Ditto on pull buoy. And resist the advice/hints you are going to get in the pool about not kicking enough. We have a lot of biking and running to do after that swim.Like Rich, I only "kick" enough to keep my feet on top of the water. Once I removed the whole "kick for propulsion" concept" swimming has become a zen like experience.
Ditto also on the Wed ride. Maybe its a sign my FTP is off, but these Zone4-5 are killing me on Wed. I never keep my goal watts by the end. Now, I havent gone outside yet for these things, so maybe thats my problem. I just keep plugging away as best as I can though.
I was building up some SAUs last night so I only had time to do a 30' ride on the trainer. Given the 6 hour workout this Saturday, I figured the SAUs should take priority.
RE: hitting Z4-5... for better or worse, I've more or less ditched that effort entirely. I know how I felt in the OS after those kind of efforts and there is no way I can do that and still get the rest done every day for twelve weeks. For me, I just have sections where I push hard, but not so hard that I will wreck myself. Maybe my fitness level will be better next year (and/or is a function of being relatively new to the game and 40 years old) and I'll pull it off, but ain't happening this year. In other words, most of my biking is ABP. Yesterday I did 90 minutes at .83 with about 40 minutes at .88 or so with a couple of 2min efforts on hills that were 1.00... that's it. I dial that down a bit for the 4h rides... By no means saying this is how to do it, I just know that this is what I can do.
I'm sure I am leaving fitness on the table, but I am also not walking around like a grumpy zombie either. I'm faster than I was last year and will be faster than this next year... in it for the long haul.
I can hit my bike intervals no prob... but that run today damn near killed me. I used to be able to run, now each one is a death march!!! I need a nap.
Did the long run last night due to schedule and hit all the marks and ended up going 14.25 mi in just over 2 hours. Felt pretty good, but when I stoppped things started to hurt and cramp up which tells me I'm not getting enough fluid for he effort I am putting out. Easy fix!
Today I had to do the mile repeats from Monday. I wasn't sure what to expect after the long run yesterday, but went 6:47, 6:54, 6:44 with no walking in bewteen. Good to see things pretty much where they should be, with no loss of speed since the OS. I'm ready for Big Day #2!
How did everyone's long run go? 2 hours is a pretty hefty chunk of time.
yeah, do what you feel you can do. in time, what you can do will be more than now. 40yr old is still young. have you seen how fast the 40-65yr olds go?!
did the bike today and it turned into a vo2 max climb session. felt great with NP's on the climb way over my FTP. soon i'll have to raise it.
can't wait for the long run tomorrow...i usually have to run long in secret, so as not to get thrown out of EN, but now i get set loose! will do it all on trail, since i don't want to stop for lights or be distracted by civilization. of course, no music.
Long run was nice today. Weather was good except for a terrible wind. Glad I wasn't riding in it. Just under 14 miles in 2 hours. Felt stiff and a little weak after it but guess that is to be expected.
So what does everyone do about hydration during these long runs? I don't run by any water fountains or stores and don't want to carry a bottle so what's a guy to do? Bottle drop? I usually loop past the same spot a couple times. I'm thinking I should be hydrating even though it's not really warm out.
@ Michael - Nice job on the mile repeats the day after the long run. Just be careful as doing intervals the day after a long on a frequent basis could lead to injury.
@ Art - I really admire your long-term perspective. Very wise.
@ Shannon - Hang in there on the run. It will come back to you.
@ Van - Good to see you back posting. I thought you might have fallen into a big vat of Hershery's chocolate and were taking your time climbing out.
@ Peter - 4x on the pull bouy. Once I learned that Coach R and Al used it virtually all the time in the pool, that was good enough for me. I'll swim without it during the WU and drills, but use it for the MS. As long as I remember to rotate well, swimming has become much more enjoyable for me. However, I do agree with JT about being on the lookout for a race with hot water. I did an OLY last summer where the RD declared no wetsuits about 30 minutes before the start. It freaked out some people. So if you think a race might not be wetsuit legal, I suggest you do your last few swims before the race without the pull buoy.
