A super sprint for some reason, has got a bad name.  It’s too short.  It’s too easy.  It’s not a challenge.  It’s only only for beginners.

I challenge that.

Where can you do three different sports, in less than 30 minutes outside of an obstacle course setting?  Super sprint tris are a blast [...]]]>

A super sprint for some reason, has got a bad name.  It’s too short.  It’s too easy.  It’s not a challenge.  It’s only only for beginners.

I challenge that.

Where can you do three different sports, in less than 30 minutes outside of an obstacle course setting?  Super sprint tris are a blast and are great for the top end speed!

If done correctly, the super sprint can tax a zone 4 and some 5 completely for the day.  A sprint or Olympic triathlon is mostly zone 3 with some 4.  A running race or short cycling time trial may be the only way to get that good of workout (but it’s only one sport!).

Super sprints should be on your triathlon list.  They will challenge your upper threshold and give you some new speed and perspective on how much triathlon is!

A lactate test will give you the specified zones you need to work in.

Zone 1 = [...]]]> Quantifying a workout even when you have all the gadgets is still hard to evaluate.  How does one compare an easy long ride to a short hard time trial?  Enter the point system combined with a lactate test.

A lactate test will give you the specified zones you need to work in.

Zone 1 = Fat burning/base

Zone 2 = Mostly fat burning but carbohydrates are beginning to be used more

Zone 3 = Transition point where lactate begins to build up

Zone 4 = Carbohydrates are the dominant fuel source for the muscles

Zone 5 = Carbohydrate inferno

Using the information above, it can be easy to quantify every workout.  For each zone above, a number is given for each minute spent at that intensity; so 1 point for 1 minute in zone 1, 2 points for 1 minute ins zone 2, and so on.

So if we take a sprint distance triathlon as an example to quantify, we get:

Swim 750m (say 10 minutes) in Zone 4 = 10*4=40 points

Bike 20Km (say 35 minutes) in Zone 3 = 35*3=105 points

Run 5Km (say 20 minues) in Zone 4 = 20*4=80 points

Total workout = 225 points.

This means in training, an equivalent workout could be:

Zone 1 = 225 minutes (3 hours and 45 minutes) / 1 point = 3.75 hours

Zone 2 = 225 minutes / 2 points = 1.875 hours

Zone 3 = 225/3 = 1.25 hours

Zone 4 = 225/4 = 56.25 minutes  That is a huge amount of zone 4 work!  Leave this one to the pros!

Zone 5 = 225/5 = No chance.

This is easy way to help quantify workouts.  Also to help compare races to training.

1 – Canker sores.  Yes, breakdown of your mouth [...]]]> I was doing my nightly website blogging and came across Joe Friels: Overtraining article.  Much to my displeasure, he never came up with a clear answer.  Honestly I’ve come up with a small list of things that happen that typically lead down the road to being overtrained.

1 – Canker sores.  Yes, breakdown of your mouth as well as your muscles.  This is caused by eating too many sugary foods..

2 – Craving carbs.  Sugars especially!  The body in the overtrained state craves energy.  It will take whatever it can get but I find it’s the simple sugar it wants the most.

3 – Wake up in the middle of the night to pee like an old person.  Yup, another sign your on the overtrained wagon.  Your body just can’t get the full rest it needs.

4 – No libido.  Not the worst thing in the world if your done having kids or do not have a girlfriend/boyfriend.  But I think this is very unnatural.

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/

Figure: Left side of the graph is hours.  Weekend I had to work so time to workout when significantly down…

Keys

I found it took me till Thursday to get use to the high mileage.  When [...]]]> Wrapping up today was the first push of volume (20 hours) of the year.  See below for times:

Figure: Left side of the graph is hours.  Weekend I had to work so time to workout when significantly down…

Keys

I found it took me till Thursday to get use to the high mileage.  When I woke up Thursday I felt that my body finally adusted to the rigors of training.  Basically this meant that putting any high intensity stuff, I did some on Wednesday, should be moved ot later into the week till I felt better.

I enjoyed every workout.  My time is being divided more and mroe these days and it was fun to just go out and enjoy the time being active.

