A Training Plan For Me

When I started making my plan to do a half-marathon at the beginning of the year, I wanted a plan that would build up my running endurance with a lot of cross-training, and I came up with (somewhat wonky) plan.   What I should have done, was gone digging in my bookshelf for this:




The Runner’s World Guide To Cross-Training.  It’s got great information on why cross-training is important for runners, some good strength exercises and stretches, but what I was most interested in was the sample programs they have.  I looked at the Advanced 10K/Half-Marathon Program:



DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
WEEK 1 BASE 1
EASY X
EASY RUN
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 2 BASE2
OFF
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 3 BASE 3
EASY X
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 4 BASE 4 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY RUN + STRIDES
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 5 BASE 5
EASY X
EASY RUN + STRIDES
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK6 BASE6
EASY X
EASY RUN + STRIDES
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 7 BUILD 1
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 8 BUILD 2 RECOVERY
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 9 BUILD 3
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 10 BUILD 4
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 11 BUILD 5 RECOVERY
OFF
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X STRENGTH
5K RACE
WEEK 12 BUILD 6
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 13 BUILD 7
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 14 BUILD 8 RECOVERY
OFF
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
WEEK 15 BUILD 9
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 16 BUILD 10
EASY X
MP RUN (10)
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 17 PEAK 1 RECOVERY
OFF
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
WEEK 18 PEAK 2
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 19 PEAK 3
EASY X
MP RUN (12)
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 20 PEAK 4 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI RUN
EASY RUN + STRIDES
EASY RUN OR EASY X
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON
WEEK 21 PEAK 5
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR RUN | STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 22 PEAK 6
EASY X
AT RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG RUN
WEEK 23 PEAK 7
OFF
AT RUN
EASY RUN STRENGTH
MI RUN
EASY RUN OR EASY X
EASY RUN OR EASY X
ENDURANCE RUN
WEEK 24 PEAK 8 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY RUN
EASY RUN AND/OR EASY X
EASY RUN
RACE PREP
OFF
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON


Some definitions for this plan –
X REFERS TO CROSS-TRAINING OF SOME KIND (BIKE, ELLIPTICAL, SWIM, ETC.)
EASY=30 TO 60 MIN AT RECOVERY PACE
FARTLEK=40 TO 60 MIN WITH 6-10 30 SEC SPEED BURSTS
AT RUN=12 TO 40 MIN (NO MORE THAN 20 AT A TIME) OF WORK AT ANEROBIC THRESHOLD
SI RUN=SPEED INTERVALS 8-12X
ENDURANCE=MODERATE TO HIGH FOR 1 HOUR
LI RUN= 4-7x LACTATE INTERVALS 4-5 MIN AT AEROBIC CAPACITY
MP RUN= MARATHON PACE
MI RUN=MIXED INTERVALS (SPEED AND LACTATE)
STRIDES=4 TO 6 SPEED-INTENSITY RUNS OF ABOUT 100 YARDS, SEPARATED BY RECOVERY JOGS

It’s not worth going into too much detail in this plan, since what I really need to work on is my cycling.  I’m coming down from half-marathon conditioning, so my running should take a back burner.  What if I could take that plan and substitute a bike ride or spin for every run?

If I do a simple Find-Replace on it, and change the word “RUN” to “BIKE” and change the STRIDES Drill with Tabatas, I get this:


DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
WEEK 1 BASE 1
EASY X
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 2 BASE2
OFF
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 3 BASE 3
EASY X
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 4 BASE 4 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY BIKE + TABATA
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 5 BASE 5
EASY X
EASY BIKE + TABATA
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK6 BASE6
EASY X
EASY BIKE + TABATA
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 7 BUILD 1
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 8 BUILD 2 RECOVERY
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
FARTLEK
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 9 BUILD 3
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 10 BUILD 4
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 11 BUILD 5 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
5K RACE
WEEK 12 BUILD 6
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 13 BUILD 7
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 14 BUILD 8 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
WEEK 15 BUILD 9
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 16 BUILD 10
EASY X
MP BIKE (30)
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 17 PEAK 1 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
WEEK 18 PEAK 2
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 19 PEAK 3
EASY X
MP BIKE (35)
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 20 PEAK 4 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE + TABATA
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON
WEEK 21 PEAK 5
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 22 PEAK 6
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
WEEK 23 PEAK 7
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE
WEEK 24 PEAK 8 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE
RACE PREP
OFF
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON


Now I have a 24 week program for bike performance that shouldn’t leave my swim nor run in the cold.  Is that what I’ve been doing?