I did the long run this evening. Did 14.5 miles in 2 hours flat. Felt ok on the intervals. Did 1x 15' @ 7:05 pace, then 35' @ 8:25 pace, then 15' @ 7:25. Finished off with 35' @ 8:35. Got ice on the knees now. Tomorrow I'm getting a retul bike fit to make sure I have it dialed in for the next 10 weeks.
for long runs, it is a good idea to start taking in electrolytes at the hour mark. by then, you've done enough work to start losing NaCl and is a good idea to start replacing. endurance gatorade or something with NaCl and sugar is good. take a bit at a time from the hour mark and forward. water as needed from the very start of the run. it's not a good practice to take nothing at all, since you need to get your GI used to drinking, eating while running for the race.
get a fuel belt and carry bottles in it or as you mentioned, plant a bottle somewhere. a camel back works too as long as you don't weigh yourself down too much.
i'll also usually hold a gu in my hand and take tiny amounts every now and then after the hour mark. this practice, besides supplying you with glucose and electrolytes, accomplishes 2 added things:
1) forces you to be consistent with water intake, since you have to wash the gu down;
2) forces you to keep your hands/forearms/shoulders relaxed vs. in a death clinch, since otherwise you'd squeeze all the gu out.
Another great long run today. 15.5 miles in just under 2 hours. Found a new course around the Rutgers campus in Piscataway. The new scenery helped :-) I can't wait for the day when I can say the same thing about the swim!
@Tucker: I typically do multiple loops on days like this. This gives me easy access to water, toliet, etc. On those really tough days it even gives me an out.
oh and the recommendations on long run hydration were for training runs. at the race, you'll probably keel over if you wait until the hour mark to start taking in things other than water.
@ Tucker - I do my long run on a 2.5 mile loop around a golf course that is .5 miles from my house. I carry a bottle of Infinit and a bottle of water over to the golf course, drop off the water, carry the Infinit. I like to slowly sip it for the 1st hour. When Infinit gone, i switch to the H2O. For the even longer runs, it is 2 bottles of Infinit and 1 bottle H20. I might try one run with a concentrated bottle of Infinit and 2 bottles of water.
Long run done for me, a little over 17 miles done, right at 2 hrs. Went a little faster than HIM pace and M pace on the run, but have dropped weight since my last vdot test so it probably was pretty close to where I should have been. As far as water goes, I try to pick my long run so I can hit one of a few places for water if I need it, but the intervals for the work outs have had me missing them some times. As it warms up though I normally wear the fuel belt to offer water/gatorade endurance throughout the run.
I typically carry a few gels with me and then take water at those stops. Originally I was targeting a gel at the water stop(s) about every 45 minutes. But I had some toast and jam a bit too close to the run today so didn't feel like I could stomach much else so just held with a quick drink from a water fountain.
I wear a fuel belt for longer runs with Gatorade, but got lazy yesterday and wanted to get it done and it wasn't that hot.... I paid for it when I was done, so I'll be strapping it on and bringing a couple of gels along for my long runs.
Good job everyone on the runs. I just finished my long run, and just in time before it got dark. I did 14.2 miles in just under 2 hours. I probably should have taken some form of calories and electrolytes with me, but didn't. I run around a lake that's 2.8 miles and has three drinking fountains, so no problem getting water. I was pleasantly surprised that my hip felt good the entire run, so I'm going to continue to use the heat pad and stretch as I have been. And I too don't listen to music when I run. I just enjoy being outside and looking at the scenery!
Well, there definitely wasn't any snap left in the legs this morning. Put in an easy 7 miles primarily at LRP. Tried to pick up the pace to MP during the middle few miles, but just couldn't hold it. I guess the less than 12 hour turn around might have something to do with it.
It's now time to take it easy for the rest of the day and prep for the Big Day. I am still not sure whether this will be Saturday or Sunday. Sort of waiting to see what Mother Nature hands out. Right now Sunday is looking like the more promising day. I could force Saturday and use the trainer, but I just can't stand another 4 hours on the trainer.
Well - certainly have some good runners in this group....Great to hear you all cranking it out - but also a little jealous...
