Tag: gunners

WEEK 23 – May 30, 2016 – June 5, 2016

A couple of noteworthy things happened this week.  First, for the second week in a row I missed my swim workouts.  I’m not all too concerned about it, but it made me think about why I didn’t have a contingency plan in place for when the school would be closed.  Well, I sort of did have one, and that was to have my own pool open and swim at home.  But I am still waiting to hear from the pool guys as to when they can put in my new liner.  I have looked into swimming at a local YMCA, but at $14 per swim that may be a little stiff.

One of my Gunner teammates Jeff, has definitely been utilizing his contingency plan as he rehabs from a back issue.  I should be taking lessons from the new guy!

The other big news is that after having consistently passing on a triathlon watch, I decided that I would take the plunge and join the cool tri kids.  What did I buy?  A brand new, in the  box Garmin 910XT.  Don’t laugh.  Even though this watch hit the market in 2011, and Garmin has since released the 920 and the 735, I got a deal that I just couldn’t pass up.  A local sporting goods store in Chicagoland, Sports Authority is going out of business and was having an everything must go sale.  I walked into the store and found that they had several new, never opened 910XT’s.  Normally they list for about $400.  Over a couple of weeks, I watched the price plunge until there was only one of about a half dozen left on the shelf, and it rang up at $159.  I made the decision to get the thing.  The receipt said all sales were final, and at the bottom said I had saved $240!  I think I got a good deal.

Since I already owned a Garmin Edge 500 bike computer, I found my new watch to be somewhat familiar, and the learning curve was not much of a challenge for this sometimes technology challenged geezer.  I have all the screens set up the way I want, and transferring data from my workouts to Garmin Connect is a snap when I get into range of the computer, transferring everything wirelessly!

The last thing of note is that I seem to have entered a stage of training that I totally forgot about the last time I did the Ironman – the “I’m always angry, sad, moody” stage.  Lately I have been so down and moody, and it is compounded by the fact that two of my kids graduated junior high and high school, and my son is entering his last year of college.  It also didn’t help that I asked my wife to buzz my hair with the smallest clipper, effectively making me look like an older geezer than I actually am.  I guess to combat this I guess is to let my hair grow out some, get some good rest and keep eating.  They say that when you are sad or angry during the race you need to eat.  I have no trouble eating.

WEEK 23 TOTALS:

Swims: No swimming this week😦

Bikes: 3 total, 7.33 hours, 124.5 miles

Runs: 7 total, 6 hours, 42 miles

WEEK 21 – May 16, 2016 – May 22, 2016

Another week of playing catch up.  The totals for last week were down because I missed my long run on Sunday.  So I ended up doing it on the Monday rest day.  14 miles in 2 hours.  Tuesday I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, so I had to cut my swim short and ended up doing 2500 yards instead of the 3500 the plan called for.  Since I needed to pick up my son from college on Friday, I skipped the planned swim.  I don’t mind skipping the third swim.

The rest of the week went well with no big issues.  The best part of the week however was the long Saturday ride and brick run that most of my Gunner teammates were able to make.  Dave and his son Alex made the trip to my home to ride together, but we ended up delaying it a little so John could join us as well.  We were missing our Gunner friend Jeff, who is still rehabbing from his minor back surgery and is limited to riding a stationary recumbent bike and using an elliptical.  So what does a Gunner do when those are his options?  Jeff did 4 hours on the elliptical.  Gunner.  Can’t wait until he can join us again.  He had a really good base built up and should be able to get back up to speed easily.

We rode for about an hour and then met with John, then we decided that heading east and west might be our best option due to the wind blowing from the north.  Unfortunately, most of the good riding for me is south of my town, so with a south wind it is hard to avoid having to ride back into the wind.

So we decided to explore a little, and that meant discovering gravel roads and busier highways. But we weren’t on them long, and eventually made it out to Elwood.  When we got to the north side of Midewin National Nature Preserve, we decided to ride into it and see what the old abandoned arsenal had for us.  Essentially it was just a couple miles of choppy road in the middle of nowhere.  Now we know.

