The several waves in this race got condensed into only two at the last minute, and they were to start at high noon and 12:30 to make things worse. It was already above 30deg by the time we arrived a couple of hours early to deliver CK, who was volunteering before running the race himself. On the way into the park, we got warmly greeted by another volunteer, grinning from ear to ear, very pleased with herself to let us know that we'd be going up the mountain no fewer than four times. I pre-wetted my bandana, filled up my water pack, stashed 4 gels and 12 salt pills and waited.
Aside from our usual crew, there was also ST, who was graciously hosting us all weekend, and a bunch of MK's friends and friends of friends from the Spartan Death Race. An awesome group of people all-around. We also made friends with our parking lot neighbours, where we got our first sense that many of the people present were not quite prepared for the gruelling task ahead...
I did my usual dynamic warm-ups before the start, letting ES and MK head to the front as usual. ES had been complaining of a hamstring injury, and I had tried to coach her on my nearly-patented strategy of "how not to race." In the end, she would have to listen to her body and decide what to do out there. Hint: her decision was really good!
---(race report in progress)
2012-06-30
2012-06-28
Cycling with Power Bike Clinic
Power. Wattage. Yet another metric I apparently have to get
acquainted with if I am to get better at cycling. I hadn't heard of it
at all until a time trial on an Absolute Endurance CompuTrainer in
January, and I waved it off as too much to think about. But it's
supposed to be the best measure of your cycling fitness and performance
ahead of speed, cadence and heart rate.
The clinic was presented by Mr. Absolute Endurance, Alan Chud. I missed most of the classroom talk he gave being late from work, so still don't quite understand how they measure power output on your bike. But it happens in watts, so I wonder what calibre of athlete could power up a lightbulb...
The stuff I did catch was that it's best to maintain the same wattage regardless of the terrain, and that your wattage should be determined by a lactate threshold test and applied a bit differently to different distances. The winner of last year's Lake Placid had an exceptionally flat wattage graph, despite the hilly course. Adjusting your gears to avoid working too hard uphill and not going fast enough downhill is key.
Al then took us to the CompuTrainers and demo'ed the two ways you can use wattage for training: I'd already ridden a couple of their virtual courses, where you influence your wattage; the other way to train is to fix a specific wattage regardless of what gear you're in. Riders will do an entire workout essentially on a "fixie," but modulating their wattage on the computer according to the coach's instructions. I would have a very hard time sitting through that, but apparently it makes you fast.
We got to throw our bikes on the trainers and try maintaining wattage on a course. Al asked us to anticipate having to change gears, not doing it too late. I ended up changing gears as much or a bit more than I do out on the road, which is supposed to be great! I actually did something right on a bike! The wattage was a bit erratic, but mostly 100-120, and spiked a few times when even fast gearing-down couldn't catch up to the change in incline.
One more thing I asked was about wattage and getting up out of the saddle. I know there are various opinions on this one, but Al recommends always staying seated and just using your gears. You can get up as a last resort, but it's very tiring, and most people get into a really awkward forward/downward position that obscures their view and shuts down the power because of an improper hip angle. If you must stand up, do it with chest and head up, and butt just off the seat - like a sprinter at the ready.
He also mentioned a pedal stroke analysis he offers, which shows you imbalances between your left and right side as well as efficiency on the full pedal stroke circle. I'm strongly considering this.
If I try to absorb too much more technique for triathlon this year, I might burst.
The clinic was presented by Mr. Absolute Endurance, Alan Chud. I missed most of the classroom talk he gave being late from work, so still don't quite understand how they measure power output on your bike. But it happens in watts, so I wonder what calibre of athlete could power up a lightbulb...
The stuff I did catch was that it's best to maintain the same wattage regardless of the terrain, and that your wattage should be determined by a lactate threshold test and applied a bit differently to different distances. The winner of last year's Lake Placid had an exceptionally flat wattage graph, despite the hilly course. Adjusting your gears to avoid working too hard uphill and not going fast enough downhill is key.
Al then took us to the CompuTrainers and demo'ed the two ways you can use wattage for training: I'd already ridden a couple of their virtual courses, where you influence your wattage; the other way to train is to fix a specific wattage regardless of what gear you're in. Riders will do an entire workout essentially on a "fixie," but modulating their wattage on the computer according to the coach's instructions. I would have a very hard time sitting through that, but apparently it makes you fast.
We got to throw our bikes on the trainers and try maintaining wattage on a course. Al asked us to anticipate having to change gears, not doing it too late. I ended up changing gears as much or a bit more than I do out on the road, which is supposed to be great! I actually did something right on a bike! The wattage was a bit erratic, but mostly 100-120, and spiked a few times when even fast gearing-down couldn't catch up to the change in incline.
One more thing I asked was about wattage and getting up out of the saddle. I know there are various opinions on this one, but Al recommends always staying seated and just using your gears. You can get up as a last resort, but it's very tiring, and most people get into a really awkward forward/downward position that obscures their view and shuts down the power because of an improper hip angle. If you must stand up, do it with chest and head up, and butt just off the seat - like a sprinter at the ready.
He also mentioned a pedal stroke analysis he offers, which shows you imbalances between your left and right side as well as efficiency on the full pedal stroke circle. I'm strongly considering this.
If I try to absorb too much more technique for triathlon this year, I might burst.
2012-06-27
Pool Swimming
Warm-up:
100m easy
100m, alt. 100% catch-up, 80% catch-up
Mostly able to maintain the new fluid stroke learned in the morning.
This was a combined class with us joining the early folks, so it was quite crowded, and we lost track of our placing and pacing pretty quick. I ended up just swimming the 1,500 almost straight without much break after the first set. I don't know how fast I was going, but it was really smooth. Cutting through the water, just like Kyle said! If I'd lose the stroke, I'd try to refocus with what he said about the technique being more important than just hammering.
4x 25m hypoxic
I managed to do only 1 breath the entire time! The change to breathing out only right before breathing in is amazing. That coupled with the smooth stroke, and I got carried further so much more easily.
2x 150m Snake Race: lined up faster-to-slower, we did a continuous swim along the walls and lane ropes, with passing if needed. Very cool OW racing training, except I took a huge gulp of water in the first time around. Not so good in the middle of a race... Otherwise, I think I did a decent job.
--Distance: 2,100m
--Duration: 65mins
100m easy
100m, alt. 100% catch-up, 80% catch-up
Mostly able to maintain the new fluid stroke learned in the morning.
5x 100m on 2:20
4x 100m - all others 5secs down
3x 100m
2x 100m
1x 100m
This was a combined class with us joining the early folks, so it was quite crowded, and we lost track of our placing and pacing pretty quick. I ended up just swimming the 1,500 almost straight without much break after the first set. I don't know how fast I was going, but it was really smooth. Cutting through the water, just like Kyle said! If I'd lose the stroke, I'd try to refocus with what he said about the technique being more important than just hammering.
4x 25m hypoxic
I managed to do only 1 breath the entire time! The change to breathing out only right before breathing in is amazing. That coupled with the smooth stroke, and I got carried further so much more easily.
2x 150m Snake Race: lined up faster-to-slower, we did a continuous swim along the walls and lane ropes, with passing if needed. Very cool OW racing training, except I took a huge gulp of water in the first time around. Not so good in the middle of a race... Otherwise, I think I did a decent job.
--Distance: 2,100m
--Duration: 65mins
Swimming Stroke Improvement
My lucky streak of getting gift certificates from Absolute Endurance through our triathlon club is on a roll: a few weeks ago, I got one for 30mins of a one-on-one swim stroke improvement session with Coach Kyle. Since he's been helping out with our regular pool classes, he's been privy to my gross incompetence in the water, and insisted I use up the gift cert. post-haste, prior to the next club pool session. So I upgraded to 1hr and hit AE's endless pool.
The pool is lined with mirrors, so you can observe your failures from all sides! Kyle set the warm-up swim to what he thought was a slow current, but I could barely keep from getting washed away to the back. I was going into this very demoralized from the last swim night, and I had low hopes for incorporating the master's teachings.
The most dismal part of my technique is my kick:
- my hips wobble from side to side
- I kick from my hips rather than from my hip flexors and quads
- I kick too deep
- my legs are too far apart
- I miss a beat when I breathe! LOL
Kick Drills:
- wall kick with hands downward on a ledge: identified the problems
- wall kick with hands hanging onto the edge: I managed to bring my legs closer and make my kick more shallow, still hard to stop the hips from doing a hula dance (I'm not kidding, he showed me video)
- wall kick with palms flat against wall: really forced me to continue kicking while looking up for a breath, otherwise, I'd fall away from the wall; Kyle asked me to tighten my core to stabilize the hips, and that helped to be able to actually do it; my hip flexors and upper quads started to burn, so I must have gotten it right!
- swim against current with arms overhead: I managed to keep my core and consequently my hips pretty tight together
The next thing we worked on was the rhythm or timing of my stroke cycle. Using the catch-up drill to illustrate his point, he called that drill a 100% catch-up, where the gliding arm waits for the other arm to go through 100% of its stroke cycle before starting its own pull. Most people do a 50% catch-up, where the gliding arm starts to pull when the other arm has finished the push and is about to come out for recovery. What Kyle wanted to see wast 80% catch-up, where you let the lead arm glide until the recovering arm is already up at the head. This helps to rotate the body and swim over top of your gliding arm, cutting through the water.
Aside: I have read in the past on various sites that this is a controversial technique - some call it over-gliding, which can lead to dead spots in your stroke when you're not doing anything to move forward. However, an interesting analysis of the various stroke timings can be found in Break Down Your Freestyle to Boost Efficiency, under heading Arm Cycle. They describe 80% catch-up as the Front-Quadrant rhythm and suggest it for endurance swimmers such as triathletes as a great way to boost efficiency and save energy. Great! I guess the key is not to glide forever without any motion.
It took me a few tries against the current, but I managed to do this new stroke rhythm, mostly. My movement through the water immediately seemed smoother and easier, like I wasn't fighting the current. I felt myself rotating my body more, especially from my hips rather than from my torso. I'd lose the rhythm here and there, but it wasn't that difficult.
The problem with smoothing out my stroke was that without thrashing about like I usually do, I was breathing less frequently, and I have a very hard time with breath control - I'm always out of breath. Which brought us to Kyle's last point:
Breathing technique!
He had already seen how much trouble I have with his hypoxic drills - where most people can do 1 or 0 breaths along 25m, I would need 3 or at least 2. He knew that I breathe out slowly but continuously throughout my triple stroke (which looks really crazy in the underwater mirror - you look like a catfish!) He wanted me to switch to holding my breath, and then doing a quick out-breath right before turning to take in the next breath. I was very suspicious of this because I thought I'd panic if I had to hold my breath. But I tried it, and surprisingly, I was more relaxed!
Ladder Breathing Drill:
3/3 - 5/5 - 7/7 - 5/5 - 3/3 (You can take it to 9/9 or beyond based on your ability)
The first time around, I was still breathing out continuously, and I couldn't really get through the 7s. But when I switched to the short out-breath, my lungs seemed to relax, and I calmly went through the whole set. Another win!
