•  way too slow – sometimes called “The Zombie Shuffle”
• “The Grey Zone”

Recently one of my coaching clients sent his long run data to me. He’d run significantly faster than I’d prescribed due to limited time. Here’s the advice I sent him on avoiding the grey zone:

Hey man, great run today. I know time constraints and scheduling are

part of the challenge. Impressed to see you running so strong!

Here’s my feedback; let’s not make a habit of running too hard during

your long run. It’s often called the “Grey Zone” – not fast enough to

build speed, but not slow enough to turn your body into a fat burning

machine.  Avoid the temptation to test yourself on every run. Too much

grey zone will wear you down and eventually compromise the plan as a

whole. We need two speeds: slow and fast.  I’ll have you ready to run

fast when its time.

So, great run! Let’s slow it down next weekend.

After I sent that email I considered it further and realized it applies both to training and to life in general. I personally spent most of 2011 in a general “Grey Zone”. You see, it’s possible to take life too slow all the time and it’s also possible to not hustle nearly enough on  your goals and life’s plan. I was living and working at one speed…half speed or Grey zone. It was constantly wearing me down. There was no rest. There was no traction on my life’s plan either.

In 2012 I plan to get back to training and LIVING right. I’m shooting for two speeds this year.

• chillin’ / watchin’ the paint dry slow
• lung seering / hair’s on fire fast

There’s a time for each. Jack Johnson said “slow down everyone you’re moving too fast. Frames can’t catch you when you’re moving like that.” He was right. I’ll slow down for family and worship. When it’s time to hustle I’ll hustle…big time (think career). No more grey zone for me (and hopefully not for you either).

It’s 2012. Rest hard. Train hard.

Here we go:

Warm up:

8 x 50 easy as (50sw, 50k, 50p, 50breast/back) – repeat – on :10 rest / focus on body/head position, kicking from the hips not from the knees, body roll and long smooth strokes while pulling.

Main Set:

8 x 25 at all out effort. These should burn, but you should be able to swim the final 25 just as fast as you swam the first. – :10 rest inbetween

2 x 200 easy – on :30 rest

Cool Down:

2 x 50 (50k, 50p)

KEY: sw – swim, k – kick, p – pull

30-30-60 Workout (30 minute workout)

Warm up for 5 minutes at an easy pace

Cycle 1: Run 30 seconds fast / 30 seconds easy / 60 seconds at your next race’s pace

Run 2 minutes easy

Cycle 2: Repeat Cycle 1

Run 2 minutes easy

Cycle 3: Repeat Cycle 1

Run 2 minutes easy

Cycle 4: Repeat Cycle 1

Run 2 minutes easy

Cycle 5: Reeat Cycle 1

Cool down: 7 minutes easy

I started by running 20 minutes at about tempo pace to get my heart racing.

I surveyed the back room at the Y for what was laying around (it varies from day to day). I took this stack of tires and lifted them overhead, one by one of course, and tossed them like I was shooting a giant basketball from that red step across the room. After each toss I’d run to the far wall, pick up my tire and run back with it putting it into the “tossed” stack. Surprisingly challenging. I felt it working my core, my shoulders, my chest, and of course my lungs.

After I tossed all of the tires I cranked out 20 pushups. After my pushups I picked up these 40 lb dumbells (80lbs) and walked up these steps 5 times (up and down is 1).

After that I repeated the entire sequence again. It turned out to be a great workout – finished in 30 minutes. It was far from boring.

This is all functional for every day life, of course. We pick stuff up that’s awkward, carry heavy things up steps, etc.

Use common sense and go for it! Pick up heavy stuff and carry it, throw heavy things – just wing it. The key is to keep moving. This kind of workout isn’t the traditional 12 reps then rest for 3 minutes, then 12 more reps, then go get a drink of water, etc.

I recently read a blog post written by Gordo Byrn by this title. It reminded me that I hadn’t, to this point, addressed this subject or issue in my life. I can look back on moments in my life that served as mental, physical, and emotional resets. They’ve all left me asking “Am I Ready” in one way or another. Don’t worry, I’ll tie this back to multisport in the end.

