Road to Kona 2006

"Scientific testing can't determine how the mind will tolerate pain in a race. Sometimes, I say, 'Today I can die.' "

Gelindo Bordin
1988 Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist

Will try to have a bigger week. 7 days, will try to run more frequently, and will have a big 3 day weekend of cycling since I have fri-sun off.

Workout Summary: am run 4+ (36)/ pm swim 3500 meters (3800 yds)(1:04) then run 5+ (47')
6:30 am, a bit more than 4 miles easy. out 17 down to park, back 19. 500 ft ascent on the way back, 400 in final mile. Stretched in warm bath 15' after.

5:30 pm, Swim at 50 meter outdoor pool. 500 wu pull in 8:50
Then 2 X 1000/45, 17:05 and17:28 (went out way too hard first 300 of first repeat!)
Then 2 X 500/35, 8:20 and 8:25
No cd, ran out of time.

Then run with Ann around troutdale area, easy, 8:30 pace, 47 min. Close to 6 but I will call it 5+
Few times of sharp pain in hamstring, but very short, 1 second or so. Low Zone 1 for run.
48 oz of water during and after workouts

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 low fat vanilla yogurt's and med. coffee/cream. 24 oz water after run.
Lunch: Salad w/ 6 ox grilled chicken, mixed vegies, 2 oz bag of kettle chips, 16 oz orange juice.
Afternoon: non-fat carmel latte and cliff protein bar
Dinner: 1 1/2 hamburger with low fat beef (4.5 g per 4 oz) had about a total of 16 oz. of beef. Anns ultra low fat cole slaw and 2 ears of corn on cob, no butter. 1 beer

Week of 7/24 - 7/30

Total Hours = 16:35 in 6 days (10 workouts)

S = 9300 (3 sessions) Time 2:26
B = 160 (3 rides) Time 11:38, Ascent 14,200 ft
R = 19 (4 runs) Time 2:31

*Feel ok for a week of relative rest. Will increase frequency of runs this next week, hoping to get in 7 runs for the week. Swim is status quo, bike was relatively resting except for 1 long ride.

Workout Summary: Bike 34+ miles (2:30)
Ride in late afternoon, forgot HR monitor. Biked with Erin, Ann, Andy and Rob. easy with 3 hard hill climb effort. Worked pretty hard. Legs loosened up and feel decent but not recovered.

*hamstring tight and legs pretty sluggish upon waking. Waking HR 43, typically 34-38 so I need to rest for the day. Will ride later, around 4pm after I get in plenty of carb's and stay off my feet for the day.


Diet:
Breakfast: 2 belgian waffles with maple syrup, about 1/2 tsp butter, 16 oz skim milk and 8 oz carrot juice
Lunch: organic peanut butter and honey sandwich on wheat/flax bread, 1 low fat vanilla yogurt and med. coffee. Water.
Dinner: Burrito bowl with grilled chix, black beans and rice with lettuce tomato and a tbs of sour cream. 1 beer. about 1 cup low fat ice cream before bed.
*Notice every meal today contained plenty of carbohydrates? I should feel ok tomarrow, but we'll see. Plan is to run in am, Swim and short run in afternoon.

Workout Summary: bike 103, 6:48, 9300 ft ascent.

Biked the Fire and Ice portion of the Summit to Surf ride today. Know where the name comes from. Freeze your ass off at Timberline lodge at 6000 ft (45 degrees), descend down frozen feet and hands into hood river to rowena, and temps then 85 degrees.
First 13 miles of the ride, 5100 ft elevation gain. Then a couple of 300 foot gains on the 35 mile descent into Hood River. Then out to Mosier and Rowena and climb 4200 ft in the final 30 miles. This ride is pretty tough for the first and final portions.

Total miles = 103 (6:48, 15.5 ave)(total ascent 9300 ft)
Zone Summary:
Zone 0 = 5% (20')(HR below 80)
Zone 1 = 57% (4:00)
Zone 2 = 18% (1:15)
Zone 3 = 6% (24')
Zone 4 = 7% (31')(sub threshold)
Zone 5a= 4% (16')(at threshold)
Zone 5b= 3% (12')(above threshold)

Diet:
Breakfast: 1 cup oats w tbs bwn sugar, water
Ride: 3 X 27 oz bottles of nutrition, each with 5 doses of 30 grams maltodextrin. Started nutrition at 1 hour. Took 2 gels during ride as substitute for nutrition. 1/2 banana also around 2 hour mark. Total of 5, 27 oz bottles, 3 with nutrition and 2 with only water. Salts, added 1.5 scoops of my salt solution to each of the 3 bottles.
Recovery: What recovery...problem with this ride is the post ride food offered. Only hamburgers and salad. Absolutely no carbs at the end of the ride. 90 min bus trip back to cars.
Dinner: 4 slices of pizza w/ pineapple, ham and black olives. Had them put only 6 oz of mozz. on each pizza instead of their usual 9 oz. More water. 2 beers before bed. 1 low fat ice cream bar for dessert.

My ass hurts. Acupuncture on my glutes and piriformis yesterday. Feel like I've been paddled this morning.

Workout Summary: Swim 4000 (70')/Run 5 (38')
am off, had to be at work by 7am
pm: Swim 4000
700 pull wu in 11'
16 X 200 on the 3:30 cycle. First 8 in 2:58 ave, final 8, 6 in 2:55, two in 2:52 and 2:51
100 cd
Then TM run first mile in 8, then next 4 in 30' (7:30 pace) Hamstring 1/5 tightness. HR in zone 1 entire run.
Zone Summary:
Zone 1 = 90% (34')
Zone 2 = 10% (4')

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 low-fat vanilla yogurt's and medium coffee/cream
Lunch: Baja fresh "bare burrito bowl", grilled chix, black beans, rice, peppers and tomatoes. 16 oz carrot juice.
Afternoon: 1 apple, caffeine free herbal tea
Dinner: Pasta with salad, 1 beer. 48 oz water with workout.

Day off: Planned on an easy 2-3 hour ride. No point, I didnt sleep well, up most the night. I dont work until 4. Ate some breakfast, and upon assessing my dead legs by miserably failing the stair test, went back to bed. Slept until noon.

