Wednesday, May 31, 2006
4 Days Until The Race...
...and I'm tired. I ran 5 miles this morning and then swam for 33 minutes at lunch. In between all of that, I worked hard getting my platoon ready to go to the field tomorrow. We're in for a long day of exciting stuff here on the island. There's a lot that goes into making even a little one day exercise happen, most of which I was not privy to when enlisted. I guess they will get easier as we go, practice makes perfect, as they say. We've got an early show time tomorrow morning so this will be short. Then, after a long day out in the bush tomorrow, I've got to come home and pack up for my trip over to the big island. No doubt I will be tired then, too! Off to bed with me.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
5 Days Until The Race
The race is what I think about almost all of the time now. Hard not too, I guess. No, that does not mean that I neglect my fatherly duties or my job or my marriage, I am just almost always thinking about pacing strategies, fueling tactics, rest and recovery leading up to the race, the trip over to the big island, etc. I took apart my bike today and cased it up for the trip (thank goodness I don't have to put it back together! I leave that to the professionals, in this case, at HP Bike Works in Kailua-Kona. Dave, remember how much fun it was helping me take my bike apart and box it up for the first time back at your place in November? It was twice as much fun doing it all by my lonesome, let me tell you!). The good part is that taking the bike apart now is good practice for when I will take it apart again after the race on Saturday; it should be easier then, having done it twice in less than a week at that point.
On another front, I'm happy to note that I am not sore in the least from yesterday's brick workout, which is a good sign.
Also, we're happy to welcome Grandma Mackeprang to the house for the next week or so. She's here to visit her new grandson, of course, and to help Barb and I adjust to our new roles, much like Aunt Kristine did when she was out here a week or so ago. Welcome!
On another front, I'm happy to note that I am not sore in the least from yesterday's brick workout, which is a good sign.
Also, we're happy to welcome Grandma Mackeprang to the house for the next week or so. She's here to visit her new grandson, of course, and to help Barb and I adjust to our new roles, much like Aunt Kristine did when she was out here a week or so ago. Welcome!
Monday, May 29, 2006
The Obligatory Cute Baby Photo
Here is the latest and greatest, I'm-the-cutest-baby-in-the-whole-wide-world photo taken earlier today. What day's postings could be complete without that? :-)
One motivated baby!
The Final Brick
So what's this post about? Masonry? Building some type of wall or foundation? Nope, not even close. A brick, to triathletes like me, is a workout combining two (usually) of the sports associated with triathlons in sequence with each other. Most often, the bike-run brick is executed as an excellent way to simulate the not-entirely-pleasant sensation of running off of the bike, which, of course, is a big part of any triathlon.
(By the way, this photo is NOT from today's workout; it's from the Honolulu Marathon in December 2005. Why did I put it here? I don't know, I don't have a good recent photo of me racing or running or biking, that's all. The blog needs more photos!)
This morning I did a 2-hour bike-run brick as my last major workout before the Honu race on June 3. Sometimes brick workouts are referred to as "breakthrough" (or BT, for short) workouts. They're called breakthrough workouts because they are really taxing and (hopefully) result in a breakthrough to greater levels of conditioning once you complete them (and recover from them, of course). I did it in full racing gear (the cycling jersey, shorts, hat, etc. I plan to use in the race) and set up and used a transition area (this is the place where in the race you switch over from swim to bike and from bike to run ) to make it as close to the real deal as I could.
For the bike, I did 26.37 miles in 1:30:37 (read hours:minutes:seconds) for an average of 17.46 mph. Then I ran for 33:45, negative-splitting (17:45 out, 16:00 back) the out-and-back 4.3 mile course (overall pace, ~7:50 per mile). (By the way, how do I know it was a 4.3 mile run course? Well, everything is an estimate, but when I am not sure how far I have gone and want to have a better idea, I use the Gmaps Pedometer to figure it out.) Best of all, I experience no cramping on the run! I think that the non-cramping can largely be attributed to a better race nutrition plan executed properly. In yesterday's post I talked about race fueling and not being sure how I would do it on race day. Well, on days like these, it's time to try out different ways of doing it and figuring out what works and what doesn't. Here's what I did:
- Only clear water for the first 20 minutes on the bike.
