemZ120230579592QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
_-Carbon road frame and fork...Love this bike but have a new one to ride.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-carbon-road-frame_W0QQitemZ120230490486QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A glimpse into my "backyard"
Thought I would share some pictures of the area where I do pretty much all of my mountain biking and running. I am very lucky to have Fort Ord, (home to The Sea Otter Classic, The 2007 24hr mountain bike world champs and a list of other events)an old military base that has been converted to public use land, just a mile down the road from my house. There are 85 miles of maintained trails with plenty of fun singletrack to rip up!
--The "mighty" Salinas River
--Those fields provide you with just about all of the vegetables you consume
--Those glorious green hills!
--Yes, there are sheep for 3 months out of the year. The best is when your flying down some singletrack and come around the corner to a "wall" of them...good thing they are fast suckers b/c I couldn't stop fast enough if I wanted to 99% of the time!
Well, that's my world...come join me whenever you want. Good riding...
--The "mighty" Salinas River
--Those fields provide you with just about all of the vegetables you consume
--Those glorious green hills!
--Yes, there are sheep for 3 months out of the year. The best is when your flying down some singletrack and come around the corner to a "wall" of them...good thing they are fast suckers b/c I couldn't stop fast enough if I wanted to 99% of the time!
Well, that's my world...come join me whenever you want. Good riding...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Rest, rest and more rest
Okay, after today my second base phase will be over and it will be time for some serious rest. During my second base phase I put in a lot of miles and, while I feel tired now, I know the hard work will pay off in the coming weeks. I said in a previous post that after my second base phase I would be a new man...stronger and fit enough to tackle the harder training to come. Well, things haven't changed and I feel stronger then ever at this point in the season. I am very motivated and my competitive fire is coming on strong. Really, I couldn't ask for more at this point.
So, for the next week I will be resting...just some very light workouts, plenty of sleep, and good times with Jess and that little fuzzy creature that keeps beating me up on my runs. I am a big believer in taking your rest weeks very seriously. They are a time to rest physically and mentally. I always hear about and see people training as many hours during their rest week as they did during their base or build weeks or they keep up hard workouts but train only a few hours less..."oh, I just went easy so I am rested” or "I trained 15 hrs instead of 20 but I got in some quality sessions." Are you kidding? Seriously, get some real rest. Sure you might feel like you can keep training b/c it is so early in the season but if you don't make sure to recover properly you will be burned out come sept/oct. Trust me, I have made these mistakes and after ten years I have come to understand what real rest is and how essential it is to racing fast when it counts.
So, my advice to everyone is to take rest/recovery weeks seriously and to give your body and mind a break. No hard workouts, long rides, long runs...do some things you don't always get to do like relax at the beach, hang out with good friends, take a walk with your spouse and if you truly don't want to train then don't. I am not saying hang up your gear for a week but just don't worry about trying to cram in workouts. Keep the stress to a minimum and get in some easy sessions (perhaps 3 swims, 2 shorter rides, 2 runs). You won't lose fitness...I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will however be excited to get back to structured training, you will be fully rested and you will continue to enjoy the hard work throughout your long season. I have a rule during easy days and rest weeks...if I don't have a smile on my face while I am training and I am not truly enjoying what I am doing I call it a day and find something that will make me happy. This rule keeps me in check during times of recovery and prevents me from doing things that will leave me burned out and tired.
Well, you know my schedule for the next week so I will check back in when I am fully rested and ready to tackle my third base phase. Have a good one and go enjoy that awesome weather (in California at least)!
--Kick back, relax and enjoy the ride!
So, for the next week I will be resting...just some very light workouts, plenty of sleep, and good times with Jess and that little fuzzy creature that keeps beating me up on my runs. I am a big believer in taking your rest weeks very seriously. They are a time to rest physically and mentally. I always hear about and see people training as many hours during their rest week as they did during their base or build weeks or they keep up hard workouts but train only a few hours less..."oh, I just went easy so I am rested” or "I trained 15 hrs instead of 20 but I got in some quality sessions." Are you kidding? Seriously, get some real rest. Sure you might feel like you can keep training b/c it is so early in the season but if you don't make sure to recover properly you will be burned out come sept/oct. Trust me, I have made these mistakes and after ten years I have come to understand what real rest is and how essential it is to racing fast when it counts.
