IM MD Week 17 / 20 - 4 to go!
"You should be pretty damn tired" - CoachP in this week's podcast
UH yeah!!! A 3 day weekend will do that for you! I did a little cramming this past weekend, as I'm still finding it hard to get that long run in mid-week, so between Sat - Mon, I got my 5 hour ride, t-run, 90min swim, 2.5 hour run, and another 3ish hour ride... whew!! Feeling tired, but content tonight. The long run was especially satisfying; I did it solo, so totally stuck to MY training plan (sometimes, I just need a little company to get me out the door, and oftentimes, that does not result in an optimal run.) Anyhow, it was HOT, but I used HR to control my pace, and it worked like a charm. Overall, it was a slower pace, but a nice negative split. Happy and can't wait to see how HR-based pace plays out race day!
Couple other tidbits in CoachP's podcast:- can't really improve fitness at this point, but you can improve performance with these changes
- swim frequency
- basic equipment changes - eg. aero helmet, race wheels
- run basics - drills to make you more efficient
- Rest!! - don't skimp on this now
- If you're shipping your bike, think about how that might accomodate upcoming race rehearsal and training post-shipping; make sure you've got equipment (road bike, borrowed bike, tubes, etc..) to keep bike training after shipping
- schedule your bike tune-up... ok, that's my bit of advice!
We're peaking on the long run this week - 3 hours... woo hoo!! We'll see if I can get that in on Thu; might be Sunday again.
Have a great week, all... we are getting close! Taper time is right around the corner; work it these next 2 weeks to really make that taper time oh so sweet!
Comments
Getting so close to being done.
Julie- not sure when exactly you did that long run this weekend, but I'd say it's probably a good idea to push the 3 hour run off until the weekend again this week to give you enough recovery time between them.
This weekend is a big local race (the OBX Tri) with a Half/Oly on Sat and Sprint on Sun. Trouble is, it's right in the middle of my training grounds for the 5 hour ride! So I gotta figure out a way to get in my 5 hour ride without interfering too much with the race. I considered doing the Half, but it really doesn't fit well with the rest of the plan.
and Nemo, long run was Sunday, so yeah, it might be too much to repeat, plus some, on Thursday. I just don't seem to fit it in mid-week anyhow. Will probably run long Sunday and do a medium length trainer ride Thursday.
had to move things around so did my last 18 mile run this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. Speaking of tired...Man it was pretty brutal. I loved getting to sleep in a bit, but that meant starting my run at 9am just as the sun and humidity were ramping up. I also screwed up the pacing of the first hour so it was pretty ugly by the end. Consumed, 55 oz of Gatorade over the 2:32 minutes and it still wasn't enough. Good practice for how much the last 10 miles feel like getting hit by a bus.
Main goal now is to recover for Friday's long bike and short run.
Sarah, Healthy and Fit is a really good strategy.
I not only skipped the optional workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, I skipped all the workouts.
I did run one hour today and managed 8 miles. I am trying to listen to my body as some days I do not feel recovered from IMMT and other days I feel great. Per Rich's suggestion, I am keeping all my runs to a maximum of two hours.
I am looking forward to race day.
I too did the long run today - took the morning off work and took advantage of the overcast and somewhat cooler weather. I did 20.5 in about 3:10 - I did 3 x 6.8 mi loop hence the little bit extra distance and time. I was feeling my oats a bit the first 13 miles and overcooked it a bit with both heart rate and pace, which I paid for in the last 5 miles. At least I got that out of my system before race day. Since the run is my thing I really enjoyed today and felt like I managed my nutrition and hydration pretty well.
Shhh...don't tell anyone but it seems things are coming together nicely!! ...At least for today.
Good luck this weekend!
About 2 weeks ago a friend said "you must be just ready for the race to hurry up and get here already!" HA! I replied "Hell No! Right now I'm at the "Oh shit, there isn't enough time left to get ready" point in the process. Given me about 2 more weeks and I'll be closer to "ok- I got this, I am gonna be able to make it happen" and then it's another 2 weeks before I'm at the "hurry the hell up, can't we just do this race already" stage!!!
I think I'm hitting those ^^ expectations about right so far.
Optional means "do something else with your time". Today, I was able to run for 3:05 and got 18 miles in. Now I don't know what the coach means by increase the effort and push for the last hour because my last hour was HARD AS HELL. I definitely could have used more fluids along the way. I filled my bottle twice. Walking kind of slowly all day. Looking forward to the recovery swim....TOMORROW...Evening. Drinking beer tonight and sleeping until 7 tomorrow. I need some rest.
my main concern right now is my wife just got diagnosed with Bronchitis. She is away on travel and returns Monday. She's getting on meds today. I may have to sleep in the guest room until she gets better. UGH!!
Nate- thanks for the reminder- time to start wrapping myself in bubble wrap and avoiding interactions with all children! HA!
Yes, I can feel Taper time coming on... I LOVE tapering!!! Time to absorb the work! Folks, if you haven't already, remember to get your bikes tuned and any last minute equipment adjustments, as well as new running shoes ordered (if needed), and fuel purchases. Enjoy rest of Sunday!
I've found all team kit shorts seem to have a very short lifespan and get a little thin in the ass over time. I'm loving the 2xu active shorts, but of course it really is a very personal thing. For me, less padding is better. Oh- and use chamois butter or Hoo-Ha cream. It really does work!
Julie, I don't have team short, didn't order them before the store closed, but I second Nemo's affection for the 2xu shorts.
Got my long ride in today...hold on to your seats, it was so cold at skyline drive my teeth were chattering at mile 25! Instant fall. While my swim and run this week both exceeding expectations the bike fell well short. It was very dissappointing the see metrics similar to back in March. I am hoping the cumulative fatigue I have right now is a factor. Also, though, recognizing that the bike is going to be my weakest link thereby making it all the more important to execute well so I can run in a way that is reflective of my fitness.
Sure inspiring to see all the posts from WI today!