Fay Fay Go Away !!!

Results

Right out of the blocks – RESULTS – we got ‘em!!!

2 weeks ago (yeah – I know I am little late with this one) – Tony Maniatis – aka Dr. Green Speedo did a tough guy performance that Rocky Balboa would have been proud of. All month long he was suffered with a nagging foot injury and he was very close to pulling out of the Timberman 70.3. His normal training load was reduced to only biking and swimming and almost no running. On race day though he decided to compete and finished up in the Top 20 of his AG and Top 100 overall with a 4:50 something and a very strong 1:37 run – congrats Tony – enjoy the off season and heal up !!!

That should have gotten him the tough guy award but skin wins and this weeks winner goes to no other than Billy Hart. The road surface in Nocatee had just been grated and Billy took a big tumble hitting the floor hard and donating some large patches of flesh to pavement. He pulled himself up, checked out his ride and finished up the last 30+ miles with us looking more like a rugby player than a cyclist. Billy stayed out of the pool all week but hit the water at the HOT this past weekend and was in the TOP 10 overall and 2nd in his AG with a PR. Tough Guy award goes to B. Hart.

Speaking of the HOT – Congrats to Double D – Danny Domingo – it doesn’t get any better than a wire to wire win and Danny crushed the field by 5 minutes. He has game!!! Clair (his wife) had a great race and finished 2nd in the women’s field – BTW – she still owes me $2 dollars :)

The VMS Crew and friends were out in force and bunches of great performances. JC came in 3rd OA, Joy had a PR of over 10 minutes, Vann hammered out 3rd in the 40-44 with almost no speed work as he has IM Wisconsin in 10 days, Aaron was 3rd in AG, Michael 5th, David 7th, Juan 11th and Carl 12th…awesome results!!!



In what will probably be overlooked by almost everyone checking the results except for the true geeks like me, one of the most impressive times on the course on Sunday was a relay bike split thrown up there by Jeff Kopp. I have been coaching Jeff for 9 months and there is no doubt that the guy is good, he has the work ethic and logs the miles and can suffer like a dog. Those are given. What you probably don’t know is that Jeff is a geek too and he looks at his power files and really has learned how to race a TT exceptionally well. We have tested – we have practiced and we have trained for TT’s for a lot of the summer in preparation for a 40K TT in October. This was “tune up “ race and I figured I would set him up a little with an “unreasonable goal” in the notes for the race and I put “:56 :)” in the comments…never really thinking that he would be able to hit that on rolling technical course but sure enough…56 and change!!! His normalized power output was actually EXACTLY what we predicted and his split was almost 5 minutes faster than the 2nd place cyclist and the relay got the win… Congrats Jeff!!!



Coming up this weekend (yes Hercules – this weekend :)) is IM Louisville and Hercules and I will be there to cheer on Lyndon and the Midget. They are both in the mix for Kona spots and I am 100% sure they will leave nothing on the course. Good luck and we’ll be there as IM Sherpa’s.

Is it just me or does the Midget make Hammy look mellow :)



Vann Simmons has IM Wisconsin in 10 days and he has REALLY ready for this race. His swimming is solid, his bike is fast and a strong run he will be in the mix. Good luck Vann – we will be watching.


That’s all for results, if I missed anyone, sorry, it was not intentional.


Rants



Fay pretty much screwed up everyone’s training last week and I was forced to log 11.5 hours on the computrainer - 244.5 miles and NONE of it outside.



If you think an hour is boring – try 2 hours Tuesday, 3 hours Wednesday, 1.5 on Thursday and 5 straight on Saturday. OH YEAH – IT SUX’D!!!

I love the expression – I would rather eat Bee’s – yeah – really – a bowl full of yellow jackets with soy milk before I do that again.

Mix in 6 miles on the treadmill – more boring TV and 10 miles on treadmill on Friday and I was cooked.



By the way – in case you didn’t know…World Gym is not really a Gym…it kinda like the Ocean Club in workout clothes and I am just guessing that I missed the sign that said no sweating.

The Jacksonville “Ballet” Dancer in full make-up, Capri pants and no sock Nike Fashion sneaker was HIGHLY offended at my sweat rate and smell.

After the week I was having I just embraced it – put on my Eminem and poured half a water bottle over my head all flash dancer style as I finished up mile 9 of my 10 mile tempo run.

Yup – 10 dollar entry fee – that $1 a mile and I was not cleaning up after myself :)

I said goodbye to Savannah, thanked her for inspiring me and squish squashed my way to the Ark and rowed home…


What did Fay do to JAX – it dumped rain and wind for 72 straight hours.

We lost a few trees in our neighborhood…streets were filled with leaved and debris but more importantly:

I ran out of dark corners of my mind to explore and they are not nearly as scary

I ran out of movies to watch but I am almost caught up on Generation Kill – the best show on TV right now.

I now know all of the CNN anchors by voice and even watched the Aviator – yeah I know – the irony is quite ironic :)

I also realized that I do not want to do that again anytime soon…




Oh great Jim Cantore is on my plane – NICE– say hello to Gustav…

Hello Gustav ii!ii :)

Man – what can I say…?

