16 Weeks to IMWI
Monday! 
3 days of rest for me while I was at brother's wedding reception, and 24 hours of travel to get to and fro SC so? a bit tired this morning! 
However, heading out for a run and also a newspaper interview right after that for my IM experiences. Pics at 9 and interview at 1 and yes a bit nervous! well so okay my mother gets interviewed for her first 5k at 69.5 years old and her fundraising for American Cancer and she mentions me.. and that gal interviews me for my mother's story and then refers me to some other gal and I get a call too! 
okay I have re read Sports Nutrition by Nancy Clark being a passenger in the car and also recent Bicycling mag. did you check out Lim's advice for Lance? ie the strings of yarn for aero? the nutrition book had great advice too. gotta scoot and get ready! dont' know about you but 3 days and 2 of those in a car, and I feel like a slug!!
THE JOY OF RUNNING, MAY YOU HAVE IT THIS WEEK!
my nephew age 3
his brother
my niece on the right
Comments
@Marianne - For some reason I've felt like a slug since getting back from travel last week. Last week simply stunk for me for workouts and I don't know what's going on. I barely managed to get anything done and yet feel like I got hit by a truck. During my one and only run last week my quads (both) felt like something got pulled/torn and for the next 5 days anything I tried with my legs was more difficult - best I managed was a 2x15 @ 100%/90%. Tried my ABP ride on Saturday (was switching things up to ride with my tri group on Sun) and barely got an hour into it and had to stop because my legs ached so much. Bailed on the Sun tri group ride and rested yet again. Legs are feeling better today, but I'm still feeling really beaten down.
Goal for today is to just get out and run for 45-60' at whatever pace feels comfortable and see what happens. Hopefully things will be better than the last 2 weeks. Tomorrow was supposed to be a 2x20 but think I'm going to back down to a 2x15 just to see if I can nail it before progressing. Also have a bike fit tomorrow to fit me to the borrowed TT bike I'm going to use for IM-Moo - hopefully. Not looking much beyond that this week, but know that I do need to start swimming so I need to find some time to review the swimming eBook since I'll likely be swimming on my own most of the time this summer and not with my tri club's masters group.
Marianne,
One day I will beat you and the others for the first post of the week. I may need to stay up until midnight, but somehow I feel like that is cheating.
I went out and got a good swim this am. I am really starting to feel energized. I have reshuffled my goals and I think my head is finally in a good place.
I am even going to restart my blog in an atempt to keep me honest. I know that I am a seasoned lurker, but I am calling out all the othe IMMOO people to chime in. Last year during the build up for IMCdA, we had a pretty nice sized group and I think we really fed off each other. I have a really tough weekend ahead as I am working during the long holiday weekend. I am reqally bummed that I will not be able to make it up to Madison for the weekend. I will be living through your updates about the IMMOO meet up. I hope to get up there later in the sumer. Let's have another good week of training.
Todd
I wanted to get that swim in this morning but just could not get out of bed to make it happen. Jet Lag is killing me! I'm hoping to get there tonight or tomorrow. This week will be a little mini recovery week so I can absorb all that work we did last week. My legs are still tired!
tony: travel wears me out so don't be too hard on yourself and you were wise to cut workouts short
Kitima and Nemo, you too!
so my interview for newspaper went I hope okay but really just not even sure what I said, but anyways she asked me about my times and my goals... and that got me thinking and I pulled this up. and my answer to her I am repeating to you. let's just say that training is going well and legs are cooperating, what are the EN thoughts on me going 13:30 - 13 hours?? ie who has done what course and wondering how to compare apples with oranges!!?? just speculating here. you know how we do....
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http://www.bayareatri.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=a7892f5273d352716b81dd714c4b2e04&action=search-races-results&firstname=Marianne&lastname=Park
interpretation of data:
2009 LP: the swim was my fastest because there literally is a cable inside the lake!! and you can easily sight off this underwater line so to speak!! so when you swim you don't get off course! maybe my training was improving! then the bike? well it was 3200 feet of elevation, one of the hardest Ironmans and remember my thyroid was "off" so I was "tired" and you can see that I was slower on the bike. The run, well my right IT band flared up and literally I couldn't run so walked 1/2 of this!! iliotial band is what that is and a common "runners injury" that also flared up when I did Disney marathon Jan 09, interesting that I also did that marathon in right under 6 hours! (no swim or bike beforehand!)