Since we had been riding about an hour when we caught John, we decided that we would compromise and do an extra 1/2 hour to give him 3.5 hours and us 4.5 hours of riding.  In all, we covered about 77 miles in 4:30, give or take a couple of minutes.  I did notice that we passed the half-Iron bike distance of 56 miles at about 3:17, which is a pretty good time for a training ride if you ask me.  Matter of fact, the ride was quite a confidence booster.

The brick run was impressive to me.  I had always thought that it wouldn’t be long before Dave and John started to catch up with me tempo-wise on the run.  They certainly had some speed at the end of that 5.5 mile run.  I took them through a local neighborhood that has some really big houses, which they seemed to enjoy.  Then it was back home for a quick shower and a dinner at Fuddrucker’s, a hamburger joint that I hadn’t been to in probably 25 or more years.  I didn’t even think this place still existed.  But the food was hot and good, and the end of day conversations and recaps were awesome.

The Sunday workout consisted of a 1:15 hour spin, which I did with my wife.  We rode into New Lenox on the trail and then made it back home.  I took a minute to clean the Gatorade and gravel dirt off my bike, then headed out for the 1:45 long run.  It ended up being 12 miles.  I should have hydrated more because I was suffering a little in the 80 degree 100% sunshine.  I brought one water, but could have used more.  I think I needed to hydrate a little more from yesterday’s effort.

The last thing of note for the week is that we have all ordered our custom tri kits from Epix.  They did a really good job designing a logo for us and creating a kit.  I hope that all of us find the kit to fit well and be comfortable.  Can’t wait to get them in early July.

WEEK 21 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 2 hours, 6000 yards

Bikes: 4 total, 7:40 hours, 121 miles

Runs: 7 total, 7:55 hours, 54.7 miles

WEEK 19 – May 2, 2016 – May 8, 2016

Just a quick wrap-up for this week as it was pretty uneventful.  But there were some noteworthy items.

I learned a lesson about doing a half marathon last weekend.  It’s aftermath was painful.  I was very sore on most of my runs until about Friday.  Need to do some more stick rolling and stretching and I should be back to having that “normal” worn out feeling that I usually have.

Although the plan has a swim on Friday, I have decided that I will do them when I can.  It’s just that when you are doing training you end up neglecting some things that have little consequence, and others that have more significant consequence.  Like not mowing the yard, which at this time of the year can be more like a jungle if I don’t tend to it.  And since I feel the weekend long efforts on the bike and run are vital to the training, I think I can still be okay by foregoing one of the three hour long swims to devote time to household responsibilities.  I’ve been averaging about 2:05 minute splits per 100 yards over 3000 yards, which I am very happy with.

Speaking of the swim, I finally decided to pull the cover off my pool and try to open it.  Swimming in my own pool saves time, and even though it is a lot of turning around, I don’t mind it much.  I expected a green pool when I pulled the cover off, but got a much bigger surprise – a black lagoon!

Cleaning this will be a chore, but it would probably be ready in a couple of weeks.  But surprise number two came when I saw this:

So, now it looks like it may need to be replaced, and that may delay the pool opening for a while.  I’ve got two kids graduating 8th grade and high school this year, and the Ironman to train for, so I need that pool open!

The long bike was a four hour long trip this week, but I got to ride with a couple of friends, my normal riding partner Todd, and my other Ironman Gunner teammate Dave.  Todd is not interested at all in doing tri’s, but loves to ride.  He left us around 2:45 into the ride and Dave and I finished it off.  We pretty much have to ride south for good roads to ride, which meant with the wind going out.  Coming back was tough!  But we got through it.

Wrapped up the weekend with a Sunday long run of 12 miles.  I was set to only do 10 miles, but just as I was turning off the trail to run the mile back home, my wife jumped on.  So I enjoyed running an extra couple of miles with the mother of my children on a nice Mother’s Day.  She was the anti-runner when I met her, and now she’s starting to get pretty fast.  I converted a non-runner into a running lover!  Just need to get her interested in the marathon!

