Monthly Archives: November 2011

The McMillan Pace Calculator

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One of the biggest questions that runners have is “How fast should I be running?” Obviously a 5 mile recovery run requires a different pace than 1/2 mile intervals, a 20 mile long run or a 200 meter sprint. Most of the time people just adjust their pace based on perceieved exertion. You run your long run “easy” and you run your intervals “hard.” The McMillan Running Company came up with a handy online calculator that helps take the guesswork out both your training pace an your race pace.

If you have a recent race time, you can enter it into the McMillan Pace Calculator and it will tell you what your pace should be at various distances, including training runs and races. For example, if you recently ran a 45 minute 10k, McMillan estimates that you could run a 6:15.2 mile, a 21:40 5k, a 1:40:08 half marathon and a 3:31.11 marathon. Obviously if you aren’t training for a marathon you couldn’t go out and suddenly bust out a a 3:31 marathon without having run more than 6 miles, but hypothetically if you were to train for marathon, you could expect a 3:31.11.

Turkey Trotting to a Sub 3:50 Marathon?

I personally have found the McMillan Pace Calculator to be pretty freakishly accurate at estimating my times. For example, after I ran the La Jolla Half Marathon in April with a time of 1:52:21, McMillan guessed I’d run a 4:01:10 marathon. I ran a 4:02:00 marathon in June.

As I’ve mentioned before, my “A” goal for the Surf City Marathon in February is to crack 4 hours. My “B”goal has been to aim for a 3:50:00 marathon. I’ve been using this goal to calculate my Yasso 800s intervals. According to the running gurus of McMillan, my Thanksgiving Day 5k time of 23:55 predicts that I will run a 3:53:09 marathon (and that I can run a 1:50:33 half marathon). Certainly the marathon prediction using my half marathon time was a better indicator since it is a race that is closer in distance, but I’m still looking at this as a indicator that my Sub-4 dreams can become a reality and that I may even come close to my 3:50 goal.

Using McMillan to Train

McMillan’s pace calculator is good for more than giving you hope that you can achieve a certain race time (or crushing your dreams that it isn’t possible). It can also give you a guide for paces during speed workouts, long runs, and more. Here’s a sample of some of my key workout paces:

  • Long Run Pace: 9:24 – 10:24 (recently most long runs have been in the mid-low 9s)
  • Easy Run Pace: 9:24 – 9:54
  • Tempo Run Pace: 8:27-8:41
  • 800 Meter Speed Workout: 3:39-3:49 minutes (right on target for my Yasso 800s which I do in 3:50 intervals)
  • 100 Meter Sprint: 22.2 – 24.2 seconds

Another way to use the McMillan Pace Calculator is to input your desired race time and use the paces it spits out to train. However, this is not recommended if your race goal is unrealistic. If you currently run a 4 hour marathon and then input a marathon time of 3 hours as your goal, it probably won’t feel easy to run at the “easy run” pace and therefore it will be ineffective to train at this level. Since my goal marathon time of 3:49:59 is fairly close to my predicted marathon time of 3:53:09, when I entered 3:50:00 as my actual time, it revises some of my training times, but not by much:

  • Long Run Pace: 9:17 – 10:17
  • Easy Run Pace: 9:17-9:47
  • Tempo Run Pace: 7:59-8:20
  • 800 Meter Speed Workout: 3:36-3:46 minutes (this contradicts the Yasso philosophy that my race goal time of 3:50 means I should be running 3 minute 50 second 800 intervals)
  • 100 Meter Sprint: 21.9 – 24.1 seconds

It seems to me that I’m right on track with my training. Asia and I have consistently been doing our long runs in the 9:20-9:30 range and soon we will add tempo runs to the end of our long runs. I’ve also been doing my Yasso 800s each week (except recovery week) at 3:40 intervals (this week I’ll be up to 7 of them!). Considering that Half Ironman training starts next week and the marathon will not be my “A” race of the year, I think that this is a good effort to tackle my sub 3:50 goal. If it doesn’t happen at this race, I have plenty of time to make it happen AFTER the Ironman.

Have you found that the McMillan Pace Calculator is accurate for you? How do you determine your pace for your workouts?

Father Joe’s Thanksgiving Run

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Not surpringly, I started out my Turkey Day with exercise. Mike and I participated in the Father Joe’s Thanksgiving 5k which took place in Balboa Park. We ran the race with a few of his coworkers and in the spirit of the holiday, we purchased festive turkey inspired socks to wear during the race. I treated this race as a “fun run” and it definitely was!

Turkey Trotting!

My First 5k

The last official 5k that I participated in was actually my first. In 2008 I signed up for the Carlsbad Half Marathon which took place in January of 2009. My Hal Higdon beginner half marathon plan suggested that I participate in a 5k to get used to the feeling of racing, so I signed up for the Temecula Turkey Trot, which took place near my grandma’s house where I usually spend Thanksgiving weekend. I had only recently started running and 3.1 miles was a pretty big accomplishment to me at the time. I crossed the finish line in 30:08, which is a 9:41 pace. I remember my mom telling me after I came across the finish line that “lots of old people were ahead of me.”

5K Rematch!

Ready to Run!

Despite knowing that I’d be running this race on tired, unrested legs, I knew that it would be a big PR for me. I decided to aim for time under 23 minutes for this race, since my 5k at the end of the Solana Beach Triathlon was 23:30. I didn’t really have a race strategy – just run hard. 

