Ironman Coeur d Alene 2006: Training Diary

Took day off. Right calf sore 1/5. Will try to run/swim easy sunday, ride tomarrow.

Thursday pm:
Summary: Swim 2000 (70 min) Run 2.75 (22 min) Weights (30 min)

Swim 2000: 300 wu 4:40
8 Drills, 100 each: balance/ balance with side roll/balance with 360 roll/side drill arm extended/ adv. slide and glide/zipper-finger drag/one arm/fist-free

Then 10X25 under 20sec with 20s rest
Then 3 sets of 6X25: Each set = 2 with ankle strap/2 free/2 pull. 15-20s rest.
200 cd easy

Run: Treadmill, 8 min pace/0% grade
Right calf sore, 1/5 first 16 min, then 2/5 to 20 and 3/5 at 22 so I stopped the workout. HR ave 120, max 128.

Weights: 30 min: HR ave 94/max122
All 2 sets of 20:
single leg ham curl alternating with quad flexion: hams 25lb, quads 35 lb
inner thigh alt with outer thigh 65 lb
lunges with 45 lb bar
lat pull down 80 lb
straight-arm pull down 40 lbs (using lat pull bar)(anterior deltoids)
modified lat pull down (throw) 90 lb
Thigh flexions with twisting on dip bar 20, then 15(lower abs and high thigh flexors)

At home, wrapped ice bag tight on right calf 20 min. Then compressed with ace 1 hour.

WED 12/28/05 (will start posting the day of workout from now on)

Summary: 3 hour spin, 40 min core work

Right calf still sore, but improved. Should be able to run tomarrow. Kept wrapped tight in ace for spin workout today.

Spin 60 miles on power-trainer. 3:05 time, mentally difficult to complete, esp. while watching a Civil War domumentary.

First 30 min. maintained 150W, 100rpm, HR ave 86/peak 89
30-60 min. 170W, 100rpm, HR ave 89/peak 94
60-90 min. 200W, 95 rpm, HR ave 96/peak 101
90-120min. 210W, 90-95rpm, HR ave 112/peak 117
120-180 (1 hour), 220W, 85-90 rpm, HR ave 119/peak 124

Final hour, alternated 4 min in aero positoin, 1-2 min in upright position. Upper thighs and core is weak and difficult to maintain a low position. I have moved my seat foward 2 cm from Kona 05 and lowered my aerobars 1cm. I feel compact and low in the cockpit now. I will give it a month and if I am not getting stronger in this new postion, I will return to my prior fitting.

Maintained entire workout in Zone 1. Notice slowly increasing HR with increasing power. Will be intresting to see these numbers in 12 weeks.

Recovered with 25 g protein, 75 g carbopro. Napped for an hour, then did 40 min core. Did 25 min pilates core and 15 min of manual core work.

TUES: 12/27/05

Swim 5 pm
200 wu: Drills, 100 yd each
balance, log-roll/adv. balance, slide and glide, adv. slide and glide, zipper/catch-up, finger drag, one-arm, fist.
Then 10X50 free 40-42 full rest 15-25sec
Then 10X25 free with Ankle strap, 2X25 free without strap.


Total time 65 min
felt really off balance. No consistency in the water yet.

Right Calf still sore and tight. Will keep wrapped tonight, very light stretching

Run outside 45 min. easy 7:30 pace (6 miles), varied Zones 1-3 entire time with peak HR at 140. Zone 1 = 7:00
Zone 2 = 5:50
Zone 3 = 31:30
Downpour final 5 miles. Right calf became extrememly tight final mile. Had to walk several times to make it back to car. Cancelled swim and weights, went home and took 800mg advil and wrapped calf tight with ace.

Still building aerobic so not too worried. Should be able to swim tomarrow. If calf is too painful, I will spin 25 miles intead of running.

Goal for week is 110 cycling, 4k swim (inclusive of drills), 30 miles running, 2 weight sessions w/core.

