2009 and Swimming

I've been wanting to see how my swim has progressed over the last few weeks and was afforded the opportunity today.  I went to the pool and did a set of 6x500 yards.  I alternated swimming each 500 with pulling (with paddles and a pull buoy).  I only took 30 seconds rest in between each 500.  I was really happy with the results.  I averaged 1:38 pace for the 500 swims and 1:35 pace for the 500 pulls.  My effort was easy to moderate for the entire workout.  I felt like I could have easily done another 1000 yards at the end.  What is remarkable is that a year or two ago, this pace would have been hard and I would have been challenged to maintain the pace, for 4x300, not even 6x500!  The key has been keeping my form intact.  The neat thing is that I wasn't even at my best today, as my stroke count was a little high.  My confidence, however, is quite high.  With World's in October being a 3Km swim, I know that I'll be regularly able to maintain this pace, or perhaps an even faster pace, for 8x500 by the end of the summer.  I actually put in over 10,000 yards this week, which is an all-time high for me.  I keep visualizing what it will be like to start off with a great swim at the California 70.3.  As I've noted before, my goal is to do that swim in the 30 to 33 minute range.  Thirty minutes would typically put me close to the best swimmers in my age group.  This is exciting!  Hard work does pay off.  

I've been on vacation for a few days and trying to get in extra sleep (yeah!).  It really does help.  I can't say that I'm looking forward to going back to work on Tuesday.  I think, no, I know, that I'd rather continue to just work out, rest and spend time with my family.  Well, life must go on.  Hopefully, this week puts me in a really good place going into the season.  I've got 4 weeks to go prior to the Surf City Half Marathon.  I've been running well the past couple of weeks.  I even got to get outside a few times and have managed to keep 8:30-8:45 pace in low Zone 2.  Can I maintain 7:00 pace or less at sea level in 4 weeks?  I'm sure going to try!

Life is all about perspective.  We can only do what we enjoy and enjoy what we do.  The results will be what they are.  I'm just fortunate to be able to do this stuff.  But it is fun to challenge our body and our mind to see what we can accomplish.  Well, time to get back to the couch!

A Journey to a Place I Never Thought I'd get to

I remember reading about Mark Allen going to another place to avoid or get away from pain and suffering during a race.  I've never thought that I'd be capable of doing that, but today I may have found that place, at least for a little while.  I did a hard bike workout and then got on the treadmill for a run and began practicing my "brain training" to keep the twinges and pains and spasms at bay.  Well, about 10-15 minutes into my run, I realized that it was almost like I was somewhere else, in a way outside of my body, and just running.  I really tried to lock this in from the perspective of how I will feel towards the end of the California 70.3.  So, instead of responding to pain, spasms, discomfort, like I did at Boulder City (slowing down a little in order to keep the muscle spasms at bay), perhaps I could learn to override them and go to another place where there is no pain.  Anyway, something to practice.  

The irony is that all of a sudden, the injury that I suffered 3 weeks ago is now looking like a godsend.  I've not only trained through it, but I've learned new mental techniques to allow me to do so.  If I can transpose these techniques on race day, look out!

Another stressful day at work, but I was committed to leaving early and getting my workouts in this afternoon.  I managed to get out (leaving a pile on my desk for tomorrow) and get home in time to get in the bike and the treadmill workout.  I was supposed to play poker tonight, but my daughters have friends over and it was actually an opportunity to take my wife out to dinner and have some time together.  Couldn't miss that:)  Speaking of which, that's what I have to get back to:)

Who's smarter? My Brain or my Back?

Woke up this morning with some back soreness, nothing unusual for the last 2 1/2 weeks, but it always makes me wonder, why do I train so hard? Well, one reason is that if I were a couch potatoe, my back would be worse.

As I'm standing and brushing my teeth I get the dreaded middle low back "twinge from hell". This is a twinge that actually predates my piriformis spasm of 2 1/2 weeks ago. I've had this intermittently for some time. It lasts less than a second, but has an almost indescribeable feeling, like, if it lasted for even a few seconds, I'd be flat on my back without even an opportunity to prevent myself from going down. It's arguably the worst pain I've ever experienced, but for less than a second, I can live with it.

Now, as I'm a doctor, I have to analyze the situation. There is no pain down my leg, no numbness, no weakness. Check that. It shouldn't be my disc (I have a herniated lumbar disc). Hopefully, it's just a rogue muscle. I felt the same twinge two or three times during my treadmill workout yesterday, each time when I mistakenly landed on my heel. I ignored it during the treadmill run. That said, if I get the twinge while standing and brushing my teeth or on a 111 minute treadmill workout, if I'm going to have it, I'd rather it happened on the treadmill!

