Week started pretty good, Monday's run wetn better than expected. My mile repeats were on pace yet almost a heart rate zone lower. Guess I should have TT'd again and adjusted oh well feeling good during those repeats beats running faster at thiis time in my books.
As I am traveling to race site this week, I have moved my bike to Tue and long run to wed so we can get on ferry thur night and have less of a drive fri with a couple hours of rest before doing the swim. I was just emailed by our friends there and it is really smoky this morning. Lots of fires up north in the valley with prevailing winds blowing in the smoke.
Traditionally, if it is really hot the winds will be from the south which would help with the smoke but means a headwind on the easiest part of the course from start to richter. If cooller like now, you get a tail wind to richter but smoke too.
Sorry if this is a silly question, but is it almost a guarantee that there will be smoke up there on race day? Are these from forest fires or deliberate burns?
Carie, the smoke is from forest fires. That said, 11 new ones over the weekend were human caused. There are like 350 fires in BC right now and 80% of the province is under extreme fire conditions. We need rain and less lightning.
Time to play catchup. Well it's been a weird and busy couple of weeks but I've been getting most of the work done and feeling not bad. With that being said, I hear you Carie - I'm starting to feel creaks all over the place (makes me wonder how much of a neurotic head case I'm going to be come taper time) and like Paul am not being shy about backing off the fast run stuff if I feel something not quite right.
I'll rewind a bit:
-Sunday the 24th: Did my RR. It went pretty well - here it is:
-Week of the 26th: Did a road trip to Drumheller/Calgary with the wife and kids. Left the bike at home and focused on running (sorry the timing didn't work out Wayne!). The closest I got to water were the waterslides in the hotel (our main criteria for lodging nowaday). The running felt pretty good, although a bit more on the treadmill than I would have liked.
-Last weekend: Did two long rides that went pretty well (not a lot left for Sunday but got it done). Rolling with the new shoes/pedals and they feel pretty good.
I'm heading to Jasper to camp this weekend (not ideal timing, but friend is here from out of town). Tentative plan is to bring the bike and get two days of good hilly rides in instead of RR#2, then do RR#2 next weekend (or possibly a weekday pending feedback).
Tim, have a safe recon trip and report back - Gordon, hope the stomach bounced back - Wayne, hope Saris is good to you, Paul - nice work sticking to the plan at 70.3 - Carie, hang in there!
Great work out there folks - always good/motivating to read your updates.
@ craig - yes the stomach is back to taking any and all food. I took a couple days off after that and I also had my brother's 40th birthday to recover from. Not the best timing in my IM build but he only turns 40 once so we spent the day at the lake and a few drinks in the evening. This slowed the recovery a little but we had a good time.
As for training I got in tomorrow's long run today due to scheduling. 2.5 hours felt good, much better than 2 last week. I only covered 13.1 so it's going to be a long day. I figure 5.5-6 hours best case, depending how long I can stay focused and push myself. I figure after 16-18 it will be tough but this is not supposed to be easy.
So I have the 3800 swim tomorrow and the final RR on Friday. I have moved everything up and taken a couple days off work to be able to head to the lake with some friend over the weekend. It's an annual trip we take so worth the effort. The only thing I will do at the lake is get the wetsuit on, first time in 3 years, and do an open water swim.
@Gordon.... great bounce back, 2.5 hr run at any pace will suffice.
My Tue bike went well, I had a 20min z4-5 session which was difficult. 2.5hr run last night, would have preferred a day off in between but travelling to race sight starting tonight. The run went well. Last couple of minutes of my 2nd 10min interval was off, needed a washroom break bad hard to focus until the finish where I knew there was a washroom and cold water. Car is all loaded, expect to hit BC Ferry for 6-7pm sailing to mainland where we drive for about 1 hr and bunk up at my sisters' place. Then after breakfast 4.5 hrs to our host's house in Penticton, rest a bit and then hit the lake for swim. Temp is cooling down a bit in the valley so we don't expect a real hot bike ride sat. we are launching from what is referred to as the 'spray park' just before the skaha lake beach front and about mile 4 on the run. This way we stay out of town traffic and can transition to run right on course.
