Week 3 of 12 IMAZ - Settling In....
This is how I felt when I woke of this morning: 
Week 3 is upon us! Body adjusting to the volume and trying to settle in but a little sluggish at this point.
45' run on the schedule calling for 12' @ incline, so ran the hillier route early: http://www.strava.com/activities/191642470
IMWI peeps did great yesterday! Congrats to them! 
Have a great / productive week all!
SS
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Monsoon season ending with a roar in the valley of the sun! It started raining around midnight last night and stopped mid morning. Flooding everywhere- only in AZ would school cancel because of rain. We worried it would come over the weekend and ruin the rides but lucked out.
Needless to say, AM swim in indoor pool. Got WU and first set in. My tempo trainer sprint pace a little easier than last week. Thought of easy laps as drill focus time. Try to run tonite. ??
I'm with you on this morning Shaughn. This is the first year I have spectated the entire IM through midnight. I think its easier to race then to spectate. Didn't get up until after 8:00 am.
Betsy, I saw the pictures of the roads on the news. Crazy stuff.
Betsey I'm surprised you just didn't OWS to work! Maybe you need a paddle wheel for your bike!
Kudos to you Mary for pulling a full day at IMWI! It is not easy to spectate and/or sherpa and its always good to remind myself just how much work it is for my family!
Keep at it Shaughn, you're putting in some great work!
Feeling much better this week. Got the full run in yesterday with 4x hills for 12' of incline work for total 51' 6.5mi. That felt much more normal. Swam after work and that was less painful than last week. I was able to pull easy with left arm for awhile, turning at the wall hurt the most ( I really need to learn flip turns!) but I did 1200 with 400 kicking. I go back today for more.
Be safe!
@ Betsy...Wow I saw pictures of flooding in Phoenix. I know the West needs the water but I'm sure you'd like it in more moderation. Hang in there.
I did my first hard run last night since IMMT (22 days post). Did 6 miles with 3 x 1 mile @ 8:00 pace with 3% incline on treadmill. Plan called for 7:30 pace but I didn't want to overdo it yet so ran 8:00 pace. Felt pretty good. This am swam in the outdoor pool (they close it on Thursday so have to get my last few outdoor swims in) and did 3100 meters including WU, then 6 x 400 then CD. I'm doing the next three weeks building back up, then 2 week taper to Kona. After that I'll figure out what to do about training for AZ.
Good work everyone.
@Rian - glad you're coming back online quickly.
@Mary / Bruce - Still feels like you guys are recovering somewhat faster than I did after IMTX.....WTG!
Morning run w/ 2X1s: http://www.strava.com/activities/192063914
Some fatigue causing a few attitude problems and me getting out the door this morning to get things going....was able to overcome.
Swim Slog: http://www.strava.com/activities/192257781
Arms were tired from yesterday's swim but, it worked out in the end ........
Tues was kind of a grind for me.
Have a great afternoon all!
SS
Heading to Big Kauna Triathlon (half iron distance) in Santa Cruz this weekend in lieu of the scheduled "Big Day". Noodling how long to run on Thursday/swim on Friday. Still need to find a new wetuit!
Hi All,
I've been kind of a lurker in these forums for the past few weeks. I do some teaching at a local college outside of my full-time job. Full time job + part time job Ironman training = very little time.
I competed in a local Half Iron on Sunday and I was quite pleased with my first hlaf since joinging EN. Last year I did 5:14 on this course and I was destroyed when I was done. This year I did 5:01 and I felt good the whole time. Totally negative split the run, and threw down some sub-zone 2 splits on the three final hilly miles. Feeling like I can get back in the game, but Coach P. says to take it easy until the weekend.
Monday - Slept in and just did some core work and spent some quality time with my foam roller.
Tuesday - Slept in and swam 8x200(1') in the pool.
Tomorrow - Thinking about hitting the brick in the morning. I guess a lot depends on how early I can get to bed. If my body wakes me up at 4:30, then I'll know that it's time to man up.
@Joe - I used the taper from the EN HIM plan last week and it worked great! Thursday is a 45 minute bike with 3 x 8' (2') in zone 3. Friday is a little of everything - 30 minute swim, 30 minute bike (no goals for either) and a 30 minute run with WU: 15' z1/LRP/Easy, 6 x 30 Strides. MS:3 x 2' (1') @ zone 2. Saturday is completely off. Also - you can't beat the price of Xterra wetsuits and their direct-to-consumber model. I'm in my second season and I love it. Code SA-JEFFP saves you $150. Good luck and be fast!
@Mary-jealous about all the open water swimming!
@Rian-glad you are feeling better! Did Flag get much rain?
@Bruce-coming back strong! I can't imagine doing as much as you did so soon after an IM
@Joe S-awesome performance on the HIM!
@Joe K-good luck on your HIM!
I have an little oly weekend after this-that will make 3 this year and no halves. I just didn't have the umph to do a half and focused all year on speed building. I have to go out of town this weekend so race rehearsal will have to be my oly and figure out how to get my biking in before I leave friday. I think for me, it was good not to do any long course prior to this IM, so far, not feeling too fatigued.
