Sufferfest Revolver

Indoor Cycling workout this morning.  I decided to do the Sufferfest Revolver; what a great workout!  The workout entailed about a 16 minute warm-up and then it went in to 16 x 1 minutes max effort with 1 minute rest.  It is a tough workout.  I plugged along pretty steady keeping my cadence around 100-105 throughout each interval and during the rest I kept it between 90 – 105.  I suffered through the last half of the video just trying to keep the legs moving.  I am sure I will feel it tomorrow.  I followed the bike up with a 2.5 mile run at just under a 9 minute mile pace.

Bike Details:
Distance: 15.09
Time: 0:50:01
Avg Speed: 18.1
Avg HR: 148 (62%)
Max HR: 183 (85%)
Avg Cadence: 96.9
Max Cadence: 107.1

At lunch I headed to the pool.  I decided today I would swim 15 x 50s trying to keep each lap under 50 seconds.  I felt good in the pool today.  I really want to get me some lessons again to help improve on my form.  I feel as though I am not going to improve much if I don’t get some sort of lessons or join a Masters Class.  I just don’t see the Master Class happening just due to scheduling conflicts.

Swim Details:
Distance: 1300 meters
Time: 0:31:40
Avg Pace for 50m: 1:07.9
Times for each 50m interval: 43.40, 46.10, 48.37, 46.95, 47.21, 47.12, 48.92, 48.41, 48.20, 48.58, 47.60, 47.90, 47.82, 47.80, 47.60, 47.94
 
Happy Training Everyone!

Recovery Run & Lunchtime Swim

"The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." - Luke 6:38.  Jesus is watching you.  How much work are you doing for Christ?  Are you storing up treasures in heaven?

I have been feeling fatigued lately so I wanted to keep it much slower than I have been running.  I ran 6 miles this morning at a 9:30 pace and keeping the heart rate low in zone 1. 

Run Details:
Distance:  6.19 miles
Time:  58:36
Pace:  9:28
Avg HR:  128 (50%)

At lunch I headed to the pool with the Main Set being 8 x 100 meter repeats @ 15 second rest. 

Swim times: 1:39.05, 1:38.48, 1:38.58, 1:39.10, 1:39.72, 1:38.60, 1:40.98, 1:41.42

During the last two sets I was beginning to slow slightly even though I thought I was on pace to keep it under 1:40.00.  I was pleasantly surprise with my times.

Swim Details:
Distance: 1300 meters
Time: 34:13
Avg 50m pace: 1:03.8

Happy training everyone!

12 Mile Long Run

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. - 2 Corinthians 3:5.  Isn't it cool that God gives us our talents, we just have to use them to glorify his name.  Whatever you do, do it for God and praise His name through it all.

I was running on little fumes this morning with only a few hours of sleep and two tough days with Wednesday and Thursday workouts.  So I knew going into this mornings run, it was going to be tough.  From the very start of the run I felt as though I was breathing heavy, although the HR wasn't showing it.  I ended up having a pleasent run and kept a pretty steady pace from start to finish only slowing on the two miles that were virtually all uphill.  I didn't want to run hard risking injury.

The Details:
Distance: 12.0
Time: 1:45:57
Pace: 8:50
Avg HR: 142 (55%)
Max HR: 172 (74%)
Elevation Gain: 648 ft
Avg Cadence: 88.5
Shoes: Brooks Defyance 4

At lunch I headed to the pool for 1000 meter swim.  I did mostly drills working on my form with a few 25m sprints at the end of the workout.

Happy Training Everyone.

Spinervals 27.0 - Threshold Test and Suffer Fest

This was my verse for today.  “The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:3.  I needed this verse today as I was struggling to get through.  God is so awesome! 

I started today off with the Spinervals Workout 27.0, Threshold Test and Suffer Fest and followed that with a 2.5 mile run and then finished my day with a 1900 meter lunchtime swim.  It is amazing how God works to give me a verse on a day that I am completely worn out and I have one more long run and bike for the week.  I know that He will carry me through it though.  He always does.

For the Threshold Test I did much better than I anticipated figuring I had a tough run yesterday.  It just shows how much my body has improved over the past 4 weeks.  I did this same test on December 24th.  Here are the numbers for comparison.

December:
Avg Speed: 19.4
Avg HR: 167 (74% HRR)
Avg Cadence: 89.4

Today:
Avg Speed: 20.0
Avg HR: 176 (80% HRR)
Avg Cadence: 92.4

I am excited about the numbers.  Now if I can just stay consistent with working on my lactate threshold.  The only thing I really need to look at his how much faster I am recover after these hard efforts.  I know today it dropped pretty fast.

Happy Training Everyone.

Thanks you Jesus for another great day.

Mile Intervals

“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” - Psalm 37:5.  Thank you Jesus for my ability to run. 

Speed workout this morning on the track doing 1 mile repeats with 1 minute recovery walk.  I had set my mind that I was going to run about 10-15 seconds faster than I did my last half-marathon which I figure I would run between a 7:00 and 7:15 mile with the first one being the slowest.  It didn’t quite work out that way as the first mile seemed way to easy and I still ran too fast and kept telling myself to slow down.  The first mile was too fast at a 6:52, so I gauged the remainder of my repeats based on the first mile.  Here is what I ran:

Mile :  Pace - avg HR (%) - max HR (%) - cadence
Mile 1: 6:50 – 157 (67%)  -  167 (74%)  -   93
Mile 2: 6:28 – 169 (75%) -   176 (80%)  -   93
Mile 3: 6:20 – 177 (81%) -   185 (86%)  -   94
Mile 4: 6:11 – 183 (85%) -   190 (89%)  -   95
Mile 5: 6:19 – 183 (85%) -   191 (91%)  -   94

The last mile I was struggling to keep the pace going at the low 6’s but I held on as long as I could.  I now have a bench mark to do these 1 mile repeats every few week to work on my speed.  I can do all out sprints so this is the next best thing.

