torsdag 30. juni 2011

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.

onsdag 29. juni 2011

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

tirsdag 28. juni 2011

My Maze


Climbing Flagstaf with a latte and backpack
The new life in Boulder is pretty easy. Everything is about training, eating and sleeping. Once a week and a couple of hours each evening I`m working @Nikita Hair Norway from my computer and cell phone. Actually I had a chatt with my CEO today about our new Maze. From my point of view Maze is pretty much the same as my coach have created for the team @Endurance Corner(EC). I have exclusively used TrainingPeaks(TP) to communicate with my coach in 2011 and the EC forum. In relation to my job as a regional leader, we are these days implementing the new maze as a main tool. There, I've already got me a lot of experience through TP and EC.

But first why do I pay a coach to make my plans, when it after all aint about rocket science?

My life at home is like a Maze of daily decisions, both professional and family. In fact my training workouts is the area of my life who is less complicated and bring in a lot of values at least to my job, but also to my life in general. That is not easy to see for those around me, but without my training everything would have been difference. Thats why I have hired a coach. I dont want to spend energy to plan this part of my life. Training is for me about getting out and having a good time and to restore my batteries. There is enough mazes in many other aeras in my life. 

My Maze or TP has so far worked very well in 2011. I am actually looking forward to implement it also in my job. Thru a good coach and the best tools I have made ​​progress in every part of my training in 2011. If I draw a parallel to my job there's many similarities and reassons to use a good tool as My Maze or TP if you prefere also proffesional. Same tool diferent name? When looking back at what I have achived thru a good tool for my training I really can`t wait to see the output that this will give for my company when 100% implemented. We will probably be using 6-8 weeks to make a good base week for My Maze. Not so far from what we do also in training.

  1. Agreemnet on training plans to achice your goals.
  2. Daily reporting of how you have excecuted the plan to achive your goal
  3. Comunicate any deviation either by direct contact, phone or e-mail and give any positive feedback or/and adjust the plan.
  4. Positive feedback when the plan goes well.  


Create a good structure and base week for your training and keep it rolling. Add consistency on top of that and it will give you a break through performance.


søndag 26. juni 2011

Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon - race report

You can`t outperform what you have done in training?
What I have proven in training for the swim over the 1500 meter is 26,5 minute @SCM pool in Harstad. In other terms I`m a slow guy with 1:41 pace/100. I have also done poor @both navigation and TT in North Boulder Reservoir before the race. Therefor I had no expectations for the swim. Normaly my navigations has been bad due to double vision. My double vision comes from a botched eye surgery from my hospital back home many years ago.

But first to keep everything in cronological order.
My warm up protocoll was similar to my race south in sweden.

1. Easy jog for 20 min
2. 6 x 75 strides with walk back recoveries
3. Strethching to find myself and my raceplan (YOGA)
3. Entering the water and swimming for 10-15 min
4. Short pace changes to elevate my HR in the water
5. READY TO START

When the start went of I was in the first line of my wave. My goal was to draft the swim and do a solid 2-400 m effort at the start to get on some good feets. Justin camp director told me at things normaly slow down in a race, also for the swim. I had never tought about that. I got on somebodys feet and at the first turn he may have blown up. At least he got very slow and made breaststroke for a while. I made a pace change to catch up a new guy in the front of me and sucsesded with that. Easy when all I had to do was to catch the nearest guy with the same collor on his cap that I had. For the rest of the swim I was going two stroke breating at my onside to hang on his feet. I could not belive the time who was 23:46 or 1:35 pace / 100. A new PB, even if comming of 50 + hour the two last weeks leading up to the race. Anti tappering and altitude makes the resault even better! I`m getting good vibrations when writing this. 
Swim # `s
Avg hr 145 / mx 153 / 1:35 pace / 100

My transistion on the race was both good. Normaly I do fast transitions. My set up in T1/T2 worked well. With keeping everything simple I`m abel to rush thru them with my own routine.

