Weekly Update: T - 15 weeks

Between being a little sore from last Sunday's Winery Ride, suffering a bit of a light man flu kind of thing, and various other random events, training wasn't full on this week.  But at 15 weeks out, a nice relax and refresh probably won't hurt...

Monday morning saw a trip to the physio for a recovery massage after Sunday's ride. He was surprised how little tightness i actually had...to be honest, so was I!  That's probably a good thing!!

Monday evening i got out for an hour 1hr run.  It was generally an easy run (tried to stay in HR Z2).  I was feeling pretty good, so after about 45 minutes i ramped up and gave everything for a flat out km.  It was about a second off my 1km TT PB, so i was pretty stoked with that. In hindsight, i probably shouldn't have gone so hard, as my legs were a little too sore for the next few days. But as i was suffering from a little health wise i was resting anyway.

Saturday afternoon saw an hour window between events, so running i went.  It was pretty hot out, so i struggled to keep my HR down in Z2 where i was aiming.  Even though my HR was too high, my legs were ok, so after about 45 minutes I ramped it up and ran a 1600m at not quite flat out pace, before settling down to complete the hour.

As well as trying to get my training and race nutrition under control, i'm also looking at the rest of my diet.  I can't see the point doing all this training just to let myself down with poor nutritional choices.

So after surfing the webs, i found a couple of articles referencing Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
and thought i'd get a copy.  I'm a few chapters in, and am eagerly reading on.  I haven't got to the juicy info yet, but i have just ordered a set of Body Composition Scales so i can start to assess my body composition (body fat, etc) a little more closely.

Today, i went into St Kilda to support my wife in the Sussan Classic Fun Run. She hasn't run since hurting her back 6 weeks ago, but managed to get through 5km in a time not too far off her PB.  So a massive well done to Claire :)

Hope everybody else is traveling well in what ever they are trying to achieve, Cheers!

The Winery Ride with Orica Green Edge or That Hill and That Heat belong in HELL!!

To quote directly from the event website...

Ride alongside the ENTIRE 2014 ORICA-GreenEDGE Team & members of ORICA-AIS through the beautiful Nagambie winery region and challenging Strathbogie Ranges.

As part of the preparations for the 2014 season ORICA-GreenEDGE and ORICA-AIS would like to invite you to join them on their training camp and ride through one of their favourite regions in Australia. Reminisce on the 2013 season that was, the Tour de France stage wins, the 4 days on the coveted 'Malliot Jaune' and help welcome some new faces to the team. 

There are new rides this year - 138km, 48km and 24km as well as the Children's ride around the Winery - so there really is something for everyone.

With my Ironman training well underway, this seemed like the perfect event to kick start my long rides.  It was my third hilly mass participation ride of this year, the previous 2 being the Great Ocean and Otway Classic Ride and the Amy Gillett Ride.

I had a look at the map and the profile of the climb, and thought that there was absolutely no way i was going to be able to climb with the gearing i have on the TT bike...so the roadie got to borrow the race wheels for the day! (Note the compact chain ring...that was a god send at certain stages of the climb - but more about that later)

I really didn't think the logistics of this through when i entered, so it was a very early start! But hey, i love a road trip!!

Alarm went off at 3:30 am, on the road by 4, and coffee & sunrise at a roadhouse by 5:30...brilliant start to the day!

I arrived at Mitchelton Winery at about 6:45 and was greeted by the early morning sun warming all this potential wine...

So the ride itself.  The first thing i did before the ride was check out the climb.  So onto Strava i go.

The main part of the climb was as follows...7.2km in length, 426m elevation gain, average 6.1% (remember that word average!) Which on paper didn't seem too bad... Oh, and there was also a 2.7km, 99m gain, 3.6% on the descent (and here was i think descent referred to going down!!)

The general consensus was that The Climb was a Cat 2 climb... with the ascent on the descent being Cat 3.
Here's the link to how Strava categorises climbs -->> Click Linky

As you can see from the pic below, The Climb starts at about half way through the ride. And from the top, the trip home is mostly downhill into Seymour, before the relatively flat ride home.

Just as an aside, i'll also put the temperature during the ride in...

As you can see it was a pleasant 20 degrees at 8am for the start, got to 30 just after i started the climb, peaked at 39at one stage, before returning to 35 for the run home.  I think those 3 little dips on the last 45 minutes are when i stopped under trees to try and cool myself down, but thanks to the hot northerly wind that really didn't work...

Now to the actual riding...

The first 70 km or so was largely uneventful, with some gentle rolling hills and wonderful views of the countryside.  The serenity was however broken every now and again by impatient and inconsiderate sods in cars who were less than impressed to see hundreds of cyclists on their roads - but on the whole the car drivers were quite good.

