Filed under: Training
I left early Sunday morning for my training ride. The weather is gorgeous compare to the windy and rainy Saturday that kept me indoors. I was eagerly looking forward to breaking 20mph on the 37 some miles of road that I have learned to love and respect over the past two months. Unfortunately, fate has something else in store for me.
Just before leaving, I had the good impulse to check the tire pressure. They seemed well inflated at the time, so I decided to not waste any more time and head out for some fresh air.
Although I was fully dressed in tights and long-sleeve compression suits, the chilly morning breeze still proved merciless. About ten minutes into the ride I had non-stop runny nose and my legs were horribly sore again. Only the thought of enjoying the recovery drink on the warmer couch provides some comfort.
Fourteen miles down the road, one of my worst fears was realized. I ran a flat. Happily, I did not panic, and did what I need to do. Stopping by the side of a lonely tombstone, I dismounted the rear wheel and promptly took off the rear tire. Upon examination, it turns out that I had a pinch flat. Now I am regretting not giving the wheels some more gas before leaving home. Too late now.
I patched the tube, and used the new CO2 pump to fill up the tire. As I feared, the tire soon went flat again. Once again I patiently dismounted the wheel, took off the tire, and checked the tube. I could not identify the problem exactly, and decided to give my luck a go for its money. I pumped up the tire again, and jumped on the saddle. I hoped that by adding pressure on the tire, the patch would seal the puncture tightly and securely.
Half a mile down the road, I was left with a flat tire yet again. Once again, I tried to do my part and get my bike back into glory. Unfortunately, I broke the valve on the tube while trying to use up the last bit of the cartridge. Surprisingly, I was calm and fully composed. Maybe it was the serenity of the miles of farmland around me; I was not angry or even upset. Instead, I saw it as an adventure of sorts.
I got on the bike, and timidly rode with one flat tire. It was a miserable experience. Every turn of the wheel brought horrible vibrations that shook my spine and my nerves. Not to mention the cars zooming by, making the whole trip more torturous and stressful that I ever hoped for. Soon enough, I had a migraine throbbing in the left hemisphere of my brain. I wondered if this is how it feels like in a war zone.
Thankfully, I managed to get back home in one piece.
After lunch, I put on a new tube, and head out for the ride again. It was much better.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Filed under: Training
The wind slaughtered my training ride again today.
Early on, I was tricked into thinking that I have improved quite a bit as I was going at 23mph to 24mph for the first 20 some minutes. Only did I know what the day had in store for me when I took a couple of turns and soon found myself heading straight into the wind. Soon enough I was barely making 17mph on fairly flat terrain. To add on to the frustration, my aerobars are coming off loose. I could not put too much pressure on it, and was a bit worried that something horrible may happen to my Garmin Forerunner mounted between my aerobars.
Despite all the things going wrong, I was not too stressed. I was not pleased with the mishaps, but they did not take over my mind.
Yet the pressure kept on mounting. Soon enough I was facing hills after hills, as well as back pain and pain in upper thighs. My mental fortress began to crumble. The excitement and the exhilaration began to fade. The next thing I know, all sorts of horrible thoughts flooded my mind, leaving my cursing all the bad memories from the past. I was cracking under pressure.
Don’t let pressure overwhelm you.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Filed under: Training
The accumulated exhaustion from the three days of riding and mathematics must have contributed to my grumpy and weary mood today. Clearly, I was not in the mode to conduct serious research today. Instead, I opted for reading a treatise on Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Along the way, I began to lose my focus amid the vastness of mathematics. The sheer scope of relevant mathematical theories began to overwhelm my limited mental and physical abilities. It was the same feeling that consumed me in the early days of my mathematical education. I knew better now than to stress over my insignificance in front of the infinite reach of mathematics.
On the high note, I did quite well on my 10K run today. I did not expect myself to perform as well as my legs were quite sore this morning. But somehow, as if to make up for the deficiency in my mathematical knowledge, I was able to endure the poundings of my heart and spasms in my legs, and end up running 6.11 miles at a 7:47 minutes per mile pace. It gave me a lot of pleasure knowing that I have broken the eight minute mark in just five months of training. It’s time to work on breaking the seven and a half minute mark now.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Filed under: Training
The wind obliterated my commute this morning.
To begin with, my legs were already worn from the consecutive days of riding. The headwind only made the situation much worse. My speed dropped from the usual 15mph to a miserable 12mph. On occasions the wind picks up strength, leaving me cursing and worrying about what I am going to do in the months to come if this turns out to be the norm.
