2012 February Training Summary

February was a bike focus month, my goal was to put in over 10 hours and I accomplished that goal.  This was my second, barely, most bike time in a February over the course of my training history.
I feel that I put in a good mix of intensity and time.  Most of my workouts consist of CompuTrainer rides on Monday night and spin workouts on Wednesday night, with a little extra riding thrown in on my own.

January and February combined for a lot of swim yardage, 57000 yards.  That seems like a lot of yards for me for the first two months of the year.
In Feb I did two 1000 yard swim TTs.  One with wetsuit and one without wetsuit. 
Without wetsuit = 15:29
With wetsuit = 13:58
It is always good to confirm swimming with a wetsuit improves your time.

I am going to cut back on the swim and take the time not swimming and invest it in biking and running.  I think I need to put in more bike and run.  I think my swim base is pretty good since I basically swim year round.  The bike and run go up and down throughout the year, and this is the time of year that I need to invest time in both of those pieces.  My first race is in FL, April 29, and typically my run is not that great.  I would like to have a better run this year.
I don't like that fact that my time running went from 6.5 hours (Jan run focus month) to barely 2 hours in Feb.  I don't like the fact that I dropped that much run time from one month to the next.  Especially since March is a run focus and I basically have to ramp up over the course of the month.  I still worry about injury and fatigue when it comes to running, so I tend to take it slow.

In Feb I did my first indoor tri, unofficially, and I felt it went pretty good.  I wrote about it a couple of posts ago.  The next indoor tri at OHP is March 18th, I will not being doing that one, it is the same day as the St. Patrick's Day 8K in Saint Paul.  There is another indoor tri in April, April 15th, I will be doing that indoor tri as a tune up for St. Anthony's.

Comparison of February Training

Since 2007 and Monthly Averages

YTD Total and Totals Since 2007

2011 Goals Completed and Goals for 2012

Below is the table of my 2011 goals and my actual results.  The goals I completed are in green, no color indicates I missed the goal.

Getting that T1 time under 1:50 is tough, I struggle to get my wetsuit off fast enough.  I need to practice stripping my wetsuit and getting on my bike faster.  I have gotten much faster in T2.  Into T2 I have been performing flying dismounts and I am able to quickly get in to my running shoes.  Finishing goals are tough, because some of it will depend on the race and competition, so I am very happy to accomplish these goals.  The cyclecross was pure hell.

Two of the goals I "missed", biking 10+ miles at 24+MPH and a 10K <45min have been around for awhile.  Since my stress fracture in 2009, I have not put in the run time/intensity and I have not done an open 10K.  The 10k goal is back in 2012, and will be a goal forever, or until I complete it, whichever comes first.  My closest time is in 2008, when I went 46:36, so I think going sub-45 is a possibility, I just have to put the running time/intensity in to get there.    The closest I have come to my bike goal was in 2008 was 23.5MPH at T'N'T, in 2011 I posted a 23.1MPH at a T'N'T, so I am not that far away.  I adjusted this goal down slightly, much like running, I think I am capable, I just need to get the time/intensity in when training.

Below are my 2012 goals, very similar to 2011. I try to set goals that challenge me, but are doable based on the amount of racing and training that I will be doing.  The new goal is for an Olympic Distance race under 2.5hrs.  I will not count the Twin Cities Triathlon towards this goal since the swim is so ridiculously fast.  I have knocked the 24MPH goal down to 23.5MPH for 2012.  See if I can pull that off.

I typically try to put reasons for my goals.  I read somewhere that having goals without reasons, is pointless.  I agree with this.  The reasons for my goals have typically been very global and much the same from year-to-year.  I love racing, because I like to push myself, the feeling of accomplishment, the rush from racing, the way that racing allows you to quantify your performance like nothing else in life, and waking up to watch the sunset and start a race is always an amazing feeling.

