what could have been

by pb on December 2nd, 2008

This post _could_ be about the amazing long AeT run I just had on this newly discovered trail through open farmland and forests along the mighty Dender river. About the spring in my stride. About slowing down for a couple of hundred meters to chat with a lovely twenty-something blonde that just took up running. About feeling strong until the end.

It could, because it’s fun to write and for you, my dear friend, to read. I might even get a few comments below telling me how good a job I did and that I have to keep going and that I’m going to kick arse in Frankfurt!

But it would be a blunt lie.

It rather _should_ be about a  steady run that would have turned into a very long walk if I had kept it at AeT pace. About the not-so-scenic out-and-back course on a concrete bike path that was painted in red - with the exception of the parts that were covered in cow shit, which were… well, no longer red. About being blinded by the low standing sun for half the run. About my knee playing up after 8km. About being passed by a 45-year old woman in a tracksuit and a guy wearing a yellow fluorescent beanie! About running 12km in 1h11′29″ (5′57″ pace) with an averge HR of 156. Argh, bollocks.

At least I kept my form. I think…

strength training

by pb on December 1st, 2008

All too many triathletes sacrifice strength training in favor of additional swim, bike or run sessions. This is unwise. Mark Allen boiled down a strength program to what he considers to be the 12 key exercises to develop overall body fitness for a triathlete. The workout is done twice a week throughout the year, and each session takes about 45 minutes. The exercises, their order, the muscle groups they work and their sport-specific benefits are as follows:

1. Lateral Pull-downs (upper back; improves pull phase of swim stroke)

2. Leg Extensions (upper legs/quads; supports weight-catching phase of running and builds additional muscle mass necessary for half-marathon distances and up)

3. Leg Curls (upper leg/hamstring; boosts pull-through for both cycling and running)

4. Bench Press (chest; improves pull phase in swim)

5. Squats (glutes and quads; generates power for cycling and strength necessary for hilly running)

6. Lateral Dumbbell Raise (shoulder joint; supports healthy shoulders to prevent swimming injuries)

7. Calf Raises (lower legs/calves; helps push-off for running)

8. Dumbbell Pullover (works all muscles in catch phase of freestyle stroke)

9. Backward Lunges (adductors and glutes; targets all muscles used in push phase of hilly running)

10. Bicep Curls (front of upper arm; assists in part of the pull phase in the swim and provides climbing leverage on the bike)

11. Tricep Extensions (back of upper arms; maintains form through back half of swim stroke)

12. Leg Press (glutes and quads; most important exercise for developing power on bike)

I’m doing two sets of 15 reps with one minute of recovery betweens sets. It’s hard work, especially the backward lunges! I finish my strength session with three sets of sit-ups (upper and lower) and fifteen minutes in the dry sauna.

a false start

by pb on November 26th, 2008

Saturday night, rain turned into snow as we celebrated my soon-to-be wife’s 29th birthday with rosé Champagne, cheese, wine and the non-stop screaming of her three and five year-old nephews, bringing the country to a near standstill. The transport department was caught by surprise and started spreading salt as soon as possible, only to be halted by a second blizzard on Sunday that left the country shivering under a thick blanket of snow until this morning, when I was finally able to stop the streak of three “zero” days with a 2,5km swim with lots, lots of drills.

Below is a video of Ryan Adams kicking some serious rock ‘n roll ass on the Henry Rollins Show. Enjoy!

training guidelines

by pb on November 23rd, 2008

Ironman is a tough sport. 3,8 km of swimming, 180km of cycling and 42,2 km of running. On the same day. No breaks in between events. Some claim it to be the hardest one-day event on the planet…

Fortunately, training for one is relatively easy. It’s getting out of the door that’s often the hardest part!

My training for the next 32 weeks (Ironman Frankfurt) can be devided in three major blocks:

1. base training: this is quite simply building the aerobic endurance to go the distance on race day. (21 weeks)
2. race prep: or getting the body used to race specific intensities. (9 weeks)
3. taper: a short block to make it to the start line fresh and in top shape. (2 weeks)

So, for the next 21 weeks, my focus will be on building my basic endurance. I’m not a coach, fitness or exercise expert like Mark Allen, Gordo Byrn or Chuckie V to name a few, so I will not bore you with the details of Ironman training philosophies; there’s plenty of stuff on their sites (see the links in “for dummies” in the left menu bar) and they explain it so much better than I ever will.

