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Week 18 IMC
Wow, some of you posted some big miles this past weekend.
Here we are, Week 18, our last really big week and our final race rehearsal on Saturday and even a day off on Sunday I believe! We are getting close. I'm looking forward to having a better race rehearsal then my last one, executing my race day nutrition plan and dialing the watts back a little from what I attempted last one. Also need to see if I can my new tubes and tires put on before Saturday.
The Race Guide for Athletes is now posted as well as the bib number list. Saw that the sports drink is indeed Gatorade and not Endurance or Perform and they are using honey stinger branded bars/gels. Site also talks about how unusually warm the lake is for this time a year and could be a non-wetsuit swim. When I checked the weather this weekend it was 90 degrees same as here in Seattle but hopefully cooler days are ahead for us. I also believe there are wildfires currently burning nearby which is making the whole area smoky.
Have a great training week. Time for us to start writing and posting our race plans.
Here we are, Week 18, our last really big week and our final race rehearsal on Saturday and even a day off on Sunday I believe! We are getting close. I'm looking forward to having a better race rehearsal then my last one, executing my race day nutrition plan and dialing the watts back a little from what I attempted last one. Also need to see if I can my new tubes and tires put on before Saturday.
The Race Guide for Athletes is now posted as well as the bib number list. Saw that the sports drink is indeed Gatorade and not Endurance or Perform and they are using honey stinger branded bars/gels. Site also talks about how unusually warm the lake is for this time a year and could be a non-wetsuit swim. When I checked the weather this weekend it was 90 degrees same as here in Seattle but hopefully cooler days are ahead for us. I also believe there are wildfires currently burning nearby which is making the whole area smoky.
Have a great training week. Time for us to start writing and posting our race plans.
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Comments
There's an IMC thread on ST....veterans say not to worry about warm water .....smoke in the air that's a different story
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/IM_Canada_Whistler_Q&A_Thread_P5609490/
I have not posted much for the past couple of weeks. I have been on an emotional/training roller-coaster. I did my "camp week" at end of wk 16. It was horrible. Had to start the Fri ride in mid-afternoon and it was scorching hot. This was due primarily to lack of sleep during the week and long days at work. (also some lack of discipline for not getting out of bed). I have been riding the "hilliest" roads I can find, which are also chip-seal and pretty rough. I can usually do 112mi in ~6hrs (without aero stuff) in reasonable conditions and fairly flat course. The hills and road surfaces really slow me down and I did ~100 in 6:00. I then quit less than a mile into the run....just didn't want to do it anymore. Too hot. Miserable. No motivation. No hope of having a good race. Missed too many workouts in the past two months (family comes first....5 kids and wife). I came VERY close to cancelling our flights/reservations/etc., but my wife convinced me that I had done too much to quit now (ironically, part of the reason I am/was having more trouble this year than last (IMTX) is that I've not trained as hard as I did last year, when I was a "rookie"). It has taken more motivation to do many of the workouts this year, for a variety of reasons. This will probably be my last triathlon for many years, as my kids' activities are just too much to try to juggle with my wife. I've nearly quit and backed out of this thing too many times to remember. But, I don't want to be a quitter....never have.
I then again couldn't get out of bed and it was supposed to be cooler saturday, so I again (stupidly) tried to ride in the afternoon/evening. Quit after 56 miles and a massive bonk/heat exhaustion scenario. So tired. Needed sleep/rest.
Did my sunday long run after dark....10miles, horrible/angry and then quit. Almost cancelled flights/registration again, but logged onto the website, read some stuff, and then went back out (in the middle of the night....it was finally not so hot!) and did another 5miles.
Last week was much better. Still not feeling as prepared as last year, but at this point it's too late to quit! Logically, I should have quit 2-4 wks ago, as this IM thing just does not make sense in my life/family right now. I feel selfish. But, this is a vacation for my wife and I and I hope to just enjoy it and do what I can. I've trained as much as I realistically can. It is what it is!
Long run on Friday went great. Finally. 18miles in 2:47 with nice negative split
Rode 4.5hrs Saturday and 3.5 on sunday, all hills again. Now my main problem is my undercarriage. Chamois butter is just not enough! I've never had saddle sore problems before. Just walking was painful yesterday!
Just need to get through this week/weekend (on call
) and then wk 19 (which last year I recall was not as "taper-ific" as I had hoped!) and I will make it (I guess 
).
I feel that I was probably most prepared for my first ironman because I was so scared of what it would take to complete and have a respectable showing. Didn't want to miss a workout, read everything I could, and most importantly had a very strong Mental One Thing x 4 that was driving me to achieve this life goal. That lessened to some extend with my second ironman but I still had the motivation of ok I've completed one but let me see what I can really do on the second one. I find myself for this race, my third full IM, needing to come up with what that one thing is of Why I am really doing this race. I've got some ideas but I need to solidify them as I begin to write my race plan.
I too think this is my last year for long course racing. I signed up for IMAZ so I've got one more race to excel at (my revenge race since IMAZ was my first IM) and then I can hang it up for awhile. Kids are at that age where they are involved in a lot of activities and I want to be there with them for that. Maybe just race Olympics or 1 HIM but certainly something with less training time.