First of all, if the Bracebridge Triathlon is my big target, I have less than 24 weeks (I started playing with this in early March!) and the program should look more like this starting this week.


Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
Week Ending on Date
WEEK 1 BUILD 1
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
5/5/2013
WEEK 2 BUILD 2 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X STRENGTH
5K RACE
5/12/2013
WEEK 3 BUILD 3
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
SI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
5/19/2013
WEEK 4 BUILD 4
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
5/26/2013
WEEK 5 BUILD 5 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
6/2/2013
WEEK 6 BUILD 6
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
6/9/2013
WEEK 7 BUILD 7
EASY X
MP BIKE (30)
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
6/16/2013
WEEK 8 PEAK 1 RECOVERY
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
10 K RACE
6/23/2013
WEEK 9 PEAK 2
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
6/30/2013
WEEK 10 PEAK 3
EASY X
MP BIKE (35)
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
7/7/2013
WEEK 11 PEAK 4 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE + TABATA
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON
7/14/2013
WEEK 21 PEAK 5
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE OR X + OPTIONAL EASY X OR BIKE | STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
7/21/2013
WEEK 22 PEAK 6
EASY X
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X STRENGTH
LONG BIKE
7/28/2013
WEEK 23 PEAK 7
OFF
AT BIKE
EASY BIKE STRENGTH
MI BIKE
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
EASY BIKE OR EASY X
ENDURANCE BIKE
8/4/2013
WEEK 24 PEAK 8 RECOVERY
OFF
EASY BIKE
EASY BIKE AND/OR EASY X
EASY BIKE
RACE PREP
OFF
10 K RACE OR HALF MARATHON
8/11/2013


Looking back at April, I seem to be on a bike (usually my trainer or a Spin Class) about 3 times a week, with a swim and a run or strength session (including Crossfit).  The Long/Endurance rides are probably the biggest gap, and overall training volume could be higher (what else is new?)…. but I’m not too far off the general profile of what’s laid out.

If I’m honest, I probably won’t be getting any closer to the strict lines laid out by this program in the run up to the race season, but it’s nice to have a reference to consult in terms of what I can/should do.  I think working on the bike is the way to go for me: my swim seems strong, and working my legs on the bike will pay dividends into my run, so that I don’t have to do it as often overall (though I can’t neglect it completely).

Besides not having a plan at all, what’s the craziest variation on a formal training plan you’ve ever had?

Updates for the End of the Week

Wednesday: I wanted to add a little to my workout, which was planned to be a spin on the stationary bike (since the weather was lousy).  I came across this workout in my Twitter feed from Shannon of Badass Fitness.  They say good swimming comes from the core, so doing this circuit before the bike seemed like a good substitute for a swim-bike brick (without getting wet… unless you count sweat).


Thursday: I started shoring up my race calendar for the year, especially the triathlons (I’ll have to do a Race Calendar post and page soon).  I signed up for the Bracebridge Triathlon (a redemption race from last year) and the Muskoka 5i50 (again).

I also went to SquareOne Crossfit for the WOD.  It was Snatch focused (I promised myself I wouldn’t laugh…) and that worried me a little.  I was eager to learn, but I knew it was highly technical and I had no experience.  I probably even under-estimated it, as it involved every part of the body in complex, compound movements.  I practiced with just a PVC pipe, then a bar, then a bar with 10 pound plates (for a total of a mere 35 pounds) just to get the form down.  I found I’d either do a good ‘jump’ where you rise from the first squatted position to get the bar flying up high, but not get good positioning under the bar for the latter squat, or the reverse – I’d drop nice and low, but before really fully popping my hips out.





