Week 6 of Endurance Phase

Sunday 10 Feb 08 (End of Week 6)

Great way to end up my last day of Week 6 training. I woke up feeling rested and energized. The weather outside was a balmy 3 degrees which by race time went up to about 10 degrees with beautiful sunshine amongst the few clouds. After a light breakfast I got ready to go to the race. As I was loading up my gear in my van, I discovered I had a flat tire and not enough time to repair it. I phoned Linda who was at the golf course but no answer. I started to panic. I phoned Julie and Bob who should be on their way to the race and had to almost come right by my place but again no answer. Oh my God I will miss the race! I thought. My last attempt was to my good friends and neighbor Tam and Ivan. I knew they were going to Nanaimo for a swim but thought they might have left already. If they were not home, I would have to take a taxi which I haven't took for over 10 years. Helloooo, my sweety friend Tammy answered. Phewwww! Sign of relief. I asked them if they could drop me off on their way to Nanaimo and luckily for me they were just going out the door leaving when the phone rang. In a couple of minutes my tri buddies were at the rescue and I made it there in time to have a good 10 minute warmup and some stretching. Thanks so much Tam and Ivan!

It was such a beautiful day that I decided it was shorts and singlet day. Most of the runners were thinking the same.I lined up midway trough the pack to ensure I would not get caught up in speed of the front runners. I took it easy for the first two km's and then decided to pick up the pace. I felt just great and started to kick it up another notch. Soon I had passed most of the runners that were in front of me at Cobble Hill 10K and I was not even getting tired yet. I passed the 5k mark and shortened my stride on the hills keeping up the same cadence. At close to 7k turn around, I saw Paul and David and they were not that far ahead of me so I knew I was doing ok. Now came the dreaded steep hills on the way back at 9k and 10k. I looked up at my watch at the 10k mark and noticed that I had beaten my 10k time at Cobble Hill by almost 15 to 20 seconds. I was ecstactic!

The next hills were fairly steep and had to control my pace up there to make sure I would not run out of zip. My breathing was still good, I was not gasping yet. I had a peek behind me and saw a big gap between me and other runners. Not a problem! I got to the top of the last hill and started giving her and picking up the pace again for the last 2 k's. I felt strong and increased my pace which meant I still had a bit of vinegar left in me which was a good indicator of my fitness level.Now for the last little bit which was a cross country 400 meters on a field of grass and I sprinted but held my form and control. As I crossed the finished line I noticed my watch which read 53:20. I had expected 55 plus change and was so happy to get this time. I beat a lot of people from the Cobble Hill 10k and just knew that I would be in top 5 in this race. Sure enough when the results were anounced, I ended up in 4'th position in my age group!

Yeahhh.....! I felt so good throughout the whole race despite having trained all week with no taper. My fitness was definitely improving fast and I felt I would be in great shape by the time my "A" race, the Comox 1/2 marathon came around. I am so happy and content with my performance that it inspires me to train even harder. But I know that the overall goal for this year is the Ironman and must careful not to get carried away with my zeal and confidence. Little controlled baby steps will get me there, one race at the time, avoid injuries and most of all, Stick with the plan and don't deviate too much. Self discipline and patience will be my greatest asset to success. Celebration time! BBQ'd steak and a bit of Bubbly. Next...... Week 7 of training and improving weather.....Kick it up a notch!

Saturday 9 Feb 08


Great weather today, overcast but warmer than it has been for a while. No rain!....Yeah!!!! Went to Duncan and got a good long ride in with Julie and Bob down to Arbutus Ridge and back. Little bit of headwinds heading back but all in all a great ride with a reward of great java at the Moon. 22 hours to recover for the race tomorrow. Will try and keep my legs up and relax for the rest of the day, have a nice light chicken and pasta dinner with a bit of vino and hopefully a good night's rest which I haven't had for the last two nights. Always congested and have a hard time breathing right after my swimming making for a lousy night's sleep. Hopefully better tonight.