Had acupuncture and ART from 1-3. Hamstring not really any better. I will give the acutpunture another shot next week, although will keep treating with ART and stretching.


Diet:
Breakfast: 6 pieces of whole wheat/flax bread as french toast. Used 6 eggs, 2 yolks with the rest whites. About 4 oz maple syrup, 16 oz skim milk.
Lunch: Late, 3pm: 1 apple, non-fat large chai tea
Dinner: Salad with 6 oz pork loin, mixed vegies and low fat dressing. Diet lipton tea. Throughout the night at work, few cups of caffeine free herbal tea.
Late night: Home at 10:30 from work. Some pasta and a fat-free smoothie (strawberry)

Workout Summary: am run/swim (4 in 31'/1500 in 25'), pm ride 33 (2:20, 3400 ascent)

630am: Run on TM 4 miles progressive each mile starting at 8 and increasing pace 10 sec per mile each mile so final mile at 7:30. While doing this, varied grade from 1-3% to hit my HR parameters. Ran 2 miles in high Zone 1, third in Zone 2 and final mile in Zone 3.

Then Swim: 500 pull wu in 7:35
3 x 200/25, 2:47 and last 2 in 2:49
4 X 100/25, all in 1:22

*Short but solid workout. These shorter, somewhat aggressive workouts add up. Couldnt get a cd in on the swim because I noticed it was ten min. to eight, and had to be at work by 8. Walking into locker room out of the water as my pager is going off. I hate working.

6pm: Bike 33 miles, 3400 ascent, 2:20
Legs tired after this one. Did 3 big climbs, and the rest rolling. Calculated grades and distance of "core elevation gain" on the following climbs off skyline.

NW 53rd = 9.4 %, 0.6 miles(from base at cornell to top of crest, past wildwood trailhead, where road is patched with asphalt)
East side of Thompson = 6.4%, 0.6 mile (from NW 53rd intersection to skyline)
Old Germantown = 7.5% for 1.3 mile (from start of continuous climb, about 800m past yellow "bikes on road" sign. On corner with 2 reflector posts on the right, as ascent starts.
Newberry = 7.2%, 1.8 miles (from first yellow sign off hwy 30 to skyline)
McNamee = 10% for 0.9 mile (from base at hwy 30 to first house (tan color) on right) this road continues rolling with a few short steep ascents for another 3.5 miles to skyline.

Diet
Breakfast: 1 cup oats w/ tsp raisens and bwn sugar, 2 hard boiled eggs, big cup of decaf herbal tea. Drank 24 oz water during morning workout.
Lunch: 16 oz thai wheat noodles with grilled chicken and broccoli. Salad w/ light oil. 16 oz carrot juice.
Afternoon: med coffee/cream
Dinner: Met CDA group and Hannes at Kels. 3 pints of Guinness, unfortunately (or fortunately) I started call at 11pm so couldnt stay. Bowl of Shepherds pie (sp?) and a pretty big helping of sweet potato fries.

Workout Summary: run 6 (50')
am: up early for work. Took about 20 minutes to stretch hamstrings and piriformis in hot bath.
pm: Ran short hills with John P. 6 miles total, about 1.5 wu/1.5cd. 8 x 1 min up hill repeats. First 4 about an 8% grade, final 4 about 14 %. Was forced to keep pace around 8 min/mile due to grade of hill. Hit Zone 5 for the final 20 seconds on all.



Diet:
Breakfast: 24 oz water, med. coffee/cream, 1 cup oats with tbs bwn sugar and handfull of blueberries.
Lunch: Spinach salas with 6oz salmon, soba noodles, mushrooms, tomato dressing. 2 oz bag pretzels, 16 oz carrot juice.
Afternoon: 2 cups caffeine free herbal tea
Dinner: Met hannes, ann, erin, rob, andy out for mexican. Fajitas with grilled chicken, had 4-5 of them and a few chips/salsa, 2 beers. Stopped at cold stone on way home for some ice-cream. Took about 5 tsp and threw the rest out. Stomach got upset, likely the ultra high fat content.

Workout Summary: Swim 3500 meters (61')/Run 4 (32')

Swim: 3500 Continuous long swim in 50 meter outdoor pool. (3800+ yds conversion)
Felt fine. Consistent 1:45/100 for the entire swim up to final 500, then lost a few seconds.

Run: 4 miles easy from pool. Decided to run tonight as I have to be at work before 7am tomarrow. Hamstring 1/5 tightness, nearly pain free. Became increasingly tighter the final few minutes of run but stable.

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 vanilla low fat yogurt's, medium coffee
Lunch: Large spinach salad with red beans, 4 egg whites, broccoli and low fat italian. 2 oz bag of kettle chips and 16 oz carrot juice.
Afternoon: non-fat latte and a cliff protein bar, 24 oz water on way to swim.
Dinner: Went out with CDA group as Hannes is in town. Big BBQ pork sandwich with coleslaw and salad, water, 2 pints of beer. Couple of chips with salsa.

Weekly Plan and Quote

"Top results are reached only through pain.... You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more you will enjoy your success."

Juha "the Cruel" Väätäinen
Ran in the shaddow of Lasse Viren

For Gant Enderle, all the pain and struggle wiped clean by a Kona qualifier


Week Plan 7/ 24 - 7/30
M: Swim long, continuous, about an hour. Run easy 3 after.
T: am 25 min run, pm hill run. Will keep hill repeats controlled and easy. Probably 6 X 1 min.
W: am swim 2K then run 3 miles TM. pm ride hills, around 22-28 miles with 3-4 big climbs.
T: am pilates, ride 60 miles, then easy 3 mile run after. Work at 4pm this day. Acupunture appointment for hamstring a 1pm.
F: pm run 6 miles at 8 min pace, likely treadmill with increasing grade.
S: 100 bike and at least 10,000 ascent
S: easy ride on hills 40-50. Swim in afternon?