I’ll avoid the temptation to dig back through my life’s lessons and illustrate each one – after all, this is a blog, and no one wants to read a novel here. I’ll start with more recent history. After the trauma that we experienced in getting our twins here I gave up on triathlon and physical goals. I just didn’t have the energy in any way. There was no motivation and no physical strength. I just didn’t care.

Fast forward to 14 months ago, my twins were healthy and life had eased up on us a bit. A couple of buddies talked me into my first 70.3 event, after nearly 10 years of racing in triathlons. Along the way I asked myself “am I ready” on several occasions. In some ways I was ready (physically). In other ways I wasn’t (mentally and emotionally). I finished Longhorn Ironman 70.3 in a decent time (5:30), so in that sense I was ready. But I didn’t prepare the way I should have – that part was mental, I wasn’t emotionally invested. I knew I had a better effort in me. I set my sights on crushing that time at Ironman Florida 70.3 6 months later. I trained harder, lost the weight, and showed up “ready” in all regards. But as I blogged about earlier, sometimes you can be at your best and the details of Ironman can still defeat you. Physically ill during the run from a nutritional mistake, I ultimately finished slower in 5:33 (after being WAY ahead of goal on the bike).

That hot day in Orlando caused me to reevaluate things. I had learned a couple of valuable lessons: 1. I had prepared adequately to go fast. 2. I hadn’t paid attention to the nutritional details involved during the race and paid for it. I was disappointed, but not devasted. I went to Disney that night with my family and we stayed until closing time.

I had another chance ahead of me. I was already registered for Boulder 70.3 in 3 months. I wanted to make up for Orlando’s disappointment, but as it turned out life had other plans for me. Our family vacationed in July and had a blast. I scaled my training way back, gained some weight, and fell into a bit of an emotional funk after the vacation. I didn’t feel “elite” in any way anymore – athletically or professionally. I started questioning everything in my life. Where I was, where I was going, what would my kids think of me when they’re older, how would the world  and my family remember me one day, etc. I wondered if I was wasting gifts I’d been given and letting fear rule my life. Honestly, I didn’t like any of the answers I was coming up with. Too much “Am I Ready”? was leading to alot of “No”. It scared me, but I was comfortable in my life’s normal routine. Late in July, only a week before Boulder 70.3, I joined my family in Florida for another short vacation. The waves were huge one day and the red “do not swim” flags were out. Being a tough guy though, I ignored the flags and charged into the raging waters with a boogie board. I rode a number of big waves all the way up onto the beach skidding to a stop at my children’s feet. They laughed and jumped with excitement. I rose again on a large wave, but it felt different almost immediately. There was a check in my gut, like the feeling you get when descending on a roller coaster. The wave picked up pace as it crested and I slid down it before I turned sideways and went under. I’d had “wipeouts” surfing before, so I knew what to expect when getting thrashed by a wave. This felt different immediately. The wave slammed me into the ocean floor. My shoulder hit first, skidded across the coarse sand, and then the crown of my head hit. I recognized the familiar “wahwahwahwahwah” feeling and the bright yellow spots. As a wrestler I’d had concussions for years. Sometimes I have trouble remembering simple things. I fought to the surface and stumbled onto the beach, collapsing in front my wife and kids. Eventually my wife helped me to the house where I sat for a couple of hours with an ice pack on my shoulder and a beer in my hand. I had lots of time to think and listen for what had just happened. Ultimately I had a concussion and a sprained shoulder – one week before Boulder.

I knew that afternoon that I’d been given a proverbial smack in the head. It was a wake up call from above. I’d been asking myself for weeks “Am I Ready? as a father, as a husband, as a son, as a friend, as an athlete?” My answer came in the form of being dumped on my head and given rebirth emerging from the water “new”, but changed emotionally…and for good measure, physically. I couldn’t use my arm for a week. I’m a Christian (and an English major) so I understand the symbolism of immersion in water.

