2:40 before 40

I have this void that I cannot avoid. 

For the past several years I've been "forcing" myself back to the sport of triathlon. I enjoyed those 4 years of training/racing so much and I think I was chasing that. It seemed like every time I started getting into a training groove I would run into big life changes and I would put it all on hold for months at a time, get out of shape and do it all over again.

As you can imagine, that became exhausting and frustrating. During these past 3 years...wow, 3 years since I last raced - I have always thought about the idea of doing an open marathon. But not just for fun and games but to actually train for one and RACE it. I've thrown down a decent half marathon of 1:14 about 4 years ago and a bunch of sub 1:10's in regular lactate threshold training runs in college lol (I never even knew that was very fast at the time).

So fast forward to now! I started my own business, our baby girl Juliet is one and after discussing it with Amy - we think now is a good time to go after my new goal of breaking 2:40 in the marathon before I'm 40 years old which gives me 1 year and 4 months to train and accomplish this goal. I always tell my high school team that you have to have big goals to accomplish big things. 2:40 isn't necessarily super fast but for how out of shape I am right now and the little time I have, it really is.

It's not going to be easy. I'm definitely out of shape and have years of abuse on these legs. So lots of aches and pains as I get back to speed...pun? In the past my build up has been pretty aggressive as I think I'm still a young kid chasing dreams. This time, I'm putting on my coaches hat and training myself the same way I would train one of my athletes while incorporating key workouts that I know I respond well to.

I'm 3 weeks in back to training. Just easy 30-45 min runs each day ~20-25 miles a week (you can follow all of my workouts on Strava - link on the left). Mileage will slowly increase each week for the remainder of the year with zero intensity other than occasional runs where I feel good and increase pace a bit. Basically, giving what my body craves, whether that means taking a day off or going a little longer/faster - it's smart that way.

I'm targeting the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon in June. I don't run well in the heat so that's not in my favor with a time goal but it's a local race where I can train and sleep at home during race week which will give me my best shot of doing it in my first attempt. I will have 2 build phases starting in January with some 5k, 10ks and a half marathons leading up to June. I'm excited to race in the local scene again - a lot of familiar names/faces are still racing and I can't wait to line up with them again like old times, with old legs and gray hair slowly starting to show.

So 2:40 before I'm 40. That's 6:06 / mile pace. Back to my first love. Let this new journey begin!

Thanks for reading -

Coaching

James Adams Coaching Services

I started coaching back in 2005 when my wife and I had moved to Boulder, CO for a short stint. It started out by just helping out a friend get to 2:30 in the marathon (he ran 2:33). It was amazing to remove myself from the performance aspect and put all of my energy and effort towards helping someone else succeed.

Fast forward 12 years and I am now head Cross Country and distance Track coach at local high school and I've had the opportunity to coach individual runners and triathletes of all ages trying to reach their goals. Whether that's a high school runner trying to make varsity, a triathlete trying to qualify for Kona, a runner trying to qualify for Boston or the Olympic trials or a non athlete trying to get into endurance sports - I've had great success with a wide range of athletes and would love to coach you!

Coaching philosophy: I've found that there are four things that help you reach your goals and without all four you are jeopardizing your full potential. I can help with all four:

1. Indivisualized Coaching
2. Mental Approach
3. Recovery
4. Nutrition

The only thing I require is that you are serious about your goals and honest with your feedback.

Email me at jwadams5k at hotmail.com for a free consultation. Prices have a range depending on your sport and goals.

*Local athletes surrounding the Temecula, CA area will have exclusive discounts with local endurance affiliated stores and the option of one-on-one coaching sessions.

I'm back!

Wow, what a break this was. My last post was IMCDA in July of last year - can't believe it took me that long to blog again. To be honest, I can't believe I AM blogging again here. I convinced myself that I was done with endurance sports and Love the Hurt. A lot has happened since my last post. I needed a break from it ALL. I got way to wrapped up into triathlon and both my mind and body needed this break. So what have I done this whole time?

1. Sold my Slice, bought an EVO
2. Sold our home in Temecula and live back in San Diego now.
3. Baby #3 is due in 2 weeks!
4. I drank a lot of delicious craft beer.
5. I gained 15 pounds (see #4).
6. I've swam maybe 10 times since IMCDA with half of those within the past few months.
7. My riding habits are sporadic, but when I do ride, I sure love that EVO.
8. My running has been a roller coaster. 1 month off, 1 month on, 2 months off, 1 week on...etc
9. I raced the Ragnar Relay in April.
10. I hired a running coach three weeks ago and am going "all in" to see what I can do in running.