So I also went for my long run, but since coming back from injuries, I'm only up to 60 minutes. Did it at 8:40 pace, which is better than a few weeks back, but long way from where I was last year.....I know...patience...Plan is to add 15 minutes each week on the long run to get up to 2.5 hrs - which is about a 20% gain each week....a little more than I might like, but out of time...Confident the legs will hold out.
Good luck to all doing their RR this weekend. I'm skipping it to build up more miles - so looks like a cold 4 hour ride in the rain tomorrow. As the saying goes, "There no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear" Have a great weekend....
@ Shannon & GH - I don't run or ride with music either. i think that people who do must have a death wish and are asking to get hit by a car - just too easy to loose concentration about what is around you and you can't hear the cars coming.
I took today off and resting up for the Big Day tomorrow. Just lots of stretching. Got a new bike fit today and I feel much more comfortable in aero position even though it is more aerodynamic. We'll see tomorrow. Good luck to everyone this weekend.
@ JT - Hey Bro. Looks like your running is coming around. Yeah!!
Thanks all for the hydration tips. Maybe I will have to lose my vanity and get a fuel belt. Don't see why I have resisted. I am the guy with the obnoxious white Oakleys with blue lenses. Did my swim for the big day today as I am nowhere near a pool tomorrow and have zero intention of swimming in the ocean tomorrow. Dare I say the longer sets felt good? Really seemed like I caught a groove. Not saying I was faster or anything but it just clicked and felt like I could keep going. JT used your tip of counting down the laps. Really helped.
4 x 30steps to get fuel in, but needed more. took in 100calories and burned 2097calories! actually bought fuel last night and left it at home! by the way, performance bike shop has powerbar gels 24pack on sale for 50% off (14.99/24pack).
tomorrow is the Tour of california Mt.Baldy stage with socal folks and my big day will be sunday, but with the swim at the end.
have a great and safe big day!!
oh and i tease about running with music, but if it works for you and the volume is low enough to hear people/cars around you, then it's a free country. however, if you feel like running is your weak point and you want to improve or run injury free, then lose the music! running long distances requires a lot of focus, like a space shuttle mission or like meditation. your feet are sending you enormous amounts of information during a long run and you have to respond quickly and gracefully....it's awesome!!
Aaaaaahhhhhh...glad that is done! Big Day #2 is in the books.
The first go-around, I wasn't able to get all the bike done (3:30), and I fell apart on the run (:45). This go-around, after several double bike weekends, it was not too bad. Negative split the bike and the run fairly solidly. I am starting to believe that I might actually be able to hold it together for 140.6 miles...still seems like a long way!
>8000feet climbing on the bike in the books for today. stage 7 of TOC will be a good one! i missed the official sign in for today's ride due to work, but improvised the route and still made it up to the ski lifts.
tomorrow (the big day) will ride the tribike for the first time since a January!
@ Stephen - I'm with you. Finally believing that I may be able to hold it together for 140.6, but it sure does seem like a long way.
@ GH - Nice climbing. You'll be ready for the hills of Idaho.
I did the Big Day. Swam 2800 yds in 62 minutes per the workout. Just cruised along and never felt out of control. Felt like I could have gone much further. On the ride, I took it EZ since I had a new fit yesterday that is much more aggressive. Legs felt fine but I could feel the extra stress on my neck in aero. Rode 68 miles in 4 hours flat for avg speed of 16.7 mph. Stayed in HR Z1 almost the entire way, but picked it up at the end. Infinit and H2O worked well, no stomach problems. My run was awesome. Ran 7.3 miles in 60' 30". Ran mile splits of 9:05, 8:57, 9:01, 8:24; 8:05, 7:37 and 7:05. The last 2 pushed me into HR Z3 and Z4 but I felt strong so I wanted to see what I could do. Surprised that I could run that pace coming off a 4 hour ride. Time for some ice on the knees and a day off tomorrow. Yeah!!