WEEK 19 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 2 hours, 6000 yards

Bikes: 5 total, 7.8 hours, 112 miles

Runs: 7 total, 5.5 hours, 38 miles

WEEK 18 – April 25, 2016 – May 1, 2016

The taper weeks always seem to surprise me, mainly because I rarely look ahead in the training plan unless forced to do so.  I take it one day, one week at a time.  No sense in worrying about the six hour rides and 3 hour runs at this stage of the game.  The tapers are almost like a gift or courtesy, like someone holding the door for you.  A welcome break for the work that you have put in.

The plan had an Olympic distance triathlon scheduled for Sunday, and since it is April in Illinois, the opportunity to get that task done was going to be limited unless I traveled to somewhere with a better spring than the one we are having.  But there was a local half marathon being run, so I decided to hop on that instead.

The half marathon was so local that it was on the exact same trails that I run every run.  I went into it thinking to use it as a training day, but of course the competitive side of me took over and I pushed hard.  I finished in 12th place overall.  But the surprising thing is that I finished 4th in my age group!  I am still trying to figure out how someone in the Male 50-54 age group can finish in 12th place and lose out on a podium finish by three other old guys.  My area must be ripe with fast old guys.  You can read my race recap here:

2016 Frankfort Half Marathon Race Report

The other thing of note this week was the swim and my ongoing issue with having to urinate when swimming.  I don’t get it.  Tuesday was to be a 3000 yard swim, and like clockwork I had to pee a half hour into it.  Then it was again about every 5-10 minutes.  When I got to the 2800 yard point I could feel some rather sharp pain in my lower back that almost doubled me over.  I decided to get out and head to the shower.  I did a little googling of the issue and found a condition called immersion diuresis.  The suggested reasoning is colder water and the pressure of being in the water stimulates the kidneys to make more urine.  I’m not sure what the pool temp is, but it isn’t what I would consider cold.  And I am not sure that I buy any pressure related causes because I’m swimming along the top of the water.  In the past I have just gotten out of the water and relieved myself and was able to continue on.  But the kidney ache that I got this time gave me some pause.  On Saturday after finishing the half marathon, I urinated a somewhat bloody stream.  Race day was cool and damp, and I had not felt like I was adequately hydrated.  I am curious if it was related to the issue I had earlier in the week or that the run was the cause.  I have had bloody appearing urine after hard running efforts in the past.  I will keep an eye on it for now.

Hoping for the best for one of my Gunners training teammates.  He had an issue with his back that has been treated and hopefully will put him back at it soon.  He was in great shape prior and will have plenty of time to recover and train.

Not sure what next week will be like.  I don’t look ahead, remember?  But it won’t be long and I will be heading into the endurance phase of training.

WEEK 18 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 1.5 hours, 4300 yards

Bikes: 2 total, 1.5 hours, 21 miles

Runs: 7 total, 4 hours, 31 miles

WEEK 17 – April 18, 2016 – April 24, 2016

Good week this week because of…  Taper!  Just as the plan was building to a weekend 4 hour ride and a 1.5 hour run, Fink dialed it back.  I think the next week is set up for another easy week, finishing with an Olympic distance triathlon.  Since it is late April in the suburbs of Chicago, good luck finding a race!  Instead, I signed up for a half-marathon for next Sunday and will do a little biking afterward.

I missed one of the swims this week as the Friday swim fell on my wife’s birthday.  And if I have learned anything about triathlon training, you don’t screw with family obligations!  So I had some things to do birthday-wise, and the swim was skipped.

Cycling went well this week, and I felt really good about the 4 hour long ride/half hour brick run.  It was a little cool at the start, but all things considered a nice day for a ride.  I think I averaged about 17 mph, but was often moving along at over 20 mph.

