I'm a big fan of podcasts and have been listening to them for years. Nearly all of them are free, and can be downloaded easily and all over the place. Personally, I use apple's iTunes store down download my podcasts, but one can also download podcasts on various websites. I like iTunes because it is easy to find podcasts and once I find something I like, I can "subscribe" to a podcast, which means that the podcasts that I subscribe to are automatically added to my itunes account on my computer and then automatically transferred to my iPhone or iPod when I sync them to my computer (one must turn on the automatic sync function on the iPhone or iPod for them to transfer). I follow a number of podcasts, including news (NPR, New York Times, 60 minutes), sports, fantasy sports (ESPN, CBS, the Fantasy Football guys), health and nutrition, music (including live concerts on NPR), workout music, video games, etc. I listen to the podcasts when I walk to work, when travelling, when exercising, on the subway, and whenever I can squeeze in a few minutes. I never have enough time to listen to a podcast end to end, but I still find that listening to my favorite podcasts even for a few minutes a day is enjoyable. If I drove to work regularly, I would be listening to podcasts even more.
Below are my current 2 podcast favorites
1. I recently came across a podcast called "Ben Greenfield Fitness", which is my current favorite podcast (I found it via a search for "triathlon" on iTunes). Ben Greenfield is an elite athlete, a personal trainer, a nutritional consultant, a coach, and an Ironman. He puts out a couple of weekly podcasts a week. It is top notch. He does a couple of segments each week. First, he usually has a few "announcements", where he talks about seminars/coaching sessions/other things he is doing. The list is impressive, he definitely gets a lot done. Second, he does a weekly reader Q&A section, which is great. People email or call in great questions, very often questions I have. The topics range from questions on heart rate, fat burning, workout intensity , cross training, training questions, vitamins, injuries, etc. For an athlete looking to learn about a well-rounded list of topics, the Q&A is awesome and I highly recommend it. Finally, he ends each podcast with a weekly interview with an expert on a variety of topics. Last week, he interviewed Robbie Ventura, a professional cyclist, coach, and Tour de France commentator on the VS. television network, which was great. I actually went to high school with Robbie and also was friends with his sister. Small world!
Below is a link to Ben Greenfield’s podcast and his website. I highly recommend this podcast. If you check it out, let me know what you think. I also follow him on Twitter. Ben is competing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona on 10/9/2010.
Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast #113 - Robbie Ventura Interview
Link to itunes for Ben's podcasts
Ben Greenfield on iTunes
2. The second podcast that I have been listening to regularly over the last month is called "Doctor Chopra Says: A Medical Minute". It isn't Deepak Chopra, it is Doctor Sanjeev Chopra. He puts out a podcast about once a week. It is great. I think Dr. Chopra published a book with various medical "facts and myths everyone should know about". So far, he has come out with 12 podcasts on Itunes (all free). Some of the topics include exercise, nuts (says that studies have shown that eating a few nuts a day can extend one's life by two years and reduce the risk of heart disease), cancer, coffee (he says that 3-4 cups of coffee is actually really good for you, even decaf), aspirin, fish, Alzheimer's, and even marijuana. I am naturally a skeptic, so I may not agree with everything he says, but overall, I love this podcast. I even bought some almonds and have been eating 4 almonds a day since listening to his podcast. I am also going to buy some walnuts, as he said that walnuts have omega 3 in them (I also take daily fish oil pills).
Here is a link to his podcast on iTunes
Doctor Chopra Says: A Medical Minute on iTunes
Let me know what you think if you listen to either of these podcasts.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Chicago Marathon Training Summary - Weeks 14 and 15; Vacation in Vancouver, Canada
Weeks 14 and 15 of my 17 week Chicago Marathon training is done. Yes!!! I am now in taper mode now, which I am very excited about. I feel great and am 95% healthy. My knees and IT bands feel great, with the exception of the ganglion cyst that continues to sit behind my left knee. It doesn't bother me when I run, but I definitely feel it the next day after a long run. I've had the cyst on and off since March. It goes away when I reduce my mileage and gets bigger when I do long runs. Overall, I'm very pleased and happy to be feeling so good at this point in my marathon training. For my previous 2 marathons (NYC 2009 and Kenosha Wisconsin 5/2010), I was extremely fatigued at this point of my training, so much so that I desperately needed the taper. This time around, I feel so good that I don't even feel like I need the taper (although I'm definitely still going to taper so I am fresh for the marathon on 10/10/10). For this my marathon training, my motto has been "less is more". After my last marathon on 5/1/2010 (and during my training), I had severe IT band friction along my right knee and bursitis behind my left knee. Both required a cortisone shot to get better. I decided that running 6 days/50 miles a week was too hard on my body. My doctor recommended physical therapy and triathlons, saying "you never do enough swimming, biking, or running to really hurt yourself". So I went out and bought a road bike and started swimming (I had never owned a road bike before and hadn't gone swimming since high school). I picked a Hal Higdon easy marathon training schedule and started my training. This schedule requires running 4 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday), with not as many long runs on the weekend. For my NYC marathon training, I did 3 long runs of 20 miles. For Kenosha, I did 4 long runs of 20 miles. For the upcoming Chicago Marathon, I only did one 20 mile run (during week 14). We shall see if that helps or hurts me on October 10th. I also have been doing leg strengthening exercises that I learned about during physical therapy. To my surprise, I found that my legs were weak (and in particular my glutes), so since I learned this I have been doing exercises at home with big rubber bands to strengthen my glutes and legs, which has really helped. Additionally, bike riding has really strengthened my legs. Finally, I have been trying to get more sleep. While I haven't been great at getting enough sleep during my training, typically averaging about 6.5 hours per night, during our vacation in Vancouver I had 4 days were I got at least 8 hours of sleep a night and another 2 where I got more than 7 hours. On the day we got home, I slept almost 10 hours and woke up feeling like a million bucks. I have read all over the place that sleep in the single best recovery method from heavy physical activity, and I definitely feel rested after our vacation. I also regularly do ice or cold water baths with Epsom salts.
