ScottyTris: The Wuss

I'm quickly discovering something about me as a triathlete-in-training:  I'm a big wuss.  I'm constantly concerned about overtraining, getting injured, getting sick.... etc.  I mentioned in a post this year that in my 11 years in the rat race, I've taken 5 sick days.  Either I'm a relatively healthy person or I'm just constantly in denial (sorry coworkers).

This week was my week to get back to my base building.  Monday was 2000 meters swimming (which was actually cutting back).  Tuesday was weights in the morning followed by a brick bike/run session (my only schedule 2-a-day).  15 miles in the bike and 4 miles in the running shoes.  Tuesday evening was cold and windy.  It was 50 degrees out with 15 mph winds and the occasional spittle of rain.  My wussy self normally would have said that working out in that would make me sick, so just stay home.  Hopefully I would have put the bike on the trainer.

The plan for Wednesday morning was another 2000 meters in the pool.  I even spent a few hours Tuesday night doing some research on swimming form.  I woke up with a sore throat.  BAM! Snooze button.  Ultimately I decided to call it in.  Thursday morning... and now Friday morning.  I'm still hoping to get a run or bike in today as the sun is suppose to be out and warming things up around 3pm.  Then it looks like Saturday morning will be my catchup swim at the gym.

So yeah, I'm a wuss.  I follow a bunch of great people on Twitter (aka, Twiathletes) that are constantly talking about getting their bike/run in while the temperature is cold and windy.  People who workout "smart" when they don't feel 100%.  I use this as motivation (hence my brick on Tuesday in crappy weather).  My biggest concern is the fact that I feel like my body is in overdrive when I lay down to sleep.  This in combination with a sore throat is what I used to justify being a wuss.  I'm scheduling a physical in a few weeks to chat with my doc about it and borrowing a blood pressure machine as another gage of overtraining.

Today is exactly 1 month until my first triathlon.  I feel like I am in good shape to complete the race with my base but if I don't want to be last, I'm going to have to harden up and get out there but I want to be smart about it.

Well, enough procrastination.  I have a few hours of web site contract work to do and hopefully the sun will be out.

Schedule Shake-up

Oh yeah... I have some changes to my planned event schedule.  I'll announce those in a few weeks.  I'm sure my two readers will be waiting with bated breath.

Race Report: Trolley Run 2011

Pre-Race
I know, I know.. nothing new on race day but I decided to go with apple slices and peanut butter for breakfast.  I have gotten out of the habit of making my fruit smoothie for breakfast.  While this decision didn't hurt me, I do want to get back to my old routine or decide on a new one.  I'm thinking about changing it up because I have some more races this year that will involve a hotel stay prior to the race.  I'm looking for something a little more 'portable' like bagel and peanut butter with a banana.

I learned from St. Patrick's Day to hydrate well.  I drank quite a bit of water the day before and took in around 10 - 12 oz of water in the morning. Temperatures were mid-40s so I decided to go with my running shorts and my not-so-trademarked bright orange tech shirt.  I did wear my jogging pants over the shorts and jacket to stay warm in the morning.

I was up by 5:00am and ready to hit the door by 6:15am.  We arrived at the plaza at 6:45am and met Kristen and Shane.

Shane, Me, Kristen

This is a point-to-point race, so you ride a bus to the start.  I remember last year thinking about how long the bus ride was taking and thinking "we have to run back this far!"  Yeah.. you do.  I can't imagine what the Boston bus ride feels like.  

Off to the bus!!

The wait for the bus didn't take long but there was quite a long line.  Just have to be patient.  The organizers are smart enough to allow red (first) and blue (second) wave runners to take special buses since their start is 20 minutes sooner.  Shane had not registered yet and Kristen was running green (third).  I was in no hurry to get to the start and I knew we had plenty of time, so we waited for the next bus to show up. If I wanted to do long warm up jog... yeah, I might have taken the other bus.  I would not recommend arriving too late though because they won't wait for you at the start.

We arrived at the start line a little after 7:00am with plenty of time for Shane to register.  We met up with Joe VI and Carmen.  About 7:30 I decided to queue up and took in a short run.  I got in the red wave just in time to see the wheel chair racer take off.  While waiting a few minutes for the red wave to start, I had time to contemplate if I deserved to be in this wave.  You had to run a sub-7:30 pace and I knew I didn't get my speedwork in.  I guess I had paid my dues... within minutes we were off!