The race itself was well organized. We arrived at the start like about 10 minutes ahead of the gun and made our way to near the front of the designated “runner” section. A large majority of participants in the Father Joe’s Thanksgiving Run walk or walk/run the race, so they have designated two start groups. The race is chip timed but if you were to start with the walkers, it’d be hard to run around all of them to get up to the front.

Despite finding a good place near the front, the beginning was slow moving. It was hard to dodge people and I got body checked by a big dude who was in a hurry to get around me. The course was pretty hilly – it was pretty much either uphill or downhill the entire time so I tried to use the downhills to my advantage and keep a good pace going uphill.  My Garmin let me know that I ran the first mile at a 7:30 pace, which was a little slower than I had hoped, considering it was mostly downhill. At about mile 2 I ran past a 10 year old girl who had been keeping a pretty good clip. I also clocked Mile 2 at just over 8 min/mile, which was definitely not as fast as I had hoped. My legs just didn’t want to move faster! I could feel the heaviness in my legs left from several days without rest, including three days of Insanity, a long bike ride, a 13 mile run and a interval run workout.

I picked it up for the last mile, finishing it at about 7:20. I knew that I hadn’t achieved my goal of sub-23, but I was proud of myself to running a 5k under 24 minutes. Last year when I trained for my 2nd half marathon, I remember setting the goal of a sub 8 min/mile for a 5k. I achieved that goal with a final time of 23:55, a  7:43 pace. I came in 19th in my age group out of 258.

Win-Win Situation

The best part of the day was knowing that a part of my registration fee was going to help feed the hungry. Father Joe’s is a great organization and one that I have been involved with in the past. They feed the homeless 364 days a year – every day except Thanksgiving, due to the fact that all the other not for profits decide to feed them that day. The only day that they aren’t serving food, they are raising money by organizing a time-consuming 5k. I hope that I will have more opportunities to help this organization in the future.

As for the sub 23….I’ll blow it out of the water next year!

Using the Garmin to Run Intervals

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Yesterday I decided to do my weekly Yasso 800 workout outdoors instead of on the treadmill. I didn’t realize what a mental battle it would be to do this workout outdoors! Typically I do this workout on the treadmill because I don’t have a lit running track nearby and that is the easiest way to perform this speed workout. On the treadmill, I set the incline to 1% and then do a warm-up (5-10 min) then kick up the speed for a 1/2 mile and then back it down. Although the intervals are difficult, mentally they are easy because I tend to zone out and just concentrate on keeping up with the moving belt below me.

Yasso 800s with the Garmin

I set out on tired legs yesterday for my 6 1/2 mile intervals. I finally decided to try the “interval” setting on my Garmin watch for the first time and was pleased to find that it worked perfectly. I just had to plug in the following data into the Garmin, hit start and go:

  • Type: Distance (time is another option)
  • Duration: 0.50 miles
  • Rest Type: Distance (time is another option)
  • Rest Duration: 0.25 miles
  • Reps: 6
  • Warm-up? Yes
  • Cool-down? Yes

After a brief stretch, I headed south for my normal coastal run. Since I had programmed the watch for warm-up, I assumed that when I was finished with my warm-up, I’d hit the lap button. I was right. After 1 mile, I hit the bottom right button of my watch and it immediately beeped and told me to start Interval 1. My normal coastal route has a bit of a downhill incline on the way out and an incline on the way back. If I could chose, I’d reverse it, but it is what it is. It probably builds some mental strength to save the hills for last.

Honestly I wasn’t feeling this workout after having two long days over the weekend and a double workout day that ended with an intense round of Insanity the night before. I told myself to try the first interval and if I was feeling completely wasted, then I could skip it and change it to a easy jog. Little did I know, the wind was in my favor and combined with the net decline, the first interval didn’t feel so bad. My goal was a 3:50 split, which is a 7:40 min/mile pace. The only bad thing about the Garmin’s interval setting is that it doesn’t show you your average pace for the interval. I had to keep looking down to figure out what pace I was at. I ended up doing the first interval at a 7:30 average pace.

The Garmin beeped loudly, announcing that I deserved my 1/4 mile recovery jog. I gladly took it, averaging a 9:35 min/mile. It was over quickly and I was back on it for the 2nd interval, finishing it at a 7:18 min/mile. The next 1/4 recovery was a quick one – 8:43 pace – due to a nice hill that I ran down. The third Yasso was right on target – 7:39 pace. As soon as I finished this interval, it was time to turn around.

I turned around straight into some hardcore wind. Immediately my attitude shifted from positive to negative. I wasn’t feeling so great after the first 3 miles and now I had to do 3 more tough intervals uphill and into this wind!? I nearly gave up. I walked for a bit during the next rest period and then gave myself a compromise. Do the next interval hard, but don’t worry about pace. I figured this interval would most likely be slower than my 7:40 target, but I also figured it was better than nothing. This also happened to be the most hilly part of the route.

