Monday, April 28, 2014

Workouts, Playing by Ear!

While waiting for spots allocation in the Panamerican Championship, and also the definition of the Panamerican Games trials, I go playing by ear on my training periodization.
 
Self-coaching its not an easy call, specially when recently leaving one of the best coaches in the world. I do miss a lot of Siri Lindley's guidance, but on this season I will need to play with the cards I have.

The workouts need to follow a logic pattern, but not only based on numbers, Siri has taught me a lot of training by feel and building macrocycles carefully, to not only build expectations.
 
One of the hardest things on self-training is to define limits. Knowing when you are really tired, or when you can push a few more days before entering in the compensation stage.
 
As the idea is to train as hard as you can, we are always very close to the limits, and very often we go beyond this line. This will cost a few extra days to recover, but I don't think this is a big problem.The same way we want to overcome barriers on the race, why not to do it also with the training load!?
 
Although, you may not over-training close to races, as the side effects can last for more than a week. The stress its a lot bigger than pushing yourself 110% in the race day.
 
On this last week I had to step on the brakes. I was only with 1000 meters in, and I couldn`t swim 50m more!! I felt really weak, so I went back home and slept for 2 hours, following of two days off...

Training for 16 year, I have notice my range is about 3 hard weeks, by an easy one.
Starting the Mesocycle!! 

The first week, or microcycle is a super hero one!
Like a horse, I do strong and graceful workouts!
One after another, recovering fast, not rare to meet or improve personal bests.
Afterwards still having energy to walk the dog!

On the second week I know I am tired when talking to my sweet heart, Florência. If its not easy to understand women, try when tired and not in your first language!! Lol 
It gets hard to wake up and I will avoid any extra walk.
Besides painful, some workouts still surprisingly fast!
 
The 3rd week is muy,muy dura!! Not even in Portuguese I can communicate...
Not rare to get the phone and ask my self, who the hell I was suppose to call!? 
I also store empty cups in the fridge and forget about compromises.
I will only walk if the goal is to get food!!
The swimming pool gets heavier, the streets becomes hilly and the clock is always in a hurry!
Still strong workouts, but not very fast and nothing elegant!!
The End of Mesocycle!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Big Fight for the Olympics

The Brazilian federation is getting famous for selecting athletes with no determined criterium. Is it called a technical criterium and there is no trials for the major races.

Luckily there is a criterium for the Olympic Games of 2016, but still having no established trials for the Panamerican Games of 2015. As for the South American Games on this year, there were nothing to explain why those athletes deserved to be there.
Curiously on the first working day after my National Championship win, the Brazilian Federation changed the pattern (Official Note #05) of using the National Ranking, to use the ITU Ranking, on selecting athletes for the Pan-American Championship to be raced on May 31st (5 weeks from now). I rose up in the national Ranking, but by only 16 points, two athletes coached by the Federative Official overcome myself on the ITU Ranking.
(National Brazilian Ranking)
 
I know there is only two ways (the easy one and the fair one). I am sticked to the tough path, and I really don`t mind if they pull me out of races, as it has happened before. I feel the need to express myself, I have my conscious and my value, which I pay the price on every day routine. I am a big believer of the Divine Providence.
 
I do hope that the Federation Officials take this post as a constructive criticism for future fair and objective trials. 

Monday, April 21, 2014

2x Brazilian National Champion 2010 & 2014!!

It has been four years since my last race and win at the Brazilian Championship.
 
With the JK Bridge on the background and a really hilly course, plus the hot and dry weather was a perfect combination for a tough and beautiful venue in Brasília, DF, the Brazilian Capital!
The Champions! Pic: MundoTRI
 
I was not in my best day, I've been training a lot, specially swimming, so I was not at the ideal tapering. But Coach Siri has taught me the fastest races can be the most painful ones!
 
Passing the first buoy (600y) I started feeling better and came out of the water with the second pack. On the bike, we quickly reached the first guys to become the leading pack with about 15 athletes. I tried a few breakaways but the SESI team has shown no one would escape easily and more, no one would finish the bike leg easily, as they were pushing some considerable hundred watts on those climbs!!  
The consequences of climbing are the decends and my on my computer was registered a speed of 84,5 km/h (53mph)!
 