The key however is the basic week; a sort of standard training week that can be repeated weeks on end without getting injured or overtrained. It’s based on the simple idea that consistency in training is the best way of developping pure endurance. Gordo Byrn recommends the following tips for building such a basic week:

• Schedule two strength sessions.
• Schedule at least three sessions of each sport – if you stick to training in your aerobic zone then elite and experienced athletes can tolerate four to six sessions per sport per week.
• Gradually push your endurance envelope while improving your sport specific skills/economy.
• As you get faster, train longer and more frequently rather than more intensely.

Here’s what my basic week looks like, my key workouts are in italics:

Monday: Technique Swim (am) - Recovery Run (pm)
Tuesday: Easy Bike (am) - Strength (pm)
Wednesday: Long Run (build to 3hrs)
Thursday: Easy Bike
Friday: Long Swim (build to 5km) (am) - Easy Run (pm)
Saturday: Long Bike (build to 5hrs)
Sunday: Strength (am) - Easy Run (pm)

That should get me to a week total of about 12 to 14 hours, which I believe to be the maximum I can handle, both mentally and physically, combined with family life and social commitments. Every third week will be a recovery week, bringing the week total down to just 6 or 7 hours.

Consistency is key!

power of music

by pb on November 20th, 2008

The big bamboo tree in our garden is almost foulded in half. The wind toys with it’s fallen leaves. All doors and windows of the house are closed shut, the heating is on. I’m wearing two jumpers. The silence in the kitchen is mind-numbing. All I hear is the sound of my keyboard and the gentle humming of the big American fridge. I haven’t been outside yet, it looks as cold as a witches tit. And the training plan reads: “50 minutes @ AeT”.

Lucho’s blog will have to get me going again. I fast forward through the 80’s crap he has recently added to his playlist and settle for Disturbed’s Indestructible. Classics will not get me outside today, that’s for sure. His latest blog entry is again food for thought for the upcoming workout.

Tool’s Forty Six & 2 is barely audible from the dressing room as I change into my running gear, beanie and gloves included. The song’s kick-ass finale blends nicely with the first tune on my iPod. Back in the kitchen, I close the computer, open the front door and push the big red button of my heart rate monitor. I’ll be back in 50…

runner’s high

by pb on November 18th, 2008

The sky is overcast and deprived of moonlight, a light drizzle of rain is sprayed in my face by the moderate wind. The mercury is still in single digits. Dressed in black from head to toe, only the blinking light on my Polar footpod protects me against the darkness as I try to stay upright on the slippery sidewalks, avoiding the early commuters in Volkswagen Golfs or Opel Astra’s.

All my base training runs are capped at a heart rate of 150 beats per minute. First light cracks the day. The sealed road is gently winding down, flanked on both sides by cattle-filled fields of rich grass and a couple of gently overflowing baththubs. My watch shows I’m running at 141 bpm. It’s my first run in weeks and I’m as slow as a wet weekend, but with Elbow’s One Day Like This banging out of my iPod and the endorphins kicking in, I can’t help but stretch my arms out like an airplane and feel king of the world.

What a great morning!

scratching brings relief

by pb on November 16th, 2008

It’s iching again.

Way back in time, 1985 to be precise, I was 10 years old and a tennis player. A lowly talented one, but a player nonetheless. I trained two to three hours per week and played some tournaments during summer, often making it to the second round but hardly ever any further. Friends wanted to spar with me because they knew they had a good chance of winning. Not that it ever bothered me, as being out on the tennis court was far better than sitting in my room doing homework or helping mum with household chores. I was like Wesley Moodie, ranked 411th in the world; not a bad player, but with no chance to succeed.

One day, flipping through a sports encyclopedia, I came across a picture of a certain Dave Scott, running along the Hawaiian shoreline in something called the Ironman: an extreme endurance event made up of a 3,8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and a full 42,2 km marathon. (That’s 2.4 miles, 112 miles and 26.2 miles respectively for all the “mile users” out there.) I clearly remember thinking: “One day, I’ll do one of those!”

I’ll spare you the details for now - I will probably bring it up in the future when I’m out of inspiration for new posts - but today, I’ve done five of them, the last one in July 2007.

And now, it’s itching again.

So, welcome to my blog; the road to Ironman Frankfurt and Ironman Cozumel 2009!