Fever Aches and Chills= Easy Week

As you can guess from the title there has not been much to say about easy week.  Very unplanned easy week.  I rode on Sunday the 25th feeling very certain of myself.  Did a 30 minute warm-up while watching the Police live DVD and added in Extra Shot from the spectacular folks at Sufferfest.  Followed that with the usual 30 minutes of core and thought nothing more of it.  A pretty typical Sunday, as the world turns.

Then, we started to get the sense that the tri-kids were not their usual spunky selves and by the time the sun had set, we were in the middle of a full blown snot fest; full of aches pains and general malaise... and all of this accompanied by a low grade fever and chills.  It also became apparent that this was going to include me. I did my best to make it to work on Monday but it was very obvious that I was not going to be an active participant throughout the week and ended up off for Tuesday and Wednesday.  I trundled in to sit in front of my computer screen to get done what was needed for two days and basically phoned it in.



Today, it was time to get back in the saddle and regain some kind of strength. How bad could it be?  Well freakin' impossible... that's how bad.  My glorious return to sufferlandria was the epic - Violator.

This is easily the hardest video out of the lot.  Check this out... over the course of 69 minutes you will do 64 sprints to the point that your legs will no longer respond as your heart has simply exploded and left your steaming carcass still upright only because of the gyroscopic effect created by your spinning legs still cleated to your pedals. 

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

How Rude!

Not the day for me.
Running angry and frustrated
the music died in the middle
In my mind I'm going to Caro......
the last 3 miles
just me
and my controlled breathing
gasping
running around in consummate concentric circles
... dreaming away the bothers.

Mile 6 would not come and then when it arrived, it would not leave
.... how rude!

Bless you kind sir!

Back in the pool today after a wonderful 2 days off. 7x300 on the schedule and it felt fine... actually better than fine. It felt divine.  The water was flowing over me as I cut through on the first few sets and really felt like I had something going on.  The last few, as always, we a bit of a stretch, but I did 'em.  The guy in the lane beside me offered a suggestion after watching me turn off the wall and suggested that i keep my arm up and out instead of going back through the water.  Creates a bit less resistance (which is always good) and might add up to a second or two throughout the 300m... bless you kind sir.... bless you.

2K or 2000m or 80 laps... you choose

Today was a 2K or 2000m or 80 lap TT.  To be honest it was not as much of a TT as a get int eh damn pool and swim 80 lengths and see if I can still hold 1:40 min/100m.  The answer to the question is ..... yep.

This was my 7th day in a row... no wonder I feel tired.

Ski Weekend

The weather has broken and we have made our way out to Beaudry again and had the time of our lives.  The kids are getting better and better with every day and they are beginning to enjoy the sport.... that said, it take a miracle to get us all out of the house.

Sat was just a little fun with Tri-Gal takin' off with Tri-girl and and Tri-Boy and I bringing up the rear.  And how do we evaluate a good ski day..... no one fell.... more than once.

At the top of mount Crumpit.

Action Jackson.

All alone in the Basswood.

Apres Ski!

We made our way out Sunday morning with High School Yodeller and took to the trails sans kiddies. It was good to go your own pace, but on the other hand, no rest for the wicked other than texting now and then that you were alive and your location. 

Round and Round

I'm feeling a little RaTT tonight.

Round and Round... love will find a way just give it time.

Why the throwback?

I did 7 miles at the track at the Centennial.  That = 84 laps.  12 per mile.  I just chunked them up and all I can say is that I was saved by tri-boy's iPod shuffle.

Took this video of my journey in time lapse .  Enjoy!

Nothing Fancy

too much going on makes it very hard to keep up with the blog, so if you will permit me, I will update several days at once.

This week had been busy and I know that with all of this activity, I can eat just about anything and not gain an ounce.  I am sensing a full rack of ribs in my future.... yummy!

Let's see..  we started with a really intense swim on Tuesday.  I was have moved forward with my sprint set and added two more reps to round out the distance to 2100m.  I was feeling really go on this one and it helped that there was some doofus in the other lane taking me on.  Literally, he was sitting at the end waiting for me then he would attack off the wall and try to stay with me for 50 and then he was done for about 3:00 minutes and then he would attack again..... fun.  I have no doubt that his helped me keep it real as I managed a 1:35/ 100m avg.  Call me the flash.