Due to the heat, I started to run conservatively and got close to the leaders only by the mark of 3 kilometers, when I attacked ensuring the victory!
Having no support from my federation, it was really good to win a Championship here!! :)
On this post I want to register my grateful feeling from everyone who has motivated me to workout hard and race harder!! Im even grateful to my federation, with the reverse psychology! Lol
 
I have so many friends that support me that I will not even try to write names down, I am pretty sure I would forget someone on these minutes today, but certainly tomorrow I will bring the good energy and best regards into all those long hours of workouts! 

Sunday, April 13, 2014

18th at Salinas ITU Panamerican Cup

It seemed that I was not suppose to race!

A day before my flight, I was checking the start-list and I wasn't there. I couldn't figure why not, as a week ago my name was right there, on the race website... Email sent to the Brazilian National Federation.

Follow the trip to Miami, and once I got there the airline told me one of my bags was still in LA, but not to worry as they have it already on the next flight and they would send it straight to my final destination, Guayaquil.

Stop over a few hours in Quito, and I rushed to open my email with no news from my National Federation.

In Guayaquil, I went directly to look for my missed bag, and I got the news that now both of my bags were missing. One was in Miami, and my bike was in Quito. #Grrrr!!
(Salinas Beach)
 
Another 2 hours in the bus until get to Salinas, and this was the only time I had a good laugh... I asked the guy picking me up, how big was the car of the shuttle service, I was tired and was wondering if there would be enough space to lay down... He was affirmative: "Si, bastante grande, vamos en una buseta!!" Hahaha What in Portuguese with exactly the same words would mean: "Yes, big enough, we are going in a pussy." Lol

He was right, and I had a good nap on the buseta!
We got to Salinas at 5am, and I slept like a stone. On the next day the first thing was to look at my email and finally I have my registration done (again).
Nice! Just needed to get my lost stuff: bike, bike shoes, running shoes, helmet, race suit...
Meanwhile I was riding the stationary bike from the hotel's gym (pic above).

I wasn`t too scared, because I had a plan "b". I was lucky to find many friends willing to loan me their material, the junior race was happening on the day before.

Saturday, 5pm I finally got my bags! Rushing, but in time to build the bike up and go for a test ride.
 
Sunday, I was ready!! Due to a penalty for my "late" registration I couldn't choose where to start, so I got the only place left over.

I was in a good day, had a strong start, and was always swimming with that big block, that ended up being the first group on the bike. 
During the bike I was feeling bad, but feeling bad due to the restful rhythm, the group was averaging only 22 mph! I tried many breakaways, just pushing a bit harder and I had a 10, 20secs gap. But then someone would catch me bringing the entire group! I was fine with that, I was having fun more than taking the chance of a sucessful breakaway, plus everytime someone would need to burn legs to catch me!
The run was the end of my playful time! 
Besides I felt good, my legs were heavy, I was missing agility on my strides...
Specially the first loop, it was really hard, and even thought about quitting, although quitting would not happening today!

It was bad, but also good!! This was what I could do today, more to come on the next week at the Brazilian National Championship!!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

5th place at Hollywood Half Marathon

1:13:09 was showing the clock when I crossed the finish line on the world most famous red carpet!
We were more than 7,500 athletes to run 13.1 miles through Hollywood!
I wasn't expecting much from this marathon, as on the last weeks my focus has been really in the swimming pool, and its not rare the days where my longest mileage comes from the water. An evidence of that is my white forehead, covered by the swimming cap on most of my workouts! Lol
(I am the second by the left side, or easier, the white forehead!) Lol
 
I had the goal to motivate my friends (from the picture above). But I ended up putting a lot more effort when I saw that I had a great chance to podium!

I run as fast as I could through the finish line as the 6th place was only 20 secs behind myself.

We all had a great time, a bit sore, but still happy!!
Specially after a great recovery BBQ celebration!!
I like the idea of active recovery, but I am not anti-social, so by the end of the day the trainer was right there, in front of the fireplace where we chatted for a long and great time!! ;)

Recovery was also one of the topics on the elite panel hosted for all runners at the Hollywood Palladium on the day before the race. I will be soon posting a video from it at my YouTube channel!
I am not sure if I spoke well, but I know I was looking good!! Lol
Thanks to Mr. Turk's jacket!!
 
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