To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[KSellers88]

You'd also probably think temps in the 30-40s are cold, but to me that's prime racing/training weather. That's when I really start feeling good and may start considering something other than a tank and shorts. Funny how we adapt to our climate since I grew up most of my life in GA. I don't miss double summer training days for football in the GA summers.

That's basically the arctic to me. LOL. I've ran in it before, but prefer 40s-50s. I guess I would eventually adapt too, but it would be a very unpleasant experience.

 

[TheHamm]

Pessimist away!

That would be a T+D of 141-143 (3.5%) which I haven't seen in quite some time I believe. With that being said, I do believe my runs on Wed/Thurs afternoon of next week will be in that vicinity as we're looking at a Temp swing coming.

To be honest, it's going to take a deluge for me not to wear the "magic shoes".



She will be at the race. Although very likely only at the start/finish. I believe they have a free kids race that she will participate in.

We had a preview of fall last week and have had T+D in that range the week since my return. It has allowed me to see that the TD adjustments are a little more real than I thought as there is little difference in my fitness (or exhaustion) in the two weeks.

 

[DopeyBadger]

We had a preview of fall last week and have had T+D in that range the week since my return. It has allowed me to see that the TD adjustments are a little more real than I thought as there is little difference in my fitness (or exhaustion) in the two weeks.

One of my favorite graphs on the topic:



Pink dots are a 2:58 marathon fitness profile.
Green dots are a 3:02 marathon fitness profile.
Blue dots are real data from runs within a one month timeframe from me in different T+Ds but where fitness was relatively static.

The point is you can see the line of best fit (dotted blue line) shows a similar curve to the 2:58 marathon fitness profile with the standard T+D % adjustments for the same relative effort level (EA). So T+D of 115 was a 8:23 pace and T+D of 152 was a 8:50 pace. Same fitness, but a 27 second difference in pace/mile with a 37 point increase in T+D. So T+D certainly is an important variable to consider in training and racing.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Your graph is making me feel better about my current paces. I'm sure some of it is excess weight, but T+D might be the bigger issue.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Your graph is making me feel better about my current paces. I'm sure some of it is excess weight, but T+D might be the bigger issue.

It absolutely can be and likely is to an extent the T+D. The difference in pacing is best expressed as a % rather than a time based gain. The below is the adjustment chart I use:



I feel it's applicable to pretty much everyone. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a good starting point to evaluating one's own differences in different conditions. I believe one of the biggest keys of summer training is not trying to beat yourself up having similar paces as you did in the winter/spring. You likely won't simply because of the changes that occur between running the in cold vs heat/humidity. Since I believe pace is more a reflection of relative effort and a physiological response to said effort, then it means if you try and run HM Tempo pace when its a T+D of 163 you'll likely be crushed. Run HM Tempo effort instead and you'll still be hitting the same physiological response. When the T+D falls, so will your pace and you won't have dug yourself a deep hole from which it's really hard to dig out of.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I believe one of the biggest keys of summer training is not trying to beat yourself up having similar paces as you did in the winter/spring.

I'm comparing my runs this year to September of 2017. I wish I had known to chart T+D then. I remember the weather being cooler and less humid that year, but I don't know by how much.

I'm definitely running based on effort, when I do have to push baby girl in her stroller it definitely makes for a slower pace than the days I don't.

My other concern is weight gain. I know I weigh 15lbs over what I did then.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Be careful wearing those shoes in the rain. A lot of runners were complaining they were falling apart in the middle of Boston 2018, but I wonder if that was poor quality control and extreme weather. I ordered 2 pairs of the 4% (for sizing) when they first came out and one pair had the sole glued to the upper!

I hope you get closer to last year's weather and not 2017's!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm comparing my runs this year to September of 2017. I wish I had known to chart T+D then. I remember the weather being cooler and less humid that year, but I don't know by how much.

I'm definitely running based on effort, when I do have to push baby girl in her stroller it definitely makes for a slower pace than the days I don't.

My other concern is weight gain. I know I weigh 15lbs over what I did then.

Weather underground has good historical weather if you want to check a few dates against each other.

Be careful wearing those shoes in the rain. A lot of runners were complaining they were falling apart in the middle of Boston 2018, but I wonder if that was poor quality control and extreme weather. I ordered 2 pairs of the 4% (for sizing) when they first came out and one pair had the sole glued to the upper!

I hope you get closer to last year's weather and not 2017's!

The new Next% were improved upon from the 4%. One of the places they attempted to improve was its ability to handle wet conditions.

 

[SheHulk]

I'm gonna guess slower than I expect because my cumulative is a little under... Is 1:37:10 still available?

 

[DopeyBadger]

DoLittle HM Weather Report: 9 Days to go!