Swim: 8K
Run: 25 miles
Bike: 250 miles

Week Summary: 7-17 - 7/23

Total Hours = 20

S/B/R Hours = 19:10
core = 50'

Swim = 1:54 (6000)
Bike = 15:00 (236 miles and 21,100 ft climbing)
Run = 2:16 (16 miles)

*this was a good climbing week on the bike. Good first week back running. Kept it easy. Hamstring is feeling better, only tightness mostly. Could have gotten in another swim, but way too tired from saturday's ride to swim on sunday.

Workout Summary: Bike 40 (2:25, 2400 ascent)

Ann, Rob and Erin P and I drove out to the Columbia gorge as the temps are cooler. Easy ride with only about 15 minutes of work. Worked 54/21 about a mile from Latourel falls, to first switch back up to crown point, then down to 39/22 for the ascent. Ave about 12 mph up to Larch mt. split at top of hill after Crown point, 11 minutes to get up. Last year goal was to break 12 minutes on this same course, so I am getting stronger.
Everyone felt good, me after 101 miles and 10040 ft of climbing yesterday, and Erin, Rob and Ann after a 6 hour brick.


Diet:
Breakfast: 4 med sized pancakes, 16 oz skim milk
Lunch: Quiznos 6" chicken sub with 2 oz bag of chips, 32 oz diet sobe and a refill.
Dinner: Pasta with mixed marinara and clam sauce, some bread and minetstone soup. 1 beer and a glass of red wine. Scoop of spumoni for dessert. Before bed, another beer and a hand full of gummi bears.

Workout Summary: Bike 101 (6:40 and 10,040 ascent)

Dan Waltz and I had our own little "torture 10,000" today. Total ride had less than 10 miles of flat, the rest was rolling with numerous big climbs over 8% grade. Worked 8-1pm so didnt get on the bike until 2pm. About 90 degrees so we biked out to Eagle creek park via the hilliest route I know. Then climbed the torture 10000 course out of eagle creek to Sandy. From there, dropped into Bull run, climbed up Marmot rd then back down into bull run. Then up the 1000 ft climb and back down toward Corbett. Instead of going into corbet though, we climbed up Louden road which put us out about the 4 mile mark up toward larch, another 800 ft climb. Here we were at 60 miles and 6000 ft. Dropped down to corbet and took the side roads from there between state hwy and columbia river to add 4 more climbs before crossing the sandy river at stark. Then over the river and out to 302nd for the monster 14% grade hill over 1000 meters. Then kept climbing all the way home. The most difficult part of this ride was from mile 90-101. In the final 11 miles, I climbed 1900 feet. Worked the hills to mile 90 very hard, pushing HR into zone 4 and 5 for extended periods. Final 11 miles though was about survival. A little dizzy, fatigued, and still very hot, and hamstring starting to sting. I am ok with this the final 30 minutes or so...this is where the adaptation occurs. I would not want this to happen with more than an hour left however, as this is how you can break yourself down to the point that it takes several days to recover.

Nutrition
Pre ride weight = 167 lb, post ride 160.2
Took 173 oz of fluid during ride. Basically about 27 oz per hour. Ran out of all fluids in the final 30 minutes, with 1200 feet of climbing still to do.
Took 2 gels during ride, all other nutrition was by maltodextrin solution. 30 grams in 5.5 oz (150 grams in a 27 oz bottle) Had 2 of these and didnt start nutrition until the 1 hour mark. First nutrition bottle had 300 mg sodium solution, and I double it to 600 for the second bottle (each bottle is 1 hour 40 minutes of nutrition). Had no problems with the higher salt content so I will use this forumula for all hot days. Nutrition about every 20 minutes with an additional 4-5 oz of water 3-4 time per hour additionally.
* I urinated 3 times, probably about 8 oz each. Still my 7 lb wt loss is 3 lbs more than what I want my max to be. This means another 48 oz of water somewhere? I could have drank another 32 oz maybe, but probably just urinated some of it out. I was pretty hydrated since I was urinating. I think the final 30 minutes I could have used another 16 oz fluids, but I dont think I could have done too much more than that. On very hot days, this is the basis of one of the ways to bonk. You just cant control the loss of fluids and its hard to replace. You just have to slow down sometimes so you lose less water metabolically and allow time to replace some.
*Bottom line, I will take even more water next time and try to get my weight loss under more control. I had zero problems taking what I did today so I am sure I could push it further.
* Recovery: 100 grams maltodextrin + 30 grams protein + 10 grams glutamine. Chased this down with 16 oz carrot/orange juice.

Zone Summary:
Zone 1 = 2:51
Zone 2 = 1:20
Zone 3 = 1:02
Zone 4 = 1:03
Zone 5a=18'
Zone 5b=5'
*Good distribution of HR throughout zones.

Diet:
Breakfast: 1 cup oats w/ bwn sugar + 25 g protein added. 8 oz orange juice
Midmorning: cinnamon roll and med. coffee
Lunch: Bike nutrition
Dinner: 30 min after recovery drink, went out for sushi. Had about 2 rolls, and soup. Lots of water.

Workout Summary: Pilates (25')/Run 3+ (30')


6 am: 25 min pilates core/abs and stretch legs after
6pm: Run on TM, 30 min, 3.3 miles. First 6 minutes in zone 1 at 8 min per mile pace, then increased grade to 5% for a few minutes to get HR to 130-35 (high zone 2). Then slowly lowered grade to maintain HR in zone 2 at 8 min pace for remainder of run, ended up final mile at 3% grade.

*hamstring feels stable, about a 1/5 tightness today.

Diet:
Breakfast: 5 egg whites with black bean salsa, 8 oz orange/carrot juice
midmorning: med. coffee/cream
Lunch: Salad with 4 oz halibut and low fat tomato dressing, mixed vegies.
Afternoon: herbal caffeine free tea and cliff protein bar
Dinner: Went out. had 8 oz grille fish, mashed pototoes, broccoli, bread pudding for dessert. 2 glasses white wine and a beer throughout the night.

