I took a solid swim break this winter (I dont recomend it...) but have been back solid for 3-4 weeks now. Shooting for 12-15K per week in 4-5 sessions.
Nothing earth shattering as far as workouts, just solid sessions near 3500scy. I usually mix in a short day (150-50y) and two moderate days (200-800y).
The pace is coming quick, but this weekend I might get together with super swimmer Larissa B. to get some tech pointers (I think my spine is a bit curved, thus pushing my feet down a bit).
From here on out, I will try to be better about posting my training updates : I will tell you this, it won't be huge stuff as I will soon have 3 kids in my pocession, but it will be consistent!
Get in the pool gang.
Kurt
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Coach Jorge rambling...
a long write up here on "base" : I have not read it all, but skimmed it and it looks cool.
http://www.jorgepbmcoaching.blogspot.com/
It might make you think...
KP
http://www.jorgepbmcoaching.blogspot.com/
It might make you think...
KP
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Back in the States : Winter Multisport
So the crew made it back to the USA without a hitch. Our bikes flew free, I had an empty seat next me, and 3 movies I had not seen! It was esp. nice to get home and see my little guy before bed that night, he was so excited.
It took me 4-5 solid days to get back to east coast time, I would wake at 4Am and be exhausted by 7pm, but I would hang tough till 9pm to try to expedite the process.
After being home for 4 days, I was back into race mode at the www.channelmultisport.com Fast Splits Winter Triathlon @ Weston MA. This would serve as a qualifier for WInter Tri Worlds in Germany in Feb.
The events were : 5K run, 8K bike, 6K XC ski.
I was a little suspect of my form for the running and skiing as I had not been doing much of either in the last 3 weeks. There also happened to be some good athletes at the race (nearly 60 racers), including Stephen Judice from ME, John Spinney from VT and Jon Arne Erveldson from VT.
Luckily JA and Stephen took the run out at a nice steady pace, and I found my legs pretty quick. I hit T1 in 3rd, about 5sec back, nailed the transition and lead out onto the bike. I threw down a hard tempo to get a gap and was able to ride all the snow sections throughout the race, by the time I hit T2, I think I had 2.5 minutes on Brian Hughes and the rest...
The ski was tough for me, the lack of snow time showed and I skied like a bafoon for most of it, trying to use the 95% rule to ski w/good form and not worry about speed. My calves were cramping throughout and I could hardly V2 because of it...but even w/JA chasing, 2.5 minutes over 6K would be tough to make up...
I held on to win by ~1min and was glad it was over.
Now I need to decide if I am gonna try to go to Germany for Worlds. I might see if I can go as a coach/wax tech/athlete and get some help from USAT.
So for those of you reading this who ride/run/ski...make sure to get out and try a Winter Tri asap!
Train well,
KP
It took me 4-5 solid days to get back to east coast time, I would wake at 4Am and be exhausted by 7pm, but I would hang tough till 9pm to try to expedite the process.
After being home for 4 days, I was back into race mode at the www.channelmultisport.com Fast Splits Winter Triathlon @ Weston MA. This would serve as a qualifier for WInter Tri Worlds in Germany in Feb.
The events were : 5K run, 8K bike, 6K XC ski.
I was a little suspect of my form for the running and skiing as I had not been doing much of either in the last 3 weeks. There also happened to be some good athletes at the race (nearly 60 racers), including Stephen Judice from ME, John Spinney from VT and Jon Arne Erveldson from VT.
Luckily JA and Stephen took the run out at a nice steady pace, and I found my legs pretty quick. I hit T1 in 3rd, about 5sec back, nailed the transition and lead out onto the bike. I threw down a hard tempo to get a gap and was able to ride all the snow sections throughout the race, by the time I hit T2, I think I had 2.5 minutes on Brian Hughes and the rest...
The ski was tough for me, the lack of snow time showed and I skied like a bafoon for most of it, trying to use the 95% rule to ski w/good form and not worry about speed. My calves were cramping throughout and I could hardly V2 because of it...but even w/JA chasing, 2.5 minutes over 6K would be tough to make up...
