ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

First Race in the Books

It was kind of a last minute decision. Deciding if forking over $40 for a race was a little tougher a decision than I planned on. Having a few financial things come up over the past couple weeks has put a hinder on some bigger plans I've had this year, but that's ok. There are plenty of local races I can get into. Like this one!

The Lake Monona 20k, taking place in my own backyard. Literally. It's less than a half mile walk to the start from my front door, so there was really no reason not to do it. My wife and I went back and forth with her doing the 5k of the race with our baby girl in a stroller. But we came to the last minute decision that she shouldn't with the possibility of rain, we didn't want to waste our money if it was raining and we don't have a water proof stroller quite yet.

So needless to say, my buildup to race day wasn't supreme. I wasn't in any sort of taper mode, so I decided to use it as a long tempo day and see what my legs had in store for me after a pretty good week of training already.

The weather was consistently changing and I kept wondering who was going to show up to the race should it stay sour. But when I woke up this morning, the clouds were here, but ther was no sign of rain and it was already 50 degrees at 7am. Perfect day to race. Not much wind, not too hot, and no scorching sun to speak of.

One thing I have trouble with at some running races is that they don't have a good place for bag drops or a secure place to put belongings. I didn't want to walk around for 45 minutes in my race gear, getting cold or spending too much time warming up just to stay warm. So I had my wife drive down on her way to the Farmer's Market downtown and grab my stuff about 20 minutes before race start. Which was 9am. Weird for me. I'm usually close to finishing races by that time.

After a good half mile of jogging and loosening up I waltzed over to the start line. It was kind of funny to see who was up front and who was holding back. I just walked right to the front since I'd rather not have to jostle around people in a mass and just stay to the side for those who are faster than I am.

So standing in the second row at the start, besides another dozen guys lining up toe to toe, most people starting packing in about 10 yards back, like they were weary to be up close. Better that than overcrowded and some shoving going on.

We toed the line and the gun went off right at 9am. Everyone switched their watches on and took off. We were cruising, and I gave myself the first 200m to get my legs under me before I looked at my watch to get a pace level. I was around 6:29/mi, which I knew I couldn't hold, so I slowly backed it off. Especially knowing this course so well, I knew where the hills were and where to push if I had the muster to do it.

Within the first 400m we're on the first hill. A long steady pitch that is about 400m itself heading up on to the top of Monona Ridge. Some people started to fade right away, which I figured was good. Really separate those who can pace vs those who just gun it at the start and fizzle. This thinned things out pretty quick. And by mile 2, there's another short but steep hill to push the weak towards the back even more.

I was feeling pretty good through the first 3 miles and hit the 5k mark at 21:10. Right around 6:48/mi. A little closer to where I was hoping to end up at. I thought I could go out at between 6:45-6:55/mi and have a kick. This was the story for the first 5 miles, but around the 5 mile mark, I started to feel my legs dragging a bit, so I grabbed my one gel from my pocket and took it in. A little earlier than I planned, but I'd rather suffer at the end with my adrenaline pumping than in the middle.

After a few minutes I got another little surge and hit the 10k mark in 42:39 (6:51 pace). Still right in where I wanted to be, feeling pretty good. But something happened around mile 7 and I couldn't quite get the turnover I needed. I felt like I started to reach for every step instead of being able to roll over one to the next. I started working back and forth between my old running style of reaching with longer strides and a shorter, quicker turnover to not burn out either way. I couldn't quite hold on to either for longer than 4-5 minutes. But it seemed to be working ok.

I came into the 15k at 1:05:09 (6:59 pace). Crap, the wheels seemed to be coming off a little. But I knew I could have some sort of kick the last mile or so. I always seem to be able to muster something up. So I held on as much as I could through mile 11 where I posted close to 7:10 marks on both 10 and 11 miles.

Once mile 11 hit, I just started cranking everything I had left. There was one more short, kind of steep, hill and a small rise then a drop and flat to the finish. I worked the rise as best I could, concentrating on reeling in the runner in front of me and not my time. Thinking it more of picking him off rather than what my time was. So I ran all on feel the rest of the way in. Just whatever I had left in the tanks.

I turned the last corner and kicked it the final 100m and did the last mile around 6:50 and final .4ish in a 6:29 pace. So I had a kick, which is always a good thing. However, I came in at 1:26:39, a 6:59 pace. Not too bad. But I was really hoping to be under 1:25:00, even with this as a training run to test where I'm at. My goals were a 1:25:00 and I'd be really happy and sub 1:20:00 I'd be ecstatic about where I'm at. So I fell a bit short. But I'll take it.

