New Adventure - Blackhawk Country Roads Invitational

I realize that I need help on my bike.. BIG TIME, and luckily Rich is more than willing to help me out any way he can.  So for my birthday weekend, we took Lou's advice and signed up for the Blackhawk Country Roads Invitation, in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin.  2 days or riding, you pick the distance.  It was thru some nice ROLLING hills and wow some climbs.

The first day we did the 65 miles together. It was a big challenge.  Boy where there some rolling hills and the climb up from Brodhead, granted hitting 33mph going down that hill was AWESOME!!!  We took extra time at the SAG stops to see what was ahead of us. Rich helped me a lot getting over those hills, but it was kind of nice as we rode up from Brodhead and that steep hill was so daunting, that I didn't want to give up. So as Rich pulled over to the side to catch his breath, I just slithered past him saying, I can't stop must keep moving, see you at the top. And I DID IT!!!

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/507162939

The next day, Rich decided to go with a short local route while I went out for a continuous 30ish mile ride.  As I was out there, thinking I was on my own, I felt a shadow come over me.  Someone was behind me. I just kept thinking, come on dude go around me, I'm not gonna race you. But no he didn't. I just got annoyed and picked up the pace, I didn't want anyone behind me like that. But they stuck with me.  Dude was drafting me, WTF. Here I am busting my butt and he's enjoying it.  Little to my surprise it was Rich.. OMG I wanted to scream. He was loving it, letting me do the work. HAHA.. NOT.  Anyways, he turned back and I kept on going.  I hit the first SAG stop and I just kept on going. I wasn't going to stop, because at Boulder I won't have a chance to stop until special needs, so I had to keep moving. As I passed the SAG group they just cheered me on, felt so good.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/507162956

TrainerRoad - 8 Days of California

Ok, so on top of my regular IM training, I decided to complete yet another challenge. This challenge would put my legs to the test on the bike. TrainerRoad opened a series 8DC for a select group of riders to compete in. It was tough as you had to complete a given ride in 8 days (in which each day lasted 50 hours). So there really wasn't any way to say it couldn't be done, it was just harder to do when I had to keep up with my regular training.

8DC started on Sunday, May 11th and went until Sunday May 18th. Little did I know, that this race was actually going on at the same time, in real life, in California. It wasn't until Stage 7 that I realied the rides were occuring, so when it came to my last stage, I chose the right time to do my ride as the ride was being broadcasted. It was pretty kewl and helped to keep me motivated.

Overall, I completed every stage, as hard as some where, I didn't drop out and tried my hardest to keep the Kickr at 100%. It wasn't until the last 2 stages that I had to adjust the Kickr and drop to below 100%, mainly because my legs were logs and I just couldn't push thru it.

Stage 1: 1:15 - 28.83 miles
Stage 2: 0:59 - 14.59 miles
Stage 3: 1:35 - 22.96 miles
Stage 4: 1:10 - 30.66 miles
Stage 5: 0:56 - 8.6 miles
Stage 6: 1:28 - 13.43 miles
Stage 7: 1:10 - 24.07 miles
Stage 8: 1:21 - 18.66 miles

In 8 days I completed 161.8 miles in god knows how many hours. This on top of my regular training of running (only ran once though), swimming and biking.

Stage 5 was the killer, as you can see with my miles completed. I need to go back and see what that really had and why I went so slow, but I'm sure I was dead from something else that I just couldn't get my speed up.

I'm just happy to say that I finished, plus I won a t-shirt, from a random drawing, for completing Stage 6 :)

Now it's back to my regular training program ... fun fun.

Where has the time gone!!!!

So hard to believe that I've finished 24 weeks of my training so far. With only 12 weeks left to go, I'm scared that I may not be ready. I haven't run more than 16 miles, I did my first century ride this weekend, but it was on a trainer, and well, my swim is no concern really. Can I really do this? Do I really have it in me to spend this long racing? Why am I starting to freak out now?

