HERE YOU ARE MOM :)
Update from the wonderful world of the Boulder bubble. Such an amazing place, with some ADD weather to boot. The last few days it has threatened to rain, but always seems to roll right around and leave it dry. Not too bad in my eyes for training, as it has been full training mode. But I am hearing from everyone that the fire risk is going to be so great this summer, so if it rains every night I won't complain in order to reduce that risk.
5 weeks out from the Kansas City 5150 race. Training is going awesome, and put in the biggest week of the season last week. Finished it off with a good Saturday and Sunday of training, a group ride Saturday and my longest run to date on Sunday.
Highlights include:
1. First Thursday long swim with the RACE team. Short story short, LONG SWIMS and LITTLE REST = extremely tired.
2. First track(Brick) workout: Set up bike on trainer at track, suffer on that, then run fast on the track.
3. First long run where I made it over 13.1miles (half-Ironman). Was awesome, felt great, and had that ADD weather. One minute it was 80 degrees and sun, the next probably 50 and was getting sleeted on, then some rain, then sunny and hot again!
Weekly total include:
20.5 hours, 1115TSS, 14,000kj's
Swim: 9.83 (16,200yds)
Bike: 145miles
Run: 29.5
Work has really been picking up, with coaching, but most of all, with the motopacing. I am now Boulder's finest motopacer :) It has been great, many members of the Optum Pro Cycling Team have been in town for a training camp and have often called upon FasCat for some fast paced thrash fests behind the scooter. Awesome to get to meet and chat with the guys racing in the big races!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
News From the 303
Hey everyone, been quite busy and haven't been able to do much blogging lately.
Busy = awesome news to hear in the coaching/physiology industry! Many clients are placing their cycling abilities and performances in the hands of FasCat this spring, and it seems to be paying off well! Many of the FasCat athletes are having good success with their early races, especially the CU Collegiate Men and Woman's teams! With many athletes having their physiological parameters set for the early part of the season, the exercise physiology lab has been a bit quite as of late. Time is made up for by continuing to work and provide the best customer service to my athletes! Some other cool things may be stirring out of the company, but I won't touch on those yet! Hope to have some cool scientific news in a few weeks!
But enough for work right? Play time update!!!
Still training quite a bit, actually more than I ever could while in school. Last week I touched on 20hours!!! It was awesome, and I can feel the fitness coming as I am about 6 weeks out from my first race of the year in Kansas City May 19th. Been getting similar sensations in the water that I had when swimming at Luther, so that is a good thing. The stroke and power are coming around and starting to see some good splits in the pool. Had the biggest week of the year on the bike last week, and capped it off with my first experience up to Peak to Peak Highway. This highway runs North/South from Estes Park to BlackHawk, and is considered one of the best picture spots on the front range. Sitting around 9000ft, it is very close to the tree-line and you can see snow-capped mountains all around. Go figure, I forgot to take pictures as I was struggling to keep with pros Allen Gardner and Kyle Leto that day. Running is one thing I never thought would feel good, but it is starting to feel easier and easier every day!!! Put in some good speed work at the track this past week and also a great long run this morning.
Actually tried my luck at racing road bikes here in Colorado yesterday at the famous Boulder Rouabix. It is 50/5o dirt and paved roads. But the dirt roads out here are packed pretty much as hard as any highway. I was feeling great, but go figure, I flatted during the first lap and was done. Went home, swapped wheels and did some climbing instead!
Weekly totals for the past 2 weeks!!!
3/27 - 4/2 4/3-4/9
Hours: 20.5 18.75
Swim: 12.54 (20,700yds) 11.62(19,177yards)
Bike: 150 172.97
Run: 22.07 22.62
Until next time!
Busy = awesome news to hear in the coaching/physiology industry! Many clients are placing their cycling abilities and performances in the hands of FasCat this spring, and it seems to be paying off well! Many of the FasCat athletes are having good success with their early races, especially the CU Collegiate Men and Woman's teams! With many athletes having their physiological parameters set for the early part of the season, the exercise physiology lab has been a bit quite as of late. Time is made up for by continuing to work and provide the best customer service to my athletes! Some other cool things may be stirring out of the company, but I won't touch on those yet! Hope to have some cool scientific news in a few weeks!