Some things I learned were that it's tough to get a good night's rest the night before already, then add in a teething baby to the mix and the sleep dwindles even more. But that is my new normal and all my training has been based around her and it has been working out much better than I thought it would.

It feels good to have the first race under my belt and have those jitters gone. Especially in a low key, close to home race. Hopefully you guys are out there racing or ramping up for your first race. Good luck and see you out there!

-Dave

When Weight Matters

There are many instances when weight does matter, and also when it really does not (to an extent). I spoke in my last post about a few places in which it does not matter as much. A few grams shaved on one bike versus another, going with more minimal shoes to be 'lighter and faster' and other things. But in this post, I'd like to touch a few points where weight really does make a difference. And it is quite possibly the hardest place to get it. Yourself.

Two out of the three criteria in a triathlon (bike and run) can reap huge rewards by dropping weight. Swimming is not as large of a factor, as having a slight bit more body fat percentage can slightly help with buoyancy. But the effects are so minimal, it's best to concentrate on the other two sports where weight plays a much larger role.

I came across a great read with some interesting documents included talking about the idea of shedding weight to get faster on the bike. The article on USA Cycling's site talks about Watts/Kg and FTP. These numbers can get somewhat confusing. Especially when you simply look at someone's FTP. Say for a much larger guy, around 250 pounds (large for a triathlete/cyclist/runner etc), he may have an FTP of 325. That's pretty good. But when you take a look at the Watts/Kg formula, he is only putting out 2.65 watts for every kilogram. Now if you take another athlete, say at 170 pounds and he is putting out 275 watts, (170 pounds = 79.4kg... 275watts/79.4) he will produce 3.46 watts for every kilogram. A very large difference just from the amount of weight on a given rider. Though, he is pushing out less total power, it is taking the second rider much less effort to push him forward.

The math isn't really that hard, and when you start to look at it, you can really start to see why weight plays such a large role in cycling. Put it this way, if you lose 5 pounds, use the same amount of effort over the course of an Ironman bike course, your time will drop significantly. Just by losing 5 pounds! Put another way: you lose 5 pounds, and instead of putting out the same power, you try for the same average speed. Your power will slightly go down, but you will have more effective energy on the run. Either way, dropping those 5 pounds will get you to the finish line faster (most likely). This is all saying if conditions and your race plan go as they should. It's too hard to compare one race to another, with different conditions. Even doing the same race from one year to the next. There are too many variables. So look at it as an averaged change instead of a one time event.

Now lets talk about running. Time for some more math. And this time it comes in the form of force and pressure on your knees (mostly). The average runner takes around 400 steps on each leg per mile they run. You can use a pedometer to test how many you take to get a more accurate prediction if you really want to calculate your stress on your knees. So, you take 400 steps on each leg, you weigh, let's say 185 pounds, now we need to have some type of factor to multiply by to figure out the load placed on your body.

Every runner is different, but the average weight put on each knee when running ranges from 2-3x a person's given body weight. So, for the 185 pound athlete, taking 400 strides on each leg, that's 370-555 lbs of force with each stride. Multiply that by 400, and you get 148,000-222,000 pounds of force on each knee over the course of a mile. Double that and you have the whole amount of weight on your knees.

Now let's look at an Ironman length run, 26.2 miles. Take our 185 pound athlete, multiply the range from the last paragraph by 26.2 (148,000 x 26.2 = 3,877,600 pounds 1,938.8 short tons) or (222,000 x 26.2 = 5,816,400 2,908.2 short tons). Those numbers are astonishing!

Next let's lose some weight, say 5 pounds.

180 x 2 = 360... and 180 x 3 = 540

360 x 400 = 144,000 (mile) x 26.2 (ironman) = 3,772,800 (1,886.4 short tons)

540 x 400 = 216,000 (mile) x 26.2 (ironman) = 5,659,200 (2,829.6 short tons)

Over the course of a marathon, you'd be moving somewhere around 100 tons less weight. That's a TON of weight!

I know, weight loss is hard, but it's worth your while to make an effort to get into a closer range of where you should be for a given height. That is, if you want to be competitive and/or have a longer career when looking at the amount of stress you're putting on your body. Especially when running.

