Going into the Fall 50, I knew there would be a certain amount of pain associated with finishing. I just didn't realize the worst of it would come some five weeks after the race.
Beginning with preparations for the Green Bay Marathon, my swimming took a back seat most of the summer. Though I swam during workouts with the youth tri club, and hit the pool a few times, my swim totals for the past several months have been pretty close to zero (something around 130K total yards for the year). With the start of the USAT National Challenge Competition, the Evotri Ironman Challenge, and the off season swim focus, that is changing.
Several of the blogs I read have stories about long absences from the pool and the ease with which people got back into swimming. Apparently, that applies to people who were already good swimmers. Me, not so much. After nearly six months of minimal swimming, it's been an interesting few days.
One thing I have learned is that while aerobic base picked up in the pool translates well to biking and running, the reverse isn't true. My base from training for and completing my first ultramarathons is pretty solid. Somehow, that didn't make my arms and core uber-strong.
Translation? I kind of stink in the pool, right now. Oh well, that's what they make drawing boards for, right? So we can go back to them. Since the December focus of the USAT Challenge is swimming, I'll be working on my 30 swim month.
Week 1 is basic training. I will use 1000-1500 yard swims to remind my body what it feels like to swim long distances. Week 2 will be form drills with the goal of reminding myself that good form does a lot to improve both endurance and pace. Weeks 3 and 4 will be dedicated to practicing skills from the SwimSmooth DVD. Watching highly proficient swimmers has been a huge benefit in the past.
By the end of the month, I will have more yards in December than all of June through November combined. If I really push, I might be able to throw May in there, and swim nearly a third of my current total for the year.
Of all the Christmas gifts I might give myself, getting back into proper swim shape is probably the best I could do.
Okay, I know it was just a week ago that I capped off the season with the Fall 50 ultramarathon. But the timing is such that my "off season" looks more like a recovery week. That's okay, because my taper looked more like an off season. Though I feel a bit sluggish, I was at the gym, Saturday, for a short swim and an even shorter run.
It was, however, a fairly challenging 1000 yards in the pool. And the 5K on the track was enough to leave me sweating pretty good. Signs that I'm still a bit wore out from last weekend.
The reason for the abbreviated off-season is the first day of November. For those who have followed my pattern for the past couple years know that November is dedicated to "30 Swims in 30 Days." So, I got those first painful swims (after a long break from the pool) out of the way.
Then, at our monthly Tri Fox meeting, it was announced we will be competing in a USAT event where clubs track their training volumes. Sadly, it starts in December. With swimming as the focus. Soooooooo, I'm shifting things around, a bit.
November is now "Cycling Pennance Month." I will be making up for very weak cycling training over the summer by putting in 20-25 rides of at least one hour, along with whatever other training can be worked into the schedule. That will allow me to dedicate December to swimming. While it will be impossible to get 30 days of swimming in, I might be able to squeeze in 30 swims (some two-a-days).
Thirty rides in November and 30 swims in December will give me plenty of time to recover from a very heavy run year. It will also let me put some time in figuring out how to improve my swim stroke. 2009 will start with another month focused on the bike, then move into February with a run focus. That will fit well as I start getting ready for some key road races early in the season.
I'll be switching back to Training Peaks as my primary means of tracking workouts On-line, and that will help me keep my training stats up to date, here. And you, my loyal reader, should keep me honest on that task, and remind me when it appears I've been lax in updating.
So, it promises to be a fun few months as I shift my focus off the run and back to areas where I have vast room for improvement.
About 10 days ago, my kids started coming down with colds. They had slight fevers followed by lots of congestion and coughing. We spent several days wiping noses, pushing fluids, and occassionally disregarding alarmist warnings by providing medicine. Having two sick kids meant a lot of nights sleeping on one floor or another trying to comfort them, or at least keeping them company when they couldn't sleep.
Even so, I managed to fight off what was making them sick. Well, for a while, at least. I consider it good timing, as I'm in the first week of my taper heading into the Fall 50 race on October 25th. It's good that it's taper so taking some time off is a minor deal. It's good that it's the first week of taper as that gives me a couple weeks to fully recover before running 50 miles.
I did manage to get my final long run of 30 miles done on Sunday. And there are a couple of "lessons learned" from that run.