If you meet your goal…I would say you did great!

A New PR…Fantastic!!

Score a win…Awesome!!!

Two wins for the Team…in ONE day...in front of a home town crowd…That is Perfection!!!!

Both of those wins by the same guy – PRICELESS!!!!!

It was a day where all of the hard work and training paid off…literally.



In the Jacksonville Cycling Classic held over the weekend, the shaved leg tough guys were on a mission.

DAY ONE

The road race was held on Saturday in the heat of the day and a break away of 10+ guys went up the road and it would stick. Karel Sumbal rode strong and finished 5th in the overall – very nice.




DAY TWO

On Sunday, the venue moved to the other side of the road for a fast, hot criterium loop race where in the 35+ field, Curtis Long smashed the field to take the top spot on the podium with his first win of the season.

Having worked with Curtis for almost 2 years, I can easily look at the numbers and say, this guy is “on” form and this win was well deserved. The guy does the work, he does the miles, he rests, he recovers…

This year he has had a lot of 2nd place finishes…and don’t get me wrong…that is great…but in Cycling…a win – well – that’s the shitznit :)

In between races I had a chance to yap with him, give him some BIG props, and Curtis told me he hoped he had enough left for a good effort in the Pro 1, 2.

The race went off at over 90 degrees and these guys all were firing.



After doing a massive solo bridge to an early break, Curtis worked hard and had enough left for perfectly executed tactical sprint.

Survey says – WIN – TOP PODIUM - PRO 1, 2!!!



Dude, you smacked it, you scorched it, you rolled it in flour, deep fried and baked it…

GREAT, FANTASTIC, AWESOME, PERFECTION, PRICELESS – You’re Money!!!

Two wins in one day…that is something!!!

Way to go…enjoy the day off today…you deserve it…back to intervals tomorrow :)


Besides the Pro’s ...

other shaved legged tough guys, tri-geeks and Iron Buttz also made it around the course (safely) on Saturday and Sunday with some strong showings from Evan, (5th and 2nd), Clancy (7th), Kerry (8th) along with Pete Loftis, Danny Domingo, Travis (top 10 +- in both days – DUDE NICE!!!), Carl Zeilman, Jim Wadsworth, Sean Crichton, Jackhammer et al and the rest of the BVS crew. Great job and a special congrats to the tri-guys for staying upright in the turns – we go straight really well :)



In case you were wondering – yes I did race and I finished EXACTLY were I wanted to – FLAMME ROUGE BABY – safe and sound – dead last :) Kerry Mowlam and I broke away twice (ok – 1 and ½ times) and we couldn’t make it stick so my job became lead out for the sprint (Clancy, Kerry and Carl). I did my best Hincapie impersonation for around ½ mile at 32MPH and pulled off and loudly proclaimed – I QUIT!!! Short of launching a red star cluster (old military term for cease fire) – I made it absolutely clear that this tri-geek/iron butt wanted ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with a shoulder to shoulder 35mph + CAT V testosterone riddled mayhem. Seriously – I was yelling “I am out!!!” from the last turn…I needed to make sure EVERYONE knew I didn’t want to play anymore :)


There are very few things in my life that I wish I coulda, shoulda, whoulda done…but in a younger body who might bounce a little better – I wish I had raced more cycling races…it is really SUCH a different sport - totally cannibalistic and totally tactical…and…(as Rich made me aware) it scares the shitznit outta me and being outside my comfort zone is a place I like to be. :)

Enough excitement for me for the year – back to my aerobars, trainer and straighter roads with 7 meters in between – Hey but at least I get Angelina’s butt to keep me company :)

What have you done lately?

Over the past few weeks my blog entries have been more focused on training and training concepts, you know – the geeky stuff.

Let’s just say…I have had a LOT of complaints :)

Against the advice of my client, friend and cardiologist, Dr. Lyndon Box, I have consumed this morning…3 SIGNIFICANT servings of the sweet nectar that the Starbucks gods have bestowed upon us.

Known to us mere mortals as a Tall Pike’s Place Roast Red Eye with Cream and 2 Splenda, I have allowed the caffeine coursing through my veins to unravel the twisted wandering thoughts that are best sequestered or expressed only underwater at VERY DEEP end of the 50M pool.

“HUH, what did you say Willis? You were talking to me in the pool this morning? Was that on the 100’s or during the cool down? You’re so fired, What’d I miss?”

So, having succumbed to the peer pressure and through the benevolence of the barista…

I bring to you an over caffinated rambling with ABSOLUTELY NO POINT…

but also…no geekiness involved :)



People are crazy – everyone is crazy.

Scratch the surface and you’ll find it.

Some of us wear this more on the inside while others don the overcoat with reckless abandon that is the emperor’s new clothes.

In the drive thru line at a Carl’s Jr’s in Newport Beach, CA, 12-13 years ago I sat and watched a homeless ballerina dance pirouettes in the street. She was actually quite graceful. I sat there eating my lunch, DEFINITELY something that was not good for me, watching her solo performance of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. She never noticed me… but I did applaud.