2008 CDA: you can see this is my fastest time and one that I want to work from and get even faster. The swim was my slowest as the water temp on race day was a frigid 58 and I got very cold. The cold even affected my bike but a hilly course and windy and still my fastest bike time. This run was also my best and I felt like I coulda run faster but that pesky IT band in right leg, (outside of right knee on leg) flared up at mile 22! so you can see that this year (2010 and 2009) I have gotten PT and going for massages and continue to stretch and etc to keep those legs working!! This race was 14:15 and today I told you that I would like a 13:30 for Madison or even 13 hours. This will be tough and further on into my training I will be able to predict closer what my times are. From each age group, 1 - 2 winners are picked to go to world Championship in Kona, HI (the one people are used to seeing on TV).. I am hours away from this as peeps in my AG are doing 10:45 - 11:00.
2007 KY: The swim was in the Ohio River with a strong current, no wetsuit and nasty smell so not terribly fast but okay. My bike time was not swift but about 100 degrees out there and another hilly course! my run I told you about today when it cooled down to 90 degrees and I felt good on this run! No IT or piriformis problems.
2006: My first Ironman and all goals are "just to finish". You can see that I am not speedy in this ocean swim but I thought the swim was great and so cool to be in the ocean! this bike was a flat and windy course and I had only been cycling for 1.5 years. and yes on the run that right IT had flared up and I walked 1/2 of this race too!
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A. in review of my five marathons: Three I had my right IT flare up and walked it to come in right under 6hours, and one of those a migraine! my fastest marathon was 4:28 in December 2005.
B. you can see that by having to walk 1/2 of the marathon, I lose 1 hr ten minutes ish on the run.
C. I have only gotten about 17' faster on the swim since I started, so yes I want to improve but a smart person would focus on keeping my right IT and piriformis healthy so when pressed for time, I need to focus on those two areas or pick up the maintenance as I have done with scheduled massages and little exercises, stick and the like and you will see me cut out run workouts if I feel any pain... not being a hypochondriac but preserving my legs as in my training in the past, have been some of my best workouts only to then come apart on race day. I still need to prevent swimmer's shoulder from returning. cold water races slow me down as do being cold on the bike.
E. Nutrition is good. Recovery is good too so thinking aloud here, y'all can keep me honest by preventing any injuries and keeping me working on my bike!
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so what about you? m
@Marianne- we got the same 90+ temps up here so rides Sat, Sun and run today were HOT! My gosh- I've forgotten what summer heat feels like. Now add another 10 degrees & some good old fashioned humidity and we've got ourselves Jul/Aug in KY! Had to break back out the S-caps for rides!!
The run legs feel surprisingly good, but kept it in check and shut it down at 30 min with some pick ups and the like. Overall, not nearly as trashed as I was last year following the ToC, but also did a much better job of monitoring the daily work and resting where I could. Last year was definitely a first day hero, last day zero for me. this year, the last day was my best from a wattage perspective.
Planning to swim and do a hard run tomorrow. Feels like I haven't run in FOREVER. hahaha.
Funny stat- down 2 lbs + 2% BF following the ToC. how in the hell does that happen!? I monitor everything at home, go out there, eat like it's my job and poof. magic.
Weather in NE has been GORGEOUS! I finally decided it was time for OWS. Wouldn't you know it, the water was warm enough to go without a wetsuit! I still wore it since the race 6/19 will be colder. Met up with some older guy and we swam together for safety. No sprinting, just cruising along around the lake. My shoulders were quite fatigued. It's so much more work to move my arms in that thing. I just keep saying- "2 weeks of diving in a thicker wetsuit and you'l totally be adjusted to wetsuit wearing". So it was a really nice swim. Still doing my push ups and core work Mon and Fri mornings since swimming has been an evening activity. IM training will reverse all that next month.
