@ Daavid-congras on the the AG podium! And listen to our wicked smart guy above-he is always on to something! @ David Ware-the Beeline was not too bad, minor debris. There was a car parked on south side shoulder about 3 mi south of Shea which was the most annoying debris! The wind was as brutal as its ever been-saw some 9mph on last little climb to Shea, but then saw 34mph coming down. I think I forgot to mention that nutrition went perfectly for me. @Patricia-let me know when you are here for your Beeline rides-I will join. I actually like riding the Beeline-feel safer there with the wide shoulder than anywhere else. @Trish-you should see if you can come the weekend 10/26 and do the supported ride. You coming down Rian? I had a lovely RR day today-back to it tomorrow!
Becky - we're planning to ride Beeline this week-end. Staying at Comfort Inn on Shea Blvd. Friday and Saturday nights so we can ride Saturday and Sunday mornings. Would love to meet up with you.
I've heard (more than once) that they are changing the run to a two loop course. It would be nice if IM would post the details sooner, rather than later, but I have a feeling they are going to add distance to the East end of the lake trail on both sides - nice and flat.
Can someone post specific info about the supported cycling ride on the AZ course that is being held on the weekend of Oct 26? There is a possibility I may be able to participate. Thx
A nice 10K run this morning, after my Oly Tri on Sunday. I was surprised how well the legs felt this morning. A big swim session to occur late this afternoon.
My wife surprised me with a special gift .... a new specialized evade helmet. I am glad because I really do not enjoy the aero helmets with tails on them; after a few hours of cycling, the added weight with those tails becomes a chore on the neck. Gonna test out the evade on a long ride this weekend.
@ David A: http://www.excelandbeyondcoaching.com/calendar/index.php has the paypal info. Basically for 20 bucks they setup several support stations on the bike course, and have a sag wagon. Gels, Drinks, and I think snacks were available. Last year there were lots of riders out. The Trisports shop in tempe (at the transitions/finish area) opens early (6am) and allows use of the bathrooms/showers etc. I was a really great experience especially for getting the feel of the course.
Just wanted to share Tim Bolen's FB post about last saturday's supported ride
Timothy Bolen THANK YOU! Thank you to each of you for joining us for our 7th annual Ironman support ride. Special thanks to Brian McHenry spearheading the ride. Incredible thanks to our unbelievable volunteers for giving up so much time on Saturday to help the athletes!
Thank you: Angela and Ian, Meghan and Daryl, Mike Hughes, John J. Peggy Hughes, Bruce McHenry for the amazing enthusiasm, support, and selfless time you gave on Saturday! Wouldn't be possible without all of you! Thank you so very much! You give of your time for others only displaying the compassion you all have for our fellow athletes! Thank you.
What we had on the ride this year; 45 gallons of water, 20 gallons of Gatorade, 130 banana's, 8 jars of pickles, 160 cokes, 32 diet cokes, 20 spare tubes, 20 spare cartridges, 6 boxes of gels, 6 boxes of powerbars, 3 boxes of blocks, 3 sets of bbj's or pb and honey, two full bags of oranges, two watermelons, two big bags of candy, and so much more!
We hope everyone felt safe having Peggy as driving support and 3 aid stations and the many of the athletes all tackling the Ironman course with you. The sole purpose of the ride is to build confidence for race day. We hope the day was successful for all of you! Again, these rides wouldn't happen without all of you! Thank you so very much! Tim
Unlike · · Share · 14 hours ago · Edited · You and 20 othe
So guys-I volunteered a long time ago to be your Race Captain, so tah dah! I'm it!! Most important matter to settle immediately, per race director B, is Thursday night dinner. We can do it at Montis, where we have had dinner for at least the last two years I have been involved, or elsewhere. The pro for Montis is location-right at the finish line. Con-food is so so, and they cater Friday nights dinner. We can also have it at either Grimaldi's or Buca de Beppo, both located a few miles north in Old Scottsdale. All have similar pricing, around $25 plus tax and tip. Grimaldi's is more known for their pizza and calzone. If we are to have a varied meal with saled, pasta, chicken dishes it would be Buca, and for $30/person + you get added choice of veal, salmon. THOUGHTS??