So here I am, back blogging. I shut down "Kona Journey" and transferred all those blogs over here so I apologize for all the pictures missing from basically all of last year. I did go back and insert IMCDA pics though, that one was special to me. I've told a lot of my friends that I am a stronger person from that race. Even though it didn't pan out like I expected, I overcame so much during those 11 hours and now I take that race with me in everyday life. When I feel like something is hard, I fall back on that race. It made me a better man and I am thankful I went through that experience.

Now what? Time to run! Who says you still can't run fast in your 30's?? I love to compete and I happen to be good at running, so why waste that? The long-term goal is to break 2:30 in the marathon. It may come quick, it may take some time but I want to break it as badly as I wanted to break 4 minutes in the mile 12 years ago. It's going to be a gradual build - first thing is to get some speed back on the track. Mile, 5k, 10k most of the rest of this year with maybe a half marathon at the end of the year.

Not going to lie. Getting back into shape sucks. Carrying around this extra weight and trying to get my running legs underneath me without being sore ALL THE TIME is brutal. But I know it's part of the process. It's one of the reasons why I hired my coach. He's big on the mental approach which I love and believe in. I already know how to coach myself and what workouts to do to get me fast but it's so important to introduce new training methodologies and have a coach to hold yourself accountable - which is exactly what he is doing, good stuff.

Well, thanks for reading - I plan on posting each week like I always have. This blog has been so cool to be able to look back on. I got a message months ago that told me my blog helped someone quit drugs and get into triathlon. It absolutely blew my mind. Words are powerful. Be bold and share your story, you never know who it might impact or inspire.

Training Log (Mar 17-23)

Last week was really quite weird. After coming off my best week of training of the year I was excited to keep the momentum going as we lead into Ironman Oceanside 70.3. First half of the week went great then Wednesday I got horribly ill. I didn't mention it to anyone but my coach and of course my wife that tried to take care of me in bed. I hate it when people come up with excuses prior to a race, it's as if they have already defeated themselves. It's a sign of self-doubt. I had no intentions of bringing this up until I remembered that I have this blog to write... It really was a weird illness. I woke up with a big stomach ache which turned into sweats, chills, nausea, and was just left feeling really achy and weak. No fever, no vomiting - just HORRIBLE. I thought maybe I had food poisoning but with no fever or vomiting I am left confused and am just tacking it up as a bug that I got.

So the week was a bit of a wash when it came to training. I had to take two days off and even up till Monday I am left feeling very weak and tired. Flu season is going on in full effect out here and as much as I eat healthy, sleep 8-9 hours, wash my hands, sanitize and avoid others that are sick - it can be impossible to avoid, especially when you have two little ones running around! The good news is I have until Saturday to get well. I have a positive spin on the whole thing and look at it as forced rest and recovery which will make me even stronger once I toe the line... er buoy on Saturday.

Here's what last week looked like. I'm also going to post this week's workouts leading up to the race so you can see how we approach race week. Next week will be my Oceanside race report. [hr]

Monday: 2 workouts

BlueSeventy Masters Swim: 90 mins/ 4k
500 wup, 4x100 on 1:40, 4x50 on 50
Long Main set all on 1:40b:
300
2x150
300
3x100
300
4x75
300
6x50
300
12x25 Sprint


Post workout notes: As always, on Mondays I'm always a little bit tired from the weekend of training and having fun with family/friends. Workout went as planned but had zero sprint in me at the end.

SRM / Speedfil / Reynolds / ISM Bike Ride: 75 mins / 20 miles / 16 mph

Flanny’s workout: No concern for watts or speed today. Settle into a good groove and stay down in the aerobars.

Post workout notes: Usually on recovery days I'm around 85-90 watts, today I was pushing over 100 and felt easy. Just a good shake out ride.[hr]

Tuesday: 1 workout

Rudy Project Track workout: 1hr / 7.86 miles Workout file HERE.

Group workout:10 min wup, plyos, 800 of jogging curves, striding straights.