- At 20, 40, and 60 minutes, I ate one PoweGel. The first was one spiked with 50 mg of caffeine*, the second had 25 mg, and the third was "unleaded" - no caffeine.
- Follow each PowerGel with clear water, and also had a bottle of Gatorade to drink during the ride.
Each gel has 110 calories. The Gatorade (20 oz.) has 130 calories. 110 x 3 = 330; +130 = 460 calories. I took in about 460 calories during the 1.5 hours on the bike. That averages out to about 306 calories/hour on the bike. I had no stomach upset at all and ran well off the bike. Then, on the run, I took one gel with me and ate it between minutes 10 and 20, for an additional 110 calories. That means I had a total of 570 calories during the entire workout (2 hours and about 4 minutes), for an overall average of about 275 calories/hour, all with no upset stomach. This is great information for race day. I now know that I can handle this level of intake and operate at a pace that is about as fast as what I plan to do on race day.
* Regarding caffeine, I use it. Every day. I have read quite a bit about the substance and know that it is a powerful ergogenic aid (look it up if you don't know what it means), but only when not habitually ingested. I still think it is an aid, even taken every day (even if only as a placebo). I plan to use it on race day. And, even better, before the workout, I had a venti brewed coffee from Starbucks (~20 oz. of delicious black coffee!), delivering, according to some estimates, up to 700 mg of caffeine (I'm not sure if I believe that estimate; see this article about a 2003 study showing quite a bit of variability in the caffeine content of various tested coffee house brews). And look here for an interesting article published in the Wall Street Journal (which is, by the way, probably my favorite newspaper - no I don't currently subscribe, but a friend of mine who does just recently began giving me his copies once he is done with them - YES!) in 2004 that I remember reading regarding caffeine content in coffee house coffee. Anyhow, I had quite a lot of caffeine before the workout, but like I said, I am habituated to it - I drink 2 cups of strong, black, home-brewed drip coffee every morning, so don't stay up at night worrying about me taking in too much caffeine.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Some thoughts on race fueling
No, this has nothing to do with NASCAR, Indy car, or any other type of car. This is about fueling the human body while racing an endurance event, such as a triathlon. Specifically, a half-ironman triathlon. A race of this length is going to take most people a significant chunk of their day to finish. When I tell people that I am going to be doing a half-ironman triathlon, they always ask what the distances of the various portions are. Actually, before that, they ask if it is going to be a "full" triathlon (referring to an ironman-distance event). Well, no, it's going to be half of that. Then the question about the lengths. So here they are: a half-ironman triathlon is a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride followed by a 13.1 mile run. Taken individually, each event could take a person anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes (for the swim) to several hours (the run and bike). Add it all up and you've got 5+ hours of endurance excitement! I have done one race of this distance before, in 2002. A race called the Pigman, held in the vicinity of a small town in Iowa called Palo. (You can see the results here.) I finished in 5 hours 37 minutes 54 seconds. Since I am always trying to improve my times, I would like to finish the upcoming race in 5 hours 30 minutes, a modest improvement, and definitely a real possibility, in my mind.
But 2002 was probably my best year of cycling ever, I've come to decide. I started off the season with the Ride for the Roses in Austin, TX in April (see the website here) . Doing a century ride like that early in the year sets you up for great fitness throughout, and is a great building block for future training (that was also my first century ride ever). Then, later that year, I rode RAGBRAI, the Register's Great Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa. I treated it almost like a stage race; it was a week of riding 60 - 110 miles a day, and it was great! My biggest week on the bike ever, over 400 miles total (OK,not exactly huge numbers for people who like to do what I do - triathlons, cycling, etc. - but I haven't come close to matching it since). That was in July. Then the Pigman was in August. The point is, I was very well-prepared for the bike at the Pigman. I was quite fit. I am fit now, too; I just wonder if I am as fit. I've only had about 3 months of solid triathlon training since I returned from Iraq. Will it be enough?
