Of Mice and Marathons

PM: 120' on the trainer. 166W. HR 139.

Warmed up and used one of the Zwift courses to do some Katy Perry laps ("You're hot and you're cold"). 280-324 watts for ~6 minutes at a time and long recovery of 8'. I was just looking for a way to break up the 2 hours. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 194W. HR 149.

Rode while Megan worked a bit and the boys played in the basement. I finally assembled their trampoline. They were pretty excited. 

AM: 7.4 miles, averaged 9:28. HR 148.

Little bit of precip in the air and around the freezing mark. The footing was pretty solid though. 

Foot felt a little iffy. I think I had my cycling shoes too tight one of the days since we got back from Maine.

AM/Lunch: 60' on the trainer. 214W. HR 149.

Jumped on the trainer quickly between classes. Left myself just enough time. 

AM/Lunch: 120' on the trainer. 206W. HR 141.

Had a great night of sleep and the boys slept until 7:30 and Megan was getting up with them, so I slept a bit longer. 

AM: 10.7 miles, averaged 8:28. HR 158. 

30' steady, averaged ~7:30 pace (HR 171.5)

I wasn't sure about a workout today, but figured I would get in 90' and build back up. Ended up doing the scheduled workout and it went fairly well. I was pretty tired and I knew it had been a while since I had done a workout since I blew my midweek workout on November 30. 7:49, 7:36, 7:24, 7:09

I am hoping for a more consistent 2024. I logged a good number of hours combined for bike and run and I did 585 hours and 307 active days, which was an overall increase from the last two years (not surprising, though 2022 had some decent cycling hours). I think I have enough experience that I don't have to do killer workouts to be able to run decently as my half marathon showed (workouts in early fall and then mostly just mileage and steady easy runs). My current schedule is not as busy as last semester, though pretty close, but the timing of my classes seems near perfect for some solid training (plenty of morning time for a midweek workout, doubles 3-4 times a week, etc). 

Megan and I took the boys to an Oakland basketball game. They had a lot of fun. We were worried they might not want to sit there as the last basketball game we went to Charlie has some trouble with the sound, but they did great. They love the Golden Grizzly mascot, Grizz, so that was helpful.

PM: 180' on the trainer. 217W. HR 146.

Good ride. Legs were a little sore from yesterday because I haven't run much, but they felt good on the trainer. Didn't want to press but also did want to doddle. This was a nice comfy, in between effort. 

The boys came down for a while and played on the trampoline and other various things they continue to scatter in the basement.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 175W. HR 121.

AM2: 7.6 miles, 9:15. HR 144.

PM: 3.7 miles, averaged 10:38. HR 131.

I don't think will be a typical pattern most days, but my schedule is great and I think stacking a bit earlier in the week is okay. Double run days Monday, Wednesday (depending on length of midweek session in the morning), Thurday, and Friday. 3-4 doubles a week most weeks will go a long way. I can't double 5-6 days a week like I used to but I don't need to and I am not sure I want to (okay, I would if I could). 

First day of the first full week of school. Boys were back in school. I set my alarm for 5:30 and got on the trainer before Megan and the boys got up, got them off to school and went for a run. Did some light work and got my grocery shopping done and took a power nap before class. Class went well and then I picked the boys up from school and started making dinner. We have been trying to do more dinners together, which means I need to get started much earlier than I am used to for the last 15-18 years. It is taking some regrogamming, but it is great. 

I'm not a morning person, but I do like gettting an hour of exercise in before anyone is up and sipping my coffee in the dark and quiet. I COULD be a morning person, but that will take some reprogramming. 

Lunch: ~78 minutes on the trainer w/ ~30' Zwift race.