Friday, 8 Feb 08



Ahhh Friday........ my welcome easy day. I always look forward to this day as it give me a break and rest after 4 days of intensity and prior to the long ride and run on the weekend. Of course the long run is not really long but a 12k race this weekend. To race emmediately the day after a long ride in not exactly conducive to a best performance for sure. The legs will be tired a bit but that's the idea , to train to run on tired legs because that is exactly what we will be facing in Triathlons. It worked the last few years so why argue with success. Had a welcome visit from my friend Monica today whom I trained with for my first year of triathlons. She just got back from Hawaii and is raring to get started on her training for the Cowichan Challenge. We went for a swim at our local pool and that is all the training aside from the Yoga/Pilates stuff this morning that I am doing today. Monica whose a nurse and great friend gave me heck for the competition I was having with Bob regarding who could hold the plank for the longest. It adds a lot of stress on my already sore shoulders that I can't afford to aggravate any further. Aw well .....I got some long holds in there, so enough is enough. 3:45 will have to do for now. Bob, the self professed Plank King says he concedes to me but I know him and he is secretly doing more without telling me and does not want to face the terror that nurse Monica will incur on him if he keeps on challenging me. Now for a nice relaxing evening before my long ride with Julie and Bob tomorrow. Vino! Yes a couple of bottles won't hurt right? Cheers!



Thursday 7 Feb 08



A bit more rested today. Woke up with sheet of ice covering our street and 0 degree weather. After a couple of cups of Java and reading my buddies training blog, Morning spent a couple of hours doing Yoga and various core/stretches. My thinning waist is allowing me to go deeper into my stretches and engaging my core more so that is encouraging. I am regaining some of my flexibility. At noon went down to the pool and did an endurance swim for an hour. As usual, I had the pool almost to myself again and had a real good relaxed swim. I can hardly wait to don my wet suit for some good distance speedier swimming in the lake. After swimming, I downed some gatoraide, protein drink and ate cereal and soy nuts. 30 minutes later it was 10 degrees outside but very very windy. I got into my run but did not have that much energy. I guess I did not allow myself enough rest between the swim and run. But it was ok and enjoyed a somewhat relaxed 10k run. Hoping for better warmer weather this Sunday for the race.



Wednesday 6 Feb 08



Today I had a meeting at work in town. I had not slept very good last night and felt very tired. I got back too late for my swim but still managed to do my weights and did a fast 1 hour spin on my bike at 100 watts and held my cadence at over 100 the whole time to train those neuro transmitters to fire off my fast twitch muscles and improve efficiency on reducing lactic acid buildup. I have a race of 12 k in Cedar this weekend but since it is another "C" race will keep up my workouts as schedules. Will also make up that missed swim tomorrow but think I will do a long one vice my usual technique instead so I will still feel more rested come the race. I am also ensuring that I have the proper nutrition emmediately after my workouts in order to recover quickly.



Tuesday 5 FEb 08



Had a good weight workout and run today. Despite the heavy rain outside, I went out for a tempo run of one hour on a very hilly round the town trip of 10k. Heart rate was ave. 160bpm but recovered quickly at the end of the run and still managed a 5:30 pace.



Monday, 4 Feb 08

Today was a fairly decent day out there but cold so I decided this was going to be an indoor day. After a cup of coffee and light breakfast, I completed a weight workout and at noon headed out to the pool for my workout. I felt strong today and the pool was uncrowded and the water warm. I had an unimpeded path in my lane and finished my workout feeling stong but the shoulders were starting to get sore.
After a good lunch and a bit of rest I decided not to go outside as the roads were still too icy in those shady spots. I decided therefore to get on my Ergo Spin Bike and after a 15 minute warmup, chose a built in workout that would definitely task my legs and heart rate. It varied from 100 to 250 watts of power. At the top end I was out of the saddle and my legs were screaming with lactic acid. Finally over the top midway through the routine, I started descending again to easier power and finished off drenched with sweat, tired legs but with a good feeling of accomplishment.