Ran this morning. Like Linda, my TSB was -49.4, a huge hole for me. I didn't feel that bad, but didn't want to tempt fate. Stuck to MS only and was done in 45 minutes instead of 60. I was good with that.
Marianne and Kris- I hear you on the goals for training and racing. I keep having nervous visions of twisted or broken ankles and bike crashes. Really wanting to stay healthy and get to the start line. I am energized with running and plan to work on negative splitting, basically really forcing myself to start slow. Despite the EN philosophy, I start off too fast more often than I care to admit. Finish strong is the plan. Nurtrition is another thing. Full strength Infinit personal mix occasioanlly is making me "loose" shall we say. I am playing with the mix, but I am pretty sure it is an osmolarity issue, calories seem good. More tweaking required.
Warm weather here! Not as stinkin hot as the rest of you, but early season hot here. I love it! Today was really the first humid day and I was grinning like a fool on that run!
Hello all from the Alabama Gulf Coast!! Started the week off with an ABP ride Sunday. Even after coming down here for years, I forget how pancake flat it is. The only "hill" is the bridge over the pass. From then on, just miles of blacktop and sanddunes to the side.
Yesterday, I did a short swim around the pier- It was a bit tough, because Belle kept trying to follow me out and I would have to turn back to get her back to shore. Cute though.
Today, I got up early as I knew how quickly it would get HOT once the sun gets up. The sun wasn't up, but good LORD was it H U M I D !! I just don't know how the native folks tolerate it. I will be out even earlier for the Thursday long run.
Su gave me a new Tyr tankini which I wore this morning and carbon Gorilla cages for my bike. Installed those this afternoon, so the bike is ready for tomorrow's ride.
Started the week at -48 TSB, but feeling good. Teeny, tiny bit mentally frayed, so I took yesterday off. Could y'all check in on being ~ -50 TSB? Is that a good size hole for you? How much deeper do you go without time off? How do you feel physically at about -50? I'm trying to set some parameters for myself this go round. They'll be fluid, but I want to be smart.
Back at it today, and ran 5 in the glorious morning heat! So HOT here--94 on my thermometer. Yipeee!!!!! Here in NE we know this too shall pass.
Wasn't at the top of my game this morning, but it was warmer than I am used to. Ran 2 x .5 miles, 1 x mile at TP, and one steep hill home.
Like Michele, I think I'll check out the OW tomorrow and head to Walden, after the bike. Works out better for me to ride first.
Another question--if I feel I need some extra time off, or to skip a workout, I'm thinking the swim is the first thing to go? Yes, no yes?
Sometimes the legs can't take a run, but that aside, I think the swim is where I'll cut back if needed.
Great points, M. The bike handling issue, oy. Yes, it could always use work. V. good ideas. Thanks!
When feeling tired and in need of rest, I actually find swimming to be a better alternative. Not the fast paced, hard work of Master's, but just getting out and moving gently but steadily. Not using my legs and letting them trail behind me in the cool water feels great. I do more pulling.
This is also the first time that I am consciously thinking- "I'm tired, but not wiped out. I can do the MS, but I'll skip the 85% or HMP." I am doing the work and not over doing the rest of the workout.
As for TSB- Starting back at the holiday run challenge, I found that 0 to -20 I am OK. -20 to -30 is monitor everything. -30 to -50 is usually the weekend. Hurts to run. Beyond -50 I need to rest. N=1 here.
Cute, cute pictures!
Hm. The pain of getting to the pool may definitely be a factor. Now that I can walk to the pool, I rarely ever skip the swim. I'm starting to be of Michelle's school -- that's the workout that makes me feel better. But I will cut a swim in half. I rarely ever do that with a bike or run.
Goals? I have this tri bike that was had exactly one ride outside, and I had the bike handling grace of a six year-old. New pedals, new saddle, new position outside, new shifting. Riding outside and riding on the trainer are to different things. A huge goal for me is becoming truly comfortably with this bike and figuring out how to be locked in aero outside.
Swimming. Retire my breast stroke completely for racing. I think I'm close. I don't care if it takes me two hours to swim my upcoming 1/2. No breast stroke!
