To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[Dis5150]

What a beautiful forecast....

View attachment 378122

Actual temp -19F, and WC of -40?!?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?! I didn't even know it got that cold....

#NOPE! No way would I even leave my house! Lynae and I and a girl we were hosting in our home broke down on the interstate in Colorado on the way to work/school in negative temps and NO ONE stopped to help us! It was a terrible day, money was tight and my cell AND house phone were both disconnected the same day so Lynae's and my cells wouldn't work. The girl living with us had a cell but I couldn't call DH as our home phone was turned off also. She ended up calling another student who came out and rescued us. I thought we were going to freeze to death though! I have never been so cold!

Stay warm and be careful!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

#NOPE! No way would I even leave my house! Lynae and I and a girl we were hosting in our home broke down on the interstate in Colorado on the way to work/school in negative temps and NO ONE stopped to help us! It was a terrible day, money was tight and my cell AND house phone were both disconnected the same day so Lynae's and my cells wouldn't work. The girl living with us had a cell but I couldn't call DH as our home phone was turned off also. She ended up calling another student who came out and rescued us. I thought we were going to freeze to death though! I have never been so cold!

Stay warm and be careful!!

Man that seems like a worse case type scenario! Glad everything worked out ok though. I'll definitely be prepared and do my best to stay safe.



The WC high is -33F! The forecasted WC low is now -50F!

 

[SarahDisney]

Can you work from home? I would recommend doing that for the rest of the week. Save yourself the trip to/from the car in the cold.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Can you work from home? I would recommend doing that for the rest of the week. Save yourself the trip to/from the car in the cold.

Unfortunately not. Most everything I do requires me to actually be at work. I guess we'll see what the conditions are like come the rest of the week.

 

[Chaitali]

Yikes, good luck with the weather the rest of the week! Interesting analysis on the differently plans and the impact of a break between training cycles. But I'm one of those people whose brains just turns off with too much math. That's one of the reasons I'm happy to be working with you You can do the math, give me the plan, and all I have to do is follow instructions!

 

[KSellers88]

Dear Lawd. Our low is going to be 24 degrees and everyone is in a panic. I'd be in front of my fireplace under a blanket and not leave until April. LOL. Stay warm!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Yikes, good luck with the weather the rest of the week!

Thanks!

Interesting analysis on the differently plans and the impact of a break between training cycles. But I'm one of those people whose brains just turns off with too much math. That's one of the reasons I'm happy to be working with you You can do the math, give me the plan, and all I have to do is follow instructions!

Thanks! I certainly understand. I can't say I do these types of calculations on the plans I write, but the knowledge gained from these mental exercises are definitely in the plans. I view training plans like my version of a crossword/sudoko. All the moving pieces make for a complicated, yet hopefully simple to follow, training plan.

Dear Lawd. Our low is going to be 24 degrees and everyone is in a panic. I'd be in front of my fireplace under a blanket and not leave until April. LOL. Stay warm!!

LOL! No worries. People up here are conditioned for it (although I am originally from the ATL). The houses are built differently, and the jackets are much bigger. I mean little can prepare us for -50?!?! But a little common sense and respect for the conditions goes a long way.

 

[SheHulk]

More on wind chill by Dan Engber (you can see by the url alone what he thinks):
https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/wind-chill-warning-temperature-useless.html

 

[DopeyBadger]

More on wind chill by Dan Engber (you can see by the url alone what he thinks):
https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/wind-chill-warning-temperature-useless.html

An interesting article. The premise would seem to be:

"I know how cold it is based on when I stand outside. The methodology for coming up with the calculation was flawed. There have been inconsistencies when applied. Therefore, we shouldn't attempt to find a new formula for wind chill but rather completely throw it out and determine how cold it is by standing outside and prior experience."

I would assume based on this he wouldn't like the Temp+Dew calculation (or Heat Index) that we use because it isn't perfect either. A T+D of 140 isn't equivalent across the board because solar radiation exists. As does shade, wind, cloudiness, etc. Heck, even different places (like FL vs WI at the same T+D don't necessarily feel the same to me either). I think personally I view the T+D and wind chill more as general things then hard fast numbers. So they've got their place, but more as a general guideline than a scientifically grounded value like temperature. Because -15F with no wind vs wind is probably going to "feel" different even though the wind speed changes, the solar radiation effect is different, etc. I can see where he is coming from.

 

[TheHamm]

I tend to agree, we use the wind chill to stress our misery. Because apparently being stuck indoors in -5 °F temperatures does not sound nearly as miserable as -35 °F?
I think we can creatively stress our piety, our heartiness as cold weather people, or what not in so many ways, but they do not necessarily make a pretty but meaningless weather graph.

Stay warm!