Main set: 3x400 @ mile pace, 2x800 @5k pace, 1 mile @10k pace, 2x800 @5k pace, 3x400 @mile pace c/d

Post Workout notes: It's been awhile since I've done any speed work or running in a group setting so this was welcomed. My legs were pretty beat up and tired to start the workout but the back half I felt a lot better and faster. Always fun to be on the track![hr]

Wednesday-Thursday - Sick.[hr]

Friday: 2 workouts

BlueSeventy 3k wetsuit swim: 50 mins / 3k

Post workout notes: This time of the year is great because I have access to three pools. One community pool (where I do masters) and two HOA pools - one heated and one not heated (but still maintained). So I'm able to get in some wetsuit swims and not burn up and also get used to that freeze shock we all get when we jump into Oceanside harbor each year. One thing I'm trying to work on is proper wetsuit fit. I do my best to try and get as much slack in the shoulders but I still get that wetsuit shoulder fatigue. I also have a bad habit of kicking too much with a wetsuit on. I have no idea why, but it's something I'm trying to work on and limit myself to a 2-beat kick, just like I do in the pool so I can conserve more energy for the bike and run.

Rudy Project Recovery Run- 37 mins / 4.3 miles / 8:36 pace

Flanny’s Workout: EZ run back

Post workout notes: Back from the dead. Still feeling effects, bloated, tired...etc[hr]

Saturday: 2 workout

SRM / Speedfil / Reynolds Bike Ride, Power file HERE:  2hrs / 31 miles / 15 mph

Flanny’s workout: Zone 2 w/ 30 minutes of climbing (that doesnt mean kill the climbs

Post workout notes: Felt like garbage most of the ride and got a flat for the first time in a year but things started getting better the last 30 minutes and started feeling a little bit better.

Rudy Project Brick Run: 20 mins / 2.85 miles / 7:43 pace

Flanny's workout: I want you to set up a practice transiton and quick change to the run after your ride. First mile at race pace and then shut it down.

Post workout notes: Treated this as transition practice and also experimented with eating solid food 15-20 minutes before to see how my gut would react to race pace. Hit that first mile in 6:17 and didn't feel so great. Both in my gut and in general. Still recovering from sickness.[hr]

Sunday: 1 workout

Rudy Project Long Run: 90 mins / 11 miles / 8:11 pace

Flanny’s workout:
30 minutes Warm Up
45 minutes low Z3 building to high Z3
15 minutes Cool Down

Post workout notes: This was a tough workout both mentally and physically. When you're not feeling well and you know you're fit it can be quite frustrating, especially after some time off. I'm just not quite recovered yet.[hr]

Totals (2 swims, 2 rides, 3 runs)
Swim: 7,000 yds /2:20
Bike: 51 miles / 3:20
Run: 26 miles / 3:30
Total hours: 9:10

Very light week overall. We would have approached this week a lot differently if I didn't get sick. The goal was to just get well and play each day by ear.[hr]

Race week (Mar 24-30)

Monday: 2 workouts

BlueSeventy Masters Swim: 1hr / 3200 yds.
500 wup, 4x100 @1:40, 4x50 @50
Mainset (all on 1:30b)
500
5x100
8x75
2x150
10x50


Post workout notes: Felt like crap the entire swim. Just worn out with a deep fatigue. Had to skip a 50 here and there, something I rarely do.

SRM / Speedfil / Reynolds / ISM Bike Ride: 80 mins / 21 miles / 15.8 mph

Flanny’s workout: Taper Ride ......Z2+ Ride for 75 min w/ 8 x 1 min Z4 on 3 min easy

Post workout notes: I went into this ride not knowing what to expect. After the first 30 seconds or so in z4, I knew it wasn't in the cards so I toned it down to z3. By the end of the ride I felt a lot better.[hr]

Tuesday: Tempo run

Flanny's workout: 10 minutes at race pace and no faster. Settle in and relax. Get 15 min of WU and then get the tempo in.....relax and run easy afterwards.[hr]

Wednesday, 2 workouts:

1hr swim:
400 choice
3X100m kick
9X100m descending 1 to 3 (3 times) on 15 sec rest
500 pull
200 cool down

1hr recovery ride:
w/ 4 x 90 sec at race pace.[hr]

Thursday:
30 min easy run. Super Easy Day
30 minute run w/ strides at completion.
Remember to get as much sleep as possible[hr]

Friday:
30 min pre race ride and 15 min venue swim if possible.[hr]

Saturday:
Race Day![hr]

Sunday:
1 hr active recovery spin or swim.[hr]

I have high expectations for Saturday. There have been a few setbacks over the winter but for the most part I've put in some solid training and there's no doubt that Flanny has me ready to race well. My bib number is #2365, feel free to track online. If you’re out on the course look out for the best looking kits on the course – all the Wattie Ink’ers! We are rocking black and orange this year and I’m excited to race in the custom made kit made by the W factory by Wattie himself. Made in the USA!