So I don’t have much to show for the one-rep max, but for the AMRAP part I got 6 complete rounds of 10 body-weight squats and 5 burpees in 4 minutes
.

The WOD
That one guy always forgets to count…

That session was a lot like my first, where I wasn’t completely demolished by the end, because working on skill meant taking a lighter weight. I’m glad, because the snatches frankly terrified me. Lower back, shoulders, knees are all ripe for injury on that move from what I could tell… plus there’s always the chance you’ll pull the bar into your face or drop it on your own head. If I’m smart (I’m not) I’ll work on practising the moves for my muscle memory.

Friday: As of this morning, I have lost 4.8 lbs in my DietBet which puts me about 59% of the way there 8 days in. Basically, I’m counting calories. I’m an engineer, and I believe in the laws of thermodynamics. When calories burned > calories ingested, weight comes off, and every other kind of weight loss trick is merely gaming that system. It also helps me to know just how much I can get away with during the day. I don’t have a cheat day or cheat food really because this is a temporary measure (the whole explanation is here). So booze and sweets are off the menu (some of Shark Boy’s ice cream may have fallen into my mouth on Sunday) and I try to keep portions under control with small healthy snacks (cottage cheese, fruits, veggies) between meals.

Updates for the End of the Week

Wednesday: I wanted to add a little to my workout, which was planned to be a spin on the stationary bike (since the weather was lousy).  I came across this workout in my Twitter feed from Shannon of Badass Fitness.  They say good swimming comes from the core, so doing this circuit before the bike seemed like a good substitute for a swim-bike brick (without getting wet… unless you count sweat).


Thursday: I started shoring up my race calendar for the year, especially the triathlons (I’ll have to do a Race Calendar post and page soon).  I signed up for the Bracebridge Triathlon (a redemption race from last year) and the Muskoka 5i50 (again).

I also went to SquareOne Crossfit for the WOD.  It was Snatch focused (I promised myself I wouldn’t laugh…) and that worried me a little.  I was eager to learn, but I knew it was highly technical and I had no experience.  I probably even under-estimated it, as it involved every part of the body in complex, compound movements.  I practiced with just a PVC pipe, then a bar, then a bar with 10 pound plates (for a total of a mere 35 pounds) just to get the form down.  I found I’d either do a good ‘jump’ where you rise from the first squatted position to get the bar flying up high, but not get good positioning under the bar for the latter squat, or the reverse – I’d drop nice and low, but before really fully popping my hips out.





So I don’t have much to show for the one-rep max, but for the AMRAP part I got 6 complete rounds of 10 body-weight squats and 5 burpees in 4 minutes
.

The WOD
That one guy always forgets to count…

That session was a lot like my first, where I wasn’t completely demolished by the end, because working on skill meant taking a lighter weight. I’m glad, because the snatches frankly terrified me. Lower back, shoulders, knees are all ripe for injury on that move from what I could tell… plus there’s always the chance you’ll pull the bar into your face or drop it on your own head. If I’m smart (I’m not) I’ll work on practising the moves for my muscle memory.

Friday: As of this morning, I have lost 4.8 lbs in my DietBet which puts me about 59% of the way there 8 days in. Basically, I’m counting calories. I’m an engineer, and I believe in the laws of thermodynamics. When calories burned > calories ingested, weight comes off, and every other kind of weight loss trick is merely gaming that system. It also helps me to know just how much I can get away with during the day. I don’t have a cheat day or cheat food really because this is a temporary measure (the whole explanation is here). So booze and sweets are off the menu (some of Shark Boy’s ice cream may have fallen into my mouth on Sunday) and I try to keep portions under control with small healthy snacks (cottage cheese, fruits, veggies) between meals.

Swim Workout Hack: Swim with 100 Pushups

Introduction

I started doing Burbathlon as a way to cheat on time, and hybridize two workouts: strength training and running.  The end result has a cardiovascular profile similar to interval work, yet I get a better variety of muscular challenges than I’d get from either the gym or the trail alone. I thought about extending the concept to other triathlon disciplines: thus was born the #WorkoutHack.


