2015 Haleiwa Metric Century Ride

My goal for this years Haleiwa Metric Century Ride was to treat it as a training ride for my upcoming triathlons. My plan was to do an easy ride until past Waimea Bay, then do a non-stop time trial to the turn-around at Swanzy Beach Park, then after a nice break ride back at an easy, aerobic threshold pace. This meant riding alone, and skipping our customary stop at Ted's Bakery.

I waited until the last minute to decide where to start. I enjoy the excitement and camaraderie of the official starting point, but this time I was afraid traffic would interfere with my plan. Since Pattie was leading a slower, short distance group and we were to meet friends for lunch at Haleiwa Joe's, leaving early from Ali'i Beach Park would mean less waiting for me to finish. This is why my actual distance is short.

The Honolulu Triathlon course is flat when compared to the Tinman, and I had no idea what pace I could expect to hold for 40K. I figured that if I started my time trial after Waimea Bay the only hills on the course would be behind me. By my calculations Waimea Bay to Swanzy Beach Park was a bit short of 40K but I used 40K (24.86 miles) in my plan anyway, because I was really looking for a pace estimate.

Since my first A race is only a few weeks away I did not want this to be an all-out effort. My plan was to cut short the 40K and keep the pace lower than what I hoped would be race pace. I decided my goal pace for the time trial portion should be mid-high zone 2, just above aerobic threshold. The warm-up and return should be slower, well within aerobic threshold (1.8Z - 2.4Z). Another consideration I had was that for the century ride I had nothing before or after, whereas in a triathlon the bike comes after what will be for me a challenging swim and is followed by a 10K run. I need to find a pace that was just fast enough without requiring all my energy.

Before digging into the numbers let me say that my feeling, during and after the ride, was that I got the pace spot on. Once during the time trial I took the pace well up into zone 3 and still felt strong. I doubt that I could hold that pace for 40K and still be able to run, so I will stick to the pace I used today. Maybe a little higher; we'll see. As I approached Haleiwa my legs felt good so I decided to let them run. I am still no speed daemon, but it felt good.

I had one glitch with speed data dropping out around Kahuku on the way out. I fought off the temptation to stop and fix it as I was supposed to ride non-stop to Swanzy. A little further down the road it came on by itself. I'll blame it on the high powered radio transmitter at the fire station.

Value	Plan	Actual
Overall
Duration	5:00:00	3:50:47
Distance (mi)	62	51.9
Avg. Speed	12.4	13.5
Time Trial
Duration	2:00:00	1:25:24
Distance (mi)	28.8	19.9
Avg. Speed	13.0	14.0
Avg. HR Zone	2.8	2.7

Below is the breakdown of my time in heart rate zones. The time in zone 3 was mostly outbound, while all of the 4 and 5 was at the finishing sprint. What stands out is that I spent most of my time approximately where I wanted to be.

1Z 6%

2Z 83%

3Z 9%

4Z 2%

5Z <1%

Too bad the data is not finer grained; I would like to know how much of that 2Z was below 2.5. What the data can tell me is that my average HR for the TT was 126, for the return 124, and overall 124. This suggests that I did the return faster than I intended. Perhaps I was inspired by lunch to follow at Haleiwa Joe's. The pulled pork sliders were delicious, washed down with Kona Wailua Wheat Ale.

Handy hand cues

There are many times when we need to get our body into an unfamiliar position. The lack of familiarity could be due to novelty, or it could be a correction to an old, "bad" habit. A cue in this case is a trick to help achieve the new position.

I learned from Bobby McGee that a good arm position for endurance running is with the hands above the waist line, forearms roughly parallel and straight fore and aft. At no time should the elbows stick out.

My trainer, Sonya, taught me a neat trick to coax those elbows into position. Turn your hands palm up and gently tuck your thumb between your pinky and ring finger. Like magic your elbows will move it where they belong. I assume that after running this way for a time the thumb tuck will be unnecessary.

