The high ankle sprain (or whatever it is) seems to have been tamed by the rest.
Sooooo...
I'm back on the road tomorrow. A friend of mine and I are taking a 16 mile tour through Austin in the morning. It's an uphill ride the first half, then cruising down a steady grade back to downtown.
It's not the hardest ride, but it's enough to get the work in and feel out the injury. I could jump today so I think I'm past the worst of it.
I lost a lot of training time, but I was more interested in getting healthy and not compromise my fitness going into the race. I think what's most in need is my swim stroke, but I can get through the 400 meters.
Recovery from tomorrow's ride should be fairly simple, but stretching will be very important since I have a 30 mile ride in store on Saturday morning.
I'll be swimming and running on Sunday, and then a little fun with an indoor soccer match on Monday. We're less than 30 days away and I'm anxious to get to El Paso.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
After an extended absence
Two factors conspired in this blogging interruption.
First, I moved, so I haven't had an internet connection at home where I can blog right after training.
Second, I hurt my right ankle exactly one week ago, and I've been on the mend since then. I played an indoor soccer match and felt a pull in the Achilles tendon area. I went to physical therapy and had my massage therapist (who is amazing) work on my leg a bit.
I feel better now and want to be back on schedule in the next few days.
During this down time, I've been able to rest a lot, obviously. The recovery is good, and yesterday's massage really helped me flush out a lot of stored-up un-good stuff.
I strongly recommend a massage before the race. Body work is key for flushing out built up fluid and relieving swelling. My massage therapist worked with an international dance company and an NBA team so she is great. She knows her science (tissue, muscles, movement, techniques for relieving cramping) and she's constantly keeping up with the latest developments in athlete recovery.
With three weeks (on my training calendar) left before the race, I want to start stacking workouts next week. Mainly, my riding and running - bricks. I'll have internet service tomorrow at home and will be back on the daily blog. In the mean time, still healing because it's better to fully recover than head into the race with a nagging injury.
First, I moved, so I haven't had an internet connection at home where I can blog right after training.
Second, I hurt my right ankle exactly one week ago, and I've been on the mend since then. I played an indoor soccer match and felt a pull in the Achilles tendon area. I went to physical therapy and had my massage therapist (who is amazing) work on my leg a bit.
I feel better now and want to be back on schedule in the next few days.
During this down time, I've been able to rest a lot, obviously. The recovery is good, and yesterday's massage really helped me flush out a lot of stored-up un-good stuff.
I strongly recommend a massage before the race. Body work is key for flushing out built up fluid and relieving swelling. My massage therapist worked with an international dance company and an NBA team so she is great. She knows her science (tissue, muscles, movement, techniques for relieving cramping) and she's constantly keeping up with the latest developments in athlete recovery.
With three weeks (on my training calendar) left before the race, I want to start stacking workouts next week. Mainly, my riding and running - bricks. I'll have internet service tomorrow at home and will be back on the daily blog. In the mean time, still healing because it's better to fully recover than head into the race with a nagging injury.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A bit of a breather
I put in 4 miles on the clock today. And then boxing.
I'll post my 5 week training schedule (give or take a few days leading up to race day) this weekend.
Not much left to lay down as a baseline. I'm ready for combination workouts. Swim and Ride or Ride and Run. I mentioned the bricks (Ride and Run) a few posts ago.
The trick is not just being able to run 3 miles. Or swim 400 meters.
It's being able to do all three, giving a strong effort in each. Obviously, it's a triathlon. But there's a mental portion of the race that I still need to prepare for.
The transition from each event to the next, being efficient with my output (upper body in the swim, major leg muscles during the ride, and controlled strides and form during the run) - that's the next part of training for me.
Take the swim, for example. My friend pointed out the most simple adjustments I could make, but as simple as they seem, I haven't practiced them enough to feel comfortable in the water.
Most of all, I need to get comfortable.
I'll post my 5 week training schedule (give or take a few days leading up to race day) this weekend.