Swim Workout Hack

I’ve been using the 100 Push-ups app for Android lately, and I’ve been a lot more consistent about getting the workouts in 3 times a week than when I first wrote about 100 Push-ups.  This past Tuesday, I was running really late and the situation was made worse by the fact that I (temporarily thankfully) lost my wallet.  By the time I got to the pool, I knew a full length workout wasn’t in the cards.  That was OK, because the idea of doing a more high-intensity interval type workout had been kicking around in my brain for a while.  These kinds of workouts are all the range, since they promise great caloric burn and metabolic boosting in little time, as long as you’re willing to put up with some painful intensity.  Before I describe the intervals part, let me just fill you in on how I worked up to it:

  • 250m warm-up
  • 100m set concentrating on good form especially on the follow-through of my stroke.
  • 100m fist swim; swim with fists closed, the idea being that after doing this, you get a better ‘feel’ for the water.
  • 100m with open hands again – the ‘follow-up’


The idea was that I would then do my 100 push-ups workout for the day.  These workouts give you a set of prescribed push-ups reps to do, then either a 60 or 90 second rest, depending on what part of the program you are in.  I wanted to swim an interval during the rest period; if they gave me 60 seconds, I’d do 50m, if they gave me 90 seconds I’d try for 100m – which is a little fast for me.

On Sunday, I had performed the ‘exhaustion test’ for the end of Week 4: you simply perform as many consecutive push-ups as you can.  The test should be performed within 48 hours of the last workout of the week, yet still rested from that workout.  I scored 42 push-ups.  Which, for Week 5, Day 1, put me here:


Set
Reps
Rest
1
36
60 seconds
2
40
60 seconds
3
30
60 seconds
4
24
60 seconds
5
>40
60 seconds

That was… a little tough for me.  What’s worse, is that I had also been playing around with swimming unfueled; I don’t eat breakfast before my swims.  The idea is exercise in a carbohydrate-depleted state might increase the capacity of the muscle cells to burn fuels aerobically.  I only do this on my swims, and so far it’s been OK as long as I eat right after the workout (and a bit of a time saver in the mornings).  It was not a good idea on this day however, and I ended up doing this:


Set
Reps
Rest
1
30
50m swim
2
23
50m swim
3
20
50m swim
4
19
50m swim
5
16
50m swim

That’s still 108 push-ups, so I’m not ashamed, but my advice to you if you try it (or to myself for future attempts):

  1. Pick a workout that you think you can do, don’t try this when you’re at a new horizon in the program

  2. Fuel beforehand.

That`s about a 30 minute, 750m workout that left me tired (the warm-up was omitted from my Garmin tracking by mistake). Workouts where you are tired (but still going) are the bread and butter of the triathlete`s regimen, after all.



#BostonStrongTO (West End) Recap

I woke up on April 22nd and looked at the newspaper.  The Boston bombing and subsequent aftermath and investigation etc. still dominated the headlines.  “It’s been a week… only 7 days.” I thought to myself.  It felt like longer, so much had happened in those seven days, yet I still hadn’t had the chance to really commemorate the victims, the survivors, and runners of every stripe.  Until that day.  I’d been looking forward to this for the past few days – the ever awesome PavementRunner kicked off a #BostonStrong event for any city that felt like it, and Phaedra from Blisters And Black Toenails took up the organizational torch.  While I had run a mile with the boys the day after the bombing, I still wanted to do this one because:

  1. Running with other people, especially those united in a message like this one, really underscores how running is a community, and frankly, too much of how I engage with that community is merely over the internet, and not in person
  2. High Park is pretty.

Evening events are ones I often have to skip since they collide with dinner and bedtime for the kids, but both my wife and I are runners, and we both feel emotionally affected by the tragedy, so while wrapping the entire family up in this thing wasn’t quite a no-brainer, it was something we both wanted.