This is all relative to your goals and what you can realistically do in your own given situation. So don't take these numbers and ideas as the end all be all. Losing weight and getting close to your ideal weight range is great. But don't sacrifice your life and body getting there. For most men, you don't want to drop below 6% of body fat to have a positive effect on training and racing. For women, the body fat percentage is closer to 14%. These are all relative again depending on your physique. Especially in women.

This was a lot of math and critical thinking and now my head hurts. For some more great insight, check out Matt Fitzgeral's book, Racing Weight. He gets supremely in depth and gives you some great ideas on how to get to your ideal weight range for your height and sport. Each sport is different and demands a slightly different physique. I'll let you read up on that on your own.

Until next time, keep training and having fun!

Dave

First Big Ride Outside of the Season

Saturday was an awesome day. I had a good nights rest, was feeling good as soon as I woke up and ready to get things going. Having moved in the Fall, I hadn't yet started any rides from our new house. So I was excited to get out and ride. Even though I was going to be going on some familiar roads I had ridden last year during training.

One of my first rides when moving up to Madison last year was to head out to Waterloo, WI and ride past the Trek Bicycle Headquarters. It's a small town about 20 miles East of downtown Madison. Riding there isn't overly exciting. There isn't amazing scenery, unless you love farms and cows. And the road conditions leave little to speak of. That is, until you get just outside of a town named Marshall on Madison Ave., and head up the slow pitched hill for a few miles leading up to the front door of Trek Headquarters. From that point on, it's one of the smoothest rides I've ever been on. And I'm sure Trek had something to do with it.

Anyway, back to my ride Saturday. I was up around 5:45, the sun was just starting to creep over the horizon and make it light enough to be riding without any lights or reflective clothing. It was already somewhat warm, too. Though it was in the low 50's, I decided to be cautious and start with a baselayer, jersey, knee warmers and shoe covers. My baselayer I have the Bontrager B3 Hooded Long Sleeve, leg warmers are the Bontrager Knee Warmers, and shoe covers are the Craft Rain Booties. I knew some would be coming off along the way. But I wanted to make sure I started warm enough, knowing I could slim down as I rode.

The first few miles felt refreshing. Though getting out of town sometimes can be a pain. Sitting at the stop lights, watching your average miles per hour dwindle. But after that, it was open roads and fun. Nearly no cars, no people. Just the road and a slight tail wind headed out.

I got to the Trek Headquarters a little quicker than I thought and saw a group of guys working on the parking lot, so I decided not to swoop in and hang out for a second. I was planning to get some nutrition in and take off my baselayer. Instead I kept riding through Waterloo and stopped on the North side of town near a clinic. I stopped, grabbed a Honey Stinger bar and slipped off my baselayer and shoved it into my saddle bag that had just a tube, lever and cartridge for a flat if need be. I did decide however, to leave on my knee warmers and shoe covers. Be it that I was wearing my tri shoes, I knew if I took the covers off, I'd more than likely start getting chilly feet. So I'd rather have them sweat a little than be cold. Same went for my knee warmers. I'd rather keep my legs warm. Especially since the ride headed home would be mostly into a headwind.

Though there was a slight headwind, it was still pretty easy riding. It wasn't the typical grind it out and just make it home style. I could actually still enjoy the ride. Even though I wasn't riding quite as fast as the way out. I still had fun. And with no real time limit, as long as I was working in the ride heart rate zone, I was happy. Though a few times I stood up to sprint to wake my legs up and get out of the saddle.

Overall I was just shy of 54 miles. Nothing huge, but a good fun ride to start out the year. No big hills, but I did hit about 1,500 feet of climbing over the course. But most of all, it just felt good to get out. I took three gels with me as well as 2 bars. I just ate one bar and all 3 gels. The third was just for some nutrition for my brick run after.

The run was just a quick 3 miles to remember what it's like to run on tired legs. Nothing fancy or overly fast. Just trying to remember the feeling again.

Looking back it was a really fun ride. I enjoyed every part of it. I think I have found a deep love in biking. Or it could just be getting back outside doing things. Either way, I'm looking forward to the things to come. Such as, getting done with my training Saturday and spending the next 6 hours tilling and cleaning my lawn to plant new grass seed. YAY!

