Category: Goals


Run

Filed Under: Goals, Planning, Running by Trev — Leave a comment
October 28, 2009

Running is progressing nicely. I managed a 12,5km run today – with little or no pain. The softly, softly approach -while annoying- seems to be proving to be a winner. Who knows, maybe I’ll come out fitter than I expected since all my runs are coming out at 4:30/km at a ‘steady’ effort. If I could build my long run up at this speed the possibilities would be pretty promising. I know I have a Sub-2:50 marathon in me; I wonder if I’ll ever get it out?

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How often was I sick/injured? What time of year did this happen?
Almost never sick.
Injured after Lidingöloppet: A race I was not prepared for.

When did my motivation peak?
May – I lost it before my planned A race.
I started specific training too soon.
I can remedy this by backing off and doing non-specific training until 20 weeks out; That’s long enough specific preparation.

When did my athletic performance peak?
It didn’t.

Did I manage to get my best athletic performance into my races?

No. I have to check my diary, but I think I failed to rest after Dublin marathon. Rather than rest and become hungry for success again I kept training and my enthusiasm tapered off to almost nothing by the time Stockholm marathon arrived.

When is the weather best for training in my area?

Running: April->October
Cycling: April->August
MTB/Cyclocross: April->October
Swimming: Jan->December

What terrain do I have available in my area?

Cycling: Everything but big hills
Running: Pretty much everything

What types of racing suit my personal profile?

Marathon/Half marathon
Half Ironman
Long-distance swim

Do I deeply enjoy the training required to perform at my chosen races?

Yes

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So – after that, where do I go?

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Transition Phase

Filed Under: Goals, Planning, Training by Trev — Leave a comment
October 7, 2009

There’s not a lot going on athletic-wise at the moment, so there have bee no entries for a while. My one and only race of the year ended and I now am searching for a realistic goal for next year. I’ve entered Vätternrundan but don’t want that to be my A-Race; I just want to enjoy it and do a respectable time.
While I search for an A-race I would like to include a 90-120 minute run EVERY SINGLE WEEK. This is a goal I have had for years and I have to find a way to get my head around it – if I did, the sky’s the limit!

I’ll probably take it easy for the rest of the week and then start fresh and keen – ready for a new challenge.

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Race #1

Filed Under: Goals, Running by Trev — Leave a comment
September 26, 2009

Ouch… what a day! Lidingöloppet, my one planned race of the year is over and I can safely say: that was the most pain I ever experienced in my athletic life… I started out at a pace that I knew I would not be able to sustain. I acknowledged this to myself while running yet continued to run at that pace. Even though the pace was well above target pace, I felt shit; almost felt like I had a hangover despite the fact that I had drank no alcohol in a few days. By the time kilometer six approached I homestly thought there was a big chance that I would not finish the race. Eventually I settled into a pace that I thought was reasonable and encouraged myself that if I held this pace for the next 18km I could then up tempo and make a good push for the finish.
At kilometer 12 I all of a sudden started to feel good; I started passing people and felt like the way I usually do… not quite invincible, but a damn site better than I was feeling just minutes before. That feeling lasted all of five kilometers and from that point on it started to deteriorate at a rate I have never experienced before. In days gone by I always wondered what people were feeling when they were walking during a marathon or Ironman – I always thought “How bad could it be?”… This thought was the only thing that kept me running today. I not only wanted to stop running, I wanted to lie down… I rarely use the word never in a sentence that involves future behavior, but I’ll say now: I will NEVER again start a race of that distance without being prepared for the distance…NEVER…EVER!!!
Lid09
Lid209
Oh, I forgot: 30km, 2:19.41, 165 av. HR

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The splits are now posted:
Dist – Split – Aggr - Place – Pace
5,5 km    – 0.25.04 – 0.25.04 – 719 – 4:33/km
10 km     – 0.20.17 – 0.45.21 – 772 – 4:30/km
15 km     – 0.22.22 – 1.07.43 – 722 – 4:28/km
20,2 km – 0.25.51 – 1.33.34 – 653 – 4:58/km
25 km    – 0.22.10 – 1.55.44 – 571 – 4:37/km
Mål        – 0.23.57 – 2.19.41 – 524 – 4:47/km (Av. Pace 4:39/km)

Despite dying a death in the last 10km, I actually gained over a hundred places!

Dist –         Split     – Aggr    - Place – Pace
5,5 km –     0.25.04 – 0.25.04 – 719 – 4:33/km
10 km –     0.20.17 – 0.45.21 – 772 – 4:30/km
15 km –     0.22.22 – 1.07.43 – 722 – 4:28/km
20,2 km –     0.25.51 – 1.33.34 – 653 – 4:58/km
25 km –     0.22.10 – 1.55.44 – 571 – 4:37/km
Mål –         0.23.57 – 2.19.41 – 524 – 4:47/km

Total Av. Pace 4:39/km

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Long-ish Run

Filed Under: Goals, Running by Trev — Leave a comment
August 25, 2009

I managed to do a long run tonight. In order to do that I had to overcome some obstacles – the least of which were yours truly. Because we are schooling-in our daughter to a new day-care my schedule is pretty busy, so the goal of getting out tonight was going to be a difficult one. When the dust settled and I finally got out of the house I was looking forward to a great run – twenty minutes into it I started to fade and then I remembered that I had not eaten since lunch time – nearly eight hours earlier. Luckily I had my flexible friend and stopped into a garage and bought a protein drink and an energy-drink and was soon on my way. Twenty minutes later I was actually feeling god again. It amazes me how after all I have learned in all the years running that I can make such a fundamental error like forgetting to eat. What next – Forgetting to sleep? Forgetting to wear clothes? Unbelievable!
The total for the run was a shade under 18km and because of the early bonk the average pace was 4:57/km even though I was running comfortably at 4:35/km at the end.

