I have done really poorly with my training the last week. I was having some knee pain after putting my new saddle on the bike and starting hard intervals so I had a recovery week. Mike at Bicycle Village moved my right cleat inward because my coach said I was riding a bit bow-legged on our hill climb last Sunday. This and a bump forward seemed to solve the problem. Back at it starting tomorrow.
In other news, I have also really been struggling with my MBA online class this term. I am still barely hanging on to my A, but my teacher called in the middle of the SuperBowl to help me with the problem set. Took me away from the game a bit, but really nice since this is her only out of office day.
Updates from Team Alex:
Alex will start an Avastin trial this Thursday.Avastin inhibits the growth of new blood cells and has been shown to be a promising drug for radiation necrosis. It seems to be a much better alternative than steroids. The only drawback is that it can cause clotting.
We are slowly weaning him off of IV nutrition and trying to get him to eat solid foods. This is a hard slow process. Nothing tastes good to him and many foods make him gag.
He has more energy now and is moving about more. He still is a bit shaky in his movements and he drags his foot a little bit when he walks. We are hoping that this is just a side effect from radiation and that it will clear up with the Avastin.
It is trials like these that donations to the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation benefit.
www.Razoo.com/TeamAlex
Thinking about doing a Battle of the Bands fundraiser for Team Alex. Any thoughts?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Functional Power Test
On Wednesday before heading to the airport I took my first power test on the bike. I really did not know what to expect. I got to Bicycle Village at 9:45 AM after a short day at work and linked up with Gabe. He put a PowerTap wheel on my bike and got me set up on a trainer in front of a fan. The instructions were: warm up until you are ready, then ride as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes attempting to stay steady with your effort. I started out a bit easy by picking a gear that I felt I could maintain a 85-90 rpm cadence. I ended up not changing the gear at all but slowly ramped up the cadence, this may have been the wrong technique. The middle was excruciating, but as I started working through the last 10 minutes, it felt easier and easier and I pushed higher wattage for the last several minutes. Now that I have the experience, I know I can push higher watts next time.
The results: AVG Watts 223, 1 hour sustainable watts 203, power to weight ratio 2.57 watts/kg.
What does this all mean and what can I do to improve on the second test?
Theoretically, the purpose of the Functional Threshold Power test (FTP Test) is to see how much power you can maintain for one hour. Most times this test is not riding for an hour, but rather a simulated process that has you building up to a 20 minute effort.
First I can determine my Power Training Zones: Formula from Active.com
Not sure what good this will do me as I am too poor to buy a power meter for training, but lets see what else we can determine.
Is the cadence right for me? Joe Friel recommends that athletes take their first test at their natural cadence, three weeks later at 10 rpms below, three weeks later at 10 rpms above the first test, and three weeks later back at their natural cadence. He says this will help the athlete determine if they need to make any changes to their cadence for optimal power output.
Where do I stack up?
This chart from saris.com puts me at a disappointing CAT 4 performance, but at least I know where I really am. http://www.saris.com/aboutus/PTS/HowDoYouStackUpWithWorkout.pdf
Oh well enough for this post. Before the next one on this topic, I plan to research the proper way to warm up for one of these tests and will let you know how a proper warm up and trying the lower cadence affects my results.
The results: AVG Watts 223, 1 hour sustainable watts 203, power to weight ratio 2.57 watts/kg.
What does this all mean and what can I do to improve on the second test?
Theoretically, the purpose of the Functional Threshold Power test (FTP Test) is to see how much power you can maintain for one hour. Most times this test is not riding for an hour, but rather a simulated process that has you building up to a 20 minute effort.
First I can determine my Power Training Zones: Formula from Active.com
| Level | Name | Target Power Range (as % of avg. watts in 20:00 max test) | Target Wattage | ||
| 1 | Active Recovery | 0 | 0.55 | 0 | 123 |
| 2 | Endurance | 0.56 | 0.75 | 125 | 167 |
| 3 | Tempo | 0.76 | 0.9 | 169 | 201 |
| 4 | Lactate Threshold | 0.92 | 1.05 | 205 | 234 |
| 5 | VO2max | 1.06 | 1.2 | 236 | 268 |
| 6 | Anaerobic Capacity | 1.21 | N/A | 270 | N/A |
| 7 | Neuromuscular Power | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Is the cadence right for me? Joe Friel recommends that athletes take their first test at their natural cadence, three weeks later at 10 rpms below, three weeks later at 10 rpms above the first test, and three weeks later back at their natural cadence. He says this will help the athlete determine if they need to make any changes to their cadence for optimal power output.
Where do I stack up?
