Tuesday, December 19, 2006

sick again...

so for those of you following along you know that I had a tough winter of 2005/2006 with illness. Carter started day care and he brought home every bug that went around.

Well, it has started again. Another nasty cold. I started to feel it Sunday afternoon on my rollerski, by Monday AM....it was full on. Today, i have the whole array of symptoms; body ache, sore throat, head ache, nasal drip...uggh.

I have skipped training Mon and Tues, and hope to be back at it Wed. I guess I am glad there is no snow...so I am not missing skiing.

Stay healthy everybody!

www.pbmcoaching.com

Monday, December 18, 2006

Cyclocross Nationals

Final cross race of the year.

On a great course in Roger WIlliams park in RI, super fun, twisty with some elevation gain too. Wide and fair with lots of passing (remember this)

I signed up late, and line up went off of when you signed up...I had #967, and they started at 800!! Doh, that is 17 rows of 12 guys in front of me.

At the gun, I darted to the outside and passed a few folks, then it was 45min of mayem as I tried to make some crazy passes, get to another group, recover for 30sec, then punch it again. I felt good, not great. My HR was 188BPM average for the 45min, so I was getting after it.

On the last lap, I caught a group with John M from Maine, and tried to attack on the gravel road before some tech sections near the finish. They latched on, and 3 of the 4 passed me in the sprint. I ended up 37th. I had to lay on the grass for 3-4 minutes just to stop from throwing up. It was hard.

Brandon got 4th, and Brian H 18th in the "small" 30-34 race of 81 guys, solid rides by each.

Now a bit of a recovery (prompted by the cold I got Sat) and final ramp to Winter Tri Nationals in Feb.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Bay State Cross

had 4.75 gears today...but started 70 guys back.

19th overall, prolly 14-15th in the 35+ race.

Check the pic:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2006/nov06/baystate06/112506ecCROSS_STRLG_R2_B

Monday, November 20, 2006

cros : finding 5th gear

3rd in the Lowell CX race Sunday. A masters, some fast dudes.

I need to refine 3 things:
1) my warm up, bring a trainer as I tend to just "cruise around"
2) my start...see the WU, I need to be faster from the gun.

3) 5th gear, I am almost there. I have 4.5 but need a few more key sessions to get 5th gear and ride with the leaders.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

getting my swerve on...

so the time changed and I am all of a sudden motivated to train??? Not sure why. I have rekindled my love for cyclo-cross and even signed up for Nationals in RI...that should be a royal flogging for sure! It will be 12 years of racing cross for me, wow the sport has grown in the US since then.

I have been on a major run focus too, 40 runs in 40 days..nothing hard, just daily 4 milers to keep the economy up.

On top of that, throw in 2 rollerskis, and even some general strength for vanity:-) and I am back after it. Not huge hours, but hours and consistency, that is really the key in long term endurance development. We need to get out of the "today's workout" mentality and get more to the "everydays workout" process. This will bring results guaranteed.

The PBM Athletes are racing fast and wrapping up the season strong...shout outs to Liz W., Marty C. and Rick M. for strong races at IMFL and 70.3 Worlds...time for some down time.

Chat soon.
KP

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

back after it....

starting to feel strong and motivated again...

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Placid Report

I was not going to post this as I dont think my race execution was very good....but after a week, I changed my mind!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pre-race:
Wed: drove over from ME as I knew if would be a long day with the family in the car. Arrived in LP ~6:00PM grabbed some pizza at Mr Mikes (this would be the only meal I ate out all week…get a room with a kitchen for sure!)

Thurs: AM, up and into town ~7:45, swam 1 loop of the course…EASY in 29:30 (this will be relevant on Sunday), then back to the room for some rest and catch up on the Tour. In the afternoon I rode 65min with 4 x 90sec at threshold watts. Felt lousy…usually a good sign for meJ

Fri: no training. This was my “social” day. I went to the expo (bought nothing, but you can buy anything with the IMLP logo on it!) got my packet and was weighed (in clothes 146 pounds) then back to the room for more time on my back.

