Easier day

There's not much to post, so let's get right to it.

The girls swam this morning, so I didn't get a run. That was fine, as yesterday was to taxing it probably was for the best. Too bad it was the best running day of the week!

After the swim I took my bike to Lighthouse and did the loop. The wind was from the NE, so it was a great time to lay down a good lick on the Super 2. Nearly 28 mph! That was about all the real quality I did though... caution was needed to help recovery. I like to get some quality in every ride, but you can't ride super hard every day.

Leisa and I went to Bloomington to take care of some errands. That wound up taking a lot longer than we thought, and I even missed lunch in the process. I'm a big boy and can take it, but I hate missing a chance to eat! One good (and essential) thing though... I bought some more Enduralytes. After this week, I don't want to get caught without again.

Galloway, John T., and I met at the pool for the Thursday evening swim. It was short for different reasons: my shoulder is increasingly sore, John T. is racing Saturday, and Galloway's dehydrated body gave him an ex-wife. Right leg and intense. If you don't know what that is, ask me in private and I'll tell you.

I had a choice when I got home - clean gutters or run. It was a great night to run BUT plants were sprouting in the gutter. I could do it tonight or wait until it was 150 degrees outside and do it. So... I cleaned the gutters. I'll pick up the running slack in the next two days.

Tomorrow we run at Spring Mill. After that, bike ride!

Thankfully, it rained

For those of you who missed this morning's opportunity to run, thank your lucky stars. It was unquestionably the worst of the summer so far. If you were lucky enough to have to wait until after the rain came in the mid-afternoon, thank them again.

I wanted today to be a recovery day for the team. It wasn't. Even though they ran slowly, heart rates were over 180-190 bpm. That's not rest, even for a teenager. I had to cut some miles for a few of the kids. I even made some walk.

As for myself, I felt the effects of the last week and a half of training. I was really tapped going into today - I awoke to quad cramps. That's about right. I last about three bad days in a row, then that's it.

I've tried to lay around the rest of the day drinking fluids. I do feel better by this point, though I don't know if I'll be ready to go again tomorrow. I know it won't be hard whatever I do. I think right now I'd like to bike, maybe skip a day running. With luck, I'll have my riding done by Friday afternoon, and I'll have enough running miles in the bank as well. If I can manage that I can take Saturday off. That will work out best because of the car wash - I'll have to be in the sun most of the day before I get a chance to run.

Swim tomorrow night!

Magnificent Seven and a Mediocre One

I'll begin with the end - the pace line data.

Strava segment report

This day started with a muggy morning 7-miler in which the team did 3 x 1-mile cruise intervals. I played the rabbit, holding 6:40's for all three. A couple of the girls didn't take the directions to ignore my lead-out and paid the price. I can still run 5k's in the 18's - they can't. Their heads have to tell them to ignore me and run their own paces. Some people learn faster than others, I guess.

It wasn't exactly an easy workout for me either because of the weather. though it was only 77 degrees, the dewpoint was 77 degrees and the humidity 100%. That's a pretty deadly combination for anyone, and I was soaked when I finished. I'm guessing the run cost me 3-4 lbs. at least. Luckily there were hours left until the evening ride.

I did my best to hide from the weather the rest of the day. My wife might describe me as "worthless", and that would be fair enough. I do feel some pangs of guilt over it, but it was completely self-defensive. Tonight's ride was going to be a rough one.

The last two nights I've ridden quality. I won't call it all-out, because neither ride was, but they were 85-90%, tempo pace if you will, and with limited recovery time, the price would ultimately have to be paid. It would be perilously close to disaster tonight.

There were seven of us who left Allen's church at the start - Galloway, Miller, John T., Jimmy, Scott, Rand, and me. I called it the "Magnificent Seven" on our way out to meet the "Mediocre One". I don't want to be too mean about that, so I'll let the titles be self-descriptive.

The ride out was slow - at least, for Scott, Rand, Jimmy, and me. Galloway, Miller, and John T. got tired of fiddle-farting around with us and left. Again, I didn't care. I was being very conservative, saving myself for what was to come.