Workout Summary/Nutrition: Run 5 (40')/Swim 3000 (52')

am: had to be at work by 7 so took the morning off.
6 pm: Run 5 TM (40:30)
Run, 1 mile wu in 8:30, then 4 at 8 min pace. This felt ok on my hamstring so I didnt pick it up. I increased the incline .5% every 1/2 mile though, until 3% then held. Dropped to 1% final mile because HR was creeping into zone 3. I wanted to run mostly zone 2 the second 1/2 of the run. Zone 2 is a good solid zone that isnt recovery pace, but feels like you can hold for well over an hour.
Zone Summary
1 = 54 % (22')
2 = 40% (16')
3 = 5% (2')

Then swim 3000 (52')
500 pull wu and cd.
10 X 200/30.
Strong set. 3 of them in 2:51, 1 in 2:49 and 7 in 2:50. I think this is the strongest 200 set I've done to date. Arms tired after 5 but focused on form and balance, esp head position while breathing, keeping one eye under water and head inline with water-line, like the side drill.
Managed to swim 4 of last 5 in 2:50.




* Notice my diet on bigger workout days and after. I typically eat salad/protein and light carb snack for lunch on easy days. Yesterday, I had pasta for lunch because I had hill intervals on the bike that afternoon. After 500 cal recovery drink following the workout, I had protein and 2 forms of carbs for dinner. The morning after the hard workout (this morning) oats with protein and sugar for breakfast. (more carbs)

*All you need to do is pattern your diet to coincide with the workout intensity and duration. You cant eat heavy carbs every day or you will not get to racing weight. Besides, its metabolically advantagous to be "catabolic" between difficult workouts. I am always a little hungry because of this, but that is part of learning discipline and it makes me stronger. Believe me salad with chicken, small amounts of carbs on easy days is not fun for me, its work. Also, controlling the amount of carbs after a long workout by not over-eating is also tough.

*You DO however need to replace y0ur spent carbs over a 24 hour period though. This is by frequent carbs in managable amounts the 24 hours following the workout. For instance, today I will again have more carbs than usual for lunch and dinner. Tomarrow, second day after my hard workout, I will move back to a catabolic diet, more on protein and light calorie foods. Saturday, my hard workout again, I will repeat the cycle by having carbs prior to the workout and after, and repeat on sunday. Monday, another recovery day, I will eat light again, ect ect.
*Dont forget, about 50% of the caloric expense is from fat, not carbs. You do not need to replace all of your estimated lost calories in the form of carbs, only about 1/2.

Diet:
Breakfast: 3/4 cup rolled oats with heaping tbs bwn sugar + 30 grams added protein, 12 oz water. Med. coffee w cream after.
Lunch: Baja Fresh chicken bowl w/ black beans and rice, tomatoes, peppers. This is a great dish, ultra-low fat but packed with carbs and protein. Can of Diet shasta for drink.
Afternoon: 1 apple and cup of herbal caffeine free tea
Dinner: 8 oz chicken breast baked with stuffing and a cream sauce (20 g fat total), 16 oz carrot juice.

Workout Summary: Run 3 (25'), core 25'/ bike 23, 1:40, 2900 ascent

6am: Run 25 min, about 3 miles. Down Mt Scott and back up. about 8 min pace. Mild hamstring pain, 1/5. Tried to hold pace back up (600 ft) after turn around at 12 minutes, but positive split a minute. Held in zone 3/4 the final 13 min though.
Then 25 min Pilates abs core work and lightly streched hamstrings/piriformis, ect.

6pm: Bike Hill repeats, total 23 miles in1:40, 2900 ft ascent.
To germantown from cornel/skyline lot. Then Up final 1.3 miles of old germantown where steady ascent starts. Each interval 500 ft ascent with ave grade of 7.3%
1 = In saddle, 39/25, HR ave 130/max 140, Time 9:45
2 = Alternating 1 min in/out of saddle, 39/23, HRa 135/max 145, Time 9 min.
3 = Out of saddle entire hill, 39/22, HRa141/max 159, Time 8:20
4 = In saddle, 39/20, HRa 145/max 160, Time 7:58
Rest between all about 6 minutes. Definately very near max on final repeat. 4 steps down on the rear cassette very difficult but held cadence to 60-70
Zone Summary
Zone 1 = 50% (50')
Zone 2 = 12% (12')
Zone 3 = 10% (10')
Zone 4 = 13% (13')
Zone 5a=5.7% (5' 40")
Zone 5b=2.8% (2' 50")
Zone 5c=7% (7')
7 minutes anaerobic doesnt sound much, but its more than I've spent on the bike in a single workout.

Diet:
Breakfast: Medium coffee, 4 oz juice. Cliff Protein bar.
Mid morning: Caffeine free herbal tea.
Lunch: Fettucine with spinach, parm. cheese, walnuts and olive oil. Salad no dressing, 16 0z blueberry/cherry juice.
Afternoon: 1 apple, non-fat carmel latte
Dinner: 8 oz sirloin steak, about 1 cup broccoli, about 1 1/2 cups rice with cheddar flavor. 1 pint.
Some peanut MM's for dessert.
Revovery after ride: 100 g maltodextrin + 30 g protein + 10 g glutamine

Workout Summary: Run 20'/ Swim 3000 (54')/Run 20'

5:45 am, Easy run 20 min. Will start short easy runs despite hamstring pain. Will keep it easy though.
6 pm: Swim 3000
800 pull wu (1:35/100 pace)
2 sets: 3 X 200/30 then 4X100/25
1 min rest between sets. All 200's first set in 2:53, all 100's 1:23
Second set 200's in 2:53 with one in 2:51 and 100's in 1:24
200 pull cd

then easy run 8 min pace on TM, 20 min. (2.5 miles)
Hamstring stable, a little sore

*After 3 weeks off of running, I know to be completely pain free, I would probably have to wait another month. I hope 3 weeks is enough for some healing because its time to start. I will keep the runs slow and short duration, but frequent. This should allow the hamstring to rest for some time between run. I wont progress unless the pain drops to a 1/5 level. Now is about a 2 or 3/5.