My plan was to use the ride as part of my IM training program, so Zone 2 HR and try not to sit in packs and draft.  Well...that was the plan...until i left my HRM at home, oh well.  I figured I know my body well enough to distinguish between 6hr pace and "ride like you stole something" pace.  With that in mind i went out relatively easy, remembering that i had a nuts hill to climb at the 70 km mark.

By the time i reached the bottom of the climb my average pace was above 30kph, and i still felt fresh...

<<cue dramatic music>>

BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE!!

As i mentioned earlier, the climb was 7.2 km long, averaging 6.1% grade.  It soon became apparent that, as with most climbs, every time you came across a section of easy climb (i.e. less than 6.2%) you would be paying for it later!

I can't really remember every detail of the climb, but there were bits that were hard, bits that were punishing, bits that were very punishing and then the other bit! 

I was going pretty slow at this stage, maybe in the order of 6km/h, the i rounded a corner and the road got steeper...i'm not going to print the words that came out of my mouth - but about 7 seconds later, as the rider behind me rounded the corner a similar sentence was yelled!

Ok...go! I gave it absolutely everything i had, and for a while managed to not slow down...then i slowed, i looked at the Garmin, and it was slowly dropping 5.5km/h, 5km/h...ok time to get out of the saddle and drive the bike up. Yeah...Nah...just at that point my quads gave me an ultimatum...they would either hold me up, or power the bike, NOT BOTH! So down i sat, 5km/h, 4.5 km/h...ok, this is getting stupid. Looking up the hill about 20m i see two other cyclists - 1 walking, 1 riding...both at the same pace. Back to the Garmin 4.1km/h - that's enough...off the bike i get... I started walking, i managed a huge 4.5 km/h - i was walking faster than i was riding!! 

I reached the break in the slope, where the road eased from insanely steep to ridiculously steep, so back on the bike i got. And off i rode at a super fast 7-8km/h!!

(Just as an aside, on roads that steep snaking up the road from side to side it is a great way to keep going. However, in this case as the roads were open to traffic, and there were numerous blind switch backs - it just wasn't a safe option.)

I've had a quick look at the ride data and the best i can work out is that grade was at 23.5% at that point. (The section of road that was at 18.5% i actually managed to ride - not fast, but i stayed up right!)

And then after 44 minutes and 36 seconds...it was over! I'd covered 7.2 km at an average speed of 9.7km/h. I can fairly confidently say, that was the toughest hill i have ever climbed!!

Then it was time for the descent...but that wasn't all down hill! Huh...WTF...why is there a 2.7km section which rises at an average of 3.6% on a descent - i thought descent meant down!!  Compared to the previous climb it was actually quite an easy climb ... but having said that the 16% pinch did hurt a little!! 

The descent finished at around 102 km, which was followed by a 12 km stint due west, back through Seymour. With a howling north wind, this section was tough. I was basically riding alone, which was mentally tough after 5 hours, but i was still going forward.

At about 114 km the road turned around to the north, the wind was probably blowing about 20-30kts and it was 39 degrees!  IT WAS HOT!! And I had 24 km of this left before the finish!

There was an aid station at about 118k, at which point i sent Claire a text saying "Hey ya, 20k to go. All good."

Well, i spoke to soon! Just after i left that aid station, i started getting stomach cramps and couldn't ride. So off the bike i got, I really didn't know what was going on. There was nothing i'd had that i hadn't used before - but that didn't matter, i just needed to get to the finish. I was too scared to eat or drink anything for fear of vomiting. So i got back on the bike and started again.

This on the bike, feeling like shit, getting off the bike, resting, getting on the bike...repeat...went on for about 45 minutes until my stomach finally felt ok again.  So i started drinking water (with electrolyte) again.  By the time i reached the entrance to the winery, i actually felt good again and maybe could have continued... ;) 

In short, the last 20km took 1 hr and 5 minutes! Very slow going for a flat stretch of road!!

Here's the Strava link to the ride.

Looking back now, i think i was dehydrated and that was causing issues.  I was good with fluid intake for the first 70k, but i don't think i drank enough on the climb, the descent or the stretch back to Seymour.  That was 2hr 45min and i think i probably drank 2 full bidons, so about 1.5 litres. I probably should have been drinking that much per hour!!

Looking back at the ride, i was very pleased with both my general fitness and cycling fitness.  My nutrition went according to plan, as even toward the end when i felt crap, i didn't feel low on energy.  I just need to ensure i have enough hydration for the conditions.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the climb.  I'd like to have a crack at that climb again - but think i'll do it on a cooler day :)

Oh, and i also got to have a bit of a chat with Matt Goss, Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey which was pretty cool.

