Back to getting back

It´s been a while since I updated my blog - I´ve been so busy training I haven´t had the time! Seriously, I put in some big time training volume and I was in great shape in may - but then it happened.
It felt like a snap in my posterior and interior thigh, when i descended a small hill on a 33K run. Ironically, it was to be my last long run before Ironman France in Nice. It hurt quite bad, but I finished the run. Usually, this type of muscle pain or groin pull goes away. Turns out this wasn´t some minor overuse pain. One week later I tried to run a few steps, but it was totally impossible.
Went to doctor, got MRI, learned it was a stress fracture in the pubic ramus. That´s where the adductor and hamstring muscle groups are attached - powerful muscles that are under serious strain running and cycling.
And I was two weeks out of Nice. Nice. Doctor told me I could give it a shot, but then I´d have to rest for a couple of months. I did, swim was slow because I couldn´t use my legs, bike felt great - I really enjoyed being back out there, competing, after missing last season due to injury - but the "run" was horrible. I tried to complete the race running slowly, but it was too painful.
Afterwards, my groin was horribly tender, and I was afraid I had displaced the fracture. But the pain subdued in a couple of days and new x-ray taken this week revealed calcification on the pubic ramus, which means it is healing.
Also got some drug used to treat osteoporosis which is supposed to speed up the bone´s healing process. I feel much better now, three weeks after the race.
Doc said it´s ok to bike and swim, but I should avoid activities that cause pain (read: running). So I have been putting in some serious work on the bike, like 20h a weeek. This way, I can maintain my motivation, I my aerobic fitness - and my mental health! Also, I feel I´m really developing my cycling.
So, this week looks like this so far:
Monday 4 h MTB - fucking rainy and wet!
Tuesday 3 h road bike, averaging 35,5kph - just above aerobic threshold for me
Wednesday warmup + 2*10K time trial, first one 14:48, a PB on that particular, not very fast course.
Thursday 2*45 min MTB back and forth to work
Friday 30 min warmup + 50K at race pace (1.18:20) + 1 h cooldown
Saturday 180K at ironman race pace/4.59:24.

I´m still aiming for the Challenge Barcelona on October 4th. I don´t know about my running, but I think I´m gonna be in uberbike shape!

Mr Frost strikes back

Nice, so it wasn´t spring yet after all. Took my cannondale out for a spin (notice my crappy aero position and you´ll know why I´m not using it any more other than indoor riding) and behold, I´m caught in the middle of a snow blizzard. Felt slightly unreal. It wasn´t cold, though, and luckily it wasn´t slippery either.
Just waiting to bring out my Cervélo. Still hoping heaven won´t crash down on me. I´m due for my check up in May. It´ll turn out fine. Yes.

In the zone

Cycling starts to feel like cycling when the roads are drying up and you can do 30-40 kph on the mountain bike. Just a couple of weeks more and I´ll be using 21 mm tyres instead of 47 mm - whoooaaa!!
The sun and the longer days really does wonders for your motivation too. After all, triathlon is all about summer and heat, not winter and wet. I was really in the zone yesterday, doing a 4 h bike, with the second part slightly above ironman race pace, then running for 1 h.
Found out I´ve really missed watching cycling too. I just couldn´t bare to watch any of it last season while I was out with injury, but now it´s suddenly interesting again. I just hope Sastre, Contador, Lance or anyone else of my favourites don´t get burned in a doping test.
I just hope I´ll stay healthy and injuryfree, so I´ll be able to enjoy a great season. My leg has been working great, so I´m really happy about that and hoping it will stay as good. Lately, I´ve had muscle aches and a slight flu that just won´t go away. More scary, my heart was skipping some beats. I hope it´s just related to overtraining and stress and won´t cause me any trouble going forward. Your heart is after all maybe the most important thing.

Motivation

It must have crossed the mind of every endurance athlete sometime - how much good is this specific 4 h workout going to do me during the upcoming season´s competitions? Team Garmin´s Dan Martin put it nicely to words in the latest issue of Procycling.
It could have crossed my mind yesterday - I thought it would be snowing, so I decided to do my 3 h ride on the bike trainer instead. Felt like a bone head when I saw through the cellar window it turned out to be the finest winter day so far this year. Nah, but riding indoor is the most efficient training there is - there´s no cheating, no slowing down, plus you get to practice sweating and hydrating. And the power meter forces you to maintain your effort when you raise the intensity towards the end. I did 3 hrs with the last hour above aerobic threshold, then went running for an hour. Actually, it was way above aerobic threshold. It didn´t feel any easier because of my slightly sore throat.
But I enjoyed it all the way. It was all fun. After being forced to sit out more than a year due to injury I´m so happy to again be able to do the things i love most of all in life that it just doesn´t get boring. Of course, it´s not always easy, but I love it all the way. It feels fantastic to be back on track. So no, I don´t have any doubts in what I´m doing.
Today I did 3 hrs of aerobic xc skiing. Mental recovery. Still having a sore throat though. Be gone, viruses.

Iron man

A couple of months on iron supplements seem to have paid dividend, because my hematocrit and hemoglobulin levels have rised significantly. Otherwise too, after delivering a couple of litres of blood and urine, my tests turned out normal. I´m still waiting for the results on testosteron and cortisole, though.
But hey, I wouldn´t mind injecting a little testosteron. It could do wonders for me!
Today was some sort of testosteron boost training. I did 6*5 min @ 400 watts on the bike trainer, headed out for a 30 min run, then hit some squads and calf raises with maximum weights at the gym. I feel the need for power. This if something is excellent counter balance to the typical, 3-5 hour aerobic triathlon workouts. Tomorrow I´ll be doing some anaerobic swim intervals.
I catched some xc skiing from the world champs on tv. Ok, so it was a little exciting and it was cool that the Finns got medals. But cycling is way cooler.
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Back to basics

I decided to cut back on the high intensity training and put in some base training hours. It doesn´t mean I´m doing slow distance, but aerobic work at a good pace near my aerobic threshold. And I was still doing some 15 per cent high intensity last week.
Today I did a nice aerobic 2h run at 4:53/km pace. It was not all good - you´re supposed to be increasing pace towards the end, not dropping pace. Anyway, tomorrow will be a rest day after three days of hard core training. Actually, more like ten days - but not all the days were that hard.

Cycling - way cooler than skiing

I think the ski world championships in Liberec have proven just why xc skiing is quite stupid and why cycling is waaay cooler. In skiing you win or lose not on the basis how fit you are, but on how well you succeed in picking your pair of skis and waxing them. Stupid.
Anyway, I recalled my "resolution" last sunday never to go xc skiing again. Have to admit it was quite fun today, when there was enough snow and no ice in the tracks. So I went for it 3h/45K. It was more like a recovery workout after yesterday.
Yesterday was quite a tough day . My friend´s bike broke down after a couple of kilometers, so we went back and I borrowed my neighbour´s Giant. We did a 3.25 h bike with the last hour being about half ironman effort for me, who did most of the pacing. A 0.30 h/6.5K run on top. And then I missed the first period of HIFK:s home game against Tappara because it got so late. At least they won (rarely seen at home this season).