Diet:
Breakfast: 1 apple, 1 cup oats with bwn sugar, water, coffee
Lunch: Salad w/ mixed vegies, tomato dressing, 6 oz chix breast. 4 oz kettle chips, 8 oz juice., herbal caffeine free tea.
Afternoon: small coffee/cream
Dinner: Papa Murphy's Chicken lite pizza. Plenty of fat I am sure, probably about 15 grams per slice. 4 slices. 1 pint of beer. Some gummi bears for dessert...carbs

Mon 7/17

Workout Summary: Bike 62 (4:15/5800 ascent)

Decided to drive back from Bend this morning and bike from home since I wanted to do some consistent climbing. Rolling the entire ride. Ann held pace well, drafting on the very few flats we had, 18-22 mph. This workout was intense. Dropped down into bull run counter clockwise, then up from Lusted to state hwy by the larch mt. split. At this point, 37 miles and 4000 ft ascent. Worked the large hills in 39/23 and approached the rollers in 54/23 or 25 and pushed out of saddle over the crest maintaining speed and cadence. Nearly blew both quads climbing 302nd st near stark st bridge, 10% incline for 3/4 mile. Out of saddle on the final 2 climbs up Mt Scott.

*Lowered Seat again. Since CDA, seat is now 8mm back and 10mm lower. This feels like a road position. Quads sore after, likely the lower seat. Priority is to protect hamstring.

Calculated grades on some of the hills:
Grade 7%, 11 min
Grade 10.3%, 3 min
Grade 9%, 5 min
Grade 11.5%, 1 min
Zone Summary:
0 = 3% (8')
1 = 70% (3 hrs)
2 = 12% (31')
3 = 8% (20')
4 = 5% (13')
5a= 2% (5')
5b= <1% (1')
*Hamstring Sore, not quite as bad as usual.

Diet:
Breakfast: 6 oz canelope
Lunch: On road, 12" sub sandwich with 3 scrambled eggs/ham/onions, peppers, slice of cheese. oz bag of chips, diet pepsi. Big Americano coffee and 1/2 of a big sugar cookie.
Dinner: Recovery drink after ride, inc. the carbs primarily due to the work effort on ride. 100 g maltodextrin + 30 g protein + 10 g glutamine.
1 hour later, 8 oz chicken breast and about 2 cups couscous (120 g carbo). 16 oz carrot juice. Diet Shasta before bed.

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go.
It helps us to find out what we are made of.
This is what we do.
This is what it's all about."

Patti Sue Plummer, Olympian

Sun 7/16

Workout Summary: Run 3 (25')/Mt bike 2:05 (20 miles)
Run: With Ann. Easy 8-8:20 pace. Right hamstring sore but stable.
Ann went on to run 9.
Then Mountain bike easy with some tempo and some surges. HR mostly in Zone 1 but held zone 2/3 form about final 30 minutes, brief time
in zone 4 on the hills. Alot of muscular endurance in mountain biking, I can see the benefits (I can feel the benetits..quads a little sore)Hamstring doesnt really bother me on the mt bike, probably because my seat is about 1cm lower than on my road bike.

*Got ART treatment in Bend. Therapist found pretty much the entire hamstring full of trigger points and scarring along the tendon. Tried for an hour to break some of it up but only a little better after. I probably need to go twice per week for the next few weeks up in portland if I can find someone decent.

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 medium pancakes, 4 egg-beater eggs, 4 slices bacon, 12 oz carrot juice, coffee
Lunch: None
Dinner: Went out to Pine Tavern. 3 beers, some steak, rice, salad, bread. No dessert. Some gummi bears before bed.

Sat 7/15

Workout Summary: Bike 83 (5:20/3740 ascent)

Biked with Ann from around noon to 5:30, wanted to get in a ride in the heat of the day. 90 degrees but low humidity.
Biked from Sunriver to Newberry crater, Paulina lakes. Of our climbing, 3000 feet were in the 15 mile stretch to the end of the road at east Paulina lake. A little like larch mt ride, ect. larch is over 14 miles or so, and not quite as much elevation. Peaked out at 6200 feet altitude up at the lake.
Then dropped down, off to LaPine, then west on hwy 43 into deschuttes forest. Hwy 43 merges with hwy 42. This was the 65 mile mark. Then took 42 back to sunriver. Good ride. Felt strong toward end. did 3 X 30 sec very hard spins in final couple of miles. Held 30+ mph with HR in Zone 5b/c.
The rest of the ride in zone 1 and 2 with a few minutes in zone 3/4 on some of the inclines to Newberry crater. Pulled Ann 20-23 mph the final 20 miles. Had a light tail wind at times which helped.

Started nutrition 60 min into ride. Took 150 g malto in 27 oz water bottle divided into 5 doses, about 30 g maltodextin in 5.5 oz water per dose. 300 mg sodium solution per water bottle. Took two bottles, so total sodium for ride was 600 mg. As for water, took 4, 27 oz bottles during ride. Tried to drink every 10 min or so, between the 20 minute intervals of nutrition I was taking. Total of 6 bottles or 162 ounces of water for the ride. No bars, No gels, no hunger. (had 2 gels with me in case hunger set in) Stopped and urinated three times.
Recovery: Recover drink after ride, 80 g maltodextrin + 25 g protein + 10 g glutamine in 20 oz water.

*Didnt spend too much time in aero bars, probably less than 1 hour total. Right hamstring still sore. Stopped to stretch piriformis and glute on grass while Ann used restroom about half way through ride, which helped alot. Focal soreness of upper hamstring isnt seem to be getting better though. Having an ART (active release) massage tomarrow in Bend late afternoon. Hopefully will get some positive results

Diet
Breakfast: 2 slices whole wheat toast, 1/4th of a canelope, 2 containers of vanilla yogurt, 8 oz carrot juice, 20 oz mug of coffee with non fat creamer.
Lunch: Read above...liquid lunch on ride. Recovery drink after.
Dinner:

Fri 7/14

Workout Summary:
a.m. took off
p.m. Drive to Bend

Got my saturday morning shift covered so can go to Bend tonight through monday. Will ride saturday, short ride sunday with some mountain biking. Short ride and/or mt bike on monday. Visiting an ART therapist for hamstring monday in Bend. Hopefully will get some results.