I might not make the dinner on Thursday (work), but I second Buca de Beppo for team dinner. Its a great atmosphere, and great carb loading, great for families and groups. A few miles from Tempe so folks will need to drive and/or carpool, but very easy to get to.
@Betsy, I'm trying to workout getting to the 26th ride, but since I had the RR#2 in my calendar for the following week, lots of things are have been scheduled already. Hope to make it.
Our flight does not land until 8:20pm on Thursday evening, so sadly we will miss the team dinner. I do hope we have an opportunity to get together on Friday or Sat also, it would be nice to put the names with faces before racing on Sunday
I'm fine with either for dinner, looking forward to meeting everyone.
Update on the foot; blood work came back negative for gout, although everything pointed towards it...acute onset, redness, severe swelling, burning sensation...so going with the Orthopedic's plantar fasciitis diagnosis, although this doesn't feel anything like the plantar fasciitis I had in my right foot last year. Steroid pack has me back to 95% in 72 hours. Skipping todays run and will try the foot out on Thursday's long run.
todays's 3 x 1 mi z4 (8:09)-z5 (7:47) went well: 8:18, 7:48, 7:40. Boom!
Today's swim was horrible! I have a labral tear've known about for about 6 weeks. Interestingly, only went for diagnosis as I was experiencing weakness in my motion to intubate patients at work (place a breathing tube, think lifting a heavy pitcher with elbow at side). No pain. No limitation of motion. Surgeon said only reason he would operate on somebody my age (57) with labral tear is just my problem-paralabral cyst from joint fluid leaking compressing nerve to my posterior rotator cuff muscles. I have been doing pt (shoulder strengthening) and some other nonsurgical treatment. Ever since I started the PT my swimming has gone downhill, and I don''t think its my injury. But my 100m times are anywhere from 9-15 s slower. Very frustrating. You would think shoulder strengthening would help my swimming!
@ Danielle and Rian-bummed to hear you won't make dinner Thurs. night. @ Wolf-hope you make 10/28 beeline ride @Patricia-give me a text when you get to Scottsdale Friday and let me know your game plan for saturday on the beeline. 602-316-1155 @Steve-hope the steroid burst does the trick. Do all your stretching
And last, Buca it is! The way it works is we choose a price plan, the two low ends are 25.99 or 29.99. We select one from the entree choices for everyone, and they will make some accomodation for vegetarians. The cheaper dinner gives you choice of eggplant parmesan or lemon chicken. The next one gives those two and veal or salmon. Then there are choices for salad and pastas-more choices for the $4 extra option. Its all served family style, unlimited quantity-free refills on anything til we are stuffed THOUGHTS??
@Betsy-thanks for saying somebody of your age (57) and not hey you old fart. I am also 57!! And boy the body does not heal and recover like 20 or 30 years ago. I "ran" for 50 minutes on the treadmill with vey little knee pain. So if I go really slow and go short it doesn't bother me. Realistically, I am planning on jogging until the knee says no mas and then walking the rest. I understand your frustration. I would continue the PT/strength exercises because Yes you would think that it would help your shoulder. Hopefully your body will adapt and you will get a BOOM in your swimming. Ill trade your running times for my swimming times.
I will have a car-(OK it's a MINI) at IM AZ. If someone needs a ride to Buca, I am staying at the Best Western on Scottsdale Rd and can take 3 folks. If my wife comes she will fly over on Saturday.
Buca sounds great. Is there a kids price as well, plan to bring the family. Just recently joined the IMAZ forum but have been hard at work following the IM intermediate plan. Wife got me a powertap last weekend (combined Fathers Day, Birthday and early XMAS present). Bike shop is ordering parts from ZIPP to get it all built up but looking forward to switching from HR to Power. Will do an unscheduled FTP test once I get it on the bike.
Sorry I will miss the RR ride on 10/26 but rode one loop of course yesterday to acquaint myself with it while I was in town for business.