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60 min Swim TT

Filed Under: Goals, Planning, Swim by Trev — Leave a comment
May 24, 2009

I decided to do this test today despite not having swam over 1500 continupus metres since late 2007. I’m not swim-fit, nor am I 60 minute fit for anyhting as far as I see it. Neertheless, I wanted to get an idea of where I am and what is possible for Vansbro Simmet in 7 weeks time.

4125m in 60 minutes

That’s 1:27.27/100m and extrapolates to a 55 minute Ironman. If would like to take 5 seconds/100m off that it would put me at 43900m for the hour and a 51 minute (non-drafting) Ironman swim.

Now that I know what I have, it’s time to figure out how to get what I want – or need. As I see it, I will only make two swims per week. One should be distance, the other should be speed – simple so far. I should also start using the stretch cords whenever possible: this should mean pretty much all the time, but to date, it has not worked out like that, however, now that I have a goal in sight, I should get them out more often. My arms are aching as I type – time to go.

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New Goal?

Filed Under: Goals, Swim by Trev — Leave a comment
May 23, 2009

I’m tired yet very motivated today. A dangerous combination that can at times lead to injury, however, I think I’ll use the motivation to plan a new goal rather than going out and hammering myself and increase my chances of getting injured.

I’ve pretty much decided that I will do Vansbrosimmet – an open water 3km swim in the middle of Sweden. Economically, it is a difficult one to justify: 330km drive, a night in Vansbro, sub-40 minute swim and then the 330km drive home. A lot of time, money and petrol for a short swim, but I feel I can do well, and the question is: is that enough justification?

Goal would be Top 40 (of 2000) – it’s difficult to predict a time since it depends on the current on the day of the race.But I’d like to beat 37:43 since that would get me on my Tri-Club’s Top 5 List; something I’ve had on my list for some time. This is an ambitions goal, since the guy currently in 5th place in the Top 5 is a better swimmer than I’ll ever be, but on a perfect day, one never knows what can happen.

The race is only 7 weeks away – that’s not a long tine considering that my swim fitness is not deep. My speed is pretty good, but my ability to hold that speed for a significant amount of time is limited. Step one is to do a 60 minute test set tomorrow and see how shallow my fitness actually is. From that, I’ll decide whether I focus on medium, faster sets or long swims. I will be going into the test very tired, but the result will still be pretty reliable. I’ll wait and see what comes of it.

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Collecting Data

Filed Under: Goals, Gym by Trev — Leave a comment
May 22, 2009

I rowed today – instead of the one hour row, I decided to do my goal distance of 15km and collect some data. Said data was then to be examined, from that I could see what I have to do to get the 60 min/15km that I desire. I started out at 178W and planned to hold that to the end. This pace was very easy until about the 42-44 minute mark, from where it got progressively harder and harder. The only thing that stopped me from switching to easy/hard intervals at this point was the pure fact that it was a data collecting mission. As time progressed, so to did the effort required to hold a constant pace, but the value of the data also increased – this is what I got:

090522

Now – I’m not sure what I hoped for. I’m equally not sure what to learn from this… One thing is certain: My HR started at 147 and drifted to 168bpm. This is not good. I reckon that I can hold a HR of 168 for an hour, but if, at the end of that hour I can only produce 178W with that HR then  I am not ging to get anywhere near the 15km since that requires about 205W average for the hour.

Conclusion? I need to find 28W!

That’s not going to come easy. As for how to do it, I don’t know yet – but at least now I know what I need.

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Time to decide on Goals

Filed Under: Goals by Trev — Leave a comment
March 18, 2009

My training has been a mess this year.
I finally discovered; without goals, I am without focus.

So, the time has come -again- to decide on what to do. The story so far:

Running has been an on-again, off-again hobby; I am too late in my training to do anything descent in Stockholm Marathon, so, decision one becomes: Just get around Stockholm Marathon – if I feel like it on the day.

Decision two is to use Stockholm Marathon -or not- as a springboard to fitness towards my main goal of Sub 2:10 in Lidingö loppet. Since there is a long time between Shlm Marathon and Lidingö, I should also consider trying to get a good 10k time – something that has elluded me up to now.

In addition to those goals, I also want to get over 15,000m in one hour on the Concept2 and I want to swim 1500 LCM in under 20 minutes (in a wetsuit)…. that’s all!

So in short:

  1. Lidingo Loppet – Sub 2:10
  2. Sub 00:37 10k
  3. Swim 1500 LCM sub 00:20
  4. 15,000m in 60min on the C2
  5. Get to the finish line of Stockholm Marathon injury free.

So, that’s quite a good list. Now, today’s choice: where to begin; Gym or Run? We’ll see what opportuntiy presents itself…

A question -and subsequent answer- just struck me as I was sitting back and admiring my lovely new goals: How did I get into this mess? And I think I have the answer: Since January I have been literally devouring fiction – and in the preceding three or four years I have read mostly fact. I believe that the state of mind that fiction -or any ‘artistic’ endavour- puts me in is notcompatible to my will to train. Or to put it annother way: My reaction to art causes an inverse reaction to training.

While I’m on the subject, I’m currently reding Don Delillo’s “Falling Man” and enjoying it very much. I haven’t read him for a while and an wondering now why not… I may just have to work my way through his whole bibliograbhy.

I’m just back from the gym; 1 hour on the Concept2

  • av. HR: 155
  • 14120 m
  • av. Power: 168w
  • Stroke rate 22
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