This chart from saris.com puts me at a disappointing CAT 4 performance, but at least I know where I really am. http://www.saris.com/aboutus/PTS/HowDoYouStackUpWithWorkout.pdf
Oh well enough for this post. Before the next one on this topic, I plan to research the proper way to warm up for one of these tests and will let you know how a proper warm up and trying the lower cadence affects my results.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Your Donations to Team Alex Fund Test Cures Like These
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120119/NEWS02/301190035/Westchester-program-clinical-trial-give-hope-brain-cancer-patients
Alex had am MRI the other day and found out that tumor is 5-10% bigger. The change was very subtle. Alex and his family are taking it as good news from the perspective that Alex hasn’t had any substantial chemotherapy for about a month and a half. If this was as aggressive as originally thought would have seen far more growth. Alex's body is having a hard time with teh chemo, so the doctor wants to try a new procedure that targets just the tumor. I am attaching a link to this about a similar procedure. Donations to The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation help fund research that leads to these cures.
Alex Strong!
Alex had am MRI the other day and found out that tumor is 5-10% bigger. The change was very subtle. Alex and his family are taking it as good news from the perspective that Alex hasn’t had any substantial chemotherapy for about a month and a half. If this was as aggressive as originally thought would have seen far more growth. Alex's body is having a hard time with teh chemo, so the doctor wants to try a new procedure that targets just the tumor. I am attaching a link to this about a similar procedure. Donations to The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation help fund research that leads to these cures.
Alex Strong!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Week Beginning 1/16/12
Week Totals | ||
Type | Distance | Duration |
Bike | 75.8 mi | <> <> 05:34 | <> <>
| Run | <> <> 20.3 mi | <> <> 03:20 | <> <>
| Strength | <> <><> <> | 00:25 | <> <>
| Swim | <> <> 5000.0 yd | <> <> 02:10 |
Total Duration: | 11:29 | |
Team Alex: Alex came home from the hospital after platelet transfusion. The doctor is going to try a new procedure that targets the malicious cancer cells without attacking the rest of his body. Alex Strong! Fundraiser is up to $684 dollars but did not move much since the first week. I really need to get creative and find some ways to get it moving.
Monday: 90 minute bike ride with Coach 1 hour Swim: Main Set 10 x 100s between 1:33 and 1:35, very happy with this set
Bicycle Village Spin Class: Added simulated hill climbing session this week.Tuesday: 20 minute Tempo Run Main Set, it was 3 degrees with wind chill at the Fort Carson Track, this was rough and slow. After did 20 sets of 10 pushups/10 situps.
Laps: 1-1:52 HR 144
2- 2:01 HR 158
3- 2:00 HR 162
4- 1:58 HR 165
5- 1:58 HR 168
6- 2:00 HR 168
7- 2:00 HR 170
8- 1:59 HR 171
9- 2:03 HR 171
10- 1:53 HR 172
Wednesday: 50 minute recovery run, 85 push ups, and 6 sets of Tabata situps
Bicycle Village Spin ClassThursday: 3K Swim. Main Set 1200m took me 22 minutes.
Friday: I was dying, so took unplanned rest day.Saturday: Straight from log: This Sucked. Wind...West At 40 To 60 Mph With Gusts To 70 Mph Or More. Local
Gusts Over 80 Mph Will Be Possible Across The Higher Peaks And
In The More Wind Prone Areas Along The Eastern Slopes.
Windiest ride ever. Almost doing a track stand uphill and fearing for my life on the downhill. 1 hour climb fro 10 miles against wind, 15 minutes on the return then a 4 mile loop.
File for IMAZ 2012. When the winds kick up, I can tell myself I have ridden in 3-040moh sustained winds.
Sunday: 100 minute trail run at Rampart Range Reservoir. It was beautiful but slow.Gusts Over 80 Mph Will Be Possible Across The Higher Peaks And
In The More Wind Prone Areas Along The Eastern Slopes.
Windiest ride ever. Almost doing a track stand uphill and fearing for my life on the downhill. 1 hour climb fro 10 miles against wind, 15 minutes on the return then a 4 mile loop.
File for IMAZ 2012. When the winds kick up, I can tell myself I have ridden in 3-040moh sustained winds.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Donna is Taking on IMAZ 2012!
Donna: We will be ordering some wall tattoos and maybe clothing labels for Team Alex. Best of luck!
1. What do you do for a living?
I own a small design business www.lemondingo.com. I make wall art, stickers and clothing transfers. I like it because it’s flexible and allows me to work around home schooling my children, training and family life. I have 3 kids and a great husband who understands and supports my triathlon obsession.
