IMTX WK 11 The Four Keys
Weclome to Taper time!
I will challenge each of you this week to mention something related to the Four Keys in each and every post. I will start us off by mentioning that Staying in Your Box applies to Taper week as well as Race day.
Don't second guess the Taper! Stay in your box, let your body rest and absorb all that crazy work you just put it through the past few months! Stay healthy, nourish the positive thoughts in your mind and choose to not entertain the negative thoughts as we get close!
4,000M swim done early this morning.....Check!
Have a great week all!! 
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Comments
Everyone should attend the 4-keys talk in Texas... Specially anyone doing their first IM!!! I always attend if I can and its great review, gets you pumped up, and usually learn something new or at least course specifics you may not have thought of.
Some things to do while we taper.... Not in any particular order....
1. Bike Maintenance.... clean, tune up, tires , tubes, flat kits, PM battery , Di2 battery, etc.... I like to put a brand new chain on my bike!
2. Read Race Reports, Race Plans , Wiki data, View course video's online. outrivalracing.com has course video's as well as youtube.com
3. Practice Transitions
4. Nutrition.... Nothing taste as good as skinny feels.... Eat well , not too much , not too little , all good quality!
5. Training... If in doubt take the "Less is More" approach.... Ease up ....
6. Massage... get one... I am getting one tomorrow... final week is too close IMO for a massage.... I also say go easy I don't want to feel like I need to recover from a massage.
7. Make list's.... Gear for swim/bike/run.... travel , nutrition , before and after IM , etc... Leave lists out so you can think , go back , and add too....
8. Prepare your mental game.... If your gonna "Race" and lay it out there or you just wanna finish , review your past results , your goals , watch motivational video's , read motivational quotes , get fired up! I just started to unlock the racing beast and I'm working on my mental game to peak on 5/17! The mental game is the 5th discipline IMO with nutrition being 4th and it requires attention and thought....
Feel free to add and or comment on the list!
Oh swam 5000yds today as technique focus with toys! Rest of the day off the legs.
Is Massage one of the four keys?
.....I had mine yesterday...3k swim and massage....may take my rest day today....run tommorrow...in RI dealing with family health issue...
....
All ways remember THE LINE (mile 18)....everything we do is designed to get us to the line ready to run 8.2miles....without slowing down.
It takes Patience and Discipline...to have a plan and stick to it...no matter how good you feel before this point....when other peeps are blasting out of T1 or up a hill...you have to remember...stick to your numbers..don't follow the pack....and get to the line in good shape!....Exectue like a Ninja.
I was afraid to read Tim's thoughts because it might be like talking to classmates right before taking the SAT and realizing that geometry is on the test and I only prepared for alegebra. Fortunately, his thoughts are consistent with my plan. My bike is at the LBS right now, tune and new chain. New tubies went on last week. Check your cleats! My legs felt lousy this morning, so I did 1xZ4 after warming up for 4 miles. I cannot do anything to improve endurance/strength/speed at this point. I can only hurt them. Massage scheduled for Thursday @4pm. Race week list done. It runs my life the last 3-4 days. Shared it with Jeff, and I think I even impressed his Type A. I studied the run map and Youtube video this weekend, reviewed my notes from camp, and then drafted out a lap-by-lap run plan. Also shared that with Jeff. He probably thinks I'm nuts by now.
The only slight deviation from Tim? I follow the philosophy that Coach R shares, which is walk the aid stations until the final lap (or last 6-8 miles). My brain is mush by then, everyone in sight will be walking, it's so easy to rationalize walking on such a long day, and it feels SO good once I do start walking. 30 steps could become 300 steps for me. Been there/done that. So, I refuse to walk the final lap. But that's just me.
Possible additions:
9. Tapers sometimes feel crappy. Mine usually do. Dead legs, tired, no power. The mojo is always back by race day.
10. Soap + hand sanitizer + avoid people with red noses.
11. Get some sun if you can. Not dermotologist-recommended, but without a summer of the vast majority of racers will have some burns if it's sunny, some quite bad. It's terrible for hydration. 12 hours of Houston sun will laugh through SPF 50 on its way to alabaster skin. That's why I've been wearing my singlet the last couple of weekend rides.
12. Tech assistance with the boxes. Garmin beeps every 15-min lap on the bike, helps me define that pace/nutrition/hydration/sodium/stretch box. It's replaced my a new one every 15. Repeat and follow to T2. On Lap 3 of the run after The Line, my box will be station-to-station. But by M19 when miles become too far apart, I'll start counting off every 0.1 mile on the Garmin until I get to my cola at M20. It's a silly, tedious distraction that provides forward-progress hope, at a time when I need a distraction and hope more than anything. Well, other than a finish line.