I finally found some time to buy some new running shoes on Sunday.  I haven’t tried them out yet.  My running shoe brand ASICS has been so dependable for me that I almost never even try them on in the store, I just grab my model and size and go.  But last time I bought the new version of the Kayano, the 22 and it’s construction is very different from the 21.  I found it to be stiff and the left shoe seemed to slap the ground, which bugged the heck out of me.  Very disappointed with this version.  So I am trying an experiment and bought a cheap ASICS model, the GEL-EXCITE 3.  While testing them in the store, I found them to be really comfortable and sturdy.  My experience with the cheaper shoes is that they just don’t last as long in respect to cushioning and wear and tear on the sole.  I will keep track and see if they can get to 300 miles.  If so, then that is $50 well spent!

WEEK 17 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 2 hours, 6000 yards

Bikes: 4 total, 6.5 hours, 112 (that’s an omen!) miles

Runs: 7 total, 5 hours, 36 miles

WEEK 16 – April 11, 2016 – April 17, 2016

The highlight of this week was an awesome group ride in Dixon, Illinois.  It was the first time that I had driven to my long time pal Dave’s house and joined him for a ride.  We were missing one of our teammates who couldn’t join us, and we had one Gunner dealing with a sore back.  We were however, joined by a young man from Germany named Malta, who impressed me with his riding even after traveling the previous couple of days.

I almost doomed the ride for myself by forgetting my bike computer, my heart rate strap, my sunscreen, and my little head covering that keeps the sweat off my brow and covers my bald head.  But I had my phone app to record the ride, and all my other stuff that I needed to at least ride and run afterward.

The day was awesome for mid-April.  Mid to upper 70’s, barely any clouds, with a slight wind from the southeast.  I was amazed at the farms and the rolling hills, and upon cresting several hills I would almost want to stop and take in the scenery.  We saw a huge hawk, several horses, some cows, some pigs roaming around, a barking dog who Dave says barks at him every damn time, and a snake sunning himself on the pavement.  Dumb snakes.  Later on the run we even saw a couple of deer.

I loved to fly down the rollers, but I learned quickly that I better be a little more careful riding an unknown route as I launched one of my bottles filled with Gatorade.  Fortunately for me, Jeff decided not to overdo it with his back issue and let me have his for the rest of the ride when he turned back early.  He was also kind enough to pick up my bottle on the way home.  Thanks, Jeff!  I needed every drop of Gatorade from that bottle.

Dave mentioned that we should turn around around 1 hour 25 minutes into the 3 hour ride because it will take us longer riding back home into the wind.  Truthfully, I hadn’t really noticed the wind much, but Dave is pretty keen about those things.  Sure enough, when we turned around the wind was right in our face and it seemed that it was going to take us much longer to get back.  But we kept on moving and got it done.

One thing I noticed about Dave’s route is that it was very much like the Ironman Wisconsin course in terms of rollers and wide open spaces.  Good place to train for Wisconsin or Lake Placid.  No wonder Dave is a cycling god.

I also relearned the same lesson that I always learn when I ride with my buddies.  That lesson is – I SUCK!!!  Okay, that’s being a little harsh on myself, but every time I ride with my buddies I get reminded where I sit in the hierarchy of cycling ability in our group.  And that is low on the totem pole, way off the back.

But it’s kind of unfair to say I suck instead of acknowledging how good my buddy Dave is.  And the kid, Alex, well youth is definitely on his side.  I shouldn’t be comparing myself to someone  31 years younger than me.  He’s also outstanding.

In reality I have improved my cycling a bunch, and I think I am at a much higher level of conditioning on the bike than in the past.

The rest of the week also went well.  I finally got in the three swims this week and felt good about it.  Running was also pretty good.  Ended the week with an 11 mile long run at about 8:12/mile pace.

Glad that summer made an appearance this week, and I hope it sticks around for awhile.

WEEK 16 TOTALS:

Swims: 3 total, 3 hours, 9000 yards

Bikes: 4 total, 5.75 hours, 96 miles

Runs: 7 total, 5 hours, 36 miles