Taper week is going well I guess. I’m doing my best not to eat as much as I usually do. I’m not going to run more than 15 miles this week. Just light Zone 1 (140 and below) stuff. Maybe a little biking and a short 1500 meter swim.  Stretching for sure! It’s hard to tell how you’re feeling when running in sub freezing temperatures.  I leave Thursday so tomorrow I need to run, pack, get my nutrition sorted out, swim?, and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour. I’ll probably cut out the swim.

I guess the only thing is to go out there and do your best and have a good time. The vacation couldn’t come at a better time where personal stuff, future uncertainty, and athletic goals are all starting to get confused. I like compartmentalizing if I can. A big part of me doesn’t even want to go out there as it’s just been one thing after another. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the city, but I just need a change of scene.

I feel something brewing…

It's not fun running in the cold

POWER TEST

If you read anything on cycling training, almost everyone is moving towards training with a power meter. Training with power is an objective measurement to how much work you are doing and how much stronger you are becoming. You can focus on training in different intensities that which are very black and white. This is much better than training predominately with heart rate as so much can affect how that measurement: caffeine, lack of sleep, diet, etc. The power test basically consists of you sitting on your bike, and going as hard as you can with the maximum amount of watts you can sustain over that time.  As I sat on my bike along the other 19 riders at my training center, I was a little intimidated as I didn’t know what number to shoot for. I went with the plan to go out at “about a 7″ intensity and negative split the last 4 minutes or so.  Overall, I put out a 232 watts per average average. Now here’s the interesting part: having this number  now allows me to figure out my power to weight ratio. Check out the following graph:

When I took the test, I weighed in WITH SHOES, which put me around 183 pounds. 183 pounds in kgs is 83 kgs.  232/83 = 2.79. Without shoes, I was 170 which would put me around a 2.83. So looking at the chart, I am a atop of the Cat. 5 racers…which isn’t that great. But this is good news! I can now objectively assess my progress and hope to climb the ladder in this chart. After the first few weeks of training, I have already loss 3 lbs, and my watts have been increasingly gotten higher and higher. In fact, when doing workouts, I’m consistently up in the 250 range. I think the p90x is helping as well.

VO2 Max Test (running)

To keep it short and simple, a “VO2 Max is a measure of how fit an athlete is: It expresses the volume of oxygen a body consumes per minute.” The test is an experience all in it’s own. I get the shop and I start warming up on the treadmill. I’m instructed that they will be putting a mask on my face to measure the carbon dioxide vs. something. I wasn’t really sure how much this was going to hurt, but all I could think about was the episode of the Cosby show were Cliff Huxtable is taking a health test and he’s fine in the beginning being all funny but by the time the treadmill really starts running fast he’s almost about collapse. One of the funniest episodes ever!! Check out the clip below.

I digress. The VO2 max is great because it sets your training zones so now I know what range my heart rate should be for endurance runs, tempo runs, sprints, etc.  The test hurt pretty bad. I started out going slow then he ramped up the speed over a few minutes to a 8:00/min mile pace. I was feeling pretty comfortable there. Then he started ramping up the incline. 3 percent, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 percent. At around 8 percent incline I think my heart rate was about 175 (still going at an 8 min mile pace don’t forget). The sound of me breathing into the mask started to sound like Dark Vader almost. 8.5,9 percent…I can could see the computer screen in my peripheral vision showing my heart rate creep up: 178,179, 180. Finally he put it at 10% incline and told me that 10% was going to be the highest he would go but the longer I went, the better data they could obtain. I ended up tapping out at 184 beats per minute. My coach who was looking on told me I was starting to move all over the band and to try to concentrate on staying in the center. However, I think what made me stop was that I started to feel something rise out of stomach and I didn’t want to push it to where I vomited.

I didn’t know how much my effort was”good” or not, but I scored a 60.4 which ranks me in the “excellent” in fitness for my age group. Check out the following graph below. I guess it’s all relative. But it’s good to know what my potential is. I know already that it must be higher now as I’ve lost weight being on p90x. All in all, I’m enjoying the data collection and and science behind becoming a better and faster triathlete. I can’t wait for the next round of tests!

I am the owner of a 60.4 VO2 max

P90X - X is for Xtreme.

The big issue has been diet. In the first 30 days, P90x really restricts carbohydrates to a minimum in order to burn away was excess fat. While I’m trying to eat a 50% protein, 30% carbohydrate, and 20% fat diet, I’m barely getting over 2000 calories a day…when the p90x diet says I should be 2400 calories! But how many carbohydrate should one have when they are “restricted?” 200g? 400g? I’ve been averaging around 300, is that too much?