Finally, Kyle had me just swim for a few minutes to put it all together, and I have to say it was much easier to cut through the water, as he calls it. When I was done, I was surprised to learn that he had jacked up the current a bit from where I'd started. And it was still much easier. Hurray! Now to hang on to these skills for the swim class!!
Apparently my temporary coach Eric was hanging around and saw me do part of the session, which prompted him to deliver the all-time highest compliment on my athletic technique I've ever received:
"You didn't seem that bad in the pool this morning..."
The pool is lined with mirrors, so you can observe your failures from all sides! Kyle set the warm-up swim to what he thought was a slow current, but I could barely keep from getting washed away to the back. I was going into this very demoralized from the last swim night, and I had low hopes for incorporating the master's teachings.
The most dismal part of my technique is my kick:
- my hips wobble from side to side
- I kick from my hips rather than from my hip flexors and quads
- I kick too deep
- my legs are too far apart
- I miss a beat when I breathe! LOL
Kick Drills:
- wall kick with hands downward on a ledge: identified the problems
- wall kick with hands hanging onto the edge: I managed to bring my legs closer and make my kick more shallow, still hard to stop the hips from doing a hula dance (I'm not kidding, he showed me video)
- wall kick with palms flat against wall: really forced me to continue kicking while looking up for a breath, otherwise, I'd fall away from the wall; Kyle asked me to tighten my core to stabilize the hips, and that helped to be able to actually do it; my hip flexors and upper quads started to burn, so I must have gotten it right!
- swim against current with arms overhead: I managed to keep my core and consequently my hips pretty tight together
The next thing we worked on was the rhythm or timing of my stroke cycle. Using the catch-up drill to illustrate his point, he called that drill a 100% catch-up, where the gliding arm waits for the other arm to go through 100% of its stroke cycle before starting its own pull. Most people do a 50% catch-up, where the gliding arm starts to pull when the other arm has finished the push and is about to come out for recovery. What Kyle wanted to see wast 80% catch-up, where you let the lead arm glide until the recovering arm is already up at the head. This helps to rotate the body and swim over top of your gliding arm, cutting through the water.
Aside: I have read in the past on various sites that this is a controversial technique - some call it over-gliding, which can lead to dead spots in your stroke when you're not doing anything to move forward. However, an interesting analysis of the various stroke timings can be found in Break Down Your Freestyle to Boost Efficiency, under heading Arm Cycle. They describe 80% catch-up as the Front-Quadrant rhythm and suggest it for endurance swimmers such as triathletes as a great way to boost efficiency and save energy. Great! I guess the key is not to glide forever without any motion.
It took me a few tries against the current, but I managed to do this new stroke rhythm, mostly. My movement through the water immediately seemed smoother and easier, like I wasn't fighting the current. I felt myself rotating my body more, especially from my hips rather than from my torso. I'd lose the rhythm here and there, but it wasn't that difficult.
The problem with smoothing out my stroke was that without thrashing about like I usually do, I was breathing less frequently, and I have a very hard time with breath control - I'm always out of breath. Which brought us to Kyle's last point:
Breathing technique!
He had already seen how much trouble I have with his hypoxic drills - where most people can do 1 or 0 breaths along 25m, I would need 3 or at least 2. He knew that I breathe out slowly but continuously throughout my triple stroke (which looks really crazy in the underwater mirror - you look like a catfish!) He wanted me to switch to holding my breath, and then doing a quick out-breath right before turning to take in the next breath. I was very suspicious of this because I thought I'd panic if I had to hold my breath. But I tried it, and surprisingly, I was more relaxed!
Ladder Breathing Drill:
3/3 - 5/5 - 7/7 - 5/5 - 3/3 (You can take it to 9/9 or beyond based on your ability)
The first time around, I was still breathing out continuously, and I couldn't really get through the 7s. But when I switched to the short out-breath, my lungs seemed to relax, and I calmly went through the whole set. Another win!
Finally, Kyle had me just swim for a few minutes to put it all together, and I have to say it was much easier to cut through the water, as he calls it. When I was done, I was surprised to learn that he had jacked up the current a bit from where I'd started. And it was still much easier. Hurray! Now to hang on to these skills for the swim class!!
Apparently my temporary coach Eric was hanging around and saw me do part of the session, which prompted him to deliver the all-time highest compliment on my athletic technique I've ever received:
"You didn't seem that bad in the pool this morning..."
Location:
Absolute Endurance
2012-06-26
Bike Intervals
One last workout assigned by my awesomely supportive and highly informative temporary coach.
Of course being a bike noob, I could not understand the interval progression at all. He called for 3 interval sets, in 15, 13, and 12, at increasing zones, and going from faster cadence to slower, to whatever I could pump out. My question was: "You can get 15 gears on your bike?? I only have 10 - what a rip-off!!" LOL I assumed that 15 was the hardest gear, and that I'd have to translate it to about 10, 9, and 8 on my bike - which didn't make sense because based on the other metrics, I should be working harder as I went along.
Well, duh. It's not the number of gears, it's the number of cogs in the gears. He educated me that a typical cassette on my bike would have 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25 cogs from smallest to largest. So I really would be increasing difficulty as I went along.
With that out of the way, I rolled down to my fave local section of the waterfront trail and did this:
Warm-up: 15mins easy
3x 3mins on 15, zone 2, 90rpm, 1min rest
5mins easy
3x 2mins on 13, zone 3, 85rpm, 1min rest
5mins easy
3x 1min on 12, zone 3(?), as high as possible, 1min rest
Cool-down: easy spin w/ transition skillz
The hardest set was the second one because it was a bigger jump in gears, but still had to hold for 2mins. But I really love intervals, so this is super-fun. I actually did the last recovery reps in the same gear as the first work set.
For the cool-down, I threw in trying to dismount off my shoes. I wanted to try this tired, as at the end of a race. I didn't totally crash, but it was a very awkward dismount, and not race-worthy at all. I remounted, and veered sharply to the left, which would also be dangerous at the mount line. So these need practise before the next sprint.
--Distance: 17.8km
--Duration: 60mins
Of course being a bike noob, I could not understand the interval progression at all. He called for 3 interval sets, in 15, 13, and 12, at increasing zones, and going from faster cadence to slower, to whatever I could pump out. My question was: "You can get 15 gears on your bike?? I only have 10 - what a rip-off!!" LOL I assumed that 15 was the hardest gear, and that I'd have to translate it to about 10, 9, and 8 on my bike - which didn't make sense because based on the other metrics, I should be working harder as I went along.
Well, duh. It's not the number of gears, it's the number of cogs in the gears. He educated me that a typical cassette on my bike would have 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25 cogs from smallest to largest. So I really would be increasing difficulty as I went along.
With that out of the way, I rolled down to my fave local section of the waterfront trail and did this:
Warm-up: 15mins easy
3x 3mins on 15, zone 2, 90rpm, 1min rest
5mins easy
3x 2mins on 13, zone 3, 85rpm, 1min rest
5mins easy
3x 1min on 12, zone 3(?), as high as possible, 1min rest
Cool-down: easy spin w/ transition skillz
The hardest set was the second one because it was a bigger jump in gears, but still had to hold for 2mins. But I really love intervals, so this is super-fun. I actually did the last recovery reps in the same gear as the first work set.
For the cool-down, I threw in trying to dismount off my shoes. I wanted to try this tired, as at the end of a race. I didn't totally crash, but it was a very awkward dismount, and not race-worthy at all. I remounted, and veered sharply to the left, which would also be dangerous at the mount line. So these need practise before the next sprint.
--Distance: 17.8km
--Duration: 60mins
2012-06-20
Pool Swimming
Another class with KR of Absolute Endurance! More stroke improvement and pacing (although using the clock is not new to me.)
Warm-up:
200m easy
200m drill, 3secs drill / zipper drill
200m, 25m fast/easy
4x 25m hypoxic (no breathing): breathed 3 times, then 2, 2, 2
400m fast pace: 7:41 (3secs slower than a fall TT)
2x 200m adding up faster than 400: 3:45 / 3:55
4x 100m faster again: 1:48 / 1:52 / 1:53 / 1:53
3x 50m faster (should be 8x): 0:49 / 0:50 / 0:51
(30secs between reps, 1min between sets)
50m easy
--Distance: 2,100m
--Duration: 65mins
Warm-up:
200m easy
200m drill, 3secs drill / zipper drill
200m, 25m fast/easy
4x 25m hypoxic (no breathing): breathed 3 times, then 2, 2, 2
400m fast pace: 7:41 (3secs slower than a fall TT)
2x 200m adding up faster than 400: 3:45 / 3:55
4x 100m faster again: 1:48 / 1:52 / 1:53 / 1:53
3x 50m faster (should be 8x): 0:49 / 0:50 / 0:51
(30secs between reps, 1min between sets)
50m easy
--Distance: 2,100m
--Duration: 65mins
Gym Workout
(reps) 1st set / 2nd set / 3rd set
(10) DB Bench Press: 25lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 / 6 @ 35lbs x2, 4 @ 30lbs x2
(10) BB Front Squat: 60lbs / 60lbs / 60lbs [really tough today, even with the low weight]
(10) Lat DB Raise: 5lbs x2 / 7.5lbs x2 / 10lbs x2
(10/side) Calf Raises: BW / BW / BW
---30secs REST
(10) Biceps Curl: 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2
(10/side) Curtsy Lunge: 30lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 [haven't done this awesome one in a long while; left hip might not be ready for it yet]
(10/side) Triceps Curl: 10lbs / 15lbs / 15lbs
---30secs REST
(10/side) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 3 / setting 3
(10) Leg Press: 240lbs / 260lbs
(10) Lat Pull-down: setting 11 / setting 13 [getting close to pulling the rack!]
---30secs REST
Not enough time to get through set 3, and no time to tackle the final core workout.
--Duration: 37mins
(10) DB Bench Press: 25lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 / 6 @ 35lbs x2, 4 @ 30lbs x2
(10) BB Front Squat: 60lbs / 60lbs / 60lbs [really tough today, even with the low weight]
(10) Lat DB Raise: 5lbs x2 / 7.5lbs x2 / 10lbs x2
(10/side) Calf Raises: BW / BW / BW
---30secs REST
(10) Biceps Curl: 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2
(10/side) Curtsy Lunge: 30lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 / 30lbs x2 [haven't done this awesome one in a long while; left hip might not be ready for it yet]
(10/side) Triceps Curl: 10lbs / 15lbs / 15lbs
---30secs REST
(10/side) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 3 / setting 3
(10) Leg Press: 240lbs / 260lbs
(10) Lat Pull-down: setting 11 / setting 13 [getting close to pulling the rack!]
---30secs REST
Not enough time to get through set 3, and no time to tackle the final core workout.
--Duration: 37mins
2012-06-19
Bike Transition Clinic
This clinic was put on by Ayesha Rollinson and Mike Medeiros of the Tri Trek pro Team, and it was exactly what I'd been looking to add to my repertoire: the flying mount and running dismount! A number of weeks ago, I'd practised all the skills involved in between the jumping on and off part, so I felt quite confident going into this, but I still thought it would take forever and a lot of crashing to figure out these acrobatics!