Cut to the guy in the cube toiling away for hours on mindless spreadsheet calculations that in the end of the day, week, month, year of his life only result in totality of his work being shredded by an overbearing manager focused on TPS coversheets.


Who is crazy – which one?

I offer this...

Both…They…We…You…Me…All of us are…

It is just to what level we employ our coping skills…daily.

If you have made it this far you are probably asking yourself, where is any of this going?

The answer…Angelina Jolie’s butt…that’s where.



3 hours on the trainer.

Yup – that’s right.

3 solid hours straight. One BIG puddle!!!

Is that crazy? Hell yeah that is crazy. Even by IM standards that is crazy.

What is more crazy?

It was nice outside.

Seriously, I took a ½ day off from work to do this and what’s worse…I actually enjoyed it.

OH YEAH – that is crazy.

Anyone who has ridden a trainer knows that it boring. It is painful. It is like the triathlon equivalent of the priest from the DaVinci Code that beats himself and that is for only a “normal” workout of 1 hour.



3 hours…we are talking Silence of the Lambs Crazy…



“It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told.”

3 hours allows you to find (Billy’s quote which I love) “the deep dark corners of your mind where it’s a little scary”.

So what makes a ride like this even bearable – back to the point - Angelina Jolie’s Butt :)

In the movie Wanted, there is a fantastic scene where she gets out of the “recovery” tubs – yes I am tempted to make a geeky point but I am resisting, and walks away slowly putting on a towel as she looks back over her shoulder at Wesley.

It is…if I was allowed ONLY a single vote…the best butt – period!!!

Actually, the movie is/was fantastic.



Mindless violence with deep concepts and Morgan Freeman – anything he does is great.

This doesn’t spoil anything of the film…the ending dialogue is the best…


Wesley: “This *is* me taking control; from Sloan, from the fraternity, from Janice, billing reports, ergonomic keyboards, from cheating girlfriends and sack of sh!t best friends. This is me taking back control of my life. What the F have you done lately?”

One reviewer said it will have you leaving the theatre pumping your fist…

If I were reviewing it, I would say it will have you content on the trainer for 60 minutes at over 240 watts :)

So what does 3 hours on the “rack” get you…what does it offer me?

Balance.

My inner ballerina is a little more tired than usual and chooses not to dance…my TPS obsessed coworker a little less bothersome…and my Fava beans with Chianti are much more flavorful :)

The more balanced I am…the more I tend to see the craziness that is around me…

The woman that allows me to hold the door for her walking in to the Starbucks and doesn’t say thank you or even consider that I would have been in front of her in line as she orders a Grande non-fat Chai Latte with not too much foam in a Venti cup extra hot and offers up a coupon and fat fingers the .07 change back into her fake Gucci purse.

OR…

The contractor discussing at full volume on his cell phone his dissatisfaction with the current bid while the check out clerk at Publix tries to tell him he needs to hit OK on the CC machine as the line grows longer by the minute.

OR…

The man next to me at the Fresh Market who is completely obsessed that I am taking TOO long to sample their free coffee and decides that if he stands closer to me that I will move faster.

(This actually pi$$ed me off enough to be completely childish and stand there for an extra 30 seconds slowly stirring my free Dixie cup of Kona Brew :) - I took great pride in my 4 year old passive aggressive behavior – this is ABSOLUTELY true and my mellow was significantly enhanced through his frustration :))

So, amidst the haze and single minded preoccupation that follows an IM athlete in the middle of their training, there are the chance random encounters with the crazier outside world.

And while we may appear ourselves to be crazy…we are…as Ben Harper so eloquently put it, “painfully sane”.



The pain that we endure in training makes us more sane and more balanced.

Soooo….here’s to 250 mile weeks, to 50 miles of running, to 12K in the pool, to the left side of the menu, to 10,000 headless monkees dancing, to Angelina Jolie’s Butt and the balance that all of this achieves.

My caffeine buzz is wearing off…lunch is over…time to go back to my TPS reports and daydreaming about Angelina...



What have you done lately? :)

Seriously Geeky Stuff Part II

Props first…



Patchouli boy, Sean Crichton, did absolutely fantastic at the xTerra race last weekend in Hanna Park finishing 3rd overall. The swim was won my Owen “I swam at Auburn” (sorry – don’t know his last name) and Hercules and I were sure that he started in a different wave. This guy put like 2-3 minutes on the field over 1/2 mile – really impressive.

On the bike – Sean reeled him in and was in 1st overall by the 2nd lap. Going in T2 Sean held the lead and race would be decided on the run. Sean went out fast but by the time Owen had made it out of transition the 1 minute lead was down to 30 seconds and Sean was racing for 2nd or 3rd. Sean held on for 3rd overall and a REALLY strong race – congrats!!!



I promise – this is the last of the heavy geek entries – I hope :)

I have really been fascinated by a formula that Lyndon Box turned me on to and it predicts Ironman run performance as a function of bike leg effort.

This requires that you use a power system to monitor your race performance.

If you know your FT (Functional Threshold – the power you can sustain for 1 hour) and your projected time on the course, this formula will give you a % of your FT to ride and a total TSS (Training Stress Score) in order to give you a good shot at running the whole marathon.

