FINALLY I`M TIRED

After my week of Race Simulation (38 h quality training) I fucked up my 9 k swim on Wednesday. After 3000 m, I left the pool, shivering and with a little fever. Master coach Jane remarked already on the warm up set, "Jan, you are tired today." Tired has been my first name since then. I`m on the following medication over the next three days.:

70 min easy spin + 20 min run
20 min easy spin + light strenght

Easy swim

Nxt week is going to be big again. So I have to recover fast. Attending EC Colorado Climbing Camp. That will be big with 850 k mostly climbing, running and swimming as normal. Then I probably hit the 35-40 h mark again. This is a good week to be really tired on .. When i freshen up to the camp I will make a new sollid block 4 wks out of UK. That is great news and perfect timing of a camp from a fitnes standpoint.

• Day Two: Fall River (11,796 ft) & Milner (10,758 ft) Passes
• Day Three: Berthoud (11,315 ft) & Loveland (11,992 ft.) Passes
• Day Four: Vail (10,554 ft.) Passport
• Day Five: Vail, Fremont (11,318 ft) & Tennessee (10,424 ft) Passses
• Day Six: Vail and Loveland Passes
• Day Seven: Squaw (9807 ft) Passport
  
  

Tomorrow i go to visit the doctor to do some blood tests to ensure that we have control of the iron values ​​and red blood cells. Reassuring to check with the training program that we run now.

Colting is in Boulder and it's good to finally talk a little sworsk again ... !
Why is it so difficult to realize that recovery is part of a training plan and a plan is only a guideline which must be constantly adjusted. I just want a plan and run it 100% from day to day and week by week. After 170 hours of training since I arrived Bo, Co the gave me warning signs for the first time. If I had listened better I might read the signals before. Since motivation is so high it may be that I foul myself to believe that I`m less tired than I am. Well, there is no crisis as this was the perfect time to be fatigued. Normally I would be back again after a few days. The legs has the power, it's a little headache and dizziness that is the problem.

I feel at the moment "a little" better but not 100% yet. Has the focus on 1) Sleep 2) Quality of food 3) Drink lots of 4) Avoid the sun and heat 5) No load on the legs beyond training 6) Massage 7) Compression of the legs 8) Do not over think itOn Sunday we start on a new big block of training. Over seven days, we will ride 850 k and most of it is climbing in the mountains. In addition, running and swimming. Expect to run 4-5 of 7 days, the golden 30 minutes would be plenty. When it comes to swimming, I take things as they come, but expect severals swimming sessions over the week. Then it will become another 35-40 hour week.  

 

 

SUPER VIKING HERO IS DOWN

After all killing in Norway the blogging went down. I have been crying and felt a lot of sadness in my life. Still, as they say back in Norway if one man can be so evil, think about all the love the Norwegian community can give each other.  

Here is some updates from my Race simulation week.

I was totally exhausted on the second last day of my race simulation week. After 4800 m ows and 8 hours of riding I blew up due to dehydration and my mind. I could no longer keep my head in the game and it ended up with a complete stop and "icebathing" in ice from the ice machine at a grocery store. Probably I was dehydrated and mentally not strong enough to hang on anymore. When looking back at it, I probably felt a touch sorry about myself and should have been abel to kept it rolling, but ... lesson learned.
1. Keep moving forward  
Even if your f *, reorganize and keep moving forward. Things will be better, just keep your head in the game.
After 1/2 h I were back to more "normal" again and rolled into Boulder when the sky`s opened up with big rain.
Engine kicked back pretty sollid the day after, 32 k run with 600 m ascent @Super Magnolia, total run 37 k, @5:30 pace. That was the end of our ultraman simulation week. A great week with coach Gordo, and a lot of value to put into the raceplan. Why could I bounch back so quickly after just 17-18 h with recovery after yesterdays Super Viking Hero is down? That`s not a big secreet, but our recovery strategy is clearly working.
2. Run / walk strategy
Pretty simple, but demands a lot of patience. It will probably take me faster to the finish line than running all the way and it will be much easier for me to race mentally.
3. Cap in HR to keep the body processing the food
For ultra I really need to process the food. If my system shouts down I will not reach the finish line. It is so easy to go light on this topic. After 8 days with simultations my feel is that I have a good strategy for were and when to lift my HR.  
4. Stay on the top of calories
If I can replace energy out with energy I will be good. I will bounch back at the last day for the doble marathon. That will give me around 40-60 k of running before I get a REALLY hard time. From that point of the run I will need the best crew I can get to help me. The training over the week have giving me the needed confidence. I can do it.
5. Use all energy between the days to your recovery strategy
A lot can be said here, but for me .. I`m in heaven here in Boulder. 100 % focused on the task .. Isolated from mostly all life stress, a lot of sleeping and good nutrition. Livin it `

All five is key and it seems so easy on the paper, but there is a lot of practice behind each of the five to figure out what works.

Totally 38 h over 8 days with a lot of quality training. I have been in the pain cave, I have had a hell of a good time, I have been riding up to 12000 feet, I have been swimming 10 k.. and much more..

Jan

Is the Amarican dream dead?

When I wrote the article to the EC 14 days ago, Nick would have my link to my winter riding video. Just then I could not find it. Fortunately, I found it hidden in a folder on an old PC back home so you can get an insight into my world far above the Polar Circle. The contrast to Boulder is big, but I do not complain. I love Norway and the fact that it is cold sometimes even when I ride makes me feel alive.

The weeks fly down here and tomorrow starts my UM simulation training over a week with Gordo. Kick of tomorrow with 10 k swim followed by a 10 h day on Thursday.

