The KodaFit Blog

As winter began last year, I figured I could bike through it.  So there I was one Friday evening, dressed all nice and warm, with a warm bottle of Perpetuem, wind breaking covers on my top and shoes, and off I went for a 60 mile bike ride…

I only got 20 done.  Never have I felt so cold, and that was nothing compared to the pain of the blood returning to my toes on the drive home.  Now in all fairness, I think temps ended up hitting around 10 degrees towards the end of my ride (-12 Celcius), so I’m not a complete pansy, but even so, I realized that me, biking and winter where not going to be friends. Oh, and did I mention that the Perpetuem froze too?

I purchased a trainer the next day.  It was almost a nice pink one, which was on a great sale, but as I waited for a salesman to check the computer and ensure it was the same model, it ended up getting sold.  So I got the traditional green Kinetic Trainer by Kurt, and headed home.

Setup was a synch, and thus began a whole winter of training whilst going nowhere fast.  The trainer kicked my butt.  Usually I can hold  18mph on the road without too much trouble.  On the trainer I can hold 16mph, but only just, and I’m usually a sweaty mess within minutes.  I do think it made a different though, since my endurance seemed much better when it finally warmed up enough for me to take the bike back outside again.

But why am I sharing this tale now, you might ask…

I set the trainer up again last night, and mounted my trusty steed upon it.  I think it might have some advantages for me right now…

1. Better workouts, due to the increases resistance
2. Ability to workout based on power output (Kind of at least - Kinetic have a power chart somewhere online, based on speed.
3. No need to get dressed all fancy and drive someplace before I can ride.
4. Linked to #3.  I can ride topless, and without a helmet.
5. TIVO
6. Kind of more time with the family.
7. A plethora of kids are available to service my nutrition and hydration needs at all times.

Of course there are disadvantages too:

1. Don’t get that real road feeling.
2. Can get boring pretty quick.
3. Frustration at not being able to go as fast (But that ends up being good when I get back outside!)
4. Usually I’m a big sweaty mess at the end.

I think tonight I’ll try and rig up a fan in front on the bike as well - perhaps that’ll cut down on a little of the sweat problems.

Now if I could just find a way to power part of my house with my workouts, life might be even sweeter!

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So last night was speed work again…  The goal was to do 9 400M sprints at 1:45 or better.   I was curious to see how this workout went after trying the NO-Explode before a similar workout last week.

The workout itself went well.  I started with a mile warm up, and then got into the sprints.  I was actually able to hold a pace of about 1:35 for most of them.  A couple quicker, and a couple slower.  #7 was the worst, but I think it was more a mental struggle, although the delicious Chicken Fajita’s of an hour or two previous featured prominently as well.

It turns out that in addition to Nitric Oxide, NO-Explode also contains loads of various members of the Vitamin B family as well as caffeine.  This would explain the fact that following the last workout, I didn’t get to sleep until after midnight, and was wide awake again at 2am.  Did having NO-Explode prior make a difference to the work out?  I would have to say yes, but I suspect it was more related to the B vitamins and caffeine than anything else.  I could probably get the same effect by downing a 5 hour energy, which I frequently do in longer races.

But all that aside, this post wasn’t about last nights workout…

I’ve been looking at ways to drop my times, especially in the shorter races.  One definite area of improvement is with my transition times, which actually seem to have slumped of late.  I have friends who don’t use socks, and so I wanted to try this out.  Socks probably added 2-3 minutes to my IronMan transition times, but they were probably necessary there, whereas on a sprint, I could probably go without.

I tried it out last Saturday.

At first it felt a little weird.  I could feel a contact point on my left big toe and was worried it would blister.  I also took the liberty of Body Gliding the tongue and the fabric at the top of the shoe which would sit around my upper foot/lower ankle.

Did it work?  I think so.  It’ll speed up my transition times, and I didn’t notice any major adverse effects during the run.  The one downside though, was that I could feel the moisture building up in my shoe towards the end of the run.  Now it’s decision time.  I’ve got a sprint race next weekend, that I think I can do fairly well in.  I’m not 100% convinced I can place, but if I don’t, I’ll at least be close.  The key for this race is going to be the run.  If I lose the socks, I suspect I’ll be able to drop 20-30 seconds in my transition times, however I’m concerned that not being 100% comfortable during the 5k might lose about that same amount of time…  Could be that the decision is going to come down to seconds…  Perhaps I need to run a mile at the tracks sans socks, and then see if it affects my times at all.