Time to start getting a feeling as to where the weather will be. Historically for DoLittle we're looking at this:

And the current forecast is:



Start at 7am and end at 9am
9/13/19 - T+D of 112-119 (adj of 1%), 53% cloudy, 19% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind
9/14/19 - T+D of 127-132 (adj of 2%), 81% cloudy, 33% chance of rain, 11mph SW wind

Well that changed quick. Looks like I'll be 1-2 days early now. C'mon cool front!

 

[DopeyBadger]

17 Weeks to Go! (Stalag 17) + TrainerRoad High Volume Full Triathlon Plan Week 11/28 + 80 Day Obsession - Phase 3/Week 3



9/9/19 - M - OFF
9/10/19 - T - 80DO-AAA + Hunter (120 min; 121 TSS)
9/11/19 - W - 4 x 1 min @ Max intervals (Run) + Gendarme-3 (45 min; 51 TSS)
9/12/19 - R - Gibralter (105 min; 112 TSS) + 45 min Brick Run at Easy
9/13/19 - F - 80DO-Total Body Core + The Thumb (90 min; 118 TSS)
9/14/19 - Sa - Kailash (285 min; 211 TSS) + 40 min Evening Easy Run
9/15/19 - Su - 150 min Long Run w/ FF + 80DO-CF

Total Run Miles - 30.4 miles
Total Run Time - 4:11 hours
Total Run TSS - 237 TSS

Total Biking Time - 10:45 hours
Total Biking TSS - 613 TSS

Total 80DO Time - 2:50 hours
Total 80DO TSS - 25 TSS

Total Training Time - 17:47 hours (PR)
Total TSS - 875 TSS (PR)

Monday

Off day.

Tuesday

There was a chance Steph was going to have to work late. The football season is in full swing and they're understaffed. So it's been brutal for her. So because of the chance G and I would have to drive back and pick her up (normally we commute together) I had to move my cycling to the morning. The most I can do between getting home from work and leaving to pick her up is 90 min. The scheduled workout was 120 min. So I got up at 3am and was on the bike by 3:30am so I could finish before I had to leave for work.

Cycling: Hunter consists of 3x20-minute intervals at 88-92% FTP with 15-minute recoveries between intervals. RPM was 90. The 88-92% FTP is just a bit faster than Half Ironman bike pacing. Not the easiest thing to do at 3am, but I survived.

Got a text message that afternoon that Steph did not have to stay late at work. A positive (in that she needed the relief) and a negative since I didn't end up needing to wake up at 3am that morning.

80DO-AAA in 3 sets of 10 cycle through each series and then move to the next one.

Series 1: Czech Press, Front Raise, Slider Windshield Wipers, Side Lunge Hold
Series 2: Bridge Pull Over, Camel Bicep Curl, Weighted Twisted Roll Down, Marching Bridge
Series 3: Bridge Bilateral Press, Tricep Kickback in Lunge, Weighted Knee Drops, Curtsy Lunge Pulse


Wednesday

The weather was looking iffy for Wednesday and Thursday's run. So I decided I would wake up at 3:45am and decide whether I would run in the morning or after flag football (if it happened). When I woke up at 3:45 the radar looked mostly clear expect for one small storm that was several miles away. But based on the trajectory it was headed right for Cottage Grove and would essentially guaranteed to happen during the run. I checked lightningmaps.org and confirmed that while it was small it was VERY active. So not something to mess around with. Decided to head out the door and get in what I could.

Morning Run:
Conditions - ☁ Partly Cloudy, Wind 0mph to 1mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 65°F + 65°F; FL - 66°F
End: Temp+Dew = 65°F + 65°F; FL - 66°F

The run didn't last very long. Just 15 min and 1.9 miles. The lightning was obviously in the distance from the get-go. But once I saw a strike over my head (never heard anything), I knew it was time to bail on the workout. Was planning to be progressive with the fast splits so I never really got anywhere with them.

Ended up throwing on some cycling clothes and chose a workout that closely resembled the intent of the running workout. Decided to take it a tad easier on myself.

Cycling Replacement: Gendarme -3 is trimmed down to 2x15-minute sets of 30-second VO2max repeats at 120% FTP. The breaks within the sets of repeats match the work intervals at 30 seconds each and rest between the sets is 5 minutes long. RPM at 100.

G had her second football game that evening and it wasn't rained out. We got some work to do after this one. We got absolutely smoked. Literally only moments after getting in the car after the game was over the sky opened up and just dumped rain. So it didn't end up mattering whether I tried running in the morning or evening as both would have been cut short.


Thursday

Day off from work. First time with the day off when G was in school. So I got to go with her and drop her off at school and then afternoon pick her up.

Cycling: Gibraltar is 105 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 90 minutes between 80-85% FTP. RPM of 91. The %FTP is roughly Half Ironman bike pacing. Nothing to note.

