Here in NC we have had rain in the forecast for nearly every day for the past 2 weeks and it's looking about the same for the next week. I've been lucky enough to still get most of my training in depite and haven't gone too stir crazy. My typical routine these days is the following:
Mon - Weights or swim and a tempo run
Tue - Pilates class and spin class (both of which I teach AND participate)
Wed - Masters swim class and interval run
Thu - Weights and spin class (again, teaching the class)
Fri - Tempo run and recovery swim
Sat/Sun - one of those days long bike and weights and the other OFF
The Tour de France started and I'm all pumped again for the great scenery and action with the young up and coming riders. Here's my picks for top 5:
1) Contador - best rider but not on the best team.. will he be enough to carry the load?
2) Fromme - strong team and Wiggins out gives the overall favorite a good chance
3) Teejay - this was my original pick for the 3rd spot but his teammate Cadel Evans is not looking his age at all and Teejay may need to wait another year to make him move. Swap with Cadel if he has the legs to go the distance. This will be a BMC rider no doubt.
4) Andy Schleck - a weaker than average team for him may cost him a shot at podium so I bump him down to 4th
5) Richie Porte - the new 2nd man for Sky will have to be strong enough to help Fromme when needed and he may just slide into the top 5 because of that
Looking forward to watching todays stage on the DVR when I get home!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
I'm Back, Baby!!
Ok, well, maybe it's not that exciting but after taking nearly a year off blogging and chronicling the training and happenings in my life, I've decided to jump back on and at least get in one post a week (start with small steps).
The tone of the blog may shift from one that was training dominated to one that will mix family life with training... I'll still try and post most of my workouts and you can keep up with my alias, Kyle Katarn, at Strava for volume loads and ideas. ActivEdge has a new website, TrainerThrowdown.com, that is going to post a monthly challenge starting in July - some by me, some by other trainers.
Nowadays, I get most of my training done in classes that I teach, or workouts midday over lunch. Every once in awhile, if the opportunity presents itself, I'll get a 1-2 hour bike in while the kids nap on Sunday or early Saturday morning. Every Saturday is date night with Caroline (either getting a babysitter and going out or experimental cooking at home after the kids go down) and the rest of the weekend is dedicated to what the kids want to do (go to parks, the science museum, ball games, etc.).
While not an excuse, the last year has been extremely busy with opening a new location and trying to grow the physical therapy end of our practice. It has been life changing as I step back and take a look at what is really important to me and where I want to spend my time (both free time and work time). I've decided to cut back on the amount of training I was doing and have enjoyed my workouts even more! I have included the kids and Caroline in the workouts and have freed up my weekends to enjoy the little things that kids do as they grow. What a relief!! Not only is training for a half Ironman selfish, it sucks my time from the things that are quickly disappearing. It only took me a few years to realize this, but I'm not getting paid to race and train and I'm in plenty good enough shape when training at nearly half the volume that I have done the previous 2 years. Will I be able to race a half Ironman well? No. But I can do any distance less than Olympic and be competitive, balance work, and have the weekends off to be with the kids... This, is my older, more experienced mind finally kicking in heading towards 40, and is well worth the trade off.
So, needless to say, I'm back, baby! And ready to rock!
The tone of the blog may shift from one that was training dominated to one that will mix family life with training... I'll still try and post most of my workouts and you can keep up with my alias, Kyle Katarn, at Strava for volume loads and ideas. ActivEdge has a new website, TrainerThrowdown.com, that is going to post a monthly challenge starting in July - some by me, some by other trainers.
Nowadays, I get most of my training done in classes that I teach, or workouts midday over lunch. Every once in awhile, if the opportunity presents itself, I'll get a 1-2 hour bike in while the kids nap on Sunday or early Saturday morning. Every Saturday is date night with Caroline (either getting a babysitter and going out or experimental cooking at home after the kids go down) and the rest of the weekend is dedicated to what the kids want to do (go to parks, the science museum, ball games, etc.).
While not an excuse, the last year has been extremely busy with opening a new location and trying to grow the physical therapy end of our practice. It has been life changing as I step back and take a look at what is really important to me and where I want to spend my time (both free time and work time). I've decided to cut back on the amount of training I was doing and have enjoyed my workouts even more! I have included the kids and Caroline in the workouts and have freed up my weekends to enjoy the little things that kids do as they grow. What a relief!! Not only is training for a half Ironman selfish, it sucks my time from the things that are quickly disappearing. It only took me a few years to realize this, but I'm not getting paid to race and train and I'm in plenty good enough shape when training at nearly half the volume that I have done the previous 2 years. Will I be able to race a half Ironman well? No. But I can do any distance less than Olympic and be competitive, balance work, and have the weekends off to be with the kids... This, is my older, more experienced mind finally kicking in heading towards 40, and is well worth the trade off.
