Transforming the Anaerobic to the Aerobic

My strength has probably always been short bursts of speed, utilizing the anaerobic systems by relying on pure power and strength.  This most likely being a result of the activities I chose to participate in as a kid and the general philosophy I’ve carried with me in athletics.  I had childhood asthma which was classified as “exercise induced” and really deterred me from doing anything that got my heart rate up for very long.  I used inhalers regularly and wheezed significantly, but looking back on it now, I would classify it as a mild case.  In a lot of ways, I would say it became a crutch.  When my HR was jacked (i.e. an unreasonably hard few shifts in a row with little rest or 10 minutes of all-out ‘Herbies’ at the end of practice) I would sometimes back off the pain by blaming my condition.

I hated running.  It hurt every time.  Now that I enjoy running and have become adept at the sport, I only really hated it because I didn’t know how to pace or what I was doing at all.  This concept still remains to some, degree...poor pacing…go out too hard and get gassed early due to relying on anaerobic pathways to produce the energy needed to perform, which we all now know only lasts a few minutes.  This is all I knew how to do.  Go hard for as long as possible, but little did I know that hurt everyone.  I just thought I was out of shape or not athletic enough to perform like the rest.  Hockey, however, nurtured me to be that type of machine; short distance ‘sprint-type’ athlete relying on power and muscular strength.  I’m sure the dozen or so years of heavy weight-lifting completely compounded this effect.  Basically, my training from age 10 through 22 (all through the formative years of development) were focused on short distance, anaerobic efficiency focusing on perceived strengths of power and strength.  If I wasn’t going to be the fastest or have the most breath, I was going to be the strongest.

It wasn’t until I was in late college that I stopped playing hockey, really started gaining the wrong weight and knew that something had to change.  Living in Florida at the time was a bittersweet condition as I chose running as the most ‘bang for your buck’ in weight management exercises.  It was always nice out, but it was always hot out.  I was forced to learn how to pace better and this process took several months to learn and, to this day, still has not been mastered.  Around this time (2001ish), I had watched the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon on TV and was utterly amazed at the event.  Coincidentally, but not surprising, I was hurt from running so much.  It was then and there that I decided I would do a triathlon one day.  It took several years (like 4) and a few moves to the West to finally commit to buying a bike and pursuing that goal.

My time in the gym became less and less and my desire to explore and be outside with my bike or running shoes became more and more appealing.  Living in Southern California created a perfect playground for what I was attempting.  Not to mention, this area is probably, outside of Colorado, the Mecca for triathletes.  I began meeting people and taking my fitness up several levels, constantly trying to keep stride with endurance-type athletes, I was forced to learn to ‘hold back’ a little so that I could last.  This didn’t change my body’s desire to ‘run hot’.  A high heart rate came with the territory, and still does today, but somewhere along the lines, I made friends with the pain.  It was different than when I was a kid playing hockey or running the gym class loop (0.75 miles).  I craved it to some extent and wanted to feel that again and again.  Maybe it was when my maturity and knowledge of what was happening, physiologically, grew up or the gravity and responsibility of the adult world and being on my own.  Whatever the cause it displayed itself in physical, emotional and mental output.  I became an endurance athlete in Los Angeles.

Still to this day, my body likes to operate with high heart rates.  It wants me to take deep and quick breaths, almost irrespective of pace, pouring air into the system – as much and as often as possible.  As we progress in distance and age, the goal is to begin shifting to a more aerobic pace.  For many years, I’ve sat right in that uncomfortable comfort zone of Sub and Super threshold, basically trashing myself as much as possible.  I’ve been able to get away with that on shorter-distance efforts, but Ironman is going to be a very different story and will require me to be smarter about my strategy.  The anaerobic monster must transform into a fat-burning, oxygen-thriving, never-say-stop endurance beast.  This is the goal of 2012 and the trip to Florida in November.  My goal is to maximize and optimize that threshold where I can race as fast as possible, but have the discipline to stay within my means, so that I can last 10-12 hours – a whole day in the Florida sun and heat.  

I’m glad I’ve taught myself to suffer, because IronMan will be suffering…a lot of suffering.  Having that strength of top-end power and capacity, combined with a happy place in pain, will be beneficial as I now transition into focusing on aerobic thresholds instead of blasting right through that spot well into and above the lactate threshold.  I’m looking forward to the process and finding out how this translates into performance at both the half and full distance races.  This year, the anaerobic becomes aerobic!

