8 Weeks To Go
OK, so I skipped a 9 week thread...
It appears my approach to this race is: just enjoy your training. During the ten day stretch ending last Thursday, I did three mountain rides in the Cascades and Olympic. While I rode at my own pace - trying to hit 0.775 IF for the climbs - I did them as part of a group, so I had some support and (misery loves) company. Over the weekend, I traveled here to Colorado, and again, I;m doing things I like,not just what the plan demands. Today and tomorrow are bike/swim/run, about 2.5 hours total. Riding up the most scenic roads, cutting the swims in half and getting in the pool every day, and trying to get my mojo back running after taking 4 days off to let my glute heal. I think this week will be a bike focus week, mostly at the aforementioned 0.75-0.8 up hills, daily shorter swims, and daily shorter runs.
I'm determined not to get over-fatigued, as well as enjoy the gorgeous high altitude places I'm lucky enough to get to train in. The longer I'm doing triathlon, the more I'm learning if I don't enjoy the journey, there's really no point to the race. A different place for me than, say, five years ago, when it was all about that one day.
Comments
Concentrating on a nice steady build up to Labor Day, focussing on incremental weekly increases of time, volume, and intensity across the board... Since the KONA course is not really that hilly (like IMLP requiring course specificity) and IMAZ is up afterwards...I'm putting a lot more focus on riding courses that I can stay 100% aero on and more track work where I can control pace/effort a bit more... We finally have a heat wave in NH so getting lots of Non-wetsuit swims in and some heat acclimatization.... What is really lacking is WIND... which I have mixed feelings about , Need it but Don't want it LOL...
@ Al...great perspective. Enjoy the journey!! That's how I'm looking at my next 8 weeks too. I'm sure the altitude training will get you well prepared for Kona.
@ Tim...sounds like you are fully recovered from LP and building nicely for Kona. I'm with you about the wind, but we get a lot of it here in Chicago so I'm use to it. If no wind, just push a bigger gear.
I'm going to get more rest this year after IMMT than I did last year. I think I started back into hard workouts too soon last year, and I injured my abs 2 weeks before Kona. It really hurt to run last year and It left me flat once I got to the race. So I took an extra day off after IMMT this year, and only started with an ez 30 minute swim this am. Will try an ez 45 minute spin and 45 min swim tomorrow. My default workout will be to rest this year. I'd rather go to Kona with a bit less fitness and bit more rest than last year. Counting on 5 years of hard EN training to help with residual fitness.