Have a great weekend RR2 and train safe, we are alsmost there.
Yesterdays run was easy yet difficult!!! I ran my Z1 for an hour and then tried holding my Z1/2 for the next hour. I was successful in doing that but it was straight into mostly uphill; there aren't many flat spots where I live. I ended up cutting the run short at 2 hours for a total of 14 miles because I was feeling it and felt that the hills more than made up for the last half an hour!!! Also didn't want to cook myself for this weekend. Busy weekend coming up but it looks like my RR will be pushed back to sunday.
RR#2 on IMC course in the past. All went well given the conditions.
We arrived in Pnticton late afternoon to 32degree heat and huge chop on the lake. We did 2 out and back laps from Sicamous Ship to other beach. Locals consider this 1k each way. Given the rough water it was a great swim and even kind of fun at times as the waves were huge but not threatening.
The chop was a sign of weather change to come. the wind picked up late evening and we awoke to overcast and 19degrees. We checked out weather for the route and reallized we were not going to get in any heat training and had more than enough water and gatorade and we best be prepared for rain.
At the end, the ride was total success. We had it all, some heat, lots of wind, some rain and a couple of tail-wind assisted descents. For the most part the bike route is what it is. I was pretty dissapointed with the condition of MaClean Creek road. Very rough to the climb and so-so after. I see a lot of bottles and such shaking off peoples bikes.
There is some minor construction approaching Ossoyoos as they are twinning the highway, they keep it swept pretty good I don't see it becoming an issue for the race.
Richter is Richter as are the rollers. I was fortunate to be passed by Tom Evans on one of the rollers and I then hung onto him for like 50 meters.
The out-and-back into special needs is rough at parts. This is a different rough as the surface itself is good it is just there are these cracks every now and thne that wake you up.
The highway up tp yellow lake climb is freshly paved but the shoulder was not and needs some crack sealing which will not likely happen. The descent down Yellow and back into town had no surprises and was fun fun fun.
I am so ready, did the loop without the in-town loop in 5:52 so race pace will crush 6hrs.
Great job Tim. Wish i had a great experience like yours. Last weekend my power tap died and i'm still waiting to resolve that issue. Today about 1.5 hours into my rehearsal I hear the explosion of my rear wheel. I pull over to fix and I have to pull a 1.5 inch nail out of the tire that went through the bottom and out the sidewall complete with nick of the rim. I'm thinking no worries and change the flat. Then I go to put the wheel back on and i'm just tightening the skewer the spare blows out for some reason (not sure if it was a pinch because the hole was pretty big...maybe just a bad tube). After a big expletive I pull out the cell and call wifey for a pick up on the highway. While i'm waiting for the ride, it starts to rain and then i'm getting chilled and now I can't get warm and my nose is running non-stop. Anyway, I may try again next week but up until that point I was feeling good. I also had a great swim yesterday where I was able to get in the full 3800m uninterupted at the pool. So the weekend plan was a bust but at least not a total one.
Wow, great job guys on your RR's. Question for all of you...what is your long run for week 10? I'm on the intermediate plan and mine is 120 min. That's a lot for me during a taper. It's my first year with EN so I don't know if I'm just being overly concerned and a 2 hour run during taper time is ok or if I should scale it down a bit.
Carie, I too am on intermediate plan with 120 min run. I feel it is ok as the taper only really starts this weekend.
And thanks for reminding me about the smoke. It was pretty hazy when we arrived Fri but by late evening as the wind picked up you could see stars and by morning and late afternoon harldly noticed it. By evening as we ejnoyed a cool-one (or 2) on the deck there was virtually no sign of smoke. Fingers crossed this sticks. As we drove home (well actually sat still for 4 hours due to big accident and closed highway) it rained off and on in all directions so that has to be slowing down the fires.
