Last weekend was a test weekend.... Successful swim,bike,run tests with a couple new PB's and at least near or matching last years highs..... Couple more weeks of OS type work and then it will be time to put the far on top of the fast.... Only 14 weeks to go!
Today was an easy recovery spin and swim later today!
Friendly reminder to stay focussed on body comp goals as well....The time is now to make it a nice slow process so as not to interfere with training and recovery.... With 14 weeks to go there is plenty of time to meet goals (or at least improve) with a .5-1lb per week plan depending on your size..... 5lbs can really make a difference come race day..... Specially in the heat of Texas! Put it out there and get disciplined !!! Make sure you are fueling before, during, and after your wko's ... Currently just under 124lbs and plan to show up on race day sub 120lb so thats about 1/3 of a lb per week a measely 1200 calories to those who count!
Good advice as always, Tim. I always lose 5~ lbs during the last 3 months of volume work, and from experience I know that low 150's is where I do best, with me losing strength once I dip into the 140's. Goal in the OS was to jettison the "unhelpful" part of the 165 lbs I was carrying. Now at 156.5, should be in a good position to reach goal weight and hopefully get the w/kg near 3.75. My wife would leave way before I dropped into the 120's.
Question for you IMTX vets: I plan on riding 808/disc, and never had a problem until 70.3 KS, where the cross winds on the fast, open downhills made handling a little sketchy in the bars. Should I start asking friends for a 404 loaner or is the course more 808-friendly than exposed Kansas? Thx.
Wheels for IMTX...... I suppose we could get unlucky and have a very windy day that could raise hell for an 808... From what I understand May is usually not that bad.... I spent 2.5 weeks there pre-race last year and had plenty of wind but nothing unmanageable.... I plan to ride a FLO60 front and Disc rear....... I do have a Zipp 808 front wheel and this 120lber would not hesitate at all to ride it @ IMTX....
got a good run in today with 3x1mi hard. Was aiming for "goal" 5k pace but I was a little slow. But I did put up the highest heart rate that I have ever seen from me during the 2nd mi repeat. I put up a 176. Wow. Good to know that my rpe was calibrated correctly and that I was going as hard as I could go. Then the good news kept on rolling in because I weighed in at 160.5. I raced imfl at 163. Cutting the sugar seems to be working.
Got my swim in this morning bright and early. Just finished my run and I felt like I was running a 5K pace and was only running Z3. I can't ever seem to zero in on the factors that effect my performance. Sometimes I'm fatigued and run like I've got an extra lung. Other times its just the opposite.
@ Chris....I hear ya'. I have the same experience. Fortunately, most of the time it seems that once I get warmed up I end up feeling better than I thought I would.
If I nail 100% of the wkos on the plan, it means (a) I've turned into Superman (nope) or (b) I'm going to hobble into the race injured. I went into my first two IMs 100% trained/70% healthy, and the results showed. I've also gone the polar opposite and went in 30% trained (6 weeks)/100% healthy, and I was faster by 45 and 90 min than the first two IMs (although I don't recomend the 6-week plan - the run was pretty unpleasant). My goal is 85%/100%. If I'm exhausted or too sore, I view it as a good thing and skip/cut down the wko. It means I've got extra work in there that needs rest so I can properly bank it. Coach R prioritizes each wko for a reason, and I haven't hesitated to drop/reduce a few L's and M's. For the next 6 wks, my Goal #1 is do no harm.
Jeff- I'm glad I'm not the only one. And you're right about warming up. With all my runs, the first 10 or so minutes are miserable, even at a WU pace.
Mike - certainly makes sense about the doing all the WKOs. I just question myself as to whether my decision to skip/cut a wko is due to actual fatigue or just my laziness. I guess experience plays a big factor in determining that?
@Chris, when you break all of this down to its base, all you really need to get through 140.6 is be healthy enough to start and fit enough to finish (plus, be smart re hydration, nutrition and pacing during the race). If your goal is to finish and not some aggressive finish time, don't beat yourself up about individual WKOs, focus on the critical ones, take advantage of these great coaches and resources, stay healthy, and celebrate the incredible fitness gains that will really start appearing the last 6-8 weeks. Being injured, sick and/or miserable is no way to go through this (recipe for DNS or one-and-done). The journey will not be free of bumps, but the prizes at the end of the road (Reilly saying your name and Simmons buying the first round) are well worth it.
ok. Good solid day today. Morning trainer with 2x15(5) main set. It is funny. The IMFL bike flew by and was over before I knew what was happening. But 15 hard minutes on the trainer? Twice? I start counting the seconds and making deals with myself.