Week 14 Summary - peak marathon training week
By far, the best part of the week was our daughter Kaiya turning 2 on 9/21 (I can't believe that she is 2 already!). So, for the second consecutive year, we celebrated her birthday in Vancouver and Miranda and Paul's house.
Here is a picture of Kaiya while at Whistler (she picked out and put on the hat herself)
A nice creek along the trail....
Week 14 Summary - peak marathon training week
- 6 workouts - ran 5 times (43 miles in total), cycled once (43 miles, approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes) - total workout time approximately 8.5 hours over 5 days.
- Monday - 5 miles (8:19 pace) - heart rate monitor battery dead
- Tuesday - 10 miles (8:19 pace) - heart rate monitor battery dead
- Wednesday - 5 miles (8:19 pace) - heart rate monitor battery dead
- Thursday - Off day - travel to Vancouver
- Friday - 20 miles (8:47 pace, ran negative splits and stopped many times to take pictures (see below) - heart rate monitor battery dead
- Saturday - Off day
- Sunday - Brick workout - 2 hour and 30 minute bike ride (43.34 miles) followed immediately by a 3 mile run (overall 7:39 pace) - with the first mile off the bike at a 6:48 pace, which I was working hard for. Slowed down after that.
- Overall, started out each of my runs easy (except for Sunday) and finished strong. Had a few workouts where I ran 1-2 miles hard with splits in the 6s
- Continued to feel good and really enjoyed my workout on the bike trainer. I definitely need to buy one for our apartment for winter training (plus I feel like I got a different type of workout which I liked). Can anybody recommend a good trainer to buy at a reasonable price? Does anybody know of a used one for sale? I will be doing a lot of trainer work this winter to build my base for my Ironman Canada race on 8/28/2011.
By far, the best part of the week was our daughter Kaiya turning 2 on 9/21 (I can't believe that she is 2 already!). So, for the second consecutive year, we celebrated her birthday in Vancouver and Miranda and Paul's house.
Here is a picture of Kaiya while at Whistler (she picked out and put on the hat herself)
Some pictures from my 20 mile long run in Vancouver:
I ran along the water every day - absolutely beautiful
I took a wrong turn and my 20 mile long run unexpectedly became partly a trail run. I have a new-found respect for trail running. It is hard and hilly!! This is a view from the top of one of the trails as I head back to easy, flat running....
A 137 meter pool in Kits - they keep the water cold and allow wetsuits! A triathlete's dream! Remind me again, why do we live in New York City?
The first sign I saw as my long run became a trail run. Hmmm....
The trail run begins
starting to get into the trails....man was is hilly and muddy! All I was thinking was "where the heck am I?" and "I hope I don't get bitten by a tick!"
blurry because I was running to get out of there fast!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Fatigued! Week 12 and Week 13 Chicago Marathon Training Summary
Just finished weeks 12 and 13 of my Chicago Marathon training. I did my first very long run during Week 12, an 18 mile run. Until my triathlon yesterday on 9/12 (see separate race report), my body was feeling very fatigued. I moved my week 13 marathon training schedule up one day so I could take Saturday off, the day before my tri. On Sunday, I did the tri and felt great the entire race (and after too). My fatigue seems to be gone, which is great, as week 14 has me scheduled to run 40 miles (5, 10, 5, and 20 miles). We will be in Vancouver on vacation for the 20 miler, which I am really looking forward to, as my friends PN and MM in Vancouver are going to run with me and we are going to run along the ocean, which is flat and absolutely beautiful!
As I write this, my fatigue has subsided. However, during weeks 12 and 13, I felt the fatigue that nearly all marathon runners experience at some point during training. My legs were sore, my IT bands were sore, my knees were sore, the cyst behind my right knee was bothering me, and my body just felt tired. I took a lot of ice baths and/or Epsom salt baths during this period, and that helped too.
Overall, I'm happy with my training during these two weeks.
Week 12 - I got in 6 workouts (4 runs - 4.6, 9, 5.1, and 18 miles - total - 36.7 miles), 1 ride, and 1 swim). I was so fatigued that I only rode 12 miles (2 loops of Central Park) the day after my long run. It felt good to get a "recovery" ride in, but 42 minutes was enough. I've accepted that I'm going through a tough period of workouts and when I do I try to keep my workouts limited to my marathon training only. I've noticed my fitness improving, as my heart rate has been lower lately and I have been getting faster. For one 5 mile run this week, I planned on running around 8:45-9:00 for the entire run, but I felt good so I ended running the last few miles in the low 7s/high 6s and still had more in the tank.
I ran 12 of the 18 miles of my long run on Saturday with BGR, which was great. I ended up running 3 Harlem Hills, which was tough, but hopefully this hill work will benefit me for the flat Chicago Marathon course.
When we were on our long run, there was a guy juggling while he was running. Naturally, I started talking to him. I asked him if he runs entire marathons while juggling, and he said yes. I asked him how fast and he said around 4:50 (although his goal is a little faster than that). Pretty impressive if you ask me! I asked him if I could take his picture and he said yes, so check it out.
Week 13 - 5 runs (5, 9, 5, 14.21, 4 - 38 miles for the week) and 1 race (Greenwood Lake triathlon - 0.5 mile swim, 17.9 mile bike, 4 mile run). I reduced my schedule to running only plus the tri race at the end of week 13. Other than that, I didn't bike or swim during week 13 at all. I think sometimes "less is more", so I tried to train that way for week 13 and it definitely resulted in a strong race for me. One of the things I love about racing is that there are always things to improve upon, and the triathlon is great for that. Overall a great week. I feel like I am getting more fit and peaking at the right time for the Chicago Marathon (for my previous 2 marathons I peaked way too early, about halfway through training. This year, I've been focused on an easier, more gradual build up). Sunrise is around 6:25 A.M. these days, so some of my runs are now in the dark. There's not much better than seeing the sun rise in Central Park while running. It is beautiful.
My Running Song of the Week
As I mentioned before, I am really into listening to music when I run (although triathlons don't allow music so I did the Greenwood Lake tri without it). It pumps me up, plus I just love music. Lately, I've been getting into Motorhead, and my current favorite song is called "Killed by Death". It rocks, I really can't believe that this song was written in 1984 and I never heard it until 2010. The song sounds like it was written today and the guitar solos rock! Take a listen.....