This post is supposed to be about race fueling, so let's get to that. I've been doing a lot of reading on the topic coming up to my bike race next weekend because I want to do it right. In most long endurance events I have done, I have had problems with cramping late in the game. It happened to me at the Pigman on the run; it happened to me last December at the Honolulu Marathon. I would like to do what I can to prevent/stall it happening at Honu. People who should know (exercise physiology professors from my alma mater)I have spoken with about the cramping seem to think that it is from inadequate nutrition. Nutrition is a huge piece of long-course racing, and I am getting educated about it.
On one web page I read on the topic, top professional triathlete Peter Reid gave his thoughts on nutritional strategies for a half ironman. Here's what he said (I have added the highlights):
My bike bottles are filled with a carbohydrate drink. The solution is not too strong. I found that if the mixture is too strong it is hard to digest. Too sweet and I won't drink enough of the mixture. It is better to be too weak than too strong. This way you will drink all of your solution. The first few miles of the bike I typically eat a whole PowerBar for an Ironman event and half a PowerBar for a half-Ironman event. Halfway though the bike section I will down a PowerGel along with some water from an aid station. I will try to get water from all the aid stations until I run out of my own carbo solution, and then I will grab some energy drinks from the aid stations. A few miles before the end of the bike section I will down another PowerGel with some water. During the run I will have a PowerGel one-third and two-thirds of the way through along with some water.
Now, keep in mind that this is an elite triathlete testifying as to how he would fuel himself during a half-ironman race. Contrast that with what Dan Empfield says on his excellent website, www.slowtwitch.com regarding race fueling in a post called "The Mathematics of Race Fueling." (Go ahead, read it all. It will take you all of 10 minutes, and you'll be that much smarter. Make sure to take a second to marvel at the photos of the bike top tubes from the bike corral at Kona - look at all those gels taped on there!) Anyhow, the gist of what Empfield says is that you need a lot more fuel that what Peter Reid said above, on the order of 8 or more gels for the bike portion of the half ironman-distance race alone!
Me, I don't know the answer. I think I am probably somewhere between the two extremes. Empfield's math makes sense to the exercise scientist in me, but I don't think that I would be able to keep all of that down! And I know that I would be bonking like crazy if I went with only what Reid advocates. It's all about knowing yourself and what your racing requirements are. I plan on taping gels to my top tube and writing the exact times into the race that I need to be eating them so that I am on schedule and don't get behind. I think that that will take me a long ways toward being able to run all the way through the half marathon without cramping. After the race, I'll write in this space how things went and exactly how I worked my race fueling plan.
But 2002 was probably my best year of cycling ever, I've come to decide. I started off the season with the Ride for the Roses in Austin, TX in April (see the website here) . Doing a century ride like that early in the year sets you up for great fitness throughout, and is a great building block for future training (that was also my first century ride ever). Then, later that year, I rode RAGBRAI, the Register's Great Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa. I treated it almost like a stage race; it was a week of riding 60 - 110 miles a day, and it was great! My biggest week on the bike ever, over 400 miles total (OK,not exactly huge numbers for people who like to do what I do - triathlons, cycling, etc. - but I haven't come close to matching it since). That was in July. Then the Pigman was in August. The point is, I was very well-prepared for the bike at the Pigman. I was quite fit. I am fit now, too; I just wonder if I am as fit. I've only had about 3 months of solid triathlon training since I returned from Iraq. Will it be enough?
This post is supposed to be about race fueling, so let's get to that. I've been doing a lot of reading on the topic coming up to my bike race next weekend because I want to do it right. In most long endurance events I have done, I have had problems with cramping late in the game. It happened to me at the Pigman on the run; it happened to me last December at the Honolulu Marathon. I would like to do what I can to prevent/stall it happening at Honu. People who should know (exercise physiology professors from my alma mater)I have spoken with about the cramping seem to think that it is from inadequate nutrition. Nutrition is a huge piece of long-course racing, and I am getting educated about it.