Brick Run (immediately after cycling):
Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 9mph to 9mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 64°F + 63°F; FL - 65°F
End: Temp+Dew = 66°F + 64°F; FL - 65°F

It's starting to come together. This run felt very very easy. 5.5 miles in 45 min (8:25 min/mile) with HR of 132. Completely comfortable throughout.


Friday

80DO-Total Body Core in 3 sets of 10 cycle through each series and then move to the next one.

Series 1: Surrender to Shoulder Press, Quad Ped Crawl, Burpee Sliders
Series 2: Bent Over Row Tap Back, Squat Tabletop Row, Saw on Sliders
Series 3: Modified 1/2 Turkish Push-up, Side Reach Push-up, V Crunch to Scissor Crunch
Series 4: Runner's Lunge Curl, Static Sumo Hammer Curl, Slider Crawl Out
Series 5: Tricep Push up w/ knee tuck, Squat Hold Kickbacks, Weighted Windmills


Cycling: The Thumb is 3 sets of 3x3-minute VO2 Max repeats at 110-120%FTP with an extra 105%'er to kick things off and tack on a few extra TSS points. 4-minute recoveries fall between intervals and sets of intervals. RPM of 95. This was a relatively tough progressive workout. Thankful to have 4 min between reps and not 3 min.


Saturday

Up at 5am and started the bike ride at 6am.

Cycling: Kailash is 4.75 hours of aerobic Endurance riding spent between 65-75% FTP. RPM of 87. The longest ride until 11/23. Overall it was survivable. The %FTP is Ironman bike pacing. Ate a PB sandwich, 2 Nature Valley Bars, and 600 calories of Tailwind. Got a phone call about 1/2 way through the ride from my MIL that we were moving the yard work (aeration, overseeding, and fertilization) to today from 10-2 instead of Sunday. Sunday morning was calling for rain and it would make it difficult to do the work. I was scheduled to be done with the workout at 11am.

So as soon as the bike ride was done, I shoved some food in my face and headed outside for some yard work labor. Did that until about 3:45. Sat on the couch for about 30 min finally. This was my first moment to sit down since 5am. Then immediately after a short break I was starting my prep for running. No rest for me today! Just chalk this day up as Disney practice.

Evening Run:
Conditions - ☀ Clear, Wind 6mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 74°F + 61°F; FL - 75°F
End: Temp+Dew = 73°F + 61°F; FL - 75°F

Surprisingly easy. It's interesting how quickly I shed the biking fatigue. Even with the yard work between my body gave me little to no indication it had even done a workout in the morning. Granted the cycling workout felt strenuous towards the end of the workout itself, but hours later everything felt good again. In total, 4.6 miles in 40 min at 8:37 pace with HR of 133. Solid around.


Sunday

Steph had to leave for work at 10:30am. So I was up at 6am and out the door at 7:15am. The goal was to take it nice and easy, be consistent, and take zero breaks.

Morning Run:
Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 4mph to 4mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 66°F + 62°F; FL - 66°F
End: Temp+Dew = 71°F + 66°F; FL - 66°F

Temps are starting to swing back upwards. Overall the run felt comfortable as desired. I had 80g carb from SIS Beta right before heading out the door, then 3 x 25g carb shots from Tailwind, and an E-Gel during the run. The Tailwind was every 45 min. The E-Gel was at 1:15. I had a Justin's PB packet and planned to try it at 2:10, but it wasn't pre-cut so I couldn't get it open. Overall, the pace was consistent as well when evaluated by GAP:



Most miles other than the Fast Finish were in a very tight window, and the two outliers (8:10 and 8:15) were when I stopped for a second to pick up and drop off my water bottle. Then the fast finish went fine. Not sure I could/wanted to pick the pace up much more than that.

Overall, 18.5 miles in 150 min at 8:07 pace and HR of 135. Historically, my HR for a long run is 142. So I successfully took this run extra easy. I also took zero breaks as desired. So all in all this run was a success.

80DO Cardio Flow Phase 3 to wrap up the evening.

Huzzah! That wraps up the 3rd highest week of the training plan (17:47 hours) and 875 TSS. Both of which are a duration and TSS PR. Overall, I'm feeling relatively healthy. My left ankle is bothering me a touch, but nothing like last year. But the glute, hamstrings, knees are all feeling great. Feeling in pretty good shape for next week's HM. Then we move into Phase 2 of the training (Build) where we finally start adding in some substance running. Time for a nice and easy week to prepare for the race!

 

[DopeyBadger]

DoLittle HM Weather Report: 7 Days to go!

