IMMT Week 8/5-8/11 Taper Time!!!
Is it too early for us to start fussing over the weather forecast 
Seriously, I just realized the weather up there is a LOT cooler than I was anticipating. I know, high of 65 and low of 50 sounds wonderful to most, but I suddenly realized I needed to put the arm coolers away and think about long finger gloves, arm warmers for the bike, and a warm long sleeve shirt for the run! I'll be out there well after sunset and not moving fast, so that throw-a-way shirt might need to go in the T2 bad instead of the SNB bag. Anyway- something for us all to consider (especially those of us coming in from much warmer areas).
PS- for those of us out there late into the evening, sunset should be roughly around 8pm and the moon will be close to full, so we should have good light if it's a clear night. I fully expect to be on the course until about 10:00 so I'm putting a headlamp in my run SNB.
Comments
Sunset will be 8:30pm in Kalmar. They use a 16 hour cutoff and there will be fireworks when it ends at 11pm. I read IMMT has fireworks too.
YEP last year IMMT had fireworks!
Taper time has begun but there is still 2 more weeks of hard work in the form of staying Disciplined with your workouts, nutrition , rest , recovery , and all the choices to be made between now and race day. Stay focussed everybody!
Why it is all relative. Forecast low and high for race day is currently 58/69, but it is 48/67 on the day before and after so I need to be ready for that. I read a post on the Kalmar Facebook page from a guy that is part of a 14 man contingent coming from Iceland. His comment is that they were not concerned about any wind on the bike, but they were going to find it difficult to deal with "the heat". I lived in Iceland as a boy for a couple of years so I know exactly what he is talking about!
Another cool morning here in NH... I imagine Canada is chilly..... some may like but if I was racing I want HEAT!
PT this AM and then an easy run on a track this afternoon.
I'm with you Tim! I'm one of those strange people who does reasonably well in the heat compared to others. OTOH, I've had to DNF from hypothermia before and am NOT good in cold weather. Bring on the warm temps!
I DNF'd IMCDA2009 due to hypothermia, so cold water with cooler air is making me a little nervous. Ever since that incident, my body can't regulate temps very well - hot or cold. Hopefully better clothing/layers will help out!
@ William, I put mine on before the swim. Very hard to put on if your arms are wet and just another thing to think about and rush doing in T1.
On a positive note, I peeked at the Mont Tremblant weather (I been doing this for more than a week. I'm such a wuss.) and it is now showing that rain is not a definite for Sunday anymore. The high temp is still around 20C (68F or so). I suppose 7:30-8:00 AM will be in the mid to high 50's.
I'm with Tim. When I'm cold, I want dry stuff on, not wet (especially on the bike). So I put my "arm warmers" on in T1. But here's the catch. I don't use real arm warmers. Instead, I use tube socks that I've cut holes into for my fingers to stick through. They stay on fine and when I don't want them anymore because the temps warmed up I can ditch them at any aid station without concern. Yes- looks a little funny, but not too bad (see pic). Plus, since the water temps don't look like they will be that cold most will opt for sleeveless wettie anyway.
One thing I've learned is that I WILL waste a lot of time in T1 if I give myself too many options to think about. Sounds like a good idea to just put everything in there- but you can paralyze yourself looking at all that stuff. So this year, I've decided to come up with a plan ahead of time and stick to that plan. Right now, that plan looks like this:
Anything over 65 when I exit the water and I think I'll be fine with a basic kit. I need to convert this to celcius and stick it in my T1 bag so when I come out I just ask what the temp is and grab what the list says to grab. The only two outstanding questions I've been asking myself are: 1) do I want to put the dry singlet on in T1 or wear it under the wettie, and 2) what do I want to use as my Vest. If the temps look like they will be very cold (<60) I think I'll sacrifice the struggle of pulling on a singlet over a wet body vs riding in a soaking wet top. I've considered using an old top as my "vest" so I can throw it away without concern (like the arm warmers) when things warm up. But that's still an open Q.</p>
Sweden forecast is very simlar to IMMT. I will definitely wear toe warmers...my feet are the weak link and the first thing to get cold. Arm warmers are likely but I will have them under my wetsuit. Yeah, they will be wet but not for long and I don't want to fumble with them when I start riding. I'll wear them at Thursday's practice swim to make a final decision on whether I start with them or wait until T1. Throw away gloves (long fingers) are a must. When the air temp gets into the sixties and I start to feel the slightest bit warm, they will be the first to go. I will start the ride with a soaking wet top, but take a light cycling jacket in case the weather changes significantly while I am there. That is a decision that must be made at T1. Kalmar athlete guide is out and as I suspected, there are no Special Needs bags. They do have a helper zone on the bike and run where a coach/family member can hand you something....same as when I raced in Germany. My family will be in town so I am on my own and will not have the opportunity to get anything. However, I've done 5 IMs without ever using bike special needs so no concerns there.