Our venue was the quiet and serene Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which gets a lot of use from cyclists on its maze of paths. Ayesha and Mike got us right into tying our shoes onto the bike with elastics, careful to avoid the drivetrain and quick release. The flying mount is done by softly hopping onto the seat without putting pressure on the pedals until after you're actually seated.
At first, my seat seemed way too high for me to jump on, as it goes all the way up to my hip. But I trusted our coaches, took a running start, and managed to jump on quite easily! The elastics actually took a few turns to break, but apparently it's not a big deal. I spent the rest of this part of the session jumping on without the elastics, just to get the momentum right. I'd also continue practising putting the shoes on and taking them off, especially without looking.
Very quickly, it was time to try the running dismount. This is the part that really freaked me out in the videos I'd seen. First, Ayesha showed us the simplest (though not fastest) way to dismount, which is to swing the right leg back over the seat - but this essentially causes you to put the breaks on with that foot rather than keep running forward. It's best to get that foot in the front instead.
And how is that done? Well, some people step their right leg through between their left and the bike. But Ayesha has a flexibility advantage! She demonstrated essentially folding your leg in a kind of half-lotus over the crossbar, and stepping down in front into a run. What?? I was already nervous about just putting all my weight on one side of the bike, let alone being in a cross-legged position in the air! But again, one attempt, and I did it without crashing, hurray!
This was yet another awesome clinic by the Tri Trek Team (I'd done an open water swim skills clinic with them last August before my try-tri). They are so nice and supportive, and genuinely care to professionalize people's skills.
Some tips I picked up:
- Assess the course to see if an uphill start will make clipped-in mounting detrimental
- Use a gear that is easy enough to start, but hard enough that you can get some initial speed while fiddling with the shoes
- Run quite a bit forward of the mount line to avoid the crowds of people trying to clip in
- It's okay to pedal on your shoes for a while if no safe opportunity to put them on comes up
- Step down hard on the opposite shoe to avoid having the one you're getting into drag on the ground
I was so excited, that after we left the cemetery and I got back to my car, I continued getting on and off the bike on the side street for a good 30mins. Only had one shaky dismount. Otherwise, I felt awesome!
Next things to practise are optimal speed for getting underway and putting on the shoes, and optimal distance, at which I should take the shoes off and prep to jump off - especially with all these other people in the mix.
Our venue was the quiet and serene Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which gets a lot of use from cyclists on its maze of paths. Ayesha and Mike got us right into tying our shoes onto the bike with elastics, careful to avoid the drivetrain and quick release. The flying mount is done by softly hopping onto the seat without putting pressure on the pedals until after you're actually seated.
At first, my seat seemed way too high for me to jump on, as it goes all the way up to my hip. But I trusted our coaches, took a running start, and managed to jump on quite easily! The elastics actually took a few turns to break, but apparently it's not a big deal. I spent the rest of this part of the session jumping on without the elastics, just to get the momentum right. I'd also continue practising putting the shoes on and taking them off, especially without looking.
Very quickly, it was time to try the running dismount. This is the part that really freaked me out in the videos I'd seen. First, Ayesha showed us the simplest (though not fastest) way to dismount, which is to swing the right leg back over the seat - but this essentially causes you to put the breaks on with that foot rather than keep running forward. It's best to get that foot in the front instead.
And how is that done? Well, some people step their right leg through between their left and the bike. But Ayesha has a flexibility advantage! She demonstrated essentially folding your leg in a kind of half-lotus over the crossbar, and stepping down in front into a run. What?? I was already nervous about just putting all my weight on one side of the bike, let alone being in a cross-legged position in the air! But again, one attempt, and I did it without crashing, hurray!
This was yet another awesome clinic by the Tri Trek Team (I'd done an open water swim skills clinic with them last August before my try-tri). They are so nice and supportive, and genuinely care to professionalize people's skills.
Some tips I picked up:
- Assess the course to see if an uphill start will make clipped-in mounting detrimental
- Use a gear that is easy enough to start, but hard enough that you can get some initial speed while fiddling with the shoes
- Run quite a bit forward of the mount line to avoid the crowds of people trying to clip in
- It's okay to pedal on your shoes for a while if no safe opportunity to put them on comes up
- Step down hard on the opposite shoe to avoid having the one you're getting into drag on the ground
Next things to practise are optimal speed for getting underway and putting on the shoes, and optimal distance, at which I should take the shoes off and prep to jump off - especially with all these other people in the mix.
Location:
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, ON
2012-06-18
Pool Swimming
This time, our temporary coach was Kyle Resnick from Absolute Endurance, and he took it upon himself to both identify problems with our stroke and give us a great speed workout.
Warm-up:
200m easy
200m drill, 3secs drill / zipper drill*
200m, 25m fast/easy
Problems with my stroke: I still enter a bit over the centre line, and I could stand to roll more. I was told to roll from the hips not the upper body, which was a bit hard at first, but cool if I managed it.
The main set is a bit of a blur, but it was something like this:
100m - set a pace, then add 0:15 to use as the pace for the next 3
I started with a kind of fast 2:00, so we had 2:15 to work with. Nuh-uh. Dropped to 2:30 soon for the 3x100m
I think we continued with sets of 100s (not sure) but had to drop 5secs each time.
4x 100m on 2:25
4x 100m on 2:20
4x 100m on 2:15 (all-out??)
I do remember dropping the swim pace by 5secs too.
Hard to remember what was after this!
--Distance: minimum 2,200m
--Duration: 65mins
Some people immediately saw speed results after they got stroke analysis from Kyle. I wish my body would respond better to instructions. I feel so clumsy and not at all in tune with what my arms and legs are doing. Thankfully, I won yet another freebie from AE last week - stroke analysis in their endless pool with Kyle himself. Maybe the mirrors will help!!
Warm-up:
200m easy
200m drill, 3secs drill / zipper drill*
200m, 25m fast/easy
* 3secs: lying on one side for 3secs and kicking - helps with rolling, reaching and kicking
Zipper: running the thumb up the side of the body to the shoulder - helps with keeping the arm/elbow up, not flying outward Problems with my stroke: I still enter a bit over the centre line, and I could stand to roll more. I was told to roll from the hips not the upper body, which was a bit hard at first, but cool if I managed it.
The main set is a bit of a blur, but it was something like this:
100m - set a pace, then add 0:15 to use as the pace for the next 3
I started with a kind of fast 2:00, so we had 2:15 to work with. Nuh-uh. Dropped to 2:30 soon for the 3x100m
I think we continued with sets of 100s (not sure) but had to drop 5secs each time.
4x 100m on 2:25
4x 100m on 2:20
4x 100m on 2:15 (all-out??)
I do remember dropping the swim pace by 5secs too.
Hard to remember what was after this!
--Distance: minimum 2,200m
--Duration: 65mins
Some people immediately saw speed results after they got stroke analysis from Kyle. I wish my body would respond better to instructions. I feel so clumsy and not at all in tune with what my arms and legs are doing. Thankfully, I won yet another freebie from AE last week - stroke analysis in their endless pool with Kyle himself. Maybe the mirrors will help!!
2012-06-17
Pool Swimming
An impromptu swim session at the Caledon Wellness Centre, as my cousin decided to go, and I wanted to keep him company. The Caledon pool is expensive and kind of crappy: one narrow lane, with kids constantly crossing it from one kiddie pool to the other. (There is no lane swim offered and no other lane ropes at other times.) The water is also very hot, as it's really designed as a fun pool rather than a training pool.
I decided to finally test how El Satellite Dish works in a pool, and finally figured out how to set it up and how to pause it. Did some warm-up 50s, and then a bunch of 100s. I felt very tired. I tried to extend my stroke in order to have further entries, but not sure it was working. Did use the open fingers method of catching and pulling though.
My first few 100s were about 2:05-2:07. When I really started swimming faster, I could only get down to 2:02. Last one was 2:01. At this point, I was so overheated, I decided to quit.
--Distance: 1,100m
--Duration: 25mins + lots of breaks, maybe 35mins total
I then noticed that the Garmin (a multisport watch meant to be swum with!) had water in it under the watch face!! It was working fine though, so I thought it was no big deal. My cousin wanted to continue a bit longer, so I waited outside and did some light jogging to practise my gait, and some ABCs and the like. The Garmin suddenly shut off. When I got home, I was able to turn it "on" a couple of times, but the display was fucked. Now it is dead, along with my workouts for the week, and I can hardly remember what I did because I had surrendered my memory to the stupid watch. This is why I am a Luddite. :(
Hope it won't be a battle to the death over the warranty.
I decided to finally test how El Satellite Dish works in a pool, and finally figured out how to set it up and how to pause it. Did some warm-up 50s, and then a bunch of 100s. I felt very tired. I tried to extend my stroke in order to have further entries, but not sure it was working. Did use the open fingers method of catching and pulling though.
My first few 100s were about 2:05-2:07. When I really started swimming faster, I could only get down to 2:02. Last one was 2:01. At this point, I was so overheated, I decided to quit.
--Distance: 1,100m
--Duration: 25mins + lots of breaks, maybe 35mins total
I then noticed that the Garmin (a multisport watch meant to be swum with!) had water in it under the watch face!! It was working fine though, so I thought it was no big deal. My cousin wanted to continue a bit longer, so I waited outside and did some light jogging to practise my gait, and some ABCs and the like. The Garmin suddenly shut off. When I got home, I was able to turn it "on" a couple of times, but the display was fucked. Now it is dead, along with my workouts for the week, and I can hardly remember what I did because I had surrendered my memory to the stupid watch. This is why I am a Luddite. :(
Hope it won't be a battle to the death over the warranty.
Hills of Caledon Bike Ride
Got up even later than usual, but happy to tackle the hilly roads of Caledon again, after I really struggled here in December when I first got the bike. Since I had already recced this area then, I didn't give myself a fixed route - just thought I'd choose to ride on different roads based on conditions and timing. Just needed to get back to the homestead for the day's Euro matches, hee hee.
Started out on Duffy's Lane again and climbed the substantial rollies up to Old Church Road. This road is well-traversed as it links to Caledon East, but it's a dream to bike on. Fresh asphalt and a wide clean shoulder; totally safe. Took it all the way into town and turned around at Airport.
For extra mileage, I turned down Innis Lake, which was more deep rollies, then a quick jump across Castlederg, which looked rough after the next road, so went back up Centreville Creek to Old Church. That road has zero traffic and some great downhills!
I liked this lap, so decided to repeat it, and was faster. Actually my 5km lap times went down each time over the whole ride, yay! Finally came back up to Old Church and took it back to Duffy's and down to the car. I enjoyed the ride more and more as I went along, especially after I broke through the first 20km or so. I think I hit about 45kph as my top speed several times, and usually it was from slight downhills going into uphills!
--Distance: 40km
--Duration: 1:29:00
--Average Speed: 27.0kph
--Max Speed: ~45kph
(Thank goodness I remembered these numbers, as El Satellite Dish is now drowned in pool water.)
Started out on Duffy's Lane again and climbed the substantial rollies up to Old Church Road. This road is well-traversed as it links to Caledon East, but it's a dream to bike on. Fresh asphalt and a wide clean shoulder; totally safe. Took it all the way into town and turned around at Airport.
 |
| Route Link |
I liked this lap, so decided to repeat it, and was faster. Actually my 5km lap times went down each time over the whole ride, yay! Finally came back up to Old Church and took it back to Duffy's and down to the car. I enjoyed the ride more and more as I went along, especially after I broke through the first 20km or so. I think I hit about 45kph as my top speed several times, and usually it was from slight downhills going into uphills!
