Thoughts on training, and birds abound.

This week has been about logging miles, but winding down simultaneously.  One of the most difficult aspects of training is timing your fitness.  The goal of training isn't just to get yourself fit, it is to get yourself fit at the right time.  In his book, Total Heart Rate Training, Joe Friel boils training down to a fairly simple equation which states:  Fitness = Rest - Stress.  He's got a pretty good post about it on his old website.

I've got a bit of a problem with his equation, it implies that fitness decreases with increased stress and that it does so linearly.  I think the equation should be multiplicative (at the very least) because the fitness curve is distinctly non-linear.  Whatever the case, in order to become fit one needs to stress the body enough to fatigue it, then rest it so that adaptation can occur.  There are a total of 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week that can be given to training (Stress and Rest).  The balancing act over the course of weeks and months will produce fitness.

One of the reasons I'm nervous for Steamboat is I've been stressing my body like never before.  Even when I raced bikes, my longest rides were in the 6 hour range.  The Pawnee, Buchanan loop took almost 9.  I don't think I'm as fit as I was back then, but then perhaps my fitness is of a different sort.  Back then, I wouldn't have gone out for a 9 hour ride, that would have been close to 200 miles, but I would do 20 minute long cruise intervals at close to 30 miles per hour.  That'd be like me going out and doing repeats at just under my 5k race pace.  That kind of training is really unpleasant.  Anyway, I hope to find fitness in 2 weeks.

Today's run was a mere 13 miles.  I had heavy legs.  Felt slow.  Slept terribly last night.  Woke up at 3am and couldn't stop thinking about the Imogene Pass Run.  I was thinking about how I'd go.  Will I beat my time from last year?  How much do I think I can take out of it?  This one is tough.  It's kind of a priority race for me, but I don't want it to mess with Steamboat.  AAAAAARGH!  Run 'em both and damn the consequences.  

Anyway.  The freaking birds were abundant on McIntosh Lake today.  Lots of Pelicans, multiple Great Blue Herons, a raptor of some sort and a boatload of vultures.  The water was down and I think the vultures were out seeing what they could find...

Anyway.  Thank for reading.

J