30:51 @ 262 watts @ 165 BPM

Did the same race that I did toward the end of last semester. It times nicely for a warmup, race, and cool down with the boys nap. Tried to hang back but also not let the group get too far out. Felt that the effort was conservative, but unlike in a running race where you can just kick the tar out of someone with fitness, you cannot do that really in a cycling event, virtual or otherwise. Did some strategizing and made a mental note of a landmark on one of the laps that there was around 2' to go, so I figured I would start pressing there, knowing I descend a bit fast than some partially due to weight, partially due to overpedaling. I had the "feather" powerup and knew that on the uphills I tend to sag a little bit either due to weight or underpedaling. On the last lap I hit the power up just at the base of the hill and I shot up it quite well around third or maybe I was in the lead going up the hill. I then pressed and came out of the saddle trying to sprint several times. I could see the line and figured the whol group would pass me and one guy did at the last second. So I took second in a C race, which oddly felt pretty good because it was a decent sized race.

Not the same as in-person racing but it is fun and it is actually quite difficult and you get a good workout in. My first Zwift race was about two years ago, and I generally do them a bit more in winter. I think this year as my running continues to pick up I will do fewer bike interval sessions and more of these races, which are essentially unstructure intervals. I think when warmer weather picks up (yes, already thinking ahead), I'll probably do a trainer ride/Zwift race once a week, Thursday Night Dirt, and a long Sunday ride at whatever effort feels right after my long weekend run. 

I was hoping to push the running mileage up a bit this week, and it will go up but we have a storm Friday and I don't think anyone is going anywhere, so that is likely a 2-hour trainer ride.  

PM: 3.4 miles, averaged 10:43. HR 135.

40 degrees, dark, and raining. Not a bad run though. Got this in after Megan got home. Figured it will help get into the rhythm after a week or so off around the holidays.

AM: 60'+ on the trainer. 192W. HR 130.

Started a ride but I was having my car windshield replaced and got interrupted, so I reset and did my hour. Glad to have my windshield fixed. I waited to long. 

PM: 8.4 miles, averaged 8:53.

20' + 10'

Did this on the treadmill as I was worried about the footing. Ended up going quite well. I wasn't sure how it would go given that I haven't been on the treadmill since July. I thought 8.0 MPH might feel fast, but I warmed up about 25' to make sure. I started withthe first few minutes at 5.0 MPH and progressed down to about 8.0 or so to warm up. 

20' w/ 5' each @ 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.5 

5' jog 

10' w/ 2' each @ 8.5, 8.7, 9.0 and 4' @ 9.2

I was going to do one last speed change to 9.4 for the last two minutes, but I was riding the line but still feeling strong and wanted to focus on finishing at the same effort and not having to back down. 15' cool down @ 5.0.

This will give me something to work with. I will likely be doing my faster stuff on the treadmill for a while I think. Not interested in slipping and sliding at this point in my life or having to look for prime real estate. 

Weekender this week is 1:40 w/ 40' steady, so I think I will start @ 8.0 and try to work down just slightly over the 40 minutes.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 180W. HR 121.

Got up around 5:30 or so, fed the cats, and had my coffee. Got on the trainer about 6:15, hoping the boys would sleep in for at least 45-50 minutes. They mostly slept in, stirring a bit around 7:00 and decided I was just going to finish my hour unless they were really tuning up and would wake Megan. 

Lunch: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:40. HR 125.

Good recovery run. The township had plowed the safety paths, so they were mostly just wet, which was nice as I expected slush, water, and ice. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 202W. HR 128.

Got up at a decent hour, but hit snooze a few times. I do love a wrist-based vibration alarm so it doesn't wake Megan. Still got on the trainer a bit after 6:30. The boys slept in until just before I finished. 

I thought the boys might have a snow day, but the snow held off, which was great as Megan is swamped and I needed to get some light work done. 

PM/Lunch: 7.3 miles, averaged 9:06. HR 144.

Glad to get my regular loop in one more time before the snow hits because next week the cold air comes in and I imagine the pathways will be a mess for a while. It was starting to get messy when I picked the boys up from school. 

