Speed Workout #2. Whisper It... Sub 5 minute Mile.

So it's been roughly 3 weeks since my last speed workout at the track.  

Three weeks since I last wanted to cry from being so physically depleted.

At least this time I knew what I was getting into this time around.  Lets recap what I ran just 3 short weeks ago.  Actually... lets do a side to side comparison between the first speed workout and todays 2nd speed workout to show the differences:

July 30, 2008 August 19, 2008

400  - 1:24 1:15

800  - 1:20 1:12

1200 - 1:18 1:12

1600 - 1:17 1:13

2000 - 1:22 1:13

2400 - 1:23 1:11

2800 - 1:27 1:13

3200 - 1:25 1:14

3600 - 1:25 1:14

4000 - 1:21 1:11

4400 - 1:22 1:16

4800 - 1:12 1:08

Mile 1 - 5:29 4:52

Mile 2 - 5:37 4:51

Mile 3 - 5:20 4:49

3 Mile - 16:26 14:32

One word: INSANE!

My average times today were on mark with my fastest last lap time 3 weeks ago.  Keep in mind that I ran 14 miles yesterday, cycled 24 miles this morning, there was a strong headwind down the back stretch, and I wasn't running fresh.  So there is definite room for improvement!

Tomorrow it's up early for a swim session, another 20 or so miles of cycling (gotta break that 600 mile mark,) 10 - 14 miles of running, and ending up the day with a 2nd swim session since I was bad and skipped one today.  If I still have anything left, maybe go to the gym and get some lifting in.

I'm feeling great.  Fit.  Strong.  Confident.  Been icing the joints and so far everything is holding up.

A Tweak here... A Pull There...

I forgot to mention a few things.

For the past month or so, my knee and body problems had seemed to all but disappear.  Today though, midway though my 10 + miles, the knees started acting up.

Right now, I have ice on my right knee, i'll be icing and heating the other and both ankles later on, and my left hamstring seems poised to snap.  No matter how much i stretch it, the tightness still remains.  

When I get sponsors / a semi - reliable income, I need to make weekly chiropractic and massage appointments to help keep my body in working condition.  

It's a scary thing feeling a tweak here, a pull there, and wondering if the next one could be the catalyst for events that would end your dream.

Milestone.

Well... hit a couple milestones this week, the most important being that I broke 200 miles running over the past month and change.  It doesn't seem like I'm running that far during training, but it's surprising and hard to stomach, looking back and seeing what I've actually done!

The other milestone was that I ran my 3 mile in a time of 18:02 and finally got my 5k time under 19 minutes.  Again... it's hard to believe that when I started a little over a month ago I was running 3 miles in 23 minutes and that I've already dropped 5 minutes off in this short of time.  Although it was a personal best by well over a minute, I wasn't happy since my goal was to get in the 17 minute range.  To miss by 3 seconds... gah.  Torture.

Today started the lead-up week to the first road race of the season:  the LiveStrong 5k in Philly.  The plan for the next few days was to run an easy 10 miles today with a 3 mile cool down, speed workout tomorrow, and then another 10 miles on Wednesday.  Rest Thursday, Friday, do an easy mile or two Saturday to loosen up, and then race like a bat out of hell on Sunday.  I would love to drop my 5k time to around 18 minutes... and if I can finally break into that 17 minute zone, I'll be one happy guy.

So I ran an easy 10.2 miles today.  Finished in 1:20:13 which is a little over my personal best, but still averaging 7:51 a mile.  I wasn't winded at the end at all... and I think the Baltimore Marathon shouldn't be too hard to conquer.  Especially my route here has more hills than in Baltimore.

Did a 3 mile "cool-down" and realized with about a half mile to go that my 22 minute pace probably wasn't the "cool-down" i needed.  I ran a faster mile pace than I did in my 10 miler.  Instead of feeling better after that run, I actually started to hurt for the first time.  After 13.2 miles, i was dead.  I can't wait to have aid stations with water and food during the actual marathon.  With that, i know it will be easy.

Looking forward to a personal best this weekend.

Epic Cycling.

So last Thursday, i decided to take on my first real long distance cycling challenge.  The 100 or so miles from Canandaigua to Buffalo.

So i geared up, packed 3 bottles of water, 2 bananas, a sandwich, and my ipod... stoked about the journey that i figured would take me 6 hours, TOPS.  I planned on getting on the road by 6 am, but i actually left around 8.  Got about a mile in, and realized i had forgotten my cycling gloves.  