13. Mile 21-23 will likely be the low point for many, if not most. It'll be a hot, gradual uphill through the McMansion neighborhood with no shade and sparse spectators. It'll suck. Prepare for it. Accept it. It will end. The last 3 on the waterway will be a fun victory lap.
Seems that I am not alone in thinking a bit about the race.
Good idea on the new chain. Mine has almost a year on it. I have been having issues dropping it lately. Adjusted FDR and still having issues. Need to measure it at least. Added to to-do list.
My priorities for this week are to hit every swim, gather list of race day items, practice transitions, and eat clean.
I was thinking that in T2, I might have everything except socks and shoes in a big ziplock bag (hat, gel flask, pickle juice, cooling towel). That way, I just put on socks and shoes, grab bag and go. I can sort out the details as I am blazing the first couple of 10min/mi. I really want to tighten up transitions this year. in FL I think that I dragged my feet a bit b/c I was apprehensive about getting on to the next part of the race. There will be plenty of time to get settled once I am moving. Need to practice a bit. In fact, tomorrow is a perfect oppertunity. Rather than a 60/30 brick I might do 2x 30/15 which would allow me to practice T2 twice.
Took bike for tune up last week , got new pads for aerobars and changed the chain (bike sounds so much better now !!)
Got a sports massage last Wednesday
Now ..down to checklists x 10...
I am trying to practice staying in my BOX (hint, hint...) this week. On call, still with a stupid/annoying dry cough, sore throat is fading....but my body feels fine. I have been working on my lists (thanks MR) and have some little things to get here and there. Bike tuned up (new derailleur cables too) last week. I switched out my aero bar supports and pads before the RR saturday....wow....Coach P was right, if yours are like mine after a year of training (a saltine cracker), some new pads will feel like a brand new pillow.
Sure am appreciating all the advice/thoughts/lists.....please don't think that they aren't helping someone else (me!).
Couple of stupid first time rookie questions:
1. Can't find this in the wiki....what is the point of the applesauce breakfast on race day? Is it to promote an 'evacuation' of one's colon? If so, why wouldn't I want to do that Friday evening? Yes, I agree that a port-a-potty dump before the race is better than a 95-degree-heat index-port-a-potty-dump-while-nauseated-and-contemplating-suicide-already situation. I love applesauce, but would like to understand this plan a bit better!
2. Pros/cons/recs on leaving my Perform on the bike overnight? I've heard advice both ways. Hate to have to schlep it to transition Saturday morning, but also don't care for warm Perform.
3. Should I go the the IM athlete briefing? I was contemplating going to this instead of 4 keys, but after Tim's post...
...I will go.
4. Shoes. I train in and love Newton's. But, I've raced (HIM) in Saucony Kinvara (a little lighter). Does it matter?
@JL,
1. I suspect that the point of applesauce is that it's a really easy way to stuff down 400-500 calories. Eating 800+ calories at 3 or 4am is a challenge, especially when anxious/nervous. Plus, like bananas, apples are high in pectin, which tends to help digestion. Which may be why you see so many bananas also on pre-race breakfast menus. You want it digested by 7am, and I've never heard of apples or bananas racing through one's system so fast that they cause GI issues. But I wouldn't over-analyze it, as there's no magic here. Go high-carb, avoid hard-to-digest items, get in at least 500 calories, start re-fueling on the bike. But make sure it's food you're very, very comfortable with via practice. Other popular breakfast items include Ensure, Muscle Milk, energy bar, bagel, oatmeal, yogurt, soup, even mashed potatoes.
2. I will add Perform and ice to my aero bottle on race morning. It's a present to myself for graduating from the swim. To me, no-brainer. There will be lots of opportunities for warm Perform later in the day. But I'm also more of a pampered show animal than some of the beasts on this team.
3. I've been to the IM briefing a few times. Mostly a waste of time. Unless you don't know what drafting is. Maybe it's improved, but . . .
4. Shoes. Unless you're an experienced marathoner, plan to go under 4 and have confidence in racing long in flats, I'd go with the shoes you've been comfortable with for your long runs. I won't tell Coach P that you asked this question 12 days out.
@ MR....what! I've done long runs in both shoes! I'm not "trying something new on race day". That would not be EXECUTION now would it!
ONE I FORGOT..... Write up an IMTX race plan! One of the most overlooked EN tools....Part of the experience to get feedback and discuss your plans.
@Jeff...
Applesauce... Tried it didnt like it... I believe the theory is to evacuate the system , provide the carbs needed and hydrate.... Hope you have been practicing it.... If not, eat what you did before your RR's on Race day....