I held on to win by ~1min and was glad it was over.
Now I need to decide if I am gonna try to go to Germany for Worlds. I might see if I can go as a coach/wax tech/athlete and get some help from USAT.
So for those of you reading this who ride/run/ski...make sure to get out and try a Winter Tri asap!
Train well,
KP
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Mixed days
AFter 2 races back to back, with a full day travel before, it was nice to sleep in and be lazy for Mon, Tues, Wed.
Monday we drove down to south of Brussels to ride with a friend, Michal. He took us on a SWEET tour of the Wallone region on a COLD and WINDY day. We saw century old churches and castles (one dating back to the 12th century) and through narrow, cobbled streets.
Tues we took the day off the bike, and drove to Amsterdam. We did the tourist thing, walked a lot (ina driving rain....) and checked out the Red Light District.
Wed we did a group cross simulation day at the Tangerlo Abby, then laid low most of the day. It was nice to be lazy, clean the bikes, do laundry...etc.
Today, Thursday it was back to the tourist route. An easy hour spin on a cool Belgium Bike path in the AM, then into Leuvin and Brussels. We ate fresh waffles, and chocolate, had a beer in a pub in Leuvin and saw some incredible old churches and buildings.
Tomorrow we are back to bike racers, heading to Mol to pre-ride, check tires, and "open" up for Masters Worlds on Sat.
I will try to check back in tomorrow PM.
Be well,
KP
Monday we drove down to south of Brussels to ride with a friend, Michal. He took us on a SWEET tour of the Wallone region on a COLD and WINDY day. We saw century old churches and castles (one dating back to the 12th century) and through narrow, cobbled streets.
Tues we took the day off the bike, and drove to Amsterdam. We did the tourist thing, walked a lot (ina driving rain....) and checked out the Red Light District.
Wed we did a group cross simulation day at the Tangerlo Abby, then laid low most of the day. It was nice to be lazy, clean the bikes, do laundry...etc.
Today, Thursday it was back to the tourist route. An easy hour spin on a cool Belgium Bike path in the AM, then into Leuvin and Brussels. We ate fresh waffles, and chocolate, had a beer in a pub in Leuvin and saw some incredible old churches and buildings.
Tomorrow we are back to bike racers, heading to Mol to pre-ride, check tires, and "open" up for Masters Worlds on Sat.
I will try to check back in tomorrow PM.
Be well,
KP
Monday, January 14, 2008
Props
Just wanted to give some props to my guys at Cycle-Smart back in the US.
Adam and the crew has always supported Cross in a big way and I also do some coaching for them.
Adam has many years of experience racing in Europe and esp. racing CX in northern Europe.
I am rocking the kits over here and the baby blue and white are pretty "PRO" so I fit in just fine.
KP
Adam and the crew has always supported Cross in a big way and I also do some coaching for them.
Adam has many years of experience racing in Europe and esp. racing CX in northern Europe.
I am rocking the kits over here and the baby blue and white are pretty "PRO" so I fit in just fine.
KP
Sunday, January 13, 2008
the way cross should be.
small dutch town (google Bakel Holland), and the whole town is out to watch.
INCREDIBLE course, so much fun. A bit of everything. Grass, pavement, single track, 2 sand sections including a brutal run up.
The sign up process is simple. Turn in your UCI license, get a number for 5euro, go get warmed up. I get a few laps in, but wish I had 1-2 more as it is tricky. Finish w/ a few hard efforts on the road and head to the start. Today we race with the amateurs as there is no 35+ masters in Holland. There are some fast dudes...you can just tell.
My start sucked again, not sure why. This time on a long straight road, into the woods in about 25th or so. I stay patient, pick off a few dudes, and catch Greg at the end of lap 1 on the pavement. I make a hard dig and tell him to jump on..
After that I am sort of in no mans land chasing a guy who I think is 15th place. W/2 to go I have about 10 sec gap from him and plan to make up 3-5 sec that lap then drill it the last lap. Except I make 2-3 mistakes in the tight twisty's and loose a few seconds. DAMN. So I get the bell lap and DRILL it, its only 10 min of hurting right? The guy is coming back and after the BIG sand run up I am ~3-4 seconds back...I have his bullseye in my sights.