I found myself getting inspired, and the next thing I knew, I was plotting a way to add a soundtrack to the event.  I packed a stereo we used to stick in the back of our Chariot to blast out music during the Levac Attack, and I knew I had a Neil Diamond CD so we could play Sweet Caroline (the unofficial Red Sox anthem) and I grabbed a few extra Dropkick Murphys songs for the iPod (which docks into the stereo).  I modified a #BostonStrong bib Phaedra provided to use the numbers 416 and 905 (the most common area codes for the Greater Toronto Area), and figured we’d attach them to the stroller.
Represent!

After picking up the family and heading over to the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot.  People were asked to wear the Blue and Yellow of the Boston Marathon; in our case, my wife wore the yellow, and I wore the blue – both from previous years of the Sporting Life 10K (which she is doing again this year).  I was a little surprised to see how many people had actual Boston Marathon gear on… these were serious runners who had qualified and run the world’s most prestigious marathon in the past.

When the official start time hit, Phaedra thanked everyone for coming, and mentioned how we were all in solidarity of those that wouldn’t have been able to finish their marathons.  It was a short speech, and soon the mass of blue and yellow was off.  It took us an extra 10 seconds to get the kids strapped in, so we were at the back, and we were not going to be gaining much ground on the group.  Phaedra hung back at the first curve to make sure we were doing alright, but overall, the group was leaving us behind.  I had thought the course was meant to take us North out of High Park for a few blocks, but just shy of the entrance the pack turned back making the route a nice loop back.  The loop closed back near the restaurant making one lap just over a mile, which was where we lost sight of everybody.  

Courtesy of Blistersandblacktoenails.blogspot.com


I’m not going to lie, that irked me a little bit; maybe everyone who runs Boston is fast, but I thought the idea of being in it together was an important one, and I had come a fair distance and kept my kids up past their regular dinner and bedtimes for this, hoping that the crowd would provide them a little bit of distraction.  Still, as a family, we were going to stick this out and finish our planned 5k.  It’s their loss, since they didn’t get to hear my sweet tunes.



Shark Boy is 3 years old and had a lot of questions about what we were doing, and that in addition to the natural inquisitiveness of that age, is not shy about garnishing his investigations with the ubiquitous “why?”.  I tried to explain that Boston was a city, and a lot of people were sad there, and we wanted to show them that they didn’t have to be – sue me for trying to keep things simple, and some details I simply didn’t want him being exposed to.  The next thing I know, I’m saying that some bad men had hurt a lot of people; I still thought I was within safe territory, but then he asked HOW the bad men had hurt the people.  Oof.

The way it was working out, it would take 3 laps to finish the 5km.  The Lightning Kid was starting to get impatient (i.e. tired, fussy, hungry) with the whole thing, and the last lap was pretty much a torture of screaming.  We split up so I could get him back to the parking lot faster, while Shark Boy tried his hand at running about a half kilometer.  His enthusiasm warmed my heart with pride, but I think we need to teach him about pacing if he wants to last as long as a kilometer.  He also needs to learn about watching his step, since he tripped within the first 10 strides.  He would have made better time if he hadn’t stopped for “hug breaks” with his mother; I can’t hold that against him, in fact, he may have discovered a new running method! Imagine instead of walk breaks or water stations along a race, you could get a hug from your mom… maybe you’d get a personal best!

The Grenadier Restaurant kept their cafe/snack bar section open long enough to feed us, and then we packed it all in and got the kids home for a late bedtime routine.  I’m still sad and sorry for what happened on April 15th 2013, but if I can take a little solace in something that came from that day, it’s that it gave me an opportunity to make April 22nd 2013 a special day.

For a recap from within ‘the pack’ head over to Blisters and Black Toenails.

Why I Joined a DietBet

Dieting is generally decried as a method to lose weight.  The right way to do it is to adapt good nutritional principles and exercise regularly to avoid any ‘yo-yo’ effects.  Dieting generally tries to get desired results within a limited time frame, often by introducing extreme, dogmatic restrictions – no this, no that.  Smart lifestyle decisions are like financial investments – it’s best to take a long view.