-Dave

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Helmets (Brain Buckets)

Going along with the other biking accessories I have been talking about the past few posts, I would like to talk for a bit about helmets. Helmets are one of the most often overlooked pieces of equipment for many cyclists. Working with people almost daily and selling them bikes and biking accessories, it almost comes as an afterthought for many them. "Oh, I don't need to get a helmet today" or "I've got an old one that still kind of fits." These types of excuses to not upgrade or just get one in general drive me crazy.

First of all, helmet technology has come a long way in many forms. Whether it be how light they are, how protective they are, how aerodynamic they are, or how breathable they are. There are so many factors that make the upgrade in your helmet a worthwhile investment.

One of the best things in my opinion about splurging a bit on a nice helmet is to feel like you're not even wearing one. Helmets have become so lightweight while still retaining their protective qualities, it almost seems like there is nothing on your head at all. And to compare a $60 helemt to a $160 helmet, it's nearly night and day when it comes to weight. However, some customers like to try and tell me they feel no difference between the two, hand me both helmets, and have to honestly keep myself from laughing at the weight difference and their lack of noticing the weight difference.

I know a helmet on your head isn't exactly the same type of a contact point as your pedals, shoes and saddle, but it is a contact point nonetheless. Having something comfortable is vital. It can mean the difference between enjoying your ride and having a splitting headache when you're done. I am in the process of upgrading myself from my Specialized to either a Bontrager Oracle, Giro Aeon or Atmos. All of which will be lighter, more breathable and much more comfortable than my Specialized.

Another key feature of spending a bit more on a helmet is it's venting options. Now, more vents doesn't necessarily mean better. It comes down to location, induction and exhaust. Where does the air flow in, collect and exhaust in the helmet? If the air doesn't have a good place to enter, there's no way for the heat from your head to get exhausted and replaced by fresh, cooler air. Also, if the exhaust area of the helmet isn't properly positioned, air may just collect inside the helmet and leave you sweating in a humid mess.

Last but not least, colors. Yea, not a huge deal, but it is at the same time. Whether you plan to match to your gear or your bike is up to you. But having a handful of options is key for getting a helmet as well. First off, you don't want the same colors as everyone else. But also, you want to look like you at least tried to match something with your neon green kit. Right?

-Dave

Saddles, Seats, Where You Sit

Finding the right saddle can be a bit of a chore. Everyone has a different body than everyone else, so we can't really expect every saddle to work for every rider. There's some pretty cool technology going into saddles and how they are sized now.

For a while, seats were made with just one size, and it was a grab bag of which would fit you. But now, some companies (Bontrager for example) has started to make saddles in different dimensions of the same saddle to fit a wider range of riders.

Above we have the Paradigm RL from Bontrager. This saddle is designed for men, based on the cutouts and where men's sit bones generally rest while sitting compared to women. It also has a more aggressive, forward lean to it as it is designed to be a race saddle, rather than a comfort cruising saddle. The cool thing about this type of saddle is it comes in three widths which can be measured by a little mechanism you simply sit on at a bike shop. They come in Red (128mm), Yellow (138mm) and Blue (148mm) to encompass a good range of riders. For me, I sit right between the yellow and blue fit, So I aim a little wider to get a better comfort feeling on it. This is something personal, however for each person. Some people on the edge of two sizes may lean for the narrower fit. That's a personal choice.

The saddle above here is the Affinity RXL Carbon from Bontrager. If you're not so much into racing, but still want a performance saddle that is lightweight, this one is great. It comes in both men's and women's design, as well as black and white color options and 3 sizes for each gender. The posture position with this one is a bit more neutral/relaxed so it can be comfortable on both an endurance cruising bike, as well as a race/speed bike. It also comes in a non-carbon option to save a little more money.

This saddle, the Hilo RXL (hee-low), from Bontrager is designed with the triathlete/time-trialist in mind. It's built with a very forward leaning posture, and made for more flexible riders. A great choice for those riders looking for a lightweight saddle in a very aggressive fit style. The downside to this one is that it comes in one size. However, it has a new big brother, the Hilo RXL Speed Dial. With the Speed Dial option, the rider is given up to 16mm (0.63") of movement in the nose of the saddle to vary the width under your sit bones. A simple allen key moves the nose inward and outward to get the perfect fit. A better option for those like me who have a wider sit bone position, but still want the super aggressive fit for their triathlon bike.