Happy Training

Endurance Leg Speed

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.” - Jer 29:11

Only God knows the plans for my life and he will not steer me wrong.  I must remember it is His will and not mine.

This morning's brick workout was 30 miles on the rollers doing the Endurance Leg Speed workout in the book Indoor Cycling.  I had a geat workout but I did cut it a little short since the goal was 30 miles and I didn't want to keep going as I still had to go for my 2.5 mile run.

The Workout:
W/U: 16 minutes
M/S:
  Set 1: 7 times
          5 min in HRZ1
          30 sec spin-up
          30 sec all-out sprint

  Set 2: 4 times
           5 min in HRZ2
           30 sec spin-up
           30 sec all-out sprint

C/D: 5 minutes

The Details:
Distance: 30 Miles
Time: 1:23:39
Avg Speed: 21.5
Max Speed: 32.4
Avg HR: 145 (59%)
Max HR:  173 (77%)


At lunch I swam 1000 meters with 800 free and then 200 kick in 19:30.

Run and Swim Workouts

An 8 mile run this morning at a conversational pace.  I am starting to enjoy getting out there and running with someone, for years I couldn’t get anyone to run with me on a regular basis.  The run included several nice little his that just wore me out this morning for some reason.  I struggle to get up them.  I assume it was because of the temperature and humid or maybe it was because of the way I ate all weekend and I was feeling it this morning.

Run Details:
Distance: 8.25 miles
Time: 1:12:01
Avg Pace: 8:43
Avg HR: 142
Max HR: 172
Elevation Gain: 418

Weather:

Temperature: Min./Max.: 62.2 °F/62.9 °F
Humidity: 90.1%
Dew point: 59.9 °F
Wind Speed: 14.8 mph

At lunch I headed to the pool for a 1600 meter swim.  It has been 5 days since I have been in the pool and I felt every bit of it.  I am happy with my efforts though in the pool.  My times are coming around.

Swim Workout:
W/U: 200 meters free
M/S:
   2 x 500 meters free w/30 sr  (9:06 & 9:11)
   50 meters breast
   200 meters with paddles & Pull Buoy
C/D: 100 meters with PB / 50 meters breast

Swim Details:

Distance: 1600 meters
Time: 32:16
Avg Lap (50m): 60 seconds

Happy Training Everyon!

Necessity to Improve

I titled this post after the name of the workout.  Today I did the Indoor Cycling Workout E6, "Necessity to Improve".  I had a great endurance workout maintain the best I could in the appropriate heart rate zone and I chose to do it on rollers versus the trainer.  I followed this workout with a 2 mile run through the neighborhood.

The Workout:

W/U: 16 Min

MS:
Set 1:
  Repeat 4 times:
        4:30 in HRZ1
        0:30 spin-up
        4:30 in HRZ1
        0:30 all-out sprint

Set 2:
  Repeat 4 times:
        4:30 in HRZ2
        0:30 spin-up
        4:30 in HRZ2
        0:30 all-out sprint

C/D: 5 min easy spin

Bike Details:
Distance: 35.49 miles
Time: 1:40:00
Avg Speed: 21.3
Max Speed: 30.6
Avg HR: 145 (59%)
Max HR: 175 (79%)
Avg Cadence: 95 rpm
Max Cadence: 121 rpm
Bike: Felt B16

Run Details:
Distance: 2.00 miles
time: 0:16:18
Avg Pace: 8:09
Elevation Gain: 193 ft
Avg HR: 144 (58%)
Max HR: 168 (74%)

I also checked my resting HR and it is about 8 bpm lower than it was over the holdiays.

Happy Training Everyone!

Friday, January 20th Workout

12 mile run for me yesterday.  The goal was to keep it steady, but at the same time keep the heart rate in check.  I set the HR monitor at Z2 (164) so it would beep when it got to high.  I was running a course with some hills in it so I knew I would break 164 I just didn't want to continue to push through the hills.  I would slow down but not come to a walk because of the HR though.  The plan was to finish the route off strong toward the end running sub-7 minute miles.  This was also a new route for me so I wasn't exactly sure how long it would be and it turned out to be right at 12 miles.  The numbers:

Details:
Distance: 12.06
Time: 1:38:18
Avg Pace: 8:09 min/mi
Elevation Gain: 533 ft
Avg HR: 154
Max HR: 184
Avg Run Cadence: 90 spm
Max Run Cadence: 101 spm
Shoes:  Brooks Defyance 4

I finished miles 10 and 11 at a 6:44 and 6:37 pace respectively.

Thursday, January 19th Workouts

I am late getting this posted.  But I wanted to post my workouts.  Thursday I did the Sufferfest Downward Spiral  video on the rollers.  It was brutal but I was able to hang in there throughout the entire workout.  I followed the spin workout with a 1.4 mile run.  I am feeling much better running now coming off the bike.  The legs are coming around.