Weekly Update and The Kids Run with Thomas

Seeing it's only Friday, i'm going to include last Sunday in this (first) weekly update. And it's getting late on Friday, and i'm falling asleep so it's going to be brief.

Last Sunday began with a trip to the hills so the kids could do the Run with Thomas (the Tank Engine) Fun Run.  The runs were pretty short, but the kids had a great time anyway!

And yes, it was damn cold!!!

My training since then has been:

• Sunday arvo - 1.5 hr run
• Monday - 1 hr bike on trainer, followed by 15min run
• Tuesday - 1 hr swim
• Wednesday - 1 hr trainer ride in the morning
• Thursday - 1.5 hr run
• Friday - 1 hr swim

A couple of the sessions i've struggled, but most of it has been targeting low HR endurance work, so i was just concentrating on holding form and keeping on keeping on!

Saturday is supposed to be my long run and an hour ride, but i'm thinking an easy ride/run brick session of 1-1.5 hrs, so i'm relatively well rested for Sunday's 140km Winery Ride with Orica Green Edge.

Also, I'm tipping i'm going to be a little sore come Monday morning, so i've booked in to see my physio first thing Monday.

The one thing that i may need a little assistance with is my diet.  I'm happy that it's pretty well balanced as far as Carbs, Protein and Fats go - but i'm still a little unsure on how much i should be eating and when.

Also pretty happy with the energy i'm using while training.  I'm trialling a mix of things in solid, liquid and gel form so i can see what my stomach likes and dislikes.

Until next time, happy training!!

A Relaxing Weekend In Lorne ... Alternative Title - Damn Those Hills Are BIG!!

This weekend just passed was that time of year, when cyclists of all abilities descend on Lorne to race 110 km (or ride - depending upon your goal) along the Great Ocean Road, and the Otway Ranges to raise money and awareness for cycling safety, in the name of The Amy Gillett Foundation.

For those of you who are unaware of the Amy Gillett Foundation...this line is a link...CLICK IT!!

Those of you who have been long-term listeners of my ramblings may remember that I got gastro en-route to this event last year, and instead of racing spent the weekend in bed.  Fortunately, this year was a happier trip!

So as is our way, Friday after work / school / kids' swimming lessons, we set off on a family weekend away to Lorne.  We stayed in an apartment on the main street of Lorne, so we were never too far from the activities.

Saturday morning I had a little sleep in before heading out for a run.  I think i missed the memo which said that this weekend was only about cycling...

So i donned my trusty Vibrams and set off. The run was a mix of beach (sand with a few rocky sections), boardwork, graded undulating gravel tracks and a bit of a mid run hill climb. The hill was about 700 m with an average grade of about 7%, up a muddy, grassy path. I didn't know that ground that steep could get that wet! But ankle deep mud in the Vibrams was kind of cool and it gave me an excuse to head home via the creek, to clean then!!

For those that know Lorne, here's a screen shot of where i went...

And here's a pic of my muddy shoes (which afterwards got hosed down, and are still drying) and my Garmin...riveting stuff, i know!!

 

After breaky and stuff we went to find coffee, and play in the park. That was closely followed by the kids playing multiple board games, because 1 board game at at time just isn't challenging enough!

Ok, back to the reason where here... Amy's Gran Fondo!

Prior to the race, is the mandatory race briefing and number / race pack collection.  The race for the door after the briefing, and subsequent avoidance of the long queue, is almost as hotly contested as the race!!

As all endurance athletes know, the key to a great race, is carbo-loading.  Well, as most of us are also aware, a lot of holiday accommodation doesn't cater for preparation of massive meals.  This pan was full, of chicken and veges, before the pasta was even thought of!!

And of course, you can't actually compete in an event of any type without laying out your gear the night before and posting a photo of it on your chosen form of social media.

Oh, and just for the record, the beer was last minute carb loading ;)

I got up early on race morning, wandered down the street to find coffee and was greeted by this sunrise...which was nothing short of amazing!

As the start time approached, i gathered up my awesome support crew...

...and wandered toward the start.

In accordance with the Rules of the Velominati, gear on the bike is limited to two frame mounted water bottles (i think the little under seat baggy may have contravened the rules though). With the remainder of my gear jammed into the jersey pockets....rain jacket, nutrition for 120km, extra nutrition in case i drop stuff, pump, phone... It's amazing how much crap you can fit in 3 pockets!!

Ok...bike ride.  Everyone who has driven along the Great Ocean Rd will know how spectacular it is...