It will actually give you green, yellow and red ratings:

Green, your probably running the whole marathon at your desired pace.
Yellow – maybe – just maybe - if your fit – really fit – your run will be ok.
Red – probably going to be walking – say hello to the Monkeys :)

The guys who developed this used data from over 100 athletes to create the table and I have used it to predict performance and forensically to see what training and racing files looked like. I would say they nailed it.

If you want to see more from them check out Endurance Nation.

http://www.endurancenation.us/

Anyway – one of the keys to using this chart and formula effectively is to minimize the surges in your power and keep your VI (Variability Index) as low as possible.

People often refer to this as riding “cheesy”.

You use to lowest power possible to get where you want to be and by doing this wasted effort is minimized.

Why does this matter?

Imagine driving your car 100 miles and every minute or two you stomp on the gas and then let off the gas completely and coast then repeat until you get there.

Most cars have a monitor for fuel consumption and if you did this you would see that the MPG would be really low when you floored it and really high when you cruised but your average MPG would be really low.

No one would drive this way but people ride like this all the time.

Now instead – imagine you set the cruise control on 70 and then put on some Snoop and just chilled. Exactly, you would arrive sooner on the cruise control and you would use less gas which means more money for the Gin and Juice.

Point is – your body reacts the same way when you are cycling and it takes more or at least equal energy in the surging ride style BUT it results in a with slower average speed.

My test of this was totally unintentional but it completely proved the point.

Last weekend I had a 90 minute effort at over IM pace and my average wattage was 232 and my Normalized power (what my body felt) was 234. My VI was 1.01 – pretty cheesy. My AP (Average power) is the power that was applied to the bike and using a spreadsheet we can calculate the speed and time it would take to go 112 miles if I held that power (which - by the way - I could not).





Interval steady:
Duration: 1:29:18 (1:30:49)
Work: 1244 kJ
TSS: 99.9 (intensity factor 0.819)
Norm Power: 234
VI: 1.01
Pw:HR: 2.86%
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 0 ft

Min Max Avg
Power: 0 298 232 watts
Heart Rate: 0 162 146 bpm
Cadence: 30 97 83 rpm
Speed: 0 0 0.0 mph
Pace 0:00 0:00 0:00 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 381 237 lb-in


On Wednesday, I also had a 90 minute effort but this was done at 5 minute on and 1 minute off. The result was an average wattage of 221 but a Normalized power was 232 with a VI of 1.05. Basically these two rides were identical in the load on my body BUT the power to the bike was lower resulting in slower speed and I was 5% inefficient.



Interval 5 on / 1 off:
Duration: 1:29:04 (1:30:21)
Work: 1181 kJ
TSS: 98.2 (intensity factor 0.814)
Norm Power: 232
VI: 1.05
Pw:HR: 4.76%
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 0 ft

Min Max Avg
Power: 0 310 221 watts
Heart Rate: 0 169 141 bpm
Cadence: 29 104 76 rpm
Crank Torque: 0 491 248 lb-in


That lower power to the bike in the on/off style resulted in a total 5 minute slower ride than if I road steady but the cost on my body was the same – nothing gained – 5 minutes lost.



It is nearly impossible to ride really cheesy across a 5-6 hour effort without a power meter. Perceived exertion, HR and pace are all too variable to be reliable with varying winds, heat, fatigue and hydration.

But if you use a power meter and you get your Average power closer to your Normalized power, the lower your VI and the better your pacing – the more gas you could save for the run.

This does not mean riding easier – really – sometimes it actually feels harder but it will end you up where you want quicker and at a lower or equal energy cost.

So – listen to Snoop or Chamillionaire and ride “cheesy “not surgy and you will be in the hot tub before it’s full :)

Serious Geek Stuff

Some of my blog entries are designed more to entertain rather than make a point and if you prefer those – you probably won’t like this :)

This is the 3rd entry in what is probably starting to resemble a bad mini “series” which started with monkeys, talked about suffering and has ended up here…HBO probably is not going to pick this one up :)

Two topics left…this one:

The use of interval training for improved Teleoanticipation.

For anyone who trains with me or VMS – you have probably tried one of the workouts “Hard in the Hills”. It is a series of treadmill intervals sessions that build on each other and culminate in a 27 minute straight set that after warm up (10 minutes at 1%) is 3 minutes at 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6% and then back down 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% - cool down.

This workout is an original but it is inspired by an interval set from my 1st coach Ted Koutouziis. The reason it is a last workout in the series is that you keep doing the 1st, 2nd, 3rd until you get through those and then you do this one. Of course there are muscular improvements and stride adaptions that come from running at higher grades but I think the real benefit from this training is that it is designed to “increase your toughness factor” and reset the bar of “what you KNOW you are capable of doing.”

It is not a fast workout; you actually pick a “slower” speed than you would normally run (say an endurance pace) and then you don’t change your speed at all throughout the workout. Don’t be fooled, it is still VERY hard. The 3 minute intervals are short enough to let you focus on the block. By the time you get to 4% you should be really feeling it. After a 5% and 6%, the descending part is what I like the most…it is amazing how much easier it feels to run at 5% or 4% after you have been running at 6%. You actually look forward to the 4% instead of dreading it.