Weight:172, body fat 8.3%

THE TEMPLATE: This will vary as season progresses (swim in yds even though I use the term "k", bike-run in miles)
(some miles following bike and run are in parentheses...these are a variant for my wife, training for CDA)


The order of the below chart is:
(WEEK) SWIM - BIKE - RUN - TRAINING PHASE

(Dec 19-25) 4k - 100 - 30 - Base 1
(Dec 26-Jan1) 4k - 110 - 35 - Base 1
(Jan 2-8) 6k - 120 - 40 - Base 1
(Jan 9-15) 6k - 80 - 30 (25) - Base 1 recovery

(Jan 16-22) 6k - 120 - 35(30) - Base 2
(Jan 23-29) 6k - 130 - 40(35) - Base 2
(Jan 30-Feb 5) 8k - 200(150) - 40(35) - Base 2
(Feb 6-12) 6k - 100 - 30(25) - Base 2 recovery start hill run intervals 2/wk

(Feb 13-19) 8k - 140 - 35 - Base 3
(Feb 20-26) 10k - 200(160) - 45 (35) - Base 3
(Feb 27-Mar 5) 8k - 250(200) - 50(40) - Base 3
(Mar 6-12) 12k - 120(100) - 30(25) - Base 3 recovery

(Mar 13-19) 10k - 140(120) - 35 (30) - Build 1 ralph's 1/2 ironman end of week
(Mar 20-26) 8k - 200(160) - 40 (35) - Build 1 start run road intervals
(Mar 27-2) 12k - 120 - 30(25) - Build 1 recovery

(Apr 3-9) 8k - 200(180) - 40(35) - Build 2 start bike TT intervals
(Apr 10-16) 8k - 250(200) - 45(40) - Build 2
(Apr 17-23) 12k - 120(100) - 30(25) - Build 2 recovery

(Apr 24-30) 8k - 200(180) - 40(30) - Build 3
(May 1-7) 10k - 250(230) - 50(40) - Build 3
(May8-14) 6k - 350(300) - 25(20) - Build 3 big bike week in bend
(May 15-21) 8k - 100 - 30(25) - Build 3 recov. Auburn 1/2 IM end of week

(May 22-28) 10k - 200(160) - 35(30) - Build 4
(May 29-4) 12k - 200(180) - 40(35) - Build 4
(June 5-11) 10k - 140(120) - 45(40) - Peak
(June 12-18) 8k - 80 - 30(25) - Taper 1
(June 19-25) race week taper 2

Calculated run max on Treadmill:
15 minutes easy run at 8min pace, then off and stretch for a few minutes.
Then back on at 8 min pace for 2 minutes. Then increase pace 30 sec/mile each minute.
After the first 30 seconds, begin increasing incline 1%/minute.
Continue until exaustion and have to step off treadmill.
I was at 5:30 pace at 5% incline, and held for 30 seconds. HR 168

Take 5 min rest to stretch and repeat. Second session, same pace and incline, HR 170.
170 is what I will use as my max for next 8-12 weeks.
Zones are calculated from "Going Long", by Joe Friel/Gordon Byrn

Zone 1 = 80-128 AR (Aerobic indurance)
Zone 2 = 129-136 EE (Extensive indurance)
Zone 3 = 137-143 IE (Intensive indurance)
Zone 4 = 144-149 T1 (Threshold 1: Sub-threshold)
Zone 5a = 150-153 T2 (Theshold 2: at threshold)
Zone 5b = 154-158 VO (VO2 max intervals)
Zone 5c = >159 AI (Anaerobic intervals)

Based on last season, aerobic threshold = <128>149 HR
My measured anaerobic threshold happens to by my T2 and above, funny how that works!

I will spend the majority of time on the bike through Feb 06 in Zone 1 and 2
My recovery runs will be all Zone 1
My "paced" runs will be predominately Zone 1 - 3 through second week of Feb 06

So, this is the final year of IM racing for a while. Three seasons is enough, and it will be nice to relax down to shorter distances and marathons for a few years. I will try for a third Kona qualifier this year at Ironman Couer d' alene, ID. I need good reasons to try to stay motivated toward my goals, and what better way than to finish the IM distance for a while. "Settling down" with my wife Ann to start a family next fall will be the light at the end of the tunnel for me (us). Being 40, its time for me.

My goals for CDA 06 are primarily to break the 9:30 barrier. If I do this, Imay win the masters 40 age division and may be a top 10 age grouper by looking at past race results. I think men's times will be faster this year however, as there will probably be no male pro's (female pro championships are at CDA in 06). I am sure plenty of top age group males will show, probably not many over 40. However, a sub 9:30 may not even land me in the top 10 . Doesnt matter...its a time goal for me.


Some of my thoughts on goals:

Goals need justification
Goals need emotional attachment
Goals must be achievable
Goals need a path. Not necessarily the RIGHT path, just a path...a means to an end.

I will cover my thoughts and basis for my nutritional methods, training, recovery, ect. Everything but the nutrition has been an ongoing learning experience for me. Nutritionally I have had no real change since my first Ironman at CDA in 2004. What I do is not much different than what I did nutritionally for 12 yrs as a marathon competitor. Not much more complicated for Ironman distance, its just a longer race...where pace is more critical.