Has soon my race plan in place. It will give Team Viking an advantage if the finish line seems far away when the race starts to be tough on us. I'm sure I will hate, enjoy, cry and laugh up in Wales.

My dream is still alive! 

Livin` it!

Jan

Long run day

Did my 2 h hilly run this morning. Climbing for 1 h and 20 min, before I started decending where I worked on my cadence. Strong steady effort and my legs felt good all way thru the run. My core temperature a touch high at the end, but nothing to crazy. Messured 36 c out at the course.

After Mikkel left I have been back to my normal routine on nutrition and sleeping. It is pretty much the same stuff every day. Chickenwraps, eggs, muffins, greek youghurt and cofe. It is easier when I stick to the same protocoll each day both for sleeping and eating.

My second run today was a easy 45 minutes flat run. My legs felt terible from the start, but after a few minutes I got into the rytm and my legs felt okay. Actually I had the run forever feeling after a while. It was cloudy and not to warm in the noon. Around 32 c in the shaddow.

Everything has been about backing up my 8 h training day from Saturday. There has been a lot of good nutrition and sleeping to get back to it.  

Was running out of cofe today. Hate doing grocery, but did a cofe rescue operation late noon to be ready for tomorrow. Have a upcomming SBR + strenght day. Riding over to the reservoir for a OWS early 0540am tomorrow. Ready for a new day 0615!

Livin` it!

Lonsome, but not alone!

Then my Danish friend Mikkel Bondesen left me alone. We had seven great days together in my apartment in Boulder. A feeling of emptiness has filled me this afternoon. It is also my easy training day. That has made the day longer than necessary. Mikkel has always a smile on his lips and are nicked named here in Boulder as Mr. Hollywood. My recovery after yesterday's 7-hour training day has been fast, and will even be better now that I'm all alone. I am a very social person, therefore, it is strange to think that I still shall be here 2,5 months before I travel over to UK. Of course I have many new friends around me, but today I have for the first time since I arrived felt alone. Well tomorrow I will be working full day at my Norwegian job, and running for 2 hours am + 45 min in the afternoon. It will fill up my day and suddenly I'm back on the winning track again.
Yesterday I rode out with the "A team" after SCP master swimming. Justin Daerr that who is a professional triathlete was riding out with us. He was doing a warm-up and then 30 minutes with "effort." After 25 minutes drafting Justin`s wheel I saw a lot of w on my Garmin. Heaven knows what number he had on his powertap. After a few encouraging shouts from Gordo, I managed to stay to it up a hill. "Good work buddy" Mentally I'm in a different division than last year, and the legs are very strong. The secret lies in two strength sessions per week throughout the year. It has made a big difference for me.

Bullsnake "friendly"

After this I got two flats up in the hill. The team rode without me after the 2nd flat. That was okay for me. It gave me 80 k solo. Riding into Boulder tired but with a good spirit. Lots of experience mentally to run two flats in a day. In a way, a bit down until one finds back into the rhythm again. Estes Park was great. Have to get up there again.
Had a great run this am, besides a friendly snake on the trail. I have snake phobia. For does who not know me, my heart rate reached new heights today. I have to try to overcome this unnecessary phobia of snakes. It has haunted me since I was a little boy. My new friend pointed out the correct name of the snake immediately. Impressive, at least no snake phobia there :) I`m glad that I not was alone out there today. Thanks!

Jan Hugo 

June



Food for champions



No riding, but laundry



June was a big sucsess on the training front of my life. 84 hours of training and that includes a very easy week leading up to my travel to US. My coach has started to increase the training load and for sure June was BIG, but July will be better. My video from yesterday were I was kidding around with training like kindergarten, well I will for sure be really tired very soon. 

My bike has been pretty good since I got over here. I still need more sustained work, but that is not a problem since there is and will be a lot of riding over also July. I will also join EC climbing camp 4 weeks out of my race in UK. Had some really good powernumbers at my steady zone yesterday, but I will still play with steady watts @200 - 210 with AeT power estimated at 205w. Yesterday was showing 230w at my steady. I guess each week will make me stronger. Anyway UM UK is not about beeing fast, but strong. Are loading up for a big upcomming Saturday. 

I felt like a superstar on my swim at the resorvoir toaday. Did around 3300 m and one lap with padles only were I was drilling it. The paddle laps are a good way for me to keep the effort up in the water. Have felt a litle bit lazy at my OWS so far. A lot of fun to feel fast and STRONG also at the resorvoir! Have a upcomming ultra swim Wednesday next week. Hopefully swimming 7500 - 8500 LCM at SCP. That will be a lot of work, but at this point I will not put my mind into it. There is a tedency or pattern in my life of, "to much mind". It is easier when I stay in the moment and JFT. SCP is really making me look slow compared to our SCM pool back home, but I will for sure be very strong with SCP at the end of summer. Steady pace is 1:45 per 100 LCM with Threshold pace 5s per 100 quicker.

The area to watch over July is my running. There will be long run`s and some double run day`s as well. There are a lot of good hills here in Boulder to create strong legs over July month. No need to be worried about the pace, just get strong. Steady pace is 4:45 – 5:00 min per K with Threshold pace is 30s pr k faster.

Kindergarten

2 x 20 min (Steady today avg hr 127-133 @230 w)

A lot more work running of my bike @5 min pr k pace at steady hr 137-145.

Good that my coach have me on a recovery week :)

Have a meeting with my coach today for a review of my training so far and to plan ahead!

How is your recovery going?

Jan Hugo