So, needless to say, I'm back, baby! And ready to rock!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Brick Laying
Entering my 3rd full week of training in the 18 week plan for 2012 B2B in October. The heat wave doesn't help much at 100+ degrees for most of the past 2 weeks. Nonetheless, I have had fun laying down the foundation for progression. I have amped the mileage back up and tipped 100 miles on the bike (week total) for the first time this year.
I have been using Strava GPS on the iPhone to track my progress and help me monitor my data and I have loved it! It makes keeping track of progress simple and you can go back and look at previous workouts. I have played with many different apps to track and monitor endurance training but this one seems to be the best so far. I link my ANT+ devices to the program and it tracks my HR (and cadence if I want it too) and plots it against other data collected. Makes it simple to see which zone I'm training in an adjust workouts accordingly. I have added the summary of some of my last rides off to the side bar of this page.
Had a great Fourth of July with the family on Wednesday! Despite the heat, we were able to get out and grill and Braden made his racing debut earlier in the morning at the McDougle Middle School track where he ran a 50m "race" and got a ribbon from the Zimmerman boys. It was neat to see how excited he was and fun to be a part of... All the Zimmerman boys were in attendance for the 4 mile race that started before the "little firecrackers" division and I raced it with them after Roger and I bike just under 15 miles TT style just before the start. I was happy with my pacing and felt really good considering that I am still laying the foundation and training is just getting amped up. Let's hope the heat doesn't kill progress...
I'm going to try and stay in AC and keep laying bricks...
I have been using Strava GPS on the iPhone to track my progress and help me monitor my data and I have loved it! It makes keeping track of progress simple and you can go back and look at previous workouts. I have played with many different apps to track and monitor endurance training but this one seems to be the best so far. I link my ANT+ devices to the program and it tracks my HR (and cadence if I want it too) and plots it against other data collected. Makes it simple to see which zone I'm training in an adjust workouts accordingly. I have added the summary of some of my last rides off to the side bar of this page.
Had a great Fourth of July with the family on Wednesday! Despite the heat, we were able to get out and grill and Braden made his racing debut earlier in the morning at the McDougle Middle School track where he ran a 50m "race" and got a ribbon from the Zimmerman boys. It was neat to see how excited he was and fun to be a part of... All the Zimmerman boys were in attendance for the 4 mile race that started before the "little firecrackers" division and I raced it with them after Roger and I bike just under 15 miles TT style just before the start. I was happy with my pacing and felt really good considering that I am still laying the foundation and training is just getting amped up. Let's hope the heat doesn't kill progress...
I'm going to try and stay in AC and keep laying bricks...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Summer Is Here
You know it's summer when training starts to get really tough and the weather becomes brutally hot. Case in point, this past weekend when my training partner, Zimm, decided to enter us into this little race out in Wilmington. Despite the fact that it fell at the end of my longest training volume week of the year, happened to be 90 degrees on the roads, stiff winds working against us, humid, and Mother's Day, made this a difficult task to pull off.
I went down the day before and enjoyed the beach with my beautiful wife and 2 boys that morning before heading over to the hotel around 2pm on Saturday. After a short, and failed, attempt at napping with the boys, we decided to head back to the beach where they ran around some more and enjoyed the sand and surprisingly warm water. We had a good meal at Mellow Mushroom (altough not as good of service as Patrick Costello provides at the Durham location) and then headed back to watch a movie with the kids at the hotel.
A sleepless night with Eli in my bed and Braden in Carrie's and then up early on Sunday morning to race did not start off Mother's Day quite as I had planned... Nonetheless, Carrie was an awesome fan and brought the boys to watch me roll around for about 90 mins in the ridiculous heat, wind, and humidity. We wrapped up the day with another trip back to the beach before heading home.
RACE RECAP: The race was a duathlon with a 3.2 mile run, 16 mile bike, and then 2 mile run. I finished 9th overall out of 150 people and was 2nd in my age group. I had the 4th fastest bike overall (1st in age group and top bike with a non-tri or disc wheel bike) and was pleased with how I finished. I knew I could do better (I lost some time in transitions digging for a water bottle out of my backpack due to dehydration after the bike) but happy to have my lungs back and working again. Zimm Sr. and Jr. each had good races as well and seemed excited to back and training again.
I went down the day before and enjoyed the beach with my beautiful wife and 2 boys that morning before heading over to the hotel around 2pm on Saturday. After a short, and failed, attempt at napping with the boys, we decided to head back to the beach where they ran around some more and enjoyed the sand and surprisingly warm water. We had a good meal at Mellow Mushroom (altough not as good of service as Patrick Costello provides at the Durham location) and then headed back to watch a movie with the kids at the hotel.