Self massage, rolling, and stretching were crucial for my body to get up each day! 

Besides some small cheats, my nutrition was very basic (salad, fruit, and grains + protein).

Next Time Try to Involve

I’d like to involve more group work.  So adding in group rides/runs.  I found that the classes/swims I had kept me motivated. 

Figuring out if low versus high concentration drinks work better for me in low intensity.  What I mean by this is, I need calories but at the same time I need to hydrate (I am a heavy sweater!).  When you combine the two, H20 and carbs, only so much can be absorbed.  Finding a solution that works best for my gut is going to be my next adventure in learning.

Monday

Group Power – Endurance exercise class held at the Y

Swim – Long endurance

Run – [...]]]> Beauty weather here in London has made me a happy camper with my first volume push, also known as a training camp, of the year.  It’s been sunny with highs of 15-16 degrees since Monday.  Love it!

Monday

Group Power – Endurance exercise class held at the Y

Swim – Long endurance

Run – 60′ trail run

Tuesday

Swim – Drill Specific

Bike – 3 hours of glorious riding

Keys for this week is to do high amounts of fat burning zone work.  This helps the body to utilize fat as fuel and also, helps give my legs a break after 4 weeks of that damn milk challenge!

It’s Friday.  You know what that means?  Milk challenge. 

I’m 60mins from my projected finish of the 20K time trial after doing 90 minutes (90!) of 90/80/70 percent efforts plus a V02 Max!  All on a couple of eggs and juice.

My legs are shattered.  I have knots in three points that are [...]]]>

It’s Friday.  You know what that means?  Milk challenge. 

I’m 60mins from my projected finish of the 20K time trial after doing 90 minutes (90!) of 90/80/70 percent efforts plus a V02 Max!  All on a couple of eggs and juice.

My legs are shattered.  I have knots in three points that are killing me.  I have had two bad charlie horses..  And I’m hungry.

So how the heck do you force yourself into doing a 20k TT?

The key is to break it up into manageable goals.  For me, I actually sing to myself (in hy head!).  Since there is no music you have to give yourself something to focus on.  Last week:

Semi charmed life by Third Eye Blind

I want it that way by BSB (still know all the words!)

Hello by some weird name band. 

This week I have some OLP to focus on!

To be honest, I don’t what inside you summons the strength to perform.  All I know is that I try not to think about it!  Oh, it’s game time.  Wish me luck

House

I’ve got one foot inside the newest (conditionally) possession.  Problem is that it never seems like it’s mine till the close date. 

New Company

In the works is to begin a company that does [...]]]> Lots of big changes happening.  New house.  New company.  Old thesis.  New weather (right?!).  And of course new training.

House

I’ve got one foot inside the newest (conditionally) possession.  Problem is that it never seems like it’s mine till the close date. 

New Company

In the works is to begin a company that does lactate testing to determine zones based on your physiology.  It’s a good accurate system that will help athletes develop.

Old Thesis 

Writing just goes on forever!  It seems like the closer I get to finishing I start another paragraph or change a title!

Weather

Don’t get me started…

Training

I’m half way through the milk challenge which is friggen painful.  What’s funny is that after the first bout, I ‘learned’ how to tackle the the test better.  Yes, I am officially not a rat.  Learning is frowned upon as a subject in science testing as it adds a ‘cofounder’ (they want predictable nature.  So go out hard and die everytime as opposed to learning that if I go a little slower I can sustain a higher output for longer).  My body crashed into this week and it looks like with all the above stresses, I need some downtime.  Hey, when the body says stop, it’s time to take a break.

Next up is some high volume to get ready for the summer races.  I’ve got some ‘Xs’ marked for some future races.  Hopefully funding will be there or it maybe a short season!

Cheers,

Cliff

4:34pm – Completed a 20K time trial on the bike at a dismal speed.  I was spent.  To rub salt in the wound, I went out way too hard an suffered for it.  [...]]]> 5pm – I could be found in a Mac’s eating fist fulls of candy.  Energy levels were lowest of the low.

4:34pm – Completed a 20K time trial on the bike at a dismal speed.  I was spent.  To rub salt in the wound, I went out way too hard an suffered for it.  Cruel world.

