ironclm's tri world

February: Not so good. Lost about 10 days of training to illness.

Goals for February:
* run 80 miles and average 4x/week
* ride 400 miles
* swim more consistently, at least 2x/week, if not 3x/week
* maintain workouts with work travel

Numbers for February:
Swim: 7,665 yds
Bike: 108 miles
Run: 16 miles
Time: 16:34

Goals for March:
* Swim: 16,000 yds
- Start swim cord work
* Bike: 400 miles
- Do at least one 100 mile ride
* Run: 100 miles
- Keep up the run workouts with a trip to Houston, San Diego, Los Angeles and New York during the month.

I went Friday and had a VO2 max test done on at the club. The testing was done on the Computrainer using the same equipment as the last test (May 2002) and done by the same person. I also had it done in 1999 on the same equipment, but I think a different person.

Year 1999 - 2002 - 2004

VO2 @ AT 20.5 - 26.3 - 27.8

HR @ AT 154 - 169 - 166

VO2 max (ml/kg/min) 29.8 - 35.8 - 42

AT as % VO2 max 69% - 73% - 66% (?)

Watts @ AT ?? - 170 - 175

Max watts (power) 222 - 245 - 255

I'd like to be retested at the university lab, just for kicks, to see if the more trained personnel and different equipment make much of a difference. And, I'd like to get a Power Tap (or SRAM if I win the lottery).

Are you an avid Triathlete with many races under your belt? Or have you been thinking you like to do one? Then please join us for our next meeting as:

GOLDEN GATE TRIATHLON CLUB presents

Paul Huddle and Roch Frey

of

www.multisports.com

When: Monday March 1st, 7 p.m.
Where: Sports Basement, Presidio
Who’s invited: You! All runners, swimmers, bikers, all triathlon clubs, accomplished triathletes, wanna-be triathletes
Cost: $5, GGTC members free

We’re flying in Paul Huddle and Rock Frey from San Diego to speak to us!! These guys are great! Here's a little about them:

• Former professional triathletes
• Contributing writers for Triathlete Magazine
• Well-respected coaches of triathletes of all abilities, from beginners to such greats as Ironman champion
Peter Reid
• Race directors and consultants of the Ironman North America race series
• Former Canadian Long Course National Champion (Roch)
• Founder of the UCSD Master's Triathlon Training Club in 1996, and past head coach (Roch)
• Head coaches for the Asian MSOQ Team who participated in the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest China race
(adventure racing)
• Western States 100 Run finisher (Huddle)
• Creators of the “underpants run”
• plus, they're really funny

We’ll be raffling away Giants tickets, Sports Basement Gift Certificates, Tri-California Wildflower Race Clinics, and for new or current members, a Wildflower race entry, followed by an Alcatraz entry next week! (Details at ggtc.org).

"I collect an imaginary receipt after every great training day.
Usually it reads:

Price -- Energy to train for six hours hard
Tax -- Physical and emotional commitment
Subtotal -- All your hopes and dreams

Total paid -- Euphoria, pain, fatigue, and no regrets"

From my buddy Victor Plata, 2000 USA Triathlon Olympic Team Alternate and heading to the 2004 Olympic Trials

The V-Man is keeping a "100 Days to the Olympic Trials" diary. Some
good stuff.

http://www.teamkinesys.com/default.asp?Page=Diary&Date=1/9/2004

After ten days, I am finally feeling better and good enough to try and ride. My coughing is much less and I finally have my voice back, though it still has that, "hmmm...husky" quality. Or at least that's what I was told last night.

Anyway, after sleeping in until 9:00 AM today (which I could get used to), I eventually headed out on the bike for a little over an hour. Mid-50s and overcast, but no rain, thankfully. I rode out to the fort under the Golden Gate Bridge and then around the Presidio for a while. I felt pretty good on the flats, but on the hills, it felt like I was breathing through a tiny straw. Lots of nose blowing and some coughing, but all in all, a good ride and no wheezing in my chest. I'm on the road to recovery.

I missed most of last February's training to injury/illness and just when I was on a roll this year, came down with the cold/flu. A week spent sick and very little training (one 20 minute swim; one 15 minute trainer ride). The doctor got me on antibiotics yesterday and I feel way better today. There may be hope for this month yet. Now, if the rain willl just stay away, at least on the weekends!

