Active Recovery

Back in October I was diagnosed with tendonitis of the hamstring. It flared up after running a 5k put on by one of my Team Blonde Runner teammates. It was a repeat of an injury I'd had a couple of times over the summer. Every time I'd do a really hard track workout, my ham would hurt. My coach advised me to stretch and keep an eye on it, but it only happened during track workouts so I never did anything to address it (track workouts were every other week).

What I'm learning is that there's an entirely different stride when you're running hard. As I read up on it, it's very common for 1) cyclists transitioning to running and 2) athletes in their 40's and 50's to develop hamstring tendonitis. I had to laugh - I've got two things going against me! For cyclists, their quads are just a lot stronger than their hams, so they tend to overdo it. And we "middle aged" athletes are just prone to over-use injuries.

Back in October I did physical therapy and focused on my left ham. My therapy started with laser stim--think of it as really focused heat. Then I'd put in 15 min on the ellipitcal, "hands-free". After that, I did "leg shredders." With a 15-lb weight in my right hand, I would bend over (raising my left leg behind me) and touch with weight to the ground. Three reps of 20-30 each side. After that, I did an assisted stretch. I laid on my back with an ankle connected to a weight over a pulley. The weight would pull my leg up, increasing the stretch. I'd pull down and let the weight pull back up. Five sessions into therapy, we added two-legged and one-legged jumps on the total fitness machine. Finally, I did some static stretches and followed it all up with ice and stim. Problem: I focused solely on my left ham, so when I did a relatively light trail run a week ago, my RIGHT ham started acting up!

So for the past week, my training plan has been "active recovery". I held off on running all week, and put in an hour on the ellipitcal Saturday. This week I'll phase in easy running, probably in two 30-min sessions each day, a couple of days a week, in my Five Fingers to give that ham an opportunity to stretch and strengthen. I'd love to be pushing 6-7 mile runs already, but a little patience and dedicated strengthening now should build the base I need to get through the half-Ironman training I need to do.

Moral of the story: anytime you do PT, be sure you're balancing the strengthening and stretching portion of the therapy. Don't just sit around, either - give it active recovery, keep it moving, and give it a reason to strengthen.

Breakthrough - swim workout

Great breakthrough today, finally getting myself out of bed and into the pool around 5:00 AM. My middle son came with me today, and it was nice to share a lane with him and offer him some tips.


Image: http://dfw.triplethreattough.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/andypottsswimming_post.jpg

Today's big goal was to time my 500m and count my strokes. Here are the results:
100 - 55.60+57.34=1:52
200 - 59.96+1:04.27=2:03:93
300 - 1:05.58+1:03.27=2:08.85
400 - 1:06.29+1:02.77=2:09.06
500 - 1:02.45+1:05.75=2:08.20
43 strokes

As I work through the Friel program, I expect my swim fitness test to change a bit, but this is a good starting point. Extrapolating these results, I'm swimming a 9:40 500, which equates to a 35:25 1900. My goal is to beat 30:00 in the water, so over the next 5 months I need to drop my 500 time by 2 minutes to 7:50, which is basically a 20% speed improvement. Totally feasible if I combine form, fitness and strength training.

Really for me the biggest breakthrough was getting up and getting to the pool. I discovered there's a master's swim team that meets M-W-F at 6:00. I could swim from 5:00 to 6:00 on my own, do the master's program W-F, and address my need to improve my swim (which is my weakest leg, and probably my biggest opportunity to improve without risk of injury). 


Given that I have a 6:30 am weekly meeting on Mondays, my swim schedule is looking something like this:

• Monday: 1 hr high-intensity speed & strength
• Wednesday: 2 hr low-intensity endurance
• Friday: 2 hr medium-intensity muscular endurance

I have to vet this with Friel's training program, but his philosophy is to focus on improving weaknesses, with an emphasis on your biggest opportunity. Given my age as well as a chronic back issue I have to work around, swimming seems to be a better opportunity for significant improvement than running, so my goal will be to make big gains in the water.

CTS: Cycling for Fitness

Last night's workout was Carmichael Training Systems "Cycling for Fitness" DVD (available here: http://trainright.shop.sportstoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=55677_56685&pc=QTAM29DVD). This DVD is a broad base focusing on what Joe Friel would call muscle endurance. I intended it to be an aerobic training activity, so I had to step down a bit. Two nights ago on the Spinervals aerobic set, I ended up anaerobic a couple of times and built up some lactic acid in my legs. The goal right now is to build an aerobic base, so going anaerobic isn't part of the plan.

This DVD covers a series of intervals, from speed/cadence to low-speed power drills. It's a bit shorter than the Spinervals series, coming in just over an hour in length. If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the Spinervals DVD because it's more of a workout - which is exactly what Friel teaches against. Working harder isn't always working smarter.

So it was a good workout, I think I totaled 19 miles and about 500 calories burned. I finally have my Kurt Kinetic set up properly, so the bike is balance and smooth. I had sufficient hydration and felt very good when I finished.