The run went fairly well, though it started a bit late in the day for my liking. When I headed out just after two in the afternoon, it was about 60F. I spent some time debating what to wear, since it was currently warm but likely to get cooler before I finished. In the end, I went with my wool tights, a tri-top for carrying nutrition, and a long sleeve technical shirt over that.
After about 60 minutes, I was regretting that decision. I was getting hot, and I forgot to add Endurolytes to my Gatorade, and figured dehydration might become an issue. That all changed about two hours into the run.
That's when the temperature dropped to between 50F and 55F. And the rain started. And that's how it stayed for the remaining three hours of the run. In the end, I lucked out with my choices, and stayed comfortable despite the deteriorating conditions.
For this run, I tried two "new" products. And I must say, I have a new BFF. By "BFF," I mean Best Flavor Forever. Remember last week's post talking about the sickly sweet taste CarBoom's Kiwi Strawberry gel? After consulting a few people at my local running store, I tested the Apple Cinnamon flavor. In a word, YUM! It's nowhere near as sweet (though still sweeter than Gu), and actually tastes like apple-cinnamon. I'd almost put this stuff on pancakes. While I won't switch from Gu to CarBoom, I will certainly use the two for variety.
I also picked up another pack of Clif Shot Bloks. Last week, I used a sample pack of the cola flavor. I liked the concept, but the flavor was sort of "blah." This week, I tested their black cherry Bloks. They were awesome.
So, after years of testing different products, I'm narrowing down to a "menu" that will work for extreme distance races. Mixing TriBerry Gu, Apple Cinnamon CarBoom, and Black Cherry Shot Bloks I will have a good variety of flavors with a combination of textures. Add to that any flavor Gatorade with Endurolytes powder, and I have a plan that has been quite successful over the past several months.
And now, I'm going to wait and see what happens first. Will I run out of tissue, or will my head explode from sinus pressure? The suspense is killing me.
Okay, I know the saying is usually "WHERE'S a cop when you need one?" Things just worked out differently, this weekend. And it all became clear when I was pulled over while running. (Man am I getting fast!)
On Saturday's long run (a personal record 29 miles), I was crossing a controlled intersection, and I had the green. A lady making a right turn on red went through the all-to-familiar process of "Look left and look right through the runner, look right, gun it," nearly running me down as I ran in the crosswalk. I yelled, slammed my hand on her hood, and jumped so that my feet wouldn't be planted when she hit me. Then she laid on her horn at me.
I managed to avoid getting hit and must have looked like a Hamm brother on the pommel horse. I glanced back in disgust as the women yelled out her window to ask if I was alright. I muttered something and kept running.
A couple miles later, I was stopped by a police officer who asked if I was the guy that got hit by the car at such-and-such an intersection. I told him I was, pointing out that I wasn't actually hit. He told me he had pulled the driver over. While he didn't indicate the outcome of that stop, I was pleased with just the traffic stop. After dealing with the driver, he tracked me down because he was concerned with the way I bounced off the car.
I let him know I had jumped and avoided getting hit, and thanked him for both talking to the driver and for following up with me.
I've said it before and I'll repeat myself here. Drivers just aren't looking for runners, particularly when they are making right turns. If you aren't to their left, they'll never see you. Remember to "drive" for them and remain on the defensive.
I broke my own rule and ran in front of the first car at the intersection. I tend to go behind them. If you do pass in front, always keep your eyes on the vehicle, not the driver. It's more important to see what the car is doing than seek eye contact with the driver. They can look right at you and hit the gas.
 Now, for your viewing pleasure, Iron Pol after the second long run of the weekend. To be fair, we wrote the "50 miles" before actually mapping out the course. It was only 48.6 miles. I did 29 miles on Saturday in 4:55 (with 10 minutes in pit stops). That was followed up on Sunday with another 19.6 miles in about 3:45. My son was supposed to be offering me Gatorade. It looks more like he's trying to pour water on my head.
That would have helped, too.
Relax, The Pol-R Express and myself are fine. The "wiped out" refers to my energy levels as opposed to an "agony of defeat" crash. It's been a long week, as my posting shows.
