My taper is in full swing. Running for an hour or cycling for two has definitely been a nice change. However, there is that thought in the back of my mind if I’ve done enough. I’ve stuck to my coach’s schedule and resisted the urge to do that extra mile or two just to be sure I’m ready.
I’m feeling pretty well rested with 4 days to go. I only have 3 more workouts before race day and will put in a total of about six hours of training before Sunday.
This past weekend was the last with the big workouts before one long workout on race day!
I had a couple of near perfect days for my final big weekend. My family was away for the weekend so I was on my own and had two beautiful days of weather. Saturday started out with a 3 hour ride followed by a 20 minute run. I maintained a good pace on both the bike and run and I left early so I was finished by 10AM.
From there I launched into my recovery drink (Hammer Recoverite) and some stretching and flipped on the Tour. While watching the tour I continued to have my typical breakfast of a fruit smoothie with Hammer Whey protien power, a bowl of oatmeal and two slices of whole grain cinnamon raisin bread - YUM.
I continued to watch the tour on Tivo (No Commericials!) and then proceeded to have a great Saturday afternoon nap. Just to be safe I set my alarm for 3 PM as I would be heading into the pool to put in 3000 yards when lap swimming opened up at 4.
Sure enough I was awakened at 3 from a deep sleep and drove into town to get my swim in. Next was another recovery drink on the drive home followed by a nice big dinner.
Sunday was to be my last long run with 3 1/2 hours scheduled. I wanted to leave early so I got all my nutrition prepared Saturday night so I could just get up and go on Sunday. I made up one fuel belt flask of about 700 calories that was a 2:1 mix of Hammer Sustained Energy and Perpeteum. It ended up being very think, almost like a pancake batter consistency, but this worked out well because even when it the mixture got warm toward the end of the run, I was only taking in 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce at a time and washing it down with water. I also brought a gel flask with 4 servings of Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel just to give myself a different taste if I needed it. I also packed up 20 Endurolytes planning on a worst case of 6 per hour as it was supposed to be pretty warm and humid, even early in the morning.
I was up at 5 on Sunday and out the door at 6. I felt good on the run and did an out route of 1:45 from Newmarket to Dover along Rt. 108 and turned around to head back finishing in about 3:32. I was only a couple of minutes slower on the way back and even though I felt tired at the end, overall I thought my nutrition worked and I took in just about enough fluids. I stopped three times along the route to buy water and refill the other 5 fuel belt bottles with water.
After the run I had a four scoop serving of Recoverite, did some stretching and watched some more Tour before having my usual breakfast.
I then proceeded to have a great nap until my family came home early in the afternoon.
When I can’t spend the weekend with my family. This just about describes my perfect weekend….
My epic weekend is over, and I’m actually feeling better than I expected. Granted I’ve spent most of the day taking it easy but I expected to be more worn out than I was.
I covered 140 miles over my 8 hour ride on Saturday and went over some challenging terrain. I rode from the seacoast, up around Lake Winnipausaukee and back to the Seacoast. Afterwards I did an easy 30 minute jog which was a big mental obstacle for me. A couple of weekends ago I rode 100 miles on the Lake Placid course on a very hot day and was supposed to run afterwards but couldn’t. So, to feel so good after 140 miles and be able to get a run in was a huge mental boost. Especially given it was a warm day in the mid 80’s.
When I woke up Sunday morning I was definitely fatigued and had a few sore muscles but overall I good. I ran for 2 hours with the last 45 minutes just below AT.
So, only three weeks to go, my biggest weekend of training behind me and one more long run to tackle next weekend. Then, as my coach has told me, my work will be done and I’ll just have to let my body recover until the big day.
Well, there are 22 days until race day and this is the biggest weekend of training to date coming up. It started this afternoon with a 5,000 yard swim. Tomorrow I’ll venture off on an 8 hour bike ride followed by a 30 minute run and top it off with a 2 hour run on Sunday.
I felt good after the swim but I’m a little concerned that tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty warm day. This could make it a long day in the saddle, but only time will tell. Hopefully I’ll have enough energy left at the end of the weekend to report back on it all!
My family was kind enough to come to Lake Placid with me for Father’s Day weekend while I got a training weekend in.
We all had a great time. My wife was able to scout the area out so race day will be easier and more enjoyable. We were all able to see some of the Lake Placid sights including the 1980 Olympic rink where the U.S. won the gold in Hockey and the ski jumps.
The training part of the weekend was tough but necessary. On Saturday morning I did about a 90 minute run on the course. I got through most of the course. In the afternoon I did two laps on the swim course. The water was pretty chilly at first but after the first 1,000 yards I was comfortable.
Then came Sunday…..
I knew it was going to get warm so I headed out as early as I could, about 7 AM. My coach had put on the training schedule a six hour bike on the schedule followed by a 30 minute run, both on the Lake Placid course. The day turned out to be a very tough one. I finished the first lap without too much of a problem. I stopped at the hotel room to refill my water and headed out for lap #2. The 2nd lap went a bit differently. As much as I tried to hydrate myself and stay on top of it, the low 90’s temperature and humid condition caused me to fall behind.
