6 Months, How is training?
Hi Gang,
Yesterday marked the 6 month point to IMWI, if you are a social media user and frequent Facebooker you will undoubtably see the hype surrounding IMWI start to ratchet up right about now. The race is something to get excited about, but not 6 months out - I think the race day weather, water temperature, and 'will it be a wetsuit legal race' threads will pop up just about any time now. Really!?
Here in the haus we have a different approach and are methodically building our strength, speed, and endurance to be prepared on race day. We're nearing the end of out season - just a few more weeks to go! How is your out season? What plan do you jump in to from here (Run / Bike / Swim / Half)?
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I am doing IMCdA first. In the GF plan right now, will start IM mode in a couple weeks. I'll admit I'm not where I wanted to be at this point, but doing the best I can with working ridiculous hours.
Love that Madison is late in the year so plenty of time to focus on shorter term goals and improve step wise while trying not to think too much about the race.
So far my year's looked like this:
NovOS:
+ Much stronger on bike. Blowing away my former run times. Lots of consistency.
- Weight continues to hover in upper 160's. Definitely more trim than before but haven't shed the pounds.
Road to Florida 70.3 (April 12th):
+ Building up longer runs and rides. 1st RR went well but on the trainer. Set PR in 13.1 race last weekend.
- Weather has made it tough to get outside but really need to get comfortable again there, especially in aero. Lots of travel and hacking the weeks so hasn't been as consistent. Trying to get back in a groove for final 4 weeks.
Road to Challenge AC (June 28th):
Will repeat the HIM plan. With emphasis on riding outside, aero, and adjusting for any learnings from Florida.
Come July ... it's IMWI GO TIME.
First bike path ride today, flat and locked in the aerobars, on the P3 on foreva.
Actually felt pretty good, with good power and no hip or back pain. 2yrs ago I had a spectacular motorcycle crash, with a compression fracture of my L1 vertebra and some funkiness performed on my hip. I've got some strange tightness and muscle imbalance stuff with my left hip and ass cheek and I was concerned this ride would really highlight some problems, but I felt pretty good once I warmed up. Actually dropped the aerobars down a spacer at half way and felt great coming back up the path from Long Beach. Turned 56mi at 4:55 IM bike split pace.
Regarding when to get serious about IMWI: when I last raced it, back in 2011, I put on my IM-geek pointy helmet after my Tour of California camp in mid-May. So my head was in that IM training space for a bit over 4mo. This was too long and I was pretty fried, mentally, by early August.
^This^ is the reason why pretty much no EN athlete is in their IM plan for more than 12wks. I believe the "It's ON Day" for IMWI'15 is June 22, when you all load up the IM plan. You absolutely do NOT need or want your head to be in that IM training space until that date. Until then, train like a short course to HIM athlete. Really no reason to ride longer than 3hrs and would be much better for you, mentally, get-faster-ly, and SAU-ley, to crush yourself for 3hrs, done by 10a.