Week-14 Sweat is My Trophy

     That was on the back of a under armor shirt for mile 3-4 during my half and I thought it was a fitting title.
This week is a huge week in my training. I took it easy last week with the holidays and only ran twice and was surprised how well my legs felt. This week however I am adding biking and weight training into the mix. I have decided to become familiar with biking and running off the bike before I add swimming into my routine. Now my weekly workouts will look like this

Day 1-(Speed Day) 30 minutes on the bike above race pace, followed by a 5k above Race Pace, 2 Miles on the Stair Master

Day 2-Weight training workout I created with the help of several tri books and my own training knowledge and as always a dash of google's help

Day 3-(Pace Work) Hour and a half on the bike Race pace, 6-8 mile run at race pace

Day 4-Weight training

Day 5-Long Bike Ride (3 Hours) then run a mile

Day 6-10 minute warm up on the bike, Long Run 10-13 Miles

Day 7-Rest

I'm also going to fit in as much yoga as possible (at least 3 times a week)

     As always all my runs will be tracked by Nike+ and one of my goals is to run at the same speed or faster even though I'm adding biking into the mix. And if your wondering the answer is Yes from now on I am always on the bike before I run, even on my long run day I'm warming up on the bike. The above schedule should be my life for the next 6-8 weeks. At some point when I either start to plateau or am bored out of my mind I will add swimming. Until then the bike is my new best friend.

Some pics from my 1st half

Race Break Down

So yesterday I ran my 1st ever half marathon and as promised I am posting the breakdown

As the race was nearing I tapered my running (very rough for me)
at 6 days out I limited my extra sugar and caffeine so (No more Dew from the Mountains and only Starbucks once) I also tried not to eat so many calories since I wasn't running as much. I often would tell myself "Fat or Fast" which I heard from a endurance runner that said a quick way to drop your time is run the race lighter then you train so I train around 157 lbs and race day I was 153 lbs. 

Pre Race (Day Before)
It was my 2nd son's 1st birthday so it was a busy day not as much relaxing as I hoped for.
-Breakfast was Starbucks
-Lunch was 3 pieces of Supreme Pizza hut Pizza and 3 bites of Birthday Cake
-Dinner was 12 hours pre race start, 10oz Burger with pico, quac, jalapenos a side of grilled asparagus spears and a extra dry extra dirty martini. during the day I also drank 5 bottles of water with lemon.

Race Day
I woke up at 5:45 (so I got about 5.5 hours of sleep)
I had a shot of espresso to jump start my day.
Took a shower (Only way I can wake up)
Put on the exact running outfit I have been training in
 Black Nike Dri fit tee
 Black Nike Dri fit Running shorts
 Black Nike free running shoes (with left foot Nike+ chip, right foot race tracking chip)
 Nike thin running socks
 Nike Watch
 Nike Sunglasses
 2XU Calf Compression
 IPhone 5 with headphones and belt clip
 5 Gels (GU)
I wore a hoodie pre race to stay warm and drank half a fruit punch Gatorade on the drive and 15 minutes before the race start I took a espresso love GU shot and washed it down with a Pre workout Gatorade.

The Race
The water/gatorade stations were every other mile, I took a gel every other station so about every 4 Miles and an extra gel around mile 10ish.

I started the race quick (no surprise) I ran a 8.57 1st mile, then my brother in law zoomed past me on the outside so I picked up the pace to 8.35 2nd Mile that ended in a  27 minute 5k. Then I did my best to hold my pace. At mile 5 I started to question myself because I hadn't took my walk break yet, and my legs felt great. At mile 7 I was telling myself I better walk or at some point my legs are going to run out of gas.
At mile 8 or 9 I saw my only supporter (My Wife who had done the 5k earlier) and I was still running (She said I looked like I was slowing down) then something weird happened, for the 1st time in my life I got a 2nd wind while I was running my legs felt fresh and I picked up the pace (the chart below shows it as my 2nd fastest mile)

I felt great I kept questioning my legs like are your sure you want to go faster, and they did.
at mile 10.5 I started to wonder if I really could run the entire race without walking (I had slowed down during the drink stations to take gels and Gatorade). When I went to push off to get back to my pace my left leg cramped up. I panicked for a split second then stepped off the trail bent over to rub it and it was a solid knot so I decided to run with my leg locked in almost a straight position (Pictured below)

I looped around and passed my wife around mile 11 and my leg was still locked up but she said I looked faster. Almost at mile 12 my leg released and it was fine I had done it ran through my 1st pain without walking I then saw mile marker 13 and tried to push for a kick of speed but my leg was still to tight so I just tried to hang on.

My Goal was 2 hours

Goal Completed

and my 1st run with no walking dips



I made my dream a goal and my goal a reality.... And it felt unbelievable.

 Thanks to everyone who was part of this victory...... Now for phase 2, I'm taking off 2 days then some light run workouts then next week I'm adding in swimming and biking.