Recently, my brother John found some old pictures of our dad's (he passed away in 2006). I love this one! It was in the Kenosha News around 1977. Our dad used to write his bike to work everyday. He would have loved to see me doing marathons and triathlons.
As I write this, my fatigue has subsided. However, during weeks 12 and 13, I felt the fatigue that nearly all marathon runners experience at some point during training. My legs were sore, my IT bands were sore, my knees were sore, the cyst behind my right knee was bothering me, and my body just felt tired. I took a lot of ice baths and/or Epsom salt baths during this period, and that helped too.
Overall, I'm happy with my training during these two weeks.
Week 12 - I got in 6 workouts (4 runs - 4.6, 9, 5.1, and 18 miles - total - 36.7 miles), 1 ride, and 1 swim). I was so fatigued that I only rode 12 miles (2 loops of Central Park) the day after my long run. It felt good to get a "recovery" ride in, but 42 minutes was enough. I've accepted that I'm going through a tough period of workouts and when I do I try to keep my workouts limited to my marathon training only. I've noticed my fitness improving, as my heart rate has been lower lately and I have been getting faster. For one 5 mile run this week, I planned on running around 8:45-9:00 for the entire run, but I felt good so I ended running the last few miles in the low 7s/high 6s and still had more in the tank.
I ran 12 of the 18 miles of my long run on Saturday with BGR, which was great. I ended up running 3 Harlem Hills, which was tough, but hopefully this hill work will benefit me for the flat Chicago Marathon course.
When we were on our long run, there was a guy juggling while he was running. Naturally, I started talking to him. I asked him if he runs entire marathons while juggling, and he said yes. I asked him how fast and he said around 4:50 (although his goal is a little faster than that). Pretty impressive if you ask me! I asked him if I could take his picture and he said yes, so check it out.
Week 13 - 5 runs (5, 9, 5, 14.21, 4 - 38 miles for the week) and 1 race (Greenwood Lake triathlon - 0.5 mile swim, 17.9 mile bike, 4 mile run). I reduced my schedule to running only plus the tri race at the end of week 13. Other than that, I didn't bike or swim during week 13 at all. I think sometimes "less is more", so I tried to train that way for week 13 and it definitely resulted in a strong race for me. One of the things I love about racing is that there are always things to improve upon, and the triathlon is great for that. Overall a great week. I feel like I am getting more fit and peaking at the right time for the Chicago Marathon (for my previous 2 marathons I peaked way too early, about halfway through training. This year, I've been focused on an easier, more gradual build up). Sunrise is around 6:25 A.M. these days, so some of my runs are now in the dark. There's not much better than seeing the sun rise in Central Park while running. It is beautiful.
My Running Song of the Week
As I mentioned before, I am really into listening to music when I run (although triathlons don't allow music so I did the Greenwood Lake tri without it). It pumps me up, plus I just love music. Lately, I've been getting into Motorhead, and my current favorite song is called "Killed by Death". It rocks, I really can't believe that this song was written in 1984 and I never heard it until 2010. The song sounds like it was written today and the guitar solos rock! Take a listen.....
Recently, my brother John found some old pictures of our dad's (he passed away in 2006). I love this one! It was in the Kenosha News around 1977. Our dad used to write his bike to work everyday. He would have loved to see me doing marathons and triathlons.
Want somebody to do a triathlon with? Perhaps the bike below would be helpful? Thanks to PN for this picture.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Greenwood Lake Triathlon Race Report - My Second Triathlon
Today, 9/12/10, I did my second triathlon. I had a blast! I scheduled this race about 3 months ago. Over the last week, I have been extremely fatigued due to marathon training. I ran 14.21 miles before work on Friday morning so I could take yesterday off (the day before the tri). That ended up being a good move, as I didn't feel fatigued at all today during or after the race (in fact, after the race, I felt refreshed, it was nice change of pace from my marathon training). I was so tired Friday during my long run that I considered dropping out of today's race. I'm really glad I didn't.
Triathlon Distances today - 0.5 mile swim, 17.9 mile bike, 4 mile run
I picked this race because my friend MH did this race about 6 or 7 years ago and he recommended it. We both did the race today. It was great - he drove and knew where to go, so I got to enjoy the ride (which was much more pleasant than driving an hour and 10 minutes north by myself). I was up at 4:59 A.M, MH picked my up at 5:48 A.M. and we arrived at the race site around 7:00 A.M. The race started at 8:30 A.M. and we were home by 12:30 P.M.
The weather was great today - around 60 degrees at the start of the race, water temps probably in the low 70s (that's a guess, the water felt nice). It was cloudy and drizzled during the run, which was refreshing.
When we arrived, we registered and picked up our numbers. Some volunteers were there to write out numbers on our shoulders. Mine lifted up my shirt and wrote my number (138) under my short sleeve. I told her that I was going to wear the shirt I had on for the race, so nobody would see my number. I asked if she wanted to write it somewhere visible. She said no. Did I really need the number on me in the first place? I guess it is there in case something bad happens to me and they need to identify me.
I did no research on this race beforehand. When I signed up, the registration said that the bike was 16 miles, but when we arrived, it said 17.9. The rules were handwritten (see the pictures below). I joked to my friend "you better memorize that bike and run course". Note the rule "must have # on arms". I failed to mention above that I was also wore a wetsuit during the swim (like almost everybody else).