But enough for work right? Play time update!!!
Still training quite a bit, actually more than I ever could while in school. Last week I touched on 20hours!!! It was awesome, and I can feel the fitness coming as I am about 6 weeks out from my first race of the year in Kansas City May 19th. Been getting similar sensations in the water that I had when swimming at Luther, so that is a good thing. The stroke and power are coming around and starting to see some good splits in the pool. Had the biggest week of the year on the bike last week, and capped it off with my first experience up to Peak to Peak Highway. This highway runs North/South from Estes Park to BlackHawk, and is considered one of the best picture spots on the front range. Sitting around 9000ft, it is very close to the tree-line and you can see snow-capped mountains all around. Go figure, I forgot to take pictures as I was struggling to keep with pros Allen Gardner and Kyle Leto that day. Running is one thing I never thought would feel good, but it is starting to feel easier and easier every day!!! Put in some good speed work at the track this past week and also a great long run this morning.
Actually tried my luck at racing road bikes here in Colorado yesterday at the famous Boulder Rouabix. It is 50/5o dirt and paved roads. But the dirt roads out here are packed pretty much as hard as any highway. I was feeling great, but go figure, I flatted during the first lap and was done. Went home, swapped wheels and did some climbing instead!
Weekly totals for the past 2 weeks!!!
3/27 - 4/2 4/3-4/9
Hours: 20.5 18.75
Swim: 12.54 (20,700yds) 11.62(19,177yards)
Bike: 150 172.97
Run: 22.07 22.62
Until next time!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
It's Finished!
Officially finished all of my work required to graduate from UNI this spring with a Master of Exercise Physiology! Can say that I am extremely grateful to be done! It was so hard not being on campus, and having to do "homework" at night to finish up my thesis.
Traveled back to Iowa last week to defend my thesis and see family and friends. A very successful trip in both aspects. Went to Cedar Falls on Wednesday and presented my paper to the three professors on my committee. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but there were still some "grilling" questions presented to make you feel nervous, on edge, and just to make sure you know your stuff! Turned in my papers, fees for binding and everything else, and I was finished!
Spent the rest of the time in Decorah and Cedar Rapids hanging out with my family. As soon as I got back to Decorah, I relapsed into some great memories I have shared there over the years. It almost made me want to pack up and move right back there. That is how close it is to my heart, and someday when I am ready to settle down, Decorah will be smack dab at the top of my list so far! Had a couple great workouts back at "sea-level" (800ft). It was amazing how much faster I could swim/bike/run compared to up in Boulder (5400ft). It gives me some great confidence for my first race in Kansas City in May. I was also re-accustomed to the humidity that plagues the Midwest. I bet I sweated more in my first 45min run, then I had in 3months out here in Colorado!
Had all my favorite foods and ate at all my favorite restaurants while home, which is always awesome! But unfortunately I had to bid my family adieu and head back to Colorado. I miss you all so much already! My niece Brooklynn, is getting SOO BIG! I can't believe it, unfortunately, I don't have any picutres up yet, in another post. But she is now walking, talking (repeats every word, so be careful Jenny!!) and is just a little cutie! Can't wait to see you again in a few months! But back to work and training to continue that quest of triathlon!
Cheers!
Traveled back to Iowa last week to defend my thesis and see family and friends. A very successful trip in both aspects. Went to Cedar Falls on Wednesday and presented my paper to the three professors on my committee. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but there were still some "grilling" questions presented to make you feel nervous, on edge, and just to make sure you know your stuff! Turned in my papers, fees for binding and everything else, and I was finished!
Spent the rest of the time in Decorah and Cedar Rapids hanging out with my family. As soon as I got back to Decorah, I relapsed into some great memories I have shared there over the years. It almost made me want to pack up and move right back there. That is how close it is to my heart, and someday when I am ready to settle down, Decorah will be smack dab at the top of my list so far! Had a couple great workouts back at "sea-level" (800ft). It was amazing how much faster I could swim/bike/run compared to up in Boulder (5400ft). It gives me some great confidence for my first race in Kansas City in May. I was also re-accustomed to the humidity that plagues the Midwest. I bet I sweated more in my first 45min run, then I had in 3months out here in Colorado!