The other day at the pool I leveraged this tip to discover a cue for getting the correct catch position. Coach Susan Atkinson calls this 3D swimming -- "Drape, Define, Drive." Terry Laughlin describes it in this video. I was having trouble with the define step, where the elbow is lifted a bit as if gently squeezing a beach ball. A further opening of the armpit is another result of getting this step right. I was plunging my arm in after recovery, angled down as it should be, but trying to establish the hand position without lifting the elbow. My arm looked like a "Z." For the life of me I could not figure out how to lift my elbow. Suddenly I recalled Sonya's tip and focused on my hand rotation. It took a lap or two to work out that lowering the thumb and raising the pinky did the trick. For the right arm that would be twisting the wrist counter-clockwise. Not too much. At first, go ahead and start the pull with the hand twisted past the perpendicular, but once this starts to take hold in muscle memory lighten up so that the palm is perpendicular and pulling straight back.

I guess this works because our brain is habituated to paying close attention to what our hands are doing, more so than what our elbows are doing.

Keep in mind the kinetic chain. If you want to correct an action in one body part, look for a cause in a different but related body part. I know that my kicking leg action is entirely different -- my right leg stays straight and moves from the hip while my left leg bends at the knee -- so I expect to find imbalances between my left side and right side arm motion. Eventually I will need to sort out which is the cause and which is the effect. Maybe I will find a cue to help with that. Let me guess; it will have something to do with head position.

Plans and weather do not get along

In a recent Training Peaks webinar, "Developing Mental Toughness," the presenter Carrie Cheadle recommended planning for many different eventualities that might occur during a race. Planning in advance how you will react to events you have little if any control over accomplishes two things; it reduces stress as the race approaches, and it reduces the emotional impact of the event should it occur.

One simple example is a flat tire. While the odds of getting a flat on race day are low, they are never zero. If you never really consider getting a flat and have a friend who always helps you out on your training rides, a flat on race day will likely produce a maelstrom of panic and may well end your day. If you do consider it but have no idea how to fix a flat, your nights leading up to race day will be filled with dreams of exploding tubes and long walks to T2. The solution is simple. Ensure you carry the tools and supplies required, and practice using them. Practice enough times so that getting a flat is no big deal. Your goal should be a flat recovery in under three minutes.

Last Sunday's Hapalua Half Marathon provided us with a valuable lesson in how to plan for the weather. Reports all week called for rain. Lots of rain. Guy Hagi specifically called out the half marathon, warning runners to expect squishy shoes and blisters. I coached Pattie on wet weather run preparation, specifically to wear a hat with a brim to keep the rain out of her eyes and to apply lots of Body Glide to her feet. At last year's marathon I was cold until the turn-around in Hawaii-Kai, but even so would not recommend a jacket then (December) and certainly not now (April).

Sunday morning, no rain. As the race got underway it became obvious that the challenge had shifted to heat and hydration. Clear sky, light winds, temperature in the mid 70's. Not overly threatening but nothing like what I image most runners anticipated.

Fortunately Pattie had not altered her original food and hydration plan for running in the rain other than to expect consuming less water. She stuck to her plan and drank some extra water at every aid station. The plan worked, because she made it through four and half hours of hard work and arrived at the finish line is reasonably good shape. (I have done much worse.)

In case it isn't obvious there is a huge difference from an endurance point of view between what an elite runner feels running the course in under two hours and what the slower age groupers experience. Keeping a fit body moving for two hours is all about strength and efficiency, plus a little hydration. The nutritional focus is on preparation. Contrast this with a four hour effort which demands taking on fuel during the event. The course may be the same, but the impact on the athlete is altogether different.

The trick is to find a fuel source that your body can tolerate while running, and the rate at which it can be ingested. The only way to do this is trial and error. Even then, race day can throw you a curve ball. Weather -- heat in particular -- can contribute to the challenge. Once your stomach is unhappy with what you put in it, you cannot even keep down water and your day will soon be over. Taken to the extreme, heat stroke can be deadly.

Happily the weather on Sunday was not that hot, but for runners who prepared for rain and failed to consider a sunny day their race must have been an overwhelming and unnecessary challenge.

Head games

Talk to any athlete and they will tell you that the most difficult challenge to overcome is our own sense of inadequacy. Usually this advice is targeted at the days and weeks preceding a race. That is the time when our mind keeps telling us we are not prepared. We have not trained enough. We are not strong enough, or fast enough. We will be the last person to finish. I have come to realize that the demon of self-doubt haunts us in other ways. Specifically, at different time intervals. The pre-race jitters are the most talked about, but I propose that the successful athlete should be aware of other forms of the same demon.