I chase like mad till we hit the pavement, he looks back, sees me, and punches it....good for 16th place and another 5 euro pay day.
With perfect weather, a GREAT course and friendly dutch folks (who almost all spoke english) it was a GREAT cross day. If I come back to this area someday, I will do this race for sure.
Train well, be well.
Kurt
INCREDIBLE course, so much fun. A bit of everything. Grass, pavement, single track, 2 sand sections including a brutal run up.
The sign up process is simple. Turn in your UCI license, get a number for 5euro, go get warmed up. I get a few laps in, but wish I had 1-2 more as it is tricky. Finish w/ a few hard efforts on the road and head to the start. Today we race with the amateurs as there is no 35+ masters in Holland. There are some fast dudes...you can just tell.
My start sucked again, not sure why. This time on a long straight road, into the woods in about 25th or so. I stay patient, pick off a few dudes, and catch Greg at the end of lap 1 on the pavement. I make a hard dig and tell him to jump on..
After that I am sort of in no mans land chasing a guy who I think is 15th place. W/2 to go I have about 10 sec gap from him and plan to make up 3-5 sec that lap then drill it the last lap. Except I make 2-3 mistakes in the tight twisty's and loose a few seconds. DAMN. So I get the bell lap and DRILL it, its only 10 min of hurting right? The guy is coming back and after the BIG sand run up I am ~3-4 seconds back...I have his bullseye in my sights.
I chase like mad till we hit the pavement, he looks back, sees me, and punches it....good for 16th place and another 5 euro pay day.
With perfect weather, a GREAT course and friendly dutch folks (who almost all spoke english) it was a GREAT cross day. If I come back to this area someday, I will do this race for sure.
Train well, be well.
Kurt
Saturday, January 12, 2008
One down...
and 6euro richer.
We raced in Schriek at a small, local race. Really, like in someones backyard...but full pro. announcer, smoky beer tent, tricky course in the woods.
There were ~35 Masters A racers, and some serious looking dudes. The course was TIGHT and twisty w/little place to pass. Start is key. So I go and slip my pedal right at the start....DOH.
I hit the single track in 12th or so.
Move up 1-2 spots in lap 1, then get caught behind a guy who is going way slow....I am patient, ya know, not rock the boat in the first race.
Once I am by him, I start to move up and reel in people. With 1 to go, I catch Greg (he nailed the start) and get buy on the grass straight away (note ZERO pavement here).
Just then the dude who has sat on me for 3 laps....punches it and drops me....good bike racer.
I hold on for 7th and some $$!
Greg gets 8th so we have has dominance for the day...but this is cross, and we race tomorrow. Could be A LOT different.
Check in tomorrow...
KP
We raced in Schriek at a small, local race. Really, like in someones backyard...but full pro. announcer, smoky beer tent, tricky course in the woods.
There were ~35 Masters A racers, and some serious looking dudes. The course was TIGHT and twisty w/little place to pass. Start is key. So I go and slip my pedal right at the start....DOH.
I hit the single track in 12th or so.
Move up 1-2 spots in lap 1, then get caught behind a guy who is going way slow....I am patient, ya know, not rock the boat in the first race.
Once I am by him, I start to move up and reel in people. With 1 to go, I catch Greg (he nailed the start) and get buy on the grass straight away (note ZERO pavement here).
Just then the dude who has sat on me for 3 laps....punches it and drops me....good bike racer.
I hold on for 7th and some $$!
Greg gets 8th so we have has dominance for the day...but this is cross, and we race tomorrow. Could be A LOT different.
Check in tomorrow...
KP
Friday, January 11, 2008
Imbedded
So we are on the ground in Belgiam, Blauberg to be exact. About 50K from Brussels.
Travel was tricky as usual. Our flight from Dulles to Brussels was cancelled early Thursday AM, so we all had to scramble. I got on a Dulles to Munich flight, then connected to Brussels. My companions, Greg and Brandon flew Denver to Philly then on to Brussels.
