June 2, 2012

May 2012

Running

Remember how I said April was my highest mileage month in over 10 years? Well, I ran 20 miles farther in May. And I really only did one long run. I did a number of shorter races (5K, 10K, sprint triathlon), with good results in each. I've built up a level of base aerobic fitness I haven't seen since college. I can run at a faster pace with a lower heart rate than at any time in the past 15 years. Of course, I do quite a bit of my training at a slow pace, which is one of the keys to such aerobic fitness.

Now I just need to avoid injury and burnout. I'm planning very deliberately to step back my mileage in June. After six hard races (nine if you count the three practice crits) in the past three weeks I'm ready to rest a bit.

IMG 0752

Additionally, I've fully acclimated to the summer heat earlier than ever before. I regularly run in 85˚-90˚F temperatures with sun blazing overhead and I think nothing of it. I used to do whatever I could to avoid that kind of nasty weather. Two minor changes have played a big role here.

  • I wear a visor instead of a hat, and I keep my hair cut super short (shaving it with a razor every couple of weeks).
  • I run without a shirt.
I never would have believed how much of a difference these two changes could make if someone had told me. I've mentioned over and over again that I run hot. I sweat more anybody I've ever met. Having more of that sweat evaporate in the breeze than soak in my shirt and hat cools me down like never before. The one downside is the increased risk of sunburn, but I can take preventative measures to avoid that.

MonthDistance# WorkoutsAvg per Workout
January78.06 Mile98.67333 Mile
February75.2586 Mile98.36206 Mile
March126.15 Mile149.01071 Mile
April146.28 Mile169.1425 Mile
May166.75 Mile189.26389 Mile
Total592.499 Mile668.97725 Mile

Running 2012 5


Cycling

IMG 0735

My cycling continues to be hit or miss. All the additional time I've devoted to running lately has had to come from somewhere, and this is where. It's not all negative, though, as my improved base aerobic fitness has actually applied equally to cycling as it has running. Additionally, racing makes for pretty decent training, and I've raced a fair amount lately (3 practice crits, 2 practice TTs, 2 crits, 2 tris). Somehow I've still managed to set a personal best average speed in both of my triathlons this year.

BikeDistance# RidesAvg per Ride
Bianchi11. Mile33.66667 Mile
El Fuego6.73 Mile16.73 Mile
Lynskey53.9674 Mile413.4919 Mile
Pocket Rocket17.1 Mile44.275 Mile
Thundercougarfalconbird226.05 Mile1022.605 Mile
Total314.847 Mile2214.3112 Mile

MonthDistance# WorkoutsAvg per Workout
January25.33 Mile212.665 Mile
February40.08 Mile313.36 Mile
March213.43 Mile2010.6715 Mile
April253.27 Mile2311.0117 Mile
May322.147 Mile2413.4228 Mile
Total854.257 Mile7211.8647 Mile

Cycling 2012 5


Swimming

It feels good to have a swimming section in these posts again. As you can see from the chart my numbers are modest, but it's a good start. I always find it remarkable how quickly swimming comes back to me. Before I ever started swimming I always assumed success in the sport was solely the result of super strong, highly specialized muscles (that I don't have), when in reality it's almost entirely technique. I'm certainly not suggesting my technique is perfect (far from it), but simply remembering the technique does allow me to pick right back up (almost) where I left off.

MonthDistance# WorkoutsAvg per Workout
January000
February000
March000
April1750. Yard2875. Yard
May8050. Yard71150. Yard
Total9800. Yard91088.89 Yard

Swimming 2012 5


Walking

More running also means less walking, but I'm still getting in a few miles on most days. It took me a while to fully realize this, but walking may just be one of the keys to my recent success. It helps build base aerobic fitness (super low intensity), while working similar muscles to running, all with near-zero risk of injury. In fact, when my legs are sore I always feel significantly better after walking a few miles.

MonthDistance# WorkoutsAvg per Workout
January51.53 Mile163.22063 Mile
February42.92 Mile182.38444 Mile
March41.15 Mile142.93929 Mile
April31.89 Mile122.6575 Mile
May37.5107 Mile132.88544 Mile
Total205.001 Mile732.80823 Mile

Walking 2012 5