Top of the Key

Saturday:
Rode 50 miles, steady 15 miles from Neva/63rd up to Jamestown.  It’s really a steady incline with a few rollers on Neva and 36, but turn up on Lefthand and it’s perfect.  Rode home and jogged for about 20 min easy.  Swam later that day at the outdoor meter pool, an easy swim.

Sunday:
Ran 6 miles, got in 1/2 my main set at 6:45 pace, legs just weren’t firing.  Lungs were ok, just had fatigue in the quads, and didn’t feel it necessary to push 1 week before my A race.  Then off to the pool again for Masters with Tiffany, then some coaching pointers from Eney afterwards.  Every time I meet with Eney, things just seem to click and I am more aware of what I’m doing wrong, and need to correct.  She really gets you to work your back muscle group.  Feeling pretty good, Jess and I decided on Jamba Juice vs. Moe’s Bagels.  It was a tough call, but Jess sort of influenced me to the juice.  Good choice.

A little yard work in prep for my parents visitng next week.  They’ve been out once before since we moved to Colorado, and I’m pretty excited to have them out again.  My dad and I plan to start building our deck, long overdue.  I’ve built a bunch of decks with my dad, he’s got all the skillz in the family, and seemed to have passed the genes to my 3 brothers, and somehow I slipped through.  But I can handle myself with a hammer and nail.

5430 on Sunday, start at 6:50am.  Hope to be done quick, but really looking forward to this event.  Should be lots of fun…time to test myself and endure, it’s been quite a while since i last raced.

Been listening to the Born to Run book on my iPod, and man, it’s awesome.  Jess told me how good it was, but had to hear it for myself.  Makes me think that getting back to the basics is so key to a successful race season, and a successful life.  I will wear my running shoes as long as i can, so far, almost 8 months.  I’m learning alot about running, as well as the motivation for racing and why I do this.

I swam my last stroke n stride last night, just the swim, and I was very relaxed going into it.  And it was my 2nd fastest time, but really learned alot about pushing my pace.  Good stuff.

More to come …

Monday:
Easy swim and easy bike.  Legs were toast from the weekend.

Tuesday:
Early morning run, 3×2 miles at 15/20 sec faster than race pace on 3 min rest.  Didn’t think i’d be able to do these, but did quite well.  Helped that a running group was doing some stuff on the same mile stretch as me.  Talk about perfect form.  I learned a lot just from watching these runners.  3 hard runs in 4 days, all race pace stuff, and this is what Tim has dialed in for me lately.  Weeks of just steady pace, distance and time on the legs.  Then all race specific within a 2 week window.

Then off for a massage which i haven’t had in 2 weeks. All legs, and i felt GREAT coming off the table, then the tree trunks settled in throughout the day.  Now, they seem to be regaining some looseness.  Thank you Jess!!!

Need to catch up on my blogging…here we go.

Finally feeling better from the thumb injury.  I am able to bike outside and really pretty much do anything.  Key workouts this week included a race pace run on Tuesday out at the rez, a race pace run off my long bike on saturday, and then a race pace mile repeat session today.  Today’s was on tired legs, 3×1 miles with 1 min rest, then 3 miles of steady, easy running, then another 3×1 miles with 2 min. rest.  Kicked my butt after climbing up to Peak to Peak yesterday via Lefthand, down St. Vrain.  5 hour ride, and it took something out of me.  My 40 min run off this bike included testing out some diet Rockstar, which rocked me hard!  Not sure i’ll use as much as I did come race day.

Biked almost 200miles this week, with a key bike off the swim at the stroke n stride, i immediately rode 26 miles at race pace.  Jess and I both biked to the rez, and back home.

Swimming, I’ve tried to do a session everyday.  I missed Saturday, was just too tired.  But swam Masters on Wed morning, the stroke n stride on Thursday night, then a good effort today at the SCP with Jess.  Late day swim at an outdoor meter pool with the wife is my version of PERFECT!!!!

2 weeks out now from 5430, and I am feeling better about my current fitness.  Not as dialed in as I’d like, but that’s what this season has been about, taking a step back from the plan. Watching Ironman Lake Placid today fired me up a bit for CDA 2010.  Too early to start thinking about it?

Rest day is over.  No massage either, since the magical hands of Jess are back east ripping apart lobsters.  What did I ever do before my weekly massage?

Looking forward to a solid week of training, 3 weeks out from 5430.  Key run tomorrow, and Sunday.  Key bikes Thursday and Saturday.  Key swims..everyday.  Heading back to the rez tomorrow morning, bright and early, for some repeats.  Then to the pool.  Topped off with an OD ride tomorrow night, probably while watching the tour.

Jess is back home on Wednesday.  It’s been interesting to say the least cooking meals for one, talking to the dogs, and working a bunch.  Looking forward to the return.

It’s been a sort of struggle lately to get workouts in.  I’m not quite sure why, it’s just tough to find motivation to get out there.  Never quite had this sort laziness before.  Today for example, didn’t want to bike long, but knew in the back of my mind i have only 3 weeks till my A race, and still hadn’t biked over 40 miles, and hadn’t even done that for 3 weeks.  So I pushed myself out the door, with the goal of punishing myself.  I would go out and do most of the long ride scheduled (90miles) even if it killed me.  Did 2 loops of the 5430 course, first lap in z2, 2nd lap in z3.  With a 20 miles warm up, I rode to the rez entrance, and started out.  First lap, uneventful.  Coming in off the Diagnol for the 2nd loop, I did not want to continue.  Absolutely wanted to head home, and quit.  But to suffer, I would need to go back out for another loop.  That’s what i did.

Rode the 2nd loop with stepping up the effort a bit.  I didn’t feel great here either.  No music.  Just me and my thoughts for over 4 hours.  I needed this effort, even if I won’t benefit from it today or tomorrow, it was a mental win of sorts.

Can’t quite pinpoint my lull in training, but i’ll be ready in a few weeks for sure.  You really have to just roll with it, because tomorrow you may feel the best ever.  Don’t get too high, and don’t get too low, keep it as steady as you can, at least that’s what’s worked in the past.

Now, off to the rez for a 2 hour run.  Tomorrow, I will definitely take as a rest day. Need to recover.

Quick post of some photos from Loveland

Loveland Lake to Lake 09

I’ve been working alot lately, and workouts have been squeezed in where I can.  Guess this is what most people deal with everyday, that balance in life.  Started to take my workouts up a notch in terms of consistency, and the thumb is getting better everyday.

Monday I took off.  Tuesday I swam in the morning, then biked outside later in the day with a short run off the bike.  Body felt good, legs solid. Wednesday I had a long progression run in the morning, 11 miles.  Last 3 at race pace minus 30 sec.  Tough.  Also swam an easy 1600 yards afterwards.

It’s now Thursday, Stroke n Stride again.  I plan to go out a little harder on the swim, thumb seems to be holding up ok.  Haven’t had a serious hit on it though, and that’s something to watch on these swim starts.

Netflix just added Pineapple Express to their watch instantly…cool scene here.