More on the Run-Walk Strategy

Check out these two races.  Although they are more than 6 months apart, and under quite disparate environmental conditions, let’s examine the two variations in strategy.  I like this comparison because it’s over a consistent distance and a very similar pace, overall.  The result may have been similar, but the process to get there couldn’t have been any more different.  You’ll notice that after about 30 minutes in Providence, I blew right through the AeT (Zone 3) right into the Sub-threshold where the accumulation of Lactic Acid becomes greater than the body’s ability to dissipate.  By definition, you should be capable of maintaining this for around an hour.  Despite short recovery attempts, far too late into the game, the HR could never recover enough to become aerobic again, thus creeping to a place where the pace was no longer sustainable – zone 5 or into LTHR (~185+).  Not only did this create much pain, but it also caused for a positive split because paces reduced on the back half and HR was completely decoupled (7+% HR:Pace) at that point.  The run-walk strategy was clearly a much more effective way at getting to the same result.  It was controlled and sustainable throughout.  The amount of effort and stress on the system was reduced by roughly 25% (as indicated by TSS) by utilizing this strategy.  

I definitely believe that dehydration and temperature played a big part in the decoupling in Providence, however, early recognition of this would indicate that it’s time to adjust pace and reduce HR AeT or below to optimize the experience.

Hyannis Half Marathon Race (kinda) Report

I’m very pleased with the execution of the day.  I feel that I followed the plan for the day with discipline and control.  As planned, I performed Aerobic intervals throughout the half-marathon in order to continue building up my Aerobic Threshold and train my body to recover during the walk breaks and to primarily rely on fat for fuel.  Although this was not intended to be a ‘race’ it was somewhat difficult to stop every 9 minutes for a walk break; just not my nature or style.  However, this protocol was very effective.  I think it's going to work!  Let’s break down the day.

On about 6.5 hours of sleep…wake around 5:00, out the door by 7:00 and early arrival onsite reduced stress and anxiety.  Stow picked me up on the way down from NH.

Race Conditions:

Approximately mid-30s with wind chills in the mid-20s.  Wind sustained at 20-30 mph.  Perfect sun and good start on-time.

Equipment:

Short sleeve compression with long sleeve and wind-breaker

Tights, beanie and gloves

Somewhat over-dressed.  Beanie came on and off from mile 2 on.  Gloves off at mile 2 and wind-breaker zipped open and shut throughout.

Warm-up:

Short run ~3:00 with some drills (high knees, butt kicks, cross-overs, etc) – Should’ve been a bit longer

Fueling:

Pre:    Egg and cheese on toast (~6:00)

          Heed infused G2 (2 bottles sipped until ~9:00)

          Nature Valley Granola bar ~9:00

Race: 1 Roctane at 1:00:00

          Water at each station

Post:  Coconut water and water immediately

          Chicken noodle soup, bagel half, pb crackers and Recoverite 20-30 minutes after

Post-Race:

Stretch while waiting for the others.  Legs up after about 30 minutes for 10 minutes.  Stretch again and roll trouble spots.

Official Results:

1:43:24 – 594/3323 (82%) overall, 141/401 in category M30-39 (64.8%), Weight approximately 187 lbs.

Injury Status:

Both calves and right knee (ITb) a little rough.  Back, hip, etc, all else no issues.  Rolled and massages the IT band.

Race Data:

Hyannis 13.1 Strategy

Matt is definitely challenging the anaerobic comfort zone that I like to frequent when racing.  We’re planning to simulate the format of what IM will look like.  That being said, we must stay within the Aerobic Threshold by running no faster than 7:30 pace and an HR no higher than 175 (Zone 3 and where we would theoretically cross into Threshold or Z4).  What this means is, run for 9 minutes and walk for 1.  This run-walk formula will be utilized throughout the entire race by running these “AeT intervals.”  If the HR threatens to go over 175, the pace will be altered back.  Instead of my pattern of letting pace dictate my HR, we will reverse the trend and let HR dictate my pace.  Critical elements here include keeping myself cool (yes, seems interesting in a New England winter) and hydration – both big misses in Philly last November.  With this methodology, we work to increase the aerobic capacity while at the same time lengthening the time where HR:Pace decoupling occurs.  The real challenge for me will be keeping the intervals at the pace I want and slowing it down when I need to.  This discipline is fundamental to training my aerobic system and relying on that to pull me through the muddy pit of the IM marathon.  Bring the pain tolerance into that disciplined training, and we hopefully create the correct expression for success. 