You know you are in the mecca when you see Johan Bruyneel (ex-Director of Discovery Channel) in the airport.
We got settled, built a bike...and went for a spin. In the rain of course.
Tomorrow we race our first race in Schriek Groot Lo.
talk soon,
Kurt
Travel was tricky as usual. Our flight from Dulles to Brussels was cancelled early Thursday AM, so we all had to scramble. I got on a Dulles to Munich flight, then connected to Brussels. My companions, Greg and Brandon flew Denver to Philly then on to Brussels.
You know you are in the mecca when you see Johan Bruyneel (ex-Director of Discovery Channel) in the airport.
We got settled, built a bike...and went for a spin. In the rain of course.
Tomorrow we race our first race in Schriek Groot Lo.
talk soon,
Kurt
Friday, January 04, 2008
T-Minus 1 week...
till we are in Belgie to ride/race in the mud and frozen cow patties! I am psyched, and glad I dont have to try to hold onto my bike form much longer!!
The 'numbers' from the old SRM are good, the kilos are low, my only concern is my tech skills, since I have not been outside since mid Dec...from all the snow. Near 4 feet "banks" in my driveway!
After that trip...home to race the Winter Tri Worlds Qualifier at Weston (www.channelmultisport.com) and ski a bunch. I hope the traditional Jan. thaw does not ruin this great snow pack!
Equipment wise for Belgie, I think I am leaving the high zoot reynolds carbon wheels home, and bringing 3 pairs of Ksyriums w/Typhoon, Rhino, Pippi's mounted. I can true these if they come out and wont be so concerned about some airline luggage dude crushing them.
I hope to update daily from the land of Frites and Chocolate...so stay posted.
KP
www.pbmcoaching.com
Authorized SRM Dealer!!
The 'numbers' from the old SRM are good, the kilos are low, my only concern is my tech skills, since I have not been outside since mid Dec...from all the snow. Near 4 feet "banks" in my driveway!
After that trip...home to race the Winter Tri Worlds Qualifier at Weston (www.channelmultisport.com) and ski a bunch. I hope the traditional Jan. thaw does not ruin this great snow pack!
Equipment wise for Belgie, I think I am leaving the high zoot reynolds carbon wheels home, and bringing 3 pairs of Ksyriums w/Typhoon, Rhino, Pippi's mounted. I can true these if they come out and wont be so concerned about some airline luggage dude crushing them.
I hope to update daily from the land of Frites and Chocolate...so stay posted.
KP
www.pbmcoaching.com
Authorized SRM Dealer!!
Monday, December 24, 2007
SoCal Cross
Something about "socal" and "cross" just seems odd.
Esp since it was 75 degrees and sunny for the race, Santa Cross, at Pierce College.
All the local hotshoe's were there, Prenzlow, Easter, Cruz, etc.
No call up, still had a front row start (small fields out here).
Got a good jump then pulled my foot out of the pedal...doh. Slotted into ~6th into the bumpy singletrack section. Feeling good. Short sleeve skinsuit, I can get used to this...
Up the steep climb, pass a guy or 2, make the front group. Me and one other 35+ A rider. Ok, now wait....
A small selection is made when Brent, Mike and Tony roll off the front on lap 3. No problem...I am not really racing them right? I am with the other 35+ guy (not sure of his name), and feel VERY good. I pull a bit, and then he comes around and I feel the pace slow...note to self.
Then on the next lap, on the 180 into the singletrack, I feel the back tire "washout" a bit...odd. Are they that low psi? Then up the steep climb, again I feel an off slippage. Down the fast downhill and I bottom out the rim....shit....I am flatting. I swing out a bit and drop behind the Bailey Bike dude and hope it is a slow leak. Then around the sharp turn to the run up and I feel the rim again....I hop off, up the run up and stop. Sure as shit...it's flat. I am done. 1 bike, 1 set of wheels. 15min of racing. DAMN!!!
It ended up being an old rusty safety pin stuck in the tire. True bummer.
First flat of the season, happens to come 3000+ miles from home.
I hope I can save the tire with some sealant....and have gotten the flats out of the way before Belgie.
Happy holidays y'all.