I will not spend much time on the ride in this race report. It was a new experience with wave starts and a lot of slower riders in front of me. I was passing more of them then I could count. My HR was a touch high after the swim and transistion, but was in line after few minutes with a HR 160 cap. I had a feeling of not pushing my bike hard enough at the race and sometimes my HR on the decsents was low steady. Maybe because of fatigue from all riding the week leading up to the race or the fact that I was legally drafting a lot of guys with race wheels and tempo helmets. The computrainer session were Gordo talked about "chest down" and a lot more was a new eye opener for me. Riding is normal my strongest skill, but the fact that I saved some power at the bike made my run performance very good. Maybe the ride was a good one after all when looking at the total time for the ride and run? I`m not sure, but I know that I had great run legs directly out of T2.
Ride #`s
1:19:23 @48 k ride 
Avg hr 139 / mx hr 160

I found my run legs directly out of T2. Kept a focus on form and my strides Told my self.: Your are young, strong and sexy all way thru today. Did 4:16 pace out to the turn and was taking water at each aid. Also throwing some of the water over my head to keep me cool. At the turn mark I saw AC about 400-600 m in front of me. I started to play a game with myself. "Catch AC" before the finish line. He was easy to se at the end with his EC kit. At the 1 mile more to go mark he still was 200 m ahead me. I had to really go hard to catch up with him. Togheter we both crossed the finish line with encouraging each other to make a last push to the very end of the race. For my first time I felt racing in a triathlon and that is a big achivement from my point of view. My latest run test is lining up with threshold pace at 4:10-4:25 pace pr. k at sea level. A quick look at my run #`s show that I was going pretty sollid on the run compared to this test that was done at a track back home. Also had a feeling of a very strong finsish and could probably have gone longer at my threshold pace today if.
Run #`s
10 k @42:46
First 4,5 k @4:16 pace pr k
Avg hr 146 / mx hr 156 out to the turn mark

Last 5,5 k @4:15 pace pr k
Avg hr 156 / mx hr 165 from the turn mark and until the finish line

Overall I got 39 of 714 and 15th in my agegroup.

Chest down lesson - Gordo Byrn
Lesson learned.: 
Keep going with your wu protocoll
Sollid effort at the start of the swim the race will slow down 
Don`t kill your legs at the bike, save the racing for the run
Use all free speed and save power on the bike, remember Gordo`s lesson "chest down"
Have fun and don`t take life so seriously - after all this is a once in a life time experience. Enjoy it!

Hope my english is getting better due to my stay in US. Goal is to express my self also when talking to team EC without getting out of words before the end of summer.

Strong at the end,
JH

lørdag 18. juni 2011

Unlock your potential

The good guys!
There have been no "buffalo`s" so far in Boulder. So all baking has to be done by my own. A quick search through the EC forum and I found the recipe for Monsy Muffins. I have really done my best back home to make them, but can`t really say that I have relesed my potential on the baking side of my life. But what a day .. on my training day of ("only" a swim) I really hit the baking with a life time beste performance. Just the same tasty healty muffins that is named Monsy muffins @EC. I love it! There is a lesson learned in here. If you just can stick to your coach recipe for a while you will sooner or later reach your goals with a life time best perfomance. I have been pretty good at that over the 2 last years. Still a way to go, but dam I feel good. 
No need to be worried for my next upcomming BIG week. If Gordo can survive and go on his BIG ring on those muffins I can to. That will be my secret over the next week Endurance Corner summercamp. At least I have paid to be in there so all coaches have to be gentle at let me do the brakeaways.

Did a 730am master swim at Scott Carpenter Pool today. Total 4100 LCM. Not bad when considering that this still is my first week over here. Directly of for a breakfast burrito with the good guys. A new 1,5 h powernap before my baking. Heading downtown later to see if here is any buffalos left. 

Arapohe .. More on that later.

Todays lesson learned.:
Stick to your coach and team for a long time. That will result in a life time best performance sooner or later.