I left the myself out of the organizing committee for the workout this time, mainly because I fear I'm always pushing too hard for my plan, whatever that might be. The committee tonight decided on breaking into two groups, and Scott would lead out as the rabbit alone. No, we didn't kick Scott out of the groups; he wanted to ride alone (new P2 he wanted to test!). We had a light wind that started as a WSW, appeared to turn more SSW, but as soon as we started it sure felt more in the face than to the side. Scott would have a hard time on his own.

The first group allowed Scott 1:16 before they took off. Our second group gave another 1:30 before we went. That felt like a pretty good spread, about right really. Miller, John T., and I would ordinarily had no trouble covering that gap, but tonight we were trying to ride a bit more conservative for John T's sake - he's racing a half-ironman this weekend.

John T. took the first pull, and other than going a bit long, he did a good job controlling himself. Then Miller got on. John T. held his speed in the 25's - Miller went to 27's. I knew then the peace wouldn't last.

My first pull happened just to the west of Bromer. I took the speed up enough to be able to crash into the hill with some energy, and we topped at 23+. That wasn't challenging for these guys, and we continued on. I brought the speed back up in the slight rollers, then as the course dropped, I took it up a bit more and tapped. It had been about 2-3 minutes.

John T. was on again, and he took us downhill quickly. There's no way to complain about that - it is downhill after all - and just before Pumpkin Center, he tapped again. Miller took over and took us up again. He held on until shortly before the drop, and it was my turn again.

It was around this time (or just before) the first group became really visible to us. Because of the bends in the course we hadn't seen much of them, though we were steadily catching. Once the road opened up it became obvious we were going to catch them, and it would be in the next couple of miles. One of the riders popped off the pack before the descent. He would be first.

They dropped into the valley and sped across the plain. We came down behind, maybe 10-15 seconds behind. I gauged how close we were to the dropped rider, and figured we'd catch him before we were halfway across the river bottom. This particular rider has a bad reputation for doing erratic things, like trying to jump into a passing line. It wouldn't be bad if he could do it safely, or at the very least in a way we could understand before he did something silly, but I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

Our top speed was 36.5 mph downhill. I used this smash to accelerate toward the rider. I got on the pedals and maintained 32 mph. I slid into a line directly behind him so his peripheral vision would not pick us up. I was all-out on my cassette so he couldn't hear a shift. This was complete stealth mode.

It worked perfectly. Right before we got to him we popped wide, buzzing past with over a 10 mph advantage. There was absolutely no way for him to respond to it. It was over before he knew we were there.

I held the front until we topped Lost River. I know John T. was itching to go, and could have taken us over the top at 20+. I didn't want him to do that. Not because I couldn't; because his race this weekend was more important than this ride. Once on the top, we were practically on top of the first group. I took the speed up to 25 mph and tapped.

John T. got the honor of passing the first group, a nice foretaste of the coming weekend I hope. We got by them in the rollers heading into the last climb. John T. tapped and it was Miller Time.

Miller did a nice job on the last hill. I believe this is the area in which we finally caught Scott, who by the way had a terrific individual effort. Miller took us over the top and to the finish. I was behind him with no intention of pushing for the win.

• I was tired
• I didn't want to incite John T. to do something he shouldn't
• Miller earned it

John T. later revealed he had no intention of trying - too much potential to hurt himself, get in a wreck, or some other mishap. 

It was a great ride. My official Strava time was 23:21, good for 25.6 mph on a night that was far from favorable and we were conserving to boot. The first group did pretty well too. While they didn't ride as quickly, they did hold together (except for the one, who never had a chance to hang in there). 

I won't ride tomorrow, which is probably a good thing. The weather looks pretty nasty. Hopefully the storms will clear things out a bit and we'll have better training weather the next day. I'll probably pick up a ride then. 

A run and then some

This week is a bit of a Mexican stand-off; Allen, my usual morning training partner, is off to Honduras on a mission trip, but dead week is over, so I am training with the girls' team again. Tie, kiss your sister, whatever you call that situation when there is give-and-take, that's what I've got.