GREAT.

Turn around, pick them up, and i'm on my way... for real this time.  

It was overcast and the forecast called for severe thunderstorms at the day progressed.  I hoped that i could make it to my destination before those became a factor.

Driving this route in a car, i didn't realize how hilly it actually is.  The first 20 or so miles... all hills... and to make matters worse, i couldn't even get up to cruising speed DOWNHILL because the $%#&-ing headwinds were so strong.  I literally had to pedal to keep speed going down hills.  After pedaling hard up the hills and then having to do the same downhill... very demoralizing.

About 40 miles in, i decided to pull off and have a banana and a sandwich.  After a 15 minute food / fuel break, i saddled back up and headed off down the road (up more hills.)

Cranked away for another 15 miles and i suddenly realized that i was out of water.  Super.  Luckily, my father was leaving to head to buffalo a few hours after i left, in a car of course, so i had hoped water would be available upon his arrival.  

I was about half a mile into a mile climb and he blows by me and stops about a quarter mile ahead.  Not at the top of the hill, or just over the peak, but right on the slope so i have to stop mid climb.  

Thanks dad.

To make matters worse... no water.  It would have been really easy to break down my bike, load it up, and ride the rest of the way... but i resisted the temptation and kept on going.  Luckily, and much to my relief, my father came tearing back towards me about 5 miles later with 2 bottles of water.  He's my hero.  Seriously.

My hamstrings were cramping, my calves were cramping, i was getting sore being in the saddle, and my upper back was just killing me from being in that position for 4+ hours at this point.

Then started the rains.  Misting at first... then harder, mixed with headwinds and crosswinds that made each hammer of the pedals torture.  Mind you, i usually average between 18-20 mph on my rides... i was lucky to be between 13-14 mph at this point in time.  Again... demoralizing.

As the end of the ride neared, the sun came out, and for the first time i realized how close i was.  Only about 20 miles to go.  Only an hour and change.  But no, it would have been too easy to finish like that.  

The Place: Mile 77.5 - Bullis Road, just outside of Buffalo.

My back tire shreds.  AWESOME!  There was nothing i could do.  I had an extra tube and repair stuff, but with 20 miles left and no serious tire pump, i couldn't ride on.  So thats a big DNF.  

DID NOT FINISH.

The worse words an athlete can hear and words i hope to never experience during an actual race.  So now i have to head back out and attempt the ride again, and again, and again... until i'm successful.

So i called my father, he came to pick me up, and in the meantime i walked my bike an extra couple miles because i couldn't bear to just stand there.

The rest of the weekend was a gluttonfest and full of Rychlik family tomfoolery.  It was my cousins wedding on Friday, so naturally we had to party Thursday, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday.

My family is more fun than yours.

So now, i guess you could say it's back to the grind.  I ate horribly, drank soda for the first time in probably at least 6 months, and enjoyed an alcoholic beverage or 10 with the family to celebrate the wedding.  

Time to detox and get back to it.

Day of Rest.

So yesterday, Monday, i took my first day of rest from all things triathlon related.  It was hard.  I was antsy and had to force myself to NOT do anything.

It paid off.

Today i cycled to the lake, went for a leisurely 2,000 yard swim and then cycled home to run an end of the day 6 miler.  During my biking, i felt slow, sore, and just lethargic.  Not a good feeling.

Anyways... my previous personal best in the 6 miles was just over 42 minutes.  I crushed that today and wasn't that winded by the end.

What a difference a day of rest can make.

By the end, i finished my run in a time of 40:51.  Thats 6:48 per mile.  Still room for improvement... especially since my route isn't flat at all.  Granted, i was literally racing for my life as a severe thunderstorm was rolling in and lightning was striking in the fields around me, so the adrenaline was pumping a little bit.  haha.

Tomorrow is a double session day of swimming (4,000 - 5,000 yards), cycling to and from the lake (5 - 6 miles,) and a light 6 miler at night.  I'm saving my cycling legs for thursday... i'm cycling to Buffalo (approximately 100 miles.)

I'll be out of town this weekend for a wedding, but i'll still try and get some early morning runs in.  

New Personal Bests.

Well, tonite, not only did i run a personal best in the 6 mile (42:02) but i also reached a personal best in the 5k.  

After running a brief 2.9 mile "warm up" in approximately 22:40, i went on to run my fastest 5k to date without taking a breather or a break for water in 19:22.  

It makes me wonder... if i go out on less "warm up" and harder... how fast can i go?