There a many saddles out there, all with their own purpose. The best thing for you to do is some research. What kind of riding will you be doing mostly. Be honest with yourself, and anyone helping you find a seat. You'll end up losing in the end if you aren't honest. Spend the money to get the seat that works best for you. If it's up to me, I would rather save a little longer and get the best seat I can that will make riding more enjoyable, than suffer through a saddle that makes me miserable on every ride. After all, riding your bike is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Why not make it as comfortable as possible?

-Dave

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Where To Spend Your Money

I have been working at the Trek Stores of Madison for a while now, and I'm starting to pick up a few things as I talk to more people in all forms of shapes and sizes as well as ability. One of the strangest things I have come across is where people spend (or don't spend) their money. This ranges all across the board. From your first timers to your veterans. It's quite odd to hear some of the reasons I have heard to not spend the little extra money on certain things when the cost to benefit is definitely there.

First and foremost, the bike. Many people come in, expecting to see some cheap hackjob of bikes that they can just take out and ride and treat poorly. Nope, sorry, we don't make bikes like that. While we do offer a wide variety of bikes at Trek, none of them are even comparable to bikes you may see at Target or Wal-Mart.

Beyond that, I really like to get people in things that are a bit more money on their contact points. So where they are actually touching and using the equipment. There are a few contact points on your body to really think about. The main two are your feet and your bum. The next is your head and hands (not quite as important, but still important nonetheless).

First off, your feet. Even if you are a new roadie, it's worth your while to spend the money in getting shoes that are both comfortable and well built. I'm not saying a shoe with a hard plastic last vs. a carbon last is wrong, but making sure that the shoe will last and fits your foot well is key. If the shoe is a bit tight, you're going to develop blisters and hot spots. Especially in longer rides. Taking away from the enjoyment of riding. The stiffer the last on the shoe, also, the better ability you're going to have while riding. With more stiffness comes more power transfer. Or less power lost in flexing of the shoe.

To go along with your shoes being stiff, comfortable and properly vented for hot days, you need some pedals that work just as hard as you do. There are a lot of decent pedals out there, so I won't get into each one specifically, but just what to look for. For a newer rider, check for adjustability of the spring in getting in and out of the clips. Some brands are naturally harder to get into, while 'others are harder to get out of. Just be sure to ask or try out the pedals before you just go straight into purchase.

Another key point for me is surface contact. How large is the area where you will be contacting the pedal from your shoe? Look at the surface area and really try to feel the difference between one and another. The larger the surface area, generally the less possibility of getting hot spots or aches in your feet. That also gives you less of a chance of slipping off the side. Especially under sprinting or climbing conditions when you're putting a lot of stress on both the pedal and the cleat.

That's all I have for today. Next time I'll talk a bit about saddles and things that affect your butt.

Some pedals to look at are ones from Shimano, Look, and Speedplay.

-Dave

 

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How's 2013 Going?

So we're nearly 3 months into the year 2013, and not too far off the start of race season for most of us. At least some early season checks. We're also far enough away from the new year that we can check in how you're doing with your goals. Are you still working at them? Have you achieved any of them?

Now is a perfect time to take a step back, look in the mirror and see how things are going. Are you on schedule? Are you ahead or behind? Are you ahead of where you were last year? Don't be afraid to ask yourself these questions. For most of us, the only person we have to answer them to is ourselves. So, how are you doing?

For me, I've been able to tick a couple goals off my list already. One being my 100 mile ride. I wasn't really planning to get it done on the trainer, but voila! It's over and done. But now I can't wait to get at one outside and really feel the payoff of a long enduro ride.

The other is dropping weight. I've been holding steady under 200lbs for a couple weeks and have dropped a good amount since the New Year. So I'm pretty happy about that. But I've still got a ways to go. My eating habits have been ok so far. But I know I can do much better. I don't reward myself too often, but I really think I can do better than I have been. Which would be one way to tick off a few more pounds over the next month. My weight loss goals don't really have anything to do with vanity. Maybe a little. But most of all with my racing weight. I want to optimize my training and racing potential as much as possible, so being at the right weight is a key part of doing that. Lugging a 200+lb frame around on a bike and run can take a pretty heavy toll.

