I’ve come to the conclusion that the Boston Marathon bears a similarity to Thanksgiving dinner: lots of preparation and anticipation – and then it’s over in a flash, and life gets back to normal.
With less than 13 weeks to go until Ironman Lake Placid, normal can only mean one thing: swimming, eating, biking, eating, and running, followed by eating and sleeping, which is then followed by swimming, eating, biking, eating, and running. But, the formula is not as easy as all that since recovery from a marathon is just as important (more important?) as preparation for a marathon.
So, what to do?
I’m self-coached, and for the most part, that suits me just fine. But sometimes, I find myself in a situation that is unfamiliar, and I’m not sure what the next step should be in tweaking the training plan. Like right now.
Going into Boston, I had to make judgments about how to tweak the running part of my training plan. Now, I have to make judgments about recovery. For at least a few weeks, I feel confident in saying my running will be limited, and I’m staying away from speedwork.
But, what about cycling?
Cycling is definitely my key limiter. If there was any doubt about that, the folks at CompuTrainer settled it when they named me the “2011 Desperate Athlete.” Pretty sure you don’t win that honor unless you are mediocre at best. 😉
My success this year depends upon improvements on the bike. And, success on the bike depends upon riding my bike as much as possible and in as many different ways as possible. The CompuTrainer has been helpful in this regard. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve been able to “ride” hilly courses to prepare for the hills I’ll be racing at Quassy and Lake Placid. I’ve also introduced interval workouts that I’ve found in the PIG program, as well as other interval workouts that I’ve learned from others or research.
Last week, the decisions were pretty easy, and John offered good advice: “Just put in the time on the bike, but not too hard of an effort. Keep it light, but keep moving.” This strategy forced me into the small chainring, pushing about 60% of my FTP (functional threshold power).
But this week was a little more tricky.
When would I be able to get back to normal on the bike?
I have found that one of the most important things to do when you are self-coached is to ask questions of those who have more (or different) experience and knowledge.
So, on Wednesday, I asked the oracle – otherwise known as Twitter–the following: “9 days since boston. do i need one more recovery bike ride, or is it probably okay to introduce some hills (on computrainer)? Suggestions?”
Within moments, two experienced and accomplished triathletes that I trust for their advice (@felog and @alexgonzalezmi) responded. (If you aren’t following these guys on twitter, you should!)
Alex suggested: “Try the hills, you might surprise yourself. You can always back it down in a CT and start something easier if you need to.”
Felog (a.k.a. Vince, website at http://www.felog.net) gave the go ahead as well: “Get back to normal. If you feel flooded with fatigue in a few days, you’ll know you need more recovery.”
For right now, “normal” means back to regular swim workouts and bike workouts. I’m very hesitant to return to normacly with my run training, especially speedwork, as my right leg is chronically cranky, and needs more recovery time. Vince backed me up on this one: “There’s much more to lose by coming back too fast than coming back too slow.”
Having gone through two boughts of hamstring tendonitis (and hoping it’s not coming back right now), his advice rings VERY true to me. So, for the running, I’ll be keeping it short and easy for at least another week.
But, the bike is another matter.
On Wednesday, I loaded the Quassy course on to the CompuTrainer, and headed for the hills. Unfortunately, I did not surprise myself; there was nothing spectacular about this workout. But, it was effective as a way to re-introduce my legs to the hard work that is to come. It is the build period after all, and that means training for the specificity of race day. With over 3500 feet of climbing on the Quassy course, and over 5200 feet of climbing in the Lake Placid course (2600/loop), I’ll be building on some hills.
On Thursday, I did intervals. This ride went significantly better, and I did surprise myself. I opted for short, but had intervals, doing 6 x 5 minutes, at 95-100% FTP. I took an active recovery of 3 minutes in between each interval, that started easy and built to interval pace by the time the three minutes ended. For each of these intervals, I maintained a power level of about 210 watts, which is higher than what I’ve accomplished in previous interval rides–with the same heart rate (max 163 bpm, average for intervals 160bpm).
Intervals for me are an intense physical and mental challenge. I hate to be out of breath. I would rather ride and run long distances at a basic aerobic intensity than be out of breath for 5 minutes. No joke. A 50 mile run sounds better than a 5k. I’m not an anaerobic fiend by any means.
So, when I’m doing an interval, I have to focus on keeping my brain as quiet as possible. Otherwise, it tries to talk me out of pushing hard and being out of breath. I’ve have found three techniques especially helpful: 1) music, 2) counting, 3) focusing on the breath.
1. Music
When I’m on the trainer, I opt to tune out my thoughts with music. Just ask John, he thoroughly enjoys my CompuTrainer serenades. I will usually blurt out key parts of the song at various points as a way to keep myself pumped up. For example…
“Hope it gives you HELL!” I’ll screech along to the All-American Rejects, as I imagine giving that Lake Placid course hell this year.
Or, perhaps something more inspirational, from the renowned philosopher B.o.B.: “I got the magic in me!” coupled with the sage words of Katy Perry, “’cause baby your a firework, c’mon show ’em what your worth…”.
Okay, so maybe this isn’t the best music ever, but I only have one key requirement for the music I listen to while doing intervals: it has to have a beat that I can pump my pedals to. Sometimes that means no words, and just some crazy house techno music is blaring in my ears. (On a side note, this is not typically the music I listen to when I’m not training. I’m more a singer-songwriter kind of a music lover.)
2. Counting
This is a technique I picked up from Don Fink’s book, Be Iron Fit. When things get tough and you feel like you want to quit, he recommends counting to 100. Usually, by the time you get to 100, you won’t feel like quitting anymore. It’s just enough to get you over the rough patch. If it still hurts, count to 100 again.
I’ve used this technique not only for intervals, but at tough patches during long rides, tempo rides, and ultra runs.
3. Focusing on the breath
This is a trick from yoga. Of course, during a yoga class, the breath is much more measured and slower; however, focusing on keeping breath rhythmic, even if it is fast, helps me cope with the sensation of feeling like I’m out of breath. I’m breathing quickly, not out of control panting.
What tips and tricks do you have for getting through tough workouts? Please share!