 

[canglim52]

Stay warm everyone!! And don’t bother asking me about my weather ;-)

 

[SheHulk]

I'm not the world's biggest Dan Engber fan, in part because he writes for Slate and it often feels like their writers are encouraged to take as contrarian a view as possible. He's one of the most outrageous actually. I have no idea about the history or details of how it's calculated outside of this article but it seems that there is flawed and then there's FLAWED. And T+D has a use I'm guessing, like predicting fatigue or performance in a race; but windchill doesn't, it doesn't predict frostbite or human performance in any way. At least that's how I guess he would argue back and I can see that. Just wanted to share because it told a little bit about the history of wind chill.

 

[roxymama]

An interesting article. The premise would seem to be:

"I know how cold it is based on when I stand outside. The methodology for coming up with the calculation was flawed. There have been inconsistencies when applied. Therefore, we shouldn't attempt to find a new formula for wind chill but rather completely throw it out and determine how cold it is by standing outside and prior experience."

I would assume based on this he wouldn't like the Temp+Dew calculation (or Heat Index) that we use because it isn't perfect either. A T+D of 140 isn't equivalent across the board because solar radiation exists. As does shade, wind, cloudiness, etc. Heck, even different places (like FL vs WI at the same T+D don't necessarily feel the same to me either). I think personally I view the T+D and wind chill more as general things then hard fast numbers. So they've got their place, but more as a general guideline than a scientifically grounded value like temperature. Because -15F with no wind vs wind is probably going to "feel" different even though the wind speed changes, the solar radiation effect is different, etc. I can see where he is coming from.

Yeah for me T+D is a good reminder to myself of if I need to focus on effort over trying to force a pace in my plan. (Which I guess i should be doing all the time, but I'm not perfect.) But it does help me when I'm struggling on a hot day to remember my pace adjustment.
HOWEVER I'm sure we've all been there when we say "the T+D is way to f*ing hot" or vice versa. Probable some of the wdw marathon runners I spectated at the very end of the race in Epcot would agree

PS It's treadmill weather tonight.

 

[Dis5150]

I am of the camp that only uses the "real feel" or "wind chill". Because I don't care what the actual temperature is, I care how it feels when I am out in it, transporting residents to their morning training on golf carts. We don't take them out when the "real feel" is 26 or below. And that makes me happy!

 

[avondale]

Yeah for me T+D is a good reminder to myself of if I need to focus on effort over trying to force a pace in my plan. (Which I guess i should be doing all the time, but I'm not perfect.) But it does help me when I'm struggling on a hot day to remember my pace adjustment.
HOWEVER I'm sure we've all been there when we say "the T+D is way to f*ing hot" or vice versa. Probable some of the wdw marathon runners I spectated at the very end of the race in Epcot would agree

PS It's treadmill weather tonight.

I explained T+D to my non-runner husband because he's a data nerd. A few days ago as I was getting ready to go out for a run, he was happy to point out, "At least the T+D is only 25" or whatever it was. Gee, thanks! I do like T+D in the summer to emphasize to myself how hard the conditions really are when I'm not doing that well.

We do need something for the extra-cold weather, because I would think at some point the effort level would start going up again as it gets colder and colder.

 

[DopeyBadger]

2019 Training: A Macro View

So it's a bit of a "cart before the horse" scenario. I'm not 100% confident returning to running will work out ok. But I keep reminding myself I was still averaging 40 miles per week and finished the Chicago marathon. So once this cold snap ends, I should be ready to go here in mid-February. But that aside, I've been working on the Macro view of the training cycle between now and leading into the 2020 Disney marathon.

I had previously mentioned/sketched my plans:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...mments-welcome.3475601/page-275#post-60066641

So since I had that and a general idea what the Training Stress Scores would be (from a zoomed out more global sense), then I could come up with a general sketch of what that future training would look like when it comes to my actual marathon training.

So since just before late November, I've been using TrainerRoad + Wahoo Kickr Core (indoor bike trainer) as a structured cycling routine. In mid-December, I added 80DO to the routine.

This graph represents "Form" or the difference between "Fitness" and "Fatigue". Fitness being the long term training load and Fatigue being the short term training load. Fitness builds/disappears slowly, and Fatigue builds/disappears rapidly. Ideally, you spend more time in "optimal training" which occurs when Form is -30 to -10.



I'd say overall from a training load standpoint, the training has been really well balanced. Of the 68 days since I've started, I've been in optimal training for 51 of them (75%). So what I wanted to see is what my projected future training load looked like based on my rough ideas as to what I planned to do coming up (emphasis on rough as there will definitely be more ebb and flow to the real data, but the general trend should match up).



So I have two races written in pencil; BratFest 5k on 5/25 and Hot2Trot HM on 6/16. As you can see, the remainder of the training load between now and the HM is still fairly well balanced. About 71% of the remaining days in training will be spent in optimal training, and only right before the races do we spend any significant time outside of optimal. You can tell the difference between the "real data" (towards the left of the graph) and "projected data" (towards the right of the graph) based on the smoothness of the curve.