One common and often overlooked version is the "I could never do that" excuse. This is what the couch potato says when contemplating getting out and running every day for exercise. It is what the devoted two mile morning runner says when someone suggests they run a marathon. Believe it or not, it even attacks the experienced mid-distance triathlete thinking about doing an Ironman race. I call this the long duration demon, because it prevents people from even starting.

At the other extreme is the short duration demon. This one pops up in every race and every good workout. I can't go any faster. I can't go any further. My legs hurt, so I should slow down, maybe take a rest for a minute. That one.

I had an experience of the short duration demon on this morning's Tantalus ride. I had been keeping up with the ride leader and a couple of other riders until we came to a place where the rate of climb kicks up to around 10 percent, at which point I got dropped. I felt my respiration increase, double checked that my heart rate had indeed risen a little. I hung on, doing my own thing like I always do, watching the group ride away. Then along comes this younger, wiry guy who blew past me and hardly breathing at all. For some crazy reason I jumped onto his wheel and in no time was back with the group.

We often hear about this watching professional bike races. On a flat stage there is aerodynamic drafting to explain the benefit of one rider leading another, but what is the advantage on a climb? It is all in the head. I thought I was maxed out and unable to ride any harder. Then along came this faster guy and I decided to hang with him. And I did. Same old bones. Same struggling muscles. Same weathered lungs. At one point I could not, and then I could. It feels like magic. All it really is, is not listening to that demon in my head telling me I cannot climb that fast.

One way to conquer our demon is to live in the moment. Our demon tells us stories about the future. Stay in the present and deal with what is so. The future will take care of itself. Just after a race -- even a challenging workout -- our demon will tell us stories about the past. We wish we had done better. We wish we could have gone faster, or farther. In time those demon grows weary and moves on. What remains is what we should have known all along, our success.

This TrainingPeaks webinar will be of interest to anyone doing long distance events. "Developing Mental Toughness" featuring Carrie Cheadle, Thursday, April 9, 2015, 11:00AM MDT (7:00AM HST). It will be recorded, so if you can't make the live broadcast you can always get a re-play.

Late March test results

In early March I speculated what my running zones would be using my most recent Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR) test. That test was a bit old (August 2014), but then once settled the number should not change much over the course of a season. To review, my last LTHR average heart rate for 20 minutes was 154, so at 5% less than that my estimated zones were:

Run Zones with LTHR at 146

1Z	2Z	3Z	4Z	5aZ	5bZ	5cZ
96	124	131	139	146	150	155

A week later (March 8) I did a new test, preceded by a first ever aerobic capacity test. Turns out my estimate was pretty good. My average heart rate for the aerobic capacity test, a 5 minute all-out effort, was 160. For the 20 minute lactate threshold test, 155. Take 5% off that and my run zones are:

Run Zones with LTHR at 147

1Z	2Z	3Z	4Z	5aZ	5bZ	5cZ
97	125	132	140	147	151	156

In other words, no real change in LTHR, which is what I expected.

On March 29 I did another LTHR test, this time without the aerobic capacity test, and my twenty minute average HR was 153. Not enough of a difference to reset my zones. Besides, on most days my HR zone reported on my Garmin FR610 matches what I feel, in the legs and respiration. Once in a while these things do not agree, particularly at the start of the run segment of a bike-run brick, when HR is much higher than respiration and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

To get accurate results an LTHR test should be preceded by a couple days rest. This most recent test was run on a Sunday morning after a Saturday trip to Mokuleia for the same test done on the bike. On top of that, there were significant environmental differences, the kind that are beyond my ability to control. The day of the earlier test was cool but windy. For the most recent test the temperature was considerably warmer, and while there was virtually no wind the track was wet from overnight rain.

As for the bike time trial, my twenty minute average HR was 138, with a minimum of 133 and maximum of max of 142. As a matter of fact, my average over the entire thirty minute test (the first ten minutes are not counted), was 138. At least I was consistent. Bike results are typically lower than for running, but not ten points lower. I attribute some of that to the fact that I decided to approach this as a race effort test rather than all out. On top of that I probably held back too much trying to avoid going out too fast and blowing up. As it was I held zone 4 for thirty minutes, which is tough to do. From that angle I consider this a good test; I can expect to average around 16 m.p.h. on race day, for a bike split of around 1:30.