--Distance: 40km
--Duration: 1:29:00
--Average Speed: 27.0kph
--Max Speed: ~45kph
(Thank goodness I remembered these numbers, as El Satellite Dish is now drowned in pool water.)
Location:
Duffys Lane, Caledon, ON
2012-06-16
TOC Championships
Format: Point-to-Point, staggered start
Terrain: park, forest, valleys
Weather: hot and sunny
This is my club's annual informal championships and BBQ, and I decided to show up and jog it just to review my map-reading skills. Turns out I don't have any after two months away from the sport!
Mistakes and poor decisions (and what I did about them):
1. took the wrong trail through the green and missed a bridge crossing
2. faced the wrong way by 90° at Control 1, but figured it out because of a long trench cutting my way
3. mistook another small trail for a bigger one at the easy Control 2
4. waaaaay underestimated distance to Control 3 from an attack point and had to backtrack to the known feature and try again - all in heavy green
5. this one was the best: saw RC leaving down a steep hillside to cut along the Humber River to Control 4 - I thought, "what a sucker, he has to climb back up the other side." I ran along the arced ridge instead. Until my route squished me between a cliffside and a tall fence (which I failed to read on the map!) I'd have to either careen down the near-vertical hill, climb the fence, or go back. Trudged through the green back to the bottom of the map, ran up along Islington, and had to overshoot 4 because that stupid fence wouldn't end.
6. going into 6, I had to be careful again with my directions, but thankfully my sense of the contours saved me - usually does
7. after a few fine legs, and only being nearly burned alive by fire ants at Control 8's water stop, I took the wrong parallel trail to Control 11, over-ran it, and had to backtrack through some green - and whatever it was, it burned too!
8. I even managed to miss the last control right in the finish chute because I thought all I had to punch was the Finish. Gah. I haven't had this much FAIL in a long time (probably not since Thomass Caledon in January.)
I jogged this whole thing very slowly, although I should have gone even slower to avoid some of these idiotic mistakes - when you're frustrated about not going fast, you tend to make faster, stupider decisions instead. Racked up way too much mileage here, although not too much climb.
This event was really poorly attended, and it turns out I was the only female on the long course. Guess what that means? I am now the 2012 Toronto Orienteering Club Female Champion - I got a nice red ribbon, a big-ass trophy that will have my name on it, and - the privilege of setting the course next year! It's what every TOC member fears the most each year.
It's pretty embarrassing that I won with such a poor showing, but as my cousin pointed out, in 10 years, no one will know how my name made it onto the trophy.
--Distance: 8.2km
--Duration: 1:40:06
Terrain: park, forest, valleys
Weather: hot and sunny
This is my club's annual informal championships and BBQ, and I decided to show up and jog it just to review my map-reading skills. Turns out I don't have any after two months away from the sport!
 |
| Route Link |
1. took the wrong trail through the green and missed a bridge crossing
2. faced the wrong way by 90° at Control 1, but figured it out because of a long trench cutting my way
3. mistook another small trail for a bigger one at the easy Control 2
4. waaaaay underestimated distance to Control 3 from an attack point and had to backtrack to the known feature and try again - all in heavy green
5. this one was the best: saw RC leaving down a steep hillside to cut along the Humber River to Control 4 - I thought, "what a sucker, he has to climb back up the other side." I ran along the arced ridge instead. Until my route squished me between a cliffside and a tall fence (which I failed to read on the map!) I'd have to either careen down the near-vertical hill, climb the fence, or go back. Trudged through the green back to the bottom of the map, ran up along Islington, and had to overshoot 4 because that stupid fence wouldn't end.
6. going into 6, I had to be careful again with my directions, but thankfully my sense of the contours saved me - usually does
7. after a few fine legs, and only being nearly burned alive by fire ants at Control 8's water stop, I took the wrong parallel trail to Control 11, over-ran it, and had to backtrack through some green - and whatever it was, it burned too!
8. I even managed to miss the last control right in the finish chute because I thought all I had to punch was the Finish. Gah. I haven't had this much FAIL in a long time (probably not since Thomass Caledon in January.)
 |
| O-Map |
This event was really poorly attended, and it turns out I was the only female on the long course. Guess what that means? I am now the 2012 Toronto Orienteering Club Female Champion - I got a nice red ribbon, a big-ass trophy that will have my name on it, and - the privilege of setting the course next year! It's what every TOC member fears the most each year.
It's pretty embarrassing that I won with such a poor showing, but as my cousin pointed out, in 10 years, no one will know how my name made it onto the trophy.
--Distance: 8.2km
--Duration: 1:40:06
Location:
Boyd Conservation Area, Vaughan, ON
Open Water Swim
Shuffled over to Cherry Beach ahead of my orienteering "race" later in the morning, and I arrived just as my Coach's open water group was finishing up their workout. I didn't think she'd be hosting these on account of her injury, but apparently her mornings are better than her evenings. I have to say I've really missed her yelling at us, and at least got to live vicariously for a few minutes through the poor guys chasing the buoys out there, haha. Coach is holding up okay, but really is sidelined waiting for yet another surgery...
The buoy run is 250m this year. Did a warm-up there-and-back but felt like it was really hard to breathe in the wetsuit. I was sure this would pass, but on the next lap it was exactly the same. I kept taking long breaks at either end to catch my breath. The water here is very shallow, but I was so nervous the entire time. On the way back the third time, I was nearly panicking, and actually decided to bail towards the lifeguard house. Then I regrouped and swam back to the buoy line and finished. But it felt like my chest was in a vice.
I decided to call it quits after the three laps, but I tried a corkscrew turn around the buoy that my temporary coach had suggested. I think I need to look at the video again, haha.
And finally it was time for:
Wetsuit Time Trial: 2:00 to get it off. 2 whole minutes. The height of incompetence. I did forget to lube-up with Body Glide, but still.
--Distance: ~1,600m
--Duration: ~40mins
The buoy run is 250m this year. Did a warm-up there-and-back but felt like it was really hard to breathe in the wetsuit. I was sure this would pass, but on the next lap it was exactly the same. I kept taking long breaks at either end to catch my breath. The water here is very shallow, but I was so nervous the entire time. On the way back the third time, I was nearly panicking, and actually decided to bail towards the lifeguard house. Then I regrouped and swam back to the buoy line and finished. But it felt like my chest was in a vice.I decided to call it quits after the three laps, but I tried a corkscrew turn around the buoy that my temporary coach had suggested. I think I need to look at the video again, haha.
And finally it was time for:
Wetsuit Time Trial: 2:00 to get it off. 2 whole minutes. The height of incompetence. I did forget to lube-up with Body Glide, but still.
--Distance: ~1,600m
--Duration: ~40mins
Location:
Cherry Beach, Toronto, ON
2012-06-14
Gym Workout
(reps) 1st set / 2nd set / 3rd set / 4th set
(10/side) DB Bench Rows: 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs
(10) DB Bench Press: 20lbs x2 / 25lbs x2 / 25lbs x2 / 30lbs x2
(10/side) DB Sword Draw: 8lbs / 8lbs / 8lbs / 8lbs
(5/side) Side Lunges: 30lbs / 35lbs / 35lbs / 40lbs
---60secs REST
(10/side) Russian Twist: 35lbs plate / 35lbs plate / 35lbs plate
(10) Glute-Ham Raise: 35lbs plate / 40lbs DB / 40lbs DB
(failure) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 1/2 / 1 + 1 + 1/2
(10/side) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-down: 7.5lbs / 12.5lbs / 7.5lbs
---60secs REST
(10) Front Squat: 75lbs / 75lbs
(10/side) Calf Raises: BW / BW
(10/side) "Swim Pull" Pull-down: 12.5lbs / 17.5lbs
---30secs REST
--Duration: 55mins
(10/side) DB Bench Rows: 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs
(10) DB Bench Press: 20lbs x2 / 25lbs x2 / 25lbs x2 / 30lbs x2
(10/side) DB Sword Draw: 8lbs / 8lbs / 8lbs / 8lbs
(5/side) Side Lunges: 30lbs / 35lbs / 35lbs / 40lbs
---60secs REST
(10/side) Russian Twist: 35lbs plate / 35lbs plate / 35lbs plate
(10) Glute-Ham Raise: 35lbs plate / 40lbs DB / 40lbs DB
(failure) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 1/2 / 1 + 1 + 1/2
(10/side) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-down: 7.5lbs / 12.5lbs / 7.5lbs
---60secs REST
(10) Front Squat: 75lbs / 75lbs
(10/side) Calf Raises: BW / BW
(10/side) "Swim Pull" Pull-down: 12.5lbs / 17.5lbs
---30secs REST
--Duration: 55mins
2012-06-13
Pool Swimming
Warm-up: 50m free / 50m back / 50m breast / 25m fly + 25m free
100m shark drill / 100m finger drag
<I've been thinking about this part for two days, and have no idea what we did at the beginning exactly. I know it was some 50s, that's it.>
5x 100m on 2:25 / 2:20 / 2:15 / 2:10 / 2:05
Held ~1:55
150m / 100m / 50m / 100m / 150m - hard, 10secs rest
4x 30secs wall kicks, 30secs rest - focusing on fast shallow kicks that will keep your butt out of the water
There were some 50 easy in there somewhere.
Our temporary coach Tim videotaped me to show me that I'm entering very early and losing a lot of pull. I guess I have to stretch out more.
He also explained to us that we should have relaxed fingers, not a cupped hand - a solid hand creates an air bubble and reduces the amount of water you pull. Relaxed open fingers actually create more surface area.
--Distance: minimum 1,450, probably ~1,700 (really no idea)
--Duration: 65mins
100m shark drill / 100m finger drag
<I've been thinking about this part for two days, and have no idea what we did at the beginning exactly. I know it was some 50s, that's it.>
5x 100m on 2:25 / 2:20 / 2:15 / 2:10 / 2:05
Held ~1:55
150m / 100m / 50m / 100m / 150m - hard, 10secs rest
4x 30secs wall kicks, 30secs rest - focusing on fast shallow kicks that will keep your butt out of the water
There were some 50 easy in there somewhere.
Our temporary coach Tim videotaped me to show me that I'm entering very early and losing a lot of pull. I guess I have to stretch out more.
He also explained to us that we should have relaxed fingers, not a cupped hand - a solid hand creates an air bubble and reduces the amount of water you pull. Relaxed open fingers actually create more surface area.
--Distance: minimum 1,450, probably ~1,700 (really no idea)
--Duration: 65mins
2012-06-12
Biking the Hospital + Victory Hills
It turns out that my hills workout from last week was partly done on the wrong hill - should have been on the one that SOF used to call Victory Hill, heading up to the upper flats. This week I was to get it right, haha. Was supposed to be 6x each hill.
I did a warm-up ride through the park, dodging tons of cars and speed bumps.