Click here for the race results, which showed 153 participants. It was exactly what I was looking for. A shorter race, with distances sort of in the middle of a sprint and an Olympic triathlon. The swim only had 1 wave (i.e., everybody went out at the same time). When we arrived, I noticed that everybody had the same color swim cap (yellow). 153 people in one wave, I thought. Oh no! MH and I put ourselves in the middle of the pack before the race, and I was nervous about the "war" I was about to endeavor upon. The horn went off, and the fast swimmers took off. The water was shallow for the first 20 feet or so and extremely rocky, so I, along with everybody else, struggled to get beyond the rocks. Once again, I thought to myself "am I going to hurt my ankle during the swim", which is what I thought for my first tri, but it turned out to be ok, I got into the deep quickly and was off. I felt pretty good to start. The swim course was set up like a triangle - swim out to a buoy, make a right, swim for a while, and make another right and swim to shore (all swimming clockwise). I didn't have much pulling, kicking, bumping early on, but there was some. I figured out today that people aren't trying to bump into you, grab you, etc;, but rather, they simply have no choice - too many competitive people in a confined space all trying to get to the same place. The water was extremely murky with a lot of seaweed, so I couldn't see anything in the water, which was a bummer. As I had my head in the water, I thought to myself "this water is green, totally green. I wonder if that is why they call it Greenwood Lake!" I was able to get in a rhythm and felt ok. I got very tired at around 200 meters and dreaded swimming the rest of the way. I didn't panic this time, I just came up to sight and take a breath and made sure that I was moving forward. I looked around and was keeping up with others, which was good enough for me. I thought to myself "how the hell am I going to swim 2.4 miles in my Ironman race next year, that is really going to suck?" There was one guy who was laying on his back in the water and using his arms to propel him forward - not a backstroke, but like a butterfly - it looked really hard to do and he was going as fast as me! Others were doing the backstroke, some the side stroke, some the butterfly, etc. During the bike and the run, most people look the same, but during the swim, I was really surprised by how every single swimmer I watched looked different. I looked around a lot and saw people doing all kinds of strokes to get through the swim, probably thinking exactly what I was thinking "please let me just get through this and let the swim be over". As I moved along in the swim, my goggles became very fogged up and I had a hard time seeing. I should have stopped and put some water/saliva in the goggles to get rid of the fog, but I didn't want to stop. Next time I will stop. My swim cap also came off for about the last 200 meters and my hair is long, so that added to the fun!
0.5 mile swim split = 22 minutes. Unfortunately, they didn't give list out my swim place, but I suspect that I was well below the middle. It is really amazing how the swim feels so much longer than it really is.
Transition 1 (T1): 3:10, 104 out of 153. I felt a little dizzy after the swim and had a tough time getting off my wetsuit and an even tougher time putting on my socks! I took my time, but this is definitely an area I can improve in.
Bike Ride
Once I got on the bike, I felt pretty good. Of course, right out of the transition, there was what seemed to me like a steep uphill. Great, I thought to myself, I'm going to fall off my bike before the bike ride even starts. I still haven't mastered clipping into my pedals, and doing it while going uphill certainly isn't my strength. It took me 15 seconds or so to clip in and somehow I managed to stay on my bike. My friend MH told me that the bike course wasn't bad, that it had some "rolling hills", but nothing too tough. However, out of the gate, it sure felt hilly to me. I didn't feel tired from the swim, but the hills made my legs feel tired, and I was struggling to get into my biking groove. My bike also sounded like something was rubbing. I thought to myself "maybe I didn't put my front tire on properly?". I felt down to move the brake around and it wasn't rubbing. I'll have to get a bike tune up to see if anything is wrong. My Garmin watch showed me at around 15 mph for the first mile, slow for me. I heard the mile 1 lap beep on my watch, then I heard a bunch of beeps. WHAT?? I thought to myself. Yes, my watch died. I fully charged it last night, but I have been having problems with the watch, and that was that. Great, I'll have no way to pace myself or to know my speed. While I initially thought that was a problem, I came to enjoy it. I got into my groove and started passing a lot of bikers, and only a handful of people passed me, some of which I passed later on. The thrill of the race was very fun, I enjoyed it very much. Naturally, I said hello to everybody I passed and everybody said hello back. It was very cool. As I got farther along, I started asking people "how far have we gone?" At one point, I took a sip of Gatorade and almost crashed putting the water bottle back in place. Overall, the course was very hilly for me. I finished strong and felt good. I took my friend's advice to increase my cadence for the last few miles and I stood to stretch a few times which felt good, but when I got into the transition area, my feet were numb and my glutes were tired. My friend's Garmin watch said that there was approximately 518 feet of elevation gain during the 17.9 mile ride. Not too bad, but not flat either.
17.9 mile Bike split = 57:25 (18.71 mph), 48 out of 153. I was very happy with this time and feel that I can improve more here. As I progressed, I increased my cadence and really focused on getting the most out of my pedal stroke. I counted 30 strokes on my left leg, then 30 on my right, then 30 overall and this seemed to help make me faster.
Transition 2 (T2) - 1:27, 75 out of 153. When I arrived to rack my bike, I aerobically felt good. I didn't feel tired. However, my legs and glutes were fatigued. I changed into my shoes (I used Yankz so I didn't have to tie them), took off my heart rate monitor since my watch died, grabbed a powergel and took off. When I looked at the clock, it said 1:24:46. I memorized this time since I wasn't wearing a watch.
Run
When I started running, I really couldn't feel my feet or my legs. It is such a weird feeling. My glutes felt exhausted, almost exactly like they feel after a leg strengthening physical therapy workout. Despite this feeling, I felt like I was running well, and almost immediately I started passing people. I started talking to the first guy I passed (which was uphill) and said "any idea how fast we are running, my watch is dead?" and he said "I don't know, but you are running really fast". I decided that I didn't need a powergel yet (I haven't been training with powergels lately as I've been trying to get my body used to being a little deprived, plus I had Gatorade during the bike so I felt ok. In fact, I ended up running all 4 miles with the powergel in my hand, I never needed it). So I held the powergel in my hand where I usually hold my iphone or xm radio (this race said no headphones allowed, so I had to run without music). After about a mile, my legs loosed up and I still felt good. I knew that I was moving pretty fast, as I continued to pass people. There was a killer uphill early on (worse than the Harlem Hill in Central Park). When I saw the hill, first I thought "damn, I gotta run that hill, that sucks". Then I cursed my friend MH in my head for saying that the run course was flat, then I thought to myself "at least I'll get the benefit of running down that hill on the way back". I continued to pass a lot of people and started to see the strong triathletes run by me on the out and back run course. There were many Ironman athletes participating today and most of them were in front of me. We ran into a french couple that have done over 18 ironman races (husband and wife). I admire them. Their son was also in the race today and has done 2 Ironmans. Totally awesome. As I kept running, I said hi to every single runner I ran by. I felt strong the entire run and probably ran at about 80% effort. I definitely had more to give but I wanted to finish the race injury free. As I was finishing, there was a woman who looked strong at the end that I was able to catch up to and sprint by, finishing the race at 1:53:49.