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First a cool quote I got from a friend on Twitter:

 ”You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”

Beverly Sills

Moving on…  Had kind of a rough weekend…  Actually, it’s been kind of a rough last week or 2, but I’m eliminating the stresses methodically, and should be relatively stress free by the end of the weekend.

Tuesday night, I think it could safely be said that training kicked back into high gear again.  I tried a week or two back, but weather, and then those stressful things kinda killed it, plus I probably needed a little more recovery from IronMan.

Actually, perhaps Monday night was the catalyst…  I did a recovery run at the track with a friend, and after 2.5 miles decided to see what I had left.  Got a half mile in at a good pace, and we think my time was a little under 3:16, which is waaay faster than I’ve ever been.

So Tuesday night, I hit the gym with the same friend, and after a quick warm up on the treadmill I set about doing some weights.  Shoulder exercises and Situps, then some Dumbbell  chest presses and fly exercises, and finally some over head tricep extensions and some cable pull downs - for the triceps as well.

 I finished feeling pretty good, and work up yesterday still feeling pretty good too…  Until about an hour or two into the day…  It started with my lower back, spread to my chest, and then my abs decided to make themselves known.  They’re all feeling worse this morning, but it’s pain which means I busted my butt, so I’ll take it!

So with the speedy half mile on Monday in my mind… Last night started on the interval routines I got from the Blonde Runner last year.  It’s been 7 months since I got them, but with some of the longer races, it’s been hard to put them in the schedule, plus winter has made the track less of a viable option.

Anyway, the original plan was…  8×400m at 1:45 per lap with about about a minute cool down between each.

I did a 1200m warm up, and then set to it.

I read something on the USA Triathlon site on Monday that said to train by feel rather than some arbitrary number, so I tried that for the first lap…  1:40…  A little faster than planned, but decided to see if I could hold it.

1:38, 1:40, 1:39, 1:38, 1:40, 1:39, 1:37

My heart rate seemed to get a little higher with each interval, but it maxed out between 172 and 178, and usually I could get it down to about 140 by the end of the 1 minute break.

My fatique level was interesting…  I didn’t get tired exactly, but each interval did seem to take a little extra effort.

I tried experimenting with some NO-Explode prior to this workout as well.

Having the muscle fatique from the prior day, and doing a newish workout made it hard to tell if it made a difference, but perhaps I’ll see how I feel next week without it.

Oh - and if you’re in Salt Lake, Davis or Weber counties…  A couple of us were going to hit Willard Bay on Friday for an open water swim.  Bigger groups are always more fun when you’re out in the open water, and the temps shouldn’t be to bad.  Let me know if you want to join us.  We’re thinking around 4pm.

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We’re coming up on 10 days since the Ironman, likely the crowning event of this year for me!  It’s been an interesting week for sure.  Last Wednesday night, I pulled up a couple of IMSG video’s on Youtube, which may have been a mistake.  You see, after finishing IMSG, I began a 3 or 4 year hiatus from Iron Distance racing, mostly because I have young kids - actually make that too many young kids! And they need attention, as does my amazing wife - although she mostly just needs help with the kids.  And I was fine with it…  Until I watched the videos!!  I felt the pull of M-Dot, and instantly I tried to find some way where I could keep family happy and race…  So far there has been little, if anything productive which has come from those thoughts.

I think the next few years will likely play out like this…  Lots of Sprint and Olympic distance tris, a couple of marathons, and a few half iron races.   I’d really like to try myself again the full distance of the Silverman, and after last years humbling race, I made a goal to try and break 6 hours.  Perhaps if I can break 6, I’ll try the Iron the next year.  I think I could probably do that in 2011, meaning I’ll do the full Silverman in 2012, and then I think I’d like to try out Ironman Arizona in 2013.

My thoughts have been bouncing around a little as well lately…  My finish time in St. George wasn’t what I wanted it to be.  I think in part because I got off the bike, and knew that as long as I kept moving, I would finish.  And my training wasn’t all it was supposed to be, and finally, that run course was a beast!!  So I’ve caught myself beating myself up over that, and then at the same time realizing that I finished, and as I look back over the race, I enjoyed every single second of it!