Nice job Stephen, that's why we "get" to do two of these My Big Day 2 stats: SWIM: 2700m (no issues, except the water aerobics people forcing me to share a lane with a 250lb linebacker who for some reason uses paddles...) BIKE: 3:56 ride making it just over 74 miles. A bit faster than the last Big Day and much more time in aero. Infinite nutrition plan worked perfectly (4 servings spread over three bottles.) RUN: I am taking Al's advice on these long bricks, and seeing what my legs give me in the first 1/2 mile or so and I keep it locked there for the entire run. I was right where I was on the last big day going just over 7 miles at about 8:34 pace. It feels good to just put it in auto pilot and just click the miles away. Felt good and felt like I could have continued at that pace. A great way to spend the first truly beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest!!!
Big day 2 done here too. Swim wasn't too bad got it in, but realized I left my nutrition back at the house so ended up heading back home to pick that up. Worked out okay, as I forgot the garmin too and the family was getting ready to head out to the grandparents place for egg hunting so I went them them and did a different ride and run route. I was on the bike then for the 4 hour ride, put in just shy of 80 miles, in the rain and cool air. Hoped off the bike and then put in 8 1/4 on the run with the first 3 miles at z1 and then steadily picking it up to m-pace. Took about 3 miles for my wet cold feet to warm up enough in their new socks to no longer be numb from the ride.
Big day 1 for me. My swim was a lot like Bruce's, 2800m in an hour and felt like I could have gone 2.4 miles if I had the time. This was also the first workout that I didn't stop to rest between laps for the whole workout. I wanted to see how I would do since that's more like the race. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was my first ride 4 hour ride outside so I had a goal of averaging 14 mph. I biked 64 miles at an average of 15.9 mph so I consider the bike a success today. The run was a different story. I made it about halfway through the run and my right knee started hurting on the outside. I could run about 100 yds and then it would start hurting again so I just speed walked the rest of the hour. I'm hoping I can get my knee figured out in time for the CDA trial run on May 14th. Overall, I'm happy with the day and am feeling more comfortable going down hills at top speed in the aero position. I think I will do fine at the IMCDA on the swim and bike but am still concerned with the run.
@Michael - I agree, what a perfect day for the bike in the Pacific Northwest - 60 and sunny was just cool enough to keep from sweating on the bike.
Big Day was instructive for me. My take-aways are: took the whole day too easy. I need to drink alot more on the bike.
Swim was good. 2900 yards in 59 minutes and roughly backing out the rest periods it was 51:50 of actual swim time for a 1:47/100 yard pace. This was all pull and inclusive of a very easy 500 at the end so guess my work sets were a little slower than my T pace for pulling. Also felt like 4224 yards wouldn't have been a problem at all.
Was under-dressed for the bike. It was low 40s when I started (and 60 when I finished) and I was rockin' bare legs and hands. Felt really stiff and never felt loose for the whole ride. Looking at the file I was in a half asleep 127 avg HR range (164 is my LT) and managed only 176NP for the 1st 2 hours. Way too easy for my supposedly 284 FTP (last test ofthe OS). 2nd 2 hours was better at a 191NP, but still below the 198 or so goal ironman pace as per my FTP and a .70 IF target. All-in I feel like I have lost 15 watts of FTP since last OS test... so may be adjusting my goal numbers a bit after the next test.
Run felt really great after the typically wobbly first mile. Had to cut it short at 42 minutes because I had a 10yr little league baseball practice to coach, but dramatically more would have been a non-issue. Knew it would be short, so pushed Z2/Z3 for the last 22 minutes.
My T1 and T2 were roughly 15min and 10min respectively.
Lowfat chocoalte milk as a recovery drink and then went straight to a 2-hour practice after that and ran around a bunch in the outfield. Drank one bottle of water in 2 hours. Got home and weighed myself... down 6.5 lbs (or over 3%). Yikes. Also had that familiar nauseous feeling toward the end of practice... right around the 8 hour mark of physical activity and the exact time I felt it during the ironman last year (about the start of the run last year).
Need to hydrate better. Will switch from ~20oz/hr to 30oz/hr on my long rides and for RR and see if that doesn't fix my wagon. I peed once after swim and once at about the 1.5hr mark on the bike (I stopped for the record) and then zero until after I got home from practice.
@Allen- Nice going and I'm sure it was nice having sometime outdoor time under your belt going into the Big Day. I would hit the medical forum (if you haven't already) to see about you knee, if it continues you may want to see if your bike fit is affecting your knee. Could be lots of things, but IT band inflammation will probably be high on the list.