Sat: my usual pre-race workout 1 hour total with 15min swim, 30-35min bike and 10min run all with 2 x 30sec pick ups. Starting to feel better. Check the bike over and turn it over to transition…in the pouring rain.

Race Day:
Up at 3:30 AM for a Boost and 2 packets of oatmeal, a banana and some maple syrup ~800kcal. In the car and on the way to town at 4:40AM. Had to park ~1 mile from transition. Walked to transition in the rain, pumped tires, checked bike again and walked back to the car…realized I had left my wetsuit draped on my bike…DOH! Walked back to transition to get suit. Down to the water and in my suit at 6:20, in the water at 6:30, swam 2-3 minutes easy then went to the second row about 20 feet off the end of the dock.

Swim: the gun goes off…then the melee starts. For the next 4200 yards I was kicked, punched, shoved, swam over, swam by…etc. I NEVER got clean water or a good draft. My first lap was 30:40 (remember the 29:xx from Thursday WTF?). during the middle of the 1st loop some idiot grabs me by the ankle and pulls me back 6-7 feet as he slingshots by…so I grab is wetsuit by the back and pull him back…he then proceeds to punch me square in the jaw…this is 100% truth here folks. It gets ugly out there. The second loop was actually slower and just as rough for a swim of 1:04…goal was 58-59min.Damn. Long run to T1, put on helmet, socks and shoes, long run to bike.

Bike: within 100 feet of T1, both my bottles (500 cal each) eject from the cage and I don’t stop…this would be crucial. So I keep pedaling and just focus on my pace. Goal watts are 190 average and ~200 normalized with a cap of 250w on any hill and coasting above 30mph. Luckily I had 8 gels and 2 power bars on board so I could “freelance” the nutrition a bit and try to stay on track. Took Gatorade at every aid station and 1 or 2 waters for the 112 miles. My cages sucked so I lost pretty much everyone. Pee’d 9 times on the bike (and no, I did not stop).

Was flying by people and felt like I was soft pedaling the whole time. Then at ~mile 45 I get a draft penalty on an uphill 7mph spot where there are like 20 people around and no where to go…totally bogus. Even the people around me yelled at the marshal, he just had my number and I was hosed. 4min in the penalty box out on course. Uggh. So anyway, 5:22 bike split was actually a 5:18 and would have been 2nd in AG.

Run: I hit t2 in around 70th overall, including 35 pros I think, so I am feeling good. My legs feel like they rode 12 miles, not 112. I am fired up. Quick transition, new socks (see the number of pees above to know whyJ), my visor and a flask with ~350cal in it. My stride comes right to me. I feel awesome. Heart rate is actually settling to high Z1 low Zone 2. Start clipping off 7:20’s to 7:30’s…whoa, a bit fast, but it feels so easy. So I start to walk the aid stations to try to slow down. Still running 7:45’s. back to town and hit the 13 mile mark in 1:37…7:30 pace. Hmmm. Did I just run to hard? I head back out, at mile 15 I feel a bit of fatigue, but I should right, this is an IM! Mile 16, the stomach is revolting. I walk the aid station and get some Gatorade and water in me…by mile 17 the stomach is in full shutdown mode. I am dry heaving, cramping, dizzy, wobbly legged. I looked like Chris Legh from the Gatorade commercial. This gonna be a long 9 miles. My stomach never came back; I shuffle/walked the next 9 and was passed by 120 people in the process. DAMN! Finally with ½ mile to go I muster a fast jog and onto the oval. I crossed the line and felt fine. I was pissed though. Erika had left the finish chute as she had expected me 40 minutes earlier and was checking to see if I was in the med tent!

So finish time was 10:40, 40 in AG, 173 overall from 2100+ finishers. I was not happy about my execution but was happy to be finished. I promptly ate 2 cheeseburgers and some ice cream!