So then, after the Hot2Trot HM I planned to take 2 weeks off and really back off the training. The biking, 80DO, and running training would all reduce. Then, after that I planned to jump into either "Half Tri" or "Full Tri" training using a combination of TrainerRoad and my own running philosophies (although skimming through their plan they seem to be on a similar page as to running duration caps).



But starting in mid-September, you see the problem. I'll spend little to no time in "optimal training" anymore. It's almost exclusively in training load stalemate "neutral". This looks a heck of a lot like past situations I've put myself in when I ramped/peaked too quickly and had too little of room to grow in my training. Thus leaving me well trained come race day, but probably a few weeks past "peak" and more towards the grinding phase. So I did my best to come up with a solution that might help reduce this. Since the goal is 2020 Marathon Weekend, I wanted to put myself in a position where more "optimal" time spent training was closer to that race itself.



I managed to come up with this mathematically based plan based on a 6-week reduction in training post-Hot2Trot HM. Way more time spent in optimal during the crucial training months.

The other option was going with a nine-week break:



Again, way more time spent in optimal.

At the end of the day, the "Fitness" or long term training load, is nearly the same in all three scenarios (2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks off) at 112.2, 110.8, and 110.3 with all three following the exact same training plan for the last 16 weeks. So to me, that screams take more time off because the end level training load is going to be so similar across the board. But the amount of time spent in optimal is dramatically different in the last 16 weeks of training (from 9/22/19 through 1/12/20).

Training options and time spent in optimal training during last 16 weeks, but not including the three week taper
2 weeks "off" = 5/92 (5%)
6 weeks "off" = 66/92 (72%)
9 weeks "off" = 87/92 (95%)

Maybe since the training during that time period of 6-9 weeks is down, I'll just do some races with no real goal. Just race for experience. It's the middle of summer (6/16-8/17), but I'm sure I can find some things do.

What do you think?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Sweet Spot Base - Mid Volume Phase 2 - Week 4 + 80 Day Obsession Week 7

1/28/19 - M - OFF
1/29/19 - T - 80DO-D39-Booty + Mills (60 min; 77 TSS)
1/30/19 - W - 80DO-D40-Cardio Core + Pettit (60 min; 39 TSS)
1/31/19 - R - 80DO-D41-Total Body Core + Darwin (60 min; 79 TSS)
2/1/19 - F - 80DO-D42-Legs
2/2/19 - Sa - MaryAustin-1 (90 min; 115 TSS) + 80DO-D43-AAA
2/3/19 - Su - Tallac+3 (120 min; 134 TSS) + 80DO-D44-Cardio Flow

Total Biking Time - 6:30 hours
Total Biking TSS - 444 TSS

Total 80DO Time - 5:05 hours
Total 80DO TSS - 98 TSS

Total Training Time - 11:35 hours (PR)
Total TSS - 542 TSS (PR)

Monday - OFF

Tuesday

Booty! 3x10, but this time you go through each series all three times before moving to the next series. So a true burnout on the moves.
Series 1 (Standing) - Squat to Hinge, Curtsy Lunge Lift, Rotating Back Side Lunge
Series 2 (Quad Ped) - Heel Press Up on Angle, Single-Leg Hamstring Curl, Bear Fire Hydrant
Series 3 (Weighted) - KB Swings, Sumo Hinge, Reverse Lunge
Series 4 (Floor Weighted) - Single-Leg Bridge, Press Up and Over, Camels

The bike workout was tough. It was 3 sets of 3x2-minute VO2max repeats each starting at 120% FTP and finishing at 110% FTP with 3-minute recoveries fall between intervals and 6-minute recoveries separate the sets.

Wednesday

Time for some Cardio Core! It was different than Phase 1. The focus was less jumping jacks and a whole lot of other cardio movements.

An easy bike workout.


Thursday

TBC at 3x10, but this time you go through each series all three times before moving to the next series. So a true burnout on the moves.
Series 1 (Shoulder) - Squat/Row/Twist/Row, Kneeling Lunge Clean & Press, Quad Ped Opposite Arm Knee Crunch
Series 2 (Chest) - Chest Press to Half Turkish Get-up, Spider Man Push-ups, Frog Sliders
Series 3 (Back) - "T" to Single-Leg Hip Hinge, Lat Pull Over w/ Leg Raise, Weighted Plank Hip Drop
Series 4 (Biceps) - Low Twisting Lunge Hammer Curl, Press Out to Curl, Weighted Standing Torso Rotation
Series 5 (Triceps) - Crab Position Tricep Dip to Sit Through, Alternating Skull Crusher with Bicycle Legs, French Twist

A pretty brutal workout of 4x10-minute intervals between 95-99% FTP with 3-minute recoveries between intervals.