OHP Indoor Triathlon - Working and Racing

On Sunday, I worked the CompuTrainer portion of the OptumHealth Performance Indoor Triathlon.  It is the second of four indoor triathlons that OHP is putting on this winter/spring.
The race consists of a 500 yard pool swim, a 5 mile bike on the CompuTrainer (first race was 10 mile, but that was deemed to long and changed to 5 miles), and a 2 mile treadmill run. 
Coach Kris was gone, so I was selected\asked to setup, with help, and run the CompuTrainer.  The 5 mile bike course is actually pretty challenging, not flat.  There are 2%, 5%, and 6% climbs, the climbs are fairly long.  I would estimate that at least half the course is climbing, at least it feels that way.  I think my time and average speed are an indication of the difficulty of the bike. 
There were seven people who did the race, and I think it went well. 
When the last person got off the treadmill I did the race on my own, and I was pretty happy with how it went.

500yd swim - 7:21 (1:28/100yds)
5 mi CompuTrainer Course - 17:44.28 (16.9MPH)
2mi run - 15:35 (7:47 min/mi)
Total Time - 40:40.28

My time did not get included with the rest of the group.  I did it to get an idea of my fitness level and how it would feel going about race pace in February.  My 500 was pretty fast, I just got in, did a warm-up 50, and then swam.  I hopped out of the pool and into the locker room, grab my shoes and socks, and headed into the studio.  Once in the studio, put on socks, wrote down swim time, got on bike, spun for about a minute and then started the bike.  The bike felt difficult, as it should.  Coach Kris and I did the bike course a couple of weeks ago, on a Monday night.  That night I went 16:54, about 50 seconds faster than the race, but that night I did not swim first.
Once done with the bike, I got off and wrote down time and speed, put on shoes and hopped on treadmill.  I started the treadmill slow, slow enough that first mile was over 8:00min/mi, maybe about 8:10, so I picked it pretty good on the second mile by negative splitting it at about 7:25min/mi pace.  This is easier to do on  a treadmill when you get an adjust your speed almost to exactly where you want it.
So, all in all it went pretty well.
If I am available next month, March, I will sign-up and do it "for real"
I recommend that if you can do the one at OHP, do it, or if you cannot and there are local ones in your area, I know that LifeTime has them and the Y also has them, you should at least do one over the winter.  They are fun, and a good way to get an idea of where you are at during the winter.

2012 January Training Summary - More Run than Bike for First Time in 3+ Years

Below are the totals for January of 2012 compared to past Januarys.  I also put in about 25 minutes on the elliptical that is not included in the times below.  This January had the most swimming of any January and almost the most running.  The last time I ran more than I biked was in Novemeber 2008, before my stress fracture.  Biking was down, but I wanted to focus on running, which I did, in January.  Feb will be a bike focus month and I hope to get in 10+ hours of biking.

Below you can see how I ramped up in January compared to the previous 3 months.  I went from averaging 16 hours each of those three months to 22+ hours in January.  Most of that came from upping my swim and run.  I felt tired in January, which is to be expected in when you are ramping up.  There was nothing I would call a "breakthrough" in January.  I did run for over an hour, 70 minutes, in one training session. It has been awhile since I have run that long.  I also had a couple of runs longer than 40 minutes.

Below are my totals and averages since 2007 and below that are my totals for this year, 2012, and since 2007.  In terms of total time, January 2012 was an average month.

Totals and Averages Since 2007



YTD Totals and Totals Since 2007





Funny and True - Shit Triathletes and Cyclists Say

Both of these are pretty funny, so I thought I would post them

2011 Racing and Training Gear - Some Old and Some New

In 2011 I got a couple of new things, mostly I used the same old stuff.  I will start with the two new things for 2011.
The newest thing for 2011 was my Blue Seventy Axis wetsuit.  Purchased at Gear West, as are all of my triathlon related purchased.  This wetsuit is tighter, in a good way, I think, than my old QR.  This wetstuit fits better in my shoulders and arms than my QR.  It is tighter across my chest than the QR.  The Axis fits better in the neck, about the same as the QR below the waist.  I used a wetsuit less in 2011 than in previous years, partly due to the water temperatures and partly due to the distances I raced.  So, I didn't get the use out it that I was looking forward to.  The Axis does not have a "break away" zipper like the QR, so I had to get used to that.  The zipper on the QR is one feature I really did like, but I think that a wetsuit that fits and feels better is more important than the zipper.  The Axis does have the "swim panels" in the forearms, not sure how much of an advantage it provides.  Based on articles I have read, the manufacturers do not know either, and just put them on because everyone is doing it.   
The Axis does feel faster, this might be due to the better fit.  Hopefully, I get to use it more in 2012.