This episode left me digging for answers even more than before. One thing I knew for sure was that I wasn’t ready for Boulder 70.3 physically, but emotionally I could do the event and be happy regardless of my time. I think that was kind of the point. It’s not always about being ready for sport. As athletes we’re walking a narrow path. Sometimes we lose focus on being ready for the things that really matter. What I  wanted to know was if I died tomorrow would I have done enough for others, loved my family enough, was I ready to say “that’s it, I’m ready to toe the line, take me home. I’ve prepared all that I can here on earth.”

That was August. I still don’t know. What I learned is that we have to prepare and live in such a way, everyday, that when push comes to shove we can say “I’m ready! Let’s get it on!” I’m all for intentional living – making plans, budgeting, etc. I also think there’s a time for just going for it. You can’t always wait for tomorrow. Life’s short. Chase your dreams. Read that book to your kids instead of going to bed. Buy that shirt instead of carrying it around the store and laying it down instead of buying it. Get a sitter and take your wife to dinner instead of bringing home Little Caesars. Ask your friend how his race went and actually care. Do the stupid Ironman. I waited for 10 years before moving up to the 70.3 distance. Guess what I learned when I finally did it? I love it. I was “ready” years ago. I want to be ready for what’s next. I want mywife and kids to say “He went for it in sport and in life. He loved me with all he had and I never had to wonder about that”, not “He hid in a cubicle, paid the bills, and took no chances, but we lived comfortably”. Either way, that legacy will live with them and with my grandkids one day. Are you ready?

The possibilities and combinations are almost endless when creating a Fight Gone Bad workout. I try to mix in some legs, cardio, upper body, and abs into each round.

Here’s a Fight Gone Bad workout that I created today and did myself during lunch. It took 11 minutes…so the lame old  ”I don’t have time to workout” excuse won’t work here.

Find some open floor space at the gym (you might want to find the back room because folks will think you’re crazy). For this particular workout you’ll need a stopwatch, a set of dumbbells or plates with handles (I used 2 25lb plates), a low box step, and a high box.

Give this your all and don’t cheat yourself. You can make this workout as easy as you want by standing around and wasting valuable seconds off the clock, but you’re reading this because you want to work, right? Push yourself and don’t rest.

Round 1: 5 solid minutes performing each exercise for one minute with zero rest

• Dumbbell squats
• Alternating bicep curls
• stationary lunges
• Upright rows
• crunches

Rest for 1 minute

Round 2: 5 solid minutes performing each exercise for one minute with zero rest

• low box jumps
• prison pushups*
• high box jumps
• Mtn. climbers
• abs (choice – I like bicycle abs for :30 and then :30 of plank)

*prison pushups – start standing up and perform a squat thrust (hand into pushup position and throw your legs straight back into pushup ‘up’ position, perform a pushup, pull your left knee into your chest then back out, perform a pushup, pull your right knee into your chest then back out, perform a pushup, return to standing, repeat

Multisport athletes can mix this up by running for 5 minutes, performing round 1, running for 10 minutes, performing round 2, and running for 5 minutes.

Here’s a simple little workout to continue your preparation for longer more aggressive swims later in the training cycle. It includes a longer pull set to develop some strength and endurance. Don’t get froggy! It’s still early …we’re not even “training” yet. Be patient and enjoy the shorter, easy swims while you can.

Total yardage: 1500 yards

Warm-Up:

6 x50 (swim/pull/kick) on :10 rest

4 x 200 easy (150 swim / 50 kick) on :20 rest

400 pull

(Yes, that’s “Merman” from the 80′s He-man cartoons. Swim fast!)

Last week we talked about determining your running lactate threshold by performing a field test. That data allowed us to determine appropriate HR training paces for running. Along those same lines we also need to determine appropriate swim paces so that we’re not just swimming back and forth while closely examining the black line.  Without determining training paces and proper form triathletes often fall into the habit of endless, meaningless laps – often performed with poor form and at the wrong speed. That’s teaching yourself how to be a bad slow swimmer. We want to swim fast (and avoid Merman)!