I forgot to mention that I did the weekend run after two rides, sunday at 10am in the heat (instead of before the first ride). 30' and it was all I could do to be under z1.
I did today's run last night for some reason, and was just 5s over z4 so was happy in the monsoon humidity ,late in the day.
I did the whole MS1 and MS2 today in the pool-1h 20min. Felt good, no faster.
Have a good ride tomorrow all!
@ Betsy - nice work on that swim yesterday!
Good to see the lurkers coming out of the woodwork! Don't be strangers! All invited!
For those of you considering the Big Day on the schedule this weekend: http://members.endurancenation.us/R...y+Guidance
Bad Dream bike intensity early this morning for me:http://www.strava.com/activities/192550318
About 105 TSS for that trainer ride......looking to run a bit later when I can fit it in today. Coffee is so much better after a trainer intensity session!
SS
@ All: way to make it happen! Great to see everyone buckled in and working!
@Betsy not much rain, looks like it mostly moved east before north.
@JoeK, I'd throttle back on the run tomorrow down to 60-70' and if your race is on saturday take friday off. If sunday, then easy swim ~ 1600-2000 with some fast/slow 50 sets on friday. But not more than that. If its a A race for you, drop your run to 30-45' on Thurs with some quick pickups (50-100m strides).
Yesterday was great day. Hit my 2x1mi on pace and did 6.5 in 51'. Got to the pool and managed 2000 this time, the pacing is slower but less painful than last week or even monday. Hoping for full speed/distance swim workouts next week. Got a great trainer ride this morning and hit the numbers I needed to feel like I'm still on target. Run coming at lunchtime!
Have a great day!
@Rian - It sounds like you're easing back into things quite well! Nice job on your workouts today.
@Shaughn - You're tearing it up on that bike.
Still recovering from Sunday's HIM. I slept in for the third day in a row today, but now feel guilty. I might try to get an hour in on the trainer tonight. The run is my strength, so I plan to get back on the horse for tomorrow's 110 minute run. Maybe I should just let the bike go and focus on getting to bed early for the run. Now that I write this..... I've talked myself into it. No trainer tonight.
Friday's run will be a peice of cake. Looking forward to the big day, but not looking forward to organizing all my sh-t on Friday night. Bleah!
@joe k if you are in San Diego anytime soon, xterra have a showroom where you can try on wetsuits. Also a sale rack where most of the suits have only been worn a few times as rentals and are greatly reduced in price.
Interval bike today 2x10 at 170. Second interval should have been 15 but work was calling. Weather has gotten chilly with a high of 60 tomorrow for my 110 min run. Looking forward to it. Friday will be a swim, Sat. bike on the trainer at 5:00 am, to dark to go outside and have to be at North Face Endurance Challenge with our marathon relay team. for a 6 mile trail run. Sun. is the final sprint of the season, really looking to podium. Sat. night temps down to 39. Burrrrrr.......
Have a great weekend.
@Mary-string work! I know the feeling of work calling off the last 5' of a wko(most of mine)
@Joe-good call in skipping the trainer. You still have plenty of time. I can sure see why I'm not doing SOMA-our annual HIM at TTL 4 weeks before AZIM-lots of locals do it for a pre AZIM warmup. I am doing the bike on a relay team only
@Rian-yeah!!!sounds like you are healing well!
@Shaughn-strong work on the bike!
I'm at a conference this week in town so actually did the run after the bike this am. Finally hit .99 IF on the FTP work-new FTP from testing the week before we entered this phase. I know I'm not testing next week-I will focus on current .7-.72% for this IM and be happy if I'm consistent with that.
Run started out slow-z1.5 but ended on A z3 note
Have strong runs tomorrow!!
Back in full effect after my HIM break. On this morning's run, I hit zones 1 and 2 in the first 90 minutes per the plan. I put my big boy pants on the for last 20 minutes and managed to throw down some zone 4/5 sub-7:00 miles. It was a good morning!
Wow! Congrats Mary and Joe S. on those long runs today! Looking strong!
Betsy - nice work on the FTP session. That kind of stuff will only make you stronger!
Did a Tempo run last evening: http://www.strava.com/activities/192802829
Today was not a good Long Run day. Could not hold the line long enough due to the Heat/Humidity combo. Fairly humbling what you go through in a true bonk: http://www.strava.com/activities/193124291
Post Bonk Shuffle: http://www.strava.com/activities/193124282
Live to fight another day!
SS
I will be doing my long run Sunday in Connecticutt where it's cooler.
I'm doing 2h trainer rides today and tomorrow before traveling.