The IM athlete dinners and briefings is always a giant energy suck and waster of time.... Blah blah blah drafting thats it...... I went to the athlete dinner on my first IM , then I went to the athlete dinner for Heather's first IM , then I went to the athlete dinner @ IMMT cause I was so impressed with the show there I thought it maybe different, then I went to the athlete dinner @ KONA..... THEY ALL SUCK!!! I will never go to another one. 4 KEYS will be or should be review but you will get something from it I promise!
Warm Perform ... Get used to it LOL.... No escaping it... Use Ice if ya want but it will melt before you leave the transition area....
Shoes ... if you trained long in both its either or... I love my Newton's , train in Kinvera once in a while but always race in Newtons....
Love Mikes comment... It'll suck. Prepare for it. Accept it. It will end.
Sunday morning - 3600M Swim in 1:15
Sunday evening - 60 minute run for 6 miles
Monday morning - 45 minute run for 5 miles
Going back to DC on Wednesday and getting my message on Thursday.
Even when these are not very strong numbers compared to some of the other folks I feel very good about them because when I did IMTX back in 2012 my swim was 1:35...for a total time of 13:17.
Never been to the athlete dinner and never will be...stay in the box !
Happy Tuesday Taper all!
Yesterday's interval run: http://www.strava.com/activities/137896979 .....not fun, 88 degrees...
Tues bike: http://www.strava.com/activities/138115432
Tues: "Come to Jesus" brick run: http://www.strava.com/activities/138115423
Tues Lunch hour recovery swim: http://www.strava.com/activities/138194893
Funny, Tim I also did my first IM at Louisville the year before yours in 2009. As a first timer, I was basically pretty scared but drinking the Kool-Aid and determined to implement the 4 Keys at all cost. I remember talking with Rich at the race and explaining that I had never even run a stand alone marathon. He got very quiet, looked me in the eyes and said, "Do everything I have told you to do, and you will be fine".........
Following link is from the Simmons archives, it was proclaimed the EN 2009 race report of the year...surprisingly........somewhat simple as you would expect from a newbie, but read it, and you decide if the Four Keys has any weight.....
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9...sp=sharing
Onward! Have a great week all!
Did yesterday's swim, but skipped the run. Instead of the run, I got some ART done on my achilles, which first revealed itself last Thursday. Felt better today so I tried running easy. Ran Z1.5 for about 3 miles, felt real good, then pushed the pace to Z2.5 for another 2 miles. Started feeling the achilles at the end of the run, so I might skip tomorrows run, or maybe just do a Z1 run. Trying to stay in my Box. Someone please tell me that skipping a couple of runs won't be detrimental to my race? I know for a fact a ruptured achilles will certainly help keep me from getting to "The Line".
I'm going to do the bike this evening and hope not to further aggravate the achilles. Wish me luck.
@SS nice work today and thanks for sharing your IM report ! An EN ninja from the start heh?
@BG yeah the Big Easy would be good for climatizing LOL
@ GCP... 4min improvement = huge congrats
1.5hr trainer ride with 3 x 10 @ .90 then 6 x 1 @ 1.05 , followed up with 3 mile TM brick..... Best part of the day was the massage!
Yesterday was a 3000 swim...felt good and strong, and a
5 mile run
This morning was my LAST trainer ride ( in front of the fireplace) followed by a 3 mile run.
Trainer is all packed up for a while, at least until I can stand the sight of looking at it again, and my bike is dropped of at my local LBS for TBT!
It's for reals peeps!!
luckily I swam in my xterra skin suit today. took it off and it ripped right down the front from the collar. so called xterra and expedited a new order. my size is medium long. but really need a medium long long. so that probably stresses the thing. it was 2-3 years old so probably past life expectancy. it does make one faster! never did pool work in one until today.
feeling good other than already feeling the taper weirds a bit.
I have lots of "one thing"s that I have to reach for. During the dark doldrums of hours 2.5 to 4 on the bike. And during the run. A simple one and sort of a mantra, that we all might want to share with each other during the race day, is IMUA. Imua. Eee Moo Ah. Hawaiian for forward movement or motion. Used during my outrigger canoe racing days.
IMUA everyone.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/494563547#
Today I rode outside and did the 3x6 more or less. Promised myself I would not over ride the target watts then did on the last one anyway. so much for discipline...
http://www.strava.com/activities/138472264
Gonna get in the pool at lunch. There will be no overachieving in the pool.
Been a strange past week for me, but feeling good at this point...