@Betsy -- Thanks for being our race captain and already appreciating all your words of encouragement and replies to members posts
135 min Thursday run complete. Was able to hit my zones and remain steady, but was really happy to be done. temps here in VA were in the mid to high 70s(are these temps to be expected in AZ or hotter?) It was a good test of how the temps will affect the sweat rate(I was drenched by the end). Don't think I hydrated or fueled properly, took only water(sip every mile) and 2 cliff blocks to eat at 60 minutes (ate 2 when I started). Didn't pee (or need to) for the entire run.
Question: reading the race reports from other fellow ENers there is one common theme: walk the aid stations during the IM. Should I be practicing this during my long runs? I always feel it is hard to get back to running after stopping, but understand that in the IM marathon it is important to drink, eat, lower the HR, etc. just wondering if it makes sense to practice the stop and go?
135 min run this AM, ran zones as planned and did 16.6 miles total. Following main sets was able to keep up a good pace so felt good about that. Best part was it didn't rain which is a concern in Seattle this time of year.
Danielle - temps in AZ for the run will probably be in the high 70's/low 80's when you start (depending on how early in the afternoon you start) and will drop down to the low 60s or high 50s in the evening. I've done the event twice - during the first event I needed to add arm warmers from special needs for the run and the second time I didn't. It is important to take into consideration the dryness of the air in AZ - takes a bit more fluids to compensate.
Somewhere in the race execution talks it was recommended to run through the aid stations until you get to the last table and then walk while you take on nutrition and then get started running again and get running as quickly as possible. Many of the aid stations in AZ are very long since there are contests for the aid station volunteers for decorating and entertaining, so if you walk all the way through the aid station you could be walking more than you want and getting back to running is harder (and it gets progressively harder as the day gets longer). Think of it as more of a slow and go rather than stop and go.
Looked at the new run course - knew it was coming, but didn't know exactly what the plan was. It takes out a short, but obnoxious hill completely and eliminates one trip up and over Curry Road hill. Actually more spectator friendly - if they cross the Mill Street Bridge they can see a runner 8 times and get to the finish line after the 8th viewing. Also a lot more opportunity to see other runners with more two way traffic. Looking forward to this new course.l
Temps on race day... average high temp in Tempe on Nov 17 is 75F. But (and I don't know how the new run course will affect this), the sun reaches its zenith @ noon, and is relatively low in the sky by 2-3 PM when most of us start the run; it's gone by 5:30 PM or so. During those 2-3 hours, the buildings to the south will provide a fair amount of shade, as will trees along the river. I've never noticed the sun OR heat (remember, low humidity) to be an issue for this run. Backing off a little is required at the start, but, really, we should be doing that anyway as part of our race strategy.
Regarding walking while training ... I know this is hard for some people to get, but you will go faster while training if you do walk about 20-30 seconds each mile, specifically while drinking. I doubted it myself, but once I started doing that about ten years ago, I ewas able to hold training paces much more easily. Besides, it's good practice to get ready for racing. Just pick a spot 10-20 yards ahead, and say, "Thats where I'll start walking" Then drink, take 20 steps, and during those 20 steps, pick a sot up ahead, and say, "THAT'S where I'll start running". Ease into the running, don't make like a sprinter going off the blocks, just slowly builds back upo to your normal RPE.
This week is my first full week back at IM training after IM Lake Tahoe (which was a glorified Race Rehearsal for me, as I only ran about 6-7 miles), and I'm hitting all the workouts so far. Today I went 16 miles in 2:16:11. 8 weeks ago, during the IM LT build, I did the same course as 15.9 mi/2:16:27. So I'm a touch faster, but all in all, right on target. This one felt a lot easier, and I'm focusing every workout on pushing all the way to the end, so as to re-build a mindset of not giving in, which I did in Tahoe for some reason. And, I'm doing the Mon and Fri runs, which I had dropped during the LT build.
I'll be there for the team dinner! Looking forward to meeting all who can attend.
Thanks for the updated map, info on the course and discussion on walk/run. I have always been coached to walk the aid stations, but my old coach wanted a minute, which is a lot longer than the EN way. I'm not a super runner, so I've always been ok with the full minute. This year though, I am trying to get in the nutrition, then giddy up! I practice in my long runs. I usually try to run the harder paces straight, but walk on the zone one stuff.