Here you go with the reciepe Monsy muffins.:
Dry Ingredients: 1 Cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 1/2 Cups Quick Oats
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp Wheat Germ
2 tbsp Wheat Bran
Mix Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil- or a little less
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Boiling water
Beat egg and then add rest of ingredients and stir.
Add Wet to Dry and stir. Add in as much raisins/dried fruit/chocolate chips whatever....I usually add dried blueberries or dried cherries/cranberries .
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes...Spray muffin tins with the non fat oil spray
Livin` it!

Stick to your plan!
//JH

fredag 17. juni 2011

No waiting ride for Jan Hugo

Riding with Gordo, Mark and Slater up to Ward today. It was a no waiting ride, but a good ride for me anyway.

Avg 220 w for over a hour when climbing @ my steady hr.
Had a perfect day with Gordo and gang. Although I was the weakest in the group I hung nicely with today still I was left behind climbing up to Ward. Instructive to see all three with different qualities during training. Have great respect for all three of them. I`m very impressed of Slater's top 3 position at UM Hawaii 2010. That boy can really move around on foot or when riding. At least I know what i takes to move up to FOP in a UM. Still a way to go. 
Got good coments from coach Gordo today. You are at a new level both for running and riding this year. That`s good news and our easy plan over the winther has been working. Looking forward to EC summer camp next week. Meeting old and new friends will be great. Still struggeling with my english, but after all I`m improving. Easier to write than speak :)
 
Previously learned lessons still counts.:
Drop your ego when with stronger athletes. Drop the group before you kill your legs. Then you can enjoy the science of steady. When the group is turning or making a stop you will catch up with them again.

Tip of the day.:
Turn the HR monitor when you run so you can check your HR easily.
//JH


tirsdag 14. juni 2011

Food for BIG training :)

Did my first open water swim for ever at North Boulder reservoir today.
Four loops, evens with padles. Did a nice steady effort. Felt overall good and strong all way thru today. Total 4 k. Feeling better with the altitude on day 3 in Boulder.
Running around the reservoir after the swim @5:25 pace pr k. Building in to my steady for the first 20 minutes and just kept it rolling. Avg hr 134. Felt good and strong. Pace and HR more normal again. Steady pace 4:45-5:15 @hr 137-145. I`m always thinking about food. Also today, well after a meal and a new nap
I went out to ride up to James Town. Rode up a nice canyon and was passing a ton of riders. Was loosing the account over the numbers of riders after 100 :) Felt a touch powerless in my legs, but still avg 200 w at my steady hr today. A lot of wind out to James Town. Was flying back home - felt fantastick on the aerobars at high speed. Have som isues with my f* Garmin, can`t figure out how to load down to PC. Seems like there is som missing drivers. Need to have it working 100 % before nxt week. My new ridely feels fast. That means when Garmin problem is solved I can ship my spare bike to UK.
Livin` it! 

mandag 13. juni 2011

Welcome swim

Running 45 min at 7am.
My body is still working at Norwegian time. Wake up @5am :)
Running back to normal both for pace and HR.
Smart to run in the morning before the sun gets to high.

Swimming done by 1030am.
Met mrs. and mr. Big Sexy in the pool. That made my day. Good role models both of them. They both looked great.

Set with second breakfast before noon. Of for my powernap and later maybe a walk to down town to chill out and grab a coffe.

Posting my swim here. Nothing sexy(fast) about it today, but felt strong until the 3800 mark. After that ripping my arms of. I allready miss the suffering. Bring the heat on!

"Gordo`s welcome swim.:"
600 continuous end each 200 with 50 Back
4x100 on 10s rest alt IM with Free
+++
500 band/buoy Steady on 10s RI, 5x100 Steady on 10s rest
400 bb & pads Steady on 15s RI, 4x100 Mod-Hard on 10s rest
300 pads Steady on 10s RI, 3x100 Mod-Hard on 10s rest
200 swim Steady on 10s RI, 2x100 MH on 15s rest
100 swim Easy on 10s RI, 100 MH on 15s rest
+++
6x100 paddles only, long strokes on 10s rest
16x50 as Fast/Steady/Fast/Back with paddles only, odds are 20s rest, evens are 10s rest
6x100 no gear, long strokes on 10s rest
+++
Choice C/D