With all the training I've been doing, it was nice to have a race weekend last weekend. Even thou Stephanie I, and I took it as a training day, keeping to our program, it was nice to be out there with others racing and being supported. Flying Pigs Marathon/Half Marathon was a great race, well supported and the turnout was amazing. Reminded me of Marine Corp and Baltimore. I love big races, when they are supported and the course is fun.

It was a great weekend with the Stephanies, and it did help burn off some of the pent up energy I had, but just intensified my fears for the coming races.

I'm stil terrified about my bike and whether or not I can keep the pace I want to. My goal is sustain a 15mph or better, which I did on the kickr, but there are no elements to deal with so that doesn't really make for a good comparison. Rich has been great with trying to get me out there and ride. But with my work/train schedule I seem to be stuck to the kickr more than I want to. He has already taken me on the York/Spring/31st loop and really pushed me to do 3 loops, first time this year. The first loop was hard, I went thru all my gears. The second one got easier, and the last one I kicked it. Mainly because a creepy dude showed up out of now were in front of me on his bike and I just wanted to race up to get to Rich. Funny takes one creepy dude to either run or bike faster :)

In 2 weeks we have the Country Roads Invitations in Rockton, IL. Just the way I want to spend my birthday, on a 2 day ride thru Illinois and Wisconsin. No really. Not being sarcastic at all. I really can't wait. But then again check back with me on Monday and see if I still feel the same way.

Saturday, we'll be hitting the hills on a 65 mile bike ride:

65 Mile Ride Shift into high gear for this 65-mile trek through the rolling hills of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You'll pass sprouting farmland, visit charming villages and cruise along the scenic Sugar River.

Then on Sunday, it will be an easy recovery ride, if you think 30 miles is easy or recover:

30 Mile RideRolling countryside, quaint towns, and unspoiled views along the Sugar River sets the stage for this tour. The Duck Pond rest stop is a favorite on this route.

I'm just hoping that the weekend riding will help me in preparing for Boulder.

Well ... 12 more weeks to go. Pushing out all the stops and hitting it hard!!!

Week 23... OMG Really!!!

While searching for songs to run with, I found this video... WOW can I really do this???




I'm now entering week 23 of our training program, that means it's only 13 more weeks until race day. And now it seems like my fears and doubts are really starting to intensify.

As the training increases, I'm finding myself more and more scared and wondering if I will be able to finish, wondering what I got myself into. Aches and pains are increasing, and not due to the training, but I'm scared to think it may be the onset of my RA.  The only way I'm not in pain is when I'm training, but I can't train 24x7 (or can I). I've been crying myself to sleep, waking in the middle of the night in pain and just not very happy lately. I've been watching my diet, adding supplements and busy being poked and probed and stretched by doctors and physical therapists.  After 6 weeks of PT, the neck pain is still there, so it's off to an MRI and now waiting to see what is the next course of action.  Pain and anti-inflammatories are not good options, as I'm scared with my increase in training it could cause bouts with my ulcer. So for now I suffer thru the pains and cry when no one can see me, and pray that I'm better the next day. 

My training is progressing, but I'm wondering if I'm really on track. I'm going over everything I have to do and wondering what I can change to make sure I succeed. My swim has gotten stronger and I'm more and more consistent with my pace. My run is getting better, but I need to remember to stay within my limits and not push it too hard.  My bike, now that's where I fall apart.  Will I be able to keep the pace I want to keep (15mph). Should I do any upgrades on my bike, what about the crazy aero-helmet? What about nutrition...OMG NUTRITION, that isn't as scary as the bike, but it does scare me a little. But I keep playing with food and hope that none of it has an adverse affect on me during the bike.

All this keeps me up at night or wakes me in a panic.
Will I be able to finish under 17 hours? 
Am I pushing myself or can I give a little more?
What more can I or should I change?

OMG What have I gotten myself into????