Treadmill Secrets

ActiveRunner had an excellent article about treadmills today. Many of us are moving indoors due to bad weather--gotta be careful about relying on a treadmill. Like many training choices, it's not necessarily a bad decision but it has to be made consciously.

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Indoor-Versus-Outdoor-Running-3-Things-to-Know-About-Treadmill-Training.htm?page=2

Enjoy!

Training and Coaching

I mentioned that last year I was lucky enough to have a paid professional coach (Lora Erickson, AKA "Blonde Runner"). This year, circumstances make that impossible. I don't want to spend the money (I have a son who is about to serve a full-time mission for the LDS Church and I want to support him in that), my work schedule makes attending a rigid team schedule difficult, and I want to individualize a few aspects of my training). To help, I picked up a copy of Joel Friel's "The Triathlete's Training Bible"

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triathletes-training-bible-joe-friel/1100558342?ean=9781934030196










I'm familiar with Friel's work, having devoured the "Cyclts's Training Bible"a couple of times. If you're looking for information on achieving the next level and you can't afford a coach (and again - I highly recommend it, if it works for your circumstances), this is the book you want. He walks you step-by-step through the process of designing an annual training plan. He doesn't just ask you questions and give you answers, he explains the theory behind his approach. If you're a data wonk like I am, it's awesome!

I'm swamped this week, so unfortunately I have to just work on random base stuff (aerobic and skills) until I can do the self-assessments and a few fitness tests and customize my plan from there. But I've been reading in it for at least a few minutes every day. As a busy dad of 3, his philosophy about time to dedicate is really appealing. To a certain point, less is definitely more.

So my workouts and my annual plan will be coupled to Friel's philosophy. You won't be able to take my training plan, but you can see how I implement his recommendations based on my needs. I recommend you grab the book, for sure!

Cycling Training

Well, I achieved my first goal, which was to put in a good riding workout. This year I am riding on a Kurt Kinetic trainer. It's also called the "Rock and Roll" trainer, because it allows for a rocking motion which better simulates real riding. Yesterday was my first session. After swapping out my race wheels for a pair of stock wheels off my cross bike, I popped in my Spinervals Aero Base Builder DVD. This DVD keeps the rider at an aerobic heart rate, in an effort to teach the body to burn fat more efficiently as well as establish a base level of endurance. The workout is about 1:30:00, and this is the first time I have completed it. Clearly my level of fitness improved a lot through 2012!

I've got several other of the Spinergy DVDs, so expect to hear a lot about them. They sure beat hopping on a trainer and riding for hours on end, although I do expect a few long, slow workouts where I pop in Lord of the Rings or something. Each DVD is aimed at a particular strength, like base aerobic conditioning or intervals or such. There are a few I've never completed in the gears recommended, so they'll be plenty of growth this winter!

Duration: 1:30:00
Exertion: felt like a 3
Calories: 700-800 per hour, so let's say 1100
Hydration: 24 oz during, 28 oz after

Riding complete, on to the next goal.

Welcome to the 2013 Season!

Welcome to 2013! I'm the "Sleepy Tri Dad" - I'm a single father of three teens working a full-time job and doing all the other things that come with being an adult in this crazy world. The photo here is of me and my second son, who just took first in his age and 4th overall in the Layton mini-sprint triathlon.

A year ago I made a couple of insane goals toward becoming extremely fit. I went at those goals in fits and starts through late 2011 and early 2012. In March, I started working individually with a coach who encouraged me to join her tri team. Lora, AKA "The Blonde Runner," (http://www.blonderunner.com) proved to be an excellent coach. I really benefited from her insight and coaching, going from a bottom 10th finish in my first event (the Legacy Duathlon run-bike-run) in April to taking first in my age group in the Sprint distance Bear Lake Brawl in August. The benefit to having a coach was that all I had to do was show up--Lora did all the 'heavy lifting'. When I got to practice, I ran as fast as she said to run, I swam as far as she said to swim, and I biked as hard as she said to bike. Motivation? Built in. Periodization? Built in. Recovery? Built in. Results? Speak for themselves!

Unfortunately time, money and circumstance preclude me from signing up with Team Blonde Runner again for the 2013 season, which means I need to get awfully serious about my own training. It means learning a lot about triathlon training, it means learning a lot more about myself and how I respond to training, and it means learning a lot of self-discipline. In fact, developing self-discipline is one of hte key goals for me this season. My goals for 2013 are:

• Develop the self-discipline to stick to my training plan, accomplishing 80% or more of each week's training activities, even if I'm traveling.
• Complete and compete the St. George half-ironman Saturday May 4, with swim > 1 hour, bike > 2 hours, run > 2 hours. Complete means to finish, compete means to finish strong. This is my A-event, for the entire season.
• Complete the "Crusher in the Tushar" 70-mile event July 13, 2013 in 6.5 hours or less.
• Take first in my age category in at least one Olympic-distance triathlon.
• Train year-round, with varying intensity.
• Compete monthly starting in April with the Legacy Duathlon, wrapping in December with the completion of the cyclocross season.

This blog is my planning palette as well as my accountability. Hopefully I'll share something here that will help motivate you. Check here for training reports, comments on what worked and didn't work, and event reports too!