7/1 - 7/7 - Professional Triathlete Training Log - Weekly Swim, Bike, and Run Miles

USA Cycling Amatuer National Championship - W17-18

This week in the USA we celebrated Independence Day, the day back in 1776 that the USA declared independence from Great Britain. It is a day that is commonly associated with fireworks and although I had some hopes of making my own spectacular show down at the Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathlon in Decatur, Il, in the end I came up a little short.

The Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathlon is a race I have done many times and honors a fallen serviceman who had a real passion for triathlon as well. It also happens to be the first real "elite" race I ever participated in back in the day. Personally, I always use the race as benchmark for improvement.  Although the race was a fast day in general, and I was a little disappointed with my finish position, I was still extremely happy with the results, and especially so considering that I am coming off an Ironman just two weeks prior.

Speaking of Ironman, and recovery from them. One of the benchmarks I have used over the years to evaluate my recovery is my bike cadence. When I am still in the midst of recovery I can tell that I ride with a much lower cadence than I would otherwise ride. Although I haven't looked at my ride file, I would estimate that my cadence was a good 8-10rpm slower than it normally is as I shift away from using the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and focus more on the muscular skeletal systems. Although the cadence changed, my power numbers were about where I would expect them to be for a race of this duration and effort.

Results - 2013 Rodney T Miller Lakeside Triathlon, Decatur, IL - Top 5

After the race I made the trek back home to Madison, WI to catch the crits at the Amateur National Championship for USA Cycling. As someone who definitely isn't known for his bike handling skills, I was definitely taking this opportunity to continue as a student of the sport and watch the way different riders handle their bikes. As an added bonus I had the ability to watch the race from the balcony of my building which provided a unique perspective on things.

USA Cycling Amatuer National Championship - U23 Men

My weekly swim, bike, and run totals:

Total: 205 Miles / 19 hours 52 minutes
Swim: 24,059 yards / ~13 miles / 7 hours 22 minutes

Bike: 162 miles / 8 hours 57 minutes

Run: 25 miles / 3 hours 04 minutes

Core:  0 sessions / 0 hours 0 minutes

6/24 - 6/30 - Professional Triathlete Training Log - Weekly Swim, Bike, and Run Miles

Kayaking on Lake Wingra

Last week I wrote my weekly status update mid-trip in the airport at Las Vegas. I thought it was mid-trip, but after a flight delay, some thunderstorms mid-flight, and then a torrential storm on my way back from the Milwaukee airport to Madison via vehicle, I realized that air travel is no piece of cake. In this particular instance I rolled into Madison from a midday Spokane flight at the time the sun was starting to come up. My only saving grace was that I only had 4 bags, instead of the 7 bags I would have had if I hadn't used Tri Bike Transport to take care of my bike, gear bag, and wheel bag.

The week post Ironman is always a guessing game to some extent. The key to the game is usually following the mantra "less is more", and even if you are feeling good it usually catches up with you later on and you kick yourself for not following your mantra. With that being said, I spent a lot of time in the pool. It wasn't fast but it might have been my highest time/volume ever. Besides swimming, I did a little biking and running as well, but it was all super easy. Otherwise it was about letting the body rest and that included sitting in a kayak on Lake Wingra and floating around as people twice my age were blowing by me.

My weekly swim, bike, and run totals:

Total: 124 Miles / 17 hours 41 minutes
Swim: 32,808 yards / ~19 miles / 10 hours 58 minutes

Bike: 99 miles / 5 hours 44 minutes

Run: 7 miles / 0 hours 57 minutes

Core:  0 sessions / 0 hours 0 minutes

6/17 - 6/23 - Professional Triathlete Training Log - Weekly Swim, Bike, and Run Miles

My Guest House for the Week

Yesterday I was able to compete in Ironman Coeur d'Alene, and although no race ever goes to plan, I was able to come away with a 7th (9:00:02) place finish that I am completely happy with. Looking at the race and analyzing it, I definitely under-performed, and that is how I expected my body to respond to my latest racing/training block. Although it was my 4th race in 4 weeks, mentally I had no difficulty all day. In the end it would take me 58:04 to swim the 2.4 miles, 4:47:31 to bike the challenging 2-loop 112 mile course, and 3:10:35 to run the 26.2 mile marathon.

My prep last week leading up to the race was one of the most relaxing experiences that I have ever had. I was in rare form, flying for once instead of driving, and although I do like driving, it was probably the right decision for this particular trip. As soon as I got to Coeur d'Alene, I knew the tranquility that was lost by driving across The Great Plains, would quickly be made up in spades by having a guest house right on Lake Hayden with the Wallace family. It was nestled right in there and gave me the feeling of being remote and that is exactly what I needed to accelerate my own recovery and recharge my mental batteries. In addition, it made morning swims painless and the water was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much Nancy Sue for everything!!!  I also wanted to thank Tyler Blackwelder of Physio One, a PT practice in Hayden, Idaho, for setting me up with my last minute homestay.

Lake Hayden

Overall the weather was pretty wet leading up the race so it was pretty easy to keep the training level down but I still got in a solid 7.5 hours before race day.

My weekly swim, bike, and run totals:

Total: 207 Miles / 16 hours 15 minutes
Swim: 15,494 yards / ~9 miles / 4 hours 04 minutes

Bike: 161 miles / 7 hours 36 minutes

Run: 37 miles / 4 hours 34 minutes

Core:  0 sessions / 0 hours 0 minutes