KP
Esp since it was 75 degrees and sunny for the race, Santa Cross, at Pierce College.
All the local hotshoe's were there, Prenzlow, Easter, Cruz, etc.
No call up, still had a front row start (small fields out here).
Got a good jump then pulled my foot out of the pedal...doh. Slotted into ~6th into the bumpy singletrack section. Feeling good. Short sleeve skinsuit, I can get used to this...
Up the steep climb, pass a guy or 2, make the front group. Me and one other 35+ A rider. Ok, now wait....
A small selection is made when Brent, Mike and Tony roll off the front on lap 3. No problem...I am not really racing them right? I am with the other 35+ guy (not sure of his name), and feel VERY good. I pull a bit, and then he comes around and I feel the pace slow...note to self.
Then on the next lap, on the 180 into the singletrack, I feel the back tire "washout" a bit...odd. Are they that low psi? Then up the steep climb, again I feel an off slippage. Down the fast downhill and I bottom out the rim....shit....I am flatting. I swing out a bit and drop behind the Bailey Bike dude and hope it is a slow leak. Then around the sharp turn to the run up and I feel the rim again....I hop off, up the run up and stop. Sure as shit...it's flat. I am done. 1 bike, 1 set of wheels. 15min of racing. DAMN!!!
It ended up being an old rusty safety pin stuck in the tire. True bummer.
First flat of the season, happens to come 3000+ miles from home.
I hope I can save the tire with some sealant....and have gotten the flats out of the way before Belgie.
Happy holidays y'all.
KP
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
the cruelest gift...
Thanks Stu and Chip....how do I keep my race weight till Belgium?
To everybody else, happy holidays!
I am off to Cali to see the fam (and race CX:-))
Friday, November 23, 2007
random Thanksgiving thoughts....
So I ended my run focus again on Thurs : ran 17:2x at the local 5K. Not bad...got chicked:-)
RIP to Mike Janelle : a local CO MTB pro who died of a massive heart attack today at 40 years old.
Sterling CX tomorrow : hope this soreness in my legs goes away.
Also, check http://www.channelmultisport.com/ for a little article I wrote on converting to winter multisport events.
Hug your family today.
KP
www.pbmcoaching.com
RIP to Mike Janelle : a local CO MTB pro who died of a massive heart attack today at 40 years old.
Sterling CX tomorrow : hope this soreness in my legs goes away.
Also, check http://www.channelmultisport.com/ for a little article I wrote on converting to winter multisport events.
Hug your family today.
KP
www.pbmcoaching.com
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Alex M-M WINS Kona!!
Another well executed race for Alex yields him the overall amatuer win at IM World Championships!
Friday, September 21, 2007
2007 Multisport wrap up
I sent this to my athletes....figured I could put it in cyber world too:
As my 2007 triathlon/multisport race season comes to an end (ok 1 more race…) I like to recap and summarize some of my strong points, low points and other thoughts.
One thing to remember here…I race year in and year out, and get ok results. This in NO WAY effects or changes my ability to coach/guide multisport athletes. I could not race at all, or finish last and I still feel I could do my job well (but that is another long e-mailJ)
2007 marked my 18th year of competition, and may have, at least on paper, been my best. I had to trim the schedule back a bit as family, work, other interests effected me a bit, but I think it all worked out.
Going into 2007 IM Wisconsin was a high priority “A” race. In the end, I bailed on IMMOO as some health issues and lack of motivation conspired against me. I also wanted to race a solid HIM at Mooseman or Patriot Half. Both of these races went down the drain with some health issues in May/June. Then my goals changed a bit. The Tri-Maine series and possibly the Maine State TT series became important. With some smaller target events, namely the Portland Urban Epic and Lobsterman, also on my radar.
Winter 2006/2007 went well, I xc skied almost everyday from Jan 14th, raced 2 winter triathlons in CO and a winter DU in MA (that I won), and my health was good, only 1 sinus infection in March. My schedule was basically xc ski most days, run most days, swim 1-2 days, and bike 1 day.
In March, I went to Tucson with the “gang” and logged close to 500 miles on the bike and ran everyday, it was a very solid week and I felt very strong and motivated.
