Back on track!

After a roll of heavy days, I'm finally back where I belong. The body feels great, and I once again enjoy pushing me and my body to the limit. Lesson learned: When you feel like shit; Rest, eat, sleep. It worked for me, and it will probably work for you too.

Yesterday I had a great day(ie. evening/night) after work, doing a transition session together with a colleague from G-Sport. He was new to triathlon, and that was pretty clear today ;) Walking around like an old man, he could tell me that he felt hungover after 600 meter swim, 22km bike and 3km run :) But he's back for more and I love it!

Today was another hard day, pedaling up Liheia and chasing 90% MHF. I used my MTB to get more comfortable with it before next weeks Grenserittet, which is kind of a big deal for me. I felt good today, and managed to push myself far enough to start panting out loud. I rode with two friends from the spinning class I had during the winter, and it was fun to have them pushing me farther than I would've done alone.

T'morro I have planned two workouts. It starts with a swim in Uvdalstjønna 07.45, before I go to work from 9-19. After that, I and Nico(from work) is going out for a ride with the two guys from spinning. We'll start out easy and if I feel good I'll put in three or four hill repeats up Breisås before I call it a night.

Thursday is rest day! Can't wait :)

Stay frosty,
Frank

Heavy days

I started today with a calm swim, focusing on crawl technique, followed by resting in "Heithølen"(hot pool) and massage in bubble chairs(?). I felt good leaving, and hoped I was ready for my ride later in the evening.

Closing in on Grenserittet 2013, I have upped the intensity on my workouts. Today I felt the effect it had on my body when I biked around Seljordsvann. I felt depleted and without power and could not get my HR up into the desired zone. On the other hand, I always enjoy a ride in sunshine even though heavy head winds made it hard the first hour or so.

On my way back, I knew I was coming up on a segment from Strava,(Folkestad Skole- Bø) and I thought I should give it a go, even though my legs felt heavy as bricks. I pedaled hard and managed to keep a average speed of about 48km/t for 4:13, placing me in 2nd place on the all-time list :) Not bad for a bad day! Next time, I'll bring my Louis Garneau areo helmet and aim to break the 4:00 min- limit ;)

Feeling heavy and tired, I'm using tomorrow for resting and some strength/stretching. Fits me well, since I'll be working from 9-19. Come Thursday, I'll be back with another interval, gunning for that peak that will bring me down under 2:50 on Grenserittet in August!

Pedal hard!

Frank

Hill repeats in great weather!

After oversleeping and working from 10-16, I saw Trentin and OPQS secure their latest stage win in TdF before I took my Velocite Selene out for a spin.

Today's plan was a long warm up, hill repeats up Lifjell(8km with +600 meters) and a calm ride home again. I followed my plan to the point, and it turned out to be a great evening on the bike!

The repeats up Lifjell was done in 4 minutes each, with 3 minutes "rest". The last 4 minutes was supposed to be a calm ride to the summit, but my head was in TdF-mode so I pushed for the top :) 

This is the profile of today's ride. I guess Lifjell kind of stands out here.

Time spent in different zones.

This workout is a part of my tapering work towards Grenserittet and i plan to peak around 1st-5th August to reach my goal of 2h50min from Strømstad to Halden, August 3rd. The purpose of workouts that push my HR towards 88-93% of MHF is to develop my cardiac output, in order to give my muscles more blood to work with during competitions. This will be my main focus in the days to come too. A lot of intensive days with high intensity aerobic training! I guess my appetite will increase slowly too.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit my grandmother in Drangedal, which is about 51k from here. Great opportunity to get some mileage, so I'll take my bike and put in some intervals towards the end on the way back home :)

Instagram of today :)

Please leave a comment :)

//Frank
 

Rece report; Trysilrittet 2013

No, it isn't a triathlon but a MTB-race. It's where I started my endurance "career", and I guess I'll keep competing for some years to come, even though triathlon is LOADS of fun too.

Last year was a mess, with heavy rainfall, winds and "freezing" temperatures(being during the summer) and I finished as #199 in 3:06. This year I had set a goal of 2:55, and the weather sure did its best to help me! Nothing but sun all day, making it a great experience!

