The picture's far too big to look at, your eyes won't open wide enough

So find a couple more to help you.

I've been talking to a lot of friends and have come to the conclusion that now is not the time for marathon training. I haven't put my all into getting ready for the race and leaving 2 months to get the appropriate milage in is silly. It's too expensive and draining to throw myself into on a whim. Rather I will continue running and use this as a springboard to keep building a super-solid base. As a reward, instead of signing up for the marathon I think I will do a couple races this fall:

http://www.runnerschoice.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=11

http://www.runnerschoice.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=60

I haven't run a race in a while and I'm curious where my fitness is. Besides, I have the base for the half-marathon.

This was a semi-tough decision made much easier by talking to people who care about me. Even if they were just nodding and agreeing. I hear from friends with coaches that just having another set of eyes and opinions is worth it.


Maybe  I'll describe my VO2 max test now.


So I was put on a bike with a nose clip and snorkle in my mouth and told to ride until I couldn't any more. The effort was constantly ramping at a rate of 100W/3min. We started at 30W. I was told for the sake of the data try and stay around 80 rpm. Fine. So how did it go? Pretty well. I made it to 430W before I was toast, with the last 4 mintues being complete hell. From this I got the data presented on the left bar. To put these numbers into perspective:

http://www.thresholdsport.com/vo2max.html

So I'm a bit of a natural or somethin'! Thanks mom and dad!


Some other odds and ends?


So I got that bike! I've yet to race it though... Thursday after my 3.5 hour day was supposed to be a 15km TT but thankfully it rained which was as good an excuse as any to go to bed early. So far I've riden it about 200km and every time I take it out I find something new to like about it. I just can't wait to use it for what it was made for... Next Thursday can't come soon enough.

My 3.5 hour day was one of the most fun training days I've had in a while. I was up at 5 am and out running by 5:15, 4x10 min tempo with 2 min rest around Vic park, in the dark with an onslaught of sprinklers. The soundtrack was Young Machetes by The Blood Brothers. I came home from work and went out for 2.5 hours on the new bike with some friends I met at UWO tri club in first year who have since gone on to bigger and pro-ier things. I made it home and flopped into bed, well spent. The specifics are available on Strava.

So what are my plans for the weekend? Pfft, I don't know. I might go for another run. Maybe not though. I don't really have any obligations to do anything.

Adam "Lazy weekend" Fortais