Intervals Outdoors = Physical AND Mental Workout

This is where I decided that running intervals outdoors is WAY harder than on the treadmill. Despite a stunning sunset over the Pacific Ocean to my left, all I could do was curse myself for deciding to leave behind my nice steady treadmill which leaves out the mental aspect of intervals. Instead, I played a game with myself where I kept looking at my watch, cursing the hill and the wind, trying to speed up, slowing down when I got distracted, and ultimately pulling out a 8:08 min/mile pace. I walked for a bit between this interval and the next, which ended up also being a 8:08 and finally got it together for the last interval, hitting a 7:49 min/mile average. It was fairly disheartening given that the previous week I had busted out my 6 Yassos on the treadmill with enough energy to sprint the final quarter mile of the last interval. I also kept my recovery jogs between 9 -9:30 min/miles.

All in all, my average pace on the intervals was 7:45 and my average for the full 6 miles, including warm-up and cool-down was 8:56. Compare this to last week where my average overall pace was 8:15 and each interval was exactly on pace (or faster). I know that I felt more fatigued this time, but I also think that my decrease in performance had a lot to do with being outdoors. It is mentally tough to maintain a pace that is uncomfortable and I think that doing my intervals outdoors is a good “mental workout.” Not to mention the wind and hills added some distractions and difficulty. During the marathon I won’t have a treadmill underneath me to make sure that I stick to my desired race pace. Rather, I’ll have to stay focused and monitor it myself.

Mental Slacking at Rock n Roll Marathon

My time goal at my first marathon, the San Diego Rock n Roll marathon, was to break 4 hours. This was actually my B goal, as my A goal was to finish the race. Well, I did finish and achieve my primary goal, coming across the finish line in 4 hours and 2 minutes. In retrospect, I think that some concentration on my pace earlier in the race could have made the difference between 3:59:59 and 4:02:00. By the time I realized that we were 2 minutes away from our goal, we were too tired and mentally exhausted to push through and increase our pace by 1 min/mile to reach it. However, I think if those 120 seconds had been spread out throughout the previous 23 miles, we probably wouldn’t have felt much different.

My A goal for the Surf City Marathon is to break 4 hours. My B goal is to hit 3:50:00, which is why I am performing my 800 meter intervals in 3 minute 50 seconds. My run yesterday provided me with a valuable lesson in pacing and mental toughness. Now if only I can convince myself to do my next set of Yassos outdoors….

Where do you do your speed-work? Do you workout with a group or on your own? Do you head to the treadmill, track or the street?

Girls on the Run is So Much Fun!

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Girls on the Run Encinitas Getting Goofy!

In September I began coaching the Encinitas  chapter of Girls on the Run, an organization aimed at increasing the self-esteem and self-awareness of 8-10  year old girls as they train for a 5k (my first blog post on the program is here). We are now officially in the home stretch, with the 5K scheduled for just three weeks from yesterday, on December 11.

Our Awesome Little Group

Although our chapter is small, with only 7 girls, we are a energetic bunch. There are three girls that go to school together, two of which are self-professed best friends and the other is the younger sister of one of the attached-at-the-hip-duo.  They share inside jokes and have an abundance of energy. The remaining four girls all attend different schools and are each awesome in their own way. Baraket, a tall and thin 8 year old high-achiever, always has her hand up to answer questions and is the first to volunteer to help put out the cones or clean up. She’s also the fastest of the bunch, running 3 miles instead of 2 during one practice (and gets bonus points for knowing what a triathlon is!). Miley and Ella are quiet, yet always helpful and well-behaved. Miley was excited to find out that we both went to the Taylor Swift concert (I do have something in common with 8 year olds!). Sophia loves to participate in discussions but sometimes doesn’t want to run because she has soccer practice afterward.

Learning Valuable Lessons

The workouts and lessons are divided into three sections: Learning to love and accept ourselves, learning to accept and respect others, and learning to give back to the community. Some of the lessons in the first section included the importance of keeping promises, taking care of your physical health, why expressing emotions is healthy, why it’s important to be thankful, and why we have values. The second section had lessons on teamwork, cooperation, listening skills, gossiping, being a good sport and standing up for yourself. The final portion of the program includes lessons on what a community is, why it’s important to give back, and finishes with a group community service project, designed by the girls themselves. Each practice includes an introduction, a warm-up and the main workout, all of which incorporate the lesson into the activity.

Running!

As a child who hated to run myself, I am SO impressed with these girls as they keep up a good attitude and run each week.  During most practices they run 1-1.5 miles and at least once they ran 2 miles. This doesn’t include the warm-up which typically includes some form of running or other physical activity. Next Tuesday will be running 3.1 miles as part of a practice 5k. Although the youngest of the bunch has a hard time keeping up with the rest of the girls, they work as a team to get in their miles. Since we meet in a small park, each of their laps is barely a tenth of a mile, but I think that this works well for their age group (our group is on the younger side with mostly 8 year olds) since they get the validation of receiving a lap marker so often (usually we use beads as lap counters but sometimes we use stickers or they have to cross of a letter of a phrase, etc).

Each week I am so proud of their effort and enthusiasm. At the end of each practice we award one to three of the girls for their effort by giving them a “spirit award.” The girl being awarded stands in the middle of the circle and we do a cheer for her. I love this tradition as it builds self-esteem and also reiterates the message that good behavior and cooperation will be rewarded.