AM: 3 hours 15ish on the trainer. 30' of up/down and Long Zwift Race

This was a longer Zwift race at 2 hours 45, much longer than I have done. Typically about an hour is about right. Pretty uneventful for most of it as you can't really push too hard too early. It was only 4 of us or so actually in the race in the piker division. I started to press a little the last hour as I felt the pace was too pedestrian (I was averaging high zone 2 and I can do that by myself on normal rides). I pushed pretty hard on the last time up Box Hill and we dropped on guy hard. The last mile the two guys put in some surges. I used a power up and should have hit the downhil harder as they only hard 2-3 seconds on me. I started to stand and sprint a bit in the last 1/3 of a mile but I didn't have much. Probably needed to be in the small ring. Got in a decent effort and it was a great way to get in a bit over three hours 

239 watts @ 154 BPM

We got about 7-8 inches of heavy wet snow so I switched my long ride day and my long run day. Will definitely be on the treadmill tomorrow. Everything is going to be a mess for a while with the arctic air coming in.

PM: 10.7 miles on the treadmill, averaged 9:20. HR 143.

100' w/ 40' Steady

Got screwed out of about a half mile or so on my watch, but didn't bother with a manual entry. Warmed up progressively from 5.0 to 8.0 to a bit faster, knowing I was going to likely start at 8.0 even if it felt too easy and progress. 

10' each @ 8.0, 8.2, 8.4

5' @ 8.6

2.5' each @ 8.8, 9.0 

~7:14 average @ 163 BPM

This was a solid workout and gives me a better sense of current fitness and treadmill speed so that I can ratchet down my midweek workout next week a bit more than the one last week, using that and this one as a guide. 

Walked around the mall for a little bit to get some food and just look at the stores. You'd never know that malls are dying from Great Lake Crossing in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Went grocery shopping after. 

AM: 90' on the trainer. 205W. HR 128.

Planned to go to the gym for a recovery run, but it was way too cold outside. Too cold to run and the pathways still a mess, so this was it. 

Finished watching Six Feet Under.

Lunch/PM: ~80' on the trainer. Zwift race.

Did my as of late typical time and race though on a slightly different route. Solid race overall, but I needed to push on the downhills after I used my powerup on the uphill. I think I needed to be first going into the sprint even though in cycling that is typically exactly where you don't want to be. Trying to come from behind with 2-3 seconds didn't work well or I need to change my approach and gearing for when I get to the sprint. Took 7th and lost by 2 seconds. I haven't had much of a sprint. Certainly not what I do when I randomly do them in an easy ride. Power was nothing special but tactically I stayed more or less where I needed to.

260 watts @ 159 BPM

AM: 8.9 miles on the treadmill, averaged 9:01. HR 152.

Watch shorted me again. I guess I could calibrate it or use my footpod if I can find it. Solid workout. A good deal faster than last week though I was feeling out the paces then. I think the effort was just right on this one. I was hanging on the last few minutes of 15' but it wasn't bad. I did rethink a final speed change, but that was fine.

20' + 15'

5' each @ 8.6, 8.8, 9.0, 9.2; 5' very slow jog; 5' @ 9.2, 10' @ 9.4

I was hoping to do the 15' @ 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, but hte 9.4 was plenty and I knew I could get through the 5' @ that, but knew one more speed change wasn't going to work and even thought of cutting it back to 9.2, but hung on. HR was creeping into the lower 180s, so challenging but not impossible, but when your fitness returns and your hydration is good and your RHR is low, sometimes that 180 hits a bit harder. 

20' up/20' down

PM: 60' on the trainer. 137W. HR 103.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 210W. HR 130.

AM/Lunch: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:43. HR 127.

Got a bit of light snow, but figured I would venture out as the safety paths had been cleared somewhat. Slow going but not terrible. A few small snow banks to navigate. Met the plow on the way back, which left some hard crusty snow and solid footing (and faster pace) with my screw shoes. Nice to be outside and get some air, especially as it was back up into the 20s.

AM: 7.4 miles on the treadmill, averaged 8:47. HR 143.

5' @ 5.5, 10' each @ 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 15' @ 7.5, 10' @ 7.7, 5' very ez

PM: 60'+ on the trainer. 215W. HR 135. 

AM: 4 hours 5' on the trainer. 228W. HR 142.