I'm learning a lot about training for ultramarathons. First and foremost, it is, perhaps, more demanding than training for Ironman. While I have yet to spend 10 hours training in a single day, there's something to be said for the rigors of running three-and-a-half hours on Sunday after running four hours on Saturday. I have a far greater understanding of why Friday and Tuesday are off days.
I'm learning a lot about myself, though.
One of the simple truths about Ironman is that most participants look forward to the bike, so long as it means they can stop swimming. Similarly, they begin to relish the marathon if for no other reason than it represents the opportunity to get off the bike. I remember being absolutely overjoyed heading into T2, despite my concern over the looming 26.2 mile run.
My training for the ultramarathon doesn't have that aspect. I wake up on Sunday fairly wiped out from Saturday's run. And I know I have to go put more stress on an already tired body. Unlike Ironman, it is the same stress on the same body parts.
And while I can complete a marathon with little residual pain, stacking marathon distance training runs on top of each other is another story.
So, I find myself napping just about every chance I get. In fact, I find myself napping in some very odd circumstances. Last night, my daughter kept waking me up as I was dozing off while she was saying her prayers. And while I was reading her bedtime story. And while she was trying to wake me up.
And since I am both a lunatic and a slow learner, I am contemplating "kicking it up a notch." In September, I will be running a "marathon and a half." As part of the Fox Cities Marathon, I will run the half-marathon backwards, arriving at the starting line just prior to the start of the official marathon (hopefully). In October, I will complete a 50-mile ultramarathon, though I'm torn on which one.
For giggles, I am considering continuing the insanity through the end of the year. In November, I would run 60 miles, just to keep the progression going. And in December, I would run 80 miles, or twice my age.
For an encore, I would then sleep the entire month of January.
Last night was the final night of our churches vacation Bible school. And, of course, the last night means clean up. After having parents in for a review of the week and a small reception, we attacked all areas of the church with zeal so it would be ready for Sunday's service. That takes time, and it was closing on 10 p.m. when I got home with the kids.
That's late enough for me, and the kids were running on empty. Sadly, after getting them into bed, I had to get ready for the next stage of the day. Training. Because Wednesday was a late night, I postponed my 10-miler from morning to evening. Painful as it was, I grabbed my fuel belt, MP3 player, and lots of shiny/reflective/flashy things and headed out the door.
Ten miles later, I was thinking that minus a few things, it was like finishing an Ironman just before the midnight cut-off. Granted, there hadn't been a 2.4 mile swim or 112 mile bike. And the run was only 10 miles instead of 26.2. And there were no cheering crowds.
Then again, most Ironman competitors don't start the day with a long work day followed by four hours volunteering at church. Going for nearly 14 hours prior to starting a long run made finishing the run tough.
The nice thing was the run, itself. It was cool, clear, and dark. Those are some of my favorite running conditions. About the only thing I would have changed were the smokers on College Avenue (can't smoke in public buildings around here, so I get to run THROUGH the smoke), and the numerous construction zones I had to navigate. Still, it beats running at 2:30 in the afternoon.
There was one other benefit to running so late at night. I wore my regular glasses, and I now KNOW they need to be adjusted. Kids and glasses don't mix.
After a summer preparing for the Spirit of Racine 70.3 race, I turned my attention to the Glacial Trail 50, this weekend. There are two notable changes in the preparation for a 50 mile running race when compared to a triathlon. First, everything is a run (duh!). Second, both Monday and Friday are rest days.
Friday is preparation for the long weekend. Monday? It seems to be a matter of survival. After this weekend, today was going to be a rest day, scheduled or not. And I can safely say that Mondays are going to be interesting for the next eight weeks.
A variety of activities worked together to make training a challenge, this weekend. The schedule called for a 3.5-4 hour run Saturday followed by 3 hours on Sunday. On both days, the only real "free" time was VERY early in the mornings, so I was running in the dark. And since I had NO intention of getting up at 3 a.m. on Saturday, that run was shortened. My wife had to leave by 8:30 for a conference.
In the end, I ran the same 17 mile route both days. Saturday took just over 2:47. Sunday was a bit slower at 2:49. Taking the advice of the training plan, I used the run/walk method with intervals of 5 minutes run and 2 minutes walk. It turned out pretty well because 10 minute miles is the general target I've been considering for the race.