If I’m capable of staying at 7:30 pace for the intervals, I should come in around 1:43:30 or 7:53 pace.  It’s a sound strategy, especially if I enjoy the experience and don’t trash myself in the process.  I’m looking forward to trying it out.

500 Yard Swim Time Trial

The swim zones have been relatively easy so far (T-pace of 1:27).  After all, we’re basing the swim zones on Timberman 70.3 performance which was 2.5 years ago.  I’m glad to know that 2 years of not swimming makes me a faster swimmer  J  Maybe I should swim less?  Kidding….

This week, Wednesday, was a 500 yard time trial to go ahead and refresh those zones.  It was a challenge.  In true fashion, I started out strong with a great pull and sound bilateral breathing.  Coming out through 250 yards, that stroke began to break-down and breathing had to increase.  All in, a good time of 7:06, just short of the sub 7:00 goal.  This ultimately dials down all the paces with a T-pace of 1:20.  This results in a significant change that ultimately translates into an equivalent IM swim time of 1:11:22.  This is a good number, but I believe I still have room to reduce that over the course of the next 8 months.  I know Matt will have the plan to meet that objective by hopefully reducing that IM time by several minutes.

Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial

Okay, here we go, lets see what I can do on the bike.  This will be a good test to help us dial into the true power/HR training zones.  Yesterday I spent 45 minutes trying to ‘find’ my AeT on the bike.  After 3 ramp-ups I feel like I landed on 159 as an AeT.  Today we can start looking for FTP and LTHR for the bike with an all out, ~20min time trial effort. 

The day didn’t start off completely as planned.  In true fashion, I left plenty of buffer time to get to Fast Splits in Newton.  Unfortunately, after I pulled the bike out of the G, re-assembled and began walking into the place, I realized I might have been in the wrong place.  Oh yeah, this is at Landry’s in Boston.  At this point, I’m about to start cutting into the prescribed warm-up time.  I quickly scrambled to the next place, in town, and after struggling to find a place to park, I got into registration by about 1:00 with a 1:40 heat.  Got on the trainer and began my warm-up – still slightly rushed.  30 minutes with 2X3’ at 90% FTP.  They called us in after only 1 ramp-up and 15 minutes warm-up (better than nothing and good enough).

They set us up on the main floor of the shop (this was really cool).  Two rows of 8 computrainers – 8 per side or screen.  The display included all the riders specs down below and above was the course profile as well as the little blocks of each rider moving across the screen to the right along the profile. 

Calibrations were set and we were off.  The plan was to stick at 250W for the first 3 minutes (expected FTP) but in true V fashion, that turned into more like 275W.  It felt good, though.  The course was pretty tough, ~3.0% total grade over the 10k.  After the first 3, I started pulling up the Watts as best as I could and then hung on for dear life.  Matt showed up about the time where I was lifting that pace up to V-pace.  And that’s where we stood for the next 10+ minutes.  HR was blasting – 193 max with a 180 average.  Power dropped in the 5^th mile, but a good steady finish with Wattage well into the high 300s.  All in, 298 avg Watts, 3.5 W/kg (on 188.2 lb. official) and a time of 17:40 which was good enough for 52^nd place.  I understand some of the calibrations were off and inflating the wattage, so may have finished better overall.  End of the day, I was pretty spot on.  My Quarq file recorded a 292W average.  

My back was not happy coming off the bike that day.  I put a lot out there and it had its impact.  Stretch, heat and stretch.  A Roctane right before launch, Heed on the bike and a Recoverite for afterward.

I’m fairly happy with the result of the race.  I feel that if I followed the plan, I may have been able to crack 300W, but that’s for another day and it’s inevitable.  The 3.5W/kg should be in the 4.0 range.  Clearly my weight needs to come down a bit.  We’re looking for 167-175lb for optimal racing – this will come with the process of the training year, but definitely can start cleaning up some nutritional elements.

After reviewing the data from the file, we’ve modified FTP to 270W which will now direct training paces in conjunction with AeT of 159 bpm.  Good effort and good times.  I’m glad I did this.  Both girls did well and finished with 156W and 160W averages.  This will be a good season of progress for all. 

A short lunch at the Mexican place close by with the girls and Matt.  Having Matt there was amazingly meaningful.  He definitely helped push me at the end and the fact that he gave up his afternoon to come watch me race and have lunch with us – that means more than he'll ever know.  That’s what I want in a coach.  Great friends, great coach.