Long ride with a group doing a Zwift century, which really isn't a comparable century, but it is a solid 4 hours, so that was fine with me. Got up about 5:30, not really wanting to and then waking up and deciding it wasn't a bad way to spend a morning. Felt solid throughout and fueled and hydrated. Very solid power to HR. Right at the top of zone 2 for the average. Higher in places of course to keep the pace.

Went to Oakland to see about getting Megan's tire fixed. Called AAA and waited over 2 hours, so I changed it myself. Megan didn't want me to do it, but it was in the low teens and windy and even though I had my car running I wasn't in the mood. The hood on my car wouldn't close (I put in some windshield wiper fluid), so that really set me off. I assume the catch was just sticking in the miserable cold. Ho hum.

PM: 13.3 miles on the treadmill, averaged 8:16. HR 148.

1:50 w/ 50' Steady

Easy warmup @ 135 BPM, progressed to workout pace with two faster strides just under 10 MPH. 50' steady progression @ 163 BPM average, which is exactly what I did last week for 40' at a slower pace. 

15' @ 8.2

15' @ 8.4 

5' ea. @ 8.6, 8.8, 9.0, 9.2

30' CD @ 137 BPM

AM: 6.7 miles, averaged 10:35. HR 125.

I went to look at a new treadmill as they had some decent financing options and I hoping to Megan will go for it. Tired of the one downstairs that has never worked right. Looked at a True and some of the Spirits. I think I would prefer the True as it seems more solid of a machine. Pricey though.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 210W. HR 129. 

Lunch: 60'+ on the trainer.

Zwift Race. 22' @ 299 Watts. HR 165. 16' up/30' down. Pretty hard race. I did the B race. Tried to keep with the lead group but just didn't have much in my legs. It was suppose to be a recovery week, but I felt like racing, so I just decreased my overall time a good bit. 

Talked with Megan about getting a new treadmill and she said go for it. The company will deliver it and set it up, which was a non-negotiable for me. Megan, me, my sister, and niece moved the 300+ lb NordicTrac into the basement about 3 years ago and it was pretty scary. Pretty excited about having a machine in the basement that works. I really have grown to love indoor training as long as it is not all I do. 

AM: 10 miles on the treadmill in 80. HR 151.

2 x 20' 

1st rep: 5' each @ 8.6, 8.8, 9.0, 9.2 (HR 165)

2nd rep: 5' each @ 8.6, 8.8, 3' each @ 9.0, 9.2, 9.4 and 1' @ 9.5 (HR 168)

Solid workout. HR was about what it should have been but I could have pushed a little bit. Things were getting hard the last few minutes. I just don't have a lot of leg speed, so running 6:20ish pace on the treadmill is not crushing aerobically but my legs just aren't able to really turn over yet. Things are moving along nicely and once I get the new treadmill and my mileage back up into the 70-80 range over the next several weeks, I think I will be moving along nicely. 

Stopped into the fitness equipment place between the gym and my glass and purchased the treadmill. It's a True 3000 series. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 211W. HR 129.

It was my 39th birthday. Went out to eat with Megan and the boys and had a decent meal. I had a few beers and a few drinks after. I haven't had anything in about 3 weeks, which seems to be the right approach to life. I had a good day. 

AM/Lunch: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:40. HR 123.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 217W. HR 129.

Getting into the top part of zone 2 and my HR is under 130. I am starting to really see signs of increased fitness. That happens when you exercise 14-16 hours a week. Waiting for the weight to start falling off. 

Can't wait to get the new treadmill. I will definitely be hitting the trainer a good bit, but I will likely be able to add an additional easy run on Tuesdays while the boys are napping rather than doing my weekly Zwift races, though will maybe alternate. 

AM: 6.7 miles on the treadmill in 65'. HR 127.

+ weights

Tri press 3 x 12 @ 30, 40, 50#; Bicep curls 3 x 12 @ 50#; shoulder press 3 x 12 @ 15#; pull down 3 x 12 @ 30, 35, 40#; chest press 3 x 12 @ 25#

Did a little bit of the captain's chair after 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 214W. HR 129.

AM: 4 hours 5' on the trainer. 224W. HR 137.