For me, 2013 has been all over the place so far. I've had some really awesome training weeks, putting in big miles and yards in the pool. While some weeks can fizzle and be frustrating. I try my best to look at my overall gains, rather than that of just the day. Tossing off a bad session on the bike or a shortened session in the pool due to fatigue or a class coming in (I hate that!). Mostly I look at my consistency. Last year that was what I could truly hang my hat on. Getting each specific sport in a few times a week was vital for me to get back into the shape I wanted to be in post-surgery. And now in terms of being fit and having a solid all around racing season, being consistent will pay off huge as well.

So take some time and ask yourself some questions about how you're doing so far this year. Be honest with yourself. Write it down if you have to. Hold yourself accountable for your actions. You don't want to disappoint yourself do you? Reassess if you have to. Re-prioritize as well. If you're having trouble getting in a specific event or training, see what you can do to move things around in your life to make it work. Being an endurance athlete is hard. Ask others how they do it. Family time is key, so don't take away from there. After all, they are your biggest fans. So hopefully they have a great 2013 watching you go out and get after it with PRs and great performances on race day!

-Dave

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Geek Out, and Be Proud

Endurance athletes are a strange bunch of people. There's a wide variety of people out there doing it for an even wider variety of reasons. Racing, weight loss, camaraderie, raising money and so on. Whatever it is, that's awesome. You're out there doing your thing. Now usually I like to think about training and listening to your body and what it's telling you to do. But technology has come quite a long way. A very long way. And with the high spirited likeliness of many of us, we get pretty jazzed up about new products. Whether it be a new Garmin watch that does two more things a little better than the previous, or a show with sweet new colors, even though we have 10 pairs in our closet we could easily use for a few hundred more miles collectively. We all geek out a little when new things come out, but never fear, you are not alone!

Whether you're an engineer, a teacher, a marketing professional, salesman or whatever you may do in your professional life (if it's not being an athlete) we are a different breed. Generally more motivated and having a get up and go type of attitude to many situations. Sometimes to a fault. People at work don't understand us getting excited about getting up early on Saturday morning to ride our bikes for miles and miles. "How is that fun?" they'll ask. But they'll never understand until they catch the hook.

The thing is, the more you know and the more you learn about the products and offerings out there for you as an athlete, the better informed you'll be when making a decision about what is best for you. Rather than having someone tell you what is right for you, you can learn the pros and cons of products, read reviews, compare and contrast options, and inevitably make the best decision to suit your situation as a person. Nobody knows you better than you!

This is why I say go ahead and geek out over new products, gear and training tips/tricks. I get it. It's fun to have new things to look forward to and keep you motivated to keep training and getting after it. Even if it's just a new tech tee for running or some sweet new socks. It's the little victories and splurges that make these sports so much fun.

Go out to your local shop, talk products and ask lots of questions about them. Read reviews, do your research, know everything you can about these things. Before long, you'll be the person that everyone is coming to for advice. And odds are, these habits of learning and being proactive in staying on top of things in your personal hobbies will spill over to that of your professional life.

-Dave

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The Long and Short of Things

Ok, triathlons are pretty cool. Better yet, endurance racing is cool. Running is cool. Cycling is cool. Swimming is cool. Generally all sports are pretty rad I guess is what I'm trying to say. But I feel there's something to be said about the long vs. short races we have available. There's a lot of people out there racing. And they're all racing different distances and for different reasons. Who are we to judge right?

So, the more and more I talk to people, the more and more I seem to find people obsessed with going long and longer. While this is good and/or great, I find it hard to swallow sometimes when I talk to these people about my own racing. I get the look, "Oh, you've never done an Ironman?" Yea, it's ok, I haven't. I'm ok with that. I will someday. And yes, triathlon training does consume a large portion of my life. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you. When I'm not training, I'm talking about training, or bikes, or shoes or races. It kind of comes with the territory.

But back to this whole long vs. short. I feel there's too much of a big deal and pressure on the long races. Mostly the marathon and Ironman. You know, those take a LOT of training. Everyone knows it. But you know what else takes a lot of training? Going fast. Very fast. As I mentioned the person giving me the "you've never done and Ironman?" look, I always have to bite my tongue, and NOT ask, "you've never felt what it's like to run a mile under 5 minutes?" Or run any part of any triathlon in a sub 7min/mi pace? Or even a road race or in your training?

