Kona, Week 17... (plus Video)
Lots to think about as you head into the final month of prep. This is a big week for you, but you still need to balance the work you want to do with the work that is going to help you achieve your race day goals -- they aren't always one and the same! Happy running...enjoy the video when you can! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsgdufdKeSE0
Comments
And like I'm sure many of you have been doing, I'm fleshing out my plan for race day, practicing mental rehearsals, setting goals and targets, etc
Carol ... The protocol I've been following is for the two weeks pre-arrival, I hit the sauna as
-30 mins per session immediately following a workout (and while the hr is still elevated),
-4x a week.
-drinking lots of water. Usually a 2l pop bottle of cold water, or more.
Then, I go on to real acclimatization via training and living in the heat for 14d while in Hawaii.
I believe the pre-arrival stuff has been shown to elevate blood plasma volume, but I think the sweating (and excessive drinking that the sweating requires), and getting used to being 'uncomfortable' in the heat are the bonuses that might be even more useful. Think of it as "training to train." Maybe better put as "acclimatizing to acclimatize."
.No sauna time here. Would be nice but just don't know where the time would come from. I'm already skimping on sleep more than I'd like getting 6-6.5hrs per night. I'm hopeful a full week in Kona prior to the race will yield some benefits. Likely doing my RR this weekend on the trainer due to weather but will be a benefit from a heat training standpoint.
I can't wait for this weekend to pass and officially enter taper mode. I reached the point last week where accumulated fatigue from training hits hard. I'm feeling good and strong, but definitely ready to be done. I gotta hand it to you animals that do multiple IMs in a year Two IMs in back-to-back years has been difficult.