Race
Everyone you talk to about the Trolley Run usually says "It's all downhill" within a few sentences.  Granted, there are a few rolling hills at the beginning but by the time your blood is pumping and legs are sufficiently warmed, you are working negative elevation.

1st Mile - 6:37 pace
Of course my planning wasn't sufficient and I didn't really know what I was capable of.  I started in  a pretty high gear and was concerned about starting out too fast.  The nice thing was I didn't spend very much time fighting the crowd.  Within the first two minutes I knew a problem was brewing.  Just like St. Patrick's Day Run, my heart rate monitor was falling but I decided not to focus on it and let it drop to my waist.  This sucked because I was planning to use my heart rate to determine if I was pushing too hard or at least try to stay in the 165 - 170 range.  It was funny to look at my Garmin and see that it wasn't reading very well because it showed my heart rate at 300.

2nd Mile - 6:36
Any elevation that we were to experience was behind us.  After a short turn, we were on Brookside Boulevard for the rest of the "ride".  I continued to focus on my form and breathing. I was trailing some of the team members from my company and used them as a means for motivation (I wasn't on the team but at least I had a target!).  I ran by Sharp's 63rd Bar and Grill, which was my other means of motivation.  More on that to come!

There was an aid station during this mile and I decided to take only a few sips of water.  My hydration plan was doing just great.

3rd Mile - 6:40
By this point I was definitely starting to feel it.  Cardio-wise I was definitely stressed.  Mechanically (legs) I just couldn't go faster.  I settled into the pace but unfortunately I was starting to lose some focus.  HTFU kept going in my mind and it helped.  Also knowing that I was less than 10 minutes from finishing sweetened it.

4th Mile - 6:50
I started wishing I had my heart rate monitor back.  I attempted to put it back on but decided to focus on my form and race instead.  At this point in the race you can start seeing the Plaza and the two American Century towers.  I tried to kick it up into overdrive during the last .2 of the run. I hit 5:30 for a bit and manage to finish in 26:51, besting last years time by 50 seconds.

Post-Race
This race I decided to go at it alone in the post-race food binge.  There was practically no one there.

There were quite a few options: The Roasterie coffee, Krispey Kremes, bagels, multi-grain rolls, bananas, yogurt, chocolate milk, apple slices, popcorn, pretzels, to name a few.  I decided to line-up for my race time instead of waiting for the results online:

I think I could be a thumb model.  Next career?

Overall a good post-race experience.   I meet up with TKB and waited for the rest of the "team".  We caught Shane and Joe VI but never saw Kristen and Carmen cross.  Danny was also in the race, but never saw him (start or finish).

Even though I dug the post-race food lines, we hit Sharp's 63rd Bar and Grill for some brunch.  And brunch I did:

Farm Boy Benedict: Biscuits, Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes.  I barely finished half of it.

Bakon Bloody Mary - Bloody Mary with bacon-infused Vodka.

The weather was so nice I decided to go for a really easy bike ride when I got home.  I guess I felt guilty eating those calories.


The Results

Overall place:	283 out of 8419
Division place:	53 out of 568
Gender place:	255 out of 3513
Time:	26:51
Pace:	6:43
Guntime:	27:07

Overall
At the start they announced another record registration count of over 11,000 participants but it looks like a few thousand forgot to set their alarm(s).

This is a well put on event considering how many participants hurl themselves down a 4 mile stretch of road. They perform a fun run for kids and usually have a local sports celebrity run the show.

I'm happy with my results considering my lack of speed work. Nutrition and hydration plan worked but need to figure out what's going on why my heart rate monitor.  I tightened it up after St. Patrick's Day but maybe need more.

Photos!!

Shane screaming into the finish.

Joe VI and Joe VII.  The Joe's were quite troopers.  Joe VI ran back home after the race.

My pre-race prep.

Lack of Training or Perfect Amount of Training?

I have been struggling the last two weeks to keep up with the level of training I was doing the two weeks prior.  This time I can't blame it on work (which I never should blame).  Don't get me wrong, the last two weeks have been busy with birthdays, races, friends, and other things but I that shouldn't slow me down.