At lunch I hit the pool for 20x100 (30) with 50 of the 100 hard. I moved the 50 around. First 10 reps it was at the start. Second 5 it was the middle and last 5 it was at the end.
Mike - The time pickups on less training is really interesting. I wonder if that would be true for other folks as well.
Good dialogue/mojo today! Bottom line is listen to your body, and rest when you need to. Resting too much is not a common trait found among Type "A" personality IM triathletes in training. I like what Mike says about trying to make it to race day healthy - very true.
........buying the first round per Mike below.....you guys might get thirsty waiting for me to finish........
@Jimmy, nice work today on the bike/swim. Full disclosure: my first 2 IM times were slower than the one I BS'd (5th and last) because I limped into my first two and I knew what I could BS by my 5th (swim and, to a lesser extent, bike). For my two best times I hit most of my WKOs and went in healthy. It's definitely the recommended route, and I'm convinced the EN plans are designed to bring out everyone's very best. But if life/injury/sickness/fatigue cause you to skip or short-change some WKOs, especially 14 weeks out, there's no cause for concern. The vast majority of those racing IMTX haven't started training yet or are already on the track to overtraining. Advantage, EN.
I love this thread!!! I read all the posts, but am not always able to respond...but I hear you all loud and clear. The mojo and advice/encouragement is awesome!!! I know a lot of people who are already freaking out about IMWI! They will be cooked by the time the real training rolls around. They are not EN members and are not privy to all our awesome info! Too bad for them! I'm in week 6 of 7 of the Int GF plan and will switch over to last 12 wks of IM plan soon. Still at 2 1/2 on trainer every weekend and that is perfect for now. As for today's 7x1.5 min VO2, well let's just say my mind was stronger than my legs. I was pumped and fell flat out of the gate. Limped in with an unmotivated 45 min ride. Pulled the plug early. Ugh. Setes you just don't have it. TH will be another story as I try again. Not to be totally defeated and mad all day, I hot the pool and absolutely killed the workout! I have never swum faster! I was all alone in the pool and ON FIRE! So...the moral is, never give up!!! Arrive healthy and not overtrained. Cheers!!
Great discussion about hitting your wko's vs not... MR and SS nailed the suggestions and its good to see it , hear it, and review it over and over again....
Followed up with a run this afternoon.... Very very easy.... ended up with 6 miles @ LRP + 60 seconds LOL..... thats slow but today wasnt the day to push the run today was the bike.... tomorrow I push the run....
Well, I thought I had a minor cold/URI this past weekend, but managed to do my long s/b/r on Sat/Sun feeling fine. Then Monday, felt a little worse and unusually sore. Yesterday, I almost died. Fever, body aches, coughing fits, snot everywhere. Spent the evening in bed with chicken soup and lots of medicine and slept well last night. Feel a little better today, but don't know if it's the meds talking. I'm going to have to stand down for a few days here. Hopefully, I can be back to get the weekend long b/r in.
On the road at 5:50 for my 60-min run. Supposed to do 4x1m, but my old knees have grown tired of those. So, it became 4x1/2m. Got all of them under 6:55. Good enough.
Immediately into the pool for what I thought would be an easy 4x500 @T + 2-3". Got all 4 on the 1:32, but the 4th one wasn't easy. In IM, 1:32 pace = 1:05 = washing machine, so I've got plenty of work still to do if I want to get washed separately on gentle and not dropped in with the rest of the laundry in the spin cycle.
My resolution to go caffeine-free today evaporated 3 minutes ago.
75min run with 3x1mi z4 and 2x.5mi z4. Boxes checked. Was planning on a 90 min run but had to cut out 15min of filler due to work.
Had to get back in time to have my year end comp call with my boss which was a major dissapointment. But thats ok. I am still overpaid. Just not as overpaid as I thought that I was going to be.