Half way point...

OMG can it really be? Have I really been doing this for this long? And I still have so much more to do!!!


And now reality hits.  

We have reached that half way point in our training. 18 weeks down, 18 more to go. It doesn't seem to be getting harder or anything but it is definitely at the point that I know I have to really make sure I hit my workouts and put in my effort into them instead of just slacking off because I'm just not up for it.  I'm enjoying the fact that now I can start riding outside, which with the winds and debris on the trails makes it a bit of a challenge, but it's so much better than just sitting on the trainer.  Granted I do LOVE my KICKR, being outside is so much different, and so much fun when you have friends to ride with.

This past weekend really took a toll on my legs. 14 miles on Saturday, which in the end I found out I was going too fast for. And then 2 hours on the bike on Sunday. My thighs were FLAMING.  I noticed a weird noise, and Stephanie did too, when I was riding and getting into some of my higher gears. Seemed like it was rubbing on the front derailer, so after searching around I found a bike shop that had a 1 day turnaround, instead of the 2 weeks others were telling me, so in to the shop Roxy goes.  At least I got another ride in today, along the Salt Creek trail and it felt pretty good. The winds killed but the ride home was nice, especially when the wind is in your back and PUSHING you down the street.

I also got in a good swim today, using my snorkel for all but the 500 warmup and stretching thru my stroke. I wasn't concerned about staying on my TT, but more with my form. This wasn't about time, but about form/style and stretching through my stroke and giving my legs a rest.  I'm getting better and better with the snorkel, and didn't have any near drownings this time around. I'm still on the fence if I'll use it for any of my races, but maybe a few Open Water swims with it will help me decide.  Now if only the weather will cooperate and give us a chance to hit the lake before Grand Rapids.

So to give me even more motivation, attached are a few links to the Boulder Run and Bike course... No doesn't scare me at all... YIKES!!!

Boulder Run Course

Boulder Bike Course

21-Swim Challenge is in the books!!!

The challenge was to based on a time trial (TT) on either a 1650m (1 mile) or 500m swim. After that there were 3 weeks of 2 days swims plus a drill. I only got in the 2 days of swim, skipping the drills, since I had to still run and bike and do weights.

So on Feb 14 I swam my my first 1650 TT in a 32:05.86 (1:54/100m).  The following weeks, the workouts were based on my TT and worked on endurance. After the first swim, I found that the TT I had was really easy, and that it was difficult to do some of my swims so slow. As it turns out I dropped my TT by :05 as my base and used that to do my workouts.

My concerns in distance swimming has been with pacing. I know how to pace when I run/bike, simply look at my Garmin and either slow down or speed up. Pretty easy. But in a pool, you can't really take the time to stop and look and try to do the math. So after a few posts back and forth on Facebook in the Tri Swim Coach 21-Day Challenge Page, I found that by setting my Garmin's alerts I can set a pace for my 50's.

So today, it was back to the pool to do my final TT. Set my 50m time alert on my Garmin to :55 and was so happy I could keep the pace. Today I swam my 1650TT in a 30:20.21 (1:49/100m). Didn't break my 30:00 goal but damn that was close.

500 Group:

	Day 1	Day 2
Week 1	300, 200, 100 moderate pace on 20s rest 200, 100, 50 build :25s rest 200 fast 30s rest 100 fast 30s rest 6×100 moderate 20s rest	3x 3×100 TT pace+10s 4×50 TT pace+10s 1×50 Easy
Week 2	2×200 on 20s rest 100 moderate 20s rest 2×300 20s rest 100 moderate 2×400 40s rest 100 moderate	6×50 TT pace, 15s rest 2×150 build, 20s rest 6×75 TT pace, 15s rest 1×300 build 6×50 TT pace, 15s rest 3×100 TT pace+5s, 15s rest
Week 3	6×200 build so first 100 easy, 2nd 100 faster, 3rd should be race pace effort 2×300 hard effort	6×25 build 15s rest 5×100 TT pace+10s, 15s rest 6×25 build 15s rest 5×100 TT pace+5s, 15s rest 6×25 build 2×100 race pace