4 mile run split: 29:03 (7:15 per mile), 29 out of 153. I was very happy with this run, as I felt strong, still had more to give, and didn't get hurt. The best 4 mile race that I have run in Central Park is 7:11 per mile (I'm sure that I could run in the high 6s if I ran a flat race), so I'm proud that I was able to come close to my PR as the run portion of a triathlon.
Overall Time: 1:53:49, 61 out of 153. I'm very happy with this time and feel like I improved a lot from my first triathlon and still can improve in the future! Going into this race I thought that I was a stronger biker than runner, but my times didn't support that today. I'm excited to continue to improve my bike times and am looking into joining a masters swimming group to improve my swimming technique.
Overall, I enjoyed the race. There were tons of volunteers and the cops did a good job directing the traffic away from us (the road were open for the bike and run). I would like to have seen some clocks on the course and it would have been nice to see mile markers on the run course. Overall, I would recommend this race.
Triathlon Distances today - 0.5 mile swim, 17.9 mile bike, 4 mile run
I picked this race because my friend MH did this race about 6 or 7 years ago and he recommended it. We both did the race today. It was great - he drove and knew where to go, so I got to enjoy the ride (which was much more pleasant than driving an hour and 10 minutes north by myself). I was up at 4:59 A.M, MH picked my up at 5:48 A.M. and we arrived at the race site around 7:00 A.M. The race started at 8:30 A.M. and we were home by 12:30 P.M.
When we arrived, we registered and picked up our numbers. Some volunteers were there to write out numbers on our shoulders. Mine lifted up my shirt and wrote my number (138) under my short sleeve. I told her that I was going to wear the shirt I had on for the race, so nobody would see my number. I asked if she wanted to write it somewhere visible. She said no. Did I really need the number on me in the first place? I guess it is there in case something bad happens to me and they need to identify me.
I did no research on this race beforehand. When I signed up, the registration said that the bike was 16 miles, but when we arrived, it said 17.9. The rules were handwritten (see the pictures below). I joked to my friend "you better memorize that bike and run course". Note the rule "must have # on arms". I failed to mention above that I was also wore a wetsuit during the swim (like almost everybody else).
Click here for the race results, which showed 153 participants. It was exactly what I was looking for. A shorter race, with distances sort of in the middle of a sprint and an Olympic triathlon. The swim only had 1 wave (i.e., everybody went out at the same time). When we arrived, I noticed that everybody had the same color swim cap (yellow). 153 people in one wave, I thought. Oh no! MH and I put ourselves in the middle of the pack before the race, and I was nervous about the "war" I was about to endeavor upon. The horn went off, and the fast swimmers took off. The water was shallow for the first 20 feet or so and extremely rocky, so I, along with everybody else, struggled to get beyond the rocks. Once again, I thought to myself "am I going to hurt my ankle during the swim", which is what I thought for my first tri, but it turned out to be ok, I got into the deep quickly and was off. I felt pretty good to start. The swim course was set up like a triangle - swim out to a buoy, make a right, swim for a while, and make another right and swim to shore (all swimming clockwise). I didn't have much pulling, kicking, bumping early on, but there was some. I figured out today that people aren't trying to bump into you, grab you, etc;, but rather, they simply have no choice - too many competitive people in a confined space all trying to get to the same place. The water was extremely murky with a lot of seaweed, so I couldn't see anything in the water, which was a bummer. As I had my head in the water, I thought to myself "this water is green, totally green. I wonder if that is why they call it Greenwood Lake!" I was able to get in a rhythm and felt ok. I got very tired at around 200 meters and dreaded swimming the rest of the way. I didn't panic this time, I just came up to sight and take a breath and made sure that I was moving forward. I looked around and was keeping up with others, which was good enough for me. I thought to myself "how the hell am I going to swim 2.4 miles in my Ironman race next year, that is really going to suck?" There was one guy who was laying on his back in the water and using his arms to propel him forward - not a backstroke, but like a butterfly - it looked really hard to do and he was going as fast as me! Others were doing the backstroke, some the side stroke, some the butterfly, etc. During the bike and the run, most people look the same, but during the swim, I was really surprised by how every single swimmer I watched looked different. I looked around a lot and saw people doing all kinds of strokes to get through the swim, probably thinking exactly what I was thinking "please let me just get through this and let the swim be over". As I moved along in the swim, my goggles became very fogged up and I had a hard time seeing. I should have stopped and put some water/saliva in the goggles to get rid of the fog, but I didn't want to stop. Next time I will stop. My swim cap also came off for about the last 200 meters and my hair is long, so that added to the fun!
0.5 mile swim split = 22 minutes. Unfortunately, they didn't give list out my swim place, but I suspect that I was well below the middle. It is really amazing how the swim feels so much longer than it really is.
Transition 1 (T1): 3:10, 104 out of 153. I felt a little dizzy after the swim and had a tough time getting off my wetsuit and an even tougher time putting on my socks! I took my time, but this is definitely an area I can improve in.
