Comparrisons of Training 1987-2011

I thought i would go back and see how training was different from 87 to now.  After some research I am shocked at the differences in style of training.  In the 80's i was primarily a runner and it showed all through my training on every event that i did.  although I crossed trained it does'nt hold a candle to how I train now 24 years later. so at 34 i could run like the wind and on any day I could go 20..sadly that is not the case today.well time has a way of catcing up but it has also made me a helluva lot wiser about all this. I have had to listen to my body way more now than ever before and some days u just have to bite the bullet.  so here we go...
In 1987 I had been training for varoius endurance events for for 7 years...hmm master program..llike i mentioned i came from running roots.  my basic times were:  5:05 mile, 17:40 5K, 37:45 10K, 1:30 half, 3:05 marathon..I usually averaged about 50 miles a week for 4-5 years so my base was solid.  hills, speed work, farklet, distance the works.   so that being said this is where the real changes have occurred.  injuries an age have slowed me down and mentally the hardest part of all this is that i cant run like the wind.  it sucks.. 8:30 mile, 27:30 5k, 56-57 10K, 2:20 half, ----marathon Im saving for IMAZ. that is quite a bit of differnce but the body doesnt rejuvinate like it used to...my cross to bear.

riding however is significantly different.  In 1987 my weekly rides leading up to IMCA were 2x40 and a sixty as my base.  that year I also did several treks.  Fairbanks to Mt. McKinley park, now Denali, and on to wonder lake 160 miles in two days with 10,000 feet of climbing on my mountain bike...the in the park was two lane dirt unimproved road at the time.  with bears included.  i raced regularly with the unfriendly cycling crowd as they were not fond of triathletes...they really need to get over it...Now the bike has been my primary base.  3-4 bike sessions a week with a plan has helped me establish a solid base from which to build off of.  I resisted the all out Saturdays rides with my team to build the base.  mentally that has toughened me up the most as i have been the last ONE done.  Now my rides are 30x2 and 60-95 on weekends   My long rides since early July have been the corner stone of where I am at as i traveled all over the state of AZ to vary terrain and altitude.  Although i don't have the same speed, 22.9 in ONE hour time trial in 87, I'm only a couple mph from that number, and i feel my base at riding is a ton better as I have ridden several thousands of miles during the last five years.  In Alaska you get about 120 days of riding on dry roads.  so all in all I feel my riding has really been ONE of my strengths.  Now that I have my Garmin I am able to keep all the exact numbers and at the end of all this I will know exactly how many mile in each discipline.
Swimming is another area that I have concentrated on to build the solid base and to keep my HR down.  In 87 I went to the pool 3-4 days a week at the lunch hour for 45-60 minutes swims.  My OWS were in the Chena river or out at the lakes. cold cold cold. No real swim plan, just get in and start to go.  Stroke mechanics were probably horrible with no real glide. but I was was in great condition so i just powered thru the sessions.  Now I am doing 10 thous meters each week for the past couple months.  with the help of my little book Swim workouts for triathletes I have become a much more efficient swimmer..yea ONE for 2011.  yep Im a better swimmer at 58 than at 34...yahoo...a plus.

Triathlon racing:  I traveled regularly on the 80's USTS circuit and did several races in June and July of 87.  My Olympic times were between 2:20 and 2:40 depending on course, flat tires, wrecks and jelly fish attacks in the ocean.  I had a nasty fall on the Oakland bay bridge on the grates at SF tri. I also traveled to Prescott and did a race in the pines..heart explosion at altitude.  Local 10k's, time trials and local tri were also done.  I was race tested back then for sure.  Now I have once again resisted the temptation to race a lot for fear of injury and to get that base locked in.  I did do several !/2leading up to IMAz the past few years and this year Mountain Man with SOMA on the schedule as a big day.

So the Journey has been a very interesting study in time for me.  I am feeling a lot of the same feeling in 87 about the buildup.  Introspection has definitely occurred and i find my self reflecting on day s gone by more and more.  The what if have occurred along with self doubt and anxiety..the will and drive are and have been ONE of my main cornerstones and that has not changed.  I was a focused athlete then and I am now.  It has been like dusting off an old book for a reread. At times i don't see my self on the road as a 58 year age grouper but other times it hits like a tone of bricks.  Looking at all the triathletes around me now has also been ONE huge plus.  I never had that before.  That part is new, score another  ONE for 2011.  So were down to two months.  ONE other regret is that I think about a lot is what if I trained now when I was 34, 163 lb machine...but that is in the past and  Im looking ahead.  IMAZ here I come, Oceanside and Vineman, I'm coming to your towns also!

Flagstaff training

This week started with another record week of 110 now exceeding 32 days.  Swimming in 110 is not so bad, but running in the heat and the humidity really takes its toll.  A great week in training was nulified by poor nutrition all week.  MyBella will be cracking the whip and we will be eating right.  I also made a slight change in my Thursday workouts by adding a pretty intense spin class with my swim session adding another type of brick to this phase.

So it was off to Flagstaff for a couple days of riding and running.  I have adapted to the riding at different altitudes but the running is still lacking at 6800ft.  i WILL be taking care of that at the Mcdowell Mtn park this month.

Flag turned out to be a good break for MyBella, Stormie and I to just spend some family time and deal with MyBella's  loss of her Mom.  We loved her  and will miss her very much. The week turned out to be very very stressful for our family as we have love ones in need.

We will also be adding a new Sheltie to the house in the next week.  well that day has arrived and tonight we will pick up our new Sheltie at the airport.  he had to lay over in Houston so he may have some stress when he gets here.

I finished my three week build phase and it was a Beast.  Although my mileage wasn't as high it was definitely more intense in all three disciplines.. the added spin class with Joel is going to be a monster and there will be positive results from that.  That dude never stops.  My swims are 10 thou a week and that will now turn toward the lake and wetsuit training on Fridays.  Some work alterations were made so i can use the Fri-Sat-Sun as the bulk of the heavy mileages.. I'm in recovery this week but plan to ride long in the valley this weekend..85-95 miles  or 5-6 hours on the Garmin should be good.  We are coming down the coming around the back stretch.  dang i hope i have this figured out by Nov 20....