In reviewing the last four weeks (excluding this week), I have the following:

Week	Swim (Meters)	Bike (Miles)	Run (Miles)	Total Miles	Time
3/14 - 3/20	9,000	59	16	80	10:27
3/21 - 3/27	10,000	37	20	63	9:33
3/28 - 4/3	5,000	17	16	35	6:07
4/4 - 4/10	6,000	52	4	60	6:30

I feel that my training has no identity and that I'm focusing on quantity rather than quality.  I've been trying to find an identity by researching training programs but when I try to match training programs to where I think I am, it doesn't jive with what I think I need.  I find that my first few weeks are levels for training plans above the olympic distance while the last two weeks may more mimic an olympic distance plan but near the end.  Either way, I'm all over the place amongst the individual disciplines.

In evaluating the first two weeks I am very happy with my distances but I was plagued with overtraining concerns.  Going to bed at night had me feeling like I was having anxiety attacks with my heart rate escalated.  I still had plenty of energy during the day though.

The next two weeks were fewer partly because of my taper for Brew-to-Brew and then recovery from Brew-to-Brew.  While my overtraining symptoms have gone away, guilt did not.

I think the answer is pretty simple.  I'm not training for anything more than an olympic distance triathlon.  I don't need to jump immediately into 2-a-days.  Overtraining = injury.  Acceptance removes the guilt.

What I have enjoyed:

• Running -- Increased technical analysis increased speed.  This makes me think that I'm heading into the next phase of my running.
• Swimming -- Hitting that "perfect" stroke and gliding through the water.  Happens about .00005% of the time.
• Bike -- Seeing my town from a different perspective.

So given that, I want to get an average amount of time in the shoes to work on my new form.  I want to focus on time in the swim but instead of hitting long distance attempt to be more technical to get the form down.  As for time in the saddle, just ride ride ride to build the base.  Lastly, get at least one weight session in.  As for schedule, limit the amount of 2-a-days (except for weight days); however, work in a short brick run after the ride.

Just with any training plans, there will be a long training day on the weekend.  This will be a struggle. I prefer to get up at 4:30am on Saturday to get my training in.  The YMCA isn't open until 7:00am and I'm hesitant biking in the dark.  So any brick session will have to be in reverse.  So be it.

An additional twist, two weeks after KC Triathlon is Hospital Hill Half-Marathon.  I'd love to improve my half-marathon PR, so I may get in some extract time in the shoes.

As for the training plan for KC Tri, I'm going to find one and insert myself into whatever week I should be in but adapter for my needs.

Any recommendations?

Next Up: Trolley Run

Well, I couldn't wait long to put a new blog post out there so as to not re-live my troubled Sunday every time I visit my blog (only slightly vain here... someone has to keep my blog statistics up).

I've decided my pre-season ends with the completion of Brew-to-Brew.  Just like football, I have four races to get in shape.  In football, the 3rd game is effectively the last game of the pre-season as the starters sometimes play into the second half.  That was St. Patty's Day four mile run where I hit a sub-7:30 pace.

So the first race is Trolley Run.  This is "the nation's largest timed four-mile run"with nearly 10,000 participants.  The unique nature of this point-to-point race is it's nearly all downhill.  Last year's Garmin data showed only a 14 feet elevation gain.  Because of this I have decided to keep this race in its own PR category, which is currently set at 6:54 pace.

To be honest, I was probably further along in my running last year than this year due my time spent on Swim and Bike; however, the cross training may allow my legs to be fresher this time.  I've become more technical in my running but hopefully I can still see the forest for the trees.

The Trolley Run benefits the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.

Introducing #TheDeck and #TheDrunk

This past weekend was one of the best weekends in a long time.  It was TKB’s and my birthday weekend.  It’s the weekend that falls between our birthdays as we were born 7 days apart (I'm older :P). In typical Scott and Tricia Bowling family fashion, we put together a little party but only giving everyone two days notice.  One of the catalyst for the event was that we had a deck installed on our house last fall that is nearly 3 times the size of the previous deck (at 10’ x 10’, it’s not hard to increase the size though).  I’ve decided to christen our deck with the name of #TheDeck (Yes, that’s a twitter hashtag thing) and believe you me, it was christen quite a few times as the wind knocked over people’s drinks.

