I'm one day behind on my Long Run and RR. This AM's run was a good confidence booster, being the only 2.5 hr run I'll do this cycle. Since I did it on the same course as last year, I compared results. Temps (60-72F), time of day (8:45-11:15 AM), and calm wind were the same, but today was bright sun, last year was overcast. My HR overall was the same (118). I went out a bit slower this year, and came back fast at the end pushing the last 4.5 miles as if I were trying to gun the finish on race day. Pace was a bout 7 sec/mile slower overall this year, mostly due to the slower "warm-up". Most important, I felt strong, capable, and competitive during the second half of this run.
So overall, I'd say I'm doing fairly well with my run fitness, given by shortened training cycle this year and current focus on locking in IM pace/power work these past two weeks. I'm looking forward to my RR on Sunday; I'll tire myself in preparation with a three hour ride tomorrow up to 10,000 feet.
No long swim this week; I may try and get in 3800 meters in my local lake next Sunday after I get back home. Assuming it's warm enough! That should give me a clue as to how I'll be able to do on race day, as I've got years of data on my times for the 630 m distance in that lake. I had been doing each "length" of the lake in about 11:50, which produced a 1:10 IM split. I'm curious how much I've lost this year, as well as whether I can actually do the full distance, since most of my swims the past two months were 45 minute sessions, after I'd done a few 1:00 to 1:10 days in April.
Well...no RR #2 for me. I went to the doc and am out until next Wed (from running and biking). I have some kind of bacteria/fungal issue due to the high training volume and constantly being in sweaty tri clothes. So, I am upping the volume from Wed-Sun just slightly (mostly just to make me feel Iron-ready...just a little extra z1 time on those couple of runs, and a little z2 time on the Wed and Saturday bikes). Guess I have several days to really get some extra swim volume in and to let my legs really catch back up. I will plan to do a good bit of light stretching each day, and will have to watch my diet closely, but I guess some down time at this point, considering I should be able to ramp back up next week and stay dialed in until race day, shouldn't hurt.
I am bummed about the RR tomorrow though...glad I had a solid first one and that I am 100% confident I have my nutrition and race pace issues dialed in. I guess the 'big' work is done for me!
@ Stephen- Sorry to hear about your problem, but at least you now know what it is and can address it. Anyway, you've been working hard so a few days backing off shouldn't hurt your fitness. May even help.
@ Al - Nice run. Great to see you feeling confident about your run based both data and your RPE. Good luck with the RR ride.
@ GH - Good luck with the RR ride. When I do mine on Sunday, I'll be dressed like you. Race outfit below. Top with as many pockets as I got to carry stuff.
@ Art- Nice Swim. I'm sure it was