August is Over...Crunch Time...Smart Training...And a Swim Challenge

It's crazy that today is the last day in August! Where did the month go?  As I look back on my training log, I'm happy with the work I've put in.  I didn't ride as much as July, but then again I was in Boston for a week, and still managed some good riding, with some solid long rides as well.  My running is coming back, and I'm confident within a month that I'll be where I need to be.  My swimming has been consistent, I just need to up the volume...and that's where my swim challenge comes into play.  More on that later.

With a month of hard training to go it's time to start trying to get used to the heat, which is kind of difficult considering the temps are cooling off around here (I guess it is supposed to be hot the next two days though).  So when you see some weirdo running in a hooded sweatshirt and long pants...that might be me.  The key is to stay injury free, and smart with my training.  I'm going to make sure to continue with aerobic type of work with some race pace stuff thrown in there...but unlike in the past when all I would focus on was race pace efforts I'm going to try to make easy truly easy.  Last night I tried to go easy on a run.  I had my Garmin with me, but really didn't pay attention to it and went out to enjoy the run.  Crazy how I really did enjoy it and the pace was still relatively fast.  Well I should say faster than I plan on running in Kona, but I was not pushing at all.  The cool temps, little bit of rain, and Zoot Ultra Kalani's might have played a part of that.

In September I'm going to take on a swimming challenge to make one final push.  Do I think my swimming is going to improve dramatically?  Nope...but if I can be a little less tired when I get out of the water the whole day is going to be better.  So the swimming challenge is going to be to swim 60,000 yards in the month of September.  All that comes out to is 2,000 yards a day...not all that much.  It will be a big month for me, and the beautiful thing about that much swimming is that it doesn't take a huge toll on the body.  Can't wait for this, and Chad is taking this challenge on with me...it's always nice to have someone else suffering with me.

Train Hard, Train Smart, No Regrets

It Hurts So Good...

Does anyone else love the feeling of pain in their legs?  Well not all the time, but when you know you've really earned it?  This mornings computrainer set was solid:

3 x thru the following:

1' @ 120%

2' @ 90%

1' @ 120%

2' @ 90%
1' @ 120%

2' @ 90%
1' @ 120%

2' @ 90%
3' Easy

I wasn't sure how it would go, and during the first set I thought I was going to be in for a long day.  But as things turned out I was getting stronger and stronger as time went on.  I was surprised that I had something for the high end, but then again it was only a minute.

I still have some training on tap for the day, nothing hard, but there is still work to do.  I'm not only building for Kona, but building for the future as well.  I have some ideas for next season already (that's what happens when you spend a lot of time training...you get crazy thoughts) although planning the schedule next year isn't turning out to be that easy.

I could use a couple more sponsors though to help with some races, takers??

I think I started a dangerous trend last night though.  I walked with my dogs to get ice cream.  There is this awesome place which has softserve cones for 95 cents only about a mile from my house.  I could see this becoming quite the habit.  I suppose I better keep training so that I can justify this little treat.  I think the real problem will come when I start going there multiple times a day.

Busy...Catching Up, A Brief Pigman Report

I've been crazy busy lately.  Well maybe not, but I haven't really felt like sitting down at a computer, and when I have sat down at a computer I haven't felt like typing.  Not that there is nothing to report...but I just haven't felt like it.

So I suppose it's time to get back on the blogging train here.  A lot has happened since my last post.  July was a huge month of riding for me...1251 miles to be exact.  For some people that may not be all that much, but it averages out to be 40.35 miles of riding a day.  August isn't quite that high, but I have been able to put in some solid work.  I feel as if my bike fitness is where it needs to be and as if I can hold back on the bike, while still putting up a fast split.  So the key here is to maintain that fitness.  To build upon it now would be rather difficult considering I need to build some swim and run fitness.

I've felt better in the water and set a PR in my swim at the Pigman Half Ironman last week.  I've been getting into the water pretty frequently, and although I haven't been able to put up huge yardage while there, I think the frequency is working well for me. 

Last week at Pigman I also set a bike PR, averaging 25 miles per hour for a half ironman has been something I have been working towards.  My run wasn't anything special...yea yea yea I know you can't say you killed the bike and tanked the run.  I didn't tank the run completely...I just didn't have a great run.  I knew that things weren't going well early on, and stayed the course hoping they would come around...well they never did but that's alright you live and you learn right?  I really never felt like I was pushing on the bike, and felt comfortable the whole time.  Not sure where my run went but I would love to have it back any time now.

Speaking of getting my run back, I think (like in swimming) I need to up the frequency and not worry so much about the mileage.  I read something that Troy Jacobson posted about running your PR Ironman Marathon and it makes a lot of sense.  Long runs tear me down for a few days...so why not do more shorter runs which I can recover from faster?  My problem is I push the pace on my long runs...why?  Because I can that's why.  I know it's not right but in the moment I can't slow down...it hurts to slow down more than it hurts to push...so I push.  I ran with a friend last week who has just gotten back from Boulder where he ran some "easy" runs with some triathlon super stars...their "easy" run is far easier than I would have ever imagined...so when we did it I enjoyed it.  I didn't care about the pace, and felt like I had accomplished something at the end.  Crazy isn't it?

Pigman Half Ironman - 4:24 - 11th overall - 1st Age Group

Swim - Great

Bike - Great (2nd fastest split overall...only David Thompson beat me)

Run - Eh...just Eh...

Thanks Zoot, GU, Ridley, Zipp, Garmin, Endure It for all of the support...couldn't do it without you.  And especially to my Mom and Dad who watched my dogs!! 

So for the next 40 days easy means easier than I have ever gone...and hard means harder than I have ever gone...this is going to be awesome!

Make it hurt!