Had all my favorite foods and ate at all my favorite restaurants while home, which is always awesome! But unfortunately I had to bid my family adieu and head back to Colorado. I miss you all so much already! My niece Brooklynn, is getting SOO BIG! I can't believe it, unfortunately, I don't have any picutres up yet, in another post. But she is now walking, talking (repeats every word, so be careful Jenny!!) and is just a little cutie! Can't wait to see you again in a few months! But back to work and training to continue that quest of triathlon!
Cheers!
Monday, March 12, 2012
I'm Coming Home!
As that title states, I will be returning to Iowa next week March 20-27th, to officially defend my thesis with the graduate college of Northern Iowa in order to fulfill my educational requirements of my Master of Exercise Physiology degree!!! Very nervous, as I know some pretty rough questions will be headed my way from my committee, but they don't want anyone to fail, and I am confident in my education.
Booking my flight tickets only 1.5weeks out was pretty hectic, both on my travel time and pocketbook!!! I have to fly from Denver-Colorado Springs- Dallas - Cedar Rapids on my way home, and then CR - Chicago -Oklahoma City - Denver on my way back...using two different airlines! But it is needed and will feel good to be home, to see my family.
Going to spend a few days in Cedar Rapids and Decorah. Without any physical work for the week, I hope to put in some big hours of training while at home, and it will be my first experience coming from altitude down to sea level (800ft). Have to be careful not to over extend myself! But will be swimming with the Milky Way Masters in CR and borrowing a bike from local bike dude Rob M! Better than paying $150 each way to ship mine!
Speaking of training, another big week done!!! Most hours, highest TSS, and greatest KJ burn of the year so far.
Training Hours= 18.75
Training Distance = 182.81miles
Running = 25.42
Swimming = 145.47
Biking = 11.84 (19,500yards)
Highlights of the week include my first bout of mile repeats on the track! Check the file here! Ran each mile repeat faster then the previous, and ended with some great 400m sprints! Can't believe how the run is coming along! Not burning any records or anyting, but it's coming!
Had the longest threshold session of the year on the bike, and crushed it!!! 3x15min LT efforts, and although they were hard, had no falling off of power! Have also put a couple days of riding on my new Cannondale Slice TT bike. Haven't ridden it much at all since I got it, but have no problem with back soreness or anything, really excited to race and see how fast I can be!
Can't wait to get home, have some Mabes Pizza, Cho Sun, Broghans Taco Pizza, Pancheros! AHHH I hope I get to put in some massive hours of training otherwise I'll come back 10lbs heavier!
Booking my flight tickets only 1.5weeks out was pretty hectic, both on my travel time and pocketbook!!! I have to fly from Denver-Colorado Springs- Dallas - Cedar Rapids on my way home, and then CR - Chicago -Oklahoma City - Denver on my way back...using two different airlines! But it is needed and will feel good to be home, to see my family.
Going to spend a few days in Cedar Rapids and Decorah. Without any physical work for the week, I hope to put in some big hours of training while at home, and it will be my first experience coming from altitude down to sea level (800ft). Have to be careful not to over extend myself! But will be swimming with the Milky Way Masters in CR and borrowing a bike from local bike dude Rob M! Better than paying $150 each way to ship mine!
Speaking of training, another big week done!!! Most hours, highest TSS, and greatest KJ burn of the year so far.
Training Hours= 18.75
Training Distance = 182.81miles
Running = 25.42
Swimming = 145.47
Biking = 11.84 (19,500yards)
Highlights of the week include my first bout of mile repeats on the track! Check the file here! Ran each mile repeat faster then the previous, and ended with some great 400m sprints! Can't believe how the run is coming along! Not burning any records or anyting, but it's coming!
Had the longest threshold session of the year on the bike, and crushed it!!! 3x15min LT efforts, and although they were hard, had no falling off of power! Have also put a couple days of riding on my new Cannondale Slice TT bike. Haven't ridden it much at all since I got it, but have no problem with back soreness or anything, really excited to race and see how fast I can be!
Can't wait to get home, have some Mabes Pizza, Cho Sun, Broghans Taco Pizza, Pancheros! AHHH I hope I get to put in some massive hours of training otherwise I'll come back 10lbs heavier!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Friends from back home!