In reflection, I spent the morning after my workout helping to clean up the house prior to having a discussion group about our health care system at my house in the afternoon (for change.gov) and went to a family friends for a Hanukkah party last night and didn't get home until after 10pm. What I missed out on was a 30-60 minute nap that would have solidified a great workout in the morning. I really find these days that such a nap really helps me. Otherwise, I really am dragging by the afternoon/evening and the next day I'm not as fresh.

So, only time will tell if my brain really won yesterday or if my back is going to win this "battle":)

Brain Training

Haven't blogged in a month (I realized when I went on the site today).  That's what my life has been like.  2 1/2 weeks ago, after a really hard effort doing muscle endurance work on the bike, my low back felt really tired and my piriformis went into spasm.  It's been a challenging time since then, alternating low back pain, buttock pain and iliotibial band pain and tightness.  on Wednesday at precisely 50 minutes into my treadmill session, my left IT band tightened up on me.  This is a little scary, as IT bands have a tendency to lock up at a fairly precisely appointed time.  On Thursday, it was tight and sore after 40 minutes.  So, it was with some trepidation that I began my treadmill run this morning.  The goal for to go 100 minutes, that's what my coach set for me to do.  However, any pain was supposed to get me to stop immediately.

With that in mind, not really, but it sounds good, I started reading "Brain Training for Runners" last night.  The idea that pain is something that starts in our brain and not in our muscles was fascinating.  So, as the inevitable twinges, tightness, and spasms would come about, I overruled them with my brain.  I literally visualized melting the spasm, relaxing the muscle, ignoring the pain. 111 minutes later, I completed my 13.1 mile treadmill run.  This was pyschologically important as I have a half marathon in 6 weeks.  Now I have no doubt about my ability to run the distance recovering from my latest physical malady.

Of better note, the run was entirely done in zone 1 and 2 and I managed to keep close to 8:20 pace.  This bodes well for my race goal of running just at or under 7 minutes/mile.  But, too early to start thinking about that.  

Years ago I went running with an ultramarathoner.  He talked about regularly checking every muscle in his body throughout a race and literally making sure that he would alternate different muscles throughout a race.  I kind of did this today as well, varying my speed by 0.1mph with regularity, thus assuring a very slightly different gait.  I would occasionally focus on my toes and feet and how I was landing.  That said, heel striking was NOT GOOD.  The few times I landed on my heel, my low back immediately felt like it was going to spasm.  This brain signal was probably good and instead of ignoring it, I focused on landing on the balls of my feet. Downhill running (while running on flat ground), like downhill swimming, is not a bad idea.

When I look back at the last 2 1/2 weeks, I can be quite happy.  I missed one workout (the day after my back was set off).  And while my coach adjusted my workouts, I put in more time than I ever have for this time of the year.  My HR and pace are going great in all three disciplines.  It's been a huge mental challenge, however, especially with end of year work issues (I need to take some vacation time).  But, that's what triathlon is all about to me, being sharp mentally.  Today's treadmill was all about the brain.  You don't run on a treadmill for 111 minutes without being focused ("The best of the Beach Boys" helps, but only so much).

A good week

Had a pretty good week of both work and training. Especially good with my daughters in California for a Sci Fi convention and three days alone with my wife. We figure that we've had time away from our kids (just the two of us) for somewhere less than one month over the last 21 years! It's been a great 21 years, but it is nice to spend some time alone together.

I swam this morning (3000 yards) and really feel like my swim is right back on track, even more than on track. My volume is starting to regularly approach 3000 yards, something that I've never done before. This will serve me well for the 1/2 ironman distance of 1.2 miles, but will prepare me for upping my volume to closer to 4000 yards in preparation for the Long Course next October (with a 1.8 mile swim). I'll have to pay close attention to my shoulders, but they seem to be handling the volume thus far. I've now told several people of my goal to get my 1/2 ironman swim time down to close to 30 minutes. If I tell enough people, I'll have to do it!

Finished work at noon today and went to lunch with my wife, followed by a 35 minute walk. We talked about life in general. I still need to get control of my work life so I can enjoy the rest of my life! Came home and played a weird game of Scrabble (started off with 4 "O"'s) and then did 45 minutes on the treadmill.