So, my advice to everyone is to take rest/recovery weeks seriously and to give your body and mind a break. No hard workouts, long rides, long runs...do some things you don't always get to do like relax at the beach, hang out with good friends, take a walk with your spouse and if you truly don't want to train then don't. I am not saying hang up your gear for a week but just don't worry about trying to cram in workouts. Keep the stress to a minimum and get in some easy sessions (perhaps 3 swims, 2 shorter rides, 2 runs). You won't lose fitness...I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will however be excited to get back to structured training, you will be fully rested and you will continue to enjoy the hard work throughout your long season. I have a rule during easy days and rest weeks...if I don't have a smile on my face while I am training and I am not truly enjoying what I am doing I call it a day and find something that will make me happy. This rule keeps me in check during times of recovery and prevents me from doing things that will leave me burned out and tired.
Well, you know my schedule for the next week so I will check back in when I am fully rested and ready to tackle my third base phase. Have a good one and go enjoy that awesome weather (in California at least)!
--Kick back, relax and enjoy the ride!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Update
After my break through swim on wednesday I was excited to do another masters session on thursday...it was another good main set.
3 rounds of 3 150's--send offs @2:30/2:20/2:10, 2:20/2:10/2:00, 2:10/2:00/1:50
5x100--variable 25's and last one fast.
Give this one a go...it was solid.
Yesterday was a tough day with tough workouts. I made it through and finished my efforts with a massage...much needed by the way. This weekend will be filled with plenty training and on sunday I will do my first mountain bike race of the season. I am excited to see where I am in terms of fitness and it should be fun mixing it up with the " race regulars."
Well, another beautiful day in California...get out there and enjoy it!
3 rounds of 3 150's--send offs @2:30/2:20/2:10, 2:20/2:10/2:00, 2:10/2:00/1:50
5x100--variable 25's and last one fast.
Give this one a go...it was solid.
Yesterday was a tough day with tough workouts. I made it through and finished my efforts with a massage...much needed by the way. This weekend will be filled with plenty training and on sunday I will do my first mountain bike race of the season. I am excited to see where I am in terms of fitness and it should be fun mixing it up with the " race regulars."
Well, another beautiful day in California...get out there and enjoy it!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Some progress and another big week
I ate some sushi two days ago and then spent Monday night and all day yesterday feeling terrible. Not exactly a great start to the week but I was feeling much better toward the end of the day yesterday. So, I am back in action.
Finally, I made some progress in the pool this morning. I swim mon-thurs. masters at Monterey Peninsula College and today was a bit of a break through day for me. I am really out of shape in the water so I have been struggling to swim anything fast. I am okay with this as it is still early and fitness will come. This morning I surprised myself a bit and posted some decent early season times.
Here was the workout:
8x200 on 3:00 (1,2,3 descend, 4 easy, 5,6 fast, 7 easy and 8 fast)
-I swam 2:35, 2:30, 2:23, easy, 2:20, 2:20, easy and 2:16
5x100 on 2:00 (1 easy, 2,3 fast, 4 easy, 5 fast)
-I swam 1 easy,1:07, 1:07, easy, 1:06
So, not blazing fast but progress and this is key to my fitness and motivation. I struggle to really push myself in the pool so this is something I am working on. I wouldn't say I pushed myself really, really hard today, I just think fitness and my feel for the water are coming around. Now, if I can push myself as hard as I can on the run and bike I should be swimming even faster. One thing at a time though.
I have another big week planned before a rest week. I have plenty of work to do so my training will be fit in whenever possible but I will log some mega miles through the weekend. That rest week will be much needed!
Stay tuned and have a good one!
Finally, I made some progress in the pool this morning. I swim mon-thurs. masters at Monterey Peninsula College and today was a bit of a break through day for me. I am really out of shape in the water so I have been struggling to swim anything fast. I am okay with this as it is still early and fitness will come. This morning I surprised myself a bit and posted some decent early season times.
Here was the workout:
8x200 on 3:00 (1,2,3 descend, 4 easy, 5,6 fast, 7 easy and 8 fast)
-I swam 2:35, 2:30, 2:23, easy, 2:20, 2:20, easy and 2:16
5x100 on 2:00 (1 easy, 2,3 fast, 4 easy, 5 fast)
-I swam 1 easy,1:07, 1:07, easy, 1:06
So, not blazing fast but progress and this is key to my fitness and motivation. I struggle to really push myself in the pool so this is something I am working on. I wouldn't say I pushed myself really, really hard today, I just think fitness and my feel for the water are coming around. Now, if I can push myself as hard as I can on the run and bike I should be swimming even faster. One thing at a time though.
I have another big week planned before a rest week. I have plenty of work to do so my training will be fit in whenever possible but I will log some mega miles through the weekend. That rest week will be much needed!
Stay tuned and have a good one!
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