søndag 12. juni 2011

Jetlaged and 10 000 hours

A mellow day with a 1 h run in the morning to kick it of.
Later a swim with 3000 LCM were I felt jetlaged and not to good.
Finished my day with a 1h 45min ride to check my bike after all cabels were replaced @Boulder bike village.
Met a juggler down town Boulder. I asked him how much training he do. His answeer was 2-4 h each day. No easy way! Also when acting as a pro struggler you have to do the work. We were chatting around the 10 000 h mark to get some were :)

Tomorrow I have a 6000 LCM swim.

Livin` the dream 

lørdag 11. juni 2011

Why

Does it always need to be a why? My last day’s most frequent question has been why “do you go to US for 3 months. How is that possible to do?” Not an easy question. The question is tricky. When I decided to make my application for UM UK I also decided to go all in to make my best training before the race. I want  to make my “mother” proud of me. At least I want the attention from the people around me that the event like this gives. Of course I could have done an IM or similar, but I have already done that and a UM was something new and bigger also on the paper. I really don’t like racing that much! The process leading up to racing is the part that makes me most happy. From my point of view to make a life time best fitness with a full time job is difficult. Of course I can get fit also when working full time, but not for this race. I need to isolate myself from my normal life. I can’t go big with too much in my mind. Even my e-post is difficult to handle when really tired. My job back home is 24/7 in my mind and creates a lot of thinking even when not at my desk. I have been 4 years with the company and the opportunity my CEO gave me will pay back with a top motivated Viking back in September. The experience form my athletic journey has a lot of value also for my company. What about my family. When away I can’t do anything else than support from distance and do the best training to get as strong as possible and make them proud of me. I will have a ton to catch up on the family side when home again. That’s great – the time before Christmas will be family focused. My family is my sponsor and I have to do the training and secure the outcome to make the time away worth it.. Travel to good wetter, both for daylight and sun. Harstad is not the best place for triathlon. Last season I got in two rides without legwarmers over the summer. I`m not complaining. That’s just a fact. At Christmas time its pitch dark around the clock. There is some kind of a blue light for 2-3 hours each day and the energy level is far way down. This time I wanted to get to a warmer place were the wetter plays with me – then there will be no need to plan around the wetter. Simple but effective. Back home I normal use 20-30 minutes to get my clothes on. Even in the summer I sometimes have to finish my ride on the trainer or go home to change clothes to get the feel in my legs back. Boulder seems like a good option also when it comes to the wetter for the summer.  My coach have kept telling the team that we can learn more with one week alongside him and his team than you will get from distance coaching over time. I can support him on that. Last season I was training with Endurance Corner for 14 days and got a lot more than even I had dreamed for over those days. It will be great to get closer to my team and fine tune my training. Finally It will also save me a lot of money since US I cheaper than Europe. It`s a long travel but for such a long time the travel is no biggie. I just have one life – when I first talked my coach thru my goal who was UM UK he gave me the green light and we have since that day done a lot of training to prepare me for the final training in US. Even my CEO gave me early “go and get them”. A lot of savings will be used over this summer, but I only have one life and want to live it in harmony and happiness. Riding offers me both. What other says doesn’t bother me too much. Nothing makes me more happy than riding my bike… : ) At least nothing I can print here. .. 
All in,
//JH

torsdag 9. juni 2011

The swedish primal

Just arrived home after my 7th Colting camp.
Colting is a super star in my world. I love Colting camps and there will be a lot more camping south in Sweden with him and his team. Tomorrow I`m leaving for Boulder, Colorado for 3 months preparation for my UM in UK 3-5th September. The goal for my week is.:

# 1 - Active recovery until departure
# 2 - Arrive US fresh and healty
# 3 - Get the grocery and bike set up in Bo, Co

Todays photo is from my latest Colting camp. The Swedish primal and JH.

Safe travel!
JH