Something called Dietbet came along a little while ago.  The premise was simple: put money down on the idea of you losing weight.  The goal is to lose 4% of your current body weight in 4 weeks.  Somebody smarter than me decided that was realistic and within healthy limits.  You can not ‘weigh out’ early, and there is a system to date-stamp the weigh-ins using pictures and ‘words-of-the-day’.  The pot, which is the sum total of everyone’s bet buy-in minus the administration fee is split by everyone who makes the goal.

The idea caught on like wild-fire; having cash on the line seems to be a great motivator, and it also taps into our social instincts like wanting to be part of a group and competitiveness.  I’ve had several opportunities to join Dietbets with other fitness bloggers, but I’ve always turned down the opportunity.  There’s the anti-diet reasons I mentioned above, there was the lack of real desire to lose weight and the knowledge that with life being as it is, I wouldn’t stick to all the restrictions I’d need to in order to achieve the goal.


I signed up for a bet that started April 17th.  Why?  Tell ‘Em Jerry!


Long story short (on details at least), I had an old friend let me know he felt I was letting myself go, and while I first accepted the message as heartfelt concern, the razzing and jokes that preceded that and followed it got on my nerves.  You can rib me, and I will let it roll off my back and laugh along, or you can speak earnestly and have me listen to what you have to say, not both.  So I’m going to let my annoyance be my motivation; the best revenge is, as they say, living well.

Furthermore, I know there’s going to be a period where I’m going to deviate from the nominally healthy long-term lifestyle in the other direction.  On vacation for example, there will be less workouts, less intensity, and more calories.  It’s a fact of life, so why not swing once to the skinny, then to the not-so-skinny.  My life just has a certain amount of variability, and while that can be stressful both mentally and physiologically, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You can follow the bet here, but I won’t be posting about it on the blog that much – I simply don’t find the topic of weight loss to be that interesting.  If you’re thinking about joining a game, I can recommend Katy from Fit In Heels, hers is starting in a few days.



For Boston

Everyone has to talk about the tragic events at the Boston Marathon.  Maybe it’s cathartic, but in spite of the fact that at this juncture everything that can be said has been said by people before me, and yet, I can’t leave the topic untouched.


What I’ve liked the best, is people looking for the good: those that ran toward the blast and had the courage to try to help.  Mr. Rogers said to “look for the helpers.”  Others made similar statements, only with more words, and starting with f-bombs.

Most of us (including me) try to make sense of the events:”Who could have done this? Why would anyone do this?”  We try to rationalize something that could never make any human sense.  It occurred to me, that this instinct to rationalize comes from our empathy, and our desire to try and see another person’s point of view, no matter how insane or evil it is, comes from the same place that makes it unthinkable for us.  We humans think of other humans, not targets or assets.  And that gives me comfort too.

There were lots of ideas of how to show solidarity with those affected.  Wearing race t-shirts, running for 103 minutes (for the 3 dead, and another 100 because I guess people like long runs), running for 26.2 minutes (for the 26.2 miles of the marathon), or simply running a mile silently.  I was actually having a good, if busy, day today – I had a productive flow going at work, and we got some good news regarding the Lightning Kid’s overall health, but I worried about missing my chance to say something, to do something, regardless of how small and insignificant these gestures can seem in the shadow of enormous tragedy.

When I got home from work, just before dinner, I put on my marathon shirt…


And took my boys out for a run.  Just a mile, and I had to negotiate that Shark Boy would be able to ride his bike immediately after, but I dedicate that run to Boston, to the Boston Marathon, and to runners everywhere.

Notice the Peace signs?

My #BestRun of Late

Amanda a.k.a. MissZippy is hosting a link-up party, where everybody talks about the Best Run they had recently.  I haven’t been running very much since the Chilly Half-Marathon, so I thought I’d have nothing to talk about.


Then Saturday happened.

I had a block of time in the afternoon, but not much ambition.  The Lightning Kid had been running a fever, as we discovered that mid-day.  My wife wanted to take Shark Boy shoe shopping (he ended up with a pair of Saucony’s!).  Taking the Lightning Kid out for some fresh air in the Chariot seemed like the ideal solution: he’d get some rest and some fresh air.  After I strapped him in, and started up, I realized how long it had been since we were out together.