Started off last Wednesday evening with some bad seafood which lead to an aborted long run on Thursday morning
I slept most of the day Thursday, but had little appetite. Felt better on Friday morning and did my swim RR, easing off from the previous one, but still faster than my non-swim skin PR (love the speed suits!)
Friday afternoon/evening did NOT go well, so rested all day on Saturday. Hit the road Sunday morning for my brick RR#2 and felt fine for the first 2+ hours until my stomach absolutely locked up with GI issues. Immediately brought back memories of IMNYC '12 when I got food poisoning two days before the race. I managed through a very difficult couple hours and actually picked up steam in the last hour to get in a full 6 hour ride. About a minute into the brick run, I decided to bag it and focus on recovery. Nothing until yesterday am when I got back in the pool for 3k yds and a 2x1 interval run. Another spin class this morning and 30' min has me feeling pretty normal. One benefit of all this is that I tipped the scales at 169 lbs yesterday which I have only seen once in the past 20 years. Obviously, I'm glad this happened a week ago and not next week!
Dropping the bike at TBT today and packing gear bag now!
Well the good news is I feel great...Monday I did Tuesdays run....ended up 6 miles @ 7:40 avg. Yesterday I did a bit over an hour on my road bike as the Slice is in the shop getting ready to go to TX....this morning was 3100 swimming...mixed 300's, 400's....
The bad news is...I'm in RI (Coach P's hometown actually)....tending to a very sick 92 yr. old mother and the situation isn't very positive....the reality is that the odds are 50:50 at this moment wether I will be able to make the trip to TX next week...I'm continuing to taper and plan with the guarded hopes that thing will change....but also considering and accepting my path forward in the eventuality that things do not progress positively. Life is strange and my priorities are straight...but that doesn't make any of this easier....frankly my training keeps me balanced...without it I would be a stressed out mess.
Keep Rockin everyone...take the advice that Less is More at this point....Rest is Best....
@ JL....so sorry to hear this. This sort of thing is hard enough without having to try to decide whether to risk the trip, etc. I had the same issue when my grandfather passed a day before IMTX camp (although obviously not as important as race day for which you have been training for months). Fortunately, I was only a 5hr drive away, so I was able to do most of camp and still be around for the funeral, etc. My family was very supportive and encouraged me to do what I thought my Papa would have wanted. Didn't make things "easy" though. Saying a prayer for you and your family.....God's speed. Jeff
Looking for some advice....I've hit up Coach P in the micro, but would value your opinions too. For the past 3 weeks or so, Z4 on the bike has been increasingly difficult/impossible for me. Z2 runs are much harder than in past, and Z4 is really hard. Z1 runs are still really easy and no effort.
Case in point....last night I tried the workout as written. I expected the 3x6 Z4 intervals on the trainer to hurt, but I thought I'd be able to do them solidly. First one hurt a lot but I did it at 0.95. Second one was agonizing, lots of stopping to flex my quads and try to flush lactate (?) and ended up at 0.9. Last one only could manage 0.85. Just can't bear the pain. HR doesn't even get up because I can't bear the pain long enough. The Z4 out for 15' was a major failure....managed about 1 min before legs just screaming and hamstrings either started to cramp (or maybe I was close to "pulling a hammie"). I've NEVER had hamstring pain, ever. Slowed down, tried again and again, with same feeling. Ended up doing all 3.75miles at Z2 basically. Was much harder than usual. I realize that we don't normally do fast bricks like that, so I don't want to over-react.
Basically, I'm wondering if what I'm experiencing is normal at this point, or if I am "overtrained" or something? I don't anticipate any problems with the "long" run tomorrow, since most of it is slow or with the 150min bike on Saturday. I want to do this right and be totally ready and as fit as possible on May 17. BUT, I don't want to overdo it and not be rested either. I've never done a full before and so I don't know what to think. I know everyone keeps saying "less is more" and "rest is best" and I get that....but, if this is pretty typical, I'd rather just finish the week as written. I don't plan to do much of anything next week. Doing nothing for the next 10 days seems wrong.
Advice? Please be honest...
@Chip, so sorry to hear about that. I can only imagine the stress, as I went through something eerily similar with my dad right before IMAZ. Fortunately, these decisions really aren't that difficult.