Did a little bit of everything today. Easy 32min bike to start. Run was 57min with 11 x .25mile repeats MS... took a while to get going but was feeling good towards the end... Swim was 2000yds in 51min with MS1 20 x 33yd w/bands , MS2 8 x 66yd sprint.... MS 1 and 2 done all out ... with LOTS of rest between intervals to hold the best pace.... sounds like a lot but was only about 15minutes real hard work in each the Swim and Run and I love it when I'm done a wko under an hour!
Felt much better today. Still some coughing, but rare. So, it was relatively warm here tonight, so I tried to get in a one hour run during the boys' soccer practice. First mile felt fine (legs certainly fresh after 4 days completely off), then about halfway through the second mile, starting wheezing a little. Slowed down a bit but promptly succumbed to a fit of coughing that almost resulted in upchuckage. Pulled the plug. I think the air temp was a little to cool for my still sensitive lungs (upper 40's). Will try again tomorrow afternoon (work permitting) when it's supposed to be nice and warm. This sucks. I never in my life thought I would "miss" being able to run/bike/swim (OK...I don't REALLY miss swimming much) so much. I feel like I'm turning into a giant marshmallow of fatness.
I know (with my brain) that I'm not....just feels wrong. I keep telling myself it's still 14 weeks away....no big deal....won't make a lick of difference on May 17....right? Someone reassure me please!
@Jeff, no worries. You've short-changed a few WKOs 3+ months out. Some of the more popular plans are 12 and 13 weeks. For me, I feel like I need 6 weeks to get ready for the swim (really, the minor warm-up part of an IM), 8 weeks of progressive long rides for the bike, and 10 decent weeks of progressive running (with long run at least 50% of weekly volume) for the run. But I've only had to resort to the above personal minimums when life/injury really gets in the way (and I've gone even less than the above when I was prepared to walk some of the run). A cold/flu really isn't even a speed bump. If you miss 2 long rides and runs in a row in Weeks 16 and 17, then you'll need to chat with Coach P. Until then . . . get healthy, enjoy some sleep. I just finished a 45-min run in 40 degrees of blackness.
@Jeff..... Yep long way out still.... Do what you can that fits into your life and health window..... Focus on key wko's.... Come here for accountability , support ,and motivation NOT comparison's.
Took my new FTP outside to play yesterday and was happy with the results and felt I confirmed my new numbers. Intervals were determined by terrain and traffic. Followed it up with a late afternoon easy run. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/444707737
Hope all have their priorities right and are FOCUSED on Getting IT Done for Valentines Day where applicable by knocking it out of the park with your respective partners and building those SAUs..................for week 9 is soon upon us!
Well, after a mediocre swim, crappy run, hectic day at work, then having to drop Valentine off at the airport (off to Austin to run mary #25), I decided a few carbs poolside wouldn't be a bad way to close out the work week. <img src="/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qS80GyjSin0%3d" /><img src="/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qS80GyjSin0%3d" />
Was a swim/run day for me as well.... About the only thing interesting was the run was 51:02 and the swim was 51:03.... Couldnt plan that any better..... 3000yds mostly paddles/PB and 6.25 miles in 85degrees with 4 x .75....... Nice to get some heat.... Not Texas heat but as least I broke a sweat and felt it!
Good Friday of work. Did something that I have not done lately. Hit the pool before work. It is hard to get the body running fast right out of bed but the swimming was a much easier way to start the day. Main set was 4x500. Got an hour run in this afternoon and had to deal with an element that I had forgotten all about: heat! It was 88 degrees. So weird. I know it won't last. But it sure was nice.
Decided to do my bike WKO this a.m. in a charity metric. Probably foolish, but went with the first wave. Each wave was police-escorted and -controlled the first 30 miles, so you needed to stay as a group. Which was fine until the bike teams decided to pull out the yardsticks and attack. 2x20@Z4 quickly out the window, replaced by a dozen or so Z5 efforts to stay near them (can I call 1 min @340 Z6?). Once at the Breakers in Palm Beach, we broke up, and I pulled a group the entire 30 miles south at steady Z3, enjoying the ocean views and 70 degree weather. Was it a perfectly executed EN ride? Nope. Far from it. But it sure was fun. And I needed some fun.
Distance: 61.49 mi Time: 2:47:24 Avg speed: 22.0 Max speed: 31.4 Elevation gain: 427 Avg Power: 177 N Power: 195 IF: .847
Comments
Last weekend was a test weekend.... Successful swim,bike,run tests with a couple new PB's and at least near or matching last years highs..... Couple more weeks of OS type work and then it will be time to put the far on top of the fast.... Only 14 weeks to go!