I did exactly what Coach Patrick suggested for 70.3 Vegas last month and had a great run (for me!). I know it was a half, not full, but I am gonna do my best to execute well on the run in November!
Finally booked my flight this am. Getting in on Tuesday afternoon and staying in Scottsdale with friends. Eeeeek!
As for run temps in November, it will likely be 70s but remember, its very dry (a dry heat-a phrase my husband hates). It can feel, perfect! I remember last year it felt great. As Al said, the sun is low after 2 so even the first run loop in sunlight was perfect, and after dark it was too! Which means, have warm clothes waiting at the finish as you will get cold quickly.
I am sad to say I did not get the run in today. I was on call last night and worked in the OR until 0330, got 3 hours sleep in the call room and back to work at 0800 until noon. It hit 97 today so plan was: 6 pm: 1500 splash and dash in TTL followed by the 5k. That was supposed to be for tomorrow and make up the long run tomorrow. Well, came home, got in the shower, and got stung on my right foot by a scorpion. First time in 10 years living here for me. My foot and calf feel like pins and needles with intermittent shooting swords. So, got busy with errands this afternoon then stopped by the tri store before the s&d to fix my sables (o ring holding straps to mask broke) and ended up talking to Elvis, the fellow IZAMer behind the counter, ASU tri coach and newly minted level 1 tri coach. So, taking a rest day. Probably only swim tomorrow as I fell on a step last year about this time and bruised my shin badly. I stupidly did the long run the next day and payed dearly-agony for about two weeks with lots of missed runs.
Thanks Al for all of this info. Your description of what the typical weather is on race day is promising. Training in the humid state of VA, do you have any tips or suggestions for modifying my fluid intake for the desert conditions?
Next Thursday I will incorporate the 20-30 sec walking breaks into my long run training. I agree with you, I need to get into the habit of knowing what it will feel like to stop and go and what better time to practice then now. I'm also interested in seeing how it will affect my running in the zones. I have been able to meet my zones on the long runs, but will admit by the 2nd Z2 interval I am working hard to hold pace.
Btw, Al you are simply a machine. Thanks for the continued inspiration!
I'm probably a bad one to be talking about fluid intake on the bike, as I have a tendency to underhydrate on that leg. But here goes. First off, the low humidity can be kinda sneaky. Meaning, the low dew pooint combined with the self created breeze of biking @ 18-22 mph means you won't notie any sweat; it'll evaporate before you ever see or feel it. But you're losing water anyway, so need to keep drinking more than you think you should. Second, the cooler morning temps after the swim mean you should modulate your fluid intake during the day. Taking the same volume of fluid each hour is not the way to go, IMO. I find that going easy the first hour or two, then taking more in the last couple of hours keeps me from having to stop at the porta potti too much in the first half of the bike.
I looked at the new run course. The run elevation profile on the web site is for the old course, so ignore that. The reason for the change seems to be they wanted to keep Mill Ave and Scottsdale/Rural Ave bridges open for cars both ways; we don't cross over those at all anymore. One of the cool things about the old course was the crowds (spectators) that built up in the last 1.5 miles along the lake. That's gone now, with the final stretch going along Rio Salado, probably more lonely. If anything, this is flatter than the old course; the bridges are gone, as is the hill into the parking lot leading into Mill St Bridge, and only twice thru Papago Park hill. IIRC, the stretch added to the east along the north side of the lake does have a bit of a hill in it, along with a small incline across the lake from there. But, relative to most other US IM courses, this is FLAT.
Shift in this weekend's workouts so I could swim open water (last chance here in VA) today. Ran 7 miles in an hour this morning, came home had a protein shake and headed south to a local quarry where a group set up sighting buoys for those of us triathletes needing open water practice. So very very pleased to have done 2.96 miles in 1:27!!!! This marks the first time I have every completed an OWS longer than 1.2 miles. I really needed this confidence boost heading into AZ...wahoo!!!!
Comments
@ David Ware-the Beeline was not too bad, minor debris. There was a car parked on south side shoulder about 3 mi south of Shea which was the most annoying debris! The wind was as brutal as its ever been-saw some 9mph on last little climb to Shea, but then saw 34mph coming down. I think I forgot to mention that nutrition went perfectly for me.
