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IMMT Week 6/17- 6/23 "TEST WEEK!"
Hope everyone enjoyed that rest day yesterday- because this is a test week! My swim this morning felt really strong- I'm actually looking forward to that 1000TT later this week (something I usually dread).
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Here's my AM swim file... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/329184268 click on the satellite option on the map to get a good view of my swimming hole Lake Winnisquam.... Set a PR on one leg this am .54 miles in 13:43 downwind LOL.... Almost always slower coming back and today was no exception at 14:37.... 1.75 miles in all.... Thats it for today... Headed to the LBS to get some mechanical bke stuff taken care of...
Yesterday was a quick 1.2 OWS , then 8 mile run done as 5 easy and 3 hard!
Tim- that looks like a beautiful OWS spot! I have several options around here- I'm surrounded by water. This Garmin activity should give you some idea (go to sattelite, scroll out). This activity happens to be one where I paddled a kayak from my house to a friends house. The sound is in my backyard.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/...w.facebook
That probably looks awesome and convenient, but it's actually not super great swimming. It's often choppy because it's fairly shallow (some places I could touch bottom with every stroke) and any little wind kicks it up (and it's almost always windy here). There's a "Swiming hole" on the other side of the little island you see (where my friend lives) that is less impacted by the winds because the sound is much deeper on that side. The sound generally is warmer than the ocean (so good for spring and fall). But in summer, I prefer to swim in the Ocean (as long as the jellyfish aren't bad). Only trouble with ocean swimming is it is hard to get a group together during the week. Pre/post work swims are during feeding time if you get my drift.
One of my favorite summer lunchtime workouts is to run 1 mile to the ocean, swim 1 mile, and then run 1 mile home.
http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/14/18959212-inside-the-coast-guards-rescue-swimmer-training-program?lite
How did everyone else do today.
No test for me... I did attempt one last week... Big failure... Can't seem to execute the 5/10/20 test... In order to hit my FTP # I have to go into the 1.05 power range , when I'm in that range I come apart quickly... But right below or right at FTP I can hold .... I had gone back to the 2x20(2) test with much better results but for some reason decided to try the 20min test last week (I'm going to work specifically on my 20 minute power next winter)... For now as long as I can hit targeted intervals and race at targeted paces I'm just gonna stay the course with current FTP. I have been addressing my weakness by working some v02 every week since December.
On a brighter note: Had an absolutely smoking OW swim this am , just crushing all past PB's... 1.15 miles in 31:22, intervals were .55 miles in 13:37 and .53 miles in 13:30, the rest was minute warm up , minute rest halfway, and minute down........ Looking forward to see what I can do next weekend....
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/329659896#
@Nemo nice test getting it done early! I'm hoping the thunderstorms stay away long enough for me to get it in after work... Otherwise I'll be slotting in the swim test tonight. I don't "Ride The Lightning"!
Steve- I lucked out on the weather. Scattered storms in the area all day and we actually rode towards the big dark clouds for the first half of the ride! Just kept my fingers crossed the radar (which I almost always check before heading out) didn't lie about the direction that cloud was going!
One problem I have with swapping out the swim test for the bike test is that if there are T-storms in the area, our YMCA closes the indoor pool as well. Ugh!
Tue AM - 1 hr core work with Miss Hotty Hotness (my personal trainer) and short 2.2 mile run
Tue PM - FTP test with increase from 220 to 227, followed by another short 2.2 mile run.
All my FTP tests are done indoors on my Power Beam trainer with Spinervals 27 "Threshold Test and Sufferfest" which includes a 20 min test after 28 mins of warm up including VO2 at 3x30 sec, 1x3 mins, and 3x1 min. I have never done a 2x20 and think I would die. Heck, I crap out of half the power tests I attempt. I was a little tired today so am very happy to take a bump up. BTW, I set the AC at 74 for this, but the avg temp in my pain cave was 83. I really heat that room up when I am cranking.
Good swim this morning. In years past I could NEVER finish an entire EN Swim workout inside an hour. I'd often have to skip "Main Set 2" or cut it down. Either they have changed those swim workouts to make them shorter or I've finally gotten some improvements on my swim. I'd like to think it's the latter! I guess we'll know for sure later this week when we do the swim test!
Wed AM - 4,000 yard swim + 3.75 mile run. Freakin' hot and humid right off the bat. Heck, it was still 78 before the sun came up. I was running quick through 3 miles then just cracked in the heat and jogged it in. Tonight, I am going to do Spinervals "Aero Base Builder 1" which is a mostly Z2 work-out on the drainer.
Got out yesterday afternnoon for a 6.7 mile tempo run.
This am ... 1.2 mile OWS , water temp was back down to 65 thanks to the air temp being 48 WTF??? 6th day in a row lake swim between .6 and 1.75 miles per day
Once it warms up I'm Headed out for an hour on the bike with some short FTP intervals and 3 mile brick run...
Be careful what you wish for! We've had a "bad" spring in TX thus far, barely getting over 80s for the longest time, with lots of rain. Then - BAM - all of a sudden, high-90s without any acclimatization whatsoever!
On the testing note, I'm actually taking this as more of a rest week and sticking with my current numbers. Need to dial it back a little before jumping back in head first for the final build to MT!
I won't be doing the 5K run test tomorrow (obvious reasons right?) and instead have decided to do a long 90-115min run/walk. I know we've got lots of folks tapering for IMMT and other stuff this weekend.
Is anyone planning to do the run test tomorrow?
Bike test for me today (bad storms yesterday). I'll swim again tomorrow then run test on Friday. I've been loading up on the beet juice...
@ Nemo - no run test for me tomorrow. The ruptured plantar fascia I suffered back in March put an 8 week hole in my running base. I am more concerned with recovering run volume than speed. Tomorrow I think I will get up early and run 8 miles before it gets too hot. Then maybe do 1 hour on the bike followed by a 7 mile run brick. Going for 15 straight just isn't going to cut it with the current weather. Anyway, that's the plan...subject to change.
No testing for me this week - actually very bad week work getting to leave for MT tomorrow. I have done nothing since the weekend. I am fighting the urge to do something stupid tonight or tomorrow before we leave. (I have 10 plus hours in the car - plenty of time to recover - right?)
Todays 5K run according to my Garmin 910 : Time 22:26.77, avg pace 7:14, max heart rate was 185, my quads were real tired at the end.
Well since we are a IM MT family on here, wanted to share this, as I know everybody at one time has gone through this. I think I have hit a little training wall here. I just moved my family to a new house on May 30, Did Rev 3 on June 2, and had my worst 70.3 time. Moving was real stressful, and my training the 2 weeks before that was sporadic at the very least. Right now my legs are really dead tired after biking and running. Hoping this goes away soon.
Well, my original plan was to do 90 minutes of run/walk today (1 min run/ 3 min walk). But due to a missed turn in the route I ended up with a little over 2 hours. Whoops! The good news is that my knee did OK. I iced it afterwards and took Naproxin, but so far so good. I ended up with almost 10 miles and averaged 12:15 pace with the run/walk. if I can keep that up for the IM and not have any knee trouble, I just might be able to finish under the cut off. So good news on that front!
Nemo, have you ever tried getting a massage by one who specializes is sports massages. I have one here in central NJ. She is awesome. A sports massage kicks your ass, and hurts like hell, but it sure works. I think your knee may benefit from it.
1000 meters in 21:00. That's 38 seconds faster than the TT in May and I'm fairly certain it's my PR for a 1000 TT.
At Nemo - I hate the swim test as much as I hate the other tests. It is hard to go through that pain when it isn't a race.