Then it was off to Beaudry for a family ski on Wednesday.  The thing is, that by the time we got home and loaded the kiddies up with the skis and then we had to stop for a park pass.... I have to be honest it was fairly dark by the time we pulled the skis out of the van and started around the Wild Grape Loop.  Tri-Girl and Kid of Steel one headed out as I wrestled with tri-boy's bindings as they were caked with snow and would not quite catch.  With our eyes as dilated as pre-teen crushing on One Direction, we headed out and had a great time in the silence and the snow.  It honestly did not seem that bad until we got back to the parking lot and the big light made us realize that it was indeed pitch black and we were out way past our bed time.

Nothing fancy, just a great time with the family.

And today it was back to the pool.  Only 1500m on the docket.  I have at least 10K to run tomorrow after work, so no real need to push myself today.  That said, it felt good and the times were comparable to my Tuesday work out and fall into that fast-ish category for me.  Colour me happy.

Now if I can only get them to sponsor my tired legs

I like the titles of the sufferfest videos... puny and direct. Today, we no exception really.  A Very Dark Place.  What else would you expect?  How about visiting there 5 times within 35 minutes.  After a brief warm up you dive in to a set of 5x 4:00 with 3:00 recovery. Those 4:00 are merciless, and I do mean by the strictest definition - without mercy.  thing starting with a 110 cadence standing sprint in to a continued 8.5 /10 effort with pushes and climbs in-between.

I wonder if Advil sponsors any major event or specifically any rider?

Yes, .... yes they do.   Now if I can only get them to sponsor my tired legs.

POP goes the Tri-Guy

Round and round the Centennial Track
Tri-Guy chased his Heart Rate
The Heart Rate though it was all in fun
POP goes the Tri-Guy!

81 laps = 6.75miles or 10.86K - thank you ipod shuffle!


BOOM!  Longest run since August and it felt like it ... 'specially at about 1:00AM. - Advil to the rescue.

Somehow Strangely Satisfying

Got to the pool some.

The Centennial and I are getting along just fine and I am pleased with the results.  After the initial set of 3x500m with 1:20 in-between, I decided to go back and see what it might look like if I put my self into the scenario of the race distance of 2 K or for my use 2100m or 7x300m.  No matter how you slice it,  there was a bucket of back and forth and on the 2100m day, I was one of 4 people in the entire pool.... somehow strangely satisfying, yet when you are all alone like that, you start to think about sharks.... not sure why.  Maybe think about them motivatd me to keep the pace up as I managed to average 1:37minute/100m average for both.  Smiles for me.

The Gag and the Rising: Long Scream

Okay.... not a bad thing that no one really follows this thing, as I have been so busy this week that........ wait a minute, it was not really that I was busy, it was more the fact that Garmin was having a hissy fit an you could not up load any of your data and that meant that there really was not much to post.  That said, I was busy.  I got in a great TT on Sunday and then 2 epic swims and then topped it all off with the longest run since August.

There is really not much to say here.   We did a 30 minute warm up, as the extra shot does not come with a warm-up.... and then a 30:00 TT.  I know it sounds a bit hyperbolic, as I always seem to say that I almost threw up, but guess what, I did.  Seriously, the gag and the rising in the back of my throat... caught me completely by surprise. If you are looking for a way to get your numbers and a base line for the Sufferfest series... take my word for it (as I wipe the vomit from my lips), The Long Scream is exactly where to start.

Hell Hath no Fury

Today, I made it to the pros and I am riding again for the national team at the Women's ICU and we are going for a Yellow jersey today.   Two big 20:00 races with a TTT at the end that can rip your legs off.  Having not been on the bike for a bit, I seemed like a good idea to stay with the usual 30:00 warm-up and in all honesty, I could feel the pain of turkey dinners and the rest of the festive snacking weighing me down.

In my last workout with Sufferfest, I did the Rubber Glove - the Sufferlandrian physical fitness test. Out of that, I had raised my TT effort and now I was going to have to ride at a bit higher speed when I was asked to hit my 7.0 out of 10.  There is no other way to say it, this was going to hurt

..... and hurt it did.  At one point in the second race, a thought entered my mind that this was going to be the one that breaks me.  This was going to be the video that I have to stop and cannot complete.  That th ough was banished and immediately replaced with thoughts of the glory and women that would be showered down upon me when I took the title..... besides it was not like I had any choice and the ministry was going to boil me alive if I did not take home the Yellow Jersey.