@Patricia-let me know when you are here for your Beeline rides-I will join. I actually like riding the Beeline-feel safer there with the wide shoulder than anywhere else.
@Trish-you should see if you can come the weekend 10/26 and do the supported ride. You coming down Rian?
I had a lovely RR day today-back to it tomorrow!
I've heard (more than once) that they are changing the run to a two loop course. It would be nice if IM would post the details sooner, rather than later, but I have a feeling they are going to add distance to the East end of the lake trail on both sides - nice and flat.
A nice 10K run this morning, after my Oly Tri on Sunday. I was surprised how well the legs felt this morning. A big swim session to occur late this afternoon.
My wife surprised me with a special gift .... a new specialized evade helmet. I am glad because I really do not enjoy the aero helmets with tails on them; after a few hours of cycling, the added weight with those tails becomes a chore on the neck. Gonna test out the evade on a long ride this weekend.
@ David A: http://www.excelandbeyondcoaching.com/calendar/index.php has the paypal info. Basically for 20 bucks they setup several support stations on the bike course, and have a sag wagon. Gels, Drinks, and I think snacks were available. Last year there were lots of riders out. The Trisports shop in tempe (at the transitions/finish area) opens early (6am) and allows use of the bathrooms/showers etc. I was a really great experience especially for getting the feel of the course.
Timothy Bolen
THANK YOU!
Thank you to each of you for joining us for our 7th annual Ironman support ride. Special thanks to Brian McHenry spearheading the ride.
Incredible thanks to our unbelievable volunteers for giving up so much time on Saturday to help the athletes!
Thank you: Angela and Ian, Meghan and Daryl, Mike Hughes, John J. Peggy Hughes, Bruce McHenry for the amazing enthusiasm, support, and selfless time you gave on Saturday! Wouldn't be possible without all of you! Thank you so very much! You give of your time for others only displaying the compassion you all have for our fellow athletes! Thank you.
What we had on the ride this year; 45 gallons of water, 20 gallons of Gatorade, 130 banana's, 8 jars of pickles, 160 cokes, 32 diet cokes, 20 spare tubes, 20 spare cartridges, 6 boxes of gels, 6 boxes of powerbars, 3 boxes of blocks, 3 sets of bbj's or pb and honey, two full bags of oranges, two watermelons, two big bags of candy, and so much more!
We hope everyone felt safe having Peggy as driving support and 3 aid stations and the many of the athletes all tackling the Ironman course with you. The sole purpose of the ride is to build confidence for race day. We hope the day was successful for all of you!
Again, these rides wouldn't happen without all of you!
Thank you so very much!
Tim
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You and 20 othe
Most important matter to settle immediately, per race director B, is Thursday night dinner. We can do it at Montis, where we have had dinner for at least the last two years I have been involved, or elsewhere. The pro for Montis is location-right at the finish line. Con-food is so so, and they cater Friday nights dinner. We can also have it at either Grimaldi's or Buca de Beppo, both located a few miles north in Old Scottsdale. All have similar pricing, around $25 plus tax and tip. Grimaldi's is more known for their pizza and calzone. If we are to have a varied meal with saled, pasta, chicken dishes it would be Buca, and for $30/person + you get added choice of veal, salmon. THOUGHTS??
I might not make the dinner on Thursday (work), but I second Buca de Beppo for team dinner. Its a great atmosphere, and great carb loading, great for families and groups. A few miles from Tempe so folks will need to drive and/or carpool, but very easy to get to.
@Betsy, I'm trying to workout getting to the 26th ride, but since I had the RR#2 in my calendar for the following week, lots of things are have been scheduled already. Hope to make it.
I am throwing my vote in for Buco as well.
@Betsy - thanks for being the Captain at the helm! I'm hoping to make it out there on 10/26 for RR. Trying to find a reasonable flight.
Hope everyone's day is off to a great start!
Thanks Betsy for being the team captain!
I'm fine with either for dinner, looking forward to meeting everyone.