So to start the morning I ran with the team. It was a slow one, and with three good reasons - 75 degrees, 75 degree dew point, 100% humidity. I probably lost a few pounds of sweat on that one, though it didn't seem too hard. Runs like this are insidious because they take more out of you than you can recover in a day. The first day or so go okay, but if the weather is prolonged this way, eventually you wear down. I do anyway.

After that I considered a ride. I didn't have a particular direction in time, place, or distance, and this is where I realized I've been spoiled this summer. Without Allen to call, I was bereft of impetus to get going. I decided (ultimately) to put it off to the evening. I'd decide then whether or not I really needed to ride at all.

Figuring into the equation was the condition of my legs. I felt last night's ride, which was harder than I planned. I also went 8 miles on the morning run, which is also farther than I usually go. I also had tomorrow night in mind... how much could I peel off the legs and still have anything left for the pace line?

Yet the sun shone, unlike the last couple of weeks, and rain is forecast throughout the week. I knew I'd kick myself for letting sunshine go wasted, so out I went. There was no particular path planned, but once on the saddle, autopilot took me south.

It was later in the evening and traffic was light. By the time I hit the highway I decided to stay on the highway if traffic was light enough, taking it all the way to Mitchell. Once there, I would turn at 10 miles and reverse the course. I wasn't looking for a time trial per se, it's just nice to get a real measure of my fitness every now and then, and the only true way to know your speed is to go out and back on the same course.

The wind wasn't too strong, but it was out of the southwest, meaning the way out would be harder. On top of that, much of the way out was a climb, slow but steady. In fact, from about mile 3 (the river bridge) it's basically uphill all the way to Mitchell. That should have meant slow speed.

It didn't. Sure, climbing out of the river bottom was slower, but once I got on top of the first climb, I was quickly over 20 mph. I was amazed at how easy it was to hold speed, even on the grades. Into the breeze, no less!

The turn occurs right at KFC in Mitchell. I was lucky, and caught a break right as the Garmin ticked over to 10 miles. I crossed the road and headed back. Of course this was much easier, riding the gradual stair-step downward to the river bottoms. Staying in aero, I road up the cut, into town, and into my drive in a bit over 56 for a bit over 20.

This usually happens when I ride alone. I get caught up in the moment and ride harder and harder. In this case it may make the pace line tomorrow harder or it may not. I don't care. I'm getting ready for an Olympic distance race, and that means a long time down in aero. That doesn't just happen - you have to practice it. Spending some time over the next few weeks brushing up on my aero skills won't hurt a thing. If it takes the edge off tomorrow, so be it.

The ride was a confidence booster in a lot of ways, but mainly because I wasn't pushing for the speed. I kept my heart rate in the 150's, a comfortable exercise range. I didn't blast the legs either, meaning I didn't feel any lactic burn at any time. I was in a sustainable effort for time, and considering the climbs in the course, the average speed is pretty good. Heck, I didn't even start putting any effort into the ride until I was on the bridge on the way out.

I don't really know why I've ridden so well the last couple of years, but right now I'm the best I've ever been, or darn close to it. It's probably a result of getting the right gear together and getting it tweaked just right. Hard to imagine this aging body could improve like that...

Ride Data

Busy weekend

It's been a quiet few days on the blog. I've meandered off in other directions... family reunion, the 4th of July, Erin leaving for Honduras, and a whole lot of nothing. I've been distracted mainly.

Last week was an outstanding week of training for me personally. I had two terrific rides, three great runs, and two great swims. I wish every week would go as well, but alas age makes such occurrences few and far between. At least I appreciate them more when they do happen.

I'm thinking of upgrading my Garmin already. I really do like my bike Garmin - well enough to upgrade. The feature I'm seeking most is one most husbands would eschew - the ability to be tracked live. I often go out for long rides alone. Leisa often worries when I do. Whether that's for my health or her mistrust of my intentions I cannot say; you would have to ask her. I do believe it is a fair thing to ask. Plus it would be cool to use it in a race (if possible).

That means of course I might sell my current model at a (slight) discount. I've had it only a couple of months, so it's hardly used. I'm not desperate though... I won't give it away. I don't have any problem keeping it for my other bike (or Leisa's). They're so easy to use and set up on different bikes it just wouldn't be a problem either way.