The last one is abstract. In my head, I think there was a ceiling, some sort of declared safe area of working out and pushing myself that I want to destroy. What's above it? I want to find out.I learned something in epic tri week that may help this goal: My body doesn't seem to remember the all the hurt of the workout the next day, or even minutes after I stop. Pain, it seems, is temporary.
It's not that I'm not comfy on my TT bike, it's just that I get SO nervous with cars around. It's kinda weird, I know I don't spend nearly as much time in the bars as I should in training, yet on race day, I'm there without a problem. Working on the training fear factor....
Today was a good day. I feel like I need to take a shade off a bit this week and recover some so this morning I did 75' ride with only 1x 10 @ ;FT and the rest straight on through to home at 85%. But Jeez, I did the 10' at 10 W over FT.
2 mile brick run after. Then I went to masters and swam 2,200 feeling-good meters. I'm cutting the LR short tomorrow to ~ 70', and keeping the pace easy. I should be all set for the weekend.
Happy day everybody!
Excellent thoughts. I picked up the current issue of Bicycling at lunch and am looking forward to reading about Lance. I'll keep up with the core work, too. I may have a resurrect the 5 a.m. bike rides soon and try out this aero position.
Last night, I did Saturday's scheduled 4x5x30/30s and then a brick run -- to the gym, where I did lots of core work, including those pesky supermans.
This morning, I actually woke up and a did a morning workout. My legs are still a little cooked from last weekend's adventures and it was already fairly hot and humid, so the 2x1/2, 2x1 at TP became a 4x1/2 and a 1x1.
Tonight? Off to yoga and the pool!
On the bike- yes- have a strong core benefits you in all three disciplines. Having a good bike fit and being able to relax are also major keys to being super aero!
After 3 swims at the lake last week and again on Monday I never want to go to the pool again. The water temp is great and it is so nice just to swim uninterupted. I did 100 repeats on Monday, just counted 75 strokes then repeated. Didn't care about direction, just focused on breathing and technique, it was great .
Trying to cut down on intesity with my 70.3 coming up a week from Sunday, not easy letting up especially on those group rides where the ego tends to get in the way. I'm finding I need just as much discipline to taper as I do to push it on those hard days.
Those of you that will be doing the 12 week program into IM Wis, will you be doing a one or 2 week transition period prior to and if so what do you plan on doing during that period?
Hi Bob!
I will taper closer to 2.5-3 weeks. I did that last time for FL and did not regret one minute of rest. It took me until Tues of race week (FL is on a Sat.) to feel, "there it is, I'm good to go." Everybody is different and I need to bring it down big time. I think I was +40 TSB.
That said, I will the start of the 12 week plan in early June to build in rest and recovery during the plan, and allow for the longer taper.
long run = fail. cut it short to an hour (totally snuck home through the woods) and will save the real long run till the weekend. earlier in the week I had some lofty goals of jumping back in, but time to revise those and do no harm instead.
new plan for the week:
M-off
T- easy run
W- easy run
Th- 60 min run
Fri- bike
Sat- ride + OW swim
Sun- long run + OW swim
Mon- ride + OW swim
Long run this morning here on Ono Island. Got out @ ;6 to beat the sun, but had SUPER high humidity and temp of just under 80. My pace was easily 15 sec slower/mile than usual. Lovely scenery- marshes, blooming oleander, herons, egrets, blue sky and gorgeous water.
OK G, we all want to be you this week! Really, really nice.
Got in 7.5 this morning with 2x10' at HMP, and as much of the rest at MP pace. Cut the distance back today from 10 to 7.5 to get a bit of an easier week under my belt.
@Bob- I think I was afraid to OWS this year since last year was sooooo cold. Now I totally wish I had started sooner, like when you said it was time. I finished the OS a few weeks back ( I think) and actually jumped right into the IM plan. This is of course not recommended. But I am leaving next Wednesday for 2 weeks of scuba diving in Costa Rica, living on a boat. So I will not be biking or running at all. I doubt I will swim much since we dive 3 or 4 times/ day, and the wetsuits are 5mm (think harder to move and forget swim). We return the Wednesday before Patriot. Should be a nice race taper/ transition. Then jump into 12 week IM.