I felt pretty good leaving "downtown" Trysil and heading for the 5k long climb, which comes after about 700 meters of riding. Talk about tough start! I wasn't looking forward to this, but I found my cadence and pace and stuck to it even though other riders kept passing me. Soon, I saw the same riders paying dearly for their start and I danced up the mountain feeling great as I reached the top! I found a group to work with and kept a nice pace on the gravel. When flat, these sections is kind of my strength. But when the hills and rough terrain started to show up, I got in trouble.

I lost way too much time in the four trail sections of the race, losing my group and the chance to work with other riders on the fast parts of the course. I used much energy to close gaps, which in turn made me cramp up during the last 20-15km(just like last year).

I am very pleased with  my race when focusing on my strength on the flats and descents, but I need to work on my toughness in the terrain and maybe lose a few pounds in order to climb better.

But, all in all I raced to the finish line  in 2:48, just inside the top 10 in M25-29, and placing in 148th total! Almost twenty minutes faster than 2012. Pictures will follow :)

All the best,
Frank

Gear up!

Here we go!

Got my Louis Garneau helmet in the mail yesterday, and I'm super stoked about it! Ready to hit the road and feel the difference ;) I have also bought new goggles from Zoggs, and even though I have yet to try them in water, the feel SO great! The sit perfectly around my eyes and the feel comfortable. I'll come back with a review when the time is right :) 

The tri-suit is from SUGOi, and was reasonably cheap. Not tried out yet, but feels good on with no seams in places where they can cause irritation. 

The race belt is a genius little thing, with clever straps to attach your race number in :) It's from Orca, and should make transition way easier! It also has three places for energy gels, which can be a good thing to bring on the run. 

Last, and probably least, I also bought a set of Orca elastic laces to make T2 faster. I felt clumsy trying to tie my laces after a hard bike leg in Ringshaugdysten, and my motor skills was hopeless. Elastic laces with a speed lock changes everything and should save 30-45 secs in transition time. Here you can see the gear(minus the laces) laid out.

What's YOUR favorite gear? What's the one thing you can't do without, in a tri, MTB-race, run or any other competition. Please leave a comment :)

Last: Today's workout was a 63k easy ride with a few hill sprints. I still feel a bit heavy, and I won't risk making it worse with hard work outs. I have a MTB race coming up in a week, and I want to be ready for it and beat my time from last year. Will try to update from Trysil next weekend!

Stay focused,

Frank

Know when to hold back!

Today I reminded myself of one important thing about exercise: Know when your body has had enough, and when to hold back on intensive workouts. After another day at G-Sport from 9-19 I had in mind to take my Velcotite Flux out for a spin. First from Bø to Gvarv and back again to Bø, and then hill repeats in the Lifjell hill. Early on i felt yesterday still in my quads and I had problems when trying to reach 90% MHF. Even though it is kind of stupid to keep on trying I did, but only managed to reach 86-87% before my legs tensed up and i felt major pain in my quads. It was impossible to continue like this, so I rearranged my routine on-the-go and just kept pedaling. I managed about 20k in 45 mins, keeping it under control so that I can take my road bike out for a spin tomorrow without being totally bonked.

Lesson: Listen to your body! It will eventually tell you when it is tired, and you would do smart in listening when the red light starts to blink. Intensity should be reduced, and maybe more focus on core strength and mobility should be your goals for the next week or two.

Stay frosty,

Frank

Today I have...

... been working @G-Sport in Bø from 09-19. I felt great leaving work, so i thought to myself: "This is a great opportunity to squeeze in a workout before i put my legs on the table and enjoy some quality TV!". I chose my Haglöfs Gram Comp and headed for Åstjønn. Little did I know about the constant uphill run it was from my new flat in Svingen 5, but it was a great experience and good for my head. Even though I pushed hard, it felt more like relaxing, when I heard the wind, the birds, the little creek running along the trail. Awesome! At one point I tripped and smashed my knee into a rock, but got up and just "embraced the suck" and kept on going. It was THAT good to be outdoors!

Quick verdict on my Gram Comp: Great shoes for XC-running! At first I ran a bit on tarmac, and I felt my Achilles tendon tighten up a bit. It kept on hurting in my uphill struggle, but as soon as the terrain let me pick up the pace and "play" with the obstacles, the pain disappeared and I just flew through the forest and blasted the trails back to Bø :)

http://instagram.com/p/bEw_y5OBpG/

Until next time: Hang loose!

//Frank