Great work Tim - thanks for the recon. Pity about the road conditions - I was riding in Jasper this weekend on a freshly paved stretch of road (Marmot/Mt. Edith Cavell road if you know it) and it was SOOOOOO nice. Then the rest of 93A (which was the rest of the loop I did) is the old frost-heaved pot hole teeth rattler special...well, it actually wasn't that bad but after riding on glass it suffered by comparison.
Wayne - sorry to hear about the mechanical. During the whole ride on Sunday I was really hoping for no major issues because Telus cell phone coverage in the mountains is abysmal. I brought two tubes but fortunately didn't need either of them.
I had big plans for a couple rides this weekend but should have known that once I got around the fire with manybeers that plans might change. And sure enough they did. Saturday morning I got up, took the bike out of the car, watched it start raining, and promptly put the bike back. Fortunately I salvaged the weekend somewhat with a good ride Sunday afternoon before I left. I plan to do RR#2 this coming Saturday.
Long run on Thursday prior to leaving went well, back at it today.
My RR was not a complete bust but not good either. I had some shifting issues so cut the ride short and took the bike in. I found out it would take them a while to get to my bike so I just headed home. To pack up as my wife and I were off to the lake with friends. I have not even downloaded the data as I am now on work travel.
Even thougth the RR was not great I am relatively confident going in.
Has anyone seen a "3 Bullets" post or any helpful IMC tips by the coaches? Do any of you know this race enough to give advice about all aspects of the course?
Comments
As I am traveling to race site this week, I have moved my bike to Tue and long run to wed so we can get on ferry thur night and have less of a drive fri with a couple hours of rest before doing the swim. I was just emailed by our friends there and it is really smoky this morning. Lots of fires up north in the valley with prevailing winds blowing in the smoke.
Traditionally, if it is really hot the winds will be from the south which would help with the smoke but means a headwind on the easiest part of the course from start to richter.
If cooller like now, you get a tail wind to richter but smoke too.
Have a great week everyone.
Carie, the smoke is from forest fires. That said, 11 new ones over the weekend were human caused. There are like 350 fires in BC right now and 80% of the province is under extreme fire conditions. We need rain and less lightning.
@ craig - yes the stomach is back to taking any and all food. I took a couple days off after that and I also had my brother's 40th birthday to recover from. Not the best timing in my IM build but he only turns 40 once so we spent the day at the lake and a few drinks in the evening. This slowed the recovery a little but we had a good time.
As for training I got in tomorrow's long run today due to scheduling. 2.5 hours felt good, much better than 2 last week. I only covered 13.1 so it's going to be a long day. I figure 5.5-6 hours best case, depending how long I can stay focused and push myself. I figure after 16-18 it will be tough but this is not supposed to be easy.
So I have the 3800 swim tomorrow and the final RR on Friday. I have moved everything up and taken a couple days off work to be able to head to the lake with some friend over the weekend. It's an annual trip we take so worth the effort. The only thing I will do at the lake is get the wetsuit on, first time in 3 years, and do an open water swim.
Gordon
My Tue bike went well, I had a 20min z4-5 session which was difficult. 2.5hr run last night, would have preferred a day off in between but travelling to race sight starting tonight.
The run went well. Last couple of minutes of my 2nd 10min interval was off, needed a washroom break bad hard to focus until the finish where I knew there was a washroom and cold water.
Car is all loaded, expect to hit BC Ferry for 6-7pm sailing to mainland where we drive for about 1 hr and bunk up at my sisters' place. Then after breakfast 4.5 hrs to our host's house in Penticton, rest a bit and then hit the lake for swim. Temp is cooling down a bit in the valley so we don't expect a real hot bike ride sat. we are launching from what is referred to as the 'spray park' just before the skaha lake beach front and about mile 4 on the run. This way we stay out of town traffic and can transition to run right on course.
Have a great weekend RR2 and train safe, we are alsmost there.
Yesterdays run was easy yet difficult!!! I ran my Z1 for an hour and then tried holding my Z1/2 for the next hour. I was successful in doing that but it was straight into mostly uphill; there aren't many flat spots where I live. I ended up cutting the run short at 2 hours for a total of 14 miles because I was feeling it and felt that the hills more than made up for the last half an hour!!! Also didn't want to cook myself for this weekend. Busy weekend coming up but it looks like my RR will be pushed back to sunday.