Upon returning home, the wheels started to come off…
First the weather from mid April to early June was bad…and my cycling CTL actually dropped!! I was able to run/swim but the bike, the mode I use for the most central conditioning and overall training load…was not good. IMMoo was looking bleak.
Then in late May, early June I started to feel tired and lethargic…could I be…gasp…”under rested”? No. I mean I was not training much and my “self care” was really good. But I had nothing, with workouts such as 90min easy bike rides causing me to be really tired and unable to recover. I suffered through this until the first week in July. In that time I won Wildbear Sprint and one of my hometown races, the Bath Shipbuilders Int distance. How…I am not sure. But a win is a win.
After Bath, I took a week off complete. In that time I saw my doc, got a full blood work up and some other tests. Come to find out my seasonal allergies were lingering longer than ever and they were worse than ever. I was prescribed some stronger meds, and within 24 hours felt MUCH better. I was bummed I had lost ~8 weeks of solid training to stupid allergies, but it was a learning experience for sure.
From that week off, my focus was Urban Epic and Lobsterman. My CTL on the bike went up, my peak 20min power climbed a bit, my running felt really good (with some solid weeks near 50 miles) and I was swimming more fluid.
I had 1 of my 2 bad races between then and UE at the Bethel Maine state triathlon and was caught with 300 meters to go. I knew it was the training load that got me that day, so I was ok with it.
2 weeks later I won Urban Epic, against a few solid guys from out of state, by 7+minutes!!
I then took a slight recovery week and started to rebuild for Lobsterman.
On the 9th of Sept, I had another bad race, finishing 3rd at Pumpkinman Sprint after being caught with 400 meters to go. SHIT!!!
Again, I knew the form was there, I just needed to “find” it and race well at Lobsterman the next week.
The week between Pumpkinman and Lobsterman I “copied” from the week before Urban Epic (this is why I love training logs, if it worked once….it might work twice?). On Lobsterman race day the weather was pure shit, but everybody would race in the same conditions right?
I never felt “great” at Lobsterman, and my power numbers reflect that, but I “executed” really well, went DEEP into the “pain well” and ran down a couple of guys to take the win. In hindsight, this might have been a better race than Urban Epic, where I felt good all day and raced uncontested.
As I said earlier, I am in my second complete week off of the season. I will then transfer into some specific cyclocross training, and race through till December 15th national championships…then take another 4-6 days off.
To wrap this up, I want to go over a few things that I never lost sight of:
1: the details, everyday, even when I felt like crap, I did a solid 15min of stretching and self massage. Everyday.
2: nutrition etc. I tried to tighten up my nutrition this year (getting old you know….), I really tried to eat low glycemic index foods throughout the day to keep my blood sugar steady. I only ate “starchy carbs” pre/post workout and avoided sugar, HFCS and trans fats like the plaque. My body weight was between 144 and 147 pounds all year.
3: low hanging fruit : my position is good…real good, and I worked on it even as my fitness might have dropped. I made drastic changed even the Wed before the Urban Epic, and was the only guy to go sub 1 hour on the 40K bike, 58:XX. I might not have been the strongest….but I was the fastest.
4: specificity, repeatability, sustainability : every workout was focused at the events I was racing. I NEVER did a single “speed” work session, never went to the track and avoided group rides on the bike. I did lots of steady state, sub threshold intervals and my run frequency averaged 6-8 total run sessions each week. Most near 7:40 pace….my 5K pace is ~5:30 pace.
5: fun. I went into every workout and race with the goal of executing really well, but also having fun. The results followed.
Results summary:
Channel Multisport Winter Du : run/ski/run : 1st overall
Ironbear Sprint Tri : 4th overall, 1st in AG
Wildbear Sprint tri : 1st overall
Bath Shipbuilder Tri: 1st overall
Maine State Tri: 2nd overall, 1st in AG
Urban Epic Int Distance Tri: 1st overall
Pumpkinman Sprint Tri: 3rd overall, 1st in AG
Lobsterman Int Tri: 1st overall
CELT Challenge Tri : tbd
SO!! There you have it, my year in review (to date) : I highly recommend you all do the same thing. Write it down, send it to me if you want. Make note of the good and the bad. Store in your training log (I will) and refer back to it.