So, once the ride began, i was faced with two options:

1 - sit on the wheel of the cyclist in-front of me, and try and hang on in a peloton for 110 km. OR

2 - ENJOY THE VIEW!!

Easy call really!

The ride itself, as shown on the map below, starts in Lorne and travels about 40 km along the undulating, winding coastal road. This section of the route is just awesome - some of the most spectacular roads you will ever travel along, and NO cars!!

I knew that at 38.5 km, we would be turning right and heading up. The whole way along this stretch of road, the cliff to your right is quite steep. In fact on more than one occasion i was wondering how the hell we were going to find a way up the hill!

But right on cue, there it was...the climb. There was no easing into, it was go... pretty much 5% from start to finish. There were a few flatter sections, but none to really give you too much of a chance to relax...

For the data freaks out there, the climb from Skenes Creek to Skenes Creek North is as follows:

• 9.52 km
• 491 vertical m
• average grade 5.2%

As far as climbs go, i found it quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, i had stomach cramps not long after the start of the climb, so thought i'd better try and climb with a reduced heart rate. 

But, i'm still pretty happy with the climb:

• 42min 20 seconds
• ave speed 13.5 km/hr
• ave HR 148
• ave power 180W (estimated by Strava)

The ride then continues across the ridge line for another 7 km or so, before dropping down the back of the range...The next 20 km was all downhill and i did it no faster than the flats... 

I CAN'T DESCEND!!!

After the major descent, the next 25 km, were flat / undulating.  That was fun again. I mostly rode solo, occasionally catching a group and then jumping off the front trying to drag them along...just for a bit of fun, but no-one was really playing ;) Still jumping off the front of packs is was a great workout!

The other major climb is from Deans Marsh up to Benwerrin. This climb starts near the 100 km mark.  I did this climb earlier in the year, so i knew what i was in for.  Overall, it's a longer climb that the first one, but doesn't have anywhere near as much gain. It also has several areas of flat and downhill - neither of which existed on the first climb!

The data on this climb is:

• 12.1 km
• 262 vertical m

My details (and the details from my previous attempt are:

• 46 min 40 sec (April 49:15)
• ave speed 15.7 kph (April 14.8 kph)
• ave HR 144 bpm (April 157 bpm)

As i mentioned earlier, the Climb started after 100 km this ride, having already climbed Skenes Creek Hill.  In April the climb started after about 73 km of relatively flat riding.

I was pretty happy with this climb, and think that my cycling fitness and strength has improved markedly in the last 6 months.

I'm also very happy with my nutrition / hydration / electrolyte plan - at no stage did i feel low on energy or cramp.

As i sit here and write this (the day after) my quads and calves are a little sore, but that also may have been the run on Saturday...

Hopefully, in the next 12 months i'll learn to descend, and come back and give the top 25% of my Age Group a shake, and get one of those medals!!

So to every cyclist out there...YOU NEED TO DO THIS RIDE!

And to every non-cyclist out there...YOU NEED TO GET A BIKE, GET FIT & DO THIS RIDE!!

So, now that i'm on the way to getting my training plan sorted...NUTRITION TIME!!