With the gym having weird hours this week, I couldn’t get in my Pylometrics on Tuesday after my 10 mile run. The same thing with Yoga on Thursday, I’ll have to move that to Sunday since it’s technically a rest day/X-stretch.  For the most part, I’m enjoying it, and I can definitely feel my upper body strength and core getting stronger, but I’ll have to keep the time management to a tee as my first week of coaching just concluded. P90x,cycling, running, and I start back at the pool next week! I’ll fit it all in somehow.

We basically went over race goals, both time and placement and he thought the idea of me concentrating on shorter distance races was a good idea. In my coaching package, I get to train in thier cycling training center which consists of being set up on a trainer  to do various types of 1 hour intense workouts. During these workouts, I’ll have my power wattage, heart rate, speed, cadence, etc all measured for every workout. I will do this twice a week with other people next to me which I hope will involve some racing!

The road to Kona probably looks something like this

He also thinks I should race some of the local time trials in Philadelphia on the weekends. This would be a new experience for me as I’ve never raced in that format before. I will get my workouts either daily or weekly. I forgot. Either way, he knows where I want to go, how ambitious I am, but he doesn’t want me to aim too high this year, but to just “improve.”

We spoke about what races I planned to do for 2010. Besides the Death Valley Marathon in February, and the Philly Triathlon in late June, I haven’t signed up for anything. I would like to do a Olympic triathlon per month, and maybe do three half-irons over the course of the year. I WOULD HAVE liked to culminate my season by doing 70.3 Miami but I found out last night it’s already sold out 10 months prior to the race! My family has never seen me race, and since they live in West Palm Beach, I’ll try to look for other races in the area. My main thing is limiting how much I want to pay for expensive races this year. Ironman UK was insanely expensive with flights, hotels, rent-a-car, and so forth. I would like to do a official 70.3 this year, but it’s not that imperative to me.

I like how they advertise it’s not a quick fix to being fit, and the host Tony Horton makes it clear it’s not a couch-to-fitness program. Looking at their website, participant’s results seem amazing. People have lost double digit body fat percentages, weight, and increased strength and flexibility…all the things I’ve been talking about. I think what appealed to me most is that I don’t have to think about what workout is coming next; I can just look at the p90x calender, and follow the program. Add this with my triathlon coaching that starts off  next week.

P90X - X is for Xtreme.

After day 1, I can totally feel the tightness in my muscles in my back and chest. I think doing all the pull-ups well definitely help with the swim. Today is plyometrics. I was thinking about substituting this for a swim, bike or run, but after some research, many runners who are doing p90x say this workout is invaluable as it works your weaknesses and makes you more of a explosive runner. So be it.

I’m concerned about all the workouts. During my winter break, it’s not a big deal. However, with my coaching beginning next week, marathon build up, it’ll be a little tough getting all the workouts in. Doesn’t look like there will much sleeping in come 2010. The p90x program tells you to take before and after pics at day 1,30,60, and 90. I did take my before photos, but due to lack of narcissism that I have, I’m not gonna post them online till the end.   Overall, I”m pretty excited with everything moving in the right direction

When it came to higher intensity workouts, the polar  foot-pod just wasn’t accurate. The main problem with Polar’s inertia based technology is  it calibrates based on  pace which you originally calibrate it. In other words, I walked around the track 4 times to calibrate it, but when I run with it, the accuracy is off because the stride difference between each step is so much larger (see River Run Race report). Add the fact that my heart rate strap stopped working, I just felt it was time for a change. Now, I don’t want to trash the company (not like my opinion matters anyway); the 625x lasted me 4 years without a problem. But being that I’m OCD on accuracy of distance and time, I felt the GPS unit was best. But which unit?

Polar 625x - Thanks for the memories

I had been researching the Garmin 305 forerunner for some time; listening to advice on various websites. I wasn’t sure if I’d go with the 310x or the 305 at first. The 310x is a machine in and of itself. You can even swim with it and track distances — while in the water (which is pretty darn cool). But do I really need all that? Triathletes in general are over compulsive in their gizmos and their data collection, but I’ve gotten to the point where I know what I want and what I need (see previous post on that too).

The main issue between the 310x and 305 was the battery life, and price. The 310x has a battery life of 20 hours or so. The 305 has a battery life of 10 hours. That’s not even enough to get you through an Ironman! At least not now yet. The 310x went for $369 while the 305 went for $150. Additionally, considering I will only be doing nothing longer than half IM this year, I felt that when I do get back to IM distance, I’ll have a Power Tap by that time; so I decided on the 305.  When I go get back to full IM racing, the strategy will be:  no watch on the swim, Power tap computer on the bike, and use the Garmin on the run. While I’d like to have an over all clock, I’m not really that worried about it.

Garmin 305 Forerunner - I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship

Yes, with the Polar, I never had to worry about battery life, but I think the trade off for proper distance recording, pacing, etc., is well worth it.