Bike Ride
Once I got on the bike, I felt pretty good. Of course, right out of the transition, there was what seemed to me like a steep uphill. Great, I thought to myself, I'm going to fall off my bike before the bike ride even starts. I still haven't mastered clipping into my pedals, and doing it while going uphill certainly isn't my strength. It took me 15 seconds or so to clip in and somehow I managed to stay on my bike. My friend MH told me that the bike course wasn't bad, that it had some "rolling hills", but nothing too tough. However, out of the gate, it sure felt hilly to me. I didn't feel tired from the swim, but the hills made my legs feel tired, and I was struggling to get into my biking groove. My bike also sounded like something was rubbing. I thought to myself "maybe I didn't put my front tire on properly?". I felt down to move the brake around and it wasn't rubbing. I'll have to get a bike tune up to see if anything is wrong. My Garmin watch showed me at around 15 mph for the first mile, slow for me. I heard the mile 1 lap beep on my watch, then I heard a bunch of beeps. WHAT?? I thought to myself. Yes, my watch died. I fully charged it last night, but I have been having problems with the watch, and that was that. Great, I'll have no way to pace myself or to know my speed. While I initially thought that was a problem, I came to enjoy it. I got into my groove and started passing a lot of bikers, and only a handful of people passed me, some of which I passed later on. The thrill of the race was very fun, I enjoyed it very much. Naturally, I said hello to everybody I passed and everybody said hello back. It was very cool. As I got farther along, I started asking people "how far have we gone?" At one point, I took a sip of Gatorade and almost crashed putting the water bottle back in place. Overall, the course was very hilly for me. I finished strong and felt good. I took my friend's advice to increase my cadence for the last few miles and I stood to stretch a few times which felt good, but when I got into the transition area, my feet were numb and my glutes were tired. My friend's Garmin watch said that there was approximately 518 feet of elevation gain during the 17.9 mile ride. Not too bad, but not flat either.
17.9 mile Bike split = 57:25 (18.71 mph), 48 out of 153. I was very happy with this time and feel that I can improve more here. As I progressed, I increased my cadence and really focused on getting the most out of my pedal stroke. I counted 30 strokes on my left leg, then 30 on my right, then 30 overall and this seemed to help make me faster.
Transition 2 (T2) - 1:27, 75 out of 153. When I arrived to rack my bike, I aerobically felt good. I didn't feel tired. However, my legs and glutes were fatigued. I changed into my shoes (I used Yankz so I didn't have to tie them), took off my heart rate monitor since my watch died, grabbed a powergel and took off. When I looked at the clock, it said 1:24:46. I memorized this time since I wasn't wearing a watch.
Run
When I started running, I really couldn't feel my feet or my legs. It is such a weird feeling. My glutes felt exhausted, almost exactly like they feel after a leg strengthening physical therapy workout. Despite this feeling, I felt like I was running well, and almost immediately I started passing people. I started talking to the first guy I passed (which was uphill) and said "any idea how fast we are running, my watch is dead?" and he said "I don't know, but you are running really fast". I decided that I didn't need a powergel yet (I haven't been training with powergels lately as I've been trying to get my body used to being a little deprived, plus I had Gatorade during the bike so I felt ok. In fact, I ended up running all 4 miles with the powergel in my hand, I never needed it). So I held the powergel in my hand where I usually hold my iphone or xm radio (this race said no headphones allowed, so I had to run without music). After about a mile, my legs loosed up and I still felt good. I knew that I was moving pretty fast, as I continued to pass people. There was a killer uphill early on (worse than the Harlem Hill in Central Park). When I saw the hill, first I thought "damn, I gotta run that hill, that sucks". Then I cursed my friend MH in my head for saying that the run course was flat, then I thought to myself "at least I'll get the benefit of running down that hill on the way back". I continued to pass a lot of people and started to see the strong triathletes run by me on the out and back run course. There were many Ironman athletes participating today and most of them were in front of me. We ran into a french couple that have done over 18 ironman races (husband and wife). I admire them. Their son was also in the race today and has done 2 Ironmans. Totally awesome. As I kept running, I said hi to every single runner I ran by. I felt strong the entire run and probably ran at about 80% effort. I definitely had more to give but I wanted to finish the race injury free. As I was finishing, there was a woman who looked strong at the end that I was able to catch up to and sprint by, finishing the race at 1:53:49.
4 mile run split: 29:03 (7:15 per mile), 29 out of 153. I was very happy with this run, as I felt strong, still had more to give, and didn't get hurt. The best 4 mile race that I have run in Central Park is 7:11 per mile (I'm sure that I could run in the high 6s if I ran a flat race), so I'm proud that I was able to come close to my PR as the run portion of a triathlon.
Overall Time: 1:53:49, 61 out of 153. I'm very happy with this time and feel like I improved a lot from my first triathlon and still can improve in the future! Going into this race I thought that I was a stronger biker than runner, but my times didn't support that today. I'm excited to continue to improve my bike times and am looking into joining a masters swimming group to improve my swimming technique.
Overall, I enjoyed the race. There were tons of volunteers and the cops did a good job directing the traffic away from us (the road were open for the bike and run). I would like to have seen some clocks on the course and it would have been nice to see mile markers on the run course. Overall, I would recommend this race.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Ironman Canada 2011
Yesterday, I registered for Ironman Canada 2011, which is on August 28, 2011 in Penticton, Canada (about a 4.5 hour drive from Vancouver). Check out on a map here
Distances: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run (marathon). I'm excited for this challenge, although I'm terrified of the 2.4 mile swim. Ironman participants have 17 hours to complete the event (the race starts at 7am and closes at midnight). I suspect that I will finish in the 15-16 hour range.
My friends PN and MM from Vancouver will be doing this race with me. Marlene went to college with MM. Who would have thought that she and I would be doing an Ironman together 15 years after meeting?
I'm told that the bike ride is tough - very hilly with 2 very large ascents. Check out the course maps here:
Swim Map
Bike Map and Elevation Profile
Run Map
I'm currently "base building" while training for the Chicago Marathon. I'm still debating whether or not I want to train by myself or if I want to join a team or get a coach. My friend BG sent me an Ironman training program that he used. It is a 20 week training program and assumes that one has already been training at least 8 hours per week before starting Ironman training. As a reference point, I trained 9 hours last week. The program peaks at about 18-20 hours of training in one week. A lot of this is on the bike and in the pool at a low impact to the body, which is why one can train so long without getting hurt.
As this will be my first Ironman, I'd love to see my family and friends come to watch the race in person! Of course I will chronicle my Ironman training on my blog.
One of my triathlete friends sent me this Ironman motivational video. Pretty amazing, my favorite shot is the aerial one of the swimmers (I'm assuming that this video was taken during the Kona Ironman). I'm going to apply for the Kona lottery this year (for the 2011 race). There are very limited spots, so it is very unlikely that I get in. My friend and physical therapist AL qualified for this year's Kona Ironman on 10/9/10.