Power Grinder and Bike to Run Transition

Today was a high cadence effort on the bike, followed by a quick and easy run.  I’ve definitely decided that high cadence is not my favorite.  Maybe some residual effects from the sickness, but the 100-120 rpm range definitely elevates my HR much faster and higher than grinding out similar power at a lower cadence.  Let’s reflect:

This past Sunday I rode similar duration (0:30) at 227W average with average HR of 143 and cadence of 76 rpm.  Today, average HR of 144 with power only at an 184W average with cadence of 95.  Interesting data to examine.  I have to believe part of this is left over dehydration and weakness from the sickness, but only time and additional data will tell.  My natural cadence does seem to be closer to 76 than 95. 

Truth be told, I’m experimenting with how to apply the power to optimize my results – aren’t we all?  We optimize power by optimizing both Force into the crank arm and angular velocity or cadence.  A bit of an experiment -  The goal will be to determine the max cadence that optimizes both power and HR, but my hypothesis is that grinding 75-90 right now will be my sweet spot as a power rider, at least for efforts in the 30-90 minute duration range.  That is, until I have the leg strength to increase that cadence at the same gearing ratio.  But where is leg strength a hidrance to turnover?

With that being said, my strength has been and continues to be running off the bike.  The high cadence effort on the bike certainly forced my leg turnover on the short run and the warm-up of riding does more for my system than running cold..  I started cleanly in the 90 spm range.  Throughout the 3 miles, the focus had to be finely tuned to keep the rate up, where it was much less effort at the beginning.  The high cadence work on the bike will continue to improve this leg turnover on the run. 

2012 Season Itinerary, Goals and Pillars to Success

Itinerary and Goals:

Laying out a full year is somewhat difficult, not knowing what you don’t know and having to ink all these things well in advance due to demand and selling out of these events.  In preparation for IMFL, this seemed to be unavoidable, and paramount to expected success.  After being out of the triathlon circuit for over 2 years now, and hardly swimming or road riding at all in that period, its time to focus on some of those developmental areas this year.  That being said, the power meter and consistent pool trips will be fundamental to my season.  After last year’s, near 100% dedication to run training, I’m hoping I can carry that experience and fitness into better results coming off the bike this year while focusing on the S and B.  The itinerary is, as follows:

February 19 - Boston Triathlon Team Time Trial – 10k computrainer race

February 26 – Hyannis Half Marathon

June 3 – Mooseman Olympic (Optional)

July 8 – Providence 70.3 (Goal – Sub 5:00)

July 21 – Vermont 100 Pace team (30mi)

July 29 – Save the Bay Open Water Swim – 1.7mi

August 26 – Old Orchard Beach Half Ironman

November 3 – Ironman Florida (Goal – Sub 11:00)

I’d like to sprinkle in a few fun events and shorter distances over the course of the year, but address those as they come up.  These are the ‘On the Calendar’ events for the year.

The key to all of this is staying healthy and consistent.  Without healthiness, you can’t stay consistent.  Hoping Coach Matt can help me keep those aligned.  Granted, some of the goals are ambitious, shaving 20+ mins off 70.3 time, but by keeping the pillars of success at front of mind, I am confident they are achievable.

Pillars to Success:

· Health and consistency – Trusting the process is fundamental to this

· Improved diet for optimal performance (no, brew is not a food group)

· Adequate rest/sleep (quick naps don’t count)

· Continued emotional and mental engagement and drive towards the goal (no derailments)

2/14 - V-Day

I get two days in a row to claim as my own.  BDay, then VDay!  This morning’s work was the first of many ‘coached’ workout of the year.  The effort was relatively short and easy from what I’m used to doing. (This is probably a good thing)

30 minutes easy on the treadmill followed by 20 minutes of stretching everything I have…

Coach Matt is pumping info at me which is exactly what I need.  Hyannis is still on the table for next week, but more importantly, 10k TT this weekend.  A strategy is in development.  Right now we’re thinking start at 250W and then bring it up to 265W.  Final 2 miles is where we’ll unleash the dogs.  Knowing me, I’ll probably go ballistic earlier than that, but we’ll see how I feel.  We know HR will be through the roof, but that’s what it’s all about.  Get to the deep, dark place and see how long I can stay there.  Incidentally, I love this power stuff.  Can’t say enough about the data and I know that, somehow, this will translate into a much better performance on the bike.  

Chiropractor last night was productive, made some good progress since last week.  Minor tweaks, the main being the compression at the bottom of the spine.  With a few more tweaks, hope we can get that completely cleaned up.