Took on the long hill first, and I think I managed ~1:47 or so. Then went up Victory, and got up out of my seat half-way, as instructed. I started to feel crampy, and was very quickly in tons of pain. Managed to struggle up Hospital Hill once more, and the difficulty of the hill kind of numbed the pain a bit, but once I started coming back down, it was unbearable. All I wanted to do was ditch the bike somewhere and curl up and die. I partly did that at the bottom for a few minutes. Then I picked myself up and rolled slowly back across the park to the car in search of pain killers. It's too bad; I really wanted to kill these hills.
Since the Garmin is now dead, I'm not sure exactly what the three splits were like, but they seemed faster than the week before.
--Distance: 6.4km
--Duration: 30-40mins
I did a warm-up ride through the park, dodging tons of cars and speed bumps.
Took on the long hill first, and I think I managed ~1:47 or so. Then went up Victory, and got up out of my seat half-way, as instructed. I started to feel crampy, and was very quickly in tons of pain. Managed to struggle up Hospital Hill once more, and the difficulty of the hill kind of numbed the pain a bit, but once I started coming back down, it was unbearable. All I wanted to do was ditch the bike somewhere and curl up and die. I partly did that at the bottom for a few minutes. Then I picked myself up and rolled slowly back across the park to the car in search of pain killers. It's too bad; I really wanted to kill these hills.
Since the Garmin is now dead, I'm not sure exactly what the three splits were like, but they seemed faster than the week before.
--Distance: 6.4km
--Duration: 30-40mins
2012-06-11
Swimming
We had a substitute teacher tonight! So a bit of a different mix.
Warm-up: 250m pull
All pulling:
2x 200m: first on 4:00, second recovery
Managed 4:05
6x 100m: 1,3,5 on 2:10; 2,4,6 on 1:55/1:53/1:51
The recoveries were fine, but I only managed to pull 2:00 on the fast ones
6x 50m: 1,3,5 on 1:30; 2,4,6 on 1:25/1:20/1:15
Not sure why we were given such slow times, haha. No problems there. Usually came in at 0:55 for the fast ones.
50m easy
6x 25m: quick strokes, focus on pull, 20secs rest
Started 0:25, dropped to 0:27
50m easy (tried swimming)
Fun relay: 5/team - 25m x2 each
Swam it without pain
50m easy
I guess I was fine after the normal swim, but not completely sure.
Wednesday will be a 1,500 TT, so not sure what to do.
--Distance: 1,700m (ouch, why so low? too many breaks without Coach's iron fist)
--Duration: 70mins
Warm-up: 250m pull
All pulling:
2x 200m: first on 4:00, second recovery
Managed 4:05
6x 100m: 1,3,5 on 2:10; 2,4,6 on 1:55/1:53/1:51
The recoveries were fine, but I only managed to pull 2:00 on the fast ones
6x 50m: 1,3,5 on 1:30; 2,4,6 on 1:25/1:20/1:15
Not sure why we were given such slow times, haha. No problems there. Usually came in at 0:55 for the fast ones.
50m easy
6x 25m: quick strokes, focus on pull, 20secs rest
Started 0:25, dropped to 0:27
50m easy (tried swimming)
Fun relay: 5/team - 25m x2 each
Swam it without pain
50m easy
I guess I was fine after the normal swim, but not completely sure.
Wednesday will be a 1,500 TT, so not sure what to do.
--Distance: 1,700m (ouch, why so low? too many breaks without Coach's iron fist)
--Duration: 70mins
Gym Workout
I must have totally screwed up this assigned workout. My interpretation of the set order is as follows, and it's clear that I am a dumbass. I tried alternating some things with other things... especially since it seemed unlikely that some of these would only get 5 reps ever. o_O
5x 30secs Front Plank / 10 push-ups
5x 30secs Side Plank, one side / 5 push-ups / 30secs other side / 5 push-ups
5 sit ups / 10 push-ups / 5 sit ups* / 10 push-ups [*didn't know what a reverse crunch is]
5/side Side Lunges: 30lbs
5 Leg Press: 260lbs
5x 30secs Wall Squat w/ ball behind the back, alternating with:
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 3
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 4
- Leg Press: 280lbs
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 4
- Leg Press: 300lbs
5 DB Squats to Shoulder Press: 2x 20lbs
10 Push-ups
--Duration: 32mins
5x 30secs Front Plank / 10 push-ups
5x 30secs Side Plank, one side / 5 push-ups / 30secs other side / 5 push-ups
5 sit ups / 10 push-ups / 5 sit ups* / 10 push-ups [*didn't know what a reverse crunch is]
5/side Side Lunges: 30lbs
5 Leg Press: 260lbs
5x 30secs Wall Squat w/ ball behind the back, alternating with:
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 3
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 4
- Leg Press: 280lbs
- Straight Arm Cable Pull-down: setting 4
- Leg Press: 300lbs
5 DB Squats to Shoulder Press: 2x 20lbs
10 Push-ups
--Duration: 32mins
2012-06-10
Spartan Sprint
Day two of Spartan racing, and we were all hungry to take on the course again. ES and MK were going to start in the elite wave at 9am, which is the only competitive wave. I did a bit of jogging and ABCs at our campsite, but thought that although the Super hadn't done any extra damage to my hip, I'm still not actually healed, so I'd better start at 9:30 and take my sweet time again.
Looking around at the race crowd, we almost didn't see any chewed-up or bruised-up legs, only the clean baby-soft skin of those who hadn't raced the Super the day before. Would this be an advantage or a disadvantage? As I was cheering my buddies off at their elite start, I noticed the pro racers sponsored by Kronobar toeing the line. There's supposed to be some extra prize if anyone beats them... we shall see...
I threw a bottle of Gatorade into my Camelbak this time and took a gel before the start. Did a lot of dynamic leg warm ups. My wave took off again around the lake, and knowing what I know about Mont Onontio, I started off in the same easy jog while all the suckers sprinted past me. Soon enough, a long line of trudging Spartans had formed on the upward trail, while I deftly hopped past them on the side all the way to the top. I even got asked if I was from the next wave, LOL.
The race proceeded similarly to the Super, except after the downhill, the course was obviously much shorter. Still, I seemed to remember all the deep mud, each log, each slippery rock - and continued slowly jogging my way through the field of competition. I even let myself get slowed down by them a few times to get my heart rate down, but then overtook a lot of people on the treacherous downhill.
The long wire crawl was still there, but I realized that because my legs were essentially one big bruise, I had a hard time being as fast and aggressive as the day before. I think one or two guys passed me. And one dude kicked me in the mouth (before I passed him!), which was hilarious because although we were almost completely covered in mud at that point, I guess no one else had a boot print right on their face.
At the end of the wire course, I decided to apply a triathlon swim-to-bike transition technique: don't run right after going from horizontal to vertical. I walked up to the two-by-sixes, calming my heart rate and breathing well. It would be 30 burpees today for falling off the planks, and I couldn't afford that. I got through the planks really slowly, stopping at each corner to regroup. Made it!
I was now at the site of my horrific crampy crash the day before. I'd taken a second gel at 30mins, and dutifully sucked back that Gatorade constantly. 45mins in, and no problems yet. I swam the river again and continued to the rope climbs. This time, it was "là pour les femmes," as the volunteer pointed to the rope ladder - the rope itself was reserved pour les hommes. Sweet! I'd promised ES and MK that I'd get to the top of that damn ladder this time. I tried a sideways technique to stabilize it, one foot on each side; I breathed through it and hit the top! Jumped up and over a small cargo net, and on to the main open field for the rest of the obstacles.
Nearly got the spear to stick this time, but finally took my first and last set of burpees. Ripped up the rock climb, grimaced with disappointment that the second wire crawl was blocked off on this course, and ran out onto the field to hear my friends running alongside me and cheering me on. I had a huge smile on my face this time, so they cheered even louder and took me through the course with commentary, LOL: "out of the way - badass coming through!"
I got to the wall climb, but they'd taken down one set of the girlie steps, and a long line had formed for the remaining set - the girl ahead of me decided to use the supports to pull herself up, so I did the same and flew over the wall. Had to make it look good for my friends! Ripped through all the tunnel crawls, over the cargo net, and got so excited about the rowing machine, that I fell off the seat after 5 reps, haha.
Still with my buds running along the course and ES screaming to keep my ass low to the ground on the last wire crawl, I found one narrow gap without people jammed up in it, and tore right through it in two seconds. I ran up the first small incline, and ES yelled, "you know what's next Goss!!" - I gave a theatrical yell at the top as I jumped off, took the next one, and then hit the top of the last big incline, tumbling over on the other side. I ran at the jousting guys laughing, having finished the perfect course in the best way I possibly could have.
--Distance: ~6-7km
--Duration: 1:20 (unofficial)
Best part? ES still beat MK on this course, although apparently by like 4 seconds, rolling down the last pyramid, come what may. And she earned 3rd place!
All three of us got out our blue medals from the day before to add to our red ones and realized there were only a handful of other people who could do the same. We spent the rest of the morning dancing, grinding, and lasciviously feeding each other grapes in the middle of the field while waiting for the elite medal ceremony. (That really is why we will drive out many hours and/or to other countries to race together!) Turned out that the Kronobar nearly dominated the podium again, but ES was the only non-pro to break through! Wooooooo!
---------------
All along our way to and from camping to the race site or to eat in the town, there were m-dot logos on the sides of the road, and tons of triathletes testing out the Ironman race route. So exciting! The route is so breathtakingly beautiful, makes me wanna shoot for next year's 70.3...
Fun game I played on a restaurant patio: spot the Spartan, spot the Ironman. A bit of a different crowd. LOL
Looking around at the race crowd, we almost didn't see any chewed-up or bruised-up legs, only the clean baby-soft skin of those who hadn't raced the Super the day before. Would this be an advantage or a disadvantage? As I was cheering my buddies off at their elite start, I noticed the pro racers sponsored by Kronobar toeing the line. There's supposed to be some extra prize if anyone beats them... we shall see...
I threw a bottle of Gatorade into my Camelbak this time and took a gel before the start. Did a lot of dynamic leg warm ups. My wave took off again around the lake, and knowing what I know about Mont Onontio, I started off in the same easy jog while all the suckers sprinted past me. Soon enough, a long line of trudging Spartans had formed on the upward trail, while I deftly hopped past them on the side all the way to the top. I even got asked if I was from the next wave, LOL.
The race proceeded similarly to the Super, except after the downhill, the course was obviously much shorter. Still, I seemed to remember all the deep mud, each log, each slippery rock - and continued slowly jogging my way through the field of competition. I even let myself get slowed down by them a few times to get my heart rate down, but then overtook a lot of people on the treacherous downhill.
The long wire crawl was still there, but I realized that because my legs were essentially one big bruise, I had a hard time being as fast and aggressive as the day before. I think one or two guys passed me. And one dude kicked me in the mouth (before I passed him!), which was hilarious because although we were almost completely covered in mud at that point, I guess no one else had a boot print right on their face.
At the end of the wire course, I decided to apply a triathlon swim-to-bike transition technique: don't run right after going from horizontal to vertical. I walked up to the two-by-sixes, calming my heart rate and breathing well. It would be 30 burpees today for falling off the planks, and I couldn't afford that. I got through the planks really slowly, stopping at each corner to regroup. Made it!