Week 13 - Tapering

     So my 1st half marathon is 9 days away (Sunday the 18th) everything I read says I should start tapering down my running 2 weeks away so like a good newbie I started tapering down. I ran a 8 mile workout at about 85%. An then did my normal 5 mile race pace and felt amazing but then wanted to start pushing it and have been fighting the urge to not taper. I've realized in my training that I'm a horrible student when it comes to following a training plan.

     I come from a martial arts background and had an amazing Sensai/Mentor who understood me. His way of training was unique to his elite athletes. I was always trained by outcome so he would give me a goal or problem without any set workout plan.

(Example)
Be able to last in a Elite Black Belt Olympic Qualifier. Which is 8-10 Opponents with each match lasting between 1-3 rounds each at 2 minutes per round, spread over 2 days.

his set work-out was
- Circuit work out with 3 machines
- 1 minute on each machine with 75% weight max as many reps as possible in a minute
- No break between machine with a 10 minute break between sets (5 sets)

This workout would be done every other day with a 3 day rest period before the tournament

That workout in my blackbelt handbook and I never used it as a work out. (great workout, Lots of  friends had lots of success with it)

So I would spend time during my weekend to figure out what I believed it would take my body to be ready for the same task. Here is how my thought process worked and still does

I need to be able to go the max of 3 rounds times 2 minutes per round against 10 opponents
So my work out looked like this

- 2 Minutes and 30 seconds of Wooden dummy Punching
- 25 Push-Ups 50 Crunches
- 2 minutes and 30 seconds of weighted dummy blocking
- 25 Push-Ups 50 Crunches
- 2 minutes and 30 seconds of Wooden dummy kicking

Then a 5-10 Minute Break and repeat 4 more times

I did this once a day five days a week for 3 weeks and took 2 days off before a tournament

My thinking was if i pushed as hard as I could 100% during each workout and lasted an extra 30 seconds longer then even needed for each round that during competition I would have enough juice to last all the rounds of competition.

even by the end of the 3rd week I never finished a workout at 100% I was juiced, I would leave nothing in the tank and always pushed myself to crazy limits.

     That season I went undefeated never went past a 2nd round with anyone and never had more then 8 opponents in any tournament. So I did the same exact thing 3-4 weeks out for each tournament. I pushed myself like this for 3 years and was always sore and ended up injured and choose to compete injured (never a good idea)

     I stayed away from all sports for a few years and just 13 weeks ago picked up this Ironman goal and am consistently fighting the urge to push the limits and leave nothing in the tank so every time I'm running I try to set a new PR instead of just working out. One of the hardest things ever is to do a workout at 70%-80% speed when I just want to do everything at 100%. I try and remind myself about injury and that some workouts need to be slower and I should taper before a race but all I want to do is run at 100% every time. This is an ongoing battle and part of my Ironman process. Wish me luck I most likely wont post again until after my race...


My next post will have a race summary, and a review of all the stuff I used and how it did or didn't work during my half...

Week 12 - LIMITS

     For those of you that know me, know I live by one motto "There is Only One Way to Find Out" which often gets me in over my head like running my first 3 5k's  with no training just jumping of the couch and trying it. Those races were slow and my body punished me for trying it but, in a small way I realized I love to use running as a way to push myself to my limits.
     I had a normal training week I did all my runs but my recovery time has shrunk to almost nothing, I wake up the day after a run and feel like I can run again. Which is good since at the end of the month I'm adding in swimming and biking into the mix and will have less recovery time scheduled.
     My long run (13.1) was done Sunday night and I'm stuck in the 220-230's and am frustrated that come race day in 2 weeks I won't break 2 hours... But There is Only One Way to Find Out.

I try to Motivate myself with as many things as I can and I very much like awards

The View from my office the night of my long run

Week 11 - I Run Like I'm Trying to Punish Myself

     So I had an interesting week, My workouts have been going just OK, I say just OK because I don't feel like it is getting any easier even though I've been at it 11 weeks. I'm trying to figure either flaws in my workouts but I'm now thinking to take it to the next level I need to switch up my diet. So week 12 I'm going to spend time trying to figure out the foods to eat or not eat.

     Sunday started like any other day, I woke up went to church with the family, then went to my mother-in-laws to carve the pumpkins we got at the pumpkin patch.

    
     About an hour and a half before my run I ate 2 Spicy Chicken sandwiches and took a Mocha (GU) about 15 minutes before my run. In the car on the way to the gym I came up with the idea that after I ran my 12 mile scheduled workout that if my legs didn't fall off I would go ahead and add on another 1.1 miles and complete a half marathon. The gym was empty and I started off as usual.  I ran a average 5k then started to lose energy. After mile 5 I took a 2nd GU (tri-berry) and was trying to only take a drink of Gatorade about every other mile, since that is how the race will be set up. The middle miles became a blur. Around mile 10 I took a 3rd GU (blueberry Pom) and started to fade I had to slow my pace but I was still moving I forced one leg after another til I reached mile 12. I decided I was leaving nothing in the tank (as seen below) So as my headphones told me I just hit mile 12 I took off and refused to slow down. The next day my legs are paying the price. I stumbled to my car drove home, took a post workout shake put on my full bottom compression and crashed for 5 hours. I ran a 2:25 which is 25 minutes off my goal. I want to break 2 hours which I'm not sure will be possible since I only have 20 days til race day. I guess there is only one way to find out.