Did the group 100 mile ride again this week. Felt quite strong throughout and like I wanted to press at certain times. I am unsure if I could hang with the Bs, but I am willing to try in a few weeks. HR was really strong and probably where it should be for an indoor ride at high zone 2. Long run tomorrow, which I think I might be able to do outside, which will be nice because it will give me some terra firma data. I imagine my pace will be pretty close to what it has been on the treadmill. Hoping for 2 hours with 1 hour around low-7' pace with the last few miles in the 6:50s or even 6:40w, but we shall see.

PM: 14.7 miles in 2 hours on the treadmill. HR 153.

120' w/ 60' Steady

I probably could have gone outside but it was pretty windy and I wasn't sure if the slick spots were gone and I wanted to keep consistent with the last few weeks. I warmed up 30' starting pretty slow and progressing to workout pace and a few strides around 10MPH+. I changed speed by miles, which I almost never do just for something different. Planned to start just below 7:30 pace and see how I progressed. 

I didn't feel like I had a ton of turnover and I was sweating quite a lot so I didn't get too aggressive, but I think I ended up doing for 60' what I did for one of the 20' intervals I did this week, so it went quite well.

The progression was something like mile 1 @ 8.2, mile 2 @ 8.4, miles 3-5 @ 8.6, mile 6 @ 8.8, mile 7-8.6 @ 9.0. I completed 8.6 miles in 60' so around 6:55 average @ 169 BPM. I did the first 32 minutes or so at 1.5% and dropped it down to 1% after that, so slightly faster than belt speed pace if you follow treadmill conversion charts, so around upper 6:40s to low 6:50s. I think I would probably be able to run that pace for an hour outside, probably faster in the colder temps. 

I felt this was a really good workout, especially given that it was roughly the same pace as my midweek 2 x 20' from Wednesday. I felt like crap after. Stomach was sour and I had no energy and it got worse throughout the evening and I didn't really feel like eating dinner after I had a late lunch/very early dinner. 

AM: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:29. HR 121. 

Solid recovery run. HR quite low, proper recovery effort. The Polly Ann was pretty much all frozen crusty footprints, which I did not expect given the recent rain and melting.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 193W. HR 119.

Lightest zone 2. I was going to do strict recovery but decided on something in between so long as my HR stayed low. 

Feeling quite good with my training. Need to get the treadmill in to get in an extra run day and back to consistent doubles, by the cycling continues to add high aerobic volume without too much impact. 

Lunch: Just under 2 hours on the trainer. 226W. HR 140.

~72' tempo @ ~265 watts

Zwift doesn't have a lap button so I just lapped around one of the courses and pulled the data from that. Lap 1 = 254 watts @ 146 BPM, Lap 2 = 265 watts @ 153 BPM, and Lap 3 =  274 watts @ 159 BPM

Felt very strong and my HR was quite low, almost makes me think the top of zone 2 is higher than what I have it set at. I guess I need to do an FTP test. Kind of loaded the legs for tomorrow's midweek run workout, but I will survive. I skipped my typical Zwift race, bit didn't want to just do zone 2 but I didn't want to do anything as hard as intervals. This fit the bill and plays to my strengths. 

AM: 10 miles on the treadmill in 1:22:30. HR 152. 

10'-8'-6'-5'-2

This was supposed to be 10-8-6-4-2, but I thought I hadn't gone long enough on the 4' rep even though I was keeping a close eye on the time. Better over than under. I backed off from the planned progression that had each interval descending from 9.2-10.0. I think I got the effort right. 

10' @ 9.2, 8' @ 9.4, 6' @ 9.4, 5' @ 9.5, 2' @ 9.6/9.7 (all @ 1%)

HRs were in the upper 160s to low 170s, but I am finding that with my fitness and HR being quite low the 170s are challening once I get into the mids and definitely upper 170s. These were definitely mor threshold type reps than my last few midweeks, which have been challenging but not overly taxing. I was working to concentrate on the last few minutes. I was very glad the times were descending and not increasing. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 213W. HR 131.

I sweat a ton today. Lately on my afternoon indoor rides I haven't been sweating much but I sweat a lot on this one.