Some lessons for the next one:
get my position on the bike more aero and ride just as fast with fewer watts.
Swim the first lap harder to get in some “clean” water
Buy some new bottle cages!
Run even easier the first 13 miles. The IM really comes down to being able to run from mile 16 on…and I could not.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

long time without an update...

been busy and training...so no updates, here is a quick rundown.
past weekend was solid. a 90 mile / 8 mile brick on Sat, all at goal IM pace +, then Sunday went to the Damariscotta TT. Felt good, got second only after somebody protested his time...no biggie. still a solid ride. Proceeded to ride home for a good volume day to boot!
Mon: off (went to Boston for work)
Tues: swim/run in the AM, some HIM intervals on the bike in the PM
Wed: big run for the week, ran the last 6 at low IM - HIM pace, felt good.
Thursday: swim/run in the AM, easy couple hours on the bike in the PM

This weekend is a biggie...
Race Simulation day Sat (probably 8 hours worth!)
Sunday will be a 6/60/6 combo (the 666, as it is as hard the devil)!

Friday, May 19, 2006

the last few days, Wed-Fri

Wed: ran an easy 18 miles in the AM, hilly route, kept HR sub 150BPM and ~8 min pace.
PM: 1:30 easy spin to loosen up.

Thurs: swim 3500 yards, mixed pace set.
PM: rode 3 hours steady on the tri bike.

Fri: TIRED! aborted my long swim at ~2000 yards and getting a massage. Gotta listen to the body sometimes!

www pbmcoaching dot com

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Tues 5/16

solid swim today. felt ok, ~4000 yards with some longer sets and a few pull sets. then ran 5 miles easy at 7:30 pace. This afternoon, I will bang out some IM efforts on the trainer then run another 5. Big run week.

on another note...back on antibiotics. this time for a broken tooth! I need to get extracted!

Monday, May 15, 2006

the week of May 7-14th

well no illnesses to report!!!
After the Ironbear, I cruised a few hours Sunday then started to hit it hard Monday. This week was more of a intensity focus, dropped the volume a bit (~17 hours) and added a tempo finish to my long run and a set of threshold efforts on the bike. 2x15min at ~290w. Felt strong. Some solid swim sets too, ~16,000 yards.

Finished the week with a 108/4 brick. Felt very comfortable on the run. So the pace and nutrition must have been good (I love coke!)

To the dentist today to get my tooth fixed I hope...I have to admit, I am scared s&^$less of dentist!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

a couple of days and a race

so friday I did a short swim ~1200 yards with a few hard efforts. Then came home and road the TT bike for an hour with some efforts near 300w to open up for Sat.

Sat was the big Ironbear Sprint here in town...Brunswick Worlds. Had an OK race, fair swim, great T1 (passed 5 people, what are you doing in transition?), led on the bike mixing the pace with Mike C and Chris B, then Mike pulled away on the bike a bit. I was second into T2, had a quick change, then out to get dusted by Mike on the run. Second overall, 1st in AG. Not too bad considering I am only doing longer, slower stuff.

A good week all in all, ~47 miles of running which is good!
train hard folks.

pbmcoaching dot com

Thursday, May 04, 2006

...back in the game

so I am feeling better on the antibiotics. Back to some solid training. Some volume this week (~22 hours) then some intensity next week.
Monday was a long swim only...tired.
Tuesday: long swim (4000 yards) then a 5mile run.
PM was a trainer set with some sustained HIM efforts, then another 4 mile run.

Wed: was a 3000 yard swim (which I was a bit banged up after) then in the PM was a long run of 17 miles. This was done pretty easy as I am a bit tired.

Thursday: 4 mile easy run in the am.
2.5 hour easy ride in the PM...then a massage!

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Friday and Sat the 28th and 29th of april

So the diagnosis was sinus infection. Back on antibiotics again. Amzing though, I felt better within 10 hours of being on them.

Did and easy short swim and short run Friday AM.
PM: did a 2 hour ride on the tt bike with 40min at goal IM pace.