Speaking of riding alone, I did today. I didn't have a great deal of motivation about it, so I rode the standard 20. It wouldn't have been a bad idea to take the day completely off - mentally I need it - but with the weather the way it's been I figured 20 miles was a safe way to start the week.

Ride data.

Oh, and finally... I was asked to set up a Google calendar for our activities. I did so. If you want the contact info (it's private) contact me. I will send you the particulars. It may or may not work out - that's up to you guys. The more people use it, the more it will work.

By the way, if you want to access it with a smart phone, download the "G-Whizz!" Google app. It will allow you to hit the calendar, check events, or even create events on the go. 

A full day

Take that, Allen!

Galloway and I met at 9 this morning for a brisk 5-mile run. It went well, probably because the temperatures are still rather cool this week. The plan was for me to leave from the run to help my mother set up for tomorrow, then meet at BNL pool at 11. Allen would catch us there.

Galloway and I got there first, starting our swim. Allen joined us, and after the swim added his usual bit... we told him we'd run 5 miles, and of course he said he'd run 5.5. I did point out I'd swum much farther than he, but he waved that off as inconsequential. He even stated he'd add onto our ride after I left. He was plowing it deep.

Turns out he had to cancel the ride. I didn't. Lester and I rode a little over an hour, which is a little over an hour more than Allen rode today. But I wasn't going to leave it there.

There was still a scheduled run at 5:15. I felt good, so I went. As John T., Roy, Miller, Rand, and Bartlett are my witnesses, I ran again. Even more, Miller laid down the hammer a bit in the last two miles, and I decided to hang in there with him as long as I could.

So Allen... top that? ;)

I will admit I finally ran out of gas. I didn't go to the gym, but to be honest, I probably shouldn't anyway. I'm giving the shoulder the rest of the summer, I think. If it isn't straightened out by then, I'm going to have it checked out. No choice at that point.

Tomorrow is a ride, early. 7 AM at Lighthouse, or if you want a shorter one, 8 AM at Huck's. All welcome!

You never know

Who can unravel the mysteries of endurance athletics? Who has a crystal ball which allows the user to peer into its depths and glean the future? How can one ever know for certain how a workout may go until it is in fact history?

It's a lesson I've learned many times over the years... often, when you least expect it, or have cause to do so, the best workouts can happen. At the very least, often you can overperform your expectations.

Tonight was one of those nights. It was weird from the jump. There weren't that many of us there - seven riders started, though James was on call and would soon have to peel away. This left us with Miller, Allen, Rand, Scott, Galloway, and me.

We seemed to slowly, every so slowly make our way out to the turn. The wind seemed in our faces the whole way, which at least meant a favorable push back. Something else had crept in, pervasive and palpable, an almost disconnected air. The bodies were there, but the minds weren't. The word that comes to mind is indifferent.

I moved around the group to gather a pulse. Allen was most notably absent, to the point it felt like he was half paying attention to me (a feeling I quite easily recognize!). Rand was talkative, so I felt he was into it. Galloway was pretty normal, though without a big race coming, I couldn't be sure how committed he was to anything. Scott was off the front, so I didn't get much chance to talk to him. Miller had done a 400 workout during lunch, so his legs were a bit wasted.

Hmmm. A 6-man pace line with this group wouldn't do, unless (as I offered to Miller) he and I pulled longer and slower. That might work. Or we might break into groups, Miller and me, the rest of the guys in one group. That might work. Or, since Miller had done the running workout, they could all collect into one group and I could chase. I wasn't feeling very strong, but I was more than willing to try. Then of course we could break into three groups - a 3-man group, a 2-man group, and then myself. That would certainly work, and was the way I favored.

As plans often do, this one fell apart as we neared the line. Here came DfO to meet us. That could be two 3-man groups, possibly. It would be up to the fellows to pick their poison. At the tree, I threw out the options. Galloway sliced right through it all by saying, "Let's just do a time trial!"

It wasn't a bad idea at all. The wind would be favorable enough, and since no one was committed to anything else, it might as well be a time trial. I continued to lay out the team option if anyone wanted to pair up. No one spoke up, so we prepared the take-off for the usual 1-minute intervals.