All that aside, I love these videos as they consistently get me to do things I never would have dreamed of doing otherwise.

On a side note, Tri-girl and I took the triathlon kids down to the pool for a little lap swim and some fun.  Wouldn't you know it, the pool was closed due to a fouling.  WTF!!!  This is the 4th time my swim has been cancelled due to a fouling on a Friday since October.  I actually stopped going on Fridays, but this was the last day of my holidays, so I mad an exception.... Fuck!

Brilliant Hospitality

Made our way up to the lake to celebrate with the M&M's..... easily described as simply brilliant hospitality combined with fantastic food.  Now add in the possibility of drinking way tooo much and blowing off fingers with fireworks from Canada Tire and you've got yourself a way of remembering the birth of 2015.

We all managed to get organized enough to head out on the local trails around the golf course and down to the 307-7th for a grand tour of the abandoned and seemingly derelict cottages of the summer residents.

The Whole Gaggle of Us

Forgot my watch in the chaos that sometimes materializes when the whole gaggle of us head to the pool.  Regardless, Tri-Girl had hers and she was into a 30min lap swim so I paced of of her rather than trying to keep an eye on the pace clock witch is perpetually out of focus without prescription goggles.

So just a straight up TT with a fairly accurate time and completely on par with my last timed effort.

A Sense of Being at the Lake

Day after gluttony.

We, if I was perfectly honest, I did not really eat that much.... haven't been a two plate second helping kind of guy for 15yrs..... well with the exception of Tri-Girl's pie.  The dust has settled on yet another fantastic Christmas and Tri-Girl and I decided that today was a run day.  Minons got a WiiU for Christmas, so we did not feel like kicking them off the TV for Sufferfest.  With some gentle snow -globe snow falling outside and drifting straight down, we knew that the wind was not going to be a factor, so even though it was -11˚C the run was the only option as Centennial was still closed for the holiday.

There are moments that I tire of the Hearte Trial, but they are few and far between when it is maintained.  What a simply fantastic run today.  It is 1 mile out to the trail head and then within a few steps you are enveloped in the peaceful calm of the tunnel of poplars and elms that forms the trail.  In all honesty, I was realy only trying to catch Tri-girl; who had set out on this adventure about 5 minutes ahead of me. Yet, once I reached the turnaround point, I was having so much fun, I though I would go a bit farther.... no regrets there.... punched the stop sign at Harstone and headed home.

Greeting people walking dogs and going for walks, you get this sense of being at the lake where you say hi to everyone you meet, or at least give them a wave or a nod.  That combined with the lightly falling snow, made my day.

'Twas the day before Christmas

'Twas the day before Christmas
and on the usual trail,
Tri-guy was running
at the pace of a snail.

His calf was all fixed
and hammies were stretched
in hopes that decent times
could possibly be fetched.

This was not to happen
on the roads out today,
as snow turned "Brown Sugar"
and time slipped away.

And what to his wondrous
eyes should appear,
but a fantastic Santa hat
that was sure to spread cheer.

So up on his head,
as merry attire
Tri-gy headed out
for a lap of the Shire.

Left-Right, Left-Right,
'round the course he flew;
wishing festive greetings
to people familiar and new.

And they heard him exclaim,
as he ran out of sight.
"Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!"

All apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.

Just Maintenance

Day two of swimming and it was a little bit busier with all the kiddies on break.  A few people have figured out our secret time and have come to join us.  The lady at the desk let us in; however, we had to wait to go on deck until 2:30 when a third lifeguard came on.

My time in the pool was ouchy. My shoulders and the like were still twitchy and achy from yesterday's TT and I was sure it would slow me down.  But then again.... who cares?  Its not like these times really mean that much and the bigger issue is that I am getting healthy and putting my self  firmly back on the road to full recovery and heading towards completing 1/2 Challenge in August.  Thus, in the wee small hours of the season, it is far more important that I just be consistent and swim... in fact some of my best work outs have been when I do not feel like going at all.

In the end, I was pleased with my day two times and will continue down this avenue as the speed work seems to be doing just that..... working.

The second half of my swim was the fun stuff.  Peaches and Short Pants are signed up for their Bronze Medallion starting in Jannuary and one of the requirements is the timed swim.  Now both of them were getting a little worried about this one, and try as I might to tell them that they will be fine, they both were still uncertain.  So.... I convinced them to come into my lane and give it a go.  Ready or not, they understaood that it was a good idea to get a base-line and we could go from there.  