I was now at the site of my horrific crampy crash the day before. I'd taken a second gel at 30mins, and dutifully sucked back that Gatorade constantly. 45mins in, and no problems yet. I swam the river again and continued to the rope climbs. This time, it was "là pour les femmes," as the volunteer pointed to the rope ladder - the rope itself was reserved pour les hommes. Sweet! I'd promised ES and MK that I'd get to the top of that damn ladder this time. I tried a sideways technique to stabilize it, one foot on each side; I breathed through it and hit the top! Jumped up and over a small cargo net, and on to the main open field for the rest of the obstacles.
Nearly got the spear to stick this time, but finally took my first and last set of burpees. Ripped up the rock climb, grimaced with disappointment that the second wire crawl was blocked off on this course, and ran out onto the field to hear my friends running alongside me and cheering me on. I had a huge smile on my face this time, so they cheered even louder and took me through the course with commentary, LOL: "out of the way - badass coming through!"
I got to the wall climb, but they'd taken down one set of the girlie steps, and a long line had formed for the remaining set - the girl ahead of me decided to use the supports to pull herself up, so I did the same and flew over the wall. Had to make it look good for my friends! Ripped through all the tunnel crawls, over the cargo net, and got so excited about the rowing machine, that I fell off the seat after 5 reps, haha.
Still with my buds running along the course and ES screaming to keep my ass low to the ground on the last wire crawl, I found one narrow gap without people jammed up in it, and tore right through it in two seconds. I ran up the first small incline, and ES yelled, "you know what's next Goss!!" - I gave a theatrical yell at the top as I jumped off, took the next one, and then hit the top of the last big incline, tumbling over on the other side. I ran at the jousting guys laughing, having finished the perfect course in the best way I possibly could have.
--Distance: ~6-7km
--Duration: 1:20 (unofficial)
Best part? ES still beat MK on this course, although apparently by like 4 seconds, rolling down the last pyramid, come what may. And she earned 3rd place!
 |
| Team Trifecta - one more medal and we'll earn the name |
All three of us got out our blue medals from the day before to add to our red ones and realized there were only a handful of other people who could do the same. We spent the rest of the morning dancing, grinding, and lasciviously feeding each other grapes in the middle of the field while waiting for the elite medal ceremony. (That really is why we will drive out many hours and/or to other countries to race together!) Turned out that the Kronobar nearly dominated the podium again, but ES was the only non-pro to break through! Wooooooo!
---------------
All along our way to and from camping to the race site or to eat in the town, there were m-dot logos on the sides of the road, and tons of triathletes testing out the Ironman race route. So exciting! The route is so breathtakingly beautiful, makes me wanna shoot for next year's 70.3...
Fun game I played on a restaurant patio: spot the Spartan, spot the Ironman. A bit of a different crowd. LOL
Location:
Mont-Tremblant, QC
2012-06-09
Super Spartan
I took a lot of effort for a reunited Team Trifecta to get to this Spartan weekend in Mont Tremblant - ES and I got short on gas in the middle of the Laurentians and slept in the car at a closed gas station until it reopened at 6:30am, while MK did not sleep at all, as he was at work all night preventing a nuclear meltdown and drove straight in from Syracuse in the morning. The day was turning into a scorcher, but we finally managed to start in the 12:00 wave. I let my buddies get to the front so they could battle it out yet again, while I hung back, anticipating a long walk through the course, depending on how I felt.
After all the usual Spartan start-line grand-standing, the wave got under way, and I shuffled onto the trail around beautiful Lac Raynaud. I let every last person pass me, briskly walking the course and getting a feel for my hip. I finally got caught up by the medical volunteer on her bike, and I think she mistook me for someone without the stamina required to complete a ~12km run, haha. So to give her some confidence, I started shuffling a bit faster, and eventually got into a comfortable light jog. I started passing some walkers pretty soon. Once around the lake, we got sent straight up a wonderful single-track snowshoe trail on Mont Onontio. Suddenly everyone was walking except me. I just hopped at the same easy pace all the way to the top. The elevation change is somewhere between 120m and 160m depending on which topo map you ask.
A quick run around the top of this absolutely gorgeous little mountain, and we found ourselves plummeting back down another single-track trail, this time very muddy and rocky and highly technical. Another huge advantage for a fleet-footed trail runner like me, and I skillfully worked my way among the hazards and past a great many more cautious racers. Still not racing anyone, but taking the opportunity to observe their skill and confidence level, and taking very specific opportunities to pass safely but aggressively - I might as well keep my trail racing skills up while I have the chance!
Back at the bottom, we got taken on a series of very long and tiring mud runs. As with the rocky downhills, you had to be fast and precise in your decisions about where to put your feet, this time not to get stuck and lose a shoe - and there certainly were a few victims along the way. I was nearly flawless here too, but got stuck once along the course up to my knees, haha. There were a few weenie obstacles thrown in out here, but nothing of great concern: pressing a light wood log, carrying a cinder block a short way up a hill, running a maze with a sandbag, jumping a low wooden wall, hopping a few tires. But the mud runs seemed endless - I think because I was "just having fun" it didn't get to me as much as to the others.
I had taken one gel at 45mins, and intended to wash another one down with the water in my Camelbak at 1:30, but I finally saw a real obstacle down trail and decided against it - mistake!
Ahead was at least 100m of muddy, rocky barbed wire crawl. This is my favourite obstacle, but it's usually clogged up with cautious, inexperienced racers, too afraid of getting bruised knees or losing their shorts on the wire. I decided to just go in at full speed and slither my way in between everyone else, refusing to get slowed down by them. I must have passed about 50 people here, and no one passed me.
After my great success on the mountain and under the wire, I was feeling amazing. Still refusing to race, just going at my own manageable speed - which just happened to be faster than the entire rear-guard of this wave. I got right into the next challenge, which was walking on top of some two-by-sixes standing on edge - ahead of crossing a small river on some soft barrels. I was dizzy now, and fell off the planks a couple of times. Punishment burpees for me. I got through about 10 and started to feel a cramp above my ankle, I got up to 15 and had to quit. The pain was unbearable, and I ended up sitting there for 20 minutes, massaging, stretching, and watching aaaaaaall those people go past me again. Who's pathetic and inexperienced now? haha.
Once I'd satisfied the lifeguard there that the cramp was gone, and having downed that forgotten electrolyte-laden gel, I swam the river and kept going; it was 2:05 into the race. A few short minutes later, the other ankle muscle went! Another 5 minutes to try to get rid of it. But we were now well on our way to the actual obstacle course near the finish area, so I knew I could finish, I just had to be extra cautious about my ankles, not just my butt, which was performing admirably, LOL.
Obstacle Course section:
I crossed the line straight into the crushing hug of my buddy MK, and a huge smile from ES. Of course while they were concerned about my condition out on the course, I was most interested in whether MK had managed to beat ES this time - no chance, she's still faster than him, yay!
--Distance: ~14km
--Duration: ~2:45 (unofficial)
This was a very unexpected course: essentially a long-ass trail run ahead of the obstacle course at the very end. ES was really disappointed, even though she's a talented trail runner and medallist. But she had come out for obstacles. For me, the course worked to my advantage because even though I took it easy, I did much better on the trail than the others in my wave who are mostly gym-rats and not experienced runners. Mostly though, as I was hopping along on that breath-taking mountain trail, I realized how much I'd missed being able to do trail runs. It was pure bliss for me. I could have stayed out there all day.
Next up was the Sprint course, and with the "light warm-up" we got on what was actually a 14km Super course, we were much better prepared to tackle the Sprint like pros.
After all the usual Spartan start-line grand-standing, the wave got under way, and I shuffled onto the trail around beautiful Lac Raynaud. I let every last person pass me, briskly walking the course and getting a feel for my hip. I finally got caught up by the medical volunteer on her bike, and I think she mistook me for someone without the stamina required to complete a ~12km run, haha. So to give her some confidence, I started shuffling a bit faster, and eventually got into a comfortable light jog. I started passing some walkers pretty soon. Once around the lake, we got sent straight up a wonderful single-track snowshoe trail on Mont Onontio. Suddenly everyone was walking except me. I just hopped at the same easy pace all the way to the top. The elevation change is somewhere between 120m and 160m depending on which topo map you ask.
A quick run around the top of this absolutely gorgeous little mountain, and we found ourselves plummeting back down another single-track trail, this time very muddy and rocky and highly technical. Another huge advantage for a fleet-footed trail runner like me, and I skillfully worked my way among the hazards and past a great many more cautious racers. Still not racing anyone, but taking the opportunity to observe their skill and confidence level, and taking very specific opportunities to pass safely but aggressively - I might as well keep my trail racing skills up while I have the chance!
Back at the bottom, we got taken on a series of very long and tiring mud runs. As with the rocky downhills, you had to be fast and precise in your decisions about where to put your feet, this time not to get stuck and lose a shoe - and there certainly were a few victims along the way. I was nearly flawless here too, but got stuck once along the course up to my knees, haha. There were a few weenie obstacles thrown in out here, but nothing of great concern: pressing a light wood log, carrying a cinder block a short way up a hill, running a maze with a sandbag, jumping a low wooden wall, hopping a few tires. But the mud runs seemed endless - I think because I was "just having fun" it didn't get to me as much as to the others.
I had taken one gel at 45mins, and intended to wash another one down with the water in my Camelbak at 1:30, but I finally saw a real obstacle down trail and decided against it - mistake!
Ahead was at least 100m of muddy, rocky barbed wire crawl. This is my favourite obstacle, but it's usually clogged up with cautious, inexperienced racers, too afraid of getting bruised knees or losing their shorts on the wire. I decided to just go in at full speed and slither my way in between everyone else, refusing to get slowed down by them. I must have passed about 50 people here, and no one passed me.
After my great success on the mountain and under the wire, I was feeling amazing. Still refusing to race, just going at my own manageable speed - which just happened to be faster than the entire rear-guard of this wave. I got right into the next challenge, which was walking on top of some two-by-sixes standing on edge - ahead of crossing a small river on some soft barrels. I was dizzy now, and fell off the planks a couple of times. Punishment burpees for me. I got through about 10 and started to feel a cramp above my ankle, I got up to 15 and had to quit. The pain was unbearable, and I ended up sitting there for 20 minutes, massaging, stretching, and watching aaaaaaall those people go past me again. Who's pathetic and inexperienced now? haha.
Once I'd satisfied the lifeguard there that the cramp was gone, and having downed that forgotten electrolyte-laden gel, I swam the river and kept going; it was 2:05 into the race. A few short minutes later, the other ankle muscle went! Another 5 minutes to try to get rid of it. But we were now well on our way to the actual obstacle course near the finish area, so I knew I could finish, I just had to be extra cautious about my ankles, not just my butt, which was performing admirably, LOL.
Obstacle Course section:
- Sandbag on a pulley: fine
- Rope ladder: my fear of heights and my anxiety about the cramps kicking in at the top both got the better of me, and I quit about halfway up - burpees for me.
- Rope climb: my one automatic nemesis - more burpees.
- Cargo net: fine, but my foot got a crampy twinge in the arch as I stepped on the netting! Good call on the rope ladder.
- Spear throw into hay bale: I'd managed this last year, but no luck today - more burpees. At least I got to keep practising my French with the volunteers. "Combien de foix???" "Vingt." "Trente." "Kazilliente..."