This is definitely NOT the way I wanted to start the three day weekend. Had a temperature yesterday (over 100F) and I was still coughing and have a rattling in my chest. Had to go to work for a while, but came home early and took a nap. I was hoping I'd be feeling better today and I am (no fever, less coughing), but the raspy chest is still there. Everyone says that above the neck...OK to train. Below the neck...don't train. So, I got up and rode out to the Bridge where I was supposed to lead a ride. Couldn't breathe on the short ride out there and my cough got worse and what I really felt like doing was curling up on the cement bench and falling asleep. Instead, I got everyone lined out with a couple of folks subbing in to lead the ride and I rode home and went back to bed. My stomach muscles and ribs are sore from all the coughing. And, it's a totally beautiful day here and would have been the perfect day for a long ride. But, better to miss a couple of days now, than to miss a couple of weeks down the road. ;-(

Something jumps up and gets in your way. Yeah, I'm sick with a stuffed head, sore throat and cough. Woke up with it yesterday and fell back asleep for another 2.5 hours. Guess I needed the rest. I feel somewhat better today and think I'll go swim tonight. Maybe the chlorine will help unclog my head. At least I got a really good run in on Monday and rode the trainer Tuesday morning. I have a big ride planned for Saturday, so I need to get rid of this now! Time to hit the echinacea, Zicam and TheraFlu and down the oranges and chicken soup.

After five weeks of increasing volume, this was an easier week, mostly due to travel. For the week, two runs plus the medium day today. Today, instead of riding long we did some hill work--a 40 minute or so climb, with a great downhill on the other side. Only 2:15 riding time, but I had breathing issues today. And, I need a lot of hill work. The ride was followed by an hour swim outdoors in the sunshine (in the long course pool). A perfect California day. Tonight I physically feel great and ready to up the frequency and volume next week.

I had planned this week to be a recovery week, but hadn't planned to do mostly nothing (only a very short treadmill run from Monday to Friday). But, I now think the days off due to travel were a good thing. I didn't set the alarm this morning and decided to sleep in until I woke up. Woke up at 3:30 AM, but told myself no more Eastern Standard Time and went back to sleep until about 6:45 AM. Spent most of the morning getting caught up around the house and doing errands that I'd not had a chance to do. Found out our ride schedule for tomorrow got changed with a long swim added, so late morning I headed out and ran 48 minutes. Felt great and my heel/Achilles that had been bothering me for a couple of weeks did not hurt at all. It had been pretty sore the past couple of weeks, so taking that time off was a good thing. I felt great on the run! A trip to the grocery store to stock up on healthy food and I'm golden.

This week of work, not working out. A short trip to three time zones away really wrecks your training. Add in sitting in meetings all day or on an airplane and it's stiff-city! But, two long airplane trips meant time to read my book and no one calling or emailing me with work requests! Monday I flew to Washington, D.C. for four days. I left early from San Francisco and thanks to snow in Chicago, was late getting to DC. Arrived at the hotel at 10 PM. Fitful sleep that night and I slept until the last possible minute before heading to our DC office. Thought about getting up to work out, but 5AM would have been 2AM Cali time. Worked all day Tuesday and instead of going to work out in the mini hotel gym, I went and had dinner with a triathlete that I know in the area. We had a fun time catching up since we only get to see each other once or twice a year. Did a short treadmill run on Wednesday before we had to leave DC and drive to Virginia. It was freezing cold, with icy streets and sidewalks, so the treadmill was a necessity. There is no way I could go back and live where there is real winter. I've been in California too long.

Wednesday night, another dinner out with another triathlete. This time someone I'd emailed back and forth with but we'd never actually met. Had a good time talking Ironman, catching up about fellow triathletes that we knew and lots of other stuff. That's one great thing about my work travel...it takes me to places where I always know at least one triathlete or runner to get together with. I've been loaned a bike in So Cal, taken running in Central Park in NYC, had lots of beers and dinners in lots of other cities and have made some super friends. So, since I only see these folks once a year, I didn't mind missing a workout or two (or three). Besides, this is a recovery week.

Flew back Thursday (again a long delay in Chicago) and left the mid-20F weather with freezing rain and snow coming in and landed in the Bay Area to sunshine and 60F. Aahhhh! Then, dinner and beers with a fast Ironman last night. A great way to end the day. The next few days is bike time.....ride Saturday, ride Sunday (long) and ride Monday. I can't wait!