My favorite part was approaching “The Wall” right before Veyo, and both times looking up and smiling, because…  That was what Ironman was all about for me…  Looking at a seemingly impossible challenge, staring it straight in the face, and kicking it’s ass!!!

In other news…

I removed my wristband on Saturday night, almost 1 week exactly since the time I finished.  I liked the reminder, but it was starting to get annoying.

The numbers burned into my shoulders have faded significantly…  Actually they haven’t so much faded, as they’ve gotten tanned, and several layers of the surrounding and previously fried skin, has fallen by the way side.

The sunburn is all but gone - although I have my usual summer tri tan on my back - just a little earlier than normal this year.

I’ve started training again.  Great swims the last 2 mornings, and a good solid run at lunch yesterday.  My legs felt good, but I can still tell there is some residual damage.  Think I’ll lay off the speed work for another week or two.

Finally, it’s time to start looking forward…  In 5 weeks it’s the Shark Attack Triathlon.  Last year, if I remember right, I had the fastest swim, 3rd fastest bike, and then I threw it away on the run.  This year I’m swimming significantly faster and my running pace has increased.  My goal for the next 5 weeks, is to get my biking were it needs to be.  Lots of hill climbing and sprint work.  It’s only 11 miles, so I should be able to really, really hammer it out.  The run is fairly flat and it starts with a steep downhill.  If I can get a 7 min/mile average coming off that hill, I’d like to try hold it till the end, and then when the big uphill rears it’s head, I’m going to meet it head on, and run up it as fast as I can, even if I collapse at the top.

So there you have it folks!  I also have a goal to blog more regularly, but every time I set one of those and make  a big deal about it, life gets in the way…  So we’ll see about that one!

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I’ve been walking a fine line over the past week.

For the last month or so, we’ve had sickness going through the family.  It started with a nasty little flu like bug that seemed to bounce from one kid to the next every 4 days or so.  One it made it through all of them, it seemed to morph a little, and the proceeded to continue back at the top of the batting order again.

It looks like we may have that one beat, but then we began the ear infections and had 2 of the kids on anti-biotics and another who could probably have used them, but we opted to last it out.  Fortunately we have excellent health insurance, but even so, after dropping $50 in co-pays for a combined 5 minutes of the doctors time, not to mention another whole wad of cash on the prescriptions…. Well I’ll spare you my health care rant…

And as that was clearing out, the cold began.

Most of them had it last week, and the Mrs. started getting initial symptoms on Friday last week.  I kissed her good-bye before embarking on my first ever century bike ride, which was likely the fatal mistake.

I haven’t felt sick this week, but I think fatigue from all the training, plus exposure have weakened my immune system a little.  It’s felt like the enemy troops have been amassing on my border, just waiting to invade.

It’s a tough line I think we all walk when training for a big event…  You can’t really afford to skip the training, but at the same time, if you push through, you could make yourself weaker, and subsequently miss more workouts, because you are really, really sick.

I think I might be coming through it though - hopefully at least.  I’ve only missed a couple of workouts this week, although I’ve gained a few pounds in the process.  It’s feed a cold, right?

Plans for this weekend included a very long swim at the pool this morning, to make up a little, and then some yoga this afternoon to loosen everything up.

Tonight we have more speed work at the track - a series of 200 and 400 meter sets, which the coach said would be hard…  I don’t like when he says that!!

Tomorrow I’ll likely take it easy, especially since we have a family trip up into the mountains for a school project.

Sunday, I’ve got a big brick planned for the afternoon, and then depending on how I feel after that, I might try and get an hour or 2 of easy riding in.

Next week will be my first ultra distance race - the Buffalo 50k on Antelope Island.  I’m thinking of tweeting & twitpic’ing my progress through the race as well - depending on signal availability and weather!

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I was thinking it might be irony, but then I watched a video by comedian Ed Byrne and I’m thinking it might be more of just a unfortunate turn of events, with a funny twist.

First, a couple of things you might need to know…

1. The video I’ve embedded below is targeted at an adult audience.  The language isn’t extremely bad, but it contains adult themes and that kind of thing.  Figured I should put that in, just in case my audience is younger than I think it is!
2. Don’t worry, I’m fairly confident that I’m just fine!

So here’s what happened…

I went trail running on Friday. I’ve got a 50k race coming up in 4 weeks and then IronMan in about 8 - Actually it’s exactly two months from today!!!