Diet:
Breakfast: 3/4 cup oats with 1 tbs honey, medium coffee/cream
Lunch: 12 oz Thai wheat noodles, light oil, grilled chicken, salad. 16 oz carrot/orange juice.
Afternoon: Large non-fat chai and cliff protein bar
Dinner: On road on the way down to bend. Chicken burrito and couple of small beef tacos from taco bell. Had some low fat pretzel snacks on the way down also. 16 oz diet 7-up and water. 2 beers before bed.

Thurs 7/13

Workout Summary: bike 17 (60')/Swim 2000 (48')

6 am: Bike on Trainer, 60 min. 12 min easy wu/cd
3 X 5 min spinervals at increasing power, 3 min rest between
1 = 200W, 100 cadence 39/23
2 = 250W, 95 cadence 39/19
3 = 300W, 90 cadence 39/13
all in 39 ring and varying gears on the rear. The new trainer I have is tough. Constant simulated 2.3-2.6% grade during the intervals.
Then 12 min. Steady State spinerval. Alternating 2 minutes each at 100 cadence/80 cadence. Trick is to keep power constant. So, maintaining power at 225-250, I would start in 39/23 for the 100 cadence, then move down to 39/15 and slow cadence to 80 while maintaining Watts at 250. Did 3 cycles of this to total 12 minutes.

**Article on increasing Mitochondria density, ie: improving performance via short extremely powerful intervals
http://www.biketechreview.com/performance/mitochondria.htm

5:30 pm:
Swim 1000 (15:45, 1:35/100)
700 of drills: 300 balance and 400 of stroke
8 X 50/1 min cycle: down free and back 25 catch-up drill. 18/19 strokes down, 13 back

*Holding off a couple more days on the running. Piriformis and glute feel good but the right hamstring focal soreness at the tendon/muscle junction is still there.


Diet:
Breakfast: Recovery drink after morning spin (70 g maltodextrin + 25 g protein + 8 g glutamine), 1 nectarine. Medium coffee with cream.
Lunch: Salad with 6 oz chicken breast, mixed vegies, mozz. cheese and walnut vinagrette. 2 oz of pretzels. 16 oz carrot/orange juice.
Afternoon: Large non-fat chai, cliff protein bar
Dinner: Sushi, couple of rolls and unagi/shrimp. Salad, 2 beers.Hand full of gummi bears before bed.

7/12 Wed

Workout Summary: Swim 3400 (56')
am: off
pm: Swim 3400
800 wu in 12:30 (1:35/100 yd pace)
2 X 300/35 both in 4:28
5 X 200/30 fastest in 2:55, slowest in 2:58
6 X 100/25 fastest in 1:22, slowest in 1:24
200 pull cd 3:15
Drank 24 oz water during workout and 24 oz after

*Felt ok today. Happy with times and feeling in the water. The salt water pool at the Hollywood 24 hr fitness is actually ok. Pretty salty, almost like the ocean at Kona. It teaches you to spit out the small amount of water the gets into your mouth instead of swallowing it.

Massage after. Therapist Jesse spent 50 minutes on my right glute, piriformis and hamstring/calf. Still have the focal pain in high hamstring, at the musculotendinous junction.

Diet:
Breakfast: 3/4 cup whole oats heated, 2 tsp bwn sugar. Medium coffee.
Mid morning: Cliff protein bar
Lunch: Salad with 2 boiled egg whites, low fat dressing, mixed vegies. 16 oz carrot/orange juice. 2 oz bag of kettle chips.
Afternoon: Non-fat green tea chai and 1 apple. Cold diet 7-up later.
Dinner: 2 KFC BBQ chicken sandwiches. 8 oz fat free baked beans. 20 oz fat free frozen yogurt smoothie with berries (tcby) for dessert.

Vitamin Routine, Recovery drink, and the Hypoxic tent

My routine for vitamins is simple, and I forget some days but rarely. I take a group of vitamins once daily.

1 Twins Labs multi w/ Iron: (this is the complete tablet with full dose in one tab. Dont have to take 3-4 a day with this one. Makes it much easier to take a bigger pill, but only once per day)

1 "super 10 antioxidant": This capsule contains 1000 mg Vit C, 400 IU Vit E (the d form, much better than the dl form), 15,000 IU Vit A (Beta carotene form), Selenium 100 mcg, Zinc 15 mg, various herbals, probably harmless.

1 Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) capsule, 30 mg. I will move to 100 mg during heavy training weeks. This is also an anti-oxidant.

1 Iron tab (Ferrous Sulfate form), 18 mg. This is taken 4 times per week. This dose is 100% of the RDA for iron, and that in the Multi tab I take is 50 %. Iron is poorly absorbed, around half or less is absorbed. Taking a little over the RDA and by normal meat eating diet assures I am meeting the requirement for red cell production and turnover with heavy exercise and potential demands from the hypoxic tent. Very unlikey to over-dose at these levels. Iron can be very dangerous in high doses and can lead to chronic fatigue and long term, hemochromatosis (which can cause liver failure and diabetes). Dont forget, Iron recycles in the body. You never get rid of it unless you lose blood or demand increases from increased blood cell production (as in altitude simulation). When red blood cells die, the iron in those cells is even recycled. If I didnt use the hypoxic tent, I would never take an iron supplement. I would have Ann take one however because iron supplementation is ok in women, due to the monthly blood loss.

Recovery drink: Typically after any running workout over an hour. Biking over 2 hours or after hills or interval training. Swimming after a 4K or more workout.
Mix 75g maltodextrin with 25 grams protein + 5-8 grams Glutamine.