Here is a breakdown of each mile, if I can break the code of the last 6 miles and run them the same as the 1st 6 I will be real close to my goal. So I guess that is my mission, I can run the distance now I just have to keep the pace and get faster over all.

Week 10- Maybe Hot Wings Create a Wall ?

     Due to Scheduling issues I spent this week running 5 hours earlier in the day then I usually do which when you enter a full Gym at 4 or 5 in the evening it is (at least mine) packed with the after work crew, which is cool to see. When I show up it is usually empty and I like it that way. I spend most of my work day with people all around me asking for help with different projects/problems and most of my time at home with a 1 and 3 year old that do nothing but try and come up with questions about why stuff is the way it is (as cute as it sounds it is still mentally draining.) So at the gym I'm there to work so i keep my head phones on most of the time even if they are off just so I don't get the random jogger next to me on a treadmill wanting to discuss who I'm voting for or how crazy am I to be running on a treadmill for 2 hours. I also get a few looks because lately I've lived in some form of compression gear due to being in the biggest part of my training schedule and trying to cut down recovery time wherever possible. So during runs I wear 2XU Calf Compression which everyone seems to think are leg warmers. And I sleep in 2XU full bottom compression, But i can almost run everyday so I really don't care what they think if it works.

                                                               My Normal Gym View

     I took an extra days rest before my long run. Then made a grave error in judgment. I ate hot wings a couple of hours before my long (11 miles) run which I can only assume led to the wall I hit right after mile 7.

I started the run as normal a gel during my pre run stretch and warm up. My legs felt tired and it took almost 3 miles to get into a rhythm. By then I already was 3 minutes off my goal and getting worse by the minute at mile 6 I took a 2nd gel and started to feel like I was going to be OK then Mile 7. The wheels fell off. I had to slow my pace to a crawl (slowest mile in the last month) I couldn't keep the sweat out of my eyes my stomach starting bubbling with hot sauce, then it got bad. My legs tightened up and my stride shrunk. So I decided to do something I have never done before. I jumped off the treadmill and used the restroom. I then jumped back on wiped the sweat out of my eyes, took a quick gulp of Gatorade and turned up the treadmill to just under my normal pace and jumped on and fought through the last 3 miles. I kept repeating a line I heard during a Iron man Kona a few years ago from Mirinda Carfrae said during a interview "Everyone feels hurt and pain, NO ONE wants to keep running but the difference between winners and losers is when they feel the pain do the stop or do the keep going"  So I choose to keep going even if I didn't meet my goal time I finished my workout and I always tell myself someday some workout I decided to finish and not quit will be the difference between winning or losing. My run is in the chart below (Notice the wall dip during mile 7.

     I also wanted to send a special shout out to @IronTexasMommy, She is someone everyone should follow on twitter. She is super quick with helpful advice and always has something positive to add. She is also getting ready for a ultra 50, which is awesome !!

Week 9- Double Digits

    I know in last weeks blog I talked about how it was crazy to think that me before 9 weeks ago never run more then a few miles after weight lifting was going to hit DOUBLE digit miles in a single run.... Well I made it through my normal weekly workouts (a 5 mile pace run, a speed training night and a cross between both and showed up on Saturday night ready for my long run (9 miles) I had decided earlier that I would start adding in gels (GU) 15 minutes before my workout and another 1 around mile 4 or 5. So I showed up around 10:30ish and stretched out with a foam roller and had already taken the gel on my way to the gym so I hopped on and begin my run. A strange thing happened around mile 8. I slowed my pace down and went through my mental checklist of how I was feeling. I felt like I needed more air but strangely enough my legs still had some juice so I decided that I was going to push past 9 and end with 10 miles (at this point a crazy conversation went on in my head like this...)

runner me; Lets push it you already have gone this far lets do it
old me; Am I crazy I'm not a runner
runner me; to late you are at 8.5 miles...Your a runner
old me, It would feel good to end at 9
runner me; Not as good as finishing at 10 miles
old me; I can't run 10 miles, I barely made it to 8 last week
Runner me; shut up and run
old me; lets not over do it...9 is a good workout, lets keep it safe.
runner me;  look 9.2 miles too late now turn up the music and run

     So I did just that I turned up my music and ran the rest of my 10 miles (10-13-2012 10 miles in 1:43:16 a pace of 10'18 per mile) as usual I ran with Nike plus.

     Now I'm a month away from my half marathon so I'm trying to drop the extra 3-5 pounds that should help me break the 2 hour mark, so I'm watching what I eat and trying to train my body to use Gels and Gatorade during my run to give me max results. I'm also testing things like power bars other gels (other then GU) and other drinks. If you have any suggestions please comment or email me, I'm also trying to figure out what I'm wearing so i can train in that outfit for my long run. Also if your confused I do my long run during the weekend so the 10 miles was for the end of week 8 and I haven't run my long run for this week yet since it's Tuesday.