Friday

Legs at 3x10, but this time you go through each series all three times before moving to the next series. So a true burnout on the moves.
Series 1 - Reverse Lunges, Reverse Slider Lunges
Series 2 - Weighted Goblet Squat, Modified Pistol on Sliders
Series 3 - Single-arm Weighted Curtsy, Curtsy Sliders
Series 4 - Sumo Squat, Sumo Heel on Sliders
Series 5 - Weighted Warrior 3, Hamstring Curls on Sliders

Saturday

This bike workout of 3 sets of 2x10-minute intervals consisting of 2-minute steps up from 92%-102% FTP and then back down again with rest between intervals at a quick minute while each recovery between sets of intervals is 5 minutes was too much for me. I almost made it all the way through, but I couldn't hold on during the last interval. Crossing past FTP still eludes me for any significant portion of time.

AAA at 3x10, but this time you go through each series all three times before moving to the next series. So a true burnout on the moves.
Series 1 - Bilateral Press, Alt Unilateral Press, Lateral Raise, Y, Lat Side Bend, Standing Weight Knee Drive, Loop Standing Donkey, Forearm Plank Jumping Jacks
Series 2 - Chest Press, Fly, Kickback in Plank, Tricep Pushup, Corkscrew, Teaser, 1st Pos. Bridge, Single Leg Bridge w/ Loop
Series 3 - Pullovers, Renegade Row, Curls, Turned Out Curls, Loop Scissor Twist, V Leg Raise, Narrow Bridge Clam, Straight Leg Curls

After the double workouts, I got cleaned up and ate breakfast. Then it was time to go try on some new shoes and gasp.... get to run again! Given the upcoming Disney trip I needed to find some running shoes so I'd be ready when I came back. The bad news was their treadmill was having issues. The good news was it was 30s outside and I had shorts and tank, so I was ready to go still. Honestly, I preferred the outside anyways. The main thing for me was no Saucony. So I tried on essentially every other shoe in the place that was relatively firm. Some felt right and others did not. The key point to me was that I was able to do some short running sprints down the sidewalk (maybe 400-600m at a time) without any issues. I ended up settling on the Brooks Launch and Levitate and for faster days the New Balance 1400. We'll see how the collection plays out. It just felt nice to run again. Soon.

Sunday

The bike workout was another doozy of 5x15-minute efforts spent in the Sweet Spot, 88-94% FTP, with 7-minute recoveries between intervals. I had to get up early to finish it because Steph had to work.

Went right into Cardio Flow 80DO right afterwards. Not an issue. Was actually able to get in 2.33 run throughs when the class got through 2. So while I was tired/sore from the bike workout, I still had more to give.

So that was the most training duration in a week, and by the data the highest "Fatigue" score yet of 85. Everything continues to hold in the "optimal" training zone. Going to take it up even higher next week before I back off for the Disney trip. Timing will be tight, but I'm thinking I can get some training in on Monday morning on the Boardwalk exercise bike EARLY in the morning. Not sure about Tues/Wed though (80DO will be fine because we shuffled those around). It was a well timed down week though.

 

[canglim52]

Hey Billy, I was going to DM this question... but I figured the answer may be beneficial for the group!

As you know I’m running more by feel, but I don’t know what the difference in feel is between EA and EB... or the difference between EB and LR?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hey Billy, I was going to DM this question... but I figured the answer may be beneficial for the group!

As you know I’m running more by feel, but I don’t know what the difference in feel is between EA and EB... or the difference between EB and LR?

From my experience,

EA = Infinite pace. Don't really notice breathing at all as any different than normal for the large majority of training at this pace. Slow is the name of the game. And as Tinman pointed out in the podcast we listened to, this pace could go as slow as +4-5 min from 5k pace and you'd still be alright as long as it doesn't bother you mechanically.

EB = Just starting to notice I'm breathing. But it isn't labored and isn't rhythmic by nature. But I can tell I am breathing and needing just the tiniest bit of effort.

LR = At the beginning of the long run, it feels similar to what the end of an EB run feels like. The breathing is noticeable. Still not labored or rhythmic to start. Rhythmic breathing definitely helps though. About 1/2 to 3/4 way through the need for rhythmic breathing is more noticeable. The effort is now low/medium unlike EA and EB which are always low. It's not until usually the last few miles is any true focus necessary on the LR.

M Tempo = Rhythmic breathing is necessary to maintain a good effort/pace evenly throughout the run. A certain level of focus is necessary to maintain the pace.

How does that sound?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Anyone using Stryd and have thoughts about the usefulness of it? I've read countless reviews, but I'm on the fence as to whether it's worth $200.