- Run up a 12-15ft rock with a rope: no problem
- Another barbed-wire crawl (short): this had a huuuuge line-up just to start. Once I got my chance, I crawled between and over anyone I could to get through fast.
- Hay tunnel crawl: fast
- Wheelbarrow pull: fine. But the cramps returned after this, so I stopped under a tree and massaged some more.
- Wall climb: about 7ft, but girls got these two thin blocks to use on the way up, so no problem for me, and I love jumping off the top!
- Plastic tube crawl: pulled myself on my side with one arm so that my slimy body would just slide through.
- Cargo net: no problem up, but the foot cramp came back on the other side. Now I could hear ES and MK yelling my name from below, so I stretched out my foot and kept going down.
- Rowing machines: quinze foix pour les femmes, no problem
- Another super-short wire crawl: awesome
- Run up two inclines: totally cool, until you realize it's a sheer drop-off on the other side! Apparently the look on my face was priceless, haha.
- Run up one huge slippery incline with a rope: got a bit stuck at the top, and my foot was totally cramped again, but this was the last thing before the:
- Guys with the jousting sticks giving you a beating before the finish line!
I crossed the line straight into the crushing hug of my buddy MK, and a huge smile from ES. Of course while they were concerned about my condition out on the course, I was most interested in whether MK had managed to beat ES this time - no chance, she's still faster than him, yay!
--Distance: ~14km
--Duration: ~2:45 (unofficial)
This was a very unexpected course: essentially a long-ass trail run ahead of the obstacle course at the very end. ES was really disappointed, even though she's a talented trail runner and medallist. But she had come out for obstacles. For me, the course worked to my advantage because even though I took it easy, I did much better on the trail than the others in my wave who are mostly gym-rats and not experienced runners. Mostly though, as I was hopping along on that breath-taking mountain trail, I realized how much I'd missed being able to do trail runs. It was pure bliss for me. I could have stayed out there all day.
Next up was the Sprint course, and with the "light warm-up" we got on what was actually a 14km Super course, we were much better prepared to tackle the Sprint like pros.
Location:
Mont-Tremblant, QC
2012-06-06
Toronto Triathlon Club Swimming
Warm-up: 600m swim / pull
I tried kicking normally during the regular swim lengths, but I found that in order to avoid pain, I was just using my ankles. A friend suggested I just stick to pulling, which is what he does when he's got leg issues. I was really bad at pulling drills because I always felt like I was fishtailing after each pull, so I dreaded having to do the whole workout like that. But I am always up for a challenge!
All pull buoy:
4x 100m, 4th gets faster
7x 100m, hold the pace
4x 100m, even faster pace
Coach was away, so the instructions were a bit slim, and no rest breaks were indicated. I decided to pick a swimming time and a constant rest time between each set: 30secs.
First 3x 100m were on a leisurely 2:30, and I needed that because I had to get used to proper strokes with the pull buoy. For the 4th, I dropped to 2:20, still with the 30secs break.
For the long middle set, I tried holding the 2:20, but I guess I got better at pulling straight and strong, and I kept finishing 2:10-2:15, even with trying to slow myself down. So with the last two to go, I just decided to officially drop down to 2:10. That's when I could feel myself working.
That meant that the last 4 would be on 2:00, and that was perfectly intense. I really pulled my little heart out. But nailed all sets, and even came in slightly under time.
4x 50m on 100m pace (assigned was 10x)
Held the 1:00 50s, with 15secs break
50m easy pull
At the end, the silver lining of my achy hip was that I really brought up my pull buoy technique and had a strong upper-body workout instead.
--Distance: 2,350m
--Duration: 75mins
I tried kicking normally during the regular swim lengths, but I found that in order to avoid pain, I was just using my ankles. A friend suggested I just stick to pulling, which is what he does when he's got leg issues. I was really bad at pulling drills because I always felt like I was fishtailing after each pull, so I dreaded having to do the whole workout like that. But I am always up for a challenge!
All pull buoy:
4x 100m, 4th gets faster
7x 100m, hold the pace
4x 100m, even faster pace
Coach was away, so the instructions were a bit slim, and no rest breaks were indicated. I decided to pick a swimming time and a constant rest time between each set: 30secs.
First 3x 100m were on a leisurely 2:30, and I needed that because I had to get used to proper strokes with the pull buoy. For the 4th, I dropped to 2:20, still with the 30secs break.
For the long middle set, I tried holding the 2:20, but I guess I got better at pulling straight and strong, and I kept finishing 2:10-2:15, even with trying to slow myself down. So with the last two to go, I just decided to officially drop down to 2:10. That's when I could feel myself working.
That meant that the last 4 would be on 2:00, and that was perfectly intense. I really pulled my little heart out. But nailed all sets, and even came in slightly under time.
4x 50m on 100m pace (assigned was 10x)
Held the 1:00 50s, with 15secs break
50m easy pull
At the end, the silver lining of my achy hip was that I really brought up my pull buoy technique and had a strong upper-body workout instead.
--Distance: 2,350m
--Duration: 75mins
Achy Light Jog
Was supposed to do an easy shake-out ride, but the GTA got hit with thunder and lightning, so I waited it out, drove down to the pool, and decided to test out my new Zoot tri shoes on a very light jog. My hip had started hurting earlier in the day, and by the time I started jogging, it was actually quite bad. I couldn't use proper strides, and after just going around the block, I was totally done.
I tried testing different mobilities by trying ABCs. Normally (term used loosely here), I would feel pain on the Bs done on the injured side. But this time, I couldn't do As on the good side because I couldn't actually support myself on the bad leg! All the actual motions were fine, but I couldn't put weight on my left. This is a new development unfortunately.
I tried testing different mobilities by trying ABCs. Normally (term used loosely here), I would feel pain on the Bs done on the injured side. But this time, I couldn't do As on the good side because I couldn't actually support myself on the bad leg! All the actual motions were fine, but I couldn't put weight on my left. This is a new development unfortunately.
2012-06-05
Biking the Hospital Hills
Bum is achy today, so no running for me. My assigned workout instead was hill repeats in Sunnybrook Park. Bonus was that I'd get to see my XSNRG friends, as they were doing the same repeats on foot.
Warm-up: easy spin through the park, then chatting forever with friends, and waiting for the cars to go up the long hill so I wouldn't get run over.
5x long gradual hill, 5x short steep hill, alternating with recovery down and across.
Distances: ~600m and ~300m + ~950m in between
Elevations: I don't trust the Garmin readout. Inconsistent/faulty.
Uphill splits:
The recovery rides in between were ~3:15 on average.
I hit my max speed on the second steep uphill (30.1kph) and all the highest speeds were set on the uphills, not the recoveries. Who knew? Probably because of the short running starts I'd get. Very short, though.
I sometimes couldn't hit the lap button in time as I passed my landmarks going into the hills, so some of the laps may be showing short, but overall they were very consistent. This is surprising because I was already leg-tired after the first 2 sets, and after 4, I didn't think I'd finish the 5. But pulled it off somehow.
Cool-down: a breezy aero ride through the park, ~4km.
--Distance: 18.2km
--Duration: 1:07 (excluding 19mins of sitting around after the warm-up)
Warm-up: easy spin through the park, then chatting forever with friends, and waiting for the cars to go up the long hill so I wouldn't get run over.
5x long gradual hill, 5x short steep hill, alternating with recovery down and across.
Distances: ~600m and ~300m + ~950m in between
Elevations: I don't trust the Garmin readout. Inconsistent/faulty.
Uphill splits:
1:57 - 1:15
1:46 - 1:12
1:52 - 1:12
1:46 - 1:17
1:47 - 1:17
The recovery rides in between were ~3:15 on average.
I hit my max speed on the second steep uphill (30.1kph) and all the highest speeds were set on the uphills, not the recoveries. Who knew? Probably because of the short running starts I'd get. Very short, though.
I sometimes couldn't hit the lap button in time as I passed my landmarks going into the hills, so some of the laps may be showing short, but overall they were very consistent. This is surprising because I was already leg-tired after the first 2 sets, and after 4, I didn't think I'd finish the 5. But pulled it off somehow.
Cool-down: a breezy aero ride through the park, ~4km.
--Distance: 18.2km
--Duration: 1:07 (excluding 19mins of sitting around after the warm-up)
2012-06-04
Toronto Triathlon Club Swimming
Warm-up: 100m swim / 100m kick / 50m pull [we abandoned this cause we were all late starting]
50 x 50m w/ fins on 1:00
That's right, 50 sprints in a row. There were three of us valiant souls in my lane, and we totally kicked ass.
Started around 0:42, but soon dropped to 0:43. It took me until at least the mid-teens to settle my breathing down; before that, I sounded like I'd just been pulled from the bottom of the pool.
Fell back to 0:44 here and there, but generally, lap after lap, we held the 0:43. To maintain sanity, I kept cycling through my body parts to make sure they were working correctly: entry, catch, pull, push, roll, reach, fire the hips, and most importantly: breathe out steadily and calm the fk down.
After about 20-25, I was well settled in, and just kept hammering, still on the same pace. Somewhere around then I started to get closer to our fearless leader, and I think I benefited from a bit of a draft. Poor guy always has to work harder up there in the front!
Around 35 or so, I believe I actually lost my marbles, and began to believe that going back and forth was all I had ever done my whole life, and like a hamster on a wheel, am destined to continue going back and forth in the pool for the remainder of my life as well.
Normally people just sprint on the very last one, but to us, the last 5 were already the last ones on this time scale. We were so excited, we started dropping back to 0:42. The penultimate lap for me was 0:41. I think I growled my way into the start of number 50, and pulled off a crushing 0:40 - actually my fastest lap of the whole set.
Cool-down: No. Did not bother. We just sat there and talked for the last few minutes.
This was as much a test of mental endurance as physical stamina. I think we did very well! I think without our Coach present, we had to band together in each lane and get the job done. Awesome.
More awesome was that the one we call Speedy over in the shark-tank lane did the whole workout with his feet tied up with a band, and still rolled everyone else up and smoked us. :)
--Distance: 2,750m
--Duration: 60mins
50 x 50m w/ fins on 1:00
That's right, 50 sprints in a row. There were three of us valiant souls in my lane, and we totally kicked ass.
Started around 0:42, but soon dropped to 0:43. It took me until at least the mid-teens to settle my breathing down; before that, I sounded like I'd just been pulled from the bottom of the pool.
Fell back to 0:44 here and there, but generally, lap after lap, we held the 0:43. To maintain sanity, I kept cycling through my body parts to make sure they were working correctly: entry, catch, pull, push, roll, reach, fire the hips, and most importantly: breathe out steadily and calm the fk down.
After about 20-25, I was well settled in, and just kept hammering, still on the same pace. Somewhere around then I started to get closer to our fearless leader, and I think I benefited from a bit of a draft. Poor guy always has to work harder up there in the front!
Around 35 or so, I believe I actually lost my marbles, and began to believe that going back and forth was all I had ever done my whole life, and like a hamster on a wheel, am destined to continue going back and forth in the pool for the remainder of my life as well.