4:00pm – After a quick warmup (only 5mins to get ready for a max effort!) I started at what I thought was a steady effort.  The tank really felt empty but this was torture to keep pushing it.

12:00pm – Finished up my max efforts.  No puking and I doubled the other guys time on the bike!  Now I get refreshments for the next 2 hours of…. some drink that they’ve made to taste like chocolate milk.  I’ll take anything at this point.  Oh, and I also have to piss in a bucket for the next 4 hours.  Yippee.

10:30am – Man I just watched a guy puke twice doing this!  It’s time for 90% efforts (2min effort then a 2min recovery).  The point of this is to sap my legs of glycogen (stored energy) so I have nothing left to ride on later.  I’m thinking its going to work….

10:25am – Get a 5min break before the 90%, 80%, 70% efforts.  Feeling ok but starting to feel the effects of not having food in my belly.

9:45am – Starting the day off with: a V02 Max test.  I mean I feel like crap already why not add in a test that pushes you to the absolute maximum.  Riding on fumes from not eating as well…  Oh Boy.

8:30am -First bite of food (a couple of hard boiled eggs)  in over 8 hours.  Famished.  To rub it in, I blew one of them up in the microwave.  Remember kids, eggs should be reheated for less than a minute!

5:00am – Wake up for work.

Stretching or rolling?  If you only have 5mins to get a quick stretch in or a short date with the roller, which is the better option?

Although the roller won’t help elongate the muscles the same way stretching does, it’s my personal opinion that a quick roll will help your muscle relax better.  [...]]]>

Stretching or rolling?  If you only have 5mins to get a quick stretch in or a short date with the roller, which is the better option?

Although the roller won’t help elongate the muscles the same way stretching does, it’s my personal opinion that a quick roll will help your muscle relax better.  Which means you can recover faster! 

What exactly does rolling do?  Rolling is a massage technique called myofascial release.  I’ll let Carol Manheimsummarize the principles of Myofascial Release:

• Fascia covers all organs of the body, muscle and fascia cannot be separated.
• All muscle stretching is myofascial stretching.
• Myofascial stretching in one area of the body can be felt in and will affect the other body areas.
• Release of myofascial restrictions can affect other body organs through a release of tension in the whole fascia system.
• Myofascial release techniques work even though the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood.

That last point also means that a direct diagnosis (duration) of massage isn’t exact.  So whether it’s 5mins or 1hour, its really up to you for figuring out how much you need.  The more frequent you use the roller I find is better than the duration.  For recovery purposes that is.

If you haven’t ‘rolled yet’, get on it!  Seriously!

It seems in the 21st century that we are never satisfied where we are at.  We tend to optimize the already perfect plan/invention/ etc.  Hey, I’m a hypocrite when it comes to this topic; I love change!  But what I’m discovering is that what you did last week CAN be repeated this week if [...]]]>

It seems in the 21st century that we are never satisfied where we are at.  We tend to optimize the already perfect plan/invention/ etc.  Hey, I’m a hypocrite when it comes to this topic; I love change!  But what I’m discovering is that what you did last week CAN be repeated this week if you work HARDER at it.  Switching workouts all the time can add stress as you don’t know how your going to feel afterwards thus the next days workout is compromised (it’s a snowball effect!).

I’m going to throw a bold statement out there but I think periodization training is not a useful strategy for the working class (which is about 90% of the population).  In typical periodization plans, each week is suppose to build on the previous, thus steadily building as the season progresses.  Guess what: life happens.  This week its 10 hours, last week its 5 and next is 8!  Steady climb?  How about a jagged mountains! 

If your in this boat, realize that some training is better than nothing, that just because you have 12 hours this week you can overdo it, try to plan ahead, and when you feel rested: go hard.  They key is to maintain some sort of consistency, so choosing the workouts that will give you the most benefit.

So how can you still get to your goal but on a wacky schedule?  Get into a rhythm.  Find a few times a week to get in the work and everything else is gravy.

Rule 5: Consistency is the key.  Workout to workout, day to day, week to week, month to month, and year to year!