Sat: sort of turned into a big day...with out trying.
Wakeup, run 20min easy. Eat breakfast. Ride ~100 miles in 5:45 (very Hilly raymond loop), get off and run 30min easy.
All was good, except I ate some solid food near the end of the bike and wanted to hurl on the run.:}

pbmcoaching dot com

Thursday, April 27, 2006

still sick..4/27

took it off today. going to the doc this afternoon.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Wed the 26th of April

a little better today. Took Tues off completly.
Did a easy set in the pool this am of ~2800 yards...felt like 6000! Then a REALLY slow run (not gonna even say what the pace was:})

Might go ride easy this PM...gotta do a self check and make a call.

Happy Bday pops...

pbmcoaching dot com

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Sat 4/22

another bad day...woke up with a sore throat and headache...cold? This would be like #5 since Dec. Shit.

So i kitted up to ride 112 on the tri bike. never felt right. Got about 45 miles from home...and thought i was going to fall over. Had to call for a ride.

Now I need to sleep and get over this asap.
Shit.

pbmcoaching dot com

Friday, April 21, 2006

friday 4/21...tired

no mojo today. went to the pool for my big swim and bagged it 400 yards into it. A day off is good now as next week is solid. run focus.

big ride tomorrow I hope...

www.pbmcoaching.com

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

4/18 and 4/19

enjoying the "down" week a bit. still training but easing off on intensity and volume.
Tues: easy tech swim and a short run in the AM
some FTP and HIM steady state intervals on the TT bike in the PM

Wed: had a good swim going, was about 2800 in when the Y power went out...go run 45min easy instead.
PM: off

www.pbmcoaching.com

Monday, April 17, 2006

Monday the 17th of April

a bit of an unload week for me. It is funny, I know so many people who train for long distance racing, but never let their body "absorb" any of the training...I don't mean a 3 hour training week, but actually backing off the throttle a bit. I will still "train" this week, and even 1-2 quality sessions, but otherwise I am backing off the frequency/volume and intensity all ~35-40%.

Today was a moderate swim of 3500scy with some short reps (1oo's, 75's, 50's and 25's). Did not have my "A" game so I must be tired...

train smart.
www.pbmcoaching.com

Sunday, April 16, 2006

this week..

sorry for the delay. busy with work/family/training.
Big week;
20K swimming
a lot of biking (some good TSS points)
and pretty solid run week too. Although my long run got hosed by some rain so I split it up...does that count?

Unload week upcoming. Make sure to take advantage of it!
Train smart y'all.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

4/6 and 4/7

Thurs the 6th was a 2:05 long run. Steady ~7:40 pace. Felt good throughout. Was a bit cold as I did not wear enough. PM was a 1 hour "stupid slow" recovery ride.

Friday the 7th: busy day with client meetings, and a drive to Boston. Only workout was a 5100 yard swim with a 10x100 on 1:30 and a 8 x 300 mainset.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

4/5/2006

AM: swim. 3700scy, main set was 15x100 descending 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15 from ~1:23 to 1:14 on 1:45.
Then a short 20min "jog"

PM: 2:15 ride. With a pretty solid set of 2x12min at .9 of FTP, spin 15min (to get to a better road) then 45min continual at IM watts in the aero position. 30min t-run to wrap it up.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Monday and Tuesday 4/3 and 4/4

Monday:
AM: swim ~3800 yards, mixed pace. Nothing to brutal.
PM: 2 hour bike with 4x20min at HIM watts + 10. Steady, very comfortable. Then an easy 25min t-run.

Tuesday: a bit of unload day (good as the weather sucks!):
AM: very easy swim, was tired for sure. Total was ~2700 yards...slow.
PM: might be 45min "spin" on the trainer, but a nap will happen for sure!

train smart. www.pbmcoaching.com

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Kurt's multisport blog

still fighting a bug...but 16 weeks to Placid!

AM: 70min run with a 25min block at near HIM race -:20sec per mile

PM: 3000 yard fairly swim. Main set was 3x500 off at 7:00.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Kurt's multisport blog

3/31/2006

AM: swim 4000scy. the meat of the main set was:
200steady
8x25 all out
200 steady
4x50 all out
200 steady
2x100 all out
rest 1:00
200 ALL OUT

PM: 1:45 easy/steady ride on the tri bike. should have been easier, but a few folks picked up the pace.