4x 20' -.7, .75, and 2@ .8.(barely). Legs took longer to warm up after yesterday's hard spin. Tomorrow will be all .7-.75
I'm back up to full training load after an easy day on Monday (weights only), travel day Tuesday (40 minute run before leaving). I'm back @ 8300'. Last two days: 2 swims, interval run and my local killer hill ride. That's about two hours, 21 miles (!) 3100' elevation gain in five hills @ 5-9% grades, 400-700' each, 10-20 minutes @ 0.85-9, total of 70 minutes of work interval time. Long run tomorrow following another swim then bike 100 miles to Vail on Saturday after morning run, and on Sunday … ? We'll wait and see. Either a big ass hike with friends and wife, or 50-60 miles over Vail Pass and back. Hoping for 20 hours of training this week, another 950 TSS week. This stuff better work.
Today I skipped a planned "continuous" swim, as it would have been three swim days in a row, and my L shoulder is feeling a little sore. But I went ahead with this wrk's long run, 12.2 mi in 1:44. I'm doing a modification I picked up from Bruce Thompson; today I went 4 x 1 mi @ MP, 1 mile @ LRP between each. Hard, but doable, and I'm ready for my planned 100 mi ride tomorrow, Aspen-Vail.
This weekend is the annual Snowmass Balloon Festival here - been going for since at least the early 80s. They added a wine festival, and a Ferrari rally at the same venue, so I'm a little worried about the implications of balloonists dropping empty wine bottles on the vintage Italian race cars ..
Or drunk driven Ferraris on the roads chasing balloons….. be careful out there Al! (as if I am one to talk!
 
Long run yesterday was a good one, 14.1 in 1:43. Feeling more comfortable pushing the z2 and z3/z4 portions at my Vdot. I've found at altitude the z2/z3 work is the hardest to stay on target with and requires the most perceived effort. Z1 and Z4 / Z5 work is relatively easy to meet or exceed. Accordingly the more I work on Z2/Z3 the more progress I make in my Vdot. Not the z4 work.
Looking forward to the ride this weekend, taking a new route from Williams to Grand Canyon (isn) and back. Rumor has it the road/shoulder is great as is the scenery. Looks to have a climb/descent on both ends.
Be Safe, Have Fun!
Some good updates coming in today!
@Rian- you look strong on all of your long runs! I am trying to get there.
@Al - pics are great and, like Rian, you make the long runs look easy. One thing I struggle with is running 6 days a week, that load does challenge me on hitting the long run targets.
I am also struggling with the Heat Index. This week I was focused and executed well up through about mile 9 then the bottom dropped out and it all caught up with me
......was 86 degrees and 80% humidity.......
Yesterday after the long run I was able to get a much needed 90 min deep tissue massage.
That really helped in terms of recovery.
This morning was day 5 of running with a 5 mile EZ run including strides: http://www.strava.com/activities/193438447
This afternoon I managed a swim in the rain: http://www.strava.com/activities/193580291
The last two weeks I have managed a Weekly TSS load of 1,185 and 1,267 respectively, on accurate zones with the exception of the heat index. Right now I am sitting at 812 staring at a 5 hour brick tomorrow.......I am not exactly sure this is the smartest strategy, but for now its what I'm going with.........
Have a safe Saturday all!
SS
Yes … I used to think that the short, hard interval stuff was a problem at altitude; that;s what all the "experts" who talk about training at altitude say. But the actual research - and my own multi year experience going back and forth between 2000+ meters and sea level - shows that we are able to maintain speed for intervals up to about 3-5 minutes, and then things start to degrade with lengthening intervals after that. So, yeah, it;s "easier" to run 2 x 1 mile @ 7 min/mile then it is to go 4 x 1 mi @ MP during a long run. Swimming, it's easier to mimic sea level times for 50s than for 400s and on up. Etc.
@ Shaughn … that's a lotta work for three consecutive weeks at this point in your build. Think carefully about whether you need some easy days after your "long day" tomorrow. Our training now is supposed to be getting us ready to handle the really important stuff which will happen 6 >> 2 weeks before the race, not put us over the edge before then. Quality trumps quantity, to some degree.
@Al, I was hoping someone might comment on the workload and you did, thank you. Did my Big Day swim on Friday then moved Sunday off day to Sat. Did my 4 hour bike / 1 hr run today, Sunday. A day off and cooler weather made a huge difference!
Bike: http://www.strava.com/activities/194470406
Run: http://www.strava.com/activities/194470185
Could have gone longer and harder on the run, everything was clicking!
Congrats on closing out week 3 all!
SS
I Didn't do RR day this weekend due to family wedding in CT. As I mentioned, life time Tri oly next weekend will have to suffice.
Here is what I did accomplish:
3.5hr combined trainer ride thurs/fri AMs
Thurs: 4x20@ .8
Fri: trainer road program (McKinley I think) that alternates between .7&.75%
Sat: Friday run on hotel TR-20'z2/20'z3
Sunday-didn't get thurs long run in as planned. My Danbury Hilton garden was on busy Newton Rd, no sidewalk. Recommended to go to Tarrywile park-which turned out to be all trail, hilly. So only 60' and no consistent pace. Does 3hr dancing in platform heels the night before count for some aerobic fitness??
On my way home at o'dark thirty. I will do a very long swim today!!
Welcome to week 4 all!
@ Betsy: I am sure "getting down" on the dance floor HAS to count.