I do continue to swim with Speedo Active Goggles - Air Seal Tri Mirror.  I have been swimming with these goggles for a couple of years and I think they are the best goggles I have ever worn.  They don't leak, they have a good amount of tint, and they fit my head right.
The other new purchase is Saucony Kinvara shoes.  I have run on Asics for the last 6+ years and I decided to try something different.  I went into Gear West Ski and Run, where I have been buying shoes for the last 4 years or so, and they took a look at the wear on my old Asics, I told them I was looking for something I could race and train in, and they recommended the Kinvara.  I really like the shoe.  It is light, but not as light as a pure racing shoe, and they are still supportive, also they are relatively inexpensive.  I think the pair was about 90 bucks.  In 2012 I will probably go with another pair.  Apparently, there is now a Kinvara, hopefully they are the same, or better than the Kinvara.

So, those are my two new purchases for 2011.  Now to the old stuff.  Same QR Seduza I have had since October 2006.  Same bike I will ride in 2012.  I would LOVE a QR Illicito, but that is not going to happen.  Maybe 2013?  Before 2007 season I upgraded drive train with Ultegra front derailleur, brakes, and crank and it came with Dura-Ace rear derailleur.  Before the 2007 I also bought a Zipp Z6 wheelset (404 front and 808 rear) and replaced the stock seat with a Serfas Tri Seat.  I really like the Serfas seat and will replace it with another in 2012, since my current seat feels like it is done (Ouch).  I am going with the another Serfas because the seat works for me and it is less than a hundred bucks.  I see everyone riding those ISM split saddles, they are expensive and I don't feel like experimenting with a new seat.  Maybe in the future.
I think it was 2009 that I got the Easton Attack TT bars, which I will stick with.  Eventhough they are not adjustable and have an aggressive position, I am used to the feel and they make the cockpit look cool.  I think in 2009, I bought my Lazer Tardis aero helmet, which was another great purchase.
In 2010 I purchased new Bontrager brake levers and the Zipp Sub-9 disc. The brake lever purchase was mainly to improve the look of the bike, the clunky aluminum brake levers looked terrible.
The wheel purchases are the best money I have ever spent.  Those Zipp wheels are AWESOME.  I love racing on those wheels, I never ride on them, only race on them.  Race wheels are one of the best purchases you can make if you are doing triathlons and duathlons, and/or bike racing.

I think it was 2009 that I got a pair of SLS3 Compressions socks through the Gear West Test Team.  At the time I was injured with a stress fracture and it seemed they did not feel right.  In late 2009/early 2010 I got a new pair.  During the season I wear the socks the day(s) leading up to the race, the day of the race, sometimes the day after the race, during hard training days, and during the offseason I wear them whenever I work at OHP or on hard work out days.  I really like the socks, and I think they do help recovery, hence why I wear them when I wear them.  At some point, I would like to purchase compression socks from another manufacturer to see if there is a difference, but for the moment I will stick with what I got.

2011 Training and Racing Totals and Comparison to Previous Years

Below is a comparison of my training, racing time included, data from year to year starting in 2007.

My swim time/yardage was down from previous two years, but most of that decrease is in the later half of the year.  From 2010 to 2011 my average swim time, in races, basically stayed the same at the Olympic and Sprint Distance.

My bike training time was the highest of any year, without doing any half-IMs.  My average bike speed in Olympic, Sprint, and Duathlons was basically the same from 2010 to 2011

My run time has been increasing since my injury in 2009.  I would be surprised if I ever run as much as I did in 2008.  My run time, not surprisingly, improved from 2010 to 2011. 

I think there always needs to be a balance between intensity and duration.  I think that in 2012 I need to pickup some of my training intensity to show improvement in speed.  In 2012 I plan on racing less and continuing to race shorter (Sprint and Olympic), hopefully this will allow me to improve my speed.

Below is month-to-month, including 2010 off-season

The biggest months, are April and May, to be expected as we build volume before the race season, and July and August, the months where I did the most races.