Thanks LAVA readers for all of the email encouragement and comments I have received, it means a lot! Wish me luck. Step 1, a test, for a KQ starts Saturday!

Training Log (Jan 13-19)

Last week was a pretty solid week for me and I have a feeling that it was mild compared to what is to come. The best news was that my finger checked out enough for me to get back in the water swimming after a full month off. I'm scared to death of smacking it on the lane line or wall but so far so good.

This week's focus was to gradually get my swim volume back up and feel for the water without diving in too fast. The bike and run proved to be really challenging with each workout (for the most part) providing some intensity and purpose.

Challenges for the week: I had to commute Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the weekdays and for the weekend we had our kids in the Legoland 1 mile race on Saturday with a family birthday party that night. Sunday was Amy's half marathon - which she pr'd by 16 mins! So getting in my workouts on a strict/planned schedule proved key.[hr]

Monday: 2 workouts

Swim: 2000 yards / 45 minutes
4x500:
1 - ez/wup
2 - pull
3 - IM pace
4 - pull

Post workout notes: Got in the water with my BlueSeventy goggles at 6:30am before I started my work day. Today was all about just getting back into the water, ignoring the clock and making sure that my finger wasn't going to be effected by the water or chlorine. I put some second skin on it and it was good to go. I actually felt a lot better than I thought I would after taking a month off. I contribute that to loosing some of my holiday weight, eating healthier again and being in a lot better bike/run shape than I was a month ago.

Bike Trainer: 6x3 minutes Z5 VO2 / 90 minutes

20 minutes Zone 2 Warm Up
4 x 30 sec spin ups (get cadence over 100 rpm) on 30 sec recovery
1 min Easy
6 x 3 minutes Zone 5 on 3 minutes easy
Zone 2 to finish out the session.

Post workout notes: After work, threw my bike on the trainer and hit this up before dinner with the family. My SRM Powermeter is in the mail as I type this - so for this workout, once again was all about going as hard as I could on the Z5 intervals. My legs actually felt great and it ended up being a great session.[hr]

Tuesday: 2 workouts

Bike Trainer: 60 minutes Z2 easy recovery

Post Workout notes: 4:30am wake up call, on the trainer getting in an easy spin to clear out the legs from last nights workout and to prepare for a tough session on the track that night.

Run: Track session / 1 hr, 7.63 miles

1.5 wup including strides, plyometrics
4x1000 w/200 jog ~1 min recovery splits: 3:41, 3:33, 3:28, 3:26
4x300 w/100 walk recovery splits: :56, :54, :53, :52
1 lap jog recovery
1 mile: 5:21
cool down
Data:
Post workout notes: I hit this up after an early wake up call and a long day at work. It's always hard to get motivated to hit a hard track session after a day like this but I've always said to myself, just start running and you'll start feeling better! It really helps on nights like this to run with a group - which is my case is the San Diego track club. My legs didn't feel as good as they did last Tuesday but I was still able to hit pacing that I'm looking for in two weeks at the Surf City half ~5:40 pace. The 300's were fun to get in a little extra speed work and as always we always finish up with a strong effort mile to finish off the workout which I hit in 5:21 and felt so-so. [hr]

Wednesday: 2 workouts

Swim: Specific Technique work / 1 hr / 3k

Post workout notes: Another early 4am wake up call to get in the water. As much as I love our SoCal weather, there really aren't many indoor pools out here which is pretty rough in the "winter." So getting in at 4:30 when it's 38-40 degrees outside can sometimes be hard. But again, I just tell myself - start swimming! Sure enough, it's never as bad once you get going. I debated whether or not to post all of the drill/technique work that Flanny had me do, but it was pretty long. Unless I get some comments asking me to post next time I won't do it. I felt surprisingly good in the water and really don't feel like that month off had any effect on my form. GOOD NEWS.

