Since stepping up the intensity and RPM of the PC workouts the powercranking has been improving. The planned workouts were to be at 100rpm for easy days and 110+ for the two hard days a week, with two days off a week before the speedwork sessions. Most of the workouts I\'m spinning at over the initial base target of 100rpm and I\'m only taking one day off a week before Tuesdays workout. I also am trying to get in one workout that is longer and longer. Its also interesting to note that since I\'ve adjusted my seat and tilted it up in the front more than I would on a normal bike I\'m a lot more comfortable. I ride w/o hands on and off at will at a very high cadence during most of my workouts now to mix it up. I think the seat adjustment comfort tilting up is because of the back stroke and pulling up on the PC which I have to balance with pressure against the seat so I don\'t slide off the front of the seat.
I don\'t feel as fried the days after power cranking now either. I think that one week where I bombed was just to much of a change and my legs were not able to adapt instantly and tired out.
Last week I averaged 110, 105, 108, 110, and 109rpm for the workouts. Not quite the planned 100rpm for off days. It just feels good now to spin it up and work at it, it makes the time go by faster. Sometimes I\'ll just put on the head phones, close my eyes and spin along taking note of the cadence every minute or so. Over the next two weeks I\'m going to try to get in a couple 1.5 hour spins at 110rpm to work on the endurance a bit more. Since everything is rolling so well on the PC I\'m just planning on upping the RPM on the harder days to a point that is comfortable. I\'ll finish some workouts with the last 5 min at 120RPM.
Sunday evening, after an easy morning 18.5 mile trail run, I was on the PC for 55 min at an average of 109rpm for the workout . A little Iron Chef America and 114 rpm on the PC makes for an exciting night at my house. My son likes Iron Chef. They really changed up their format so that its a very fast paced show and makes the workout go faster. Forget action movies...IRON CHEF>>>.
I received the pedometer last week and am still working at it to gather data on my cadence. The one workout I really wanted data back from was my long Saturday run were I had planned on progressively getting faster and faster until I finished with the final 5 miles at about 5:45 pace. I wanted to gather data during that last 5 miles. It was very warm that day, 70 deg and 95%RH, so I was sweating a lot. The POS pedometer shorted out 1 hour into the run due to the moisture getting into it. I\'m still trying to get all the moisture out of it as its sitting in my car today and its suppose to be 94 deg here today. The only data I gathered was at the beginning. I started at 180-183 footstrikes/min and when I stared to get rolling I was up to 186-189 strikes/min.
My next data gathering will be during some of my speedwork sessions if I can get the module sealed enough so it doesn\'t short.
Overall I feel ready to go but without my last 15 mile MP run in I don\'t quite know how fit I am for the marathon or the target pace. My last 100 mile week (plus 4 hours on the PC) is over now and I start my slow taper. This is the time of \"the last\". Last weekend was my last back to back 20+ mile runs. Its a good feeling when you do a workout and you say thats the last one of that type of workout I have to do. Its even better when you nail the target times and it didn\'t feel that hard.
I have some hard workouts the next 10 days for sure but I can feel the end of the tunnel coming and I\'m excited for these upcoming workouts to see exactly where I\'m at. These final hard workouts are to test my fitness, determine a target pace for the marathon, and sharpen everything up for racing. 10 days and everything after that is about maintaining the fitness and resting.
This morning (Tuesday) I did a workout I\'ve not tried for about 3.5 years, probably out of fear and its a long workout. Back in 2004 when I was in the best short distance shape I think I\'ve ever been in the standard 3x1mile in 72 sec was getting boring so I came up with a longer workout. I would do 2.5 miles at 10k pace then 3x1200m and close with a 400. Thats 5 miles of speed in the morning. Fun stuff at 6:40am. So last week I was feeling pretty good about how training was going so I threw down a challenge for myself to try this workout instead of the normal 3x 1mile reps at 5k pace I was planning on doing. I set my watch to 75 sec quarters and started off with 10 laps at 75 sec. I stopped for about 2 min, had a drink and reset my watch for 72 sec quarters. I banged out 3x1200m repeats with 1:30 rest without much issue and finished the workout with an additional 66 sec 400 after a 45 sec rest. It was interesting to feel the legs heavy after the first 10 laps going into my 72 sec/lap 1200 reps. The legs were just fine. I thought about turning the 1200s into 1600s, I was feeling so in control, but didn\'t want to push my luck and overdue it.
I did get some data off my pedometer for the first 10 laps at 75 sec/lap. 12.5 minutes and 2386 steps, thats 190 steps/min average.
Big weekend ahead, knock on some wood, the final MP run. After this weekend its all <6 mile speed sessions and decreasing mileage even further.
Allowing yourself to taper is harder than you would think. You start to feel so good you start freaking out about changing anything. You feel so good why not just go the full distance like you used to do. This is starting to get fun now. don\'t end the ride so soon.
Age: 35, Sex: Male, Height:5'3",racing wt: 119lbs, marathon PR: 2:20:54, Occupation: Full time Mechanical Engineer; Family: 2 children ages 2, 4
Background: Ran mediocore in high school. Transitioned to road bike racing in college and was 7th in the collegiate nationals road race in 1994. I graduated and quite bike racing and didn't do much for several years. In 1999 I took up running marathons recreationally with my wife as an excuse to travel. In 2003 I took up marathoning competitively.