The 1st time I did this it was an 8 or 9 out of 10 PE but then it gets easier – almost every time. I am sure I triggered some adaptive physiological response or technique compensation for the intervals but more over, I knew that it is doable and that I “can” do it.

You should not try this workout until you have done the 1st 3 building blocks (see notes at the bottom for first 3 workout descriptions). Also, this is NOT an everyday workout but instead it is a “break through” workout - this means rest before and after.

The HR chart shows what it looks like for me for one of the build up workouts…



Anyway - I wanted to come up with the same type of thing for the bike on the trainer.

Aptly named “Bring me the Bucket I, II, III” actually they are named:

Trainer Painer I-IV…

The idea came from Scott Patton and a spin class he taught at Brooks. I really liked his class as he was always doing something different that I never tried before. This one was a moderately hard interval set with standing recovery instead of seated recovery. Then the next set was the same interval (lower PE) but without recovery but instead standing increased intensity. (see notes at the bottom for actual workout description)

Applying this to a cycling trainer and using a power meter makes this workout REALLY accurate.

I tried this workout 3 times in a row over the course of 10 days.

I popped / bonked / cracked / cried Mommy – whatever term you want to use on the 1st shot at it.

The 2nd time I reset my goal to just not quitting before I reached where I had on the 1st attempt.

On my 3rd try – I made it through the 3 sets.



Point is – I didn’t expect to make it the 1st time and that probably allowed me to quit. The 3rd time – I expected to finish and I did. I had reset the PE of what was next – I recalibrated the toughness of the workout.

We use very similar intervals with the shaved legged tough guys and they are called HIT’s – High Intensity Training developed by Michael J. Ross, M.D.

http://www.velopress.com/cycling.php?id=49

No one, not even Hurtus completed the 3 sets of intervals on the 1st try. For most of the guys, it takes two weeks to get through 2 of the 3 sets and if you make it through all 3 sets – MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!

What do these do…the intervals are various length and work different systems. This is the training adaption which is real.

More importantly, in my opinion – they teach the mind what is possible.

These are measurable, repeatable and you can’t fake it.

Either the numbers are good and the intervals completed at the right wattage and duration or they are not.

I have had a lot of conversations when people who pimp other sports and they say they had a good “game”…maybe they had 2 HR’s or 3 great catches or a stolen base – maybe it was 3 interceptions or 40 points in the last quarter and I agree that all of those are noteworthy.

But in terms of measureable, definable exacting performance – in my opinion you need duration, a distance and an intensity to create a standard by which to compare.

For cycling TT’s or Tri’s all courses are different and conditions change but the thing I like about “our” sport is that it is measurable – year to year, race to race – am I getting better or worse – the clock lets me know.

The closer we get in training to increasing our level that we “know” we can tolerate – the higher the mind allows us to calibrate the race pace, race duration and tolerance for discomfort (err – bring me the bucket) we can endure.

AND…the better chance we will perform to that standard.

Enough opinion and boring info - next time I will go back to making fun of Hercules philosophy that squats can cure everything and the Sinker’s fascination with lack of floatation :)



THE USE ANY OF THE WORKOUTS IN NOT RECOMMENDED UNLESS YOU ARE IN GOOD HEALTH AND ALREADY TRAINING ON A REGULAR BASIS. THESE WORKOUTS ARE VERY HARD AND POSE A SIGNIFICANT HEALTH RISK IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED…

ONLY DO 1 HILL WORKOUT PER WEEK SO THE SERIES WOULD TAKE 4 WEEKS TO COMPLETE.

SERIOUSLY – IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT – DON’T DO IT – I DON’T WANT TO GET SUED!!!


Treadmill workouts:

Same for all –

Purpose: This is a treadmill workout designed to work on your leg strength and toughness factor.

Have fluids available and gels if needed.

Heart rate should not go above zone 4.

Warm-up well. 10 minutes zone 1,2 at 1% elevation at your marathon or long run goal pace.


Hard in the Hills #1:

Then do 5 minutes at your zone 3 pace with a grade of 2%, the recover at 1% grade at the same pace.
Then 5 minutes at 3% then 5 minutes at 1%.
Then 5 minutes at 4% then 5 minutes at 1%.

Your HR may build to the Zone 4 level during the last hill interval - if you hold the same running pace.

Cool down at 1% grade.

Hard in the Hills #2

After warm up do a set of 5 x 5 minutes with 5 minute recovery. Each 5 minutes increase elevation by 1% starting at 2% -

Example - go 2% for 5 minutes then recover at 1% for 5 minutes then 3% for 5 minutes etc..

Hold the same pace throughout the work - If the intensity is to high - back off the pace but leave the % incline.

Cool down.

Hard in the Hills #3:

After warm up do a set of 5 x 5 minutes with 5 minute recovery. Each minute of the set increase elevation by 1% starting at 2% -

Example - go 2% for 1 minute then 3% for 1 minute, 4% for 1 minute, 5% for 1 minute, 6% for 1 minute then recover for 5 minute at 1% - repeat after recovery.

