Week 8 for KS 70.3

Hey all...

Just touching base on how things are going for everyone with about 4 weeks to go.  About 2 weeks more real training, and next week is probably the last on where the added distance will really make gains....(they say it takes about 3 weeks for the max benefit of a long run or ride to come through).

Quick and dirty for me...

• Swim. I haven't tested my swim in the last few weeks, but it FEELS like I'm making progress.  Will hold off on any quantitative statements until I do another TT, but I'm feeling good about it.
• Bike. I'm still disappointed that I can't get my FTP up to its indoor max I had during the OS.  (Same bike, but I'm glued to the bars now...I'm sure this is the major issue.)  However, I think things are going well.  Compared to last year, I'm riding 10-30 watts average higher on comparable rides, even though last year I felt like I was making more progress at this time of year (but I hadn't done an OS...so that's probably why).
• Run. Here, I'm feeling solid.  I'm not getting faster in the last month, but the get fast, then get long clearly worked.  My 5K VDOT built to a max at the end of OS, and then (using McMillan running calculator), I ran exactly the half-marathon time I should have at that 5K time about 10 days ago.  I think I could have run that about 1 minute faster if I had gone testicles-to-the-vertical-plane, but it was a good decision not to, so that I could basically get back to regular training with just taking a day or two easy.

Today was formally supposed to be a 5K VDOT test.  We had a major weather change (much hotter) in the last couple of days, and although I've hit the workouts, my legs were just feeling dead and leaden.  Since I had just run the half-marathon (and got pretty much the same VDOT as I thought going in), I didn't see that there was too much serious necessity for my super-reproducible 5K test inside on a track.  So, I just went out on my 3 mile loop, and resolved to just run one loop hard and continuous (like a VDOT test would be), but out in the heat and on this hilly course.  I did it "blind"...refusing to look at my Garmin.

Interestingly, and pleasingly, after giving myself a few seconds back for a couple street crossings, I came back to a pace pretty much right on my indoor, well-ventillated 5K VDOT.  So, while I don't have an ideal, firm VDOT number, I know I can hold pretty much the same time as before, but when tired, it's hot, and I have to run a hilly loop...so that has to be some level of progress. :-)

Now if I can just get that bike to make me happy....

William