On one web page I read on the topic, top professional triathlete Peter Reid gave his thoughts on nutritional strategies for a half ironman. Here's what he said (I have added the highlights):
My bike bottles are filled with a carbohydrate drink. The solution is not too strong. I found that if the mixture is too strong it is hard to digest. Too sweet and I won't drink enough of the mixture. It is better to be too weak than too strong. This way you will drink all of your solution. The first few miles of the bike I typically eat a whole PowerBar for an Ironman event and half a PowerBar for a half-Ironman event. Halfway though the bike section I will down a PowerGel along with some water from an aid station. I will try to get water from all the aid stations until I run out of my own carbo solution, and then I will grab some energy drinks from the aid stations. A few miles before the end of the bike section I will down another PowerGel with some water. During the run I will have a PowerGel one-third and two-thirds of the way through along with some water.
Now, keep in mind that this is an elite triathlete testifying as to how he would fuel himself during a half-ironman race. Contrast that with what Dan Empfield says on his excellent website, www.slowtwitch.com regarding race fueling in a post called "The Mathematics of Race Fueling." (Go ahead, read it all. It will take you all of 10 minutes, and you'll be that much smarter. Make sure to take a second to marvel at the photos of the bike top tubes from the bike corral at Kona - look at all those gels taped on there!) Anyhow, the gist of what Empfield says is that you need a lot more fuel that what Peter Reid said above, on the order of 8 or more gels for the bike portion of the half ironman-distance race alone!
Me, I don't know the answer. I think I am probably somewhere between the two extremes. Empfield's math makes sense to the exercise scientist in me, but I don't think that I would be able to keep all of that down! And I know that I would be bonking like crazy if I went with only what Reid advocates. It's all about knowing yourself and what your racing requirements are. I plan on taping gels to my top tube and writing the exact times into the race that I need to be eating them so that I am on schedule and don't get behind. I think that that will take me a long ways toward being able to run all the way through the half marathon without cramping. After the race, I'll write in this space how things went and exactly how I worked my race fueling plan.
"I need your hand for an experiment..."
Supposedly you can submit postings to this blog via e-mail, so that's what I am doing right now, or at least trying to do right now (hence the title of this e-mail: this is an experiment).
By the way, if somebody ever says those words to you ("I need your hand for an experiment"), run VERY FAST away from them - you want no part of their experiment, trust me! (Dave, does any of this sound familiar? 
)
)
New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
A new baby picture
It's what you really want to see, anyhow, isn't it? Of course it is, you can admit it! You won't hurt my feelings. Maybe I can at least jump in on the picture holding John or something...ah yes! How about a picture of John getting his first bottle? Yes, that would be a great picture! So here it is!
But wait a second...this boy is nearly 3 weeks old (on Monday he will be), how can it be his first bottle? John is breastfed, is the obvious answer, because "the breast is best," as all the healthcare folks will tell you. I tend to agree. :-)
John had his 2-week well-baby check-up this week and all is well. He was being too ornery for the nurse to get an accurate weight, but she estimated he is at 9 lbs 5 oz, which would be good, because that means he is above his birth weight.
Friday, May 26, 2006
"No rest for the wicked"
So, I'm a tired guy right now. I ran over 10 miles today (this was in 2 sessions, one in the AM and one in the PM) and rode just over 25 miles on the bike. I'm a triathlete, by the way. I am preparing for my second half-ironman distance race coming up on June 3. Am I ready? I could be more ready, that's for certain. You see, having a child kind of upsets even the best laid (training) plans. Your quality and quantity of sleep definitely suffers. I'm just a busy guy right now! Did I mention that I'm starting graduate school next month? Yeesh!