Hold the same pace throughout the work - If the intensity is too high - back off the pace but leave the % incline.

Cool down.

Hard in the Hills #4:

After warmup - set the pace at marathon pace or long run pace.

Then do a pyramid set of 3 minutes each for from 2%,3%, 4%, 5%, 6% and back down trying to hold each % for 3 minutes each.

This a 27 minute set and there is no planned recovery in the set.

If the intensity is too high - back off the pace but leave the % incline.

Cool down.


Cycling Workout

Trainer Painer III

Goal: Break up the boredom of a trainer ride
Heart Rate: up to zone 4
Power: 90% FT and 100% FT for "on" intervals, soft pedal for "off"
Volume: 1-1.5 hours
Warm up done as:
10 minutes increasing from PE of 1 to PE of 9 each minute...
(if you are doing this on the trainer or exercise bike - increase resistance of switch gears to add effort - keep cadence constant)

Then 2 minutes easy spin
Then 6 x 30/30 with the 30 on being at a PE of 8-9 and the recovery as a PE of 3-4
(for the trainer use a big ring/15 for the on's and small ring and 15 for the off's)

Then 2 minutes easy spin

Main set done 3 times with different "recovery"

Use a PE of 6,7,8,9 for each (17,16,15 or 14 for rear on trainer or a constant power 90% FT)

4 minutes on and 1 minute off done as easy pedaling
3 minutes on and 1 minute off done as easy pedaling
2 minutes on and 1 minute off done as easy pedaling
1 minutes on and 1 minute off done as easy pedaling

Take two minutes easy spinning.

Repeat the above with the ON intervals done standing at a low cadence (PE7 or 90%FT) and the 1 minute off done at the ”on” intensity level (PE9 or 100% FT) so it is NOT a recover but instead a seated TT effort at a hard level - this is VERY hard then go directly to the next standing interval.

Take two minutes easy spinning.

Repeat the 1st set with the ON intervals done SEATED or STANDING at a normal cadence and the 1 minute off done easy.

Warm down.

Nutrition:
Before > Preride meal, 500ml carbohydrate electrolyte beverage
During > 600-1200ml carbohydrate electrolyte beverage as needed
After > 3:1 ratio carbohydrate to protein IMMEDIATELY after and again at 1 hour after ride

Clearwater Bound!!!

Paul Cantin – VMS Client #1 scores…



CLEARWATER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SLOT (again) !!!

If I were betting and not knowing the athlete, I would have said there is no way that you could race 2 Half IM’s in 7 days and have them both be GREAT performances. Maybe if they were both flat or “easy” courses but to back up Rhode Island 70.3 with a Vineman 70.3 in 7 days is a strong week!!!

Good news is…I know the athlete and I don’t bet against him!!!

Paul swam a PR 37:51, Biked a 2:50 (?) and ran a BLAZING 1:32 for a 5:07.

The best part – VMS rules are in effect – we own the chute!!!

Paul was chasing a guy who was in his AG and went by him in sight of the finish and the guy could not answer…Paul beat him by 9.7 seconds to take the last Clearwater slot – KIA KAHA!!!



Scoreboard – OC – scoreboard VMS – HTFU award winner!!!


The results from the local Jax Tri Series are not posted yet but props to JC, Vann and Lyndon for dominating the dojo…great job guys.

Coming up next week – xTerra Hanna Park…I smell patchouli or is that new bike :)






“Well Peter, it looks like you have missing a lot of work lately?”

“Actually, Bob, I wouldn’t say I have been….missing it.”


Last week was a recovery week and man did I need it.

I am finally getting caught up on things I need to do and things that I want to do (this blog) and even mixed in a trip last week to the best city on the west coast of the US…err…almost US.

Vancouver is INCREDIBLE!!!

The entire scene is just amazing – mountains, water, running trails that are within 1K of downtown where you would assume you are 100K from civilization…great food and it is light for like 18 hours.



I ran and then walked along the path at Stanley Park and can up to English Bay and there was a crowd of maybe 1000 people all sitting on the beach at 9:00pm.



I assumed it was concert or something – nope – just a nice night with good weather and everyone was outside. OH – and for the tri – geeks…they have a 137M pool…yes…next time I am hitting that. 12 laps gets you a mile.





So – why was looking forward to this week so much…I needed it…physically…mentally.

The older I get and the more distance and intensity I try to endure, the more my body tries to remind me that I am not 12 anymore.

Half floating in a 1’ deep tide pool at the end of my street last Sunday, I made an awesome sand castle with Coen we called Butt Island (picture a big pile of sand – really big and a giant butt print at the top). I am not sure if it was the run (18.5 miles) or a cumulative effect of a BIG week but I was really happy to enjoy the semi weightless play ground. We really did a floating attack on Butt Island and Isla Bone as we “swam” around in the tide pools…he loved it – I just glad it I was not weight bearing – I could have stayed there all day.

I spent the day recovering (yes I was actually wearing my Recover Gear shorts under by surf shorts) and playing…allowing my legs to heal. I was also getting myself back to sense of balance that IM training can really effect.

