Over the Hump

Crucible: (Noun)
1. a severe test.
2. a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.

“That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.” Neitsche, the 19th-century philosopher (or Nitschke, the great 60’s Packer linebacker.)

The hardest week of training for the Kona build cycle is over, thankfully, as of yesterday. The key workouts for the weekend were the 4000m swim Friday, 180km bike Saturday, and the 2:45 run on Sunday. Here’s a recap:

Friday: Swim

Friday’s swim plan called for a 500m warmup, then 3 x (400m, 300m, 200m, 100m.) Rest intervals between were 1 minute, with an extra minute between the sets of 1000. This was followed by a 500m cooldown at easy pace.

It’s normal for swimming to suffer during high-volume bike-run weeks, but my recent swim technique tweaking and focus was paying off via reduced fatigue. (More on this in a future post). I found that I didn’t need the full minute between the descending-distance sets, and took only the time remaining until the next Red Top. (Red top is when the red hand of the pace clock hits zero.) I did, however, take the extra minute between 1000s, and went plus or minus 15 seconds to keep from running into my lane partner. I got out of the pool feeling great; it was the easiest 4000m I have ever swam, very encouraging.

Saturday: Bike/Transition run

The weather was great on Saturday, sunny and warm. I wanted headwinds for as much of the ride as possible, to prepare for the demoralizing winds in Kona. However I wanted a flat ride, so I wouldn’t torch my legs too badly for tomorrow’s long run. So I rode east on 22X to the Trans-Canada, and continued another 15km east to the turnaround point at 90km.

It was an easy ride to that point, with a net downhill and a brisk tailwind. I knew I was going to pay the price on the return trip, but that was the goal. I hunkered into the aero position, geared down to the small ring and spun mindlessly for 75km, standing every ten minutes to stretch out the back and hamstrings. I got to Indus, where suddenly the wind was gone, and I didn’t miss it one bit.

The fun wasn’t over when I rolled the bike into the house: I still had a 20-minute transition run to go. The point of the transition run is to get used to the sudden change from cycling to running. As the legs go through the shock of bearing full body weight again, I typically go through three stages: Wishing life would end, then wanting to quit the sport, then resigning myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other until the finish line. I was about 2 minutes into the resignation stage when the 20 minutes was up.

Including Friday evening’s 40km ride, now nearly an afterthought, I had ridden 220km in the last 24 hours.

Sunday: Long Run

Before the long run, I had a one-hour technique-focus swim at 7:00 AM. The Sunday morning swim a week ago really helped reduce the stiffness in my legs and back after that long ride, so I was looking forward to more of the same. Sure enough, I felt completely refreshed when I left the pool. I also realized I had swam 13000m for the week, my biggest swim week ever.

The weather was basically crap outside, light rain and cool with a breeze; perfect running weather, because the heart rate stays lower. I wanted to pace this run much like I hope to pace in Kona: Average 8 minutes/mile, and negative-split the run. (A negative split is a good thing, it means completing the second half of an effort faster than the first half, and indicates proper pacing. Nearly all endurance-event records are set via a negative split.) If I was feeling strong, I would drill it for the last 15 minutes to reach 21 miles.

In the Heartrate Training post, I mentioned that you could by a HRM with GPS capability. I use the Timex Bodylink system, which combines HR functionality with GPS functionality. After several months of running with such a system, you develop some confidence in equating your HR to a given pace. This allows you to set a realistic goal pace for racing. However, HR always overrules: If your pace is causing you to go anaerobic in a long effort, you are on borrowed time. The GPS/HRM combo provides current and average HR, speed, pace in minutes/mile, distance travelled, and many other typical chronometer functions. You can even set alarms on your HR and pace, if you can stand to be digitally nagged.

I broke the 2:45 run time into three 55-minute segments, with the intention of speeding up at each. After the first 55 minutes, my average pace was 8:15/mile, at the second, 8:02/mile, and at the end, 8:00/mile, right on the money. Average heart rate was 131 BPM, barely 60% of maximum HR. I would have been happy anywhere under 140, so cardio-wise there was plenty left in the tank. The limiter was leg fatigue; I felt strong for the first two hours, but I had to dig deep over the last 45 minutes. I fully expected to fade near the end, due to yesterday’s long ride, so it was a good exercise in mental toughness to stay on pace. I didn’t make 21 miles, but ran 20.6 miles, and hit my goal pace target.

Recovery

Male readers, this is where you can feel free to clench. My favourite method of recovery after a long run is The Cold Soak, AKA The Numbing. After a hard effort, the pain and stiffness you feel is caused by inflammation of soft tissue. How do you treat inflammation? Cold water or ice. Luckily here in Calgary, we have ice-cold tap water year-round. So fill the bathtub about a foot deep with the cold stuff, wrap a towel around your upper body to stay warm, and stuff an end of it into your mouth to bite down on. Then, lower yourself into the cold water and stay there for 10 minutes. (You won’t feel a thing after 2.) Keep the door locked to prevent any embarrassing “shrinkage” incidents. Finish up with a warm (not hot!) shower to restore core temperature. Once sensation returns, spot-ice any remaining sore spots. Then have a cold beer, Soldier, you’ve earned it!