Saturday was sitting out on #TheDeck from noon to 6:30pm as friends and family came and went.  Then Joe VI, TKB, and I went to a movie (Paul – Hilarious!).  After the movie TKB and I hung outside for another hour.  #TheDeck saw more action Sunday evening as my brother and his lovely family came over for dinner (we had tons of leftovers from Saturday).  Unfortunately I did not take a SINGLE picture of Saturday but managed a couple snap shots on Sunday.

I'm getting the "You're taking photos like your Mom" look from Mike and Amanda.  TKB is doing her best Forgetting Sarah Marshall brunch scene impression.

The other side of #TheDeck.

I don’t know if you can tell, but there is something in the first shot that turned out to be my Achilles’ heel for the evening.  If you can’t see it, let me point it out.

This is one of my favorite drinks: Margaritas! The recipe I use is pretty strong.  No wait.  It’s EXTREMELY strong.  Two of those glasses gets me in a pretty good mood.  Apparently, last night, it put me in such a good mood that I went for a third glass.  This time, I neglected to fill the glass up with ice like normal.  In essence, I had 2 – 3 glasses of Margarita in one serving.  Fortunately, the impact of this oversight occurred as my brother’s family (read: kids) were just leaving so they (read: parents) only got to enjoy them through TKB's twitter feed:

• First sign of something wrong
• Getting the Manuel Noriega treatment
• A bit more comfy
• I don't drunk dial/text. I drunk postal
• My final resting place for the evening

Needless to say, swimming on Monday morning was cancelled.  Now let's be clear here, I'm not a lush.  I hardly ever get like this.  If I have one cocktail more than once a week, then it must be due to a special occasion.  After this weekend I ended up with about 30 leftover bottles of near-beer (Bud Light, Miller Light) in my basement and I really have no idea what to do with them. This episode only happened due to poor planning on my decision to not fill up my glass with ice.

Lost in Transition

I wondered when they would start.  They are inevitable and you just hope they don't freak you out enough to stop everything and run the other direction.  Just as soon as I started wondering when they would show up, they did.  Self-fulfilling proficiency?  Likely.  My first one was two weekends ago and the second was on Monday.  What are they?

Dreams

Triathlon related dreams, of course.  So far the two that I had weren't nightmare-ish but I suspect one will come eventually.

1. This was a few weeks ago and so I don't remember too much of it.  What I do remember is I couldn't get clipped into my pedal on the bike.  After repeated attempts I eventually stopped to notice the clip on the shoe was broken.  I chalked this one up to the fact I'm still learning how to get clipped in efficiently.
   
2. After getting out of the water from my swim I got lost navigating to the transition area.  I ended up on the other side of the lake.  Seriously.  I think this one stems from the fact that I have horrible vision.  My glasses are pop bottles.  I use a pair of prescription goggles at the pool and will definitely be using them for all triathlons.  I even have a backup pair just in case.

Do you have triathlon dreams?  Feel free to share but I might not read them until after the season is over.

Adventurous Scotty

Bike
OK.  Maybe not that adventurous but I did my longest bike ride so far.  I hit 20 miles on a route that got me close to my childhood home.  Maybe in a few more weeks I'll go all the way up to my parent's house.  This route was relatively flat compared to my ride around Weatherby Lake on Wednesday (17 miles), so I wasn't too worn out.

The route I took is relatively commercial (office buildings with some hotels) but it was pretty.  Nearly all Bradford Pear trees are blooming:

They are pretty but they are SMELLY when they bloom.

Run
Following the bike ride I decided to shoot for a run.  I don't think I've truly completed a "brick" which I guess is suppose to be a bike then run workout.  I couldn't find a good definition of "brick" workout but it's pretty common terminology in tri parlance.  I only did a 2.5 mile loop but wish I would have gone longer.  I averaged 8 minute mile.  I would be very pleased with this come May 22nd.

Sat
The weather is suppose to be 90 degrees tomorrow so I'm going to do a long run in the morning and try to hit the pool at 7am for 4k swim.  So up at 4:30am tomorrow morning.  I'm going to try for double digit run.

It's going to be a long day as we are hosting a birthday party for TKB (4/14) and I (4/7) Saturday afternoon.  Lots of grilling, friends & family, and drinks.  We are going to get a bunch of use out of our new deck tomorrow!!!

OK.. well, this post is pretty much a procrastination post.  I'm in the middle of redesigning one of the web sites I run and was planning to get a lot of work in tonight since TKB is out tonight.  OK... to be honest, that redesign is about 7 years in the making now.