As for your race rehearsal....well you live in Texas and it is god awful hot and so I think you can cut yourself some slack. The fact that you went out 3 days in a row on camp weekend and gave it what you had to give certainly counts for a lot. Don't beat yourself up on that. You've got a great base under your belt and your 18 miles last week proved that. Find yourself some cortizone cream and neosporin and you'll get thru this.
Looking forward to meeting the whole team in Whistler.
Hey Hey Cool Kids!
Finally turning my attention from IMCDA to Whistler - so exciting. Bouncing back fairly well and got a long ride in over the weekend and hoping for a solid one this Friday. Then I suppose it's time to (re) taper! Sincerely looking forward to meeting everyone!
Are there any really, really critical points that come up in that thread? Is it a worthwhile read? I tend to get a little fired when reading ST, and want to quiet my mind by avoiding it. But if there's killer stuff, let me know!
Dave....I have the same issue with ST....I find too many negative folks/haters/smack talk. I read the first page of this forum thing...it's nothing huge or terribly helpful that I recall. The one thing I did "learn" is that the locals seem to think that warmer temps = more snow melting and running into the lake, which in the end doesn't likely raise the temp much if any. ?? OK. Not an issue in Texas so I can't comment on validity!
JL
Trying to psych up for big RR day (Friday for me.) Work load, travel Sunday, etc. I hear through these posts the struggles between discouragement and frustration verses encouragement and feeling "solid." Everyone seems to have weeks covering the gamut. Such a physical and mental mind game the preparation is - and management personal expectations a moving target.
So - to Jeff L, I hope you are feeling better. I sat there reading your post and was so relieved to know it was not just me going from one end of the spectrum to the other. I hope you are feeling more wind in your sails.
Cheers to everyone on their last push. And to the person that posted the great huge successful mega week of training with many McFlurries - thanks for the laughter! I actually rode through In and Out Burger on my bike I was so hungry (pre-IronMan) and they actually served me like I was in a car...made my day.
Had a good bike last nite in spite of preworkout blues....set a couple PR's on my 2 climbs....looking forward to the last long run tonite but weather looks fugly....i'm set for sat RR and forecast looks good.....sunny 75....rest of the weekend to be spent with grandaughter (20 months) who's visiting....:-)
next week = final bike tuneup, mount race tires/tubes, packing, etc.......
best to the folks mentally struggling. you will finish fine. enjoy the spectacular scenery. it is a fun course. really. have fun out there.
this race will be an experiment for me. did texas in may. then last minute cda. then last minute signed up for this. this probably will be last iron for a full year so just going to hang it out there and go with it.
looks like will be cold race morning and much of the bike. I am a cold wimp (and hot wimp), so I plan on some aero layers.
I may not see you folks until race day. so say hi on the run. shout your name, first and last, and I will try to do the same. I will have the standard EN top on the run. I am male. 6 foot 6 inches. 183 lbs.
recovery and brief ramp up is going ok. if only there wasn't the work thing. naps are really helpful and I miss them on work days. it is amazing how the mental effort of work seems to impact recovery.
You pipped Tim Cronk in the chute at another race this year, right? I'm watching my back starting at mile 26.
davor thanks much.
last year i did get around Tim Cronk at texas but we were in different age groups.
last year to age race with you as i am 50 next year.
yes watch your back.
Hmmmm....cool morning.....bike clothing? I have no idea what to do. Only have done one tri in cool enough conditions that tri top was not gonna work. Wore long sleeve dri-fit shirt with cycling jersey on top.
Would welcome any suggestions.....tube socks on arms (throw away when warms up)?....arm warmers (not gonna want to throw them away)....arm coolers (white) but don't wet them on purpose?.....or long sleeve dry-fit type shirt (tight) over/under tri top?
I have no idea...I live in South Texas! Help...!!
Weather was so nice in Seattle today, cool, overcast.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend
Last big workouts done. IM swim in pool friday (1:20....<2' slower than couple of weeks ago?), then 108mi bike in 6:00 with ~3500ft climbing in very warm conditions (started in mid-90's and fell to upper 70's by end) at IF 0.66 (targetting 0.67) and VI 1.05. The run sucked though. Got it done, but vomited once and just felt horrible. No way I could've run a marathon. </p>
I'm having some new gut problems. For IMTX I drank Perform and Perform gels and it worked perfectly. The gatorade endurance seems to have been working too, but the regular gatorade (I think that's the problem....or the heat?) is making me nauseated on the run. I tried eliminating the salt sticks after my last RR (nausea) thinking that the sodium pills might just not be dissolving or something (I also don't believe that we need as much sodium as recommended). That wasn't the trick though...must be the gatorade.
I'm thinking I may try to make a gatorlyte solution to carry with me on the bike and run and squirt into my BTA when I refill it. Coach P used to do that (maybe he still does?). I'm gonna micro him about this. Anyone else having problems with regular gatorade?
I hate to try something new on race day, but what if both of your RR's were nutritional failures!?
I used Osmo for woman last year training and IronMan, this year gatorade and salt tabs. Really just wanted to follow the EN program. @Jeff - I did have nausea issues in the heat during camp week. I too am wondering about the amount of sugar. But - not going to change anything.
It is coming so soon!