I definitely had some left in the tank when i stopped...

Progress Update. One Month In The Books.

So, after a month which included over 400 miles biking, 150 miles running, and nearly 10,000 yards swimming... i was gandering at what my progress has been since the beginning of this training endeavor.  

And here... i will share my findings with you!!!

SWIMMING:

Ok, well i haven't exactly been swimming as much as i should be or want to... ESPECIALLY since swimming is my weakest discipline, but from what i've done thus far, there has been a noticeable improvement in my ability.  Now, keep in mind all my swims have been open water lake swims.

My first time out was mediocre at best.  I always swim with my friend Katie, and i had her stopping at EVERY buoy to catch my breath and rest.  If i couldn't have touched the bottom, there was probably a good chance that first time out that i would have drowned.  Alright, not really... but you get the picture.

First recorded swim time (2nd actual swim) - 40:37

Since that first swim, each subsequent outing has gotten easier and my endurance is noticeably better.  Katie actually asked the other day "have you been swimming without me?!"  

Last recorded swim time (5th actual swim) - 32:34

The distance is 1.1 miles... so, hypothetically, i should be able to finish the Ironman swim in about 1:20 on the high side, taking into account slowing down and inevitable exhaustion.  Still... it's clear i'm improving.

Improvement time - 8:03

CYCLING:

I was especially excited to come back from italy and get on my bike.  Now, i'm obsessed with getting a new one... a tri-bike specific to this sport.  Lighter, more aerodynamic, aerobars... just better in general.  Not to say my bike isn't great... but its a normal road bike... not ideal for my type of races.  But i digress...

I have a usual loop that i do... down the lake and back up around town.  It ends up being about 21 miles.  

First workout: 

Mileage - 20.8 miles

Time - 1:20:15

Top Speed - 39.8 mph

Average Speed - 15.5 mph

My main concerns with training are not only distances, but more importantly, my average speed.  If my average speed steadily gets higher, it shows i'm getting stronger in this discipline.  Top speed is irrelevant, but it's fun to look at, and time is just a byproduct of average mph.

Last recorded workout:

Mileage - 21 miles

Time - 1:09:09

Top Speed - 39.6 mph

Average Speed - 18.2 mph

I've done 23 workouts to date at various lengths and intensities... but there's no doubt that i'm definitely improving.

Improvement Time - 11:06

Improvement Average Speed - 2.7 mph

I want to have my average speed up to over 20 mph by Ironman time...  it needs to be in order to have a shot at the Kona spot.

RUNNING:

Well, anyone who has been keeping tabs on my training might guess that running is my favourite discipline and the sport i have been training the most in.  Ideally, i had wanted to keep my training ratio at 5:1 when it came to cycling and running (that is the race ratio) but it has become a ratio closer to 3:1.  My rationale - running is the last chance in a race to pull ahead and finish strong.  Many people crumble and collapse at the end, and i don't want to be that guy.  This is where i plan on passing those who may have passed me earlier on.

It's hard to put my improvements into numbers.  I started off my training mainly on a track and have since gone to the road and x-country courses to train (except for speed workouts.)  So i guess we'll show the distance improvements and times.

10 miles road

First run - 1:25:21 (8:20 per mile average)

Best run  - 1:17:07 (7:43 per mile average)

5k (3.1 miles) x-country course

First run - 32:23 (10:26 per mile average)

Best run  - 23:47 (7:40 per mile average)

5k (3.1 miles) road

First run - 22:39 (7:33 per mile average)

Best run  - 19:59 (6:40 per mile average)

The biggest changes i've seen is that i can easily run 6-10 miles at under 8 minutes a mile pace and not be winded at the end.  It's actually quite relaxing for me.  With lots of short races coming up, i worry that i'm putting too much emphasis on endurance and distance and not enough on speed and fast twitch muscle training... so i think i may have to do more hill / speed workouts to help me with that aspect of my "game."

Maybe i've been looking towards the Baltimore marathon too much and trying to get under that 3:30 threshold (i need to keep at least an 8:00 per mile to reach that.)  Who knows...

I GOT IT!!!  

Maybe i'll do better if i start wearing my Action Jeans while training!

Orrr maybe i'll just save them for race day.  We'll see!!  If anyone can make sure i have a good race day, it's Chuck Norris.  Obviously.

So here i am, 10:45 pm on sunday night... and as i wind down this update, i'm looking forward to the easy 10k i'll be running not 10 minutes from now.

All in all... July was a successful month.  But i think August will be better.