Normally people just sprint on the very last one, but to us, the last 5 were already the last ones on this time scale. We were so excited, we started dropping back to 0:42. The penultimate lap for me was 0:41. I think I growled my way into the start of number 50, and pulled off a crushing 0:40 - actually my fastest lap of the whole set.
Cool-down: No. Did not bother. We just sat there and talked for the last few minutes.
This was as much a test of mental endurance as physical stamina. I think we did very well! I think without our Coach present, we had to band together in each lane and get the job done. Awesome.
More awesome was that the one we call Speedy over in the shark-tank lane did the whole workout with his feet tied up with a band, and still rolled everyone else up and smoked us. :)
--Distance: 2,750m
--Duration: 60mins
Gym Workout
(reps) 1st set / 2nd set / 3rd set
______________________________
(15) Box Jumps: 15 / 15 / 15 [best I could do for a box was an aerobics step thingy with two risers, so kind of light here]
(10) Push-ups: 10 / 10 / 10
(10) BB Squats: 70lbs / 70lbs / 70lbs [Noticed after it should have been 15, oops! Flawless form, but really tough for some reason.]
(10) DB Curls: 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2
---60secs REST
(12) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-downs: setting 3 / setting 4 / setting 3
(12) Cable Lat Pull-downs: setting 9 / setting 10 / setting 11
(10) Leg Press: 200lbs / 220lbs / 240lbs
(4) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 + 1 + 3/4
---30secs REST
(30secs) Front Plank: reg. / reg. / w/ arm reach
(30secs/side) Side Plank: reg. / reg. / w/ leg raises
(10) Supermans: 10 / 10 / 10
---30secs REST
--Duration: 45mins
______________________________
(15) Box Jumps: 15 / 15 / 15 [best I could do for a box was an aerobics step thingy with two risers, so kind of light here]
(10) Push-ups: 10 / 10 / 10
(10) BB Squats: 70lbs / 70lbs / 70lbs [Noticed after it should have been 15, oops! Flawless form, but really tough for some reason.]
(10) DB Curls: 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2 / 15lbs x2
---60secs REST
(12) Straight-Arm Cable Pull-downs: setting 3 / setting 4 / setting 3
(12) Cable Lat Pull-downs: setting 9 / setting 10 / setting 11
(10) Leg Press: 200lbs / 220lbs / 240lbs
(4) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 + 1 + 3/4
---30secs REST
(30secs) Front Plank: reg. / reg. / w/ arm reach
(30secs/side) Side Plank: reg. / reg. / w/ leg raises
(10) Supermans: 10 / 10 / 10
---30secs REST
--Duration: 45mins
2012-06-03
Ride for Heart
This event had been on my radar for two years, as some friends regularly attend for a fun ride on two of the city's major highways! I didn't consider doing it until this year, now that I have a bike that can take me a long way, and I can finally take it up a hill or two! I'd been practising a lot these past few months, and I can honestly say that I had honed all the skills I'd need to have a great Ride. I was really excited for weeks leading up to it - that's what confidence brings!
Technically, the max route available is 75km - start at the Exhibition, across the Gardiner, up the DVP to York Mills, down to the Bayview extension, back up to York Mills, back down and over to the Ex, then an extra jump west to Humber and finally back. My friend CM managed to do 100km last year by adding an extra loop up to YM. Well if he could do it, so would I! Same goes for our other friend ML - we were all in for a 100km time trial on our aero bikes. My other perennial Rider friends EW and JD were gonna go for the 75, one on a city road bike, the other on his heavier commuter. I would not have the courage. I still don't really enjoy cycling, so I wanted this to be over in as little time as possible. Plus I just wanted to fly!
Since this is largely a family event and fundraiser, anyone expecting to speed through this needs to start as early as possible to avoid the crowds of pleasure-riders. I put myself on the start line at 6:05am, but looks like I could have started even before 6. A short ride through the Ex, and I found myself getting marshalled onto a Gardiner on-ramp! I was giddy as I slipped onto the empty highway. What a feeling.
I started passing any riders in front of me, and I didn't get caught by a roadie until after going through downtown. Before I knew it, I was gliding down the ramp onto the DVP, and this is where I recorded my top speed for the Ride, 50.8kph. This was also where I rode past some baby geese - waddling in the left lane! Very cute, but I hope they got outta there fast.
I finally got passed by a small group of roadies somewhere in Riverdale.
--Distance: 100km
--Duration: 3:27:00
Technically, the max route available is 75km - start at the Exhibition, across the Gardiner, up the DVP to York Mills, down to the Bayview extension, back up to York Mills, back down and over to the Ex, then an extra jump west to Humber and finally back. My friend CM managed to do 100km last year by adding an extra loop up to YM. Well if he could do it, so would I! Same goes for our other friend ML - we were all in for a 100km time trial on our aero bikes. My other perennial Rider friends EW and JD were gonna go for the 75, one on a city road bike, the other on his heavier commuter. I would not have the courage. I still don't really enjoy cycling, so I wanted this to be over in as little time as possible. Plus I just wanted to fly!
 |
| Route Link |
I started passing any riders in front of me, and I didn't get caught by a roadie until after going through downtown. Before I knew it, I was gliding down the ramp onto the DVP, and this is where I recorded my top speed for the Ride, 50.8kph. This was also where I rode past some baby geese - waddling in the left lane! Very cute, but I hope they got outta there fast.
I finally got passed by a small group of roadies somewhere in Riverdale.
--Duration: 3:27:00
Location:
Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
2012-06-02
Open Water Swim
First training open water swim! I like to train after I race for maximum effect.
Drove up with a club buddy to Lake Wilcox for a chilly and drizzly 8am only because someone had a club trisuit for me to try (a bit too big after all). Some keeners were already swimming at 7am, but for me even 8am was brutal. I waved them off on their bikes and started pulling on the wetsuit. This wasn't too bad, and I used Body Glide on shins, forearms, knees, elbows. Double swim cap. New goggles.
At the shore, I met an orienteering friend who is doing triathlons these days too. He was just out of the water, and without a wetsuit, so I figured I'd be fine. The water was quite warm and comfortable. AB's two friends were just finishing up their swim, but another person was going in with me. Unfortunately he turned around at the second buoy; I decided to keep going. And going, and going, and going.
Once I got out to the middle of the 1km lake, I thought I should just go to the other side. It's kind of a stupid thing to do by yourself, but I kept calming myself down because I regularly cover this distance in the pool, albeit via intervals. The water was a bit choppy, and I took in some serious water a couple of times, but had to calm myself again. The wetsuit is such a great security blanket.
I got to the other side, and approached the shore, which was a private beach. I was feeling sluggish. But as soon as my foot grazed some invisible slimy weed, I literally corkscrewed a 180 and thrashed my way back out into the deep. Gross! The way back seemed easier physically, even though my goggles were completely foggy (probably due to the temperature) and I kept having to stop and re-sight. My watch ran out of battery, so don't know quite how long this took me.
Taking off the wetsuit was a nightmare and a half. Even before I got it stuck on El Satellite Dish, it was already hard to get over my elbows, greasy as they were. The legs weren't as bad, but still pretty slow. Not race-ready at all. By the time I got back to the lot, my carpool buddy was already back from her ride. Just how long was I in that water?!?
--Distance: 2,000m
--Duration: 1:15 ??
On the way back, we stopped at Running Free, and I got some tri-shoes: Zoot Ultra TT 2.0 (older model, but best one they had). Very thin and light, and a breeze to put on. They make me run on the balls of my feet too. Got an extra-extra discount for the size being mismatched - I didn't even notice when running in them! 8.0 Left, 8.5 Right. Hope it's okay IRL. They match my current Zoot trisuit, but won't match the club gear I'll be racing in. Oh, the fashion!!
Drove up with a club buddy to Lake Wilcox for a chilly and drizzly 8am only because someone had a club trisuit for me to try (a bit too big after all). Some keeners were already swimming at 7am, but for me even 8am was brutal. I waved them off on their bikes and started pulling on the wetsuit. This wasn't too bad, and I used Body Glide on shins, forearms, knees, elbows. Double swim cap. New goggles.
At the shore, I met an orienteering friend who is doing triathlons these days too. He was just out of the water, and without a wetsuit, so I figured I'd be fine. The water was quite warm and comfortable. AB's two friends were just finishing up their swim, but another person was going in with me. Unfortunately he turned around at the second buoy; I decided to keep going. And going, and going, and going.
 |
| Route Link |
Once I got out to the middle of the 1km lake, I thought I should just go to the other side. It's kind of a stupid thing to do by yourself, but I kept calming myself down because I regularly cover this distance in the pool, albeit via intervals. The water was a bit choppy, and I took in some serious water a couple of times, but had to calm myself again. The wetsuit is such a great security blanket.
I got to the other side, and approached the shore, which was a private beach. I was feeling sluggish. But as soon as my foot grazed some invisible slimy weed, I literally corkscrewed a 180 and thrashed my way back out into the deep. Gross! The way back seemed easier physically, even though my goggles were completely foggy (probably due to the temperature) and I kept having to stop and re-sight. My watch ran out of battery, so don't know quite how long this took me.
Taking off the wetsuit was a nightmare and a half. Even before I got it stuck on El Satellite Dish, it was already hard to get over my elbows, greasy as they were. The legs weren't as bad, but still pretty slow. Not race-ready at all. By the time I got back to the lot, my carpool buddy was already back from her ride. Just how long was I in that water?!?
--Distance: 2,000m
--Duration: 1:15 ??
On the way back, we stopped at Running Free, and I got some tri-shoes: Zoot Ultra TT 2.0 (older model, but best one they had). Very thin and light, and a breeze to put on. They make me run on the balls of my feet too. Got an extra-extra discount for the size being mismatched - I didn't even notice when running in them! 8.0 Left, 8.5 Right. Hope it's okay IRL. They match my current Zoot trisuit, but won't match the club gear I'll be racing in. Oh, the fashion!!
2012-06-01
Gym Workout
(reps) 1st set / 2nd set / 3rd set / 4th set
______________________________
(20) Burpees: 20 / 20 / 20 / 20
(10/side) DB Bench Rows: 30lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs
(10) DB Squats*: 30lbs x2 / 35lbs x2 / 40lbs x2 / 40lbs x2
(10) Various SB exercises: Sit-ups w/ rotation / back extension / roll-outs / roll-outs
---60secs REST
(10) Glute-Ham Raise: 35lbs plate / 40lbs DB
(10) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 3/4 / 1 + 1 + 1/2
(10/side) Triceps DB Kickbacks: 15lbs
---60secs REST
--Duration: 42mins
*hands down at sides, much easier
______________________________
(20) Burpees: 20 / 20 / 20 / 20
(10/side) DB Bench Rows: 30lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs / 25lbs
(10) DB Squats*: 30lbs x2 / 35lbs x2 / 40lbs x2 / 40lbs x2
(10) Various SB exercises: Sit-ups w/ rotation / back extension / roll-outs / roll-outs
---60secs REST
(10) Glute-Ham Raise: 35lbs plate / 40lbs DB
(10) Pull-ups: 1 + 1 + 3/4 / 1 + 1 + 1/2
(10/side) Triceps DB Kickbacks: 15lbs
---60secs REST
--Duration: 42mins
*hands down at sides, much easier
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