I’ve been trying to work on my form and running injury free, and I must say that I considered the run Friday to be a phenomenal success in both areas. I ended up running 22 miles (although to be completely honest, there was some walking mixed in there, but that’s why I like trail running), and I actually still felt pretty good when I was done.

I grabbed some lunch and then took the kiddo’s to the pool for a great afternoon.

Saturday, still feeling good, we took the kids down to the park. There was supposed to be a snow storm, but the weather guy got it wrong again (Although no complaints this time!).

We walked the perimeter a few times and then I played Frisbee with the little guys. We finished it off with some soccer type game, which didn’t really have a point, but those seem to be them best.

Somewhere during the soccer though, I think I tweaked my calf a little. I don’t think it’s serious, more likely just a cramp, but I got to thinking…

I ran over 20 miles with no problems what-so-ever, and then I tweak my legs screwing around at the park with the kids?!?!

On a related note… I ran into a herd of bison midway through the run. The main group on the trail seemed to be a group of bulls, and the herd in the distance behind them included a number of brand new calves. I ended up doing the cross country thing to get around them.

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Me and the wife always have a grand old time trying to find each other awesome gifts for Christmas.  Our kids get pretty spoiled around this time of year, but sometimes it pales in comparison to how we spoil each other.  It’s a fun time of year, and we both revel in it more than we should.

This year, my sweet wife continued her theme of the last few years of getting me triathlon related stuff.  It may be her favorite part of my new found obsession, and as an added benefit, she’s become quite knowledgeable about various products as she researches them, and looks at reviews and what not.

2 months ago, she’d never heard about Chamois Butt’r and now she nows more than me - except for how well it works, which is all I really care about.

I got a bunch of cool stuff from her, most of which will likely be reviewed in the weeks and months to come.  Finis Swim Paddles and a cadence tool, Dirty Girl Gaitors, lights for my bike, and the one I used more than any other this week…  An Evil Foam Roller.

I’ve been upping my mileage quite significantly this month, especially in the pool.  While that has seen some positive results, my cycling has been doing OK, and my running has really suffered, so last week I decided to right those wrongs and try and achieve more balance in my workouts.

Christmas made the swimming tricky with limited pool hours when I’m available, plus I hit my goal to swim the English Channel distance (21 miles) earlier last week, which impacted my motivation a little.

Monday and Tuesday I got a couple of good solid runs in at work on my lunch break, and Wednesday saw some good solid cycling miles get added.  Thursday and Friday didn’t happen due to Christmas festivities, but I hit the ground running on Saturday morning, quite literally.  I ended up running 12 miles, albeit rather slowly.  In my defense, much of it was in pretty deep snow, somewhere it was only the tracks from the deer and coyotes which I had to follow.  It was likely more of a power session that a speed session, since progress was real slow at times.  I’d try to run fast up a hill, and barely reach the speed of a fast walk, which is rather a downer as well.  But I got it done.

Sunday saw the day of the big bike, although it started off a little late due to a much needed sleep in.  I had to break it in half, but I’ve heard that’s good, and it gave me a break from being on the trainer.  The morning session had me watch the first of District 9, and then listen to a new Rage Against the Machine CD.  I would have kept watching the show, but at that point in the workout, I just wanted to put my head down and go.

Later that night, I got back on, finished the show, and then spun for another 30 minutes or so.  I ended up with a pretty solid 55 miles total, all with pretty high cadence (85-90rmp) which is good considering I’m usually in the 70’s.

Ended up with almost 23 miles running and 117 on the bike.  The only part I have yet to master is my nutrition, and I think that’s factoring into my muscle fatigue today.

Following my long run, and between biking sessions, I used the foam roller.  HOLY HELL!!!  It’s the kind of pain which feels good, because you know it’s working, but every so often, I’d hit a knot in my quads or something and I’d about go through the roof.  I think I got most of them worked out, and by the end it wasn’t quite as excruciatingly painful, but that aside, I still have the urge to paint a set of devil horns on the evil torture device.

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I know, I know - that last one was a bit of a stretch, but it got me my third S!

Saving Money

I’m hoping to purchase a Computrainer in the next couple of weeks so I can train inside this winter.  I’m even more motivated after learning that I need to do an 80-100 mile ride this weekend, and well…  It’s 6am, and the temperature in the city I live is currently showing 15 degrees.   That’s like…  Negative 9 degree on the Celcius scale.   I’m not one who likes biking when it’s really hot, but 9 below is a wee bit ridiculous!