Here are a couple of other cool Ironman videos. You'll be able to see why I'm terrified of the swim
I recently read a book called 17 Hours to Glory, great book, I recommend it. It motivated me to want to do an Ironman. The book has stories about various Ironman participants as they complete the Kona Hawaii Ironman. I found many of the stories compelling. The 2 that inspired me the most (and there are many more than 2 that inspired me) were about Dick and Rick Hoyt and Julie Moss.
The video about the Hoyts is a must see. Check it out. Make sure to watch the entire video, as the best part is in the last 4 minutes when they show live footage of them finishing an Ironman. Amazing.
Julie Moss - tough for me to watch, game changing for the Triathlon sport
Distances: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run (marathon). I'm excited for this challenge, although I'm terrified of the 2.4 mile swim. Ironman participants have 17 hours to complete the event (the race starts at 7am and closes at midnight). I suspect that I will finish in the 15-16 hour range.
My friends PN and MM from Vancouver will be doing this race with me. Marlene went to college with MM. Who would have thought that she and I would be doing an Ironman together 15 years after meeting?
I'm told that the bike ride is tough - very hilly with 2 very large ascents. Check out the course maps here:
Swim Map
Bike Map and Elevation Profile
Run Map
I'm currently "base building" while training for the Chicago Marathon. I'm still debating whether or not I want to train by myself or if I want to join a team or get a coach. My friend BG sent me an Ironman training program that he used. It is a 20 week training program and assumes that one has already been training at least 8 hours per week before starting Ironman training. As a reference point, I trained 9 hours last week. The program peaks at about 18-20 hours of training in one week. A lot of this is on the bike and in the pool at a low impact to the body, which is why one can train so long without getting hurt.
As this will be my first Ironman, I'd love to see my family and friends come to watch the race in person! Of course I will chronicle my Ironman training on my blog.
One of my triathlete friends sent me this Ironman motivational video. Pretty amazing, my favorite shot is the aerial one of the swimmers (I'm assuming that this video was taken during the Kona Ironman). I'm going to apply for the Kona lottery this year (for the 2011 race). There are very limited spots, so it is very unlikely that I get in. My friend and physical therapist AL qualified for this year's Kona Ironman on 10/9/10.
Here are a couple of other cool Ironman videos. You'll be able to see why I'm terrified of the swim
I recently read a book called 17 Hours to Glory, great book, I recommend it. It motivated me to want to do an Ironman. The book has stories about various Ironman participants as they complete the Kona Hawaii Ironman. I found many of the stories compelling. The 2 that inspired me the most (and there are many more than 2 that inspired me) were about Dick and Rick Hoyt and Julie Moss.
The video about the Hoyts is a must see. Check it out. Make sure to watch the entire video, as the best part is in the last 4 minutes when they show live footage of them finishing an Ironman. Amazing.
Julie Moss - tough for me to watch, game changing for the Triathlon sport
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Week 11 of Chicago Marathon Training is complete
Week 11 of my Chicago Marathon Training is complete. Had a great week of training and a fun personal week. My daughter Mikayla's birthday is August 31st (she'll be 4), so we had 2 birthday parties for her this week. One on Thursday in our complex's private park (Lincoln Towers) and the other at her great aunt's house (known as Lola Tessie) in Queens. Both parties were a lot of fun and Mikayla and her school friends had a great time on Thursday and the family had a great time today. Mikayla had her joint birthday party with her friend Ava. Can't believe that Mikayla is 4 years old already. Time flies. Here is a picture of Mikayla (on the left in a blue flower dress) and her friend Ava.
Week 11 Training Summary
Worked out all 7 days this week
4 runs (4.6 miles, 8 miles, 5.15 miles, and 13.1 miles, total 30.89 miles)
Total workout time this week was approximately 9 hours.
All of my runs were very easy, keeping to my game plan of staying healthy.
18 mile long run next weekend, looking forward to it.
My cyst is still present behind my left knee, nagging at me, but not keeping me from doing anything.
My right IT band is 95%. It twinges once and a while, but overall is it healthy (I think my cycling is helping to strengthen my legs which is helping to keep my knee strong).
Felt like my fitness really improved this week. I am becoming more fit, keeping my heart rate down, and am definitely becoming more experienced on the bike. My legs feel stronger and I am starting to understand that speeding up my cadence is beneficial.
My next sprint triathlon is on September 12 at Greenwood Lake, NY. I am looking forward to doing this race with my friend MH and perhaps my Wisconsin friends CH and JS too.
Thursday - An easy run that turned into an unexpected tempo run - Ran my 5.15 miles on Thursday with the following negative splits (8:52, 8:18, 7:50, 7:14, 7:05). I went out thinking that I would run around 9 minutes per mile for the entire run, but I felt very good after 3 miles so I decided to push for the 4th mile (which is on the west side of Central park through the rolling hills, always the toughest part of the park for me during races, and I ran a 7:14 split. I wasn't going all out, probably 80% effort. Then I immediately slowed down to an 8:00 pace but that felt easy so I decided to push for 1 more mile (knowing it was my last mile) and registered a 7:05 split (again, probably at 80% effort). I felt great after and thought to myself "no question that my easy days are keeping me fresh to run fast after I am warmed up"
Saturday - ING NYC Marathon Long Training Run #2 - My schedule had me at 12 today, but I ended up running 13.14 miles. I ran into my friend and old colleague from Goldman Sachs BG at the start line, and we ran all 13 miles together. I hadn't seen him since I left GS in 2008 (he's still at GS). He is running the NYC marathon this year and has done 2 Ironman races over the last 4 years (Lake Placid and Madison Wisconsin). So, for most of the run we talked about the Ironman race, since my goal is to do one in 2011. He gave me great advice and I admire him for his accomplishments. We had a great run and it was great to see him. I absolutely love running into my old friends during my runs, and this has been happening to me almost every weekend during my training. I felt GREAT for the run, ending up with an extremely easy 1:57:00 half marathon split, average speed 8:59 per mile and an average heart rate of 141. That's not a misprint, 141! We were running negative splits between 8:30 and 8:45 for the last few miles and I had a lot more in the tank to give, all because we went out easy and I kept my heart rate low. I also believe that my long bike rides are really helping my leg strength and fitness. While my average heart rate in cycling is always much lower (around 132 for a tough workout), I think the hills and "interval" training of cycling is making me more fit.
