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

[DopeyBadger]

Just starting to follow! Wow what a journey you have been on! Half of your abbreviations I don't even understand when you explain your workouts, ha ha! I loved reading all your goals!

Thanks for reading! I went through and found all the abbreviations in the last update.

80DO-AAA

80 Day Obsessions Arms, Abs, and *ss. It's a Beach Body workout that I do on a weekly basis.

TSS

Total Stress Score. It's a way to numerically place a value on a workout to account for how much volume and intensity it had. There's a summation calculation that the Strava Elevate program uses (it's free) that turns how long you did a workout for, and at what % of your heart rate you were working at over an extended period of time. It's not a perfect system, but it is useful in tracking overall training load during a training cycle.

LT to HM Tempo

Lactate Threshold to Half Marathon Tempo. The Lactate Threshold is the theoretical pace at which there is an inflection point in the accumulation of lactate in the body. In general, it occurs around a pace that you could maximally hold for 60 min. Once you cross the Lactate Threshold you are accumulating fatigue by-products at a faster rate than your body can clear them.

80DO-Total Body Core

Another 80 Day Obsession workout. Sometimes abbreviated TBC for Total Body Core.

120% FTP

Functional Threshold Power. A similar concept to lactate threshold for running, functional threshold power represents the wattage you could in theory hold for 60 min or also represents the lactate inflection point. It's a very useful value from which you can calculate %s to work at that work different physiological systems (not unlike running). So 120% in this workout represents a physiological point called VO2max. Something like an 80% FTP would be a wattage I could hold for a half ironman bike leg (56 miles). But these are in "theory" because there's more to running and biking than someone's lactate threshold inflection point.

Eureka! The Quintessential Running Post

RPM at 92

Rotations per minute on the bike. Like cadence in running.

GAP

Grade adjusted pacing. A value calculated by Strava which takes into account the % grade of your running route and for how long you ran up/down the grade. So let's say the goal was an 8:00 min/mile. If you have three miles of which have a 100 foot incline, 100 foot decline, and 0 foot (perfectly flat), then they would not all take the same effort to run an 8:00 min/mile. The uphill would be the hardest, the flat the middle, and the downhill the easiest. Grade adjusted pacing takes into account these elevation changes to calculate an "in theory" pace for what it would have been on flat ground. So if you were to in theory hold the same effort level through all three miles, then the GAP should be roughly static. If you instead held the same pace through all three miles, then your GAP would vary wildly because it would take different effort levels to run each. Since you body physiologically responds to efforts and not necessarily pace, then the GAP is a useful tool in assessing appropriate pacing in non-flat conditions.

Lateral Bear Crawl with RL

RL is a resistance loop. A tool used during 80 Day Obsession.

HR of 136

Heart Rate

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask questions if you've got them.

 

[TheHamm]

Total Stress Score. It's a way to numerically place a value on a workout to account for how much volume and intensity it had. There's a summation calculation that the Strava Elevate program uses (it's free) that turns how long you did a workout for, and at what % of your heart rate you were working at over an extended period of time. It's not a perfect system, but it is useful in tracking overall training load during a training cycle.

To clarify, Strava has the paid add on of Summit, which is not what you are taking about, right? Strava Elevate is the web extension, and not a part of Strava?

 

[DopeyBadger]

To clarify, Strava has the paid add on of Summit, which is not what you are taking about, right? Strava Elevate is the web extension, and not a part of Strava?

Correct. Elevate (formally Stravistix) is a google chrome plug-in that is free, is unaffiliated with Strava, but can import the data from it to generate the TSS/HRSS information. Strava Summit is something that Strava created after Stravistix became available (to my knowledge). I've never used Summit so I don't know if it has additional capabilities beyond Elevate. My understanding is that both use the formulas developed by Andrew Coggan which TrainingPeaks is the first program I'm aware of that was using that data. Originally TSS was developed with cycling in mind. It's been shoe-horned into use with running as well and I think there are some pros and cons to that. I think it's important to look at TSS from running and cycling separately and together to get the total picture.