1600 Group:

	Day 1	Day 2
Week 1	4×150 easy (TT pace+15s per 100), 10s rest 100 relaxed 4×150 moderate (TT pace+5s per 100), 15s rest 100 relaxed 4×150 TT pace (20s rest)	8×100 TTpace+5s 300 easy 4×100 TT pace+5s 300 easy 3×100 TT pace
Week 2	4×250 continuous as 100 Moderate pace, 50 fast, 100 moderate 4×150 50 moderate, 50 fast, 50 moderate 4×100 25 moderate, 50 fast, 25 moderate	4×100 TT pace+5s 20s rest 4×100 TT pace 20s rest 4×100 TTpace-2s 25s rest 6×50 TT pace-5s 25s rest 16×25 build
Week 3	4×500 Descending, meaning that each 500 gets faster. The first one should be calm and relaxed, the 3 one should be at your 1650 pace, and the 4th one should be all out. :40 second rest interval)	8×100 TT pace with :20s rest 8×75 TT pace 20s rest 8×50 TT pace 20s rest 8×25 ALL OUT 30s rest

Drill set:
200 as (25 catch up/25 swim)
100 build
200 as (25 fist/25 swim)
100 build
200 as (25 high elbow catch/25 swim)
100 build
200 as (50 8 kicks/3 strokes/8 kicks, 50 swim)
100 build

Week 15 - where has the time gone

I can't believe I'm over a 1/3 of the way done with this training program... What's more scary is that I'm more than a 1/3 of the way closer to Boulder. I'm finally feeling like I'm getting into a groove of things with my training, but my nutrition still has a way to go. I've finally "sucked it up" and accepted that I will have to spend long hours/runs on the treadmill, thanks to the wonderful weather Mother Nature is sending us. But it's weird, I'm getting comfortable on the dreadmill, that I'm just hoping this will actually make me stronger when i get out on the road.

I'm still concerned with my biking. I just don't feel like I'm getting what i should be getting out of my trainer at home. So i broke down this weekend and went out to get the Wahoo Kickr.  With what I spent on it I'm hoping it gives me the hill and resistance workouts I'm really needing.

I finally started to add in swimming to my regimine. I go 2-3 days a week. I bought a freestyle snorkel with a cardio cap to help simulate altitude. I even found a good FB page "Tri Swim Coach 21-Day Challenge" that puts out new challenges each month and that has really got me going on my swims. I'm trying to improve my TT (Time Trial) for a 1650m swim (1 mile). I just started week 3 Day 1 today and I'm finding that my major issue with my swim is the ability to pace myself in a long swim. For last week's 100 repeats I was keeping 1:35-1:40 100m pace, but for these 500's I either went out too fast and then slowed down too much in the middle or I would have too much left in the take after. How do you pace yourself in a swim??? I mean when I run/bike I can watch my Garmin and make adjustments as needed. Even though I wear my Garmin while I swim, checking my pace is not that easy to do.

Things for the trip are starting to come together too. The house is paid off, now just need to email out and let everyone know how much they each owe. Flights are booked and paid (thank to my SW miles Rich and I each only paid $5 for our flight). Due to a delay in planning the flights, Christin and Dave don't have a good direct flight so they will be coming thru Chicago and I'll meet up with Christin and fly in with her, and then Dave will go with Rich. And the car is rented. Christin and I are also starting to look at things to do out there and found a few fun stuff, then lots of micro brewerys for them since I won't be drinking until after the race. Now only to get my training and diet in order, then I should be right on track.

I'm still quite nervous and I just hope I finish. I need keep focusing on my weak areas and just make sure I don't ignore my strengths. Bad part is right now I don't feel like I'm strong in any discipline.