Time to start getting a feeling as to where the weather will be. Historically for DoLittle we're looking at this:

And the current forecast is:




Start at 7am and end at 9am
9/13/19 - T+D of 112-119 (adj of 1%), 53% cloudy, 19% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind
9/14/19 - T+D of 127-132 (adj of 2%), 81% cloudy, 33% chance of rain, 11mph SW wind
9/16/19 - T+D of 128-131 (adj of 2%), 82% cloudy, 37% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind

Well that changed quick. Looks like I'll be 1-2 days early now. C'mon cool front! Still holding out hope for Monday morning with a T+D of 108 instead.

 

[DopeyBadger]

DoLittle HM Weather Report: 6 Days to go!

Time to start getting a feeling as to where the weather will be. Historically for DoLittle we're looking at this:

And the current forecast is:




Start at 7am and end at 9am
9/13/19 - T+D of 112-119 (adj of 1%), 53% cloudy, 19% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind
9/14/19 - T+D of 127-132 (adj of 2%), 81% cloudy, 33% chance of rain, 11mph SW wind
9/16/19 - T+D of 128-131 (adj of 2%), 82% cloudy, 37% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind
9/17/19 - T+D of 126-129 (adj of 2%), 93% cloudy, 43% chance of rain, 8mph SW wind

The temp predictions is falling slightly, but the chance of rain/storms is slowly increasing. Thankfully this race has a marathon and the course is open until 1pm. So unless we get terrible luck, I'd say the HM has a good chance of being completed in full.

 

[DopeyBadger]

In other news, the aid station list was released and the HM will have 6 total. The beauty of an out and back is the race can have 3 aid stations that we hit twice. My water consumption rate in training thus far has been 17oz in a bolus dose every 30-34 min. So in a normal training run lasting 90 min, I would hit my own personal aid station twice (30-34 and 60-68 min). So a total of 34 oz during the race. With 6 aid stations and the usual 3oz per cup, I will need to aim to grab at least 2 cups per aid station at a minimum to maintain my normal consumption pattern.

The other item to note is everyone around me is sick. Seems like the whole city is... Steph's had it for over a week and is just getting healthy. Gigi has just started getting worse the last few days. I'm just trying to hold on, but so far I'm still good.

 

[steph0808]

Did I miss my chance to guess? Sometimes my notifications on here are whacky, and I just came over to see what was new on your thread and I missed two pages!

If I'm not too late, then I guess 1:39:47.

If I'm too late, just ignore me.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Did I miss my chance to guess? Sometimes my notifications on here are whacky, and I just came over to see what was new on your thread and I missed two pages!

If I'm not too late, then I guess 1:39:47.

If I'm too late, just ignore me.

Not too late. The deadline is Friday morning.

 

[steph0808]

4) While I'm on average about 5-10 pounds heavier during these TrainerRoad cycles than previous run training cycles, the absolute VO2max values definitely show that the training is working from a fitness/efficiency evaluation standpoint. It is not clear whether dropping additional weight would yield a better outcome because it stands to reason that my current weight is keeping me healthy.

I have come to a similar conclusion. This year, I am about 6-8 pounds heavier than I usually am. And while I blame my ice cream intake, I also realize that I am running better/faster than before. So, I am unsure if weight loss would lead to faster times or if it would lead my body toward breakdown.

 

[garneska]

@DopeyBadger i hope you stay away from the sickness. Speaking of sick, last night was rough. I know it is just a cold, no flu, but i have some serious head congestion. Thankfully all staying above the neck. I did do my run this morning since it was EA, I did use the treadmill in case i really could not hang for 5 miles. It was easy pace so i was ok. My concern is tomorrow. It is speed. I am not sure I will have it in me, or if it is a good idea to push the body. Thankfully very early in the training cycle. Do you think i should adjust tomorrw? Maybe 5 or 6 miles at EB? Thoughts?

 

[DopeyBadger]

@DopeyBadger i hope you stay away from the sickness. Speaking of sick, last night was rough. I know it is just a cold, no flu, but i have some serious head congestion. Thankfully all staying above the neck. I did do my run this morning since it was EA, I did use the treadmill in case i really could not hang for 5 miles. It was easy pace so i was ok. My concern is tomorrow. It is speed. I am not sure I will have it in me, or if it is a good idea to push the body. Thankfully very early in the training cycle. Do you think i should adjust tomorrw? Maybe 5 or 6 miles at EB? Thoughts?

Just take it nice and easy. As long as it feels easy, and you're getting in something, you'll be ok in the long term. No point in grinding one out this early in the plan, and since the first three Rs were progressive (8x200, 10x200, and then 12x200) you'll lose little prep to jump from 0 to 10 instead of 0 to 8. Even for all of these first Rs they stay under the maximal R workout duration based on the rest of the week's training.

 

[garneska]

thanks. That is what i thought. i will keep it easy this week. Hoping last night was the worst and now it will get better. unfortunately traveling for work but I will be home tomorrow at dinner.