2. What was the best part of volunteering for IMAZ 2011?
I didn’t volunteer for IMAZ 2011. I have volunteered at IMCDA the last few years but I decided to take my chances and be part of the crazy online rush to sign up for IMAZ 2012. I knew it was going to sell out quickly so I was prepared to do some fast typing and bypass a lot of the silly questions they have on there. Luckily I managed to get all the way through before it reached capacity. Some of my friends did not which was disappointing.
3. When do you plan to begin your training for IMAZ 2012?
Officially my IMAZ training will begin in June but I have other races I will doing earlier in the year so my official training for this season starts January 30th.
4. What are your major goal races this season?
My goal races are Boise
5. Why do you want to do an Ironman?
I think once you get hooked on triathlon you are inevitably drawn towards completing an Ironman. It’s the ultimate challenge in this sport. Is that a good enough reason?
6. What are your greatest triathlon strengths?
My coach’s philosophy is to “enjoy the journey” and really that is my strength. I have a great group of people that I train and race with and so I just love the process. I think that it is a strength when it comes to making it through log, grueling workouts. I look forward to them and enjoy them. On second thought…maybe my strength is that I’m a masochist….but that doesn’t sound nearly as good J
7. What weaknesses are you training to improve this season?
Open water swimming is a bit of a mind game for me. I could swim forever in a pool but get me out in murky, cold water …well that’s a whole other thing. I have to work hard to get over this as I’ve heard talk that Tempe Town Lake
8. What is something interesting about you that you would like to share?
I’m an Aussie girl who moved to the U.S back in 2004 with my family with the intention of only staying 2 years. My husband was transferred by his company from Sydney Spokane
9. How much triathlon experience do you have?
I started doing triathlon about 3 years ago so I still consider myself a tri toddler. IMAZ will be my first ironman distance race.
10. Are you using a coach this season?
Yes, I am part of a triathlon team started by my Coach and his wife, so it was natural for me to have him coach me too. His name is Scott Roy. http://www.teamblazespokane.com/scotts_site/index.html
He is racing in Arizona
11. How many hours are you planning on for an average training week?
I’m expecting to be training between 12 -16 hours a week.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Coach Lisa Ranked 5th Best Marathoner of All Time:
From Globetrotting by Phillip Hersch of the Chicago Tribune
5. Lisa Larsen Weidenbach Rainsberger: She is the last U.S. winner of the Boston Marathon (1985). The only U.S. woman to win two Chicago Marathons (1988-89). One of seven U.S. women with three or more marathons under 2:30. (When she did it the final time, in 1990, only Benoit had three or more sub-2:30s.) She also was the heartbreak kid, finishing fourth in three straight Olympic trials, thereby missing the Summer Games by one place each time. “This kind of bittersweet,” Weidenbach said of her first Chicago victory, which came a month after the 1988 Seoul Games. “Nothing can make up for not making the Olympics.”
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Weekly Report: Week Starting January 9th, 2012
Team Alex:
We have raised over $300.00 so far for the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation, web page was launched over the weekend and we sent out the information to our address books. HD Supply-Facilities Maintenance led the way with 3 donors the first two days. Alex is out of the hospital after an infection caused him to spend three days there. PPWR Series was the first race for Team Alex. Please go to www.Razoo.com/Teamalex to help heroes like Alex fight brain tumors.
Training:Week Totals | ||
Type | Distance | Duration |
Bike | 27.5 mi | 02:10 |
Run | 17.0 mi | 02:40 |
Swim | 5468.1 yd | 01:57 |
Total Duration: | 06:47 | |
Overall pretty light week for recovery.
Monday: Swam 6 x 200s with 1 minute rest for main set. Times between 3:19 and 3:34 for benchmark.
Bicycle Village Progressive Spin Class. Technique and 1 Leg Drills
Tuesday: So-So on the 20 minute tempo run for the main set. No HR data but ran 1:53s per 400m
Wednesday: 50 minute run: VERRRY COLDDD!!! BRRR! and windy. But I am starting to really love embracing the suck. It is kind of cool to be the only goofball I see running in the elements some mornings. Need more to cover my face in the wind though.
Bicycle Village Progressive Spin Class. Technique and 1 Leg Drills
Thursday: Swim Main Set 3 x 500 (8:54, 8:44, and 8:32)
Friday: Recovery
Saturday: Pikes Peak Winter Series Trail Run. Lots of uphill and went out too hard and paid for it later. Finished 22/24 in my newer, harder age group. Lots of ice on trail too. 1:04:58. Hope to run better in two weeks.
Sunday: Recover Some More!!!
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