Hillary Clinton is going to be the next Secretary of State. "Team of Rivals" is also one of my favorite books (I even got it autographed by the author). I think that this is a great choice. OK, so I let myself introduce a little politics into my blog.

Time to watch a movie...we're watching "A Beautiful Mind"

California (70.3, that is), here I come

It's been two weeks since my last blog. I've thought about writing things down a number of times, but, I admit, I've just been either too busy or too tired. It is now four weeks since the Halfmax in Nevada. The time since then has been a mixture of ups and downs. Obviously, the excitement of qualifying for World's has been a lot of the up feeling. The end of the season "rest" has probably contributed to some of the down feeling. I'm not sure if the lack of endorphins has contributed significantly to how I've been feeling, but it certainly has had an impact.

The last couple of weeks have been a microcosm of the issues and challenges that I face in life. Owning two businesses certainly has its stresses and I've had a lot going on in terms of both in the last few months. A couple of weeks ago I was feeling an incredible amount of fatigue. I get this "sick" feeling that I think I can relate to fatigue, and it was really strong. Ironically, I did a good swim about a week ago and felt much better afterwards. Yesterday, I swam 2700 yards in the morning and realized that I was much more relaxed at work. Things that would have set me off a week earlier, didn't even make a dent yesterday!

It's interesting how the balance between work, family and triathlon training comes about. For me, triathlon helps me relax, keeps me grounded in some level of normalcy, and keeps me fit and healthy. That said, my family is the most important thing to me. Work is not a job for me, which is both a good thing and a problem. I don't know how to do anything at less than 100%. I put all my energy and effort into everything I do. This creates a lot of challenges.

When my stresses at work are high, training helps me to deal with it, but dealing with the additive fatigue puts further stress on me. At this point of my life, I would rather work less and train more. My rest break has helped my mind. That said, I'm ready to start thinking about my next race, the California 70.3 in Oceanside the first week of April. I've done the race three times in the last five years. In 2004, just getting back into tri's I did 6:08, the next year 5:49, two years ago, with a year of good coaching under my belt I did 5:13. Can I go under 5 hours this coming year? We'll see. I really like the course and can pretty much visualize most of the race having done it three times.

A few weeks ago, my coach told me to take my mind off training and to not think about my upcoming race season. Well, my rest "break" is over and it really feels good to be able to start thinking about California. I know what I have to do to be successful. I can definitely improve upon my swim from past years. The Halfmax and recent training suggest that I can get my swim time down to somewhere between 30 and 33 minutes (best previous time has been 36). My running improvement in the last couple of years tell me that I can break 1:40 on the run (best time 1:45). My biggest challenge will be the bike. It continue to be strong, but I haven't had a major breakthrough in the last two years. I really want to get my bike time down closer to 2:38 (it's a hilly course, my best time is 2:45). If I achieve all of these goals I can actually get down to 4:57. That could make me fairly competitive in the 50-54 age group. Well, there, I've written it down and said it. Now, I have something to shoot for. Ironically, it doesn't really matter what I do at the race. It really is all in the journey!

10K for fun

I've really wanted to just get out and run, so that's what I did today.  With permission from my coach, I entered a local 10K, gave it everything I had and actually had a pretty good time.  I even managed to get 10th male overall and got a medal.  It wasn't my best 10K time ever, but it was yet another hilly course.  I wore my heart rate monitor but covered the heart rate reading.  I just tried to keep running as hard as I thought I could run.  I only looked at the heart rate results afterwards.  Typically, my lactate threshold is right around 166.  I hit 174 at the end of the first mile (a little downhill, and I did it in 6:40), and then maintained a heart rate between 172 and 176 the rest of the way.  My pace for the last five miles ranged from 7:20 to 7:35, but it seemed like it was either uphill or downhill.  I did pretty good going fast on the downhills and backing off the effort slightly and going hard on the uphills.  My average heart rate for the entire run was 172.  So, truly a lactate threshold workout.  My final time was 45:36, good for 10th male overall and 2nd in the 40-49 age group.  I'm still fighting some residual fatigue from the half ironman, but probably more so from work related stress.  Mentally, it felt really good to race.  This is my challenge right now.  I know that I'm mentally ready to get back into training, but I still feel like my body is trying to tell me something.  What it's trying to tell me I don't have a clue, as I tend to feel worse the less I do.  I'm supposed to alternate exercise with rest days this week before getting back into training.