The Tent
I started the Hypoxic tent again. All last week at simulated 6000 feet. This week started at 8000 ft. I am already getting up once in the middle of the night to urinate, due to the dropping plasma volume induced by the mild hypoxia.
My serum ferritin tested before CDA was a whopping 20 (normal 10-200 on west coast). Ferritin is necessary to transport iron for increased blood cell production. My ferritin being so low(Ann's is even lower) is why my hematocrit did not increase after 6 months in the tent mostly at 12-14000 ft simulation. Hence my hematocrit remains at the low end of normal at 40 (normal up to 45 in men). Regardless, I will continue in the tent as I believe there are other advantages besides increase in hematocrit. Unfortunately, I know of no method to increase your Ferritin levels other than injecting a pharmaceutical grade. I believe this is illegal and should be banned but I dont think it is on the USOC list. I think any substance directly injected to increase above your normal levels of any hormone or serum reactant should be banned. My genetics dictates my ferritin level. Thats life. I have to find other ways to get faster...like training.

Tues 7/11

Workout Summary: morning swim 2000 (37') afternoon bike 41 (3:05/4300 ft ascent)

7 am: 500 pull wu 7:50, then 10 x 100/30 all in 1:25-26, 500 cd pull 7:40.
2 pm: Bike Skyline hills. Climbed old Germantown twice. First time in 39/24 and second time in 54/25,24. Second climb did continuous 1 min. in saddle alternating with 1 min standing. Added "the hurt" hill in toward the end, pushed pretty hard in 39/24.
Germantown from yellow caution sign at beginning of hill to top: 7.7 % ave grade, 1.7 miles, 600 ft ascent
"the hurt" 240 ft over .5 mile, 10.1 % grade.
Felt strong. Right leg stable, pain and tightness didnt really feel much today.
Zone Summary
Zone 1 = 64 % (2:00)
Zone 2 = 17.5% (33')
Zone 3 = 6% (12')
Zone 4 = 7% (14')
Zone 5a=2% (3')/5b= 1% (2')/ 5c= .5% (1')

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 low fat yogart's, 6 oz canelope, 8 oz carrot juice, coffee.
Lunch: Finished up the canelope, about 8 oz, medium coffee, cliff protein bar
Ride: 1, 27 oz water bottle divided into 5 portions, each of which contains 28 grams maltodextrin. 300 mg sodium mixed in the bottle and 1/2 tsp orange crystal light for flavor.
Carried 4, 27 oz water bottles total, the other 3 filled with water only. Drank 1 bottle per hour.
Got very hungry and a little weak first 30 min. so stopped at a store and scarfed down 3 single packs of fig newtons. That did the trick.
Dinner: 2 medium sized corn tamales with a pile of rice and black beans. No cheese. Red sauce and a small scoop of sour cream. 1 beer. 8 oz carrot juice with 5 grams Glutamine added.

Weekly Plan 7/10 - 16

Swim 11-12000/bike 150/run 6-8

Mon: Swim 3-3500 mixed short intervals in a 2000 block. 500 wu/cd pull.
Tues: am pilates, pm bike hills, 40 miles or so
Wed: pm swim, 3-3500 like monday but add a set of medium length intervals, something like 2 X 300/30.
Thurs: am 3 mile run slow. pm: Short swim with focus on drills only. Around 2K, then weight session.
Fri: am pilates, pm Bike hills, 30 miles or so.
Sat: Work until noon. Will try to swim 3K after, then drive to Bend. Ann will run in Sunriver while I run 3-4 slow. Pilates and stretch after.
Sun: Bike 80 miles easy with Ann in Sunriver, cascade highway. Will do a few musc. endurance intervals in. Pilates after for me. Ann will run short off the bike.
Mon 7/17: Still in sunriver, will bike 60 in morning after breakfast. Drive back to Portland in afternoon.

Mon 7/10: Monday Quote, keep it realistic


"You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder....When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that's reasonable, and then gradually raise it."

Emil Zatopek


*Weight: 154.4, body fat 7.3 %

*Will not design a template for Kona. I will determine each upcoming week purely based on how I feel. Last year's Kona prep was pretty damn good from my own standpoint, esp on Ann's results at Florida, even with her groin spasm on the bike. I will make a few variations from last summer, but will be fairly consistent this year, since it seemed to work last year.
* Havent run in 2 weeks, will give it several more days, depending on the hamstring. Hamstring feels decent today, its the piriformis and glute that's the problem, now.
I will probably start running several short runs, 3-4 miles so as to not strain the hamstring. I will complete a couple of weeks of these runs and see how I feel. Will do absolutely no speed work until end of August. Primary goal is to work up distance at an easy pace, and re-start hill workouts when ready.
*Goals for Kona: I have no goals for Kona, and no expectations. I want that finishers medal. That's my atitude toward this race, which is capable of tearing anyone down to walking on any given year. I will have myself ready though, in case its a good day, so I can use it. My bike is as strong as ever, my swim is fine (for me), so I need to get my run back. Last year's 3:18 marathon at Kona off a 5:18 bike was OK but the conditions were good and I could have picked up another 10 minutes at least on the bike in retrospect. Would love to run around 3:10 if reasonable conditions, but I will make that determination around the 8 mile mark on the spot during the race. I may not be capable, so will slow down if I need to. My swim of 1:12 was below average last year, would like to break 1:10 so we'll see. I have no set goal on the bike. Far to variable conditions to try to set a goal.

Workout:
a.m. off
p.m.
Swim :Sweet...I get to the pool and realize all my stuff and bag are sitting on my kitchen floor at home. So, I got quite a few errands finished instead of the workout. Will try to get some swimming in tomarrow morning.

Diet:
Breakfast: 2 yogurts and 16 oz coffee
Lunch: Salad with chicken breast and mixed vegies, low fat dressing. 2 oz bag of kettle chips, diet orange soda.
*why do I eat a small amount of kettle chips so frequently for lunch? They have 18 grams of fat, 14 grams of which is monounsaturated. If going to eat fat, this is the best type. Some fat is vital to form hormones and normal steroids. I think cutting too much fat out of the diet can be detrimental. However, I do believe in moderation and try to keep my daily fat intake to under 50 grams (RDA is around 80/day) , and sometimes under 30 grams depending on the workout done the day before and what is to come that day. I dont eat many nuts because you can get the high mono/polyunsaturated fats in other foods that arent tremendously high in calories. A single handful of nuts can be more than 60 gams of fat...which is more than I eat for an entire day. I am not saying all the time, you do have to eat some good old fashioned chocolate, dessert, saturated fat, ect. Just keep it modest and infrequent.
Afternoon: non-fat latte and cliff protein bar
Dinner: 6 oz beef tips with 1 cup mashed potatoes, salad w/ low fat ceasar. 1 beer. About 2 cups low fat strawberry ice cream (12 g fat total) for dessert.