I finally dragged my creaking bones to the Dillon Gym at Princeton. Dived in the pool and had a short but refreshing swim. At least I can wash away all the dust and stress that I sucked in on the road. I am looking forward to resting at home tomorrow.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
I have lost quite a bit of weight over the summer. Whereas I weighed about 156 lbs back in May, I am averaging 147 lbs in the mornings now. My waist is tights, leaner; my face is thinner and more angular; my workout routine also became less demanding on my heart and muscles. Running and swimming are not as tiring as before. One reason is that I have reduced workout intensity to leave some energy for mathematics, but shedding close to 10 lbs definite eased the load on my body during workouts.
As exhaustion is becoming less and less a factor, I plan to continue training for at least one and a half hour for six days every week. The plan now is to bike to Princeton on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I will try to squeeze in a swim session on each day. On Tuesdays and Saturdays I plan to ride, for 30 miles and 40 to 50 miles respectively. I also plan to do a recovery run workout on Fridays, and probably also Tuesdays and Saturdays, as brick sessions.
If all goes well, I will be able to finish my thesis and make good progress on my triathlon training. Keep it up and overcome yourself.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
It was a bit hard to believe the ride I just did.
It was 40 miles of (mostly) scenic paved road, winding through some of the prettiest lakes bordering Ann Arbor. The sheer natural beauty of the ride is remarkable, but what made the ride distinct is how relaxed I felt for majority of the two and some hours on the saddle.
The start of the ride was hectic as sections of the route I’ve planned to take were under construction. I hesitantly made some detours on the fly. Luckily, it did not take long to connect with the original route and continue onward as planned.
From that moment on, I was invincible. Although I was going just as fast as in a hard time trial workout, my heart was not beating nearly as fast. For the most of the ride, my effort level is either in zone 2 or zone 3. Even on ascents, I did not feel liking bonking. The tank was never emptied out and my legs held up without much trouble throughout. I could not believe how easy it all seemed.
It is not hard to see that I really enjoyed my performance on this adventure ride. I plan to make this my stable training ride after I return to Ann Arbor.
Ride on.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Filed under: Training
I did a mock triathlon today. For two weekends now I was kept away from it.
The early morning air was cooler than I would have liked. I was able to keep my upper body warm with a biking jacket, but my legs were left to suffer the elements. This compromised my performance, and dampened my enthusiasm. To be honest, I was a bit reluctant at the start because of the exhausting training sessions over the last several days. Moments of agony from poor performance and muscle pain made the bike ride seem longer than it really is. I decided to take it easy and settled for a fairly low gear ratio.
By the time I arrived at Silver Lake, the sun has risen and is gently caressing the lake. A boat sits still in the distance, against the backdrop of a small town napping lazily in the early hours of dawn, without a care in the world. I am the only one there, in love with this rare moment of natural beauty. Gone are the pain and suffering from the ride over, and I eagerly look on to the journey ahead.
Putting on my wetsuit, I began the swim leg of my mock tri. For the first ten minutes or so, my arms were horribly sore. Thoughts of cutting the swim short kept on flashing through my brain. But gladly, I remembered some of the psychological advices on overcoming trying times, and tried to shift my focus to my strokes instead. Soon enough, I was comfortably swimming on. “Better warm up well when I compete next time,” I noted.
Swimming in a wetsuit takes some training. I was distracted by the constriction in my chest throughout the swim. I remembered stories of triathletes dying from heart attacks during the swim leg of a race. I need to practice swimming in my wetsuit more.
The bike back home was a bit better. I was able to push a larger gear and keep my effort steady for most of the ride. I struggled on the uphill section, however. It seemed harder than usual. I am only glad I did not bonk too badly.
The run was miserable for the most part. I was running in my ankle brace again to prevent further damage to my right foot. Two miles into the run, I was suffering. My heart was not doing too poorly, but my legs are falling apart. I could hardly muster any power in my quadriceps, and had to settle for an 8:30 min/mi pace on the flat section. When I hit the hills, I bonked completely. I felt that I could get cramps in my thighs at any moment, and I was eagerly looking on to the recovery drink waiting for me at home.
Anyhow, I managed to complete the 4.84mi run in one piece. If Garmin is worth its salt, then I burned 2869 calories today.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
I was inspired by the Olympics to train extra hard this week, and I did. My state of mind has in turn suffered. I am becoming irritable again. A simple thought sets off a chain of resentment and sometimes downright depressing thoughts.
The endorphin secreted through exercise does not last long enough to counteract the worn-out feelings. I am looking forward to resting on Sunday, after tomorrow’s mock sprint triathlon.
Friday, August 15, 2008
For two days now I have been suffering from some leg injuries. One was a tearing pain in the medial ligament (the large ligament on the inside of the foot connecting the shins and the foot) of my right foot. The other is a throbbing pain in my inner thighs. Chances are, my months of triathlon training have accumulated much strain in those parts of my body, and the 10-mile run I did last Saturday helped to push my body over the tipping point.
This casts the run-bike brick workout scheduled for this afternoon. After much debating, I strapped a ankle brace around my right foot and did the workout to my best ability. Happily, I did not further worsen my injuries, and my times were quite satisfactory.
Tonight I plan to sleep in tights. Hopefully this will help me to recover sooner.
Tomorrow will be a swim workout.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Today is the day that we Run thru Hell.
Hell, Michigan that is.
Brian, my good friend from the math department, signed up for the race and told me about it. It presented a challenge, as I have never run a 10 mile race before. It didn’t take long for me to convince myself this would leave me with many wonderful memories, not to mention a chance to test my running abilities.
Indeed, it was a rewarding experience.
The day started on a down note. Maybe it was the extra cup of coffee I had yesterday afternoon, somehow I woke up a little pass midnight. I tried to go back to sleep, but my mind was restless. Finally I managed to fall asleep around 2:30AM, and got woken up by the alarm at 5.
Gladly, the rest of the day went much better.
Brian came over around 6 as planned, and it was a smooth ride to the race site. We were parked on a grass field used for horse riding. There is horse dung everywhere. I joked about being concerned about my weeks-old running shoes as I put them on. Despite the joking and the fun, deep inside, there is an avoidable sense of tension and seriousness. 10 miles is not daunting but is not a piece of cake neither.
Figure 1. And all I got was this lousy T-shirt.
After warming up a bit, we joined the huge pack of runners at the starting point. The race was supposed to start at 8, but we waited for at least 20 minutes before the timer started ticking. Brian made the keen observation that we were in purgatory. I guess he knows that place very well.
The first two miles of the race was a breeze not only because I am still fresh, but also because all the runners around me provided ample distraction from my own discomforts. Also being able to pass a good number of slower runners helped to boost my confidence and enthusiasm.
The run began to get tough after the four mile mark. My breathing became audible, my inner thighs were pumped with lactic acid, and my heart was pounding. Going up a steep hill, I got dropped by Brian. It was a wise decision to jog up the hill slowly; this helped me to conserve some energy which I spent on going down the hill.
After suffering through a couple of more hills, I reached the six mile mark. I haven’t continuously run for over 6 miles in the last two years, so this is both exciting and a bit intimidating for me. Just four more to go, I tell myself.
The next two miles were also quite hilly, and I have used up my Hammer HEED as well as my Clif Shot; but the thought of reaching the finish line blocked out my fears of bonking. Passing an aid station, I showered myself with a cup of water. Surprisingly, this heighted my spirit and I was suddenly running fast (by my own standards) again. Of course, maybe it was also the fact that the road has now flattened out. In any case, the momentum generated by this surge got me through the finishing line.
Reflecting upon the race, Brian and I share the consensus that the race venue was above par. The roads were unpaved, and hence easier on the legs; the course was lined with tall trees that not only provided shading but also add flavor to the scenery. The course was hilly enough to provide any running enthusiast a good, but not overwhelming, challenge. Even the smell of manure on the home stretch served to give the numbing central neural system a kick. In short, it was probably as good a 10 miler as anyone can really ask for.
Figure 2. Even the prizes reflect the dismal state of our economy. I mean, who runs like that? Are the bowling balls missing?
I felt so good that I decided on the spot that I was going to do a half-marathon next season, probably the Ann Arbor-Dexter run. In early preparation for that event, here are some things I should keep in mind:
- Breathe deeper and keep a steady rhythm.
- Leave hands unclenched. Let my arms swing about without apply real effort.
- Keep a high cadence.
- Keep the core temperature low. Shower yourself with waters from the aid stations.
Results:
Time: 1:21:49
Pace: 8:11 min/mi