Not much left to lay down as a baseline. I'm ready for combination workouts. Swim and Ride or Ride and Run. I mentioned the bricks (Ride and Run) a few posts ago.
The trick is not just being able to run 3 miles. Or swim 400 meters.
It's being able to do all three, giving a strong effort in each. Obviously, it's a triathlon. But there's a mental portion of the race that I still need to prepare for.
The transition from each event to the next, being efficient with my output (upper body in the swim, major leg muscles during the ride, and controlled strides and form during the run) - that's the next part of training for me.
Take the swim, for example. My friend pointed out the most simple adjustments I could make, but as simple as they seem, I haven't practiced them enough to feel comfortable in the water.
Most of all, I need to get comfortable.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Still a long way to go
Tonight was my soccer night. Indoor soccer is fast-paced, the clock never stops, and the ball is in play about 95% of the time. Because you can play the ball off of the walls, possession changes constantly. One second you can be moving at full speed in one direction, and then you have to stop and start in the opposite direction.
I was terrible. Let alone the 9 month lay off since I last played at full speed. My ankle held up great, by the way. It is completely healed. I was just slow and the conditioning required for indoor soccer showed me I'm just not there yet.
I have so much work to do, and tonight was a good indicator of that. I had intended to be on my bike this week, but I've been unable to get it tuned up for racing. I'll have it set by this weekend. In the mean time, I'm going to continue working on my swimming and cardio.
This seems like a slow week even though I've been putting in plenty of training time. With the race 5 1/2 weeks away, I feel that I'm at the half-way point in my preparation.
I'll be fine on the bike. Right now I'm dealing with a mental block about the swimming. I need to get over some basic problems with being in the water and work on basic technique.
I'm positive I'll be fine by race day. And with today's realization on the soccer field, I still have more building up to do before I'm ready for the race. Now I need to get some rest.
I was terrible. Let alone the 9 month lay off since I last played at full speed. My ankle held up great, by the way. It is completely healed. I was just slow and the conditioning required for indoor soccer showed me I'm just not there yet.
I have so much work to do, and tonight was a good indicator of that. I had intended to be on my bike this week, but I've been unable to get it tuned up for racing. I'll have it set by this weekend. In the mean time, I'm going to continue working on my swimming and cardio.
This seems like a slow week even though I've been putting in plenty of training time. With the race 5 1/2 weeks away, I feel that I'm at the half-way point in my preparation.
I'll be fine on the bike. Right now I'm dealing with a mental block about the swimming. I need to get over some basic problems with being in the water and work on basic technique.
I'm positive I'll be fine by race day. And with today's realization on the soccer field, I still have more building up to do before I'm ready for the race. Now I need to get some rest.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A lot of work to do . . .
I went through some swimming instruction today and . . . well, I'm a long way off from being able to get through the 400 meters. I'm confident I can get where I need to be, but today's session provided some insight into the type of work I still have to do.
Tomorrow is a workout day but with a twist. I'm playing indoor soccer, and it will complement the speed workout I did yesterday at the track. The threat of rain here the last two days (actually, it poured yesterday) has kept me off the road.
Today's a quiet day, not a lot to report. I'm down to 178 lbs and felt very strong throughout the sprint workout yesterday. I want to get all of my chores done tonight so I can get to bed early. I still need to get more rest.
Tomorrow is a workout day but with a twist. I'm playing indoor soccer, and it will complement the speed workout I did yesterday at the track. The threat of rain here the last two days (actually, it poured yesterday) has kept me off the road.
Today's a quiet day, not a lot to report. I'm down to 178 lbs and felt very strong throughout the sprint workout yesterday. I want to get all of my chores done tonight so I can get to bed early. I still need to get more rest.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Relax and Focus
Tonight, a speed work-out at the track following a 1.5 mile warm up.
I've done this speed training before as part of my soccer prep. It consists of interval work and a series of sprints at 100 and 50 meters. The intervals are housed inside 2400 meters (6 laps) at 200 meter upticks in pace and then active recovery.
