11 weeks to go
This week for me is about trying to keep the momentum going with kids starting school, post-hurricane road closures, and rain, rain rain on the East Coast! Also feeling the effects of a great training week last week - so tired. Great 6.5 mile run with 1 mile z4 intervals yesterday but really flat swim this morning. Had to remind myself that we're only 8 weeks away from the taper; but, it already started creeping into my head that the dark, cold mornings are going to make it a tough slog. Had to ditch the run tonight and hope that some rest will bring back the positive vibes. How's your IMAZ motivation this week?
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Holy crap! People are posting in the IMAZ Group!?
And one of them is Alexander!? It's a big week! 
My training is going well. Hitting all the sessions. I have the HIM on Sunday so modifying this week, but only slightly. Still doing the long run tomorrow and riding (not swimming) and running Friday. Will take saturday off. The HIM will be my Big Training Day that is actually on my Plan for the following Saturday. I may still do that one, if I am feeling like it.
I am switching some of the swimming for running as my swim is fine, but my run needs work.
So, who is next?
Today is going to be a test for me as with the leg issues and some other issues I have going on getting in a 2 hour run will be hard. I will use this as a judgement day.
Good luck to all.
The cold dark mornings are NOT helping the situation any. It's hard to get out and get the "work" done. Working on a new strategy to get my workouts done later in the day. IMAZ is too close to start fading now.
This past weekend did 3 big bike days for a total of 150+ miles and 11,000'ish feet of gain. Normally I would take a day off after a weekend like that, but instead just pushed ahead. Had a great swim and sore run on Tuesday. Then had a good ride and sore run on Wednesday. I was going to switch my friday swim and Thursday long run because of the soreness but decided to give the run a try this morning. Low and behold I hit all my paces for prescibed times and finished strong. The 2x12's @ zone 3 were killers, but was able to hold a 6:50 pace. Tomorrow is the friday swim day and will add an extra 1000 yards or so as I am trying some new things out attempting to shave 5-10 minutes off my IM swim split. Saturday won't be the prescribed bike since I am doing a 114 mile race (8000' gain) on sunday. Probably just go out for 10 mile run with a little speed stuff thrown in. Next week is typically the week that I start to crash and feel like I can't go on. We'll see how that works out. Right now I feel like I am on the edge of falling into the crater of doom, the work load has started to build and the lack of rest and sleep is taking it's toll.
@Aaron - good idea to get healthy. I know what you mean about getting up early. Most of my run this morning was in total darkness. Hard to wake up to that.
@Steve - Sounds like you are getting in a lot of volume. Good work. Be careful not to fall off the edge.
Feeling pretty good about my run fitness. On the long run today I definitely felt some fatigue from last weeks run focus. However, I feel like my bike fitness is not improving much. Hopefully I can get some bike mojo back.
@Steve - How was the run?
@Aaron - good call. Plenty of time for some extra rest and make the push at the end, if needed,
@Steve- These sentences say it all: " Next week is typically the week that I start to crash and feel like I can't go on. We'll see how that works out. Right now I feel like I am on the edge of falling into the crater of doom, the work load has started to build and the lack of rest and sleep is taking it's toll." Uh, maybe throttle back a bit now so you don't crash next week? Just sayin', brotha.
@David - I will give you some of my bike mojo for some of your run mojo. :-)
I did the long run this morning. A very hilly 12 miles (see pic below). Since I have the HIM on Sunday I wanted to go slow but have a little work involved since I didn't want to fatigue myself too much by including the intervals. At mile 10.19 I was done. Was already over 90 degrees by that time and heat kills me. But I finished. NGP was 9:22.
@David - Nice. Hope to get it by Sunday for the Big Kahuna HIM in Santa Cruz. I am gonna need a lot of help there.
Nice day getting ready for the Big Kahuna HIM on Sunday. Did a short ride and t-run this morning getting things dailed in.
And ain't nothin' purdier than a tidy transition set-up. Other than the wet suit, everything fits on a hand towel.
Looking forward to giving my new Speedfil A2 a good test on race day as well.
I'm finally back on the grid after a week in Montana @ middles daughter's wedding/shindig, and then 24 hour work shift yesterday. I'm at the point in training where, if I do less than 2.5 hours in a day, I feel like I'm just treading water. Today: 3100 yards swimming in the AM, then the weekly long run in the PM. 13.7 mi/1:55, hitting the HM 12' intervals in 7:07 pace, and the 20' MP at the end in 8:00 (uphill). 4 hour tri-group ride tomorrow, then OWS and 2-3 hour ride home on Sunday. I'm averaging just about 100 TSS pts/day between biking and running at this point, but that should go up this weekend! The extra oxygen at sea level is most noticable in my running intervals, which are faster. Swimming is no faster a sea level than @ 8000'. I'll see how much I've gained (if anything) on the bike on S/S.
The run went good on thursday 10.25 miles in 1:38 following my run walk plan, next up is the cardiologist on Monday to really get the clearance.
So I am 42...am I on the old team or young team?
OK, took your advice and slept in on Friday. Good thing because I was too stiff to even walk. Took friday off of any workouts and did my swim today (saturday) No riding for me today as I am doing the High Pass Challenge here tomorrow, a 114 mile ride up to the top of Mt St Helens (8000' gain) and it's supposed to be 90 degrees. It's a 7-11 hr ride so that should more than fill my riding requirements for the weekend. Will get back at the regular schedule on Monday.
Thanks for the kick in the nutz, Starkman!
Today's ride: 4 hrs, 75 mi, work intervals from 0.75-0.875 IF. I spent the entire ride pulling 2-6 others in my tri-club's weekly ride, all except Super Bruce, who is planning to go 55/4:55/3:25 @ IM AZ. (I did let one whiner lead for 6 miles downhill, as he seemed to need the ego boost.) A few dropped off, not from my massive wattage, but because one young fella got stung by a bee, and he is allergic. Luckily, it happened right next to the firing range on the Army base where we ride; there's always a medic unit out on the range whenever live ammo is involved. And this being bee season, then had the epi pen ready.
Nothing like leading the massive group of roadies around (only tri/tt bike in about 60 bikes today) up slight hills into a headwind at less than FTP! booyah!
Good work, all.
Did my HIM today. Good swim and bike. Averaged 20 MPH on a rolly course on Pacific Coast Highway @ .78 IF. Capping a 40 miles run week so zero pep in the legs for the run, as expectd. No issues at all with them. They are just tired. But got it done. Had nothing to do with the bike.
Goals for today were to dial in nutrition (reacquaint myself), work on transisitions and get an overall feeling with where I am at with my fitness. Will post race report tonight.
Overall . . . . . . my fitness is going in the right direction. Just need to stay hyper focused on the running. Have A LOT of work to do.