@Art- Well, at least you learned a lot with the day. Isn't it always the basics that we always have to continue to learn??? It happens to me quite a bit. If you're coming to the race rehearsal in Idaho, we won't let you make the mistake of taking it too easy I was surprised how many people thought it was 80 deg outside and wore shorts and short sleeves. They even looked cold. I was warm towards the end, but not too bad. No worries, the rain is back
@Michael. So true on the basics. I actually did the Big Day on Friday, so was even dumber to be under-dressed... couldn't feel my hands for the first 3 hours... Feel like I've been in a mental soft-spot for a few weeks... telling myself I'm just building effort appropriately over the 12 weeks to IMCDA... off to do the 2-HR run... jumbled schedule this week.
Comments
Ditto on pull buoy. And resist the advice/hints you are going to get in the pool about not kicking enough. We have a lot of biking and running to do after that swim.Like Rich, I only "kick" enough to keep my feet on top of the water. Once I removed the whole "kick for propulsion" concept" swimming has become a zen like experience.
Ditto also on the Wed ride. Maybe its a sign my FTP is off, but these Zone4-5 are killing me on Wed. I never keep my goal watts by the end. Now, I havent gone outside yet for these things, so maybe thats my problem. I just keep plugging away as best as I can though.
I'm sure I am leaving fitness on the table, but I am also not walking around like a grumpy zombie either. I'm faster than I was last year and will be faster than this next year... in it for the long haul.
Today I had to do the mile repeats from Monday. I wasn't sure what to expect after the long run yesterday, but went 6:47, 6:54, 6:44 with no walking in bewteen. Good to see things pretty much where they should be, with no loss of speed since the OS. I'm ready for Big Day #2!
How did everyone's long run go? 2 hours is a pretty hefty chunk of time.
yeah, do what you feel you can do. in time, what you can do will be more than now. 40yr old is still young. have you seen how fast the 40-65yr olds go?!
did the bike today and it turned into a vo2 max climb session
. felt great with NP's on the climb way over my FTP. soon i'll have to raise it
.
can't wait for the long run tomorrow...i usually have to run long in secret, so as not to get thrown out of EN, but now i get set loose!
will do it all on trail, since i don't want to stop for lights or be distracted by civilization. of course, no music
.
gh
So what does everyone do about hydration during these long runs? I don't run by any water fountains or stores and don't want to carry a bottle so what's a guy to do? Bottle drop? I usually loop past the same spot a couple times. I'm thinking I should be hydrating even though it's not really warm out.
@ Michael - Nice job on the mile repeats the day after the long run. Just be careful as doing intervals the day after a long on a frequent basis could lead to injury.
@ Art - I really admire your long-term perspective. Very wise.
@ Shannon - Hang in there on the run. It will come back to you.
@ Van - Good to see you back posting. I thought you might have fallen into a big vat of Hershery's chocolate and were taking your time climbing out.
@ Peter - 4x on the pull bouy. Once I learned that Coach R and Al used it virtually all the time in the pool, that was good enough for me. I'll swim without it during the WU and drills, but use it for the MS. As long as I remember to rotate well, swimming has become much more enjoyable for me. However, I do agree with JT about being on the lookout for a race with hot water. I did an OLY last summer where the RD declared no wetsuits about 30 minutes before the start. It freaked out some people. So if you think a race might not be wetsuit legal, I suggest you do your last few swims before the race without the pull buoy.
I did the long run this evening. Did 14.5 miles in 2 hours flat. Felt ok on the intervals. Did 1x 15' @ 7:05 pace, then 35' @ 8:25 pace, then 15' @ 7:25. Finished off with 35' @ 8:35. Got ice on the knees now. Tomorrow I'm getting a retul bike fit to make sure I have it dialed in for the next 10 weeks.