Wow this is getting good.
Did a 4.5 hr ride today. Will do a mountain bike brick on Sunday and try to steal time for a swim sometime this weekend.
We arrived in Pnticton late afternoon to 32degree heat and huge chop on the lake. We did 2 out and back laps from Sicamous Ship to other beach. Locals consider this 1k each way. Given the rough water it was a great swim and even kind of fun at times as the waves were huge but not threatening.
The chop was a sign of weather change to come. the wind picked up late evening and we awoke to overcast and 19degrees. We checked out weather for the route and reallized we were not going to get in any heat training and had more than enough water and gatorade and we best be prepared for rain.
At the end, the ride was total success. We had it all, some heat, lots of wind, some rain and a couple of tail-wind assisted descents. For the most part the bike route is what it is. I was pretty dissapointed with the condition of MaClean Creek road. Very rough to the climb and so-so after. I see a lot of bottles and such shaking off peoples bikes.
There is some minor construction approaching Ossoyoos as they are twinning the highway, they keep it swept pretty good I don't see it becoming an issue for the race.
Richter is Richter as are the rollers. I was fortunate to be passed by Tom Evans on one of the rollers and I then hung onto him for like 50 meters.
The out-and-back into special needs is rough at parts. This is a different rough as the surface itself is good it is just there are these cracks every now and thne that wake you up.
The highway up tp yellow lake climb is freshly paved but the shoulder was not and needs some crack sealing which will not likely happen. The descent down Yellow and back into town had no surprises and was fun fun fun.
I am so ready, did the loop without the in-town loop in 5:52 so race pace will crush 6hrs.
Great job Tim. Wish i had a great experience like yours. Last weekend my power tap died and i'm still waiting to resolve that issue. Today about 1.5 hours into my rehearsal I hear the explosion of my rear wheel. I pull over to fix and I have to pull a 1.5 inch nail out of the tire that went through the bottom and out the sidewall complete with nick of the rim. I'm thinking no worries and change the flat. Then I go to put the wheel back on and i'm just tightening the skewer the spare blows out for some reason (not sure if it was a pinch because the hole was pretty big...maybe just a bad tube). After a big expletive I pull out the cell and call wifey for a pick up on the highway. While i'm waiting for the ride, it starts to rain and then i'm getting chilled and now I can't get warm and my nose is running non-stop. Anyway, I may try again next week but up until that point I was feeling good. I also had a great swim yesterday where I was able to get in the full 3800m uninterupted at the pool. So the weekend plan was a bust but at least not a total one.
Carie, I too am on intermediate plan with 120 min run. I feel it is ok as the taper only really starts this weekend.
And thanks for reminding me about the smoke. It was pretty hazy when we arrived Fri but by late evening as the wind picked up you could see stars and by morning and late afternoon harldly noticed it. By evening as we ejnoyed a cool-one (or 2) on the deck there was virtually no sign of smoke. Fingers crossed this sticks. As we drove home (well actually sat still for 4 hours due to big accident and closed highway) it rained off and on in all directions so that has to be slowing down the fires.
Great work Tim - thanks for the recon. Pity about the road conditions - I was riding in Jasper this weekend on a freshly paved stretch of road (Marmot/Mt. Edith Cavell road if you know it) and it was SOOOOOO nice. Then the rest of 93A (which was the rest of the loop I did) is the old frost-heaved pot hole teeth rattler special...well, it actually wasn't that bad but after riding on glass it suffered by comparison.
@Tim - Nice job on the RR
My RR was not a complete bust but not good either. I had some shifting issues so cut the ride short and took the bike in. I found out it would take them a while to get to my bike so I just headed home. To pack up as my wife and I were off to the lake with friends. I have not even downloaded the data as I am now on work travel.
Even thougth the RR was not great I am relatively confident going in.
Gordon
@Carie - Coach P started a "3 Bullets" thread. I posted some observations there. I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have about IM Canada.