Today was an easy recovery spin and swim later today!
Friendly reminder to stay focussed on body comp goals as well....The time is now to make it a nice slow process so as not to interfere with training and recovery.... With 14 weeks to go there is plenty of time to meet goals (or at least improve) with a .5-1lb per week plan depending on your size..... 5lbs can really make a difference come race day..... Specially in the heat of Texas! Put it out there and get disciplined !!! Make sure you are fueling before, during, and after your wko's ... Currently just under 124lbs and plan to show up on race day sub 120lb so thats about 1/3 of a lb per week a measely 1200 calories to those who count!
Good advice as always, Tim. I always lose 5~ lbs during the last 3 months of volume work, and from experience I know that low 150's is where I do best, with me losing strength once I dip into the 140's. Goal in the OS was to jettison the "unhelpful" part of the 165 lbs I was carrying. Now at 156.5, should be in a good position to reach goal weight and hopefully get the w/kg near 3.75. My wife would leave way before I dropped into the 120's.
Question for you IMTX vets: I plan on riding 808/disc, and never had a problem until 70.3 KS, where the cross winds on the fast, open downhills made handling a little sketchy in the bars. Should I start asking friends for a 404 loaner or is the course more 808-friendly than exposed Kansas? Thx.
My current plan is to ride with an 808 on the front and a disc cover (power tap) on the back wheel.......
Evening TM run @ 1%: http://www.strava.com/activities/112517501
Then the good news kept on rolling in because I weighed in at 160.5. I raced imfl at 163. Cutting the sugar seems to be working.
@ Chris....I hear ya'. I have the same experience. Fortunately, most of the time it seems that once I get warmed up I end up feeling better than I thought I would.
Mike - certainly makes sense about the doing all the WKOs. I just question myself as to whether my decision to skip/cut a wko is due to actual fatigue or just my laziness. I guess experience plays a big factor in determining that?
At lunch I hit the pool for 20x100 (30) with 50 of the 100 hard. I moved the 50 around. First 10 reps it was at the start. Second 5 it was the middle and last 5 it was at the end.
Mike - The time pickups on less training is really interesting. I wonder if that would be true for other folks as well.
Good dialogue/mojo today! Bottom line is listen to your body, and rest when you need to. Resting too much is not a common trait found among Type "A" personality IM triathletes in training. I like what Mike says about trying to make it to race day healthy - very true.
........buying the first round per Mike below.....you guys might get thirsty waiting for me to finish........
Aqua / Run today:
Aqua: http://www.strava.com/activities/112697205
Run: 2 X 1.5s on the TM @ 1%: http://www.strava.com/activities/112697201
KMF!
I'm in week 6 of 7 of the Int GF plan and will switch over to last 12 wks of
IM plan soon. Still at 2 1/2 on trainer every weekend and that is perfect for now. As for today's 7x1.5 min VO2, well let's just say my mind was stronger than my legs. I was pumped and fell flat out of the gate. Limped in with an unmotivated 45 min ride. Pulled the plug early. Ugh. Setes you just don't have it. TH will be another story as I try again. Not to be totally defeated and mad all day, I hot the pool and absolutely killed the workout! I have never swum faster! I was all alone in the pool and ON FIRE! So...the moral is, never give up!!! Arrive healthy and not overtrained.
Cheers!!
Hard bike today.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/443847733
Followed up with a run this afternoon.... Very very easy.... ended up with 6 miles @ LRP + 60 seconds LOL..... thats slow but today wasnt the day to push the run today was the bike.... tomorrow I push the run....
Nice work Tim!
Wed Brick -
Ride: http://www.strava.com/activities/112824136
Run: http://www.strava.com/activities/112824125
I'll be spending the rest of the day under my desk now......
Well, I thought I had a minor cold/URI this past weekend, but managed to do my long s/b/r on Sat/Sun feeling fine. Then Monday, felt a little worse and unusually sore. Yesterday, I almost died. Fever, body aches, coughing fits, snot everywhere. Spent the evening in bed with chicken soup and lots of medicine and slept well last night. Feel a little better today, but don't know if it's the meds talking. I'm going to have to stand down for a few days here. Hopefully, I can be back to get the weekend long b/r in.