@JL, you know I'm not afraid to throw around a couple of my Lincolns. Immediately stop treating what's on the schedule as workouts! They're not. You're in 100% rest mode. You just put a ton of fatigue on your body, the most you've ever done. Let it soak in. You CANNOT add fitness, strength or speed at this point. These suggested "events" on the schedule are there only to keep the Type A's from going crazy and to keep the muscles loose. Tapers always hurt for me. Don't know why, but they always do. Do I push through the taper workouts anyways? Hell no! Yesterday, my knees started aching 200 yards into my run after the bike. WTH? My knees shouldn't be hurting. What did I do? Stopped, turned around, walked home, soaked the legs in the pool. This morning, my shoulders really started aching by the 4th 600. WTH? God, I hate tapers! But I didn't even think about doing the 10x100 sprint set. I went home and iced the shoulders. I'll probably just run 8 easy tomorrow, as that's what I've always done before 13 marathons. I'll probably ride a fun 40 on Saturday, maybe with some unstructured Z3. If it hurts for even 2 seconds, I'll stop. I'm 100% confident that if I half-a$$ the taper because of aches/soreness, my race performance will be far better for it, not worse.
@ JL, X2 What MR advises.......good guidance!
@Chip - praying for you and your family as you pass through this life cycle.
Hope all are listening, absorbing, resting, staying super positive!
SS
@JL - What Mike said. I usually start my taper by getting sick and spending a week flat on my back doing nothing at all. I always end up resting more than the training plans suggest I should after the last big push. And after riding outside for a few weeks, generating trainer watts right now would be impossible for me.
The way that I think of a taper is that there are two phases. The first is to rest. Rest till I feel great. If that takes two weeks then so be it. As of today, I am noticing some small aches and pains in joints that I dont remember being there a few weeks back. I dont know if it is my body trying to heal and maybe swelling a bit here and there or if it is all in my head.
We have been telling our bodies what to do for the past 10 weeks. For the next two, we need to let our bodies tell us what to do. Even if that is nothing at all. Hang in there Jeff. In a couple of weeks you will be an ironman for the rest of your life.
@Jeff L.... [Basically, I'm wondering if what I'm experiencing is normal at this point, or if I am "overtrained" or something?] YES and YES....
Its completely normal and yes your overtrained but don't sweat it.... You struggled thru your sickness and RR last weekend and now struggling with short FTP while trying to absorb all the work we have done... Back off and REST.... REST doesnt mean do nothing IMO it means just do some ridiculously easy recovery stuff swim/bike/run 30min Z1 stuff for a day or two.... When following the plan "Less is More" would mean shorten the workout, shorten the duration of any intervals, and lower the intensity of any intervals...Your just trying to stay active to keep you body moving , recovering , and to keep your mind active.... Listen to what your body is saying and do not be afraid of doing too little.
For instance... Tomorrow's run all Z1 and shorten to 60-70min , friday no run and swim half the distance in the plan 30 min , saturday bike 2hrs and lower the intervals 5% , not 2.5 and skip the run , sunday rest , monday back on the plan... there I just knocked a couple hours off your schedule.... Just go easy... next week still has a little Z2-Z3 stuff to get your body firing again... I like next weeks schedule and will be following it almost exactly with the exception of Thursdays 90min ride and 30min swim .... I'll be doing 30min bike 15min run.... You may also consider juggling the schedule around to be swim easy tomorrow and do your run easy on friday to give you a bit of a rest immediately then pick up on Saturday.... Hate to see you do nothing cause that sometimes makes you feel worse , its really not rocket science but its finding a balance of activity to provide you with the rest/recovery you need! I'm just thinking out loud after following your training.... Hope I gave you something to think about but of course EVERYTHING Coach P. says trumps all the above!
Today... Masters swim in the AM.. Again these are easier than swimming by myself LOL... Hit the track for 53 min and did 2 x 1 mile repeats.....I'm feeling the taper/recovery blues as well , overall tired , legs heavy , heck even arms , takes about halfway thru a wko to feel good and then feel good afterwards , only to feel crappy before the next one.... Forcing myself to do a little less across the board in comparison to last week and the stupid PMC chart is responding well to my efforts showing I am TSB positive already @ +4 , that should really shoot up next week.
IMUA to all!
Thurs- OFF
Fri- Swim 1:01
Sat- Bike 2:32 , R-30min
Sun- Run- 50min
Mon- Swim - 43 min
Tues- Bike 1:03 , Run 29min
Weds- Swim 32min , Run 32min
Thurs- Bike 36min , Run 15min
Fri- Swim 15 min
Sat- Race IMTX
So in the 9 days leading to IMTX , 1 day completely OFF, 4 days solidly under 1hr , 2 days basically right at 1hr.... Felt great and had a very good race... Will be replicating this taper almost exactly.
So bascally would like to echo all on the easing back.
But, not too much rest. Still need short and intense stuff to keep the mitochondria reved up. Have taken too much rest in the past and ended up flat on race day. At least this is what has been my personal experience.