Update on the foot; blood work came back negative for gout, although everything pointed towards it...acute onset, redness, severe swelling, burning sensation...so going with the Orthopedic's plantar fasciitis diagnosis, although this doesn't feel anything like the plantar fasciitis I had in my right foot last year. Steroid pack has me back to 95% in 72 hours. Skipping todays run and will try the foot out on Thursday's long run.
Have a great week
Today's swim was horrible! I have a labral tear've known about for about 6 weeks. Interestingly, only went for diagnosis as I was experiencing weakness in my motion to intubate patients at work (place a breathing tube, think lifting a heavy pitcher with elbow at side). No pain. No limitation of motion. Surgeon said only reason he would operate on somebody my age (57) with labral tear is just my problem-paralabral cyst from joint fluid leaking compressing nerve to my posterior rotator cuff muscles. I have been doing pt (shoulder strengthening) and some other nonsurgical treatment. Ever since I started the PT my swimming has gone downhill, and I don''t think its my injury. But my 100m times are anywhere from 9-15 s slower. Very frustrating. You would think shoulder strengthening would help my swimming!
@ Danielle and Rian-bummed to hear you won't make dinner Thurs. night.
@ Wolf-hope you make 10/28 beeline ride
@Patricia-give me a text when you get to Scottsdale Friday and let me know your game plan for saturday on the beeline. 602-316-1155
@Steve-hope the steroid burst does the trick. Do all your stretching
And last, Buca it is! The way it works is we choose a price plan, the two low ends are 25.99 or 29.99. We select one from the entree choices for everyone, and they will make some accomodation for vegetarians. The cheaper dinner gives you choice of eggplant parmesan or lemon chicken. The next one gives those two and veal or salmon. Then there are choices for salad and pastas-more choices for the $4 extra option. Its all served family style, unlimited quantity-free refills on anything til we are stuffed THOUGHTS??
I will have a car-(OK it's a MINI) at IM AZ. If someone needs a ride to Buca, I am staying at the Best Western on Scottsdale Rd and can take 3 folks. If my wife comes she will fly over on Saturday.
@Jim - I am staying at the same Best Western.
@Betsy - will contact you Friday night. I expect we'll start riding from Shea and Beeline around 7:00.
Sorry I will miss the RR ride on 10/26 but rode one loop of course yesterday to acquaint myself with it while I was in town for business.
@Betsy -- Thanks for being our race captain and already appreciating all your words of encouragement and replies to members posts
Question: reading the race reports from other fellow ENers there is one common theme: walk the aid stations during the IM. Should I be practicing this during my long runs? I always feel it is hard to get back to running after stopping, but understand that in the IM marathon it is important to drink, eat, lower the HR, etc. just wondering if it makes sense to practice the stop and go?
I see that the run course is now officially a 2 loop course and updated on their website: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/arizona/athletes/course.aspx#axzz2ggOGUV5t
My take is that is one less run through Papago park so potentially one less hill provided what they added is a flat section along the river
Somewhere in the race execution talks it was recommended to run through the aid stations until you get to the last table and then walk while you take on nutrition and then get started running again and get running as quickly as possible. Many of the aid stations in AZ are very long since there are contests for the aid station volunteers for decorating and entertaining, so if you walk all the way through the aid station you could be walking more than you want and getting back to running is harder (and it gets progressively harder as the day gets longer). Think of it as more of a slow and go rather than stop and go.
Temps on race day... average high temp in Tempe on Nov 17 is 75F. But (and I don't know how the new run course will affect this), the sun reaches its zenith @ noon, and is relatively low in the sky by 2-3 PM when most of us start the run; it's gone by 5:30 PM or so. During those 2-3 hours, the buildings to the south will provide a fair amount of shade, as will trees along the river. I've never noticed the sun OR heat (remember, low humidity) to be an issue for this run. Backing off a little is required at the start, but, really, we should be doing that anyway as part of our race strategy.
Regarding walking while training ... I know this is hard for some people to get, but you will go faster while training if you do walk about 20-30 seconds each mile, specifically while drinking. I doubted it myself, but once I started doing that about ten years ago, I ewas able to hold training paces much more easily. Besides, it's good practice to get ready for racing. Just pick a spot 10-20 yards ahead, and say, "Thats where I'll start walking" Then drink, take 20 steps, and during those 20 steps, pick a sot up ahead, and say, "THAT'S where I'll start running". Ease into the running, don't make like a sprinter going off the blocks, just slowly builds back upo to your normal RPE.
