Sunday, July 31, 2011

July Wrap Up

See ya, dude.
July was a pretty good month training wise.  But I'll get to that in a second.  The more important news is that as of this afternoon, Ian is now riding his bike.  It took a few months of negotiations to convince him that he was ready, but when we finally closed the deal this morning we didn't waste any time.  I took the training wheels off after lunch and we headed to the park.

I probably held the saddle for all of 15 seconds before I let go.  In all honesty, he didn't need my help.  When he looked back that first time and saw I wasn't there, he immediately fell over.  That was it though, and after that he was riding on his own, back and forth between Mary and I.  Sure, it's still a little shaky and his turning needs a little bit of work.  But look at the picture, he's riding.

We got Ian going on the bike between today's pool workout and long run.  These two work-outs wrapped up the month for me, and it's a month I'm feeling pretty good about.


July ended up being just over 47 1/2 hours of total volume.  The good news is that I'm feeling strong and think I'll be able to hang in there for another 3 weeks before I start to taper for Santa Cruz.  And the bad news?  I guess there really isn't any bad news.  But I do have a few concerns.  The first is I hope I'm doing enough, because this schedule has pretty much maxed me out in terms of available time.  My second concern is that since I am maxed out, how in the world am I going manufacture the additional time needed if/when I decide to register for a full Ironman next year?

Buoy line - Belmont Shore
My weeks have more or less settled into the following routine:  Monday is a 75 minute pool workout.  Tuesday is an hour's worth of bike intervals followed by a 4 or 5 mile run.  Wednesday is back to the pool for 75 minutes, but if I'm feeling a bit adventurous I'll head to Belmont Shore for an open water swim.  Thursday is a 1 hour speed-work session.  Friday I do a 90 minute recovery ride.  Saturday is back on the bike for 3 to 4 hours followed by a 4 to 5 mile run.  Sunday is another 75 minute pool workout and a 1 1/2 - 2 hour long run.  Every 3rd week I cut back by about 30% and take Sunday off.

I really like how the schedule flows.  Monday's swim is a great active recovery day and I'm always hitting Tuesday's workouts feeling really fresh.  And Friday's recovery ride has been setting up the higher volume weekends quite nicely.

LegoLand
I'm going to change things up next Saturday, though.  I feel like I need to do a long brick - like a 50 mile bike and 10 mile run.  These distances back-to-back are uncharted water for me and I want to have an idea about how it's going to feel come race day.  Plus I want to do a full dress rehearsal of my nutrition plan.

Even though this coming week is not a recovery week, the brick on Saturday will allow me to take Sunday off and take Ian to LegoLand.  The hotel we stayed at last weekend when I was racing at Solana Beach last week was right next door, and so that's all he's been talking about.  Since Mary is going to be out of town for work, it'll be a good day to take him - Mary's more of a Disneyland girl, and since she's been more than generous accommodating my schedule, I owe her one...

19 comments:

Jason said...

My wife just took Chico to Legoland here yesterday and said its bananas but that he loved it. He did not want to leave even though they were there for 3-4 hours. Good luck and that might be harder than the brick.

Nice volume in July and isn't it great when the schedule flows. I enjoy the same type of Monday swim as well. It just feels good to get a workout in and recover at the same time.

Jennifer said...

You are in trouble now! I still remember the first feeling of flying free on my bike. The adrenalin was huge, the thrill was amazing. The skinned knees and raw elbows from the first inevitable crashes, were well, part of the deal. It wasn't long before my parents had to make up a whole new set of rules about "playing outside".

KovasP said...

Those are some great numbers! My kids loved Legoland when they visited a few years ago, looks like a great place. Kudos to Ian on the bike riding!

Johann said...

You had a great July, well done! You will be heading to that park often I'm sure, good stuff!

Unknown said...

Excellent numbers Patrick. You are ready for the 70.3 with that volume.

Congrats to Ian too!