 

[DopeyBadger]

11 Weeks to Go! (Ocean's Eleven) + TrainerRoad High Volume Full Triathlon Plan Week 17/28 + 80 Day Obsession - Phase 1/Week 3

10/21/19 - M - OFF
10/22/19 - T - 80DO-AAA + Jacks+1 (75 min; 95 TSS)
10/23/19 - W - 4 x 3 min @ 3k pace (Run)
10/24/19 - R - Gibralter (105 min; 111 TSS) + 45 min Brick Run at HM Tempo
10/25/19 - F - 80DO-Total Body Core + Pettit (60 min; 39 TSS)
10/26/19 - Sa - Kailash (285 min; 210 TSS) + 45 min Evening Run at Easy
10/27/19 - Su - 160 min LR w/ FF (Run) + 80DO-CF

Total Run Miles - 38.2 miles
Total Run Time - 4:56 hours
Total Run TSS - 332 TSS

Total Biking Time - 8:45 hours
Total Biking TSS - 455 TSS

Total 80DO Time - 2:24 hours
Total 80DO TSS - 24 TSS

Total Training Time - 16:05 hours
Total TSS - 811 TSS


Monday

Off day.

We had G's last flag football game and the kid's had a blast. G is definitely interested in playing again next year. On the trip to the car, I suddenly felt like I couldn't walk anymore. Everything just got super tight and I was walking like I was 90 years old. I did some serious stretching when I got back to the house. Had to drive to pick Steph up from work that night. Things were ok when I got back home. But something definitely didn't feel right.

Tuesday

I still had this odd body wise pain, but it was to a much lesser extent. I was able to complete the workout and things improved throughout the day.

80DO-AAA in 3 sets of 10 through each series before moving to the next.

1 - Upright Row, Bent over Fly, Frog Sliders, Glute Bridge w/Loop
2 - Push-up, Skull Crusher, Weighted ab sit-up, Quad Ped Heel Press
3 - Bent Over Row, Hammer Curl, Knee Tuck, Fire Hydrant


Cycling: Jacks +1 is 4x8-minute intervals at 105% FTP with 4-minute recoveries between intervals. RPM at 93. So similar to over/unders, but only the overs. Known as suprathreshold workouts. I prefer these over the over/unders because of the slightly shorter duration (8 min vs 16 min intervals).


Wednesday


Evening Run:
Conditions - Clear, Wind 8mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 31°F; FL - 33°F
End: Temp+Dew = 40°F + 31°F; FL - 33°F

The first Daniels I (3k pace) workout of the training plan. This was a 4 x 3 min at 3k with 3 min resting intervals. Essentially, 3k pace is one of the hardest endurance paces to hold for an extended period of time. Every second over 2 min of I pace is when you're directly working on improving VO2max.



Average GAP was a 6:02 min/mile which I think is my 2nd fastest Daniels I, but about 5-10 seconds per mile slower than where I want to be. I think on the attempt next week I'm not going to pace myself and hold back. I'm just going to attack the interval from the first second.



Thursday

Cycling: Gibraltar is 105 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 90 minutes between 80-85% FTP. RPM of 87. Definitely felt better at this Half Ironman bike paced workout then the last two.

Brick Run:
Conditions - Clear, Wind 7mph to 7mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 35°F; FL - 38°F
End: Temp+Dew = 44°F + 36°F; FL - 38°F

Transition = 8 min




Legs were feeling the bike leg portion right from the start. A 45 min HM Tempo workout is aggressive. The max I normally do is 60 min. So 45 min + having a bike leg portion prior seemed like a super tough workout. Hint, it was. I tried to hold on to 6:44 pace as best as possible, but mile 2 and 3 were probably about it from the legs. I was able to hold on to a slightly slower pace for the remainder of the workout and keep from fading too aggressively.

Friday

80DO-Total Body Core. It was a 3 x 10 through each series before moving to the next.

Shoulders: Squat Rotating Press, Lateral Bear Crawl with RL, Spider Loops with RL
Back: Bent over Row, One Hand Renegade Row with RL, Boat Pose Lat Pull with RL
Chest: Push-up Leg lift with RL, Chest Fly with Leg Lift with RL, Side V Loop Kicks with RL
Biceps: Staggered Stance Bicep Curl, C-Curve Crunch w/ weights at 90d, Side Knee Plank Pull with RL
Triceps: Tricep Kickbacks, Single-Arm Extension Loop, Tricep push up

Cycling: Pettit is an hour of aerobic Endurance work spent between 60-70% FTP. RPM at 91.


Saturday

Cycling: Kailash is 4.75 hours of aerobic Endurance riding spent between 65-75% FTP. RPM at 87. Matches the longest ride on the indoor trainer to date.

Evening Run:
Conditions - Clear, Wind 7mph to 7mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 34°F; FL - 44°F
End: Temp+Dew = 47°F + 34°F; FL - 44°F

A nice and easy run. It was only about 3 hours after the cycling was finished. But I survived. The HR was a little higher than expected. All in all 5.6 miles in 45 min (8:03 min/mile) with HR of 137. I finished this one thinking I really screwed myself over going too fast.

Sunday

Run:
Conditions - Clear, Wind 4mph to 4mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 35°F; FL - 33°F
End: Temp+Dew = 43°F + 39°F; FL - 33°F

40 degrees is usually my cutoff between tanktop and long sleeve. The temp towards the end of the run would go over 40 degrees. So I decided to suffer through a bit of the cold for the end of the run. I wasn't sure what my body would give me this morning. I used the same nutrition strategy as the last long run (and the intended strategy for the marathon). A SIS Beta to start (or Maurten 320 on race day), then concentrated Tailwind at 45/1:45, caffienated Maurten at 60, non-caff Maurten at 2hr, and Egel at 75/2:15hrs.



Overall a fairly good run. Almost from the first moment I was tired. But I was able to hold on. At 45 min I tried to use my hands to open the concentrated tailwind bottle and it spilled all over my gloves. So note to self, must use teeth on that. Around 10 miles I was really started to feel better and in a groove. But towards the end of the run around mile 18-19 was when things started to get tougher. Then once I reached the last 10 min I switched over to a fast finish. Looks like I was able to get down to about a 7:10-7:20 pace. I can live with that. All in all 20.8 miles in 160 min (7:43 min/mile pace with 7:37 min/mile GAP) at HR of 138.

Officially this run goes down as the longest distance training run as I've ever done (20.8 miles) and the longest duration training run since April 2015 (20 miles in 3:15 hrs). The HR for that run was 146 for a pace of a 9:42 min/mile vs today's run at 138 for a pace of 7:43. I've come a long way in 4.5 years.

A sore and tired 80DO-Cardio Flow to close out the week!

Next week is another good one. A 5 x 3 min I workout, a ridiculous 35 min sustained at LT to HM Tempo, a 2.5 cycle at Ironman Bike pace + 60 min M Tempo workout, and thankfully a 90 min LR. Then the following week is the "A" HM of the training cycle (Madison HM).

One thing I learned this week is that Marathon Taper Madness starts around 3 weeks till race day. When you use an Ironman training plan the taper madness starts at like 11-12 weeks... Every single moment feels like it could be my last...

 

[FredtheDuck]

I’ve been away forever but have been following your Strava updates - I was so excited to see that 20 mile run - figured it meant great things were underway. Still catching up, but thrilled to see what you’re training for! Also loved your HM recap - big mental victory there!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I’ve been away forever but have been following your Strava updates - I was so excited to see that 20 mile run - figured it meant great things were underway. Still catching up, but thrilled to see what you’re training for! Also loved your HM recap - big mental victory there!

Howdy stranger! Hope everything is going well. The pieces are coming together and I'm just trying to hold all the pieces together with duct tape and bubblegum.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Madison HM Weather: 10 days to go!

Seems like it wasn't even that long ago since the DoLittle HM and Haunted Hustle occurred, but here we are gearing up for the next one.




Start at 7am and end at 9am
11/1/19 - WC of 19-22, 76% cloudy, 15% chance of snow, 8mph W wind

And from one race's T+D to the next's WC (wind chill). We've officially moved into winter here in WI a few months early. Set a record with 5 inches of snow in October 2019. So when I originally scheduled this race it wasn't even really a consideration to think it might snow. But here we are with a currently 15% chance of it. At least the WC is higher than earlier in the week (freaking 8?!? in early November, like really...). It will interesting to watch this forecast change over the next 1.5 weeks.

 

[disneygpa]

It's positively balmy in the PNW compared to your neck of the woods!! I've been whining about running in the upper 40's!! I'm not ready for winter!

 

[DopeyBadger]

2019 DopeyBadger Racing Season Prediction Contest - Race #5 (Madison HM)

Alright posters and lurkers, let's play a prediction game! It's one of my favorite things to do pre-race. It's also something I do with everyone else on their training plans. Go through the process on deciding race day goals and pacing strategies all based around a possible finish time. I want to hear from everyone.

But here's the twist this time around- It's going to be a season long contest. I'll explain more below.

Spoiler: Rules Rehash

Please don't be concerned that your time prediction will have much of an impact on my chances. I could run really well, or I could crash and burn. Anything is possible. Here are some rules:

1) Predictions must be made after this post either in this journal, to me verbally, or on my Strava account.
2) Only one prediction per person per race/TT.
3) Predictions must be in by 48 hours prior to the race or time trial.
4) Predictions can be as close as you like to another person’s guess. So, if someone says 3:45:00, you can guess 3:45:01, or the same time (3:45:00).
5) A prediction must be in time. Thus, a guess of "you'll do your best" or something similar is appreciated but not valid.
6) In the event I don't finish, the race is cancelled, or I don't have an official time (unless pre-decided otherwise), then there will be no time recorded for that race.
7) The winner receives a mystery item via email.
8) An important one - To be eligible to win, a person must predict in at least one half marathon race and the 2020 Disney marathon.

I reserve the right to change these rules however I see fit, as after all, this is for fun.

How to play?

Simple explantation

You choose how fast you think I'll run a race when we're about a week out from the race itself. Don't worry I'll remind you.

Longer explantation on how it'll work

-You choose how fast you think I'll run a race when we're about a week out from the race itself.
-Whatever the difference is (negative or positive) from my official time to your prediction is your rolling value from one race to the next.

For example, let's say you predict I will run a 25:00 min 5k. And I run a 26:45 min 5k. Your difference from that race is a -1:45. You predicted my time too fast (thus negative) by 1:45.

As a different example, let's say you predict I will run a 25:00 min 5k. And I run a 24:30 min 5k. Your difference from that race is a +30 seconds. You predicted my time too slow (thus positive) by 30 sec.

The goal is to be the person closest to 0:00 at the end of the season. So if you were -30 seconds on the 5k, then maybe on the next race you'll want to guess 30 seconds slower than you actually think I'll run to try and get back to 0:00.

-You do not have to participate in every race to be eligible to win at the end. You are only required to play in at least one half marathon game and the 2020 Disney Marathon.
-But to incentivize you to predict in more races, for every race you play in above and beyond the required minimum of a HM and the M, you get a bonus 15 seconds. That means if someone plays in 6 total races (HM, M and 4 other races), then they'll get 60 bonus seconds (15*4) off their final time when the game is over. The bonus will not be applied until after the Disney Marathon. The bonus will not hurt you. So if you have 60 second bonus time, and you end with a +/- 45 second final score, then you end with 0:00 as your final adjusted score.

In the event of a tie, then the bonuses will be removed from each of the tied players to the unadjusted final score. Whomever is closer to 0:00, will be the winner. In the event, that after removal of bonuses the unadjusted values are still tied, then it will be decided by some game decided by Gigi at a later point.

Current Race Schedule

This may or may not change based on how the 2019 season plays out.