This last week was one of the best yet out here in Colorado!!! It was a sort-of recovery week from training and I was graced with the presence of my best buds/roommates from back home. Landon Jacobsen, Tyler Powell and his girlfriend Kori!!! I had been looking forward to this for quite some time and it didn't disappoint.
The three of them came up Wednesday PM, and we grabbed some food/drinks down on Pearl St. Thursday, we were up early, and off to Copper Mountain for some skiing action! I have not been skiing in 5 years, and never in Colorado, so I was nervous to say the least. Blues/Blacks back home are Greens/Blues out here, plus the runs are 45min long compared to 1.5min back in Iowa/Minnesota. We were greeted with a blizzard after the Eisenhower tunnel that almost made us turn around. Luckily we got there just fine, lift tickets purchased and skis on! At the end of the day, I had not gone down once, and felt very fluent on the skis. I was hooked and will hopefully get back at least 1 more time this season! Only one casualty as Kori took a ski to the shin and gashed it pretty badly! We left, and stopped at the original Beau Jo's pizza in Idaho Springs on the way back for some great grub! Thursday/Friday we hung out and went to Pearl St. for some more good food and drinks before Tyler and Kori had to go back to Minnesota on Saturday. Overall, a great time and some pictures are attached below!
As stated above, a sort of rest week for training as I spent more time with friends.
Swimming = 8.4miles (14,000yds)
Bike= 162 miles
Run= 21.8 miles
Headlines of training were:
First 100mile ride yesterday with coach Jason. It was a great ride, exploring Boulder County.
5km TT on the track on Tuesday, run in 20:45 (6:40min/miles) Way better than I thought.
Back to the grind this week! Cheers!
The three of them came up Wednesday PM, and we grabbed some food/drinks down on Pearl St. Thursday, we were up early, and off to Copper Mountain for some skiing action! I have not been skiing in 5 years, and never in Colorado, so I was nervous to say the least. Blues/Blacks back home are Greens/Blues out here, plus the runs are 45min long compared to 1.5min back in Iowa/Minnesota. We were greeted with a blizzard after the Eisenhower tunnel that almost made us turn around. Luckily we got there just fine, lift tickets purchased and skis on! At the end of the day, I had not gone down once, and felt very fluent on the skis. I was hooked and will hopefully get back at least 1 more time this season! Only one casualty as Kori took a ski to the shin and gashed it pretty badly! We left, and stopped at the original Beau Jo's pizza in Idaho Springs on the way back for some great grub! Thursday/Friday we hung out and went to Pearl St. for some more good food and drinks before Tyler and Kori had to go back to Minnesota on Saturday. Overall, a great time and some pictures are attached below!
As stated above, a sort of rest week for training as I spent more time with friends.
Swimming = 8.4miles (14,000yds)
Bike= 162 miles
Run= 21.8 miles
Headlines of training were:
First 100mile ride yesterday with coach Jason. It was a great ride, exploring Boulder County.
5km TT on the track on Tuesday, run in 20:45 (6:40min/miles) Way better than I thought.
Back to the grind this week! Cheers!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Another Week to Make Improvements!
Hey everyone!!
Another week came and went in the Boulder Bubble!! Another great week of work and workouts provided by Coach Grant Holicky. A bit less in terms of volume for some of the workouts, but also started to add in some speed work/intensity!
Total Training Time: 18.5hours
Swim Distance: 7.81 miles (13,000)
Bike Distance: 105 miles
Run Distance: 16.7 miles
Swimming continue to feel better, and we had our first test of fitness on Friday with a 500 for time. Going into this, I knew I would be no where near what I was at Luther, and actually expected worse! I ended up with a 5:50, at altitude, in February (2 months of training). Was excited to see the number under 6:00min, and splits went 1:06, 1:14, 1:14, 1:12, 1:12. What that tells me, is I have some great endurance now, and just need to work harder in the middle of that swim. Which will come with more power/speed work!
Cycling progressed nicely as well, with some good LT/VO2 intervals on Wednesday and a good long ride with my buddy Jake Cohen on Sunday! Feels good to be putting out some good numbers again as well!!