Over the last few years I have realized that my body needs a break to allow itself to heal but more than anything – my mind wants a break to tell me that I am done – at least for now.

Teloanticipation is a term I read that I think explains a lot of what I am talking about.

(This is not my concept – this is a just my 2 cents, 3 lira, 1 Euro on what I think of it)

The concept is simple…when we begin an activity we have a built in pacing system that allows us to meter our effort so that we will finish and stay alive.

No, really, alive...as in breathing.

This system is constantly assessing the speed, temperature, nutrition, electrolytes, hydration, distance traveled, distance remaining and metering out the pacing as only it can forcing the body to stay within itself.

One of best examples for me is the one used in Mark Fitzgerald’s book – Brain Training for Runners. The 4 minute mile was thought to be a physical impossibility and then it was cracked. Shortly after…a number of runners cracked it…what was different…they now knew it was possible so their brain allowed them to do it.

A classic story from my Army days was a training run for the US Army Rangers. They would do a 6 mile run at a fast pace every morning all week. The run would start and stop at the barracks. The students were only allowed to drop out of maybe 1 run or they were kicked out.

At the end of the week, the instructors would start the run as usual and when they went by the barracks, they would say…”one more loop” and keep the formation running. The attrition was supposed to be incredible…people would drop like flies...they would only run the formation for maybe ½ mile past the barracks but those who dropped would – they were dropped.



Just for the record – I was NOT a Ranger – I was a pilot and we had a similar “hazing” practice but it had to do with Tequilla shots and lap dances…but I always wished I was a Ranger :)

Other examples have been played out in images around the globe as the most famous of finish line scenes…

It always amazes me to see someone cross the line with great speed and then completely collapse…the equation was solved…perfectly.

A few months ago, Curtis and the shaved leg tough guys went up to Georgia looking for a sole to steal…he was in a bind…cause he was way behind…and was looking to make a deal…

Wait…that’s not it…

They were up in Georgia for Speed Week and that is one of the toughest bike races in the States. The guys they were racing are good – not like – I have a day job and I am a good cyclist…but instead…this is what they do for a living…this is how I pay my bills good…



Anyway – the Lindner guys raced hard and by the end of the week – they were finishing with the field and even higher. The pace didn’t slow over the week…the competition didn’t get any weaker…the guys just developed a new threshold for pain tolerance which allowed them to push through and stay on the group.

To quote Curtis – “I thought I knew how it felt to suffer and hurt – I got a WHOLE new level”

Sure, cycling is about power and weight and equipment…(Buy a Trek or Cervelo – this subliminal message brought to you by the fine folks at American Bicycle Company – 904-246-4433) but more often it is about the guy who is willing to turn himself inside out that wins the race.

Listen to Phil Liggett – “He's wearing the mask of pain”

It is about suffering.



Someone once said that, in cycling, ever ounce of your body is crying out for you to stop.

Every nerve and muscle is begging you to quit.

It is the mind of a champion that silences those calls and presses on to victory.




Is it mind over matter?

Maybe…does any of this matter...maybe...maybe not...

A recent theory in racing and training is that there is a “central” authority which controls all of the performance of the body – the brain. It’s goal is to keep the body alive. Therefore, it produces or triggers physiological adaptations to limit our performance and keep us alive.

On the other hand, that same “central” authority has the ability to enhance our performance. There was a great story a few weeks ago about a guy who bench pressed a slab off of his body that weighed 1 ton. It is theorized that in a single instant, the brain, sensing that it was about to die, fired all of his muscles at once at full force enabling him to live. The result – he bench pressed close to a ton and lived.

No Hercules – I will not spot you try to bench the slab…




Back to reality -

Our Central authority guides us in a micro sense and also on a macro sense...

Ironman training for most of us is a 3 or 4 month adaption that over the course of the training increases the bodies physical capacity to tolerate training and builds the mental capacity to press through.

Macro phase (ok - mini-macro), during this training we focus on the 3 week or 2 week building blocks knowing that at the end of that is a week that we can rest.

In a micro sense with individual workouts we learn by overreaching a little in pace or power or duration and showing the “boss” we are still breathing that it is possible.

I have always said I love to train with people that are faster than me – as the harder they press, the more we find the edge. (Yes Tony – I know – you told me this a year ago – I is slow :)

The results of all this…

We recalibrate the thresholds, our expectations, our tolerance for pain.

We achieve higher, better, faster results and with mental recovery…the balance to do it again.

I like this theory…it may be debunked like Steak and raw eggs of the 60’s…but for me…right now…it makes sense.

So – a recovery week behind me, 3 hard weeks to go…I can again look at the 21 hours ahead of me this week and think…”did you take my stapler?” :)

Aloha Momma Wallis!!!

It is official – Momma Wallis is GOING TO KONA (again :))!!!

This weekend was a hard work payday for the crew.

Let’s start with the short and end with the long…


BFAS #3



Sween took the overall series win and JC took the women’s series – incredible job guys. To back it up JC showed Hercules and I who is boss by running 16 miles with us the next morning all the while informing us – “We were not running with her – SHE was running with us.”