J. L. said...

I remember doubting whether I was ready for the 70.3 race. I followed a plan, which sounds really similar to yours. You are much better prepared for the bike ride, though. But on race day, everything flowed well. I knew the training had definitely payed off when I woke up the next morning just a little sore and tired. Nothing major. I think you're smart for the brick to test out the nutrition. I thought I'd use one brand of gu chomps for the bike and then stingers for the run. Mistake. I learned I can't mix (it's like mixing liquor...a no, no for me.) One brand of chomps for 1 race. Enjoy LegoLand...was there in the spring. Hopefully you make it out of the gift shop for under $100!

TRI714 said...

congrats to Ian ! good things to come with that. Ride over to the duck park,down to the wetlands. They ride while we run. This is good.
I like Lego land, totally underated.

Lastly, sick numbers, great job. I think its an awesome idea for the dress rehersal, nutrition wise, that can make or break you.

Ransick said...

Congrats to Ian! What a fun milestone.

Very solid month for you in July. As Jeff said, you are ready for the 70.3. I like the idea of a big brick like the 50/10 you plan as long as you can recover quickly. Taking Sunday off and active recovery Monday sounds perfect. It is hard to simulate race day intensity to really nail down nutrition (at least it was for me with all my one long race experience :-)).

The pics are from Navarre, FL. I probably won’t be swimming around the pier since we saw a guy catch a shark there last year. It was just a small one, but a shark just the same :-).

Ransick said...

Congrats to Ian! What a fun milestone.

Very solid month for you in July. As Jeff said, you are ready for the 70.3. I like the idea of a big brick like the 50/10 you plan as long as you can recover quickly. Taking Sunday off and active recovery Monday sounds perfect. It is hard to simulate race day intensity to really nail down nutrition (at least it was for me with all my one long race experience :-)).

The pics are from Navarre, FL. I probably won’t be swimming around the pier since we saw a guy catch a shark there last year. It was just a small one, but a shark just the same :-).

XLMIC said...

Go, Little Dude! Now there's no stopping him :)

Legoland is supposed to be awesome…you're a nice dad.

Very impressive training sched and most impressive how closely you've followed it…not only in terms of miles aand time but energy and intention as well.

Can't wait to hear which IM you'll choose.

BabyWeightMyFatAss said...

Oh I think you owe her a spa day esp because of the LegoLand deal. We have one here but I can barely tolerate the childrens musuems much less that much testosterone!
That's great about the little guy and his bike!!

Unknown said...

There is something so liberating about having your kids on two wheels. LI also got on his (Wednesday) and it has been awesome.
You'll love Legoland together - not my thing, but the guys love it.

Aimee said...

Yay for Ian!! That is soo exciting! My son, Ian, is off his training wheels too and loving it! Like you said, he's still a little wobbly, but is getting more and more confident each time!

Awesome job with your training! You are doing great and are going to do awesome in your race!!

Legoland!! You'll have to let me know how it is! My boys love legos and have been asking about legoland every since one of their friends went this spring!

Caratunk Girl said...

Awesome numbers, you are killing it!

ajh said...

When my son was small I would have killed to take him to Legoland. How was it? Share please.

Also I am spending more time on my bike but does your butt ever adjust to it? As I put more miles on that seat becomes quite uncomfortable. I have far more cardio for it than seat endurance.

Tri4Success said...

Awesome job Ian!

I've been looking for the right time to take Connor's training wheels off but don't want to do it during this heat wave. I'd like for us to be able to actually enjoy the outdoor time.

Legoland .... that's a whole other kind of brick.

Unknown said...

YAY for Ian... I'm more impressed with him than you! (just kidding!) You had a great month! You are going into this half definitely ready!

And as for the IM training... you just make it work! :)

DRog said...

3 weeks til RACING : NICE!

IM training didnt seem 2x as much as HIM training..more like3x!
but so worth it at the end

The Green Girl said...

Go, Ian! That's awesome, aw, so proud of the kid.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails