I'm back!

Hello all!

I took a short little break from posting while the semester wound down and I switched to my summer courses. I will be the first to admit, I am very fortunate to have the job I have (college professor). It allows me to have a huge amount of flexibility in my schedule. I still teach, publish, and serve my department in the summer, but my schedule is far more flexible. That being said, this change could not have come at a better time as I was really starting to wear down.

This is me at graduation in my regalia. 

The good news is that I have not missed a day on my training plan and I am fairly injury fear. I have a few annoying nicks and bruises, but for the most part, I am injury free. However, the main reason for the post is to talk about my newest piece of gear! I busted up my old sun glasses (they were cheepos anyway). After I conducted copious amount of research, I decided to go with the Tifosi - Podium XC sunglasses.

Here are the glasses from the front

The sunglass are frameless and lenses can be quickly changed. The ear pieces come in various colors and the lenses come in a myriad of colors as well. I went with the blue ear pieces, blue lenses, red lenses, and clear lenses (you get 3 sets of lenses). The blue lenses are for sunnier conditions, the red are for "all conditions" (plus they make me look like "Cyclops" from the X-Men), and clear are for looking like a dork. The reviews online said that the blue and red lenses give things a reddish-orange tint, jokes on them...I am color blind. In all seriousness, I have not noticed this, but people online seem way more passionate about their stance. So, I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Most reviews suggest getting a pair of the "smoke" lenses, as they are the best for direct sunlight and true color. Replacement lenses are about $15. So,  I may eventually buy these lenses.

Glasses and cases!

Behold my bounty!

The glasses come with a case to hold additional lenses, and the glasses. There is also a bag that serves as a cleaning rag and soft case. I paid $49 dollars for the glasses on Amazon.

From the front

I have used them for a 3 hr ride, 2 hour run, and several other shorter rides and runs. They are exceptionally light. The website explains the material they are built out of...read it, it sounds legit. I am very happy with them. As an additional note, E tried them on and quickly asked if I could order her a pair. So, we now have a pair of tortoise rims and brown lenses on the way for her. As a budget alternative to Oakley sunglasses I think these glasses will do. They get a Bill thumbs up.

From the side, I know...my hair is awesome! 

Well that is it. I have 5 hours of training tomorrow, which means I have to get my gear together. Enjoy your training everyone.

Bill

Calm seas make for poor sailors...

Had a pretty good week. Competed in a sprint and did fairly well. However, I had a lot of weird stuff go on. I lost my timing chip 2 times. Luckily someone grabbed it. Also, it was rather windy and I decided to run my 88mm carbon front wheel (spoiler alert: that was a mistake). I spent most of the short ride fighting the wind. It was also the first time I got to ride my bike outside. So, I was happy with how it turned out. Next up, the olympic distance Accel tri. WEEK #21 Swim 2:30 - Bike 7:05 - Run 4:10 -- Total: 13:45 Monday SWIM 0:45 WARM UP 6 x (50 Swim - 50 Kick - 25 Swim) w/10 sec rest after each MAIN SET 2 x 650 Swim w/30 sec rest (Alternate Set: 2 x 500) #1 @70%; #2 @80% -- hold your stroke count even throughout COOL DOWN 3 x 200 Pull @70% (#1), 60-65% (#2), under 60% (#3) -- 20 sec rest after each (Alternate Set: 3 x 100) DAILY TOTAL: 0:45 Tuesday BIKE 1:40 WARM UP 20:00 easy spinning, gradually working up to 70% DRILLS 2 x 3:00 ILT w/30 sec recovery after each -- each repeat should be 3 x (20 sec one leg / 10 sec transition / 20 sec other leg / 10 sec transition) MAIN SET 3 x (6.2mi / 10km / 17:30) -- #1 @70-75%; #2 @75%; #3 @80-85% w/3:30 easy spinning @60% & 90rpm after each COOL DOWN Keep spinning, holding your cadence at 85-90rpm and reducing your gearing to bring your HR under 50% by the end RUN 0:45 10:00 easy jog, gradually bringing your HR up to 60% 10:00 increasing your effort up to 70-75% Stride Drills: 4 x "250 Strides" on 5:00 interval (This means to begin each one, every five minutes.) Focus on increasing the speed of your leg turnover -- really try to get your foot speed going! -- it's ok to let your HR drift up above 80% Cool down completely, bringing your HR back down to 60% by the end. DAILY TOTAL: 2:25 WEEK-TO-DATE: 3:40 Wednesday SWIM 1:00 WARM UP 4 x 200 w/15 sec rest, descending -- #1 very easy, @50% - increase the effort gradually to 70% on #4 Intermediate Set: 8 x 50 (25 easy / 25 fast) w/10 sec rest (Alternate set: 6 x 50) MAIN SET -- BIG TARGET! This set is an excellent indication of what your speed would be during a swim from 1500 to 1.2 miles (Half Ironman distance). It should be enlightening to compare today's results to those of four weeks ago... 20 x 100 @race pace (85+%) w/10 sec rest between each (Alternate Set: 16 x 100) -- keep track of your total time and record the average pace per 100 in your log book for future reference. COOL DOWN 6 x 50 w/10 sec rest, bring your HR down under 60% by the end BIKE 1:15 WARM UP 20:00 Gearing Pyramid: 4:00 in easiest gear, 5:00 in next gear, then 5:00, finishing with 6:00. -- your HR should be @70% during the final 6:00 DRILLS 3 x 3:00 ILT w/30 sec recovery after each -- each repeat should be 3 x (20 sec one leg / 10 sec transition / 20 sec other leg / 10 sec transition) (11.2mi / 18km / 33:00) aerobic spin @75% -- this is exactly 1/10th of the Ironman distance bike -- your pedal stroke should feel more even and smooth after finishing the ILT drills COOL DOWN continue spinning @90rpm, bringing your HR back under 60% by the end. DAILY TOTAL: 2:15 WEEK-TO-DATE: 5:55 Thursday SWIM 0:45 WARM UP 300 Swim - 100 Kick - 200 IM MAIN SET 1000 Loco Swim (Alternate set: 800 - skip one "4/4" in the middle) (1 easy/1 fast, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1) rest 60 seconds 800 Loco Swim (Alternate set: 600 - skip 4/4 in the middle) (1 easy/1 fast, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1) COOL DOWN 4 x 50 w/10, bringing the intensity back down to 60% RUN 1:05 This is designed to be done at the track -- the suggested times are included as a guide if you have to run elsewhere. 15:00 warm up jog, bringing your HR up to 70% gradually 2 sets of: 4 x (800m / 3:00) w/400m (2:00) recovery after each -- descend these from #1-4 (70% - 75% - 80% - 85%) -- no additional recovery between sets Continue jogging, reducing your HR down below 60% by the end. Walk two laps around the track before stopping completely. DAILY TOTAL: 1:50 WEEK-TO-DATE: 7:45 Friday - Rest Day Saturday BIKE 2:50 It's difficult to develop an indoor cycling workout that approaches three hours in length without stetching the bounds of your sanity! Go ahead and perform this ride outdoors if possible, and follow this slightly reduced duration ride if you're stuck indoors. The increased efficiency when riding on a trainer will make up for the reduced "saddle time". WARM UP 20:00 Gearing Pyramid: -- 3:00 getting to 50%, 4:00 up to 60%, 5:00 @60-70%, 8:00 @70% DRILLS These ILT drills are an excellent mechanism for balancing your pedal stroke -- I do them regularly, and it's really helped me get my cycling "feel" back quickly. Even if you're riding outside these days (a good idea), you should take some time before or after your ride to include this drill. 3 x 3:00 ILT w/30 sec recovery after each -- each repeat should be 3 x (20 sec one leg / 10 sec transition / 20 sec other leg / 10 sec transition) MAIN SET -- BIG TARGET! 2 x (11.2 miles / 18km / 33:00) @75% w/3:00 recovery @75% intensity -- hold your HR under 75% and hold a cadence of 88-92 rpm throughout -- straight into: 2 x (6.2 miles / 10km / 17:30) @80% w/2:30 recovery @60-70% in between COOL DOWN Continue spinning for at least 20:00 @60-70% -- you're deriving some aerobic benefit as long as you're above 60% -- then bring your HR back under 60% before finishing. Hold your cadence at 90+ rpm throughout, though you can bring it under 85rpm for the final few minutes. RUN 0:40 This is a steady aerobic effort to finish off your day -- do a quick transition after your ride and get on the run right away. Keep your HR under 75% throughout, and finish with 2-3:00 of walking to bring the intensity under 50% before stopping. DAILY TOTAL: 3:30 WEEK-TO-DATE: 11:15 Sunday RUN 1:40 15:00 warm up jog, holding your HR under 70% throughout 30:00 "bulk" aerobic run: hold proper running form throughout 2 sets of (5:00 jog @60% between sets): 8 x 1:30 with fast foot speed w/30 sec slower jog after each -- let your HR drift above 80% if necessary to hold the proper cadence Continue running at an aerobic pace (60-70%) through to the end. BIKE 0:50 Right after your run, either indoors or out on the road (be careful if it's chilly outside -- stay indoors!). Hold your intensity between 60-70%, and maintain a cadence of 85-90rpm. Stay in your small chain ring to reduce stress and improve your recovery.   GREAT WEEK! DAILY TOTAL: 2:30 WEEK-TO-DATE: 13:45