Anyway, the Computrainer is a little pricey, but I found a deal through the guys at TriHive magazine where if they can find 10 people to order them, they can get them for about $500 off, and you’ll get a free copy of the IronMan St. George course.

They’re still looking for people to make up the 10, so if you were on the fence about buying one, let me know and I’ll get you more information.

 Swim Update

Three days into December and I’m sitting at - 2.58 miles.  12 % of my goal for the month.   Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I’ll be pretty close to a third of the way!

Some Trail Running

I’m planning on a pretty extensive focus on trail running this winter.  Trail running is more scenic and safer that road running, it’s easier on your joints, and it generally has rougher terrain to strengthen you ankles.  The place I go also has a lot of climbing, which I really need in order to prepare for IMSG.

I’m headed out to Antelope Island for a run this Saturday.  There’s a group going at 8 for a training run on the Buffalo Run course.  I’m thinking I may join with them, or I may try and summit the peak (2000+ ft of climbing in just 3 miles).  Either way though, if you’re in the area and want to tag along, let me know.  The only thing better than trail running, is trail running with a friend!

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With a new month comes new challenges.  Yesterday I started officially on my first full base training segment for IronMan, and today I’m kicking off two new challenges.

First is the USAT Winter National Club Challenge.  Clubs compete for 3 months to see which club can rack up the most miles.  Each month has a specific focus and Decembers focus is swimming.  Since I’m training for IronMan anyway, it seems like a no brainer to try and take this on as well.

Second is actually linked to the First.  A local running store, and sponsor of my club (The Desert Sharks) is offering a special prize for anyone who can complete 21 miles of swimming in the month of December.  They won’t say what it is, but they are saying it will be a prize worthy of the achievement.

21 miles is the same as 33.8 kilometers, and kilometers are easier for me to track, since I swim in a 25 meter pool.

I’m continuing with my getting up super early to hit the pool before commuting into work, and the challenge actually made it a little easier to get up this morning.

In the 15 minutes I had, I got in 16 laps or 800m.  It felt good.  Just 33kms to go!!

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Stef tipped me off on Facebook last week to a list of 75 tips for triathlon by her coach.  You can read the entire list here, but I would like to mention #14 in reference to todays post…

14. Frequency of swimming & running is important for neuromuscular adaptation; 3 sessions a week to maintain, 4 to make progress, 5 to reach 95% of your full potential.

From my experience - at least in running, that definitely hold true.

Now typically I swim on Wednesdays over lunch and then again on Fridays.  Wednesday I work on speed and drills and then Fridays, I try to work on distance.   The Friday work outs have been spotty at best though, and so sometimes I only get 1 workout a week in the pool, and on a good week I get 2.  Not exactly what I need to be doing to reach my potential.

So this week I’m starting something new.  I’m not 100% sure if it will work, but it’s worth a shot.

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I carpool into work.  It’s helpful because work starts really early, and knowing that someone is counting on you to get up on time is the added nudge I need to get out of bed.  Usually I get up at 4:55, shower, dress and I’m ready and waiting at 5:30 to head down to SLC.  Lately it’s been a struggle though, and often I’m still throwing my running stuff together and trying to get lunch organized several minutes after I should have left the house.

So it’s working, but not as well as it should…

My new plan is this…  Wake up at 4:15.  Leave the house at 4:45.  Hit the pool as it opens at 5:00.  Do a short, but very intense swim for 20 minutes.  Shower, get dressed and be ready and waiting to go at 5:30.

Monday I was a little late, since I had to load my bike in the car, but I got a 7 minutes swim in…  Not much, but better than nothing.

Today I was still a little late, mostly due to a howling wind that kept me awake most of the night, but I got almost 15 minutes of swimming in.

I’m getting extra workouts in, my shoulders are feeling it, which must mean it’s working, and in all honesty, starting the day with a short, intense workout seems to be perfect to get the brain firing on all 3 cylinders.

I’m going to keep my longer swim on Wednesday, so I can do more specific training, including drills and perhaps some variation on the different strokes, and I’d like to still do a longer swim on Friday’s but even if I miss that one, I’ll still have 4 swim workouts under my belt at the end of the week.

My long term goal would be to be able to pound out 1500m in 20 minutes.  It’ll be tough to get to that level, but I think I can do it!

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