Wet Christmas
Christmas this year was the second wettest on record. The ability of Mackay's drivers is appalling. While I may be happy to ride along teh highway in clear conditions, I'm not brave enough to risk in in the wet and particularly if visibility is poor. A couple of times, I got up at 5 am, only to pull the pin and head back to bed. Once th calf is better and I can run, these days will be runs, but I'm still a couple of weeks short of full recovery after tearing the calf in the last week of November.
Thursday I set up the trainer, put the bike in a high gear and pumped out a couple of hard 10 min sessions. My legs still feel the effects 4 days later!
With the rain finally clearing on Saturday afternoon, I headed out to Rosella store for the first time this week. With a headwind of up to 40km/h, the trip out was slow, getting down as low as 22km/h up the ramp onto the bridge. The average speed to the turnaround was a measly 26.4km/h. Coming back was better, with an average speed of 30.9 The 13th & 14th K were disappointing with both being under 30k average.
Thursday: 10 Min 136 bpm Avg 151 bpm Max
Thursday: 10 Min 145 bpm Avg 154 bpm Max
Sunday: 15.6km 33:11 Speed 28.2 km/h 150 bpm Avg 155 bpm Max
Jumping on the scales on Boxing day, the figures were alarming. It was a bit of a wake-up call. At 84.7kg, I'd not been that heavy in more than 18 months. If I'm to be at correct weight of 75kg by August for Yeppoon, I'd better start getting the extra kg's off now.
Starting on the bike again
Despite a family member being under the weather and the usual Christmas parties, I managed to get out on the bike a couple of times.
First time was on the fluid trainer for an easy 10 min spin. The heart rate slowly rising to 135 bpm.
Friday saw me ride the 4km into town to pick up a car. The heart rate was pushed a little higher, to 156bpm, with the average at 147.
Now confident that the calf would be able to manage a longer session, I headed out on Sunday morning for a quick run down the highway. The turnaround was slow as I slipped down the service road only to find I had to head back onto the highway to do the u-turn at the next intersection. The aim is to get to the Rosella store & back at an average speed of 35km/h. Once I can do that, I then venture further south until I can manage my initial target for 2008, 35km in an hour.
Sunday: 15.5km 33:23 Speed 27.9km/h 149bpm Avg
Still a lot slower than my target time, but I’m confident that my time will continue to improve the more I get out and ride.
Weekly total:
Bike 19.5km
Trainer : 10 Mins
Very little training this week, but it's a start.
On Ya Bike
With my left calf muscle being torn, I was doing the right thing and trying to keep off it for a while. After consulting those with better knowledge than mine, I was told it could be up to 4 weeks for a full recovery. It's important to use the leg as much as possible, but without straining the muscle too much.
Late in the week, I found my step-daughter had decided to jump on the trusty (should that read rusty?) bike for a photo shoot.......... Don't ask. I got the answer and still don't understand!
Anyway, I decided to see how the calf would hold up to some gentle peddling. My main focus had been on getting my run times well down, but with the calf gone, I thought a cycle might be worth a try. I quickly learned that pushing yourself up over the saddle with the dodgy leg is
NOT a good idea. But apart from that, it was smooth sailing for the whole 100 metres that I managed before being called back to continue fatherly duties.
So, while the running score has been non-existent for the week, I did manage to test my leg on the bike this weekend. Garmin in hand and being careful not to aggravate the injury, I went out slowly.
Ride 1 - 1.75k 3:52 26.9k/h Avg 133 bpm Avg 148 pbm Max
Ride 2 - 3.63k 7:40 28.3k/h Avg 148 bpm Avg 157 pbm Max
I know those times are very short, but it's the first time on the bike since Sarina triathlon on November 11th. I'm working my way back into some level of fitness, with particular emphasis on speed. I know I can manage the distances involved with a HIM, now I just have to get to the finish line faster. The aim for 2008 is to get fitter & faster with the intention of knocking a minimum of 1.5 hours off my HIM time at Yeppoon in August. Anything under 6:30 will make me very happy.
New Toys Hurt
T'was the month before Christmas and all round the net,
the slow bloke was trawling for fancy new gadget.
The Garmin he spied from a transitions forum mate,
was snapped up by the slow one, hey this Garmin is great.
He set the heart rate to warm him he's slow,
it'll beep at him a warning, "HTFU and go."
Late, late one night, a test sounded fun,
just testing the warnings, not really a run.
So, he plodded down the road without stretching his legs,
"go faster, ya mongrel" his Garmin it begs.
He sprints at full speed, well as fast as he can,
flying across the road this super slow man.
The effort was full, not just giving it half,
but with a scream and a lurch, he tore his left calf.
Limping home he swore, you're a bloody idiot,
sprinting with no warm-up's real stupid, in'it.
So here I sit, no running for weeks,
watching the news from Busso, with tears down my cheeks.
The lesson I've learned in my tear-stained shirt,
new toys can be fun, but sometimes they hurt.
Needless to say, from the above very poor attempt at poetry, my training has been put on the back-burner for a couple of weeks. I'd been looking forward to the new Garmin 305 to start working on training according to my heart rate. After last year's lone effort without any idea what I was doing, 2008 is going to be a much more structured training program with the aim to break 6:30 for the half and qualify for Busso. (Busselton - Home of Ironman Western Australia)
Speaking of Busso, I'd like to congratulate all those who were at Busso this weekend. Particularly all the people at Transitions forum. To those who are still on the course yet to finish, keep going. To finish an Ironman is a great achievement, regardless of the time.