There are two field testing protocols that I like for swimming. The first is appropriate for sprint and Olympic distance triathletes:

SPRINT AND OLYMPIC DISTANCE ATHLETES

Start with a warm up of your choosing. 300-500 of mixed sets should be fine.

Swim 3 x 300 on :10 rest. These should be all-out efforts, but the goal is for the 3rd 300 to be roughly the same as the 1st and 2nd. Swim hard, but don’t completely blow up on the first 150 yards of the first 300. Your 3 300 times should be no more than :15 different from each other.

Take your average 300 time as determined by the 3 swims. Then divide that number by 3 to determine your average 100 time within each 300.

For example, let’s say  you swam 4:29, 4:30, and 4:31 for your 3 300′s. That makes your average time 4:30 for 300. Divide by 3 for 1:30 per 100 yards.

1:30 = lactate threshold pace or T-pace in the water. Roughly equal to Olympic distance swim pace. Now, as you’re following swim training plans you can make sense of the “T-pace” jargon. Alot of workouts will say swim X at T-pace or T-pace + :10 (1:40) or T-pace – :10 (1:20)

HALF-IRON AND IRONMAN ATHLETES

Swimming in a 70.3 or Ironman MUST be kept on the easy side in order to set yourself up for a good day on the bike and run. For that reason I think the field test supported by D3 Multisport and Coach Mike Ricci is more appropriate for these distances than the 300 x 3 approach.

To perform this test warm up for 300-500 yards

Then swim 1000 yards straight maintaining the highest pace possible throughout (don’t fade in the final half of the test!). This test causes you to start a bit slower – like a 70.3 or Iron distance race.

Take your 1000 time and determine your average pace per 100 yards. That number is your T-pace when training for longer events.

Here’s another prep phase swim with some longer intervals and just enough yardage and short rest to increase endurance and continue your build towards regular training volume (of course, a workout like this would be plenty for sprint distance athletes).

Total Yardage: 1400

Warm Up:

3 x 100 (swim, pull, kick)

Main Set: focus on perfect form and a relaxed stroke. Swim downhill. Reach through a long sleeve at the front of each stroke.

400 – :20 rest

300 – :20 rest

200 – :20 rest

100 – 1:00 minute

Cool Down:

50 kick / 50 very easy pull

Soon triathletes and runners across the country will awaken from our “off-season” slumber. While we’ve rested things have likely changed in our fitness level (at least, it should have, if you had a restful offseason). In a perfect multisport world we’d bounce right back into our mid-season training paces and equivalent heart rates. With very few exceptions though, it’s likely that while we won’t be starting from zero, we will be starting from less than peak fitness.

To see improvement as a triathlete/runner during the training process it’s necessary to conduct regular scheduled fitness tests for yourself. Let’s start with a base line test for running. This will provide us with a lactate threshold heart rate that will then enable us to determine your appropriate training zones.

TEST PROTOCOL: Heart rate monitor required with an averaging function

We’re looking for a fairly flat, traffic free, stretch of road

Warm up for 10 minutes with easy running and light stretching

After you’ve stretched run 30 minutes at an all out effort. Don’t start too fast, but don’t dog it either. Treat as if it’s a race.

10 minutes into your run start your heart rate monitor and continue running hard for 20 minutes. Then stop your heart rate monitor.

Your average heart rate for the final 20 minutes is your lactate threshold (the heart rate at which your body can no longer flush the accumulation of blood lactate – causing that burning sensation that signals the inevitable slow down). This is roughly the number that you’ll conduct tempo and threshold workouts at during your training.

You can then find numerous Heart Rate calculators online that will determine your 5 training zones. More on that another time.

I personally like to conduct this test once every 4-6 weeks to measure improvements in my fitness (distance covered vs. my heart rate at hard effort).  (NOTE: don’t jump right into this test. If you’ve spent a few weeks of complete rest, spend a few weeks running very easy and regaining a minimum of fitness before conducting your first baseline test.)