I paced them out really easy to start as I was still tired from my set and I wanted them to understand that going fast out of the gate was not going to get them anywhere. Nothing like gasping on the lane rope, completely out of breath watching everyone pass you.  The timed swim is 500m in 15:00.  Like I said, that can seem a bit daunting, but they both did very well and were easily under the time.  Short Pants came in at: 10:45 - 2:09/100m, and Peaches came in with a handy 2:30 to spare at 12:26 - 2:29/100m.  Nothing to worry about... just maintenance.

Hypoxia?

First day of holidays and the family ended up at the Centennial.  Tri-girl and I hit the lanes and the kiddies chased each other about... so much so that I am really not that certain who burned more calories.  I decided I have done three and a half months doing my little set of 5x300m to try to get my speed up , so with Rubber Glove fresh in my legs and embedded in my brain, I thought it would be a good idea to do a TT in the pool.  20 minutes seemed a little short, so I settled on 30 minutes which was roughly the same as my regular time.

My biggest feat, to be honest, was not the time, but losing track of my laps.  I get in there and round about 30 laps in I drift off an start thinking about this and that and then I am all befuddled and not sure if that was 34 or 36.  I am usually lucid enough to know that is it an odd or even lap, but where to go from there is never quite as clear as you'd think.  Maybe it is the effort creating a lack of oxygen to my bran that is causing the lapse in  mathematical prowess or it simply could just be that i  am a bear of very little brain. Either way, my fears were unfounded as I counted them all with great precision.

This will explain how I feel in the pool sometimes...

Anyhoo... I am pretty proud of my time and my average was pretty close to where i wanted it to be.  I was hoping for about a 1:40 minute/ 100M and I was pretty stoked when it worked out to 1:39.

Generous Amounts of Chamois Creme

After a quiet week of exercise and I long week at work, Tri-girl and I descended back to the scene of the crime (quite apropos seeing that these Sufferfest videos are downright criminal).  Today we would throw caution to the wind and apply generous amounts of Chamois Creme and lube it up for Sufferlandria's official fitness examination - Rubber Glove.

The aptly named Rubber Glove is a series of warm up type efforts getting you ready for a 20 minute TT whose results will guide you in your gear choices and speed for the video series.  When you are done, you will have some data to drive your workouts.... i.e. avg speed and avg HR for the 20 minutes of suffering.  However, what I truly enjoyed, is that it really gave me some pacing for the TT and brought me to one of the fastest TT's in 5 years.  Now that's money well spent.  Whether it is the videos and training I have done up to this point or where I am at on this particular day - who knows?  But what I do know is that I am about 10 videos into the 20 and besides the heart pounding and sweat that characterize each video, I am maybe seeing my first real results from all this hard work.

Sadly, I am also aware that in increasing my TT pacing, I have shot myself in the foot, as all of my efforts for the remaining videos will be all the harder.  I was riding at my last TT pace for all of the first videos and holding 23KMPH for an effort of 7.  Now, due to my increased TT AVG Speed, I am going to have to hold 25KMPH for an effort of 7. .... well 25.6KMPH to be exact.

If you open my data and go to the splits, you will see the completed TT and how that all played out.

Tri-Girl and I also did a 35 minute warm up to get ready for the TT.

Just Get Through it Without Falling

After being led like a lamb to the slaughter on a weekly basis to Ness Physiotherapy to have my legs worked on by the jackhammer hydraulics of Chris "fingers" Ciastko, I braved the roads and the melty type temps and headed out on my first run in 9 weeks.  I was a bit apprehensive with drizzle drifting down like a cooling blanket of mist and freezing to the road creating the perfect pebbling effect akin to our local curling rinks.  However, my fears were assuaged through careful footing and the ever sure grip of my trusty Ravena's.  

It was not a fast run by any means and that was not the point.... a fact I kept reminding myself throughout the 30 or so minutes I was out there.  "Just get through it without falling.  There is loads of time to build up speed."  I tried my best to keep some constant pacing, and,  although I did wear my watch, I was also smart enough no to look at it once.    

I was happy to get through the 5K without incident.  Things hurt that usually do not later that night, and combined with the 4 hour wrapping session, I was truly laid up.  Advil, Hot tub and percussion Massager did ease my pain... but then again, it could just simply be the distraction as the kids took my massager and tickled themselves silly.