Basically what I'm getting at is the stigma of 'endurance racing' and that the mecca of all races are the marathon (or ultra marathons) and the Ironman. I know these are amazing goals and aspirations for people to have. There's such a big difference between training to go long and training to go fast. I feel there are too many people so overly obsessed with the going long, and going long right away. Now, I'm not saying it's not totally awesome that you finished an Ironman. Because you sir (or ma'am) have done something only a very select amount of people have done. But why be satisfied with just surviving and making cutoff times? Why not spend a little more time working on your motor and your 'go' machine?

Let's face it, the long days of training take a huge toll on your body, your family and your social life. You can get some similar benefits long term if you're doing some high intensity training vs going out and putting in 3 hours of running.

Ask yourself, if you're a marathoner or Ironman triathlete, what's your fastest 10k, 5k, mile, 400m? If you start calculating based on your marathon time, please try again. Go out and do them. First of all, I'm sure you're faster than you can calculate based on your marathon time. On top of that, I'm sure you can get even faster without hindering your marathon training. In fact, if you spent some time on speed and power, I'd be willing to bet your Ironman and marathon times would reap the benefits as well. Having that aerobic capacity and muscular development will give you the strength to go faster for longer. On top of those big running days, the short and fast will give you another trick in your bag.

I'm not ragging on people who only race the long races. Hell, I wish I had the time and commitment to train like that and kudos to those of you that do. But mostly I want to get those who race long to drop the act of being better than those who race short(er). There's a lot to be said for those who can break and hour in the 40k ride and 40min in the 10k run of an Olympic distance triathlon race. Probably an even more select group of people than those of 'Ironman Finishers'

-Dave

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So I had another opportunity to get in a big day of training while I had the house to myself again. My wife took her day off to visit her parents while her brother was coming through town to go on vacation. So I took advantage of the day, got my work done, and started the training day out on the bike.

After having a great breakfast of some whole grain pancakes that I mix up with some wheat germ, yogurt, butterscotch chips, and a little almond extract, I said goodbye to my wife and baby, and got set to hit the bike hard.

I wanted to be able to get in both some good miles on the bike and running, so I kept the bike to a mid-range ride and followed a ride from Trainer Road that was about 2 hours and 40 minutes long called Cathedral. It his all over the range of tempo, threshold, endurance to be a solid workout while getting in some good miles and time.

I like this workout a lot, being the second time I've done it, I think it's a perfect ride for me to get in a good longer ride geared towards my half-ironman training. I got through the ride and the whole time felt great. I was surprised since I was pretty burnt out from the 1-hour intense session I had done the night before. But I've been really concentrating on my eating habits and making sure I'm covered all day long, so I think that's paying off. Except the dark chocolate covered Peeps I bought my wife and I last night as a treat.

I finished the ride and hopped in the shower to relax and get refreshed before I ate. I grabbed some lunch, kicked my feet up fro a while and did some more work while I waited and rested for my afternoon run.

Bring it on...

I wasn't totally sure about the run this afternoon, but I wanted to get in some good time on my feet. So I plotted out a 10mile loop through my town, with a few places I could loop back home should I get tired or anything.

The first few miles, to be honest, felt great. I was surprised how fresh I felt and was hoping I could keep it up throughout the whole run.

Another few miles ticked off and I was still feeling fresh. But then it hit me... My gut started hurting and knew I needed a bathroom. But wasn't sure where I'd find one. I got to a park and ran up quick, only to find it was closed for the season. What?!

So I had to soldier on, going back was going to be longer than it would to be to find a bathroom at a gas station or something like that.

I got to mile 7, and hallelujah! A PDQ! I dashed in quick and used the bathroom and was out, back on the road in no time. Feeling much, much more relaxed, even though my legs were feeling super fresh.

I got to where I had planned to turn back home for 10 miles, but kept on going past. I was feeling great and just soldiered on. My legs were still feeling good and I knew I had a few extra miles in me. I didn't bring any nutrition with me, but I had gotten through some 90 minute runs before without any, and with the temps in the 30's and being properly dressed to not sweat much or be too cold, not having any was alright.

I started to get fatigued and did feel a bit hungry as I got to mile twelve, so I decided to wind it down. I wasn't planning to kill myself on the run. I need to be able to get up tomorrow and do a good swim.

I reeled it in and got home feeling tired, but satisfied. It was nice to get the training in, while not feeling completely dead. It's good to feel like this, this early in the season. I'm feeling my recovery habits as well as my rest habits are starting to align well and I'm really looking forward to getting it going.

Well it's time for me to kick the legs up again and relax. See you out there!

-Dave

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