Scott lead us off. Allen stated he would go next, but when he went - surprise - DfO jumped out too. Rand later claimed he heard DfO ask Allen if he wanted to pair, but the jury is out on whether or not Allen heard him. The rest of us certainly didn't. That pair was certain to be an anecdote generator!

Galloway was next, and being the model of efficiency that he is, fairly well flew out to the start. He was down and in aero before you could say, well, "down and in aero". Rand followed suit, though not quite as efficiently as Tim, then came Miller. Miller matched Galloway in time to start, and it's a time I don't care to surpass. The chip-and-seal surface recently applied becomes quite loose near the intersection of 337, and trying to speed around that corner is an invitation to road rash.

Finally my turn came, 5 minutes after the start (seems like it always works that way). I sped down the rough surface, turned starboard and hit it. I tapped my split on my stopwatch so I could get my preliminary time at the end, and it was off to the races.

First thing I noticed; the wind was no help at all. In fact, it might have been a hindrance, creating a slight buffet. I hoped it was a temporary issue, but the farther along the Amish stretch I went, the more I realized it was just how it was going to be. Still I made decent time. This stretch was spent in the 27-28+ range. By the end of this piece I could see I was gaining on Miller, but only slowly.

Bromer did have a slight boost from the wind, but as soon as the road turned west again, the breeze again was no help. I could see Miller heading into the first climb, tantalizingly close, but I would have to be patient. I topped this hill at 24-high, and by now I was quite certain this week's weather was tougher than last.

Miller seemed to come to me, then recede away, back and forth over the next couple of miles. I finally caught and passed him near the Pumpkin Center turn. Not very far ahead was Rand, and I was closing fast. I was maintaining the speed pretty well, and was beginning to think I might have a good one going.

A couple of turns later and I was in aero heading down into Lost River Valley. Rand was just ahead of me now, and before we were halfway across the floor I had him. He was making good time, and looked solid. Looking past him, I could see Galloway entering the first stages of Lost River Hill.

I tried to hold a better time on the hill this week, and I did, topping at 16-high. Galloway was coming into closer view, so I laid over the bars and went to work. Soon I was back to 27+, and in the following rollers I quickly closed down the distance to Tim. I caught him on the final climb, topped it, then dropped over the side for the final downhill of the course. I used it to bring the speed back up, and prepared for the final push.

As I hit the straightaway, I could see Allen and DfO. They were too far ahead to catch, though I'd closed the gap quite a bit. I focused instead on my computer, watching the speed, trying to hold it up as high as possible. I crossed and looked at my watch - 22:20, or 27 second faster than last week. I was very happy about that one.

Everyone else came in shortly after. I asked Galloway what he thought about the wind. He echoed everything I thought - certainly not helpful, except in Bromer and the Pumpkin Center bend. Other than that, neutral. Despite having a harder night, most guys went faster. That's a good sign training is improving us!

Analysis:

Scott: 26;00 - 23:08 mph. This is a 40-second improvement over last week. As Scott learns how to use his bike more effectively, he will continue to have huge jumps. His confidence and fitness are also growing daily.

Allen: 25:44 - 23:32 mph. This is an excellent individual time. I call it individual because he pulled 90% of the time and did not get help from his "partner" the whole ride. It must have been very distracting.

Galloway: 25:40 - 23:38 mph. Tim is a month distant from a serious break in his training due to health issues, so this is an especially great time for him. Good to see him back out on it!

Rand: 25:36 - 23:44 mph. Rand too has had his share of health issues, but hopefully they are behind him. Regardless, this is a great time.

Miller: 24:36 - 24:39 mph. Great time for two reasons: Tim isn't biking much, and; he did a hard running workout earlier. No doubt about it, a fresh Miller with decent bike mileage is a killer. Over 24 mph on your ancillary sport is not bad, bro.

IronBill: 22:17 - 26.93 mph. I have been faster, though the fastest time was wind-aided. As far as neutral conditions records, if this isn't it, it's close. A year ago in June I have a 27-high time in the mid-21's, but I can't help but believe this too was wind-aided. Regardless, one thing is clear - my biking is dialing in.

Ride data.