I was able to get the six hours done and do 100 miles however, the end result is that for the last 15 miles (which also happen to be mostly uphill) I went through a couple of dizzy spells and was very thankful to finish. As a result, I decided to hold off on the run and spend some time rehydrating. After about 45 minutes of lying down I felt pretty good, but by that time we needed to check out of our hotel room.
The day made me a little nervous about race day as I wondered to myself, how the hell am I going to run a marathon? But after having some time to reflect, I realize I still have three good training weeks to prepare and the a few good weeks of rest before race day.
The day will be quite a ride! Stay tuned……..
It was a little daunting to
It has been a while since I checked in. I thought of plenty of things to write about over the course of the last week but between the workout schedule and the actual works schedule I haven’t been able to put my thoughts down. So I’ll apologize in advance for this entry probably being all over the place.
Last week was a recovery week after the Mooseman. That is at least until I got to the weekend after Mooseman. I think I mentioned that I’m working with a coach this year and it has been an awesome experience so far. To have a direction in training and a resource for questions has been very helpful for me. However, when I read last week was a recovery week I figured that the WHOLE week I would be recovering. The work week was a breeze, I did a couple of 30 - 45 minute swims, a 40 minute run and an easy bike. Well, then I got to last weekend.
Saturday was brick consisting of a 4 hour bike on what my coach said should be a rolling course and 30 minute run. Now, I must admit some of the pain and anguish I experienced on this ride was my own doing. First of all I did a bike route that I had never been on. I knew there were some hills but I didn’t realize how many or how steep they would be. I don’t think this is what the coach meant by rolling. To top that off I ended up missing a turn on the unfamiliar area and before I realized it the quickest route home would eventually make my total bike time 4:40 instead of 4 hours. I still trudged out there for the run but it was a struggle as I hadn’t planned on the extra 40 minutes on the bike nutritionally so I was starting to feel pretty weak.
Then Sunday rolls around and the schedule calls a 3,000 yard swim, which by itself wouldn’t be so bad but that was followed up by a 2 hour 30 minute run, in the rain, with a pretty stiff wind the whole way back on the out and back course. Needless to say I was happy to see Monday come as that is my typical day off.
The reality of competing in an IM has hit me square in the face several times over the past few weeks as the training sessions get longer and longer.
This past weekend, Memorial Day weekend I might add, I had on the schedule a 5 hour bike followed by a one hour run. Each of these individually I’ve done many times, putting them together…this was the first.
I did a century ride at the beginning of this month and found out rather unpleasantly how many calories I can’t take in on an hourly basis. So, for this session I kept it to 300/hour using a mix of Hammer Sustained Energy and Perpeteum. What a difference. Yes I felt tired after the bike but I was able to do a 9:20 mile for an hour on a pretty warm day and after pushing relatively hard on the bike (I ended up averaging about 18 MPH over a pretty challenging ride). For me, this was pretty good.
What I was even more impressed with is that I went to a Memorial Day party right afterwards until 11 that night!
That day for me was a mental barrier that I can get my running legs after a long day in the saddle. And, from what I have heard and learned so far, Ironman is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one.
Last Sunday was the first race of the year. It was a small tri in Marlborough, MA and it was a sprint distance. It was great to be there, for a few minutes prior to the start I just sat at my transition area and soaked it all in. There is something about being surrounded by a bunch of like minded people getting ready to compete. I loved it!
This was the first tri I did with a pool swim. While it wasn’t as chaotic as a mass start or even a wave start with 30 or 40 other triathletes but it wasn’t easy either. We started in :15 intervals by the athletes estimated swim time. You didn’t have to be too far off on your estimate to either be overtaken or take over someone else, which isn’t easy in a lane already filled with swimmers going both ways!
The bike was rolling with absolutely terrible roads and the run was very rolling on great roads with the last mile all downhill.
I had my best result to date by placing 4th in my age group and 17th overall! Granted it was a small race of about 250 racers, but hey, I felt good about it.
For the past several posts I’ve been wishing for sun. And, it finally came. Along with it came a 78 degree humid day which I also happened to have schedule a 2 hour afternoon run.
The mid to high 70’s is normally comfortable conditions, except for when it is the first warm humid day of the year. I felt OK for the first hour or so then I slowly started to deteriorate. I had all six fuel belt bottles filled with either water or calories and took in about 10 electrolyte tablets but I don’t think it was enough.
In a way I’m glad the weather was warm and humid and that I pushed through the run. Who knows what race conditions will be like over the next couple of months!
The rain has finally stopped, for now. I’m supposed to go on a ride today followed by a short run. The challenge that I’ll have is finding a place to ride for 2 hours. Almost all of the major routes, and minor routes for that matter, are closed due to flooding. Today’s ride may consist of several laps around the block!
The week has been challenging. The pool I usually swim at is next to a park that is flooded and thus has been closed for the last two days. I was able to find a pool that had time at 8PM the other night. This workout was right after three hours on the trainer. It was definitely more of a mental exercise that a physical one.
Here’s hoping for sunny weather!