Running decreased in overall mileage, but increased in speed this week. Tuesday was the first track workout of the season, and we did a bunch of skills and a speed ladder. Legs were toast even after that first bout of speed work, but overall, I was happy!! This morning, we did a 5kmTT on the track as well. I haven't done this since last June at the Pigman where I averaged 7:01min/miles. I was going to shoot for this today, but actually went out faster and held on. I ended up averaging 6:40min/miles for a 20:43 time!! ABSOLUTELY STOKED with that number. Only 2 months of training, no speed work and already running faster than I ever did back at altitude!!!
So the training seems to really be working well, and I have no complaints. The big thing about working with coaches is trusting the process that everything works out in the end. So far it has. Coach Grant had some great words today that I would like to pass along! "The good days aren’t a fluke. You can’t fake good. If it’s not there, it’s not there. You just can’t fake the improvements you’ve made. Even if you have bad days in between, your true fitness is shown on those good days" Great words to remember on the bad days!
Excited for the upcoming weekend as well!! My college roommate Tyler Powell and his girl friend Kori are headed to Colorado to hang with Landon and I! The plan is to spend Thursday skiing at Breckenridge and then hit some good food and possibly a couple brewery tours!! Going to be awesome seeing Tyler and Kori again, and now just need Doug, Mark, and Josh to get out here!! COME ON DUDES!
Until next time!
Another week came and went in the Boulder Bubble!! Another great week of work and workouts provided by Coach Grant Holicky. A bit less in terms of volume for some of the workouts, but also started to add in some speed work/intensity!
Total Training Time: 18.5hours
Swim Distance: 7.81 miles (13,000)
Bike Distance: 105 miles
Run Distance: 16.7 miles
Swimming continue to feel better, and we had our first test of fitness on Friday with a 500 for time. Going into this, I knew I would be no where near what I was at Luther, and actually expected worse! I ended up with a 5:50, at altitude, in February (2 months of training). Was excited to see the number under 6:00min, and splits went 1:06, 1:14, 1:14, 1:12, 1:12. What that tells me, is I have some great endurance now, and just need to work harder in the middle of that swim. Which will come with more power/speed work!
Cycling progressed nicely as well, with some good LT/VO2 intervals on Wednesday and a good long ride with my buddy Jake Cohen on Sunday! Feels good to be putting out some good numbers again as well!!
Running decreased in overall mileage, but increased in speed this week. Tuesday was the first track workout of the season, and we did a bunch of skills and a speed ladder. Legs were toast even after that first bout of speed work, but overall, I was happy!! This morning, we did a 5kmTT on the track as well. I haven't done this since last June at the Pigman where I averaged 7:01min/miles. I was going to shoot for this today, but actually went out faster and held on. I ended up averaging 6:40min/miles for a 20:43 time!! ABSOLUTELY STOKED with that number. Only 2 months of training, no speed work and already running faster than I ever did back at altitude!!!
So the training seems to really be working well, and I have no complaints. The big thing about working with coaches is trusting the process that everything works out in the end. So far it has. Coach Grant had some great words today that I would like to pass along! "The good days aren’t a fluke. You can’t fake good. If it’s not there, it’s not there. You just can’t fake the improvements you’ve made. Even if you have bad days in between, your true fitness is shown on those good days" Great words to remember on the bad days!
Excited for the upcoming weekend as well!! My college roommate Tyler Powell and his girl friend Kori are headed to Colorado to hang with Landon and I! The plan is to spend Thursday skiing at Breckenridge and then hit some good food and possibly a couple brewery tours!! Going to be awesome seeing Tyler and Kori again, and now just need Doug, Mark, and Josh to get out here!! COME ON DUDES!
Until next time!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A Week of Firsts
Hey everyone!
Time for the weekly rant to let anyone who is interested in on what is going on out here in the Boulder bubble. It was another good week of work and training in the land of mountains, perfect sunrises/sunsets and food as I have found.
Training for the last week was the highest week yet at just over 18.5 hours. The volume in swimming and running has been growing and the bike volume depends on the weather and intensity.
Total Hours: 18.5
Total Distance: Swim(11.32miles/19,000yards), Bike(100miles), Run (30.25miles)
Total TSS: 1020
Swimming continues to get better and better with each workout as it seems, the power is starting to come back. I won't be swimming a 5min, 500 free anytime soon, but hopefully that will come in the future :)
Running had the first week over 30miles since I started, and the body continues to respond well without any injuries occurring (HUGE KNOCK ON WOOD). It has been solely focused on endurance/slow running so far. Today was the first actual track practice for our group. I haven't run on the track on other then fun fun yogging since what middle school Mile tests? Let's just say it HURT! But in a good way, was very informative with drills and a speed ladder. Anxious to see how fast I can get this season. Next week will be a telling sign of where I am at, with a 5km TT!!! OUCH!