Learning Lessons Myself

Encinitas Girls Being Sweet

I feel incredibly lucky to be part of this amazing organization. Not only have I enjoyed watching the girls learn, I’ve learned myself. Prior to joining, I didn’t have much experience with young children, and I wasn’t sure how I would handle it. I’ve learned that girls this age have a bundle of energy, they have VERY short attention spans (is that a cat!? look at that man playing karate! look at that boy playing with the remote control toy!), and they still think that I’m pretty cool. During one of the earlier lessons I said something about sharing your toys and had to second guess myself whether or not 8-10 year olds pay with toys! With the digital age rapidly accelerating the transition from child to young adult, I really wasn’t certain what 8-1o year old even DO in their spare time. But getting to know these girls, I have been reassured that they do still play with toys, they still are fascinated by things such as a fish in the pond at the park, and they are eager to learn and make new friends. They also LOVE to eat – we have to restrain them from devouring the entire season’s worth of snacks each practice.

I am very much looking forward to the 5k on December 11. I will be participating at a Runny Buddy and will be running side by side with one of the girls from my team as she runs her first running race. As a girl that could barely run the mile in junior high PE, I am amazed by these girls and I can’t wait to celebrate in their accomplishment.

If you’d to join us on December 11 for a 5k in downtown San Diego, you can sign up here: http://gotrsd.org/events/our-5k/

The 5 Foods I Won’t Leave the Grocery Store Without

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I read a tweet that a friend of mine responded to recently that said “What are the 5 items you don’t leave the grocery store without? It made me think about how the 5 items I most frequently eat now have changed so much from the 5 items I ate 5 years ago and even more so from the 5 items I ate most 10 years ago.

My Top 5 Grocery Store Items Today (usually organic):
  1. Avocados
  2. Onions
  3. Turkey breast (no preservatives – whole breast from Costco)
  4. Eggs
  5. Bananas
  6. Runners Up: Lettuce/Spinach, almond milk, whole-wheat bread, natural peanut butter, Coach’s Oats, red peppers (both fresh for salads and cooking and the jarred roasted variety for sandwiches), chicken, mushrooms, tomato, fruit (all kinds), Fage 0% Greek yogurt, goat cheese, almonds, whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, black beans, whole wheat or corn tortillas, salsa, tuna, salad dressing,  fresh veggies for steaming (broccoli or asparagus most often), and a Toberlone chocolate bar.
That pretty much sums up 90% of what I eat from home and use to make myself lunch every day. We make a Costco run every other week for the big items and I make a trip to Trader Joe’s every week to stock up on everything else. In general, we save splurging and meals considered “unhealthy” for when we dine out since it’s usually difficult to make a meal out both healthy and delicious. We try to eat out only 1-2 nights a week and have lunch out just one time each weekend and rarely during the week. My Toblerone bar purchase is how I satisfy my sweet tooth. I usually have 1-3 pieces which satisfies my sweet tooth in only 42.5 calories per piece.
My Grocery List 5 Years ago

I Was a Diet Coke Addict!

5 years ago I was 22 years old and still a college student. I was careful about watching my weight and I thought that I ate healthy. I usually sabotaged any healthful attempts during the week by eating greasy food and drinking every weekend, oftentimes ending the night with a big burrito or a couple slices of pizza. I tried to balance out my weekend drink and food binges with healthy eating during the week but at the time I thought healthy just meant low calorie or low fat, and I didnt pay attention to labels or care a thing about eating organic, whole foods. My top 5:
  1. Sourdough bread & sliced deli turkey (i.e. nitrate and sodium filled mix of meat and soy)
  2. Diet Coke (empty calories that will make me hungry later)
  3. Lean Cuisines (unsatisfying salt bomb)
  4. 100 calorie pack cookies or granola bars (corn syrup and artificial sweeteners)
  5. Yoplait non-fat yogurt (artificial sweeteners)

Although most of the items I ate throughout the week were low calorie (a typical day would consist of non-fat flavored yogurt with a banana for breakfast, a turkey breast sandwich with fruit and a 100 calorie pack of cookies for lunch, a sugar free vanilla latte for a snack, and a Lean Cuisine for dinner, Weight Watchers bar for dessert), most things I ate were processed. I was afraid of fat and tried to eat as little as possible. I ate an abundance of artificial sweeteners in my food and I was drinking 2-4 diet sodas a day. Additionally, my canned soups and Lean Cuisines were packing tons of salt and in the end weren’t satisfying. I’d often eat a Lean Cuisine for dinner and then dig into my Baked Lays stash for a snack while I watched TV with my roommates.

Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners lead to binges later on. The mind tastes the sweetness but doesn’t get the calories it expects and instead makes you crave carbohydrates and sweets later on. I definitely believe that this was a big reason for my weekend splurges, not to mention that I’d restrict my calorie intake  during the week so much that by Friday there was no way I was saying no to a late night burrito (especially if all I ate for dinner was a meager Lean Cuisine).