Here is a picture of the start line for the ING NYC Marathon Training run #2. I lined up in the 9 minutes per mile corral. It was an absolutely beautiful day at around 65 degrees with low humidity.
1 swim (1.02 miles, 44 minutes)
Swim felt good, I'm just looking to survive it easily. I need to get earplugs, as I almost always have my right ear clogged with water when I exit the pool
2 bike rides (40.64 miles and 42.67 miles)
Had 2 great rides this week, one with CH and JS on Friday and another today on my own. I feel like I am getting in better cycling shape and that this is helping my running.
Other
Thursday - A nuclear stress test - I'd been having a little chest pain over the last few weeks, so I got a nuclear stress test today (they injected radioactive dye into my body and watched how it moved around my arteries before and after exercise (stress) . Thankfully, the test result was normal. I made it 18 minutes and 10 seconds and the doctor said that I "set the record" for the length of time that I lasted (they said that the previous record was 18 minutes). At the end, I was working hard with my heart rate at 179, the incline very high up (had to be over 20%), and the speed at 6.0 miles per hour. It took over 6 minutes to get my heart rate over 100 during the test, and my average heart rate was in the mid 40s immediately prior to the test. I had also run my 5.15 miles 2 hours before my stress test. At about the 15 minute point of the test, the doctor said to me " you have a shot at the record for length of time for the stress test". I said "oh yeah, what's the record?". She said "18 minutes". I said "OK, let's go to 18 minutes and 10 seconds".
Friday - Went to the Barclays PGA Golf Tournament in New Jersey. It was awesome, we had access to the Barclays tent on the 18th green and walked all over the course. Followed Tiger Woods around with hundreds of other fans. He was actually joking around with the caddies and talking a lot to other golfers. I'm not a huge golf fan, but the guys I was with are and they said that Tiger NEVER jokes around.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Week 10 Chicago Marathon Training Summary
Week 10 of my 17 week Chicago Marathon Training is complete! 7 weeks to go.
I felt great this week except for the cyst that has come back behind my left knee. I've been told that cysts come and go and are aggravated by "overuse". I've only been running 4 days a week, which has helped keep the cyst pain down versus my last marathon, but it is still there. Bothered me a little during my long run today but isn't hurting as a write this. My right IT band has been twinging a little, but it was nearly perfect by the end of the week. I got physical therapy on my right IT band this week (the first time in a month).
Week 10 Summary
Detail
Monday - swam 1 mile at the West Side YMCA pool, 42 minutes, felt good. I am capable of swimming faster, but enjoy swimming at a moderate pace. For future triathlons, my philosophy will be to "survive the swim", keeping energy for the bike and the run. I don't think that I can gain much time without working much harder. Having said this, I asked Marlene to take a video of me while swimming in a small pool in the Hamptons a few weeks ago so my friends can give me advice on how to improve my stroke. Please keep in mind that this is a small pool and I was more concerned about protecting my head versus swimming straight!
Tuesday- 4.5 miles, 8:19 pace, 155 average heart rate, 37:28
Wednesday - 8 miles, 8:33 pace, 155 average heart rate, 1:08:02
Thursday - 4.5 miles, 8:36 pace, 154 average heart rate, 38:48
Friday - Rode 30 miles (5 loops of Central Park) with CL and JS, 18.4 mph, 132 average heart rate, average cadence 70, 1:37:50
Saturday - Off, went to Sesame Place with the family. Good time.
Sunday- 16 miles, 9:00 pace, 148 average heart rate, 2:25:02. Ran with RL (visiting from Chicago) and BGR. 75 degrees and 94% humidity at the start, very muggy. It rained for the last 4 miles of our run. Felt great, run was very easy.
I felt great this week except for the cyst that has come back behind my left knee. I've been told that cysts come and go and are aggravated by "overuse". I've only been running 4 days a week, which has helped keep the cyst pain down versus my last marathon, but it is still there. Bothered me a little during my long run today but isn't hurting as a write this. My right IT band has been twinging a little, but it was nearly perfect by the end of the week. I got physical therapy on my right IT band this week (the first time in a month).
Week 10 Summary
- 4 runs (4.5 miles, 8 miles, 4.5 miles, and 16 miles)
- 1 swim (1 mile in 42 minutes)
- I have included a video of me swimming - any advice on becoming more efficient would be greatly appreciated, as I consider myself to be a weak swimmer
- 1 bike ride (30 miles)
- Still really enjoying my "easy" runs, not going all out
- I haven't done any speed work and this has definitely kept the pounding on my legs down
Detail
Monday - swam 1 mile at the West Side YMCA pool, 42 minutes, felt good. I am capable of swimming faster, but enjoy swimming at a moderate pace. For future triathlons, my philosophy will be to "survive the swim", keeping energy for the bike and the run. I don't think that I can gain much time without working much harder. Having said this, I asked Marlene to take a video of me while swimming in a small pool in the Hamptons a few weeks ago so my friends can give me advice on how to improve my stroke. Please keep in mind that this is a small pool and I was more concerned about protecting my head versus swimming straight!
Tuesday- 4.5 miles, 8:19 pace, 155 average heart rate, 37:28
Wednesday - 8 miles, 8:33 pace, 155 average heart rate, 1:08:02
Thursday - 4.5 miles, 8:36 pace, 154 average heart rate, 38:48
Friday - Rode 30 miles (5 loops of Central Park) with CL and JS, 18.4 mph, 132 average heart rate, average cadence 70, 1:37:50
Saturday - Off, went to Sesame Place with the family. Good time.
Sunday- 16 miles, 9:00 pace, 148 average heart rate, 2:25:02. Ran with RL (visiting from Chicago) and BGR. 75 degrees and 94% humidity at the start, very muggy. It rained for the last 4 miles of our run. Felt great, run was very easy.
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