Of course, it is obvious there is a lot of work to get there. In fact, there's a lot of work before I'll be "comfortable" putting myself on the starting line for a 50 mile running race. Around mile 12 on Sunday, my legs started to rebel against the treatment they were receiving. In fact, my left leg threatened to rep my right leg off and beat me with it.
Today, my legs are completely wiped out. They want to punish me for the training. Luckily, they can't agree on which one is doing the work and which will sit back and watch. Perhaps nine miles, tomorrow, will help them decide.
Still, it was good to get a 34 mile weekend under my belt. I've had some long weekends in the past, but my prior "longest" weekend was probably only 27 miles. Next weekend, I'll probably go well over the new record of 34.
It will, however, depend on how things go. The 9th and 10th are already fairly full. Saturday is the kids triathlon where B-Boy and Monster Girl will run their first multisport event. Sunday is the race for my youth tri club. I'll have five kids there, though one is an unofficial member (and faster than me).
Somewhere in there, I have to squeeze nearly seven hours of running. Should be fun.
Allow me to start by stating that Nancy Toby is evil. Not in a dark, scary movie kind of way. In a "make me look at things" way that forces a self-evaluation I'd rather not have done sort of way. All because of a four sentence post.
When Nancy posted her training figures for the year, I thought, "Hmmm, that's a good idea." There I go, thinking, again. Sometimes I should just leave things well enough alone. A simple, "What a nice post. She's training and getting better," would have been enough. But nooooooooo! I have to go and check my trianing numbers.
There's some good and some bad. First, my training numbers are fairly decent for a non-Ironman year. Comparing stats to last year is perhaps a bit skewed. Still, it's what I have. Second, my mileage puts me on target for a 1000 mile year. The bad is basically the result of comparison. So, here are the numbers.
Swim - 118,695 yards compared to 191,863 in 2007. I consider that kind of a wash. I'd like to have put more yardage in, but must admit this is a non-IM year and it's been harder to get the weekend time for 3-5K swims.
Bike - 383 miles compared to 722 in 2007. If there's a sad part to the numbers, this is it. In fact, last year I did 479 miles in June alone. And I wonder why the bike seems like more of a struggle, this year. If there's something to fix, this is it.
Run - 410 miles compared to 413 in 2007. My runs have been roughly the same because I had pretty much the same pattern. In the second half, mileage is going to take off as I prepare for the 50-miler I hope to run in October. Since I've identified it ISN'T the running that is messing my back up, I'm more confident then ever that I'll take on that challenge.
So, jump on board and see where you are in your training when compared to your goals. I'm falling short of my targets as stated at the beginning of the year. My swim yardage is nowhere near last years numbers. My bike is suffering horribly. And my run is considerably short of 1000 mile pace.
There's room for improvement. And there's also cause to celebrate. Despite the lower volume, I set a 15-minute PR in the marathon. I have the opportunity to set a PR at the half-IM distance. And I have the chance to complete a 50 mile ultramarathon. I'll celebrate the victories while I determine if the original goals were realistic.
First, let me congratulate the members of the TBC who competed at Ironman CDA, this weekend. So far as I could tell, everyone finished the race in fine fashion. This includes:
Bigun - who now adds Ironman to his list of accomplishments
Geek Girl - who finished her second Ironman with plenty of time to spare (and proved she didn't need the time trial start used in Kentucky)
Sweet Baboo - who continues to amaze his family by completing all day endurance events
Bold - who proved you can continue to "have a life" while competing in Ironman events
Neoprene Wedgie - another first time Ironman finisher, and he did it in fine style
Spokane Al - all the training Al is able to do pays off in Idaho
Taconite Boy - showing off his super powers (and his WIFE's Flashpoint wheels)
Trigreyhound - Lawyer, advocate, husband, two time Ironman (does he share some of Tac Boy's superpowers?)
If I missed anyone, please let me know.
Now, on to other weekend events. With Friday off, I was able to get some good bike training completed. Thursday evening I headed out toward High Cliff to bike the hill only to find a bunch of Tri Foxes near the swim start for the High Cliff Triathlon. They were holding a "newbie" swim, and I stopped to help out as best I could. We always put together a swim gauntlet to get people used to swimming with a bunch of people. Anyone who can survive our swim gauntlet will be fine in a mass start. With the ride home, it was just over 20 miles, though with a 40 minute break between sets.
