Gluten Free Week I...

Now that I have a direction for my ailments and a course for setting the record straight I am ready to head into the next phase of training. The first disclaimer on this phase is that I am going to keep everything fun and relaxed. My body is going to be making a huge transition and I'm pretty sure that if I play my cards right that I am going to make massive gains in speed and strength. There is no doubt going to be an adjustment period on the new diet and I know that I am going to really mess up my fueling some days so I just need to take everything in stride right now. Looking back on the last ten weeks of training overall I'm pretty happy. My dedication to improving my cycling is apparent by looking at my weekly logs. I rode all seven days last week for at least fifty-minutes. That is just a microcosm of my time in Marlborough. Couple that with my running form that has come roaring back and I really feel like I'm in a good place. Until I am comfortable with the new diet I am going to keep my running mileage at fifty a week. I think the pounding of the roads has a huge effect on me right now when I'm not 100% healthy so I need to be patient before upping my mileage. I will however be picking up the cycling even more. The plan is to work up to an hour a morning before the end of the year. Through this next cycle I am also going to be working the pool back into the routine on a weekly basis. This is a no brainer for the spring season that will be here soon. I've had a very good period of core work that also needs to continue into the new year. Weekly hours have been around ten for some time now so in the coming weeks I am going to make an effort to move closer to twelve. The weather will really dictate my winter racing this season. I am amped and ready to run on the snowshoes but clearly we need a little snow first! I may do a few indoor races but that is very contingent on how I am feeling on a week to week basis. Also it is time to bring back my weekly goals that act as a road map for each week on the blog. I do so much better with my training when I have goals stated publicly. Don't we all?

Run 50 miles Check

Workout Wednesday Check

Ride six days Check Rode Seven. Fourteen in a row!

Go to the pool Dam!

Monday: Up at 4:29 for another exciting morning on The Soloist. My mountain bike ride yesterday on The Demon left me pretty sore in all the wrong place. Time to look for a new seat! My ride was pretty slow overall and I even thought of pulling the plug a few times. One of the only times I've thought this since we moved. In the afternoon after an awesome walk with Eko I put in seven miles on our new treadmill. Given how short the days are right now I just can't squeeze everything into the daylight hours. I am still in the adjustment period and have an odd sort of vertigo feeling that comes and goes. The only redeeming quality of the treadmill is that I know exactly how far I am running and what I am hitting for pace. (1 hr. 36 min.)

Tuesday: When I woke up this morning I was a bit out of it but as soon as the dark roast was on I was locked in and ready to rock. My energy was super high which was a change that I am going to chalk up to possibly absorbing some nutrients. I got in fifty minutes on The Soloist. The first twenty-five minutes was great but then I had to make and emergency bathroom break. I never recaptured the same rhythm after the break so I was a little frustrated. In the afternoon I had a long meeting so I only had time for four miles on the treadmill. Not a bad day by any measure but I would have loved to have had time to get in a few extra miles. (1 hr. 17 min.)

Wednesday: I was up before the alarm this morning. I had woke up at 3:00 and had an unsettled last hour and a half waiting for the alarm. I put in a very gentle fifty minutes on The Soloist to be prepared for the afternoon workout. In the afternoon I met up with Pete, Greg, Justin, James, Chris, and George at KMS for a speedy session. Pete and I cooked up a workout during homeroom today to try and get in a solid session in the waning daylight. Following a three mile warm-up we did 4 x 800, 400 with 200 recovery following every interval. Four miles of overall volume with three miles at or above pace.

2:27, 71

2:24, 70

2:21, 69

2:20, 65

This workout was so difficult but I am really proud of my performance. The uber short recovery made me feel like I was having a heart attack in the last set but I was positive that I would get the job done. Pete took off on the third set and I just could not hang. This guy is an animal right now! I did my best not to be attached to my watch so I was mostly running on feel the whole way which was refreshing. My legs felt great and my energy level was through the roof but I was still struggling with some stomach issues. I need to remember that when I'm doing these workouts that I am already well over an hour into my day. The tiny bit of fatigue that was in my legs was just perceptible enough to make a slight difference in the overall feel. I can't wait to throw down a fourteen thirty three mile at the end of a sprint next spring. Five minute pace is going to be in the bag by racing season! Overall an excellent Wednesday with two solid sessions. (2 hr. 8 min.)

Thursday: Waking up this morning I was very fatigued from yesterday afternoon. I wasn't sore at all but just generally very tired all the way around. I crashed pretty hard around 8:00 last night. I think my body needed the extra hour of sleep. Time on The Soloist this morning was an absolute grind. I did managed to put in a full fifty-five minutes which is always a bonus. I thought of riding a full hour but I thought I would be better served using that time for some extra stretching with a cup of dark roast in hand. In the afternoon I was super hungry and ended up eating a bunch of m&ms while doing some chores around the house. I didn't make it onto the treadmill until 5:45 which was a little upsetting. My legs were still very tired from the workout so I just stuck to a easy five miler in thirty-five minutes. I felt better as the run went on but could still feel the track in my legs at the end. Day five of the gluten free diet also brought significant improvements in my GI issues. Far less trips to the bathroom and my stomach felt considerably less bloated. (1 hr. 30 min.)

Friday: Up at the standard time for fifty-five minutes on The Soloist. I had a very long day with my entire class on a field trip at the Holyoke Mall. I was exhausted when I got home and tried to rally with a few cans of Coke. The rally did not take and I fell asleep on the couch. Taking this as a sign that I needed an easy day I bagged the planned afternoon run. (55 min.)

Saturday: I slept until 7:30 this morning which was a much needed break from the 4:30 weekly grind. I had a nice breakfast of Rice Chex, homemade gluten free banana bread, and dark roast. I did some chores and organizing in the basement before loading onto The Soloist for a moderate hour and a half. I felt good and did a few all out sprints which made my HR go through the roof. I did a dump run and a trip to Keene for some chain lube before heading out for my run. I ran the first seventy minutes outside on the hills around the house and then finished off the last twenty minutes inside on the treadmill. I was out of daylight but I was dead set on getting in three hours for the day. My energy level was great all day and I only went to the bathroom once. I feel like I am hovering around 85 to 90% right now after a week of no gluten which is incredible. Going cold turkey with the support of a quality probiodic and a supportive and incredible wife has been key. (3 hr. 1 min.)

Sunday: Mary and I were out late at a Christmas party last night so I got a slow start this morning and needed to do some chores around the house. I headed down for an easy forty-five minutes on The Soloist around 10:00. I felt great but fatigued from my over distance day yesterday so I kept things pretty chilled out. My Euskaltel Euskadi cap with holes cut in the top in imitation of Iban Mayo was a huge failure because it was not tight enough on my dome. I wanted to go to the pool today but I was way to tired so I just ran ten in the afternoon. I was cold and tired the whole way so I could not really summon the motivation to run an extra five minutes to get in two hours on the day. (1 hr. 55 min.)

Total: Twelve hours and twenty-two minutes.

Summary: Overall an excellent week of training. I am psyched to hit my mileage goal and ride seven days. I have now ridden every day for fourteen days straight! I may be turing into a cyclist. I was too tired to hit the pool on Sunday which was a little disappointing. I did jump my hours a little quick but I felt like I had a good groove going on Saturday so I just went with it and had a great day. Obviously things will get messy this week with the holiday but I will do my best to keep the numbers high!

Cheers,

Mark