Great race to James, JC, Sean, Steven, Michael, Juan, David, Joy, Travis, Jim, Freddie, Lovey (welcome back), Kim and Curtis. Speaking of great - Vegas (err me) lost money BIG TIME on the Curtis under/over for the bike split…I set it at :30 seconds under the field…he smacked it by close to 2 minutes and an average speed of 28.6 without a disk…incredible effort.


Ironman Rhode Island 70.3



...was held on Sunday with 4 of the VMS crew racing. Paul Cantin, Billy Hart, Vann Simmons and Steve Pettit all had great races. The goal was to cherry pick some Clearwater slots as this is a new venue and we all thought,

“Who is going to travel to Rhode Island?”

The answer, lad-e…dad-e…ever-e-body…

Man – it was a who’s who of fast guys and even with some incredible performances on the day – the field was just too strong for the only 45 slots given out.

I am always VERY impressed by people who race to their limits and there is NO DOUBT that these guys did exactly that.

I talked to Paul and Billy separately yesterday and they both said the exact same thing…”I could not have gone any harder”.

Billy smacked the run with a 1:38 and change off of a 2:35 bike and 30:31 swim…REALLY solid day to finish 4:48:51 and16th in AG.

Paul had a close to PR swim, solid bike and closing in run which got him in at 5:06:59 and 18th in AG.

Vann – solid all around for a 5:08 (35th AG) and Steve was leading the field, 1st in the AG through the 1st half of the run then toughed it out to 4:51 and 7th in his AG.

By all accounts the course is fantastic and well worth traveling there for.

Ironman Austria



...was also on Sunday and I got up at 5am and checked to see how Susan and Saswata were doing. It was 11am local for them and they were well into the bike. Saswata was moving along at well until I saw a 10 minute T2 and though – oh crap – we have a problem. After talking to him later that day – I found out that they stayed wet the entire day from the swim through the run and the 10 minute T2 was because he could not put on his shoes. His hands and feet were just not working. He toughed it out and brought it home with a SOLID 4:03 marathon to finish in 11:43 which is over a 1 HOUR PR from last year. AWESOME JOB!!!



Like I said in the beginning – Momma Wallis is GOING TO KONA. I watched her splits on the day and she was leading the swim and the bike and into T2. She was passed on the run but held on for 2nd place finishing in 13:10. I figured there was only one slot and she was close…until I got an email from Walter Arnold who said the woman in 1st already had her Kona ticket and that meant Susan would get it.

Susan is an incredible athlete and inspiration to all of us. Over the years, we have called her Lady Lance as she rode 100+ mile training rides with the “guys”. She got hit by a car last year and worked her way back through her knee rehab to finish Florida when most of the specialists said it would not be possible. She is TOUGH – she does the work and it shows – CONGRATS Susan and ALOHA!!!


Ironman season is approaching and with all the training and racing going on these days – keeping up with it is getting harder.

IM Canada 6 weeks
IM Louisville 7 weeks
IM Wisconsin 8 weeks
IM Hawaii 13 weeks – I think I need to go to the bathroom :)
IM Florida 16 weeks

Hercules and I suffered through 70 mile bike on Thursday, a 4:30 computrainer ride and a 45 run on Friday, 50 mile bike on Saturday and an 18.5 mile run on Sunday. This brought the total to close to 22 hours for the week with 250 miles on the saddle, 30+ running and 10K in the pool. Man – that explains why I am walking like Fred G Sanford – the G stands for “going” to get my Advil.

Computrainer for 4:30 minutes on Friday…are your serious…it was 6 foot and glassy.

What is wrong with me?

Tony diagnosed me and it is Severe Monkaphobia…(no Freddy – he did NOT use the scope for this :))


Stop reading here if you have ANYTHING – really anything at all better to do :)



The dance of 1000 headless monkeys…

This is probably the funniest line I have read lately.

Someone had written in to the mags asking Roch and Huddle what type training they could do to prevent an Ironman Marathon meltdown and they answered it legitimately by saying that through training, nutrition, race sims blah blah blah…



BUT they closed with something like this,

“All of this does not guarantee that you will not be doing the dance of 1000 headless monkeys for 6 hours.”

http://www.gregwelch.com/journals/009.htm

I seriously can’t say that line without laughing out load….really…it just cracks me up.

For anyone who trains for long distance races – this is it – that single line says it all.

Every mile we run, every hour we ride and every lap staring at the bottom of the never changing black line…it all to keep another monkey away…

They don’t die…you can’t kill them…you can just feed them and put them to bed for a hour, a day, a week or maybe if your lucky for a season or two…but these guys are like cockroaches and twinkies – they are always around when the lights go dim and they definitely are not good for you.



Monkeys say you want to quit, you want to slow down, you are not going to make it, you should be surfing instead of pedaling this stupid trainer for 4 + hours…Those are the thoughts that we endure in our training to let us know that we can make it.

We can go this hard and this long…we tell that monkey who is boss…

Training and racing can take us to the corners of our mind that most people don’t ever explore. In these corners we can find strength, commitment, perseverance, joy and pain and maybe with practice even make peace with a few monkeys.