On the road at 5:50 for my 60-min run. Supposed to do 4x1m, but my old knees have grown tired of those. So, it became 4x1/2m. Got all of them under 6:55. Good enough.
Immediately into the pool for what I thought would be an easy 4x500 @T + 2-3". Got all 4 on the 1:32, but the 4th one wasn't easy. In IM, 1:32 pace = 1:05 = washing machine, so I've got plenty of work still to do if I want to get washed separately on gentle and not dropped in with the rest of the laundry in the spin cycle.
My resolution to go caffeine-free today evaporated 3 minutes ago.
@Jeff, rest up, feel better.
Had to get back in time to have my year end comp call with my boss which was a major dissapointment. But thats ok. I am still overpaid. Just not as overpaid as I thought that I was going to be.
Easy 32min bike to start.
Run was 57min with 11 x .25mile repeats MS... took a while to get going but was feeling good towards the end...
Swim was 2000yds in 51min with MS1 20 x 33yd w/bands , MS2 8 x 66yd sprint.... MS 1 and 2 done all out ... with LOTS of rest between intervals to hold the best pace....
sounds like a lot but was only about 15minutes real hard work in each the Swim and Run and I love it when I'm done a wko under an hour!
Jeff, I know some others who also came down with the flu and it was just horrible for a few days.....Hope you are on the upside of that real soon.
Mike, strong work hammering through the GF plan! Keep your head down!
Jimmy, Solid 75 min run with 4 miles at Z4 pace! You gotta feel good about checking that one off!
Tim, keep leading........
My long run over the lunch hour today: http://www.strava.com/activities/113096376
.....getting closer for all of us to converge at week 9.............
Felt much better today. Still some coughing, but rare. So, it was relatively warm here tonight, so I tried to get in a one hour run during the boys' soccer practice. First mile felt fine (legs certainly fresh after 4 days completely off), then about halfway through the second mile, starting wheezing a little. Slowed down a bit but promptly succumbed to a fit of coughing that almost resulted in upchuckage. Pulled the plug. I think the air temp was a little to cool for my still sensitive lungs (upper 40's). Will try again tomorrow afternoon (work permitting) when it's supposed to be nice and warm. This sucks. I never in my life thought I would "miss" being able to run/bike/swim (OK...I don't REALLY miss swimming much) so much. I feel like I'm turning into a giant marshmallow of fatness.
I know (with my brain) that I'm not....just feels wrong. I keep telling myself it's still 14 weeks away....no big deal....won't make a lick of difference on May 17....right? Someone reassure me please!
Took my new FTP outside to play yesterday and was happy with the results and felt I confirmed my new numbers. Intervals were determined by terrain and traffic. Followed it up with a late afternoon easy run.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/444707737
Swim: http://www.strava.com/activities/113142301
Run: http://www.strava.com/activities/113231218
Hope all have their priorities right and are FOCUSED on Getting IT Done for Valentines Day where applicable by knocking it out of the park with your respective partners and building those SAUs..................for week 9 is soon upon us!
Happy Valentines all!
SS
Was a swim/run day for me as well.... About the only thing interesting was the run was 51:02 and the swim was 51:03.... Couldnt plan that any better..... 3000yds mostly paddles/PB and 6.25 miles in 85degrees with 4 x .75....... Nice to get some heat.... Not Texas heat but as least I broke a sweat and felt it!
Got an hour run in this afternoon and had to deal with an element that I had forgotten all about: heat! It was 88 degrees. So weird. I know it won't last. But it sure was nice.
@ Tim - Nice work in the heat, it is just around the corner for us in Dallas.
@Jimmy - some solid work going on there yesterday with you!
My Fri strides run on rolling hills: http://www.strava.com/activities/113231218
Fri evening bike I pulled the plug on after 50': http://www.strava.com/activities/113299728
Sat morning revenge: http://www.strava.com/activities/113463305
Combined = 3:40 trainer time, 72' Z3, 48' Z4, 15' @110%, 260 TSS...
Good luck this weekend all!
Distance: 61.49 mi
Time: 2:47:24
Avg speed: 22.0
Max speed: 31.4
Elevation gain: 427
Avg Power: 177
N Power: 195
IF: .847