My Grocery List 10 Years Ago

At least my 22 year old self was eating healthy five days a week. My 17 year old self rarely touched a vegetable or fruit. My grocery list (purchased by my mom, not me) back then was more like this:

  1. Rootbeer or Diet Coke
  2. Bread & butter
  3. Sugary cereal and 2% milk
  4. Plain noodles and tomato sauce
  5. Deli turkey and white bread
It was hard for me to even remember what I ate at home when I was 17 but the above was the things I remember most. I wouldn’t touch vegetables except for corn on the cob, which I wouldn’t even consider a vegetable anymore. The funny thing about looking back at my diet is that two things have remained the same: my love of turkey sandwiches and my love of sweets. My turkey sandwiches have evolved from white bread and mayo(absolutely no vegetables) to wheat bread and avocado and my love of frozen yogurt is unwavering (I eat a mini now instead of a medium with topping).
My diet has changed so dramatically in the last 10 years and even in the last year. Instead of tricking my taste buds with diet sodas and sweet yogurt and avoiding fat like the plague, I eat minimally processed foods and fill up on healthy fats like almonds and my favorite, avocados. When I want something sweet, I don’t hesitate to indulge in 100 calories worth of real chocolate – it is certainly more satisfying than my meager 100 calorie packs.
I hope that keeping up with my newfound habits can make up for the damage I did to my body and metabolism for so many years of unhealthful eating. At least one thing has been consistent for the last 14 years since I got my 24 Hour Fitness gym membership at age 13 – fitness! Although I’ve never been as dedicated as I am now, I played sports in high school and have been a regular gym goer since I got my first gym pass. Fitness will always be part of my life. If it weren’t, I’d have to lock down my nutrition a bit more, but for now, I’m lucky enough to indulge in the occasional pizza or cupcake and pretend that “calories don’t count” on all major holidays, my birthday and all vacations.
What items do you never leave the grocery store without? How have your food choices changed over your life?

Putting Together an Ironman Training Plan

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As of December 1, I will be just 4 months away from my very first Half Ironman, and just under 7 months away from my first Ironman. We’ve decided to officially start Ironman training the week after we complete Insanity – December 5, which is also 16 weeks away Oceanside and also the number of weeks in many of the Half Ironman Training Plans we’ve come across. However, which plan to use is still up for debate.

Where to Start?

Whether or not to use just one online training plan with specified daily workouts was debated for a while. Since I plan to use some of the TCSD group workouts as well as my Sufferfest cycling DVDs in my training, I ultimately think that I won’t use a pre-designed schedule which outlines exactly what kind of workout to do each day. For example, a set schedule may say swim Monday morning and outline specified intervals and drills and then instruct you to do a 60 minute bike ride that evening at 65% of your max heart rate. Since I plan to use my TriClub master’s swims at least once a week, I’m going to arrange my swims around that schedule. And since Sufferfest has its own interval workouts, I will use that instead of following a specified workout.

The part that I need guidance on is how much volume to complete each week, how long my long rides and runs should be, and when to rest. I found a useful plan on Trifuel.com that comes with a general weekly outline of the workouts within the plan. Here’s what most weeks in their plan look like:

The typical training week for all programs is as follows, in the suggested order, with the most significant daily session in bold.

  • Monday:
Swim – moderate intensity & duration
Bike – low intensity & duration
  • Tuesday:
Bike – moderate-to-high intensity, moderate duration
Run – moderate intensity, lower duration
  • Wednesday:
Swim – moderate-to-high intensity, moderate duration
Bike – moderate intensity, low-to-moderate duration
  • Thursday:
Swim – low intensity, long duration
Run – high intensity, moderate duration
  • Friday:
Complete recovery day
  • Saturday:
Bike – longest duration, moderate-to-high intensity
Run – moderate intensity & low-to-medium duration
  • Sunday:
Run – longest duration, lowest intensity
Bike – short duration, low intensity

I think this will be a great guideline for building my training plan. It is useful in that it instructs which day of the week is best to rest (left to my own devices I may not schedule any rest at all!) and which workouts should be the focus of the day. I can schedule my group Master’s swims for days that require medium or high intensity swims and do the easy and long distance swims on my own or with TriClub in the open water. I can add in  my Sufferfest cycling workouts to the cycling days that call for moderate or high intensity workouts (Sufferfest has workouts that vary in intensity and duration so this will help) and on the days that call for recovery cycling workouts, I can just get on my trainer in front of the TV and catch up on Biggest Loser. I can join in on a track workout or do my Yasso 800s on the high intensity run day and do a nice jog down the coast on the easy run days.

After I’ve figured out my weekly schedule, I can use online plans to fill in the distances and durations. Most schedules that I’ve seen include 3-4 weeks of building followed by 1 week of recovery. Usually, the frequency of workouts doesn’t change much but the intensity and duration does. Another important tweak I’ll have to make is that in December and January we will be training for both a Half Ironman and a marathon so we’ll also need to modify our long weekend runs to incorporate more miles.

Time vs. Miles

Ironman Training Hours

An Example of Ironman Training Volume

Every training plan I have used for a running race has been ruled by miles. Run 5 miles on Monday, 6 on Tuesday, 10 on Thursday and 18 on Saturday. Yet, most Ironman training plans I’ve seen are in minutes. Swim 45 minutes. Bike 60 minutes. Run 120 minutes. Personally, I prefer miles. What one person can accomplish in two hours is pretty different than what another can accomplish in that same time. For example, someone who can run a 6 minute mile will pump out 20 miles in 120 minutes whereas someone who runs 10 minute miles will only accomplish 12. Since the end goal is to run 26.2 miles, it doesn’t seem logical that one person should be only running 12 and the other 20.