2/13 – Happy Birthday!

Last week was a good one.  Started off a little shaky, the body was not cooperating, but by mid-week and after a crack-in from Dr. Mike on Wednesday, things have felt much better.  Hip pain is virtually gone and knee is better.  The back has still flared up, but that is a big improvement from the past 3+ months.

In any event, had a good week of building back, but took it easy on the run.  Only 3 miles for the week, but spent the extra time in the pool and on the bike.  Starting this week, I’ll begin to incorporate more running: slowly and gradually.  Glad to feel like I’m making a comeback.  What comes with that is V Pace!  As soon as things started feeling better, BAM! Back at full speed.  Think I’m going to go about it a bit differently this time…

Since I mostly can’t control myself, I’ve early enrolled Coach Matt to start on 2/15.  This is going to be the reigns that I need so that I can stay consistent, steady and injury-free.

Computrainer - Kona Course

Computrainer class was fun.  Today, Nancy and I rode the first ~22 miles of the Kona course.  It was definitely interesting.  I tried to pace better this time, so I tried to keep it around 200W-210W for the first 45 minutes or so, then started ramping up.  With 15 left, I emptied the tank, but just couldn’t catch the number 1 guy.  I waited too long.  All in, Avg HR 164 and Avg Power at 227W with a max at 799W.  Computrainer is fantastic.  It really takes indoor riding to a whole new level.

Prelude

It was early fall when I finally decided that it was time to pursue this endeavor of IronMan.  The day of the event was upon me and I was still on the fence as to whether or not I was really going to commit to Florida or continue to bide my time for a 'better' time in my life for this goal.  I knew the only chance would be to sign up immediately, there is no time to procrastinate for IM signup, and then deal with the journey that I quickly placed myself on.  I got on the site at high noon, exactly when online registration opened, and I completed my application by 12:07.  I received my registration confirmation and then notification that IMFL had sold out....16 minutes after registration opened.  Exactly 1 day less than one year and I will be in FL completing my first IM.

This journal details the learnings, self-discoveries and general musings in my journey to becoming the next IronMan.

I decided to build this journal as a way to reflect on and remember what it truly took to accomplish my goal by considering all the hurdles I've worked to overcome, the fun, excitement and support I've had in making 2012 the year of the Iron. 

Since sign up in early November, I completed my first Marathon in Philly.  I blew up at about mile 18 (dehydration, injuries, etc), but the experience was incredible.  I finished in just over 3:44, not too shabby for a first timer that tried to opt out of the gym class loop (0.75 miles) every chance he got...
After Philly, I really struggled with my hip injuries.  I was in rough shape going into it, but the marathon exacerbated the issue beyond what I'd consider normal.  I limped...a lot.  I began my rehab process.  PT, Orthopedics...none of these things seemed to pan out.  It wasn't until I went to the Chiropractor, where the hip began to make a come back (twisted pelvis realignment) however, this was at the expense of additional things creeping up - i.e. lower back and most recently, the right knee (combination of hills, mileage build, etc)

Once Philly was over, and I couldn't run anymore, I started up on the bike and swim.  Getting into the water was phenomenal.  I couldn't believe how much I missed swimming from my last training program (2009) in getting through Timberman 70.3.  I've really enjoyed getting back into the pool.  The bike - never really loved the bike, but this year I've decided that the bike is where I will make big gains.  I focused on the run last year, but this year will be about the bike, primarily, and the swim, secondarily.  That being said, I've hired a coach, Matt Giunta with Blueshift Multisport and bought a Quarq power crank with the Garmin 910XT to help me with this process.  Having power is going to be a whole new world of discovery for me. 

We're now in early February and I've been building up the volumes in all 3 disciplines, but now again sidelined.  My knee is shutting me down (never had knee problem before) and its hurting the psyche.  I haven't even started really training yet...so the continuous injury routine is getting old.  I'm now visiting the chiro once a week to get 'adjusted'.  I've been happy with the progress to date, but will need to continue going so that I can fix some of these imbalances causing all these overuse injuries.  I think its now time to take a step back, before it's too late, and fix some of these things so I can stay consistent in my training and be successful, as planned!

Today, February 3, marks the inception of this journal (and 11 month countdown) and details the process, both physically and mentally that I'll be going through this year!!  11 months from right this moment, I'll be coming out of T1 and looking at a 112 miles of steady bike riding in the Florida sun, followed by 26.2 miles of afternoon jog!