He fell asleep pretty quickly, and with nothing but time on my hands, I figured I would try and turn this into a long, slow, distance workout.  I took my time, and since the Virrata’s are still new to me, I kept my pace easy and my stride as soft as possible.  The weight of the Chariot made it easier to not over-stride and heel strike for the most part.



As I made my way into Centennial Park, I decided to extend the distance a little by trying to complete a circuit around the Ski Hill.  There was still some artificial snow to cross, which was a  little tricky with wheels and light shoes, but no harm done.  Once I had completed the lap around the hill, I climbed up the service road for one of the best views of the city; if I had known I’d be writing this up days later, I’d have taken some pictures.

On the way back down the hill, the Lightning Kid woke up.  I was worried he’d get cranky due to feeling under the weather, but his spirits stayed high, and he babbled a little as if to confirm:”Hey, we haven’t done this in a while!”.

I started taking a different route home with the idea of extending the run some more, but I noticed I had missed a call on my cell phone; I picked up the voice mail from my wife saying she wanted to go grocery shopping and whether I’d want to swap kids with her.  I was just next to the grocery store when I got the message, and when I returned her call, she was already at the store.  So I cut the run short, and joined the rest of my family at the grocery store… I even got some input into a few extras we should buy.  They say you shouldn’t shop on an empty stomach… that goes double for a post-run stomach!

Guide: Getting (Back) On The Bike

I took my first outdoor bike ride of the season today. The weather was sunny and not too cold, so I enjoyed myself, though I know I’m rusty. Still the opportunity gave me a chance to think about the little things that go into having a successful ride, especially when 1.) cycling is not your strength and 2.) you’re pressed for time. I have a few blogger friends who are transitioning into triathlon this year and I thought of the things I could tell them to help them have less hiccups. Alternatively, if you’re not a total novice, but (like me) you lack confidence on the bike, this may help you.

Getting a Route

I used a route that I’ve been using for a couple of years now. I was hard up to find a route I could train on without having to drive to a rural area; otherwise most of my training time would have been eaten up by traffic lights and traffic fights and be a lot less safe. I wanted to know what other cyclists were doing, so I looked at the online website for the Garmin app. All (publicly published) rides in my area were visible on a map; apps like Endomondo, DailyMile etc. could offer similar functionality.

Essentially, it’s a 4km route that I can do multiple times to get rides of 20-40km. It’s in an industrial area, so there’s little to no traffic on weekends (especially earlier in the morning), it’s nearby, so I’m not far from home should I be needed, or, should I need help myself (I could walk home if something catastrophic happened to the bike while leaving me OK), and it’s more or less flat. While I didn’t do it this way last time, the better direction seems to be clockwise; this makes most of the turns right hand turns which is safer (assuming traffic drives on the right side of the road – sorry U.K. and Australia etc.!). If your route (like this one), comprises both lefts and rights, remember the order of preference when putting the route together.

  1. Right turns are preferred to lefts.
  2. A left at an all-way stop is better than a traffic light.

While driving to a rural area is a preferred way to have long uninterrupted rides, the time cost for the drive and for putting the bike onto/into the car etc. makes it less appealing.

