I've moved...

For a variety of reasons, I've decided to pack my digital bags and schlep over to the other side of the internet. You can find me at http://horowitzracing.wordpress.com.

See you there!

Priorities and missing my race...

My wife's father has been fighting a rare illness for a while, and unfortunately the long term prognosis isn't good. We had a scare this week and made the decision to skip our trip to Washington DC and instead headed out to visit my wife's parents. I was a disappointed to miss my race, but reminded myself that triathlon is just a hobby and there are much more important things in life than racing.

I don't really have much of a training report for this week since it's been so crazy but I'm looking forward to jumping back onto the wagon soon.

Looking forward to the off-season, I've got a couple of goals. The first is by far to become a stronger runner. While I had some great success at this year's races, I also recognize that stepping up in age will mean stiffer competition. At least here in New Jersey, the 35-39 age group is a tough one. If I want to continue to be competitive and challenge for podium spots I need to get much better on the run.

To that end, I'm starting an 8 week run block to kick off my off-season. We'll see how it goes from there.

Week of August 31 - September 6

This was the final week of hard preparation before Nation's Triathlon next Sunday. I piled in a lot of training this week and I really feel good with my overall fitness. I wanted to make sure that the workouts I did this week didn't totally fry me but at the same time had me doing some solid race pace work.

The big challenge this week was managing my work, family and other obligations with my training. It's a little easier in the middle of summer when the days are longer and there is less pressure in the office. While my job is never “low-stress,” the summer offers some additional flexibility with regard to scheduling. With the days getting shorter and the second half of the year getting into full swing, it's taken a little more more focus and cooperation from my wife to get everything done.

Here's what the week looked like:
Swim – 2 workouts
Total time: 1:25:00
Total distance: 4800 yards
Main Sets:
Tuesday: 5x200 + 2x150 + 5x100 + 4x50
Friday: 18x50

Bike – 4 workouts
Total time: 3:30:00
Total distance: 66 miles
Long Ride: 48 miles (last 50 minutes at tempo pace.)
Quality Set: 3x10:00 at tempo with 5:00 rest

Run - 3 workouts
Total time: 2:40:00
Total distance: 16 miles
Long Run: 7.36 miles
Quality Set: 3x7:00 at tempo with 5:00 rest

Week of August 24-30

Despite fighting off a nasty allergy attack (I have a mold allergy, which isn't great when it gets really humid and damp) late this week, I had an overall satisfying week of training. The biggest impact of my allergies was a sub-par swim on Friday, but that could have just as easily been due to the all-you-can-eat bbq I attended on Thursday evening.

No, I didn't overeat, but I only ate protein (bbq chicken, beans, hot dog). I've learned that a diet too focused on protein impacts my performance. I really need a good balance of foods, with an emphasis on carbohydrates. When I'm behaving myself, the carbs tend to come from fresh fruit and other non-processed foods, but I'll occasionally break down and eat junk like cookies or M&Ms. Not the most performance oriented foods on earth, but this triathlon thing is a hobby for me. If it was paying the bills, I wouldn't eat nearly as much junk.

The first part of my week was a recovery and I went pretty easy. I kicked it up in the latter part of the week with some high volume on the bike. I feel really good and I'm looking forward to some quality workouts next week before I start my final taper for Nation's Tri!

Here's what the week looked like:
Swim – 2 workouts
Total time: 1:05:00
Total distance: 3500 yards
Main Sets: No main sets to speak of. One swim was for recovery, one was cut short.

Bike – 4 workouts
Total time: 5:15:00
Total distance: 94 miles
Long Ride: 53 miles (last 45 minutes at tempo pace.)

Run - 3 workouts
Total time: 1:30:00
Total distance: 10 miles

Rain Rain Go Away...

I planned to go for a 2 hour ride followed by a 1 hour run this morning, but when I stepped outside it was pouring (again). Rather than spend another half hour wiping road grime off my bike post-ride, I decided to head to the basement. As my friend Alex says, "you get a big bang for your buck inside. "

I flip-flopped my weekend workouts and decided to do an hour easy/steady on the rollers and then run an hour steady/tempo. I also took advantage of the inside time and had my wife photograph me in my aero position. Believe it or not, I have never really seen myself from the side on my bike. (overall, I was satisfied with my position, but that's a different story for another time.)

My wife and toddler stayed downstairs for the secon part of my ride and run to keep me company. It was nice to have them hanging out, but running tempo on the treadmill is hard enough without being subjected to the New Mickey Mouse Club. My daughter was a sport and kept busy while I finished my workout and my wife threw in a load of laundry.

For the record, i'm watching my daughter later while my wife goes to the movies with my sister-in-law. So it's not all play for me and all work for her. It would be nice if we had some decent weather though. Entertaining a 22 month old inside isn't going to be easy.

Easy brick

Today was the last day of my easy sessions with an hour split evenly on the bike and running. I kept my heart rate low for the entire session and focused on maintaining form and generally enjoying the morning. Tomorrow it's back to hard sets in the pool.

I need to do a little bit of a better job focusing on my food and H2O intake. I'm eating a few too many calories right now and not staying hydrated. It's probably something that goes hand-in-hand since I tend to confuse thirst with hunger. I'm going to make a serious effort over the next few weeks to watch what I eat. I want to make sure that I'm back to <190lbs. (my early season race weight) before Nation's Tri. It's totally doable, but I just need to keep focused.

Triathlon as Lifestyle

I hit the pool this morning for a quick swim. It was an easy workout, just 1300 yards to keep the feel of the water as I work through an easy week of training.

I was thinking about all the advice, suggestions, and training plans put there as I was driving to work this morning. I listen to podcasts in the car and a few that make regular rotation are focused on triathlon. The most recent tri-talk podcast discussed was whether commonly taught swim techniques are really the best way to swim fast. According to the podcast, the answer was no, which isn't a surprise based on my own experience.

This got me thinking about all of the other advice so frequently offered up in magazines, books, on blogs, and podcasts. So much of it isn't focused on what is right for the average age-grouper. Instead it's designed for the uber-serious amateur or professional.

Triathlon should be a fun hobby that encourages a healthy lifestyle. Rather than thinking about the year from a base/build/peak/taper approach, the average age-grouper should approach triathlon training and race preparation as a way to stay fit and motivated throughout the year. 5-8 hours of training per week is enough to stay in excellent shape, enjoy the training, be competitive, and have a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

None of us are Macca or Normann Stadler. We have jobs, families, and other responsibilities. If we torch ourselves so we can be like the pros, it's just as likely to lead to injury, illness, and misery as it is to make is faster for an "A race."