I wish you all the best for the remainder of 2007….and even better for 2008!
KP
As my 2007 triathlon/multisport race season comes to an end (ok 1 more race…) I like to recap and summarize some of my strong points, low points and other thoughts.
One thing to remember here…I race year in and year out, and get ok results. This in NO WAY effects or changes my ability to coach/guide multisport athletes. I could not race at all, or finish last and I still feel I could do my job well (but that is another long e-mailJ)
2007 marked my 18th year of competition, and may have, at least on paper, been my best. I had to trim the schedule back a bit as family, work, other interests effected me a bit, but I think it all worked out.
Going into 2007 IM Wisconsin was a high priority “A” race. In the end, I bailed on IMMOO as some health issues and lack of motivation conspired against me. I also wanted to race a solid HIM at Mooseman or Patriot Half. Both of these races went down the drain with some health issues in May/June. Then my goals changed a bit. The Tri-Maine series and possibly the Maine State TT series became important. With some smaller target events, namely the Portland Urban Epic and Lobsterman, also on my radar.
Winter 2006/2007 went well, I xc skied almost everyday from Jan 14th, raced 2 winter triathlons in CO and a winter DU in MA (that I won), and my health was good, only 1 sinus infection in March. My schedule was basically xc ski most days, run most days, swim 1-2 days, and bike 1 day.
In March, I went to Tucson with the “gang” and logged close to 500 miles on the bike and ran everyday, it was a very solid week and I felt very strong and motivated.
Upon returning home, the wheels started to come off…
First the weather from mid April to early June was bad…and my cycling CTL actually dropped!! I was able to run/swim but the bike, the mode I use for the most central conditioning and overall training load…was not good. IMMoo was looking bleak.
Then in late May, early June I started to feel tired and lethargic…could I be…gasp…”under rested”? No. I mean I was not training much and my “self care” was really good. But I had nothing, with workouts such as 90min easy bike rides causing me to be really tired and unable to recover. I suffered through this until the first week in July. In that time I won Wildbear Sprint and one of my hometown races, the Bath Shipbuilders Int distance. How…I am not sure. But a win is a win.
After Bath, I took a week off complete. In that time I saw my doc, got a full blood work up and some other tests. Come to find out my seasonal allergies were lingering longer than ever and they were worse than ever. I was prescribed some stronger meds, and within 24 hours felt MUCH better. I was bummed I had lost ~8 weeks of solid training to stupid allergies, but it was a learning experience for sure.
From that week off, my focus was Urban Epic and Lobsterman. My CTL on the bike went up, my peak 20min power climbed a bit, my running felt really good (with some solid weeks near 50 miles) and I was swimming more fluid.
I had 1 of my 2 bad races between then and UE at the Bethel Maine state triathlon and was caught with 300 meters to go. I knew it was the training load that got me that day, so I was ok with it.
2 weeks later I won Urban Epic, against a few solid guys from out of state, by 7+minutes!!
I then took a slight recovery week and started to rebuild for Lobsterman.
On the 9th of Sept, I had another bad race, finishing 3rd at Pumpkinman Sprint after being caught with 400 meters to go. SHIT!!!
Again, I knew the form was there, I just needed to “find” it and race well at Lobsterman the next week.
The week between Pumpkinman and Lobsterman I “copied” from the week before Urban Epic (this is why I love training logs, if it worked once….it might work twice?). On Lobsterman race day the weather was pure shit, but everybody would race in the same conditions right?
I never felt “great” at Lobsterman, and my power numbers reflect that, but I “executed” really well, went DEEP into the “pain well” and ran down a couple of guys to take the win. In hindsight, this might have been a better race than Urban Epic, where I felt good all day and raced uncontested.
As I said earlier, I am in my second complete week off of the season. I will then transfer into some specific cyclocross training, and race through till December 15th national championships…then take another 4-6 days off.
