Game On

As usual, my blog posting during the winter months has been somewhat frozen (ha!). But, as of last Monday I am 20 weeks out from my 2nd attempt at the half-iron distance. My first attempt - Muskoka 70.3 - was a complete and utter disaster. It was a lesson in pain management, actually.

This time around I am a trying to be a little more low-key. Last time I was seemingly talking about it to as many people as possible. Which, of course, led to having to answer the "how did it go" questions that followed when I eventually ran into them at a later date. It was a lot of fun telling them how much I sucked. So, if someone specifically asks me what I am doing on Sunday, July 4th, then I will tell them about attempt #2. Otherwise, I am keeping this one mostly to myself.

I am (hopefully) a little better off this time, with a more solid fitness base, and I think I have a better understanding of pacing and nutrition in longer distance events. Also, I've now owned my tri bike for almost two years, instead of almost two months. I like to think we have been able to get to know each other during that time.

I will do at least one race before the half, maybe two. The June 6th Milton Tri will be a good fitness test one month out, with a tough bike course to test me. The Guelph Olympic is a "maybe" since it is only 2 weeks before the big one. But, like that half, it is a mass swim start and would be really good practice, since I've never done one of those. They do have a Swim/Bike option, so I'm thinking about that. The only possible problem is that my training for that week includes a 3+ hour bike session that I don't want to miss, so I'll have to do some schedule changes if I want to participate.

So, bring on the work, bring on the distance. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Treadmill Blues

The roads and sidewalks around here are, for the most part, snow-covered. It can easily turn a run into a shuffle or a trudge. I still like to do my long runs outside whenever I can, and it takes a really extreme windchill or brutal storm to keep me from running outside. It's fine for the long, slow days.

But when it comes to more precise work, like speed intervals or even a fast tempo run, I find it necessary to head inside to the gym to use the treadmill. The fast starts of the intervals and the quick pace and high turnover of the tempo just make it too hard to run outside. It's very difficult to get a good grip on the road, and it can get quite dangerous. Obviously I prefer it outside, but sometimes you have to throw the macho attitude aside and think of safety (especially when your wife worries about you running in the snow with cars, trucks, plows, and so on, chasing you around).

My problem is this: when I calculate out the treadmill speed required for an interval set or tempo run, it seems almost impossible to stick to it. For example, I can run a 5-mile tempo outside at 7:45-8:00/mile (my tempo pace for marathon training - yes, I know it's probably slower than yours). The equivalent on the treadmill is roughly 7.5 to 7.8mph -- and I find it VERY hard to keep that pace for the full five miles on the treadmill. It almost seems impossibly fast.

I know the math is right, but I don't know if 8-minute miles outside is really "equal" to 7.5mph on the treadmill. Maybe it's all in my head, and I just need to suck it up, I don't know.

The marathon is April 25th - and I'm very much looking forward to when I can do all my run sessions outside.

We're supposed to get a few days above freezing this week coming up... maybe the sidewalks will clear a little. As usual, time will tell.