Stay healthy and have fun.
nice job on the runs.
tucker and others:
for long runs, it is a good idea to start taking in electrolytes at the hour mark. by then, you've done enough work to start losing NaCl and is a good idea to start replacing. endurance gatorade or something with NaCl and sugar is good. take a bit at a time from the hour mark and forward. water as needed from the very start of the run. it's not a good practice to take nothing at all, since you need to get your GI used to drinking, eating while running for the race.
get a fuel belt and carry bottles in it or as you mentioned, plant a bottle somewhere. a camel back works too as long as you don't weigh yourself down too much.
i'll also usually hold a gu in my hand and take tiny amounts every now and then after the hour mark. this practice, besides supplying you with glucose and electrolytes, accomplishes 2 added things:
1) forces you to be consistent with water intake, since you have to wash the gu down;
2) forces you to keep your hands/forearms/shoulders relaxed vs. in a death clinch, since otherwise you'd squeeze all the gu out.
GH
@Tucker: I typically do multiple loops on days like this. This gives me easy access to water, toliet, etc. On those really tough days it even gives me an out.
oh and the recommendations on long run hydration were for training runs. at the race, you'll probably keel over if you wait until the hour mark to start taking in things other than water.
train strong and smart,
GH
@ Tucker - I do my long run on a 2.5 mile loop around a golf course that is .5 miles from my house. I carry a bottle of Infinit and a bottle of water over to the golf course, drop off the water, carry the Infinit. I like to slowly sip it for the 1st hour. When Infinit gone, i switch to the H2O. For the even longer runs, it is 2 bottles of Infinit and 1 bottle H20. I might try one run with a concentrated bottle of Infinit and 2 bottles of water.
I typically carry a few gels with me and then take water at those stops. Originally I was targeting a gel at the water stop(s) about every 45 minutes. But I had some toast and jam a bit too close to the run today so didn't feel like I could stomach much else so just held with a quick drink from a water fountain.
Good luck and have fun on the big day everyone.
It's now time to take it easy for the rest of the day and prep for the Big Day. I am still not sure whether this will be Saturday or Sunday. Sort of waiting to see what Mother Nature hands out. Right now Sunday is looking like the more promising day. I could force Saturday and use the trainer, but I just can't stand another 4 hours on the trainer.
Have a great weekend every one. Happy Easter!
So I also went for my long run, but since coming back from injuries, I'm only up to 60 minutes. Did it at 8:40 pace, which is better than a few weeks back, but long way from where I was last year.....I know...patience...Plan is to add 15 minutes each week on the long run to get up to 2.5 hrs - which is about a 20% gain each week....a little more than I might like, but out of time...Confident the legs will hold out.
Good luck to all doing their RR this weekend. I'm skipping it to build up more miles - so looks like a cold 4 hour ride in the rain tomorrow. As the saying goes, "There no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear" Have a great weekend....
@ Shannon & GH - I don't run or ride with music either. i think that people who do must have a death wish and are asking to get hit by a car - just too easy to loose concentration about what is around you and you can't hear the cars coming.
I took today off and resting up for the Big Day tomorrow. Just lots of stretching. Got a new bike fit today and I feel much more comfortable in aero position even though it is more aerodynamic. We'll see tomorrow. Good luck to everyone this weekend.
@ JT - Hey Bro. Looks like your running is coming around. Yeah!!
Did my swim for the big day today as I am nowhere near a pool tomorrow and have zero intention of swimming in the ocean tomorrow. Dare I say the longer sets felt good? Really seemed like I caught a groove. Not saying I was faster or anything but it just clicked and felt like I could keep going. JT used your tip of counting down the laps. Really helped.
JT: patience is key. just keep plugging away.
Did the 2hr 10min run today (my assigned time):
16.89miles;
trail run except for ~2.0miles;
764feet of climbing;
2:10:02.20;
7:43/mile avg pace.
4 x 30steps to get fuel in, but needed more. took in 100calories and burned 2097calories!
actually bought fuel last night and left it at home! by the way, performance bike shop has powerbar gels 24pack on sale for 50% off (14.99/24pack).
tomorrow is the Tour of california Mt.Baldy stage with socal folks and my big day will be sunday, but with the swim at the end.
have a great and safe big day!!
oh and i tease about running with music, but if it works for you and the volume is low enough to hear people/cars around you, then it's a free country. however, if you feel like running is your weak point and you want to improve or run injury free, then lose the music! running long distances requires a lot of focus, like a space shuttle mission or like meditation. your feet are sending you enormous amounts of information during a long run and you have to respond quickly and gracefully....it's awesome!!
gh
The first go-around, I wasn't able to get all the bike done (3:30), and I fell apart on the run (:45). This go-around, after several double bike weekends, it was not too bad. Negative split the bike and the run fairly solidly. I am starting to believe that I might actually be able to hold it together for 140.6 miles...still seems like a long way!
way to go, stephen!
hope the big day is going well for everyone.