I woke up early Friday so I could get in a 90-minute ride before Mrs. Pol left for the day. I went closer to 1:45, cranking out 33 miles in that time. It was cool with nearly dead calm air. The rest of the day was dedicated to my kids, including repairs to the training wheels on Monster Girl's "big girl" bike.
Saturday I volunteered at set-up for the High Cliff Triathlon, then headed to the pool for a swim workout with the tri club kids. It turned out to be only one young man, allowing us to focus on a few weak areas of his stroke. Summer always makes group workouts a challenge. The rest of Saturday was spent disassembling, cleaning, and rebuilding our clothes dryer. Apparently, I still need a few parts, as it won't run. Mrs. Pol is searching for those items, and I'll be going through the process again when we have them. For now, we have the cleanest broken dryer on the planet.
Sunday was filled with preaching at church and training. I headed out for a planned 2.5 hour ride once the kids were napping. After about 18 miles, minimally threatening clouds suddenly darkened, and I found myself on the very edges of a rapidly developing lightening storm.
While I'm not one to let a bit of rain deter me from a ride, I've been shocked enough to know getting hit by lightening shouldn't be on a "to do" list. I decided to heed the storm's suggestion I head home. The turn around was a bit of a bummer as I had just reached the bottom of a fairly major hill. The electricity in the air motivated me to get back UP the hill at nearly 18 miles per hour. I finished the 36 mile ride with an average pace of about 19.5 mph.
The new route I was using turned out to be a very nice change. On Friday morning, I passed a deer while riding through the state park. We were only about 10 feet apart when I passed, and it never moved. I passed another deer on Sunday, though nowhere near as close.
All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Added to the work, training, and volunteering is the fact that my back somehow stopped bothering me Sunday morning. I didn't really notice it until I went to put my shoes on and had no trouble doing so. For the past several weeks, shoes and socks have been quite a chore because I couldn't really bend properly. Yesterday and today, absolutely fine (knock on wood).
This is a good omen as I have less than four weeks until my next race, the Spirit of Racine half-IM.
Blogging has been a bit slow the past few days, though not for a lack of activity or things to post. Sometimes things just get so busy that the blog takes a back seat for a while.
It was a great weekend for training, though it would have been nice to get out a bit more. I managed to get in a short ride with one member of the youth tri club. It was a windy day, so she got some experience biking into a stiff headwind. After that workout, I imagine she's hoping for favorable conditions come race day.
I also managed to get out on my own for just over 30 miles on Sunday. It was another windy day, and it was a good workout. Most importantly, I managed to knock back nearly three bottles of Gatorade in the ride, which took just under two hours. Small victories. I tend to go through well under a bottle an hour.
Like last week's 75 mile bike, tomorrow will be a good test of fitness. Mrs. Pol has a conference to attend, so I have the day off to play dad. Since I'll have a more time in the morning, I'm going to complete a big swim. I was thinking about a bike ride, but my swim always needs more work than my bike. And there's nothing like 4000 yards (or more) to hone swim skills.
And it's less than a week until the first triathlon of the season. I'm almost a lock to do better than my first attempt at this race, and I'm trying to decide whether to run it or RACE it. I'm sure my competitive spirit will show up on Saturday, but I'm playing cautious with my body.
Between a back tweaked during the Green Bay Marathon (some would say completely wrecked) and another ruptured ear-drum, I'm a walking disaster. Luckily, I don't see the ENT until June 10th. They offered an appointment on the 6th. I declined that one, as I hardly need a doctor telling me to stay out of the water with a race on the 7th.
I've lived this long (however long that happens to be) with a blown ear drum, a few extra days won't hurt (much).
So. Tender back. Ruptured ear drum. Some would tempt fate by asking, "What next?" Not me. I've got too many races coming up, so I'll let fate bug someone else.
So, stay tuned and I'll have a nifty race report, next week. It's the "Return to Trinity." A throwdown with the course that treated me so badly when I ran it as my very first triathlon. A near guaranteed PR. And hopefully far less drama...
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