To wrap this up, I want to go over a few things that I never lost sight of:
1: the details, everyday, even when I felt like crap, I did a solid 15min of stretching and self massage. Everyday.
2: nutrition etc. I tried to tighten up my nutrition this year (getting old you know….), I really tried to eat low glycemic index foods throughout the day to keep my blood sugar steady. I only ate “starchy carbs” pre/post workout and avoided sugar, HFCS and trans fats like the plaque. My body weight was between 144 and 147 pounds all year.
3: low hanging fruit : my position is good…real good, and I worked on it even as my fitness might have dropped. I made drastic changed even the Wed before the Urban Epic, and was the only guy to go sub 1 hour on the 40K bike, 58:XX. I might not have been the strongest….but I was the fastest.
4: specificity, repeatability, sustainability : every workout was focused at the events I was racing. I NEVER did a single “speed” work session, never went to the track and avoided group rides on the bike. I did lots of steady state, sub threshold intervals and my run frequency averaged 6-8 total run sessions each week. Most near 7:40 pace….my 5K pace is ~5:30 pace.
5: fun. I went into every workout and race with the goal of executing really well, but also having fun. The results followed.
Results summary:
Channel Multisport Winter Du : run/ski/run : 1st overall
Ironbear Sprint Tri : 4th overall, 1st in AG
Wildbear Sprint tri : 1st overall
Bath Shipbuilder Tri: 1st overall
Maine State Tri: 2nd overall, 1st in AG
Urban Epic Int Distance Tri: 1st overall
Pumpkinman Sprint Tri: 3rd overall, 1st in AG
Lobsterman Int Tri: 1st overall
CELT Challenge Tri : tbd
SO!! There you have it, my year in review (to date) : I highly recommend you all do the same thing. Write it down, send it to me if you want. Make note of the good and the bad. Store in your training log (I will) and refer back to it.
I wish you all the best for the remainder of 2007….and even better for 2008!
KP
Monday, September 17, 2007
More solid results!!
The race season is wrapping up for some...others still have World Championships to race.
This past weekend :
Alex M-M puts the wood to the boys down south with a big win at the Duke Liver 1/2 (that is like 5 wins in a row for M&M):
http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=764
Coach KP wrapped up the Tri-Maine series with a win at the Lobsterman Int distance:
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=134552
Down in MA, Jeff and Kat D. both landed "on the box" with Jeff finishing second to Tony "TD" Delogne and Kat winning outright at the Dover Sherborn Sprint.
Great racing from all PBMC athletes as of late.
This past weekend :
Alex M-M puts the wood to the boys down south with a big win at the Duke Liver 1/2 (that is like 5 wins in a row for M&M):
http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=764
Coach KP wrapped up the Tri-Maine series with a win at the Lobsterman Int distance:
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=134552
Down in MA, Jeff and Kat D. both landed "on the box" with Jeff finishing second to Tony "TD" Delogne and Kat winning outright at the Dover Sherborn Sprint.
Great racing from all PBMC athletes as of late.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Coach KP takes a win!!
all the PBMC athletes are racing well...but here is a little self promo:-)
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=128490&ac=PHspt
Train hard.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=128490&ac=PHspt
Train hard.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Coach Jorge on the podium at MA State Tri
after coming back from a broken leg less than 2 months ago!!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
solid week...and more crap weather
I gotta admit, some place warm and sunny as a home base is sounding pretty good about now. I am so over the trainer, that I tried to get outside for most bike sessions this week...till Thursday when it snowed 5 more inches. Uggh.
Solid week otherwise :
16 K swim total, and my swimming is starting to come along at that!
another 40 mile run week with a 13 mile long(ish) run that was very comfortable
not sure on bike hours yet (still tomorrow) but it will be fine considering the weather.
Hope you met your goals (training and everything else!)
pbmcoaching.com
Solid week otherwise :
16 K swim total, and my swimming is starting to come along at that!
another 40 mile run week with a 13 mile long(ish) run that was very comfortable
not sure on bike hours yet (still tomorrow) but it will be fine considering the weather.
Hope you met your goals (training and everything else!)
pbmcoaching.com
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