As the post title says...i'm well on the way to getting my training plan sorted, so i guess it's time i seriously started thinking about nutrition. Previously my longest training sessions have been 3hrs on the bike or a 2 hour run. To complete those sessions without going into melt down, putting a weak gatorade mix into the water and a gel or 2 has got me across the line. My longest races have been Olympic distance triathlons, and a 28k trail run... Let's recap how they went: First Oly Tri seriously under-prepared for no thought about nutrition 35 deg C at 6am - dehydrated before start had half a banana post swim, and probably drank half bottle of gatorade during the ride hit the wall 30k into bike slowest 10k run i've EVER done Noosa Oly Tri (last year) better prep, both training and nutrition gel out of swim, and a couple on the bike gatorade in water, probably drank 500ml on ride gel as started run, stomach cramps and vomited at 5k on run - took another gel ran home ok...considering humid day, became hot on run 2 Bays, 28k Trail Run (Jan this year) injured ankle after 3k so couldn't go as hard as i wanted - on course 3.5 hrs had camelbak with 50% gatorade mix (probably had 1/2 - so equivalent of 750ml energy drink) consumed 3 gels cooler day  stomach fine! Oh, and i also cramp in hot weather (possibly a "salty" sweater) What i *think* i've learnt... I'm getting better at getting to right i need to keep water and energy separate - so i can re-hydrate and replace energy at appropriate rates sweating out salts and putting water back isn't a good idea - i need electrolyte replacement  I need to start practising on my long training sessions.  And as it so happens, Hammer Nutrition just spammed my Facebook feed with their marketing, so here's a bit of a cut and paste hatchet job...  Loss vs. Assimilation What can your body really handle?
SUBSTANCE	RATE LOSS/hr	ASSIMILATION RATE
Fluids (ml)	1000-3000	500-830
Sodium (mg)	2000	500-700
Calories	700-900	240-280
So what i can take from this is that I've been under doing the fluids and electrolytes. And probably over did the calorie intake at Noosa - hence the stomach issues??  Below are the corresponding replenishment values that we have observed for the average size endurance athlete (160-165 lbs/72.5-75 kg) who is fit and acclimatized (+/-5%):
SUBSTANCE	IDEAL REPLENISHMENT
Fluids	20-33%
Sodium	20-35%
Fuels (Calories)	30-40%
Well, that weight range fits me pretty much perfectly, and I've been living on earth for a while, so i think i'm acclimatized to +/- 5% Our Fuelling Recommendations Based on what science has shown us, plus over two decades of working with athletes, we have determined the following ranges as ideal for most athletes, the majority of the time, for maintaining optimal exercise performance: SUBSTANCE IDEAL REPLENISHMENT Fluids 470-850 ml/hr Sodium 100-600 mg/hr Fuels (Calories) 150-280 cal/hr I suppose those numbers seem as good as any place to start. Now it's just down to trial and error to find out where in those ranges i lie, and what my stomach is going to tolerate! Better Get  My LONG Training On...!! Just got me some Hammer Perpetuem, so i'll shove this info sheet link here for future reference --->>   http://www.hammernutrition.com.au/shop/nutrition/perpetuem/

Time to drop the "Of course I can eat that, I'm an athlete" attitude...

Since forever, i've pretty much eaten whatever i like. 

And my morning tea, more often than not, resembled something like this...

I've always been fairly active, and when combined with a fast metabolism, i've never had weight issues.

A few years back i realised i'd stacked on a few pounds. Ok, so peaking at 88 kg at age 38 wasn't too much of an issue, but it was 10 kg heavier than i was 10 years earlier and i knew if i didn't get active the weight would keep on adding up...

So long story short, i ended up semi-seriously running and doing triathlon.

Within a year my weight was back down to a more respectable 75 kg.  And it kind of oscillates between the low and mid 70's depending upon what i'm up to.

With my weight back down to a manageable level and training more than every other day i adopted the "OF COURSE I CAN EAT THAT, I'M AN ATHLETE" attitude...

However, now my training is getting more serious, and i'm trying to enter the realms of ultra/endurance events it's time i re-thought this strategy.

I'm trying to become A Finely Tuned Machine...ok, a semi-serious MOP (middle of the pack) athlete, and accordingly i should treat my body as such.

I've been reading about Paleo, Clean Eating, etc, trying to work out what I "should" and "shouldn't" eat...

So it appears that "The Rules" are pretty simple...

1. Reduce Alcohol...yeah, ok...i'm currently doing Dry July, and even when i'm not 5am training kinda sux when you're hung-over... TICK!
2. Reduce Processed Sugars...step away from the sweets jar...TICK!
3. Reduce Salt...don't really have salt, still need to look into salt tabs to reduce those lost during training...can i get them salt reduced ;) ...TICK!
4. Reduce Saturated Fat...main culprits - apart from the obvious "treats" are apparently dairy and meat - don't do dairy (lactose intolerant) and we eat lean meat...TICK!
5. Reduce Refined Grains...steer clear of white bread, white rice, white pasta, and go for "whole" grain varieties...NOT TICK!! Can improve here!!
6. Reduce Processed Foods...not too bad here, eat mostly fresh...Breakfast Cereal...???...PARTIAL TICK!
7. More Fruit and Vege...pretty good here, snacks are generally from this area...TICK!
8. More Water...happy with my water intake...colour chart says i'm well hydrated most of the time...TICK!
9. More Green Tea...generally have Green Tea on the go most of the time...TICK!
10. More Whole Grains...kinda will be taken care of with 5...???...ALMOST TICK!

So looking at that i really don't eat too bad. Just need to:

• swap the white pasta/bread/rice for whole grain alternatives, 
• keep away from the lolly and treat jar, 
• show some restrain when Dry July is over, and
• sort out breakfast!

One thing i'm going to need to see if i can find are some alternatives to energy gels...but on the other hand, if i'm in need of an energy gel, that's because i've used all my stored energy and need the energy from that high processed sugar right then and there!! (Maybe???)

If anybody can help me out here, please feel free to comment.