>8000feet climbing on the bike in the books for today. stage 7 of TOC will be a good one! i missed the official sign in for today's ride due to work, but improvised the route and still made it up to the ski lifts.
tomorrow (the big day) will ride the tribike for the first time since a January!
gh
@ Stephen - I'm with you. Finally believing that I may be able to hold it together for 140.6, but it sure does seem like a long way.
@ GH - Nice climbing. You'll be ready for the hills of Idaho.
I did the Big Day. Swam 2800 yds in 62 minutes per the workout. Just cruised along and never felt out of control. Felt like I could have gone much further. On the ride, I took it EZ since I had a new fit yesterday that is much more aggressive. Legs felt fine but I could feel the extra stress on my neck in aero. Rode 68 miles in 4 hours flat for avg speed of 16.7 mph. Stayed in HR Z1 almost the entire way, but picked it up at the end. Infinit and H2O worked well, no stomach problems. My run was awesome. Ran 7.3 miles in 60' 30". Ran mile splits of 9:05, 8:57, 9:01, 8:24; 8:05, 7:37 and 7:05. The last 2 pushed me into HR Z3 and Z4 but I felt strong so I wanted to see what I could do. Surprised that I could run that pace coming off a 4 hour ride. Time for some ice on the knees and a day off tomorrow. Yeah!!
I hope everyone had a good day.
How did everyone else do?
Felt pretty good overall.
@Michael - I agree, what a perfect day for the bike in the Pacific Northwest - 60 and sunny was just cool enough to keep from sweating on the bike.
Swim was good. 2900 yards in 59 minutes and roughly backing out the rest periods it was 51:50 of actual swim time for a 1:47/100 yard pace. This was all pull and inclusive of a very easy 500 at the end so guess my work sets were a little slower than my T pace for pulling. Also felt like 4224 yards wouldn't have been a problem at all.
Was under-dressed for the bike. It was low 40s when I started (and 60 when I finished) and I was rockin' bare legs and hands. Felt really stiff and never felt loose for the whole ride. Looking at the file I was in a half asleep 127 avg HR range (164 is my LT) and managed only 176NP for the 1st 2 hours. Way too easy for my supposedly 284 FTP (last test ofthe OS). 2nd 2 hours was better at a 191NP, but still below the 198 or so goal ironman pace as per my FTP and a .70 IF target. All-in I feel like I have lost 15 watts of FTP since last OS test... so may be adjusting my goal numbers a bit after the next test.
Run felt really great after the typically wobbly first mile. Had to cut it short at 42 minutes because I had a 10yr little league baseball practice to coach, but dramatically more would have been a non-issue. Knew it would be short, so pushed Z2/Z3 for the last 22 minutes.
My T1 and T2 were roughly 15min and 10min respectively.
Lowfat chocoalte milk as a recovery drink and then went straight to a 2-hour practice after that and ran around a bunch in the outfield. Drank one bottle of water in 2 hours. Got home and weighed myself... down 6.5 lbs (or over 3%). Yikes. Also had that familiar nauseous feeling toward the end of practice... right around the 8 hour mark of physical activity and the exact time I felt it during the ironman last year (about the start of the run last year).
Need to hydrate better. Will switch from ~20oz/hr to 30oz/hr on my long rides and for RR and see if that doesn't fix my wagon. I peed once after swim and once at about the 1.5hr mark on the bike (I stopped for the record) and then zero until after I got home from practice.
@Art- Well, at least you learned a lot with the day. Isn't it always the basics that we always have to continue to learn??? It happens to me quite a bit. If you're coming to the race rehearsal in Idaho, we won't let you make the mistake of taking it too easy