Sat 4/1:
Group road ride with some hard work pulling back breaks. Was to go 3 hours, but a rain storm forced me back in 2.

PM: 30min easy run (fighting a stomach bug)

Thursday, March 30, 2006

3/30/3006

AM: long run. 1:50 total at ~7:35 pace. Not sure of distance as I hit a few trails and whatnot. Felt good, but got a nasty blister.

PM: 1:00 recovery spin to coffee shop...my favorite workout.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Wed 3/29/2006

AM:
Swim as:
300 swim
3x100 pull w/pad
10x50 as drill/swim
--------------------------
400 steady
4x100 as 50s/50h
300steady
3x100 steady
6x50 descend 1-5, #6 is easy
8x25 all out (~16sec) (:20)
100easy
-------------------------- Bonus set.
8x100 steady leaving 1:35 (touched 1:21 on each)
200 easy cool down
4000 SCY

Straight into a VERY easy 35min run.

This afternoon will be 2.5 hours on the bike, with 2x20min at goal IM watts in all terrain.

train smart!
Kurt
www.pbmcoaching.com

Monday, March 06, 2006

Cali Camp, and another bug.

So I got home Saturday from the C-S camp in San Diego. Pretty good training for the week (~23 hours) and 1-2 epic days in the saddle. Still a bit of traffic for my liking though. We did the "famous" Palomar climb in the area and Steve and I had a good "tempo" effort up it.

I am back home for 5 days and of course I have another bug, this time it feels like something more serious, as I feel it in my chest. I don't actually feel bad, just a cough and sore throat. I will try to slam it with some vitamins and fluids and lay low for a few days.

It is good to be home and see Carter and Erika, I really miss them while away.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

fighting the cold, fighting the snow and fighting the man...

i can't fully kick this cold. I don't feel horrible, just a bit of nasal drip and fatique. Erika is real bad and Carter still seems to be coughing too. This might be my reality with a kid. Great.

we got a bit of snow here in Maine, but not a ton. I was able to ski a few days at Pineland and did short ski yesterday on a 50 degree day...holy shit global warming is legit! Supposed to get a snow/ice storm the next few days.

the man is actually my local YMCA pool. That damn thing is always closed! I pay 42.00 per month and get shut out about 1/3 of the time. the sign always says "due to an accident"? what the hell does that mean? All I can think about is a caddy shack moment!

anyway, Feb is here time to get serious for Placid. I am on good form, feel motivated and ready to put in 25 hard weeks!

train smart y'all.
KP

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Maine: the winter training destination!

Well the last few days have been near 50 and sunny...I think we set record highs both days. The snow is GONE! Not a speck anywhere. That's fine, that is what is great about multisport...you just do a different sport. Road ~2.5 hours outside today with Tom and Scott, a few of the guys from the Tucson trip. Seem like good guys and should be fun to train with for a week.

Still battling this cold, and thought i had it licked, but feel crappy again today.

Tomorrow looks colder and still sunny so I plan to run 90mins and maybe ride in the afternoon.

Train smart! KP

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Inevitable cold

Carter has had a cold for a few days now, and I figured it was a matter of time before I got it...that time is now. I woke up this AM with a sore throat, and the "taste" of illness in my mouth. Time to hit the Vit C, and the Coldeeze.

In other news, Lake Placid Loppet has been postponed for about the 3rd year in a row. They really should just move it to mid Feb. Looks like I lost another entry fee to a ski race (3 so far this season for about ~100.00).

I guess I will stay home, work and try to get better this weekend. I will train for sure, but try to keep the intensity low.

check out www.teamtoday.org for some insite into the Olympic selection for the nordic team...lots of anger over there right now!
Be well!
Kurt

Sunday, January 15, 2006

...and off snow.

well, 3 days of 50 degree weather and rain has killed the snow in New england. The forcast calls for some today and tomorrow, but it will be a while before we are back up and skiing! Luckily there are other sports to train and I hope to keep some form.

Check the pic of Carter at 4 months:
Image hosting by TinyPic

Kurt