After Sunday's run test I drove out to the Oahu Club and swam a 500 yard time trial. Part to measure progress, part to begin gathering data for estimating my swim split. My numbers for 5 x 100 were 3:04.31, 3:13.07, 3:14.25, 3:12.25, and 3:11.69.

My overall average pace was 3:11/100 yards. I think a better result is had by throwing out the first set, since it is so much different than the last four. Doing that my average pace is 3:13, which I think is closer to what I can really do. That works out to a 1,500M swim split of around 50 min.

Since I have gone this far I might as well add my run estimates. Based on recent runs I expect an average pace of 14:30, which comes out to around 1:30:0 for the run segment.

Last year my T1 time was 5:30 and T2 was 2:30. I know I can improve on that T1 time but I will use it here; it all works out to a sub four hour race.

Here is how I look compared to last year's 65-69 age group. My estimates are in the last column. All times rounded to the nearest minute. Totals include T1 and T2.

Segment	Low	High	My Est.
Swim	0:29	0:49	0:50
Bike	1:12	1:41	1:30
Run	0:52	1:30	1:30
Total	2:41	4:13	3:56

I am about one month out from my first of two races. I do not expect any dramatic improvements in these times. I will keep checking and tweak the numbers when I feel that it matters, but from here on my focus will be more on developing the endurance and skills to do all three segments at this level, without the benefit of rest breaks and in the midst of all the frenzy and emotional stress everyone feels on race day.

Information overload

A friend of mine at work recently announced she wants to run the Honolulu Marathon. Her first long run event. It seems like only yesterday I said the same words, so naturally I began to shower her with all the knowledge I had gained in the last couple of years. She is a very smart person, and it wasn't long before she began to point out conflicting bits of information. Runner's World says this, Training Peaks says that, and so-and-so says something different again. The two things we all agree on are 1) she should start with a walk-run program that gradually increases the run duration, and 2) she should wear proper running shoes. I guess you could say the the confusion started with which brand of shoe, and went off in all directions from there. How often to run. Where to run. What to eat. When to eat. Smartphone vs. dedicated HRM vs. smart watch vs. activity tracker.

The other day I thought it would be helpful to share some of the books I have purchased for my Kindle. Come to find out that not all Kindle books can be loaned, those that can can only be loaned once, and only for seven days. None of the books I wanted to share are load enabled; so much for that. So I did the next best thing, I sent her a bibliography. Keep in mind this is not exhaustive, just some books I have found to be useful.

Abshire, Danny (Mr. Newton). Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running.

Dicharry, Jay. Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking Your Athletic Potential for Health, Speed, and Injury Prevention.

Fitzgerald, Matt. 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower. (Bought but not yet read, supposed to be good.)

Fitzgerald, Matt. The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond "the Wall." (Target is advanced runners but good to know. I used his training plans for half marathons, went very well.)

Friel, Joe. Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life.

As I put this list together I realized how much material I had, and how badly I wanted to re-read some of these. The Dicharry book especially, since I have so many range of motion issues. I am still reading "Fast After 50" and even then it will take a lot of time and study to implement Friel's advice. Then there are the books I did not list, especially Friel's "The Power Meter Handbook" and Fitzgerald's "80/20 Running."
Oh. Her response? "Will tag for later; currently on information overload."

This week I managed to find time to get started implementing workout suggestions from "Fast After 50." The more I worked on my Training Peaks calendar, the more confused I got.

Then came a question about protein intake. According to Friel (well, the research he refers to) and old guy like me needs to consume a lot more protein after a hard workout than a young stud. I am a big fan of chocolate milk, and while one 8oz. serving supplies a nice dose of recovery nutrition for a typical morning run, it is not nearly enough after a hard session. I thought the best person to ask was my strength and bike coach, Dorian Cuccia, and yep, he recommends protein powder. Do you have any idea how many brands of protein powder there are? Or that some are considered downright unhealthy? It's crazy.

This afternoon it hit me. I have so many different sources of information that the task of blending them into a smooth, cohesive whole seems impossible. I have a hunch this is how my friend, the new runner, feels. This is not to say I plan to turn my back and just go by feel. Nope. I know that all this information has a role to play in making me a better athlete. What I am looking for is balance.