Sun 7/9

Workout:
Summary: Bike 43, 3 hours, 4300 ascent

Ride from downtown to skyline via thompson, then out to west valley and up west side of Logie pass. Then loop back on skyline. Out of saddle for most of the climbs to get HR up into higher zones and feels better on right leg. Rode with Ann, Erin, Rob, and Jesse L.
Zone Summary:
Zone 1 = 50% (1:32)
Zone 2 = 20% (38')
Zone 3 = 12% (22')
Zone 4 = 12% (22')
Zone 5a= 1.5% (90")
Zone 5b=1.5% (90")
Zone 5c=3% (3')

*Right piriformis, glute and hamstring pretty sore this morning. I think my rode bike position is too different from my TT bike even though the measurements are similar. Rode bike STA is around 72 degrees, while TT is around 78, although effective 74-76 since I moved the seat back.
So, I shifted back to my TT bike for this ride with the new seat position of 8mm further back and 5mm lower. My leg actually felt better after ride than before ride, although still sore.
Worked the hills fairly hard out of the saddle, everything after the first Thompson climb.
*Overall, good workout and well spead throughout zones.

Diet
Breakfast: 1 1/2 waffle, 16 oz skim, coffee
Lunch: 1 apple, carrot juice, cliff protein bar
Dinner: Spag. factory: Lasagna and chiz marsala combo, salad, bread, 3 pints beer. Scoop of spumoni after and couple of bites cake.

Sat 7/8

Workout Summary: Bike 47, 3:15, 3240 ascent
Bike 47 easy with some efforts on a few hills. Predominately Zone 1.
Time 3:15
Ascent: 3240 ft
Zone Summary:
Zone 0 = 3.1% (4' 30")
Zone 1 = 72% (2:20)
Zone 2 = 15.2% (30' 30")
Zone 3 = 4.5% (9' )
Zone 4 = 4.6% (9' 30")
Zone5a= .7% (1' 30")

*Right Piriformis, Glute and upper Hamstring tight. Felt better when standing on pedals. Stretched lightly when finished. Loosened up a bit. I will see how it feels tomarrow. Heart rate much more reactive today than in the first 2 rides over the past week. That should be a good sign. HR climbed right up into zone 4/5 when working a hill, and fell right back down to under 100 within a minute after. I am on my Guinness road bike with the seat tube angle around 73 degrees. Seat distance to stem is 1.5cm back from my TT bike distance. Seat is also 5mm lower.
I moved my TT seat back 8mm and lowered 5mm from the CDA position. This is close to my road bike. When I transition back to TT bike, I may slowly resume my position used for the race but we'll see how my right glute/piriformis feel.

Diet:
Breakfast: 5 egg beater (fat free) eggs with ham, green pepper, slice of sharp chedder. 2 slices of wheat/flax seed toast. 8 oz apple/tomato juice
Lunch: 2 organic peanut butter and whipped honey sandwiches on the wheat/flax bread. 6 oz grapes, 10 oz skim milk.
Ride: 24 oz bottle with 108 g carbs + 2 27 oz bottles of water
Dinner: Went out to Laurelwood Pub to have their Organic red ale. 2 pints. Grilled Tuna and white rice for dinner. Banana cake.

Fri 7/7

Summary: morning core (25')/Afternoon swim 2600 (60')

Workout
6:30 am: Pilates abs 25 min. Light stretch of hamstrings 10 minutes. Right Ham very sore upon stretching, directly at the origin under the right glute. Will take it very easy on the stretching.
6 pm: Swim 2600: 500 pull wu/500 pull cd. Both in 7:50
5 X 100/30 around 1:30 ave. First 75 free, then final 25 converted to catch up drill.
10 X 50/1 min cycle. All 38-39

Felt ok. Will take it slow over next 2-3 weeks and re-build. Will keep most workouts shorter, but will do more frequently.

Diet
Breakfast: 2 6oz yogurt's, 1 apple, coffee, water
Lunch: Spinach salad with vegis, 2 eggs, low fat italian. 2 oz pretzels, 160z carrot juice
Afternoon: non fat latte and cliff protein bar
Dinner: shrimp app. salad, chicken breast + corn cakes and shrimp at Outback. 1 beer.
Snack: 4 oz gummi bears during movie

The below link is my Blog documenting my training and nutrition, ect leading up to Ironman Coeur d Alene, June 25, 2006. Qualified for Kona by placing 4th of 380 in M40-44 age group.

http://triall3sports.blogspot.com/

For Kona, f few things I need to improve in training are:

More short runs off the bike
More morning workouts, esp. on the trainer and short runs
More core, more consistent
Consistent weight routine up to october

Big training week planned for the end of August though Labor day. Instead of focusing on the bike, I will focus on strength in all 3 events. My goals will be around 350 on the bike, but will increase the run to around 60-70 miles and swim to 10-12k, I will start the week monday august 28 and go thorough sep 4th, the next monday. My wife Ann will be with me and will do about 90% of what I plan.

Workout
Bike 20 miles easy with Ann. 1:25 time with 800 ft of climbing at end. All Zone 1
I have moved to my road bike. The seat is 1 cm back from the TT and 5 mm lower.
I have moved my TT bike seat 8mm back. Will lower 5mm so the transition should be ok when I move back to the TT bike in a couple of weeks. Hamstring pain free on the road bike but pretty tight later in the evening.

Diet:
Breakfast: 1 wheat bagel dry, cup of coffee, 1 apple
Lunch: Salad with spinach and mixed vegi's with low fat italian. 2 oz bag kettle chips, 6 oz carrot juice
Afternoon: coffee and 1 apple
Dinner: 8 oz grilled Salmon, thai noodles and corn on the cob. 6 oz low fat ice cream and a beer after.