Bumped up my run to 4 miles running with 1 walking today... feeling better everyday!!! http://connect.garmin.com/activity/355084989#
Went to PT this am which may very well be my only PT appt. since we are out of town from the 10th-20th.... My PT person Karen Biscovich said it appears I'm good to go which is what the doc said... Pain be my guide.... Sidenote is Karen is very fast and competing in the National Championships in Milwaukee this weekend! Pretty cool everytime I see her its 1st place!
Soaked in sweat, as it ended up at 84*F heat index (heat+humidity), but felt GREAT! Had to constantly force myself to go slower.
Regarding the SNB: on the bike, I used to do the concentrated infinite deal and that meant I had to stop at Special Needs. But this year I'm living off the course and what is in my Bento box. My SNB will have a tube, C02 (if I flat in the first half, I'll stop to pick it up just in case I have another) and a can of coke (which I'll stop for only if I'm feeling like I need a lift- gives me something to look forward to). Ultimately, I plan NOT to use SNB, but it's a nice to have
Run SNB is another thing entirely. I will have a pair of socks, gloves, hand warmer (those things hunters use), a long sleeve shirt, and a clip-on headlamp in my Run SNB, and I fully intend on stopping to pick up most of it.
Second- looking forward to a nice easy 2.5 hour ride with friends Saturday who have really helped me get through the tough stuff. Saturday afternoon I clean up the bike and pack my gear bag 'cause Sunday my day involves 3 hours driving to and from Cary, NC to drop the bike off at Tribike Transport. Luckily I have company for the trip.
Finally- in case you have not heard, Mike Reilly will in fact be at IMMT! I hope he knows how to say "You are an Ironman" in french!
I ran for 75 minutes last night and hit my paces. I am ready to be finished and in MT.
My swim today is derailed. The river where we swim had hundreds of gallons of sewage flow into it due to the heavy rains Tuesday night. It is closed for all activity until further notice. Cold water is one thing - raw sewage is a deal breaker.
@ Nemo - I am not a fan of Mike Reilly - mostly because of his tie to active.com and the relationship between WTC and active. WTC has better announcers on the 70.3 circuit but only keep Reilly on, in my opinion, because he is famous for his longevity, not his talent. I would love to get the multilingual announcer I had in Germany at Sweden. He spoke perfect English and several other languages. Coming down the finish chute, I was announced by full name along with "representing the United States of America" and, of course, "you are an ironman."
4000 yard swim this morning plus 3 mile run. My drop taper (extreme reduction) starts when I get there...OFf on Monday and Friday. This method comes from Endurance Corner and fits this race schedule. For Cozumel, I will draw on this base, reduce volume somewhat, increase intensity, and have a longer taper.
Thurs--- Last full day OFF
Fri---- Swim ONLY day 3459yds in 1HR with a 2100yd TT in the middle
Sat... 2.5hr bike 5watts above IM pace , 4mile brick run in 30min MP total time 3hrs
Sun.... 7 mile run just a little faster than MP total time 50min
Mon... Swim only 2200yds w/some short intervals total time 43min
Tues... Bike 1:03 just below HIM pace so pretty hard , brick run 4 miles 30 min MP , 1:33 total time
Weds ... Swim 1600yds with short intervals 32min , Run 4 miles 32min just a little faster than EP total time just over an hour
Thurs... Bike 36 min 5 watts below IM pace but with short bursts above IM pace , Brick run 2 miles 15min little slower than MP.... total time 51min
Fri... Swim recon 15min easy at the venue
Saturday--- Crush
I really liked this layout... about 9 hrs total in over 8 days , with 1 full day off, and 2 days of swim only giving you 3 days completely off the legs!
It was weird not having power numbers (quarq is on my TT bike which is being TBT'd to MT), so I'm sure I exceeded FTP many many times trying to stay attached to wheels. But I've gotta say...it was FUN!!
Today I did a 20min , .6 mile , OWS in some choppy water , then a 1:40 on the bike http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/376017
I actually felt like I could start pulling on the water with effort today if I wanted to but held back completely just swimming very easy, will add some more distance tomorrow ... The only irritation was from my wetsuit over the clavicle (used sleeveless for less restriction).
Tim ... See my micro thread for my planned taper and Coach Ps input.