This point is especially relevant when it comes to cycling. Due to stop lights, bathroom breaks and the like, time on the bike doesn’t always equal miles ridden. Many of the Half Ironman plans I’ve seen only call for up to a 4 hour bike ride. Based on my experience riding for 4 hours, it’s likely I will get in only 45-50 miles in that time, which means I will never get in a ride as far as the 56 miler that I will do on (Half Ironman) race day. Completing a distance for the first time on race day is ok for running races – most beginner marathons plans include just one 20 mile run and none instruct you to actually run 26.2 miles - but when it comes to triathlons, it’s different. You want to ride at least the distance you will be asked of on race day becuase immediately following that ride, you will also be asked to run a half or full marathon!

According to an article I found on Ironman.com, riding 100 or 112 miles before the full Ironman isn’t essential to being capable of physically finishing the race, but it’s oftentimes a good mental boost. Pro Coach Lindsay Hayman advises, “If you can carve out the time for this ride, it’s a good idea. But understand  that its benefit if more psychological than physical; if you can’t get this ride  in, it doesn’t mean you’re going to have a terrible bike leg at Ironman.” I plan to ride at least 100 miles before the race, even though many plans I’ve seen specify to only ride 6 hours before race day. Since I can’t possibly ride 100 miles in that time, it’ll take me longer but at least I will mentally know I did it!

Despite my need to get in a 100 mile ride prior to Ironman, I’ve done plenty of research that indicates I should not do a training run over 3 hours prior to race day. Coach Lindsay also recommends that the longest run prior to the Ironman should be a run that is 45-60 minutes shorter than your full distance marathon time. For example, my marathon time is 4:02 so I should not let my longest run pre-Ironman get any longer than 3 hours and 17 minutes. Since we are planning to complete a full marathon in early February, I will be confident that a 3 hour run will be adequate preparation during peak Ironman training.

Ensuring I Cross the Finish Line 

Only Way to Get Here is to PLAN!

There’s so much to think about! I plan to meet with my training buddies Asia, Jeremy and Mike to set up a plan in the next couple of weeks. I do well with a set routine and once I put a plan in place, I will religiously follow it. I know that making my own plan will probably add a little bit of fear in my mind that I didn’t train enough or right, but I just have to trust in the work I put in and know that as long as I’m hitting my mileage, eating right, focusing on my long ride and long run nutrition, resting enough, that I’ll survive race day. If I could afford to have a coach construct a plan for me and give me day by day workouts, I’d probably do it. But since that isn’t an option, I’m going my own route. I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last!

Have you ever made your own training plan? What are your thoughts on my strategy? Help wanted!

I Will Beat My Ass Today to Kick Yours Tomorrow

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When we originally purchased our trainers we knew that we wanted to use cycling workout DVDs to get the best workout possible while training. We had heard of the DVDs Spinervals and we received a free Spinervals workout with our purchase of our Kinetic Trainer. We used the free DVD to do our first workout and as usual, I tweeted out that we had done it. The amazingly quick marketing team at The Sufferfest immediately tweeted me back and suggested that I check out their cycling workouts.

Once I clicked on their link to the website, they had me at Hello. Not only did I love their motto “I will beat my ass today to kick yours tomorrow,” I loved their price point – $11.99 per video. Compared to Spinervals $29.99 price point, these videos seemed practically free. Upon further research we discovered that  rather than watching a bunch of nerdy cyclists spin on trainers, we would get to watch actual cycling race footage from some of the most famous races in the world.

There are 8 cycling video downloads available and each has its own personality and its own pain provoking name. From Revolver, the 45 minute super intense workout characterized by 1 minute intervals, to Local Hero, the 85 minute workout that starts with 3 x 6 minute pyramid intervals, moves on to 6 x 3 minute tempo laps and finishes with 4 x 2 minute sprints, there is a workout for every goal.

Although we downloaded the package deal and we have access to all videos, we’ve only had the chance to try three so far: Fight Club, A Very Dark Place and Local Hero. Each was epic in it’s own right. Local Hero left Mike with a puddle of sweat under his bike that you could have found in the street after a night of rain. Fight Club is probably the most intense of the three – characterized by 5 x 6:30 intervals with lots of surprise attacks that require you to push yourself to the max. My legs were toast after this workout.

Each video is set to music, from rock to techno to indie to electronic so you can jam out while you fight Cancellara or Gilbert to the finish.  There is no corny host encouraging you through the workout – instead there are just big bold words across the screen that both taunt and encourage you (a citizen of the land Sufferlandia) to suffer as much as possible. The words on the screen are often witty and humourous but always command you to suffer and remind you that pain today will pay off tomorrow.

The intervals are set on a scale of 1-10, with most rest periods being at a 3/10 and most intervals somewhere between 6/10 to 10/10 depending on the video. The intensity is always posted in the bottom right hand corner of the screen along with the required cadence. Most sprints are done at 90-100 rpms and hills are conducted at 75-80 rpms.

Luckily we have our bike computers that tell us our watts and cadence so these workouts are even more effective because we can track how hard we are pushing it each time. I’ve been recording my average and max watts for each workout so that I can compare them. I’m sure that come June when we are about to do the Ironman we will see some pretty dramatic increases in power output.

I’ve always liked spin classes and now I can get an incredible workout on my own bike in my own living room thanks to The Sufferfest. I am sure that these workouts are going to be 100% more effective than my hour-long rides down the coast where I’d aimlessly increase or decrease my effort levels and stop for stop lights every few minutes. As I mentioned in my post about the benefits of indoor cycling, an intense indoor session can be as effective as 1.5-2 hours of outdoor cycling. I have no doubt that The Sufferfest is going to make me a much better cyclist!

p.s. The Sufferfest did NOT pay me to write this. I just think they are awesome!