I'll get back to you when I find it.

Rethinking my low intensity weeks

In "The Triathlete's Training Bible" Joe Friel presents guidelines for creating an individual training plan. These same guidelines are incorporated into the Training Peaks Annual Training Plan (ATP). (The new site does yet include the ATP. To get there you must revert to Classic, on the drop-down menu triggered by clicking your name.) Friel's new book, "Fast After 50," also gives advice on setting up a training plan, and some of the suggested solutions are different. No doubt he has updated his recommendations to reflect new knowledge.

A key element of an ATP is periodization by week. Friel recommends that young whipper-snappers insert a reduced volume week every fourth week, whereas mature athletes insert one every third week. I am not sure where he or the TP computer draw the line. All I can say for sure is that TP schedules me a rest week every three weeks, with a target of 7 hours of activity, which is exactly what Friel recommends in his book for someone my age with an annual training goal of 500 hours.

Once you have your weekly volume mapped out you can use the TP Virtual Coach to help fill in individual workouts, again following the same guidelines presented in "The Triathlete's Training Bible." During reduced volume weeks you will see workouts that are really the tests he describes in detail in his book, such as the run LTHR test.

About that 500 hours. As I move into the new year I am finding it difficult to schedule, much less do, as much volume as TP recommends. Somewhere between the complexities of life and the vagaries of the weather I have not been able to put in as much time as I would like. One thing I need to fix is my swim time estimates. I have been scheduling swim workouts based on time in the pool, but my Garmin Swim only gives me credit when I am moving. The most I have ever gotten from a one hour pool workout is 40 minutes. But if I shave off twenty minutes there I have to add it on somewhere else, and there are not very many possibilities.

Okay, I admit that the computer did not assign me 500 hours per year. I chose it, because that is the recommended volume for a Half Ironman:

Suggested Annual Training Hours

RACE DISTANCE	ANNUAL HOURS
Ironman	600-1200
Half-Ironman	500-700
Olympic	400-600
Sprint	300-500

Friel, Joe (2012-11-27). The Triathlete's Training Bible (Kindle Locations 2069-2070). VeloPress. Kindle Edition.

To be more precise, 500 hours per year is the high end for sprint distance triathlons, which I did last year, in the middle for Olympic distance events which I am targeting this year, and on the low end for Half Ironman, my goal for 2016. So I did not just pull that number out of a hat.

But I digress. My purpose in this interlude was to explain where the 7 hours per week came from. "The Triathlete's Training Bible," table 14.1.

This coming week is one of those weeks. Back in December/January when I laid out my spring plan I scheduled this week this way:

Monday
    Swim, pool 1 hr 2250 yds
 Tuesday
    Swim, pool, 1 hr 1200 yds
Wednesday
    Swim, pool 1 hr 3250 yds
    Bike, spin class, 1 hr
Thursday
    Run, Foundation, 30 min
    Strength, 1 hr
    Yoga (no time)
Friday
    Run, track, LTHR test, 50 min
    Massage (no time)
Saturday
    rest day, no activity
Sunday
    Run, track, tempo time trial, 30 min

Total planned: 6:50
ATP: 7:00

Even with all that my plan is ten minutes short of my allocation. Experience tells me I will be short on swim time, and about the only way to hit my goal will be to extend some runs or tack on a ride. That or give myself time credit for yoga, which is not really cheating.

My inspiration for this blog entry was to say that after reading most of Friel's new book, "Fast After 50," I feel the need to redefine the two runs that come later in the week. I have something similar at the end of every low volume week.

One change I did spot in Friel's new book, instead of taking average HR for the 20 min run to get LTHR rate, he now recommends taking five percent off that. So this week I will get fresh LTHR data, and the result should change my HR zones, but not by much. My last run LTHR test was back in August, and put me at 154. Five percent off that would be 146.

Run Zones with LTHR at 154

1Z	2Z	3Z	4Z	5aZ	5bZ	5cZ
102	131	139	146	154	159	163

Run Zones with LTHR at 146

1Z	2Z	3Z	4Z	5aZ	5bZ	5cZ
96	124	131	139	146	150	155

So I guess that means I'll be running a bit easier.

There are some other tests Friel recommends we old folks do. I need to read over those sections again before doing any more scheduling. I will present my results in a future post.