4/12/2019 - One Mile Time Trial *Has occurred
5/25/2019 - Brat Fest 5k *Has occurred
9/22/2019 - DoLittle HM *Has occurred
10/20/2019 - Haunted Hustle HM *Has occurred
11/10/2019 - Madison HM (This is the race we're guessing on)
1/12/2020 - Disney Marathon

Since to be eligible to win at the end, you're required to play in at least one HM this is your last chance!. So keep that in mind if you're strategically selecting races along the way as you must have played in at least one prior HM (DoLittle or Haunted Hustle) or you must play in this one to be eligible to win.

This schedule is based on me not getting injured between now and Disney. I'll do what is in my best interest when it comes down to the race.

*****

Madison HM!

Now ladies and gents, the real fun begins. This is the litmus test of the training plan. In order to really have a good feeling about what I can do in Disney, I need to prove it in this race. It's not the end all be all (as no one race ever defines you or the training plan), but it's as close as it gets. Honestly, if the goal is to run a sub-3 in Disney, then realistically I need to have a sub-90 min HM PR. Otherwise, Disney would have to be a truly epic experience. So with that being said, I'm ready to suffer and push down deep into the well on this one and give 100%.

Elevation wise, I'm looking at this:



*Pulled this from another runner's Strava account.

It's mostly the second half of this race although the marathon and half marathon do diverge a little bit.

In total, about 500-525 feet elevation gain throughout is my guess. So about 38-40 feet per mile. As a reference, my normal 4 mile loop training run is about 37 feet per mile. So this will be fairly similar. Although in this race the bulk of the elevation gain appears to occur in miles 6-7, 8-9, and 12 to finish per GAP. From a GAP perspective, the other runner had a -6 seconds per mile (or this course costs you about 1:14 from a flat run).

The goal here is to race my heart out. I'll do the same as I did the last two times, and take into account the GAP of each mile in pacing window decisions. Thus, I'll be watching pace again for this race for more practice with this GAP window methodology. Today, my Garmin VO2max sits at 58. Ever since I've had reliable Garmin VO2max values, I've had a few races at sub-100 T+D (and in this case we're working in the WC region). The relationship between performance and Garmin value has been a delta of 6.6 (5k), 6.7 (5k), 6.0 (M), 8.5 (5k), 5.9 (Dop 10k), 7.4 (Dop HM), and 9.6 (Dop M). So I'd say the reasonable range is a delta between 6-8. So with a VO2max of 58, that's a VDOT of 50-52. A VDOT of 50 is a 1:31:37 and of 52 is a 1:28:30. My Dopey HM in 2018 of 1:30:35 stands as my current PR and was also done when my current VO2max output was 58. So honestly, anything between a 1:27:00 - 1:33:00 is reasonable. With me going at 100% effort, it means the risk of blowing up is higher than most any race. But I'll be doing my best to watch those paces and stay within the GAP range.

The one caveat to all of that information is that the Garmin VO2max is solely based on me running in non-Next% shoes. The last time I ran in them was October 5th for a Brick 60 min M Tempo. On that run, I ran a 8.5 mile 7:08 pace (7:03 GAP) with a HR below normal M Tempo (it was 146 vs normal of 148). That run subsequently gave me a VO2max of 59. It was only that run and the one that followed where it was 59 and since then has been 58.

Health wise, I'm feeling as good as one can expect in the back half of a "high volume" Ironman training plan. I'm tired and sore, but still able to accomplish most everything I set out to do. I did tweak the plan a bit for this race and swapped weeks out. Technically this race should have occurred during the week of 11/11 when it's a down week (whereas next week is to be another peak). So I swapped next week with some of the down week activities. So this run will be close to a full taper but not completely there.

So as a reminder, the goal is to have a season ending score of 0:00. Here are the current standings:




So for example, let's use @SarahDisney as an example. She currently has predicted +298 seconds (too slow) based on the prior races. Let's say Sarah actually thinks I'll run a 1:30:00 HM at Madison. Since she's currently sitting at +298, then she would actually want to guess a 1:25:02 (1:30:00 - 298 seconds) if she believes I'll run a 1:30:00 flat. This will cancel out the amount of time off she was from the other two races and get her back to zero.