Time to Dig Deeper!

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This week began the final four weeks of Insanity, a phase called “Dig Deeper.” We just came off of a week of “recovery” (I didn’t have time to post a blog about Insanity’s recovery week  which consists of just one workout that focuses on core moves and is less intense) as well as a 3 day vacation so I was ready to rock this second phase. The second phase introduces 4 new workouts which are longer and more intense – Max Interval Plyo, Max Cardio Conditioning, Max Interval Circuit and Max Recovery. The repeated use of “Max” in the title wasn’t random – although I have yet to try the Max Recovery workout, the other three each had me reach the point of nausea at times due to their intensity.

Rather than do a review of each workout, I’ll just summarize some of the key workouts and the difference between these workouts and the first phase. First, the warm-up is structured differently. The first two segments of the warm-up consist of 30 second intervals of various moves (mostly different from the first phase which I was thankful for since I was getting sick of the same moves) and the last warm-up segment consists of only 15 second moves that are supposed to be performed more intensely. The workouts are longer (55, 60 or 45 minutes each) yet they are more intense so it’s even harder to finish all the moves. Many of the moves are new and some are pretty complicated. Shaun T takes the time to explain each move beforehand however, which helps not only with form but gives you a few seconds to catch your breath. Most of the moves engaged the entire body and it has a very strong core emphasis.

The “Mother” of Insanity Workouts

I felt that Insanity Max Interval Plyo was the hardest of the three workouts. We did this one on Tuesday after 3 solid days of rest and it literally kicked my ass. My entire body was sore for DAYS. There was a strong emphasis on upper body although of course you can’t help but work your lower body with all the squats, lunges and jumps. My chest, butt, thighs, triceps and back were particularly sore after this workout. It felt like we were doing as many push-ups as we do in a session of P90X Chest and Back yet combined with all the moves in P90X Plyo and some P90X Core Synergistics thrown in. I told Mike after the workout that it may have been one of the hardest workouts of my life and I wasn’t kidding! To steal from Tony Horton, Insanity Max Interval Plyo is the “mother of all workouts.”

Results Thus Far

Since I’m trying to juggle Insanity with triathlon pre-season training and marathon training, I am focusing on getting at least the three main workouts in each week. This week we skipped the scheduled Fit Test because we weren’t home from our trip until past 7 on Monday when it was scheduled. I plan to take it again at the end of the program but probably not again.

As for physical results, I’m thrilled to say that I’ve lost 6 pounds on Insanity! I now officially weigh less than the day I recorded my final P90X results (and I never weighed that little before that day – I was 2 lbs heavier just a few days later due to  our last day falling on Easter). I couldn’t be more surprised considering the three-day food fest I partook in during my trip to Austin (not to mention a Halloween dessert overload). I’m starting to think a few days rest and eating a little more food than usual was actually what my metabolism needed to kick into high gear.

The main reasons that Mike and I decided to try Insanity before we started Ironman training were to strengthen our cores, reduce our body fat percentages (lower is better to go faster at triathlon), and avoid boredom. All three of these goals have been accomplished already in just five and a half weeks of the program. I look forward to getting my butt kicked by Shaun T for the next three weeks before we officially start Ironman training!

Fueled Up & Ready for Action!

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Wedding Austin Style!

This past weekend I spent 3 glorious days in the state of Texas. Mike, Asia, Jeremy (my fellow future CDA Ironmen) and I were in town for our friends Jenny and Brett’s wedding and we decided to make a mini-vacay out of it. When searching for things to do in Austin, the two main attractions seemed to be 1) Live Music and 2) Food. We ended up making #2 the main focus of our trip.

Mike & I Split This!

In general, I eat pretty healthy. I try to eat organic, I stick to lean meats, I try to limit big, fatty meals, and I the USDA would be happy with my consumption of fruits and veggies. However, I have a motto that when I’m on vacation (or a holiday….) “calories don’t count.” I have to give myself a break from my healthy eating once in a while – this not only allows me to not feel deprived, but it usually reminds me that I feel MUCH better when I fill my body with nutritious foods.

Torchy's Tacos - Amazing Tex Mex!

Before we left for Austin, we got several recommendations on where to eat. We ended up starting with a BBQ lunch, dining on a BBQ/Tex-Mex fusion at the wedding, continuing on with a post-wedding breakfast buffet on Sunday morning, street cart snacks (fried chicken and fried avocado in a pita cone = heaven), Tex-Mex (chips and queso - yes please!) for dinner, and more Tex Mex for brunch Monday. Oh yeah and two doses of Amy’s Ice Cream which resembles Cold Stone. Oh yeah…and lots of beer!

Fried Chicken + Fried Avocado in a Pita = Yum!

Needless to say Tony Horton and Shaun T would not be happy with me. However, as a confessed workout-a-holic, this vacay was exactly what I needed. Three whole days off of working out (last time this happened was when I got a cold before the marathon) and lots of delicious food is a perfect way to start a new phase of Insanity. Also, eating all that food and drinking all that beer reminded me why I don’t do it all the time – it doesn’t make me feel good. 

