The Week That Was

Tuesday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Wednesday: 1.0hr. run (threshold run)
Thursday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Saturday: 1.0hr. treadmill run (zone 1/2)
Sunday: 2.0hr. treadmill run (zone 1/2)

On Sunday morning I volunteered at our social triathlon; here's Jenny's report on the event

On Wednesday's run I had an average heart rate of 172, which I count as the very upper limit of my zone 3. Not being close to falling-down-exhausted at the end of the run confirmed that my lactate threshold is significantly above 172.

Heart rate was not stable on Sunday; it drifted to the very middle of zone 2 by 90 minutes and would have gone into upper zone 2 if I hadn't dropped 0.1mph on the treadmill. Lots of base work to do!

This week will be a recovery week. On the weekend I'll do a benchmark test on the treadmill. After that I'll shift into base training proper.

The Week That Was

Tuesday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Wednesday: 1.0hr. run (zone 2/3)
Thursday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Saturday: 1.0hr. treadmill run (zone 1/2)
Sunday: 1.75hr. treadmill run (zone 1/2)

Inflammation issues seem to be subsiding and heat acclimation has come into effect. Sunday's treadmill run was primarily zone 1; in the last 45 minutes I was bouncing in and out of the bottom of zone 2. I expect that I'll complete the drive to a 2 hour long run next weekend, and then have a recovery week.

Saturday afternoon I spectated at the annual Flowers Sea Swim. It's a big deal - large participation locally, increasing participation internationally, generous sponsorship and prizes, significant donation of event fees to local charity, and high ranking amongst open water swimming events world-wide. Thanks to Mr. Frank Flowers and his team of sponsors and volunteers for staging a wonderful event. Congratulations to Jenny, who put in a solid time as one of this year's 748 finishers!

Try-This-Tri Volunteer Report (June 14, 2009)

(Photo Credit: Lana Gilyun - more kids' photos here)

Last weekend we held the inaugural Try-This-Tri; it was a great success. We're calling it Cayman's first pool-swim tri. Nobody has proved us wrong!

The day favoured participation by families and beginners. The morning featured three different distances:
7am start - Sprint (800 m swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run)
8am start - Super Sprint (400 m swim, 3 mile bike, 1.5 mile run)
9am start - Kids Distance (50m swim, 1/2 mile bike, 1/5 mile run)

At the very end we tacked on a race running the length of a soccer field (OK, here it's a football pitch) for the younger brothers and sisters of the Kids Distance participants.

Results and course maps here: link

We appreciate Camana Bay, a planned mixed-use community, allowing us to use their great facilities. By operating there we kept the Super Sprint and Kids Distance events off the public roads, using a rectangle of interior roads that Camana Bay could close for us. And their 25m outdoor 8 lane pool is beautiful!

We had great volunteer support - 30 of us (I was marshaling at the Transition Area). Sponsors came through strongly with refreshments and spot prizes.

Special thanks to Corrine Fiesel, who had the get up and go to approach the Cayman Islands Triathlon Association about holding a pool-swim tri. Of course we turned around and appointed her race director, a role she fulfilled with distinction.

The Week That Was

Tuesday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Wednesday: 1.0hr. run (zone 2)
Thursday: 0.5hr. run (zone 2)
Saturday: 1.0hr. treadmill run (zone 2/3)
Sunday: 1.5hr. treadmill run (zone 2)

Again the zone 3 running on Saturday slammed me relatively hard. The previous week's running in zone 4 was easier on me.

A touch of inflammation around my right knee this morning - seems to have pretty much dissipated. Clearly I'm pushing soft tissue and muscle balance issues, but I would really like to get up to a 2 hour aerobic run sooner rather than later. 2 hours is as much duration as seems particularly useful just now - pretty much maximizes aerobic benefit versus time cost, and without a marathon or iron-distance tri looming I don't require more running endurance.

Saturday morning I volunteered at a 5K run put on by our local World Gym for their 15th year of operation. The triathlon association has a group discount there, so it seemed especially worthwhile to be a road marshall for them.

Sunday morning I volunteered at our "Try-this-Tri" It was a very successful event, and I will devote a separate little post to it before end-of-day Thursday.

The Week That Was

Wednesday: approx. 4.0 mile threshold run
Saturday: 1.0hr. treadmill run (zone 2/3)
Sunday: 1.25hr. treadmill run (zone 2)

I am fat, slow, and not adapted to local heat and humidity. Presumably, over time training will significantly change all that.

Zone 3 running Saturday afternoon left me slammed that evening. Zone 2 running on Sunday was not effortful. Useful indicators of the state of my base conditioning.

Threshold running on the asphalt and concrete did give me a touch of inflammation that quickly dissipated. I'm thinking I should add a couple of early morning half hour asphalt runs to build soft tissues, and drop my run with our Wednesday Night Run Club down to an aerobic level of pounding.