This morning's run was a 4 mile "fun run." It cost $1 to enter - one of the cheapest races ever! Even with that, several members of my platoon scoffed at the prospects of paying their own money to do a run. I didn't tell that that I routinely spend much more than $1 to run races! (For example, I think the half ironman race I am getting set to do cost something like $200 to register for.) But that's what I like to do. It makes me feel good to run races. Back to this morning - 4 mile course (I think it's really a bit more than that, maybe 4.5 miles). I ran it in 26 min and 37 seconds, good for 3rd place overall. But wait - I thought I said it was a fun run. What's this crazy "overall place" business? Some of us are a tad competitive when it comes to running, that's all. If there's a time being kept, I am going to treat it like a race! So if you run the numbers on my finish time, it comes out to about a 6:40/mile pace. This is one of the main reasons that I think the course was 4+ miles - I sure felt like I was cooking along at at least my 10k race pace (about 6:25/mile, from a race within the last month). And I know that I did the last 1.5 miles in just over 9 minutes (the course covered part of our measured physical fitness run course on base). I was a mere single second behind the lad who finished in 2nd place. The sad fact is that I tried to wear him down over the last mile or so of the course, but I apparently didn't do a thorough enough job of it, for in the last 100m when I tried to kick in my kick, his young legs were able to easily propel him across the finish line just ahead of me. Darn it. Still, 3rd place isn't bad. Especially when you consider that the 1st place finisher was also from my unit! We nearly had a 1 - 2 finish!
This evening's workout was a "breakthrough" workout in preparation for the aforementioned half ironman race. This is the second peaking week. Next week is race week. I have been doing a lot of reading about how to do the peak and race weeks properly, notably "Going Long" by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrne. This book is very useful for long-course triathletes or triathletes who want to become the same. I am still working on getting better at longer races like the half ironman-distance (and someday, the full Ironman-distance race!). This book is one of the tools I am using to get the job done.
I'll write more about triathlons and exercise training another day. Right now, it's time to hit the rack - growth sleep!
This morning's run was a 4 mile "fun run." It cost $1 to enter - one of the cheapest races ever! Even with that, several members of my platoon scoffed at the prospects of paying their own money to do a run. I didn't tell that that I routinely spend much more than $1 to run races! (For example, I think the half ironman race I am getting set to do cost something like $200 to register for.) But that's what I like to do. It makes me feel good to run races. Back to this morning - 4 mile course (I think it's really a bit more than that, maybe 4.5 miles). I ran it in 26 min and 37 seconds, good for 3rd place overall. But wait - I thought I said it was a fun run. What's this crazy "overall place" business? Some of us are a tad competitive when it comes to running, that's all. If there's a time being kept, I am going to treat it like a race! So if you run the numbers on my finish time, it comes out to about a 6:40/mile pace. This is one of the main reasons that I think the course was 4+ miles - I sure felt like I was cooking along at at least my 10k race pace (about 6:25/mile, from a race within the last month). And I know that I did the last 1.5 miles in just over 9 minutes (the course covered part of our measured physical fitness run course on base). I was a mere single second behind the lad who finished in 2nd place. The sad fact is that I tried to wear him down over the last mile or so of the course, but I apparently didn't do a thorough enough job of it, for in the last 100m when I tried to kick in my kick, his young legs were able to easily propel him across the finish line just ahead of me. Darn it. Still, 3rd place isn't bad. Especially when you consider that the 1st place finisher was also from my unit! We nearly had a 1 - 2 finish!
This evening's workout was a "breakthrough" workout in preparation for the aforementioned half ironman race. This is the second peaking week. Next week is race week. I have been doing a lot of reading about how to do the peak and race weeks properly, notably "Going Long" by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrne. This book is very useful for long-course triathletes or triathletes who want to become the same. I am still working on getting better at longer races like the half ironman-distance (and someday, the full Ironman-distance race!). This book is one of the tools I am using to get the job done.
I'll write more about triathlons and exercise training another day. Right now, it's time to hit the rack - growth sleep!
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Back to work...
Today will be my first day back at work since baby John was born. Also, today he will be 2 weeks old! Hard to believe he has been here this long already! Mom and I are still getting used to having the little feller around. Young infants eat a lot! Eat, sleep, poop...and a little bit of awake time after some of his daytime feedings. Here's a picture of John with his aunt Kristine (who was kind enough to bless us with a week-long visit to help us get going as new parents - thanks Kristine!) and his mother. What a photogenic bunch!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Let's give this a try!
Hmmm...I am intrigued by the concept of blogs, so I have decided to start one! It remains to be determined if I will continue to use it, but I am going to try it out. But what will I write about? If you know me, you know I can think of something to write about! I can write about triathlon training and racing, being in the military, about our new son (born less than 2 weeks ago!), living in paradise...there are many possibilities!
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