Players with a (-) number in the cumulative time off column want to guess a time slower than they actually think I will run. Players with a (+) number in the cumulative time off column want to guess a time faster than they actually think I will run.

Also, being that this game was designed as a season long does not exclude one from jumping in late. You could have not played in the first four races and yet want to start playing now, and that's perfectly fine. Additionally, you could have played in the first four races and yet want to sit out on the Madison HM prediction. That's fine too. But as a reminder, anyone who plays in not their first HM prediction (which one HM is required) earns a 15 second bonus on their final time guess at the end of the game for each race played. Everyone but the last player listed are eligible for a bonus if they guess in this race. But remember, you must play at least one HM race to be eligible to win at the end. So the last player listed must participate in the Madison HM to be eligible to win at the end. You can always ask questions if you're confused about this (also see the rules section under the spoiler tag).

Everyone has until 48 hours prior to the race to get their prediction in. So your guess is due by Friday, November 8th at 7am.

Current Guesses

1:21:16 - Gigi
1:24:00 - @Chaitali
1:24:42 - @TheHamm
1:24:59 - @TeeterTots
1:25:13 - @KSellers88
1:25:28 - @Mumof4mice
1:25:56 - @steph0808
1:26:00 - @bovie
1:26:00 - Steph
1:26:14 - @roxymama
1:26:17 - @SarahDisney
1:26:30 - @lhermiston
1:26:32 - @Jules76126
1:26:50 - Me
1:27:15 - @JAMIESMITH
1:27:27 - @SheHulk
1:27:48 - @disneygpa
1:28:08 - @PkbaughAR
1:28:08 - @Sleepless Knight
1:28:26 - @mrsg00fy
1:29:38 - @MissLiss279
1:29:47 - @DisMatt0483
1:29:50 - @michigandergirl
1:30:42 - @FFigawi
1:33:25 - @surfde22
1:34:52 - @canglim52
1:36:46 - @DerTobi75

Passing




Yet to submit
@tigger536
@flav
@cburnett11
@QueenFernando
@ZellyB

Best of Luck!

 

[DopeyBadger]

It's positively balmy in the PNW compared to your neck of the woods!! I've been whining about running in the upper 40's!! I'm not ready for winter!

Not ready here either...

 

[canglim52]

1:34:52

 

[MissLiss279]

1:29:38

 

[lhermiston]

1:26:30

 

[JAMIESMITH]

1:27:15 Have a great race!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Madison HM Weather: 9 days to go!




Start at 7am and end at 9am
11/1/19 - WC of 19-22, 76% cloudy, 15% chance of snow, 8mph W wind
11/2/19 - WC of 21-23, 79% cloudy, 17% chance of snow, 11mph W wind

One of the big concerns with racing in Madison is always the wind. Looks like there might be a chance it picks up for the race. The Isthmus creates this sort of wind tunnel.

 

[DopeyBadger]

In other late breaking news that might be relevant to guesses, did 2.5 hrs of Ironman bike leg pacing + a 60 min Brick run at M Tempo. Was able to hold a 7:06 pace and 7:02 GAP for 8.25 miles. The Garmin VO2max increased to 59 again, although this time without the Next% shoes.

 

[mrsg00fy]

1:28:26

 

[DopeyBadger]

Madison HM Weather: 8 days to go!




Start at 7am and end at 9am
11/1/19 - WC of 19-22, 76% cloudy, 15% chance of snow, 8mph W wind
11/2/19 - WC of 21-23, 79% cloudy, 17% chance of snow, 11mph W wind
11/3/19 - WC of 25-27, 68% cloudy, 15% chance of snow, 6mph W wind

Officially into shorts and tank top weather! Exciting!

 

[SheHulk]

1:27:27

 

[PkbaughAR]

1:28:08