The outside of my shoes are the first to go

As I was planning on buying new shoes anyway, I thought the  timing was perfect. I decided upon a pair of the New Balance 758. What takes a little getting is use to is the lack of cushioning the New Balance has compared to the Kiyano. It also has taken some time to get over the effect of having a shoe designed to push you to the outside. After a week of running, I’m starting to feel myself pushing from the middle of my foot instead of the outside, which hopefully translates to a stronger plant to become a stronger runner.

Post Race Thumbs Up!

The time change has been difficult. Getting out of work at 5pm and running when it’s pitch black is kinda demoralizing. Perhaps the darkness is the reason I have been a little down lately too? Maybe it’s the combination of 25% school, 20% personal life, 30% work, and 15% weather. My motivation has been to put it at best: pathetic. I feel all these things draining my energy to the point where I stay up late to work out in the morning and too tired to workout in the evenings. It’s a vicious circle. Trying to break it.The purchase of the Mac helped and having my first Ipod was great, but I’ve been looking at my bike attached to the trainer every morning, and just say, “nope, not today”. However, I have learned that my bike attached to the trainer is useful as mock clothes dryer such as my wet towel after I take a shower.

November 22nd is the Philadelphia Marathon. I”m not running, but I will be volunteering at a water station all day. I think it’s important to volunteer in athletic events. It’s more of a “pay it forward” or “karma” kind of deal. Maybe that’s a little silly but volunteering at the Philly Triathlon last year really helped my race performance after seeing so many people make the same mistakes over and over again.  The weekend before the Philly Marathon, there is a last warm up race which is a good taper run in a competitive environment.

The only running I’ve been doing is on Wednesdays where I go to the track and do speed intervals with a local triathlon club. Before I went into the doldrums, I was running very often, sometimes twice a day, averaging 40 miles a week. Since I’ve been in this state, I haven’t ran, biked, swam, and no lifting. No nothing. So, I signed up for the race in hopes it would get my ass in gear…provide that spark. Sometimes we just need a push to get moving (unless you are my car). I had been averaging 6:50 minute 800 meter repetitions on Wednesdays and I really hoped that this depression I was in could be used as a taper for this race. My goal was to run it around a 7:45 minute mile and hope that it would feel easy.

Yep, that's me.

Now, unlike my other posts where I try to build up the race and tell you my time at the end, I’ll go ahead and mention now I finished the course in 1:08.21 and I finished 96th out of 260. However, I’m upset because during my race I was pacing myself based on my Polar 625x foot-pod that was telling me I was running 7:30-7:45 minute miles. The time I finished was about a 8.1 minute mile. My watch told me I ran a total of 9 miles, not 8.4…that’s not even close! After the race, I retired my Heart Rate Monitor.  Therefore, I’m now in the market for a new brand; I’ll probably go with a Garmin.

Overall the run felt great besides the last 200 meters when I tried to pick it up at the end (I absolutely have finishing kick) but the overall disappointment is that my training distances and intensity have been off.

I mentioned my new mac. I thought I’d play with the new imovie application… Yes, I took a camera with me to the race and recorded most of it. I thought it’d be fun. So instead of me going through and talking about the race course, which was rather uneventful…I figured it’d be better to watch.  Comments are always appreciated.

Ken

I walked into work this morning and I saw the 2 boxes of Dunkin Donuts sitting by the water cooler. “Oh no you didn’t!”  “Damn you!” I took a deep breath and just kept walking. Upon going back to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle, people were conversing around the area eating donuts celebrating the Phillies entering going back to the World Series. All types of flavors were on display: Boston Creme, Chocolate glazed, Old Fashioned, Chocolate Covered…the whole gambit.

“Ken, don’t you want one?”

“No thank you”

A silent gasp ensued.

See, I have a reputation of having a large appitite, mostly earned during my Ironman training.

“Are youuuuu sure?”

“Yea…I’m sure”

Walking away was probably the hardest thing.  I felt like I missed out on something.  There will be a few more attempts to get me off the wagon: Halloween being the closest. And if the Phillies actually WIN the World Series, I know I’ll definitely have to be on my A-game.  Since I’ve added the weight tab to this blog, I’ve been really anal about what I eat. Eating when not hungry or bored is simply not an option anymore.

Morning runs...the road to nirvana?

I’ve been adding weight training on a more consistent basis and I can already feel the effects as it takes longer for me to fatigue, especially in my upper body.  However, I think what’s making me enjoy the morning runs so much is that it’s one of the times in my day where I am completely alone…especially on Sundays. In 12 miles of running, I MIGHT see 2 people.  I don’t use my IPOD, there aren’t many cars around so it’s amazingly quiet. I never thought that the sound of my feet against the road could really take me away from the coming week. As I build higher, I don’t see them as training, but more of my weekly “cleansing” session. The fact that I’m adding more miles this Sunday just gives me more time to go to my “happy place”.