I use it for soccer because I train my lungs to accelerate and then recover while still running. For triathlon training, I'm using this particular technique to shock my lungs out of the sustained-running pattern and adjust to the increases in need for oxygen.
It's just a complicated way of saying I'm changing things up for my body.
The sprints are strictly for building strength. I flow into the sprint, meaning I don't start from a cold stop. I jog into the 100 meters and then break it down into 3 segments.
First 25 meters, building up to a good speed, powering through the start and really pushing off. The next 25 I work my arms and start to straighten through the stride. The remaining 50 I relax and keep my speed steady.
The 50 meter sprints are mostly focused on generating power at the start. I work through the same cycle as the 100's, working on starting low and generating as much burst as I can, then straighten up and I pull off at 50 meters.
As much effort as I put into this workout, I really focus on relaxing and staying loose throughout the workout. I have a tendency to tighten up (I think I mentioned this in my first or second post) while running, and I'll get pains in my shoulders and shins. With so much movement required in the sprints, I just concentrate on not tightening up to keep the energy flowing where it needs to.
I've done this speed training before as part of my soccer prep. It consists of interval work and a series of sprints at 100 and 50 meters. The intervals are housed inside 2400 meters (6 laps) at 200 meter upticks in pace and then active recovery.
I use it for soccer because I train my lungs to accelerate and then recover while still running. For triathlon training, I'm using this particular technique to shock my lungs out of the sustained-running pattern and adjust to the increases in need for oxygen.
It's just a complicated way of saying I'm changing things up for my body.
The sprints are strictly for building strength. I flow into the sprint, meaning I don't start from a cold stop. I jog into the 100 meters and then break it down into 3 segments.
First 25 meters, building up to a good speed, powering through the start and really pushing off. The next 25 I work my arms and start to straighten through the stride. The remaining 50 I relax and keep my speed steady.
The 50 meter sprints are mostly focused on generating power at the start. I work through the same cycle as the 100's, working on starting low and generating as much burst as I can, then straighten up and I pull off at 50 meters.
As much effort as I put into this workout, I really focus on relaxing and staying loose throughout the workout. I have a tendency to tighten up (I think I mentioned this in my first or second post) while running, and I'll get pains in my shoulders and shins. With so much movement required in the sprints, I just concentrate on not tightening up to keep the energy flowing where it needs to.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Losing Track
I'm not sure which post is which.
I do know I'm very, very tired, but in a good way.
I put in my 8-miler this morning. A very long run, and I ran it on the trail to avoid pounding on my joints for 8 miles.
I'm wrapping up my running on the right note. I raised my cario conditioning and have brought my leg muscle stamina to a good point where I can transition to cycling workouts.
My experience with cycling is that leg strength and stamina are very different and very complimentary. Hills can sap strength very quickly if you don't have stamina, so workouts can be relatively short since I run out of energy.
I'll still have a steep (hopefully short, though) ramp-up, similar to my running. But like my running, I'm anxious to dig in so I can get the most of each workout. Because my training schedule for the race is a bit compressed, I want to be efficient with my time and effort.
Tomorrow I'll put it an evening run, just a short recovery run to flush out today's long run. I'll post next week's workout schedule tomorrow night. I hope the cycling goes well - meaning no crashing.
I do know I'm very, very tired, but in a good way.
I put in my 8-miler this morning. A very long run, and I ran it on the trail to avoid pounding on my joints for 8 miles.
I'm wrapping up my running on the right note. I raised my cario conditioning and have brought my leg muscle stamina to a good point where I can transition to cycling workouts.
My experience with cycling is that leg strength and stamina are very different and very complimentary. Hills can sap strength very quickly if you don't have stamina, so workouts can be relatively short since I run out of energy.
I'll still have a steep (hopefully short, though) ramp-up, similar to my running. But like my running, I'm anxious to dig in so I can get the most of each workout. Because my training schedule for the race is a bit compressed, I want to be efficient with my time and effort.
Tomorrow I'll put it an evening run, just a short recovery run to flush out today's long run. I'll post next week's workout schedule tomorrow night. I hope the cycling goes well - meaning no crashing.
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