Handling the Ride

Since this isn’t a commute in heavily (or even moderate to lightly) driven roads, some of the safety guidelines might be a little… flexible.  I’m not going to tell anyone to break the laws of the road, but if you approach a four-way stop and can see for hundreds of meters in all directions, you might not come to a full stop and say… roll through the intersection.  Let’s face it, on our training/racing rides we don’t have a full complement of lights, mirrors and such, because they cause drag and extra weight.  So we’ve already made some compromises on safety choices.  If you pick a route that spares you from most of the dangers of traffic, you should be able to safely reap the benefits and keep moving at a more useful speed.
Having said that, you still need a few guidelines and tips to stay safe:
  1. Stay alert.  Scan the big picture for what’s going on, and yet don’t ignore what’s about to come up under your wheel.  A pothole, or skid-worthy gravel could ruin your day almost as much as a collision with a car (but not quite).
  2. If you find yourself having to stop (or slow down to a great degree), GEAR DOWN.  You want a lighter gear that you can start in again easily (more on this in point #4).  Your bike doesn’t stop on a dime and you should have enough time to descend down the gears assuming you followed rule #1.
  3. Here’s some help if you are new to “clipless” pedals (that attach to your shoes) or toe-clip pedals (with the little baskets to hold your feet).  A lot of people panic a little at the notion of not being able to get their feet out in time.  Figure out what your ‘lead’/favourite foot is (which would you kick a soccer ball with? Which foot would catch your balance if you were pushed suddenly from behind?  Or maybe you’re just better at releasing that foot).  Now, pull that foot out before stopping, and when the bike is about to stop, lean to that side – usually leading a little with your head is enough.  Your lead foot should be able to touch the ground when the bike is on a lean, and you won’t even need to remove the other foot under most circumstances.
  4. If your other foot is still clipped in, get the pedal to the 10 o’clock position (or somewhere between 9 and 12 o’clock).  When it’s time to start again, you’ll be able to simply push down on that pedal; let’s face it, though you should use all 360 degrees of the pedal’s cycle, the easiest is the push down.  Since you’re in a low gear, you’ll get a nice push for little effort.
  5. Keep turning the pedals without clipping in your foot (or feet) that were removed.  Once you’re up to a decent speed, your balance will be better, and you won’t be steering all over the road when you have to concentrate on clipping your feet in.

Other Tips

  • Eyewear.  Protect those eyes – when you’re going faster, the dust blown in by wind is dangerous.
  • Inflate those tires.  If you can’t read the PSI rating on the tires, at least make sure they feel basically rock hard to the touch.  Riding on soft tires wastes tons of energy.
  • Bring a water bottle.  It’s not just the effort that dehydrates, but the wind blowing into your mouth, down your throat contributes too.
Have you picked up any tips or strategies that can help those of us on the road who are less than Tour De France worthy (no, doping doesn’t count)? What do you wish you had known when you were first getting started on the bike?

In The Gym: Rope Machine

I’m in the midst of developing the next phase of my training before the triathlon season, but I’m since I’m not finished yet, I thought I’d share a little discovery with you.  This machine [add official name] was added to our corporate gym at the end of 2012.  The rope is looped so it can be pulled continuously.  The arm (that houses the pulley at the top of the rope loop) can be tilted to allow a more horizontal type pulling, but most people seem to be using it in the configuration shown. 









There are 7 different resistance settings

There are 7 different resistance settings:

“…all 7 settings have DYNAMIC RESISTANCE which allows the rope resistance to vary with the speed of the rope”
The instructions say to use Rope Resistance Level 1-3 for 10-20 minutes as a cardio workout, and the levels 4-7 for 20-40 seconds (in 3 to 5 sets) as a Strength workout.



I was excited about using it to increase upper body strength and endurance in general, but the specific motion of climbing up the rope (pulling down)is very important to me: 1.) it’s a lot like a front crawl stroke so I figure it can pay dividends to my swim 2.) it’s going to strengthen my upper back and the supporting muscles which are my biggest weakness (I can’t do pull-ups, and even hanging from a bar feels hard to me).  The first few times I used the machine, I mostly did a 1-minute session on one of the harder settings (6 or 7) as part of the endurance phase of a Matrix circuit.


Then someone offered me a challenge.  Apparently some of the runners were doing a pyramid style workout with the machine: 1 minute pulling the rope up (like you were pulling a bucket up from the bottom of a well), 1 minute pulling the rope down (like you were climbing it) – on the hardest setting.  Drop the resistance down a level, then repeat.  This continues until you’ve done both directions, all resistances for a 14 minute workout.  Then you record the distance travel in meters, which is available from a little readout in front of the bench.  So far, I’ve recorded 582 meters and 605 meters… the record is 784!  

What’s the new/crazy apparatus at your gym? Love or hate?