Bike Trainer: Big gear work / 90 minutes

After a 30 min warm up on the trainer I want you to do 6 x 3 min big gear (hard enough to slow your rpm's to 40-50 as long as the knees are not strained) with 1 min of high cadence spinning between (100 rpm+). Ride the remaining time in Z2

Post workout notes: As soon as I get home from my commute, I kiss the family and immediately jump on the trainer before dinner. I LOVE big gear work. Something about it. For some reason it reminds me of when you were a kid and had a loose tooth. It hurt so good to pull and yank on that thing. Weird right? Legs felt tired, yet strong - good day of work. [hr]

Thursday: 1 workout

Run: Tempo session - 50 mins / 7 miles

Warm Up 20 minutes Z2 and then give me 20 minutes of high Z3 Tempo (5:50 pace) before bringing it back down for an easy 10 minutes of Cool Down

Post workout notes: Got the morning off to sleep in today. Hit this tempo session on the way back home from work on the trails (Lake Hodges). My legs felt really heavy during the warm up and wasn't too sure how it would go. For some reason I've always hated tempo sessions, even in hs and college. Something about them. Maybe it's because I only like either going really hard or really easy, nothing in between. I know these are key sessions though so I take them VERY serious. Here's how it went down:

[hr]

Friday: 2 workouts

Bike outside: Easy recovery spin -80 mins / 20 miles

Post workout notes: Woke up early, bundled up and rode through wine country watching the sun come up.

Swim: Masters - 75 minutes / 3500 yds

500 wup, 10x50 on 50
Mainset (everything on the 1:30b):
2x25,2x50,2x75,2x100,2x125,2x150,2x125,2x100,2x75,2x50,2x25
(1700 total mainset)
500 w/fins breathing every 3rd stroke
300 pull c/d

Post Workout notes: So it was my first time back with the group and was a little nervous of how I'd do. I just jumped right back into my same lane as always and ended up being fine and hitting all of the intervals. I started fading a little bit on the last few but that is normal because of my lack of volume. This was a huge confidence booster when my swim confidence has been lacking. [hr]

Saturday: 1 workout

Bike outside: 2:30 / 42.5 miles / 2k+ climbing

During this Ride I want you to get in 3 x 10 minutes of solid Z4 Threshold riding. Take 5 minutes of rest between efforts and dont start them until after the first hour of riding is complete.

Post workout notes: After watching the kids run their first mile race (which was so fun), we went over to the EXPO for Amy's half marathon. After she checked in, I suited up in my sweet Wattie Ink kit, Rudy Project helmet and glasses and hit the coast for some easy spinning and then hit the San Luis Trail for the 3x10 minutes while they went and hung out at the beach. My legs were dead tired today and was only able to average 21.6, 21.9, 22.5 mph for my three intervals. Some days you just don't have it. My HR felt low and my power felt low but I just did my best and got the work in - nothing else you can do![hr]

Sunday: 2 workouts

Bike Trainer: 1 hour easy spin

Post workout notes: Flanny orginally wanted this after my run but with Amy's half marathon that morning I had no choice but to get this in early in the am. Legs were dead!

Run - Track session: 80 mins / 9.5 miles

20 minutes of Z2 Running
15 minutes @ Half Marathon Goal Pace (5:45 pace)
Easy 5 minutes recovery
Stop Watch and get in 4 x 50 m strides to get some pop in legs
Easy 5 minutes to get back into it
10 minutes @ 5-10 sec per mile faster than half marathon goal pace (5:35 max)
15 minutes cool down

Post workout notes: Sometimes your commitment level is tested. This was one of those days. You're tired from waking up early, playing race sherpa, football and beer surround you but you need to get out the door and get the work in. I always take a reality check in situations like this. What is your main goal this year? It's not to watch football or drink beer or nap, it's qualifying for Kona! So I headed to the track and got the job done. Here's how it went down:

The splits are a little funky. My garmin doesn't calculate the track very accurately with laps. 1 mile usually equals ~ .98-.99. My first 15 minute interval falls on Splits 4-7. My 2nd inteval falls on splits 9-10. Running on tired legs is like Flan50ny's mantra. I hate it because I like to run fast and my legs to feel good. The problem with that is, it's not how your legs are going to feel in a 70.3 or IM. He's training me to run fast with good form and execute when my legs are smashed. It's working, I nailed this workout and am extremely pleased with the week and my progress. [hr]

Totals
Swim: 8500 yds
Bike: 150 miles
Run: 24 miles
Total hours: 15:07 [hr]

Questions? Comments? I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading.

Here's a few more pictures from the week:

[caption id="attachment_2569" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Kids before the big race![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2570" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Finished up a cleanse which included zero alcohol and coffee. Tough but I feel great![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2567" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Homemade Plantain Chips with Sea Salt that Amy made. Soooo good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2573" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Tea replaced coffee and it's growing on me more and more and doesn't give me the big crash[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2571" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Carlsbad Beach riding[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2572" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Temecula winery riding. Life is good![/caption]

To see the post on LAVA's site, click HERE.