A sleepless night with Eli in my bed and Braden in Carrie's and then up early on Sunday morning to race did not start off Mother's Day quite as I had planned... Nonetheless, Carrie was an awesome fan and brought the boys to watch me roll around for about 90 mins in the ridiculous heat, wind, and humidity. We wrapped up the day with another trip back to the beach before heading home.
RACE RECAP: The race was a duathlon with a 3.2 mile run, 16 mile bike, and then 2 mile run. I finished 9th overall out of 150 people and was 2nd in my age group. I had the 4th fastest bike overall (1st in age group and top bike with a non-tri or disc wheel bike) and was pleased with how I finished. I knew I could do better (I lost some time in transitions digging for a water bottle out of my backpack due to dehydration after the bike) but happy to have my lungs back and working again. Zimm Sr. and Jr. each had good races as well and seemed excited to back and training again.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Unlearn What You Have Learned
Jedi lesson #1 - "You must unlearn what you have learned."
I raced for the first time since the 10 miler in the forrest back in the winter and it felt very very different. Not only have I fully converted to a mid to forefoot strike, my lungs are starting to get back to full strength. Roger and I went out together for the Tarheel 4+ Miler that was run just after the flagship 10 Miler race which drew a massive crowd. Our Olympic Trial Champion, Meb Keflezighi, was present for the gun start. He is our oldest Olympic Trial Champ at 36 and will be 37 when he dons the Stars & Stripes in London... a legend already.
I decided to start the race with Roger and help him learn pacing on this early season race. We were able to keep a respectable 7:40 pace for the first 2 miles but he needed to stop twice to clear his stomach and I waited the first time but he waived me forward at about 2.25 into the race. At this point, I decided to push a little to get to the long Laurel Hill climb. I have never been up this road before but am planning on making this a regular stop with the team come summer time. A great climb that brought my HR to 190 before I leveled off and turned on the boosters to finish strong. I closed with a 29:05 chip time and that was somehow good enough to take 1st place in my age group - weak field since the real runners were in the 10 miler.
My calves were on fire from all the ups and downs and the new mid to forefoot strike with the 4mm drop Kinvara 3's from Saucony. The evidence is overwhelming that this is the best method to run and it will continue to take some will power to prevent myself from heel striking.
After the race, Roger and I and his daughter, Megan, went out for a quick recovery run that ended right at Ye Olde Waffle Shop on Franklin St. in Chapel Hill. I, of course, had to get some post-race grub and polished off a full plate of waffles, blueberries, eggs, and bacon. Deliciousness!
Planned on getting in a nice ride and run brick of the Beaverdam course but we were sidelined today with constant rain... plugging on with a new week and will continue to tweak the foot strike to make it a more natural motion.
I raced for the first time since the 10 miler in the forrest back in the winter and it felt very very different. Not only have I fully converted to a mid to forefoot strike, my lungs are starting to get back to full strength. Roger and I went out together for the Tarheel 4+ Miler that was run just after the flagship 10 Miler race which drew a massive crowd. Our Olympic Trial Champion, Meb Keflezighi, was present for the gun start. He is our oldest Olympic Trial Champ at 36 and will be 37 when he dons the Stars & Stripes in London... a legend already.
I decided to start the race with Roger and help him learn pacing on this early season race. We were able to keep a respectable 7:40 pace for the first 2 miles but he needed to stop twice to clear his stomach and I waited the first time but he waived me forward at about 2.25 into the race. At this point, I decided to push a little to get to the long Laurel Hill climb. I have never been up this road before but am planning on making this a regular stop with the team come summer time. A great climb that brought my HR to 190 before I leveled off and turned on the boosters to finish strong. I closed with a 29:05 chip time and that was somehow good enough to take 1st place in my age group - weak field since the real runners were in the 10 miler.
My calves were on fire from all the ups and downs and the new mid to forefoot strike with the 4mm drop Kinvara 3's from Saucony. The evidence is overwhelming that this is the best method to run and it will continue to take some will power to prevent myself from heel striking.
After the race, Roger and I and his daughter, Megan, went out for a quick recovery run that ended right at Ye Olde Waffle Shop on Franklin St. in Chapel Hill. I, of course, had to get some post-race grub and polished off a full plate of waffles, blueberries, eggs, and bacon. Deliciousness!
Planned on getting in a nice ride and run brick of the Beaverdam course but we were sidelined today with constant rain... plugging on with a new week and will continue to tweak the foot strike to make it a more natural motion.
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