Cycling was pretty decent this week. Some good intervals and a Power Profiling test of 5min, 20min and 1min on Sunday up a couple new climbs in Boulder. It was my first time up NCAR and Sunshine Canyon. 5min up NCAR made the lungs burn more than then have since last summer, but it always feels good to blow the cobwebs out!! The numbers I put out were better than I did in Iowa (700ft) in December. After seeing those numbers at 5300ft here in Colorado, I want to head back to Iowa and do the same tests to see how high I am. Coming down from Colorado, general data suggests you can add 20-25watts to your threshold at altitude. That would make those numbers very nice :) Everything seems to be coming together nicely with my training, and I am anxious to race!
Picture is towards the top of Sunshine Canyon looking West!
At work, I have had some awesome chances so far. This last week I was able to test Timmy Duggan, a professional cyclist for Liquigas Cannondale. It is amazing to see the numbers that he can put out on the PARVO metabolic cart and blood lactate values. You would never see these values doing tests in school. The cool thing is these pro athletes you test are some of the nicest persons you will meet also. Can't wait to test some more. Maybe a Greg Henderson or Rory Sutherland will come in soon!
On the school front, I just sent my preview into the Graduate College at UNI for format editing, and then will be ready to defend. It sounds as though I'll come back to Iowa in the middle of March to defend and then be done. It will be sweet to officially have a document saying I am a Master of Physiology!
Time for the weekly rant to let anyone who is interested in on what is going on out here in the Boulder bubble. It was another good week of work and training in the land of mountains, perfect sunrises/sunsets and food as I have found.
Training for the last week was the highest week yet at just over 18.5 hours. The volume in swimming and running has been growing and the bike volume depends on the weather and intensity.
Total Hours: 18.5
Total Distance: Swim(11.32miles/19,000yards), Bike(100miles), Run (30.25miles)
Total TSS: 1020
Swimming continues to get better and better with each workout as it seems, the power is starting to come back. I won't be swimming a 5min, 500 free anytime soon, but hopefully that will come in the future :)
Running had the first week over 30miles since I started, and the body continues to respond well without any injuries occurring (HUGE KNOCK ON WOOD). It has been solely focused on endurance/slow running so far. Today was the first actual track practice for our group. I haven't run on the track on other then fun fun yogging since what middle school Mile tests? Let's just say it HURT! But in a good way, was very informative with drills and a speed ladder. Anxious to see how fast I can get this season. Next week will be a telling sign of where I am at, with a 5km TT!!! OUCH!
Cycling was pretty decent this week. Some good intervals and a Power Profiling test of 5min, 20min and 1min on Sunday up a couple new climbs in Boulder. It was my first time up NCAR and Sunshine Canyon. 5min up NCAR made the lungs burn more than then have since last summer, but it always feels good to blow the cobwebs out!! The numbers I put out were better than I did in Iowa (700ft) in December. After seeing those numbers at 5300ft here in Colorado, I want to head back to Iowa and do the same tests to see how high I am. Coming down from Colorado, general data suggests you can add 20-25watts to your threshold at altitude. That would make those numbers very nice :) Everything seems to be coming together nicely with my training, and I am anxious to race!
Picture is towards the top of Sunshine Canyon looking West!At work, I have had some awesome chances so far. This last week I was able to test Timmy Duggan, a professional cyclist for Liquigas Cannondale. It is amazing to see the numbers that he can put out on the PARVO metabolic cart and blood lactate values. You would never see these values doing tests in school. The cool thing is these pro athletes you test are some of the nicest persons you will meet also. Can't wait to test some more. Maybe a Greg Henderson or Rory Sutherland will come in soon!
On the school front, I just sent my preview into the Graduate College at UNI for format editing, and then will be ready to defend. It sounds as though I'll come back to Iowa in the middle of March to defend and then be done. It will be sweet to officially have a document saying I am a Master of Physiology!
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