Now I’m one day into my old routine of nutricious meals and sweat-filled workouts and I’m already feeling 100% better. We started the second phase of Insanity today and Insanity Max Interval Plyo is one of the most intense workouts I’ve ever done. Not kidding. It kicked my butt!

I’m excited to get back to training! Only 4 more weeks until Official Ironman Training Begins. Then I’ll be wishing I could go back to my crazy Insanity workouts….

Networking with Ironmen

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As a member of the San Diego Triathlon Club, I am very lucky to be invited to 10-20 events per week. The triathlon club puts on group swims (pool and ocean), group bike rides, and group runs each week at various locations all over San Diego county.  Additionally, they host free races including the monthly summer aquathons, the beginner triathlons and the club triathlons. If that’s not enough, the club hosts beginner information clinics, beginner cycling clinics, club meetings (with an amazing raffle), happy hours and networking events.

Long Course Networking Dinner

Although we take advantage of several of the offerings of the triathlon club, we can never make it to all the events. There have been several networking events that I have wanted to attend but due to scheduling conflicts it never happened. Luckily, this past Sunday the starts aligned and I was able to attend a “Long Course” networking event. The event description was:

“This is a great opportunity to get together and revisit your accomplishments
of the current season and start getting ideas for the coming season, find
some training partners, and get some new ideas.

If you’re doing, or contemplating and Ironman or long course event, this is
a great opportunity to meet others that have raced and will be racing, and
find some new races.

There will be first timers, people just considering doing a long course
race, and seasoned veterans, all anxious to share their experiences.”

Since I LOVE reading blogs about people who have swam/biked/ran the arduous 70.3 or 140.6 miles, I knew this was an event I’d enjoy. I rallied up my training buddies Mike, Jeremy and Asia and we set out to dinner at a “healthy” and vegetarian Mexican restaurant in North Park called Ranchos Cocina.

When we arrived (right on time for once), we discovered that everyone else was as early as us and we ended up at the end of a row of tables. There were about 10 people there. Luckily Asia was able to get herself at a table with three women but Mike, Jeremy and I ended up at a table alone. So much for networking! Asia got straight to talking to the three women at her table about Ironman and I tried to get in the conversation when I could. One of the women had done several 70.3s and she talked about very long sessions on her indoor trainer during the winter months. Unfortunately, none of the women had done a full Ironman but a couple of them were signed up for Oceanside. Eventually I gave up on trying to lean over their shoulders and just talked to Mike and Jeremy while I ate my “healthy” burrito.

Finally….An Ironman to Drill!

After we had finished our meals, the organizer of the happy hour, a very fit looking guy named Liam who was wearing a jersey from a local bike shop, came over and introduced himself. After discovering that he had completed several full and half Ironman races and telling him that we were signed up for Oceanside and Couer D’Alene, I proceeded to drill him with questions such as (summary of his response in italics):

  • Have you raced Couer D’Alene? Do you know anyone who has? I haven’t raced it but I’ve heard it’s beautiful. Definitely practice your bike rides on hills! It is a very hilly course.
  • Do you recommend separating your long run and long bike by at least 2 days (ie do long run on a weekday rather than the typical Sunday)? Yes – I highly recommend doing a long run during the week instead and taking Sunday to do a light swim and easy run or easy bike. Or, take the whole day off and relax.
  • Do you take a rest day every week? Not every week but it’s important to get rest days in. It’s important to listen to your body and don’t be afraid to slightly change your workout routine if you are feeling tired one day. If you aren’t going to do your “hard” workout hard, then switch and do it easy and do your hard day another day that week. Don’t feel pressured to stick exactly to the schedule.
  • Many training plans have bike rides in minutes, but since I’m a slower biker, should I go longer to make sure I get enough miles in before the race? (ie the most my plan calls for is a 6 hour ride but I can’t realistically get 100 miles in during that time including stop lights).  Yes, it’s ok to go a little longer if necessary to get up to your bike mileage.
  • Any other advice? Trust the plan. You will be prepared on race day if you follow the plan (although you can switch around days like he said above) so trust in it. Trust in your training and don’t go overboard just because you think it will make you more prepared. Remember to rest, sleep a lot and eat healthy too.

Although I kind of already knew most of the things that Liam told us, it was nice to hear it from another person. My boyfriend Mike has already done an Ironman and I always ask him questions but then I will go and research it myself or ask someone else. I just like to have multiple opinions!

Key Takeaway: REST!

The main thing I took from this networking event is that I need to put more importance on rest. If I’m bad at one thing, it’s resting. Up until 2 years ago, I was a 3-4 day a week workout gal. Now, I’m a 6-7 day a week workout fanatic, often with a couple double days in there. I sincerely enjoy working out, but there are times that I don’t want to and I force myself to do it anyway. I need to listen to my body more and realize that taking a day of rest isn’t going to set me back at a race or make me blow up and gain 10 pounds over night. If anything, my body will thank me and make my next workout even better. I plan to track my Ironman workouts and make a note of how I felt each time. If I ever have 2-3 bad workouts in a row, it’s time for a break. I used this principle during marathon training and it worked well. I noticed at one point that I was getting run down and I took some time off and felt much better.

This morning I had planned a spinning session with Mike but when my alarm went off and I told him I wasn’t getting up and slept for another hour and twenty minutes. A step in the right direction!