This week is my first full week back at IM training after IM Lake Tahoe (which was a glorified Race Rehearsal for me, as I only ran about 6-7 miles), and I'm hitting all the workouts so far. Today I went 16 miles in 2:16:11. 8 weeks ago, during the IM LT build, I did the same course as 15.9 mi/2:16:27. So I'm a touch faster, but all in all, right on target. This one felt a lot easier, and I'm focusing every workout on pushing all the way to the end, so as to re-build a mindset of not giving in, which I did in Tahoe for some reason. And, I'm doing the Mon and Fri runs, which I had dropped during the LT build.
Thanks for the updated map, info on the course and discussion on walk/run. I have always been coached to walk the aid stations, but my old coach wanted a minute, which is a lot longer than the EN way. I'm not a super runner, so I've always been ok with the full minute. This year though, I am trying to get in the nutrition, then giddy up!
I did exactly what Coach Patrick suggested for 70.3 Vegas last month and had a great run (for me!). I know it was a half, not full, but I am gonna do my best to execute well on the run in November!
Finally booked my flight this am. Getting in on Tuesday afternoon and staying in Scottsdale with friends. Eeeeek!
I am sad to say I did not get the run in today. I was on call last night and worked in the OR until 0330, got 3 hours sleep in the call room and back to work at 0800 until noon. It hit 97 today so plan was: 6 pm: 1500 splash and dash in TTL followed by the 5k. That was supposed to be for tomorrow and make up the long run tomorrow. Well, came home, got in the shower, and got stung on my right foot by a scorpion. First time in 10 years living here for me. My foot and calf feel like pins and needles with intermittent shooting swords. So, got busy with errands this afternoon then stopped by the tri store before the s&d to fix my sables (o ring holding straps to mask broke) and ended up talking to Elvis, the fellow IZAMer behind the counter, ASU tri coach and newly minted level 1 tri coach. So, taking a rest day. Probably only swim tomorrow as I fell on a step last year about this time and bruised my shin badly. I stupidly did the long run the next day and payed dearly-agony for about two weeks with lots of missed runs.
Next Thursday I will incorporate the 20-30 sec walking breaks into my long run training. I agree with you, I need to get into the habit of knowing what it will feel like to stop and go and what better time to practice then now. I'm also interested in seeing how it will affect my running in the zones. I have been able to meet my zones on the long runs, but will admit by the 2nd Z2 interval I am working hard to hold pace.
Btw, Al you are simply a machine. Thanks for the continued inspiration!
I'm probably a bad one to be talking about fluid intake on the bike, as I have a tendency to underhydrate on that leg. But here goes. First off, the low humidity can be kinda sneaky. Meaning, the low dew pooint combined with the self created breeze of biking @ 18-22 mph means you won't notie any sweat; it'll evaporate before you ever see or feel it. But you're losing water anyway, so need to keep drinking more than you think you should. Second, the cooler morning temps after the swim mean you should modulate your fluid intake during the day. Taking the same volume of fluid each hour is not the way to go, IMO. I find that going easy the first hour or two, then taking more in the last couple of hours keeps me from having to stop at the porta potti too much in the first half of the bike.
I looked at the new run course. The run elevation profile on the web site is for the old course, so ignore that. The reason for the change seems to be they wanted to keep Mill Ave and Scottsdale/Rural Ave bridges open for cars both ways; we don't cross over those at all anymore. One of the cool things about the old course was the crowds (spectators) that built up in the last 1.5 miles along the lake. That's gone now, with the final stretch going along Rio Salado, probably more lonely. If anything, this is flatter than the old course; the bridges are gone, as is the hill into the parking lot leading into Mill St Bridge, and only twice thru Papago Park hill. IIRC, the stretch added to the east along the north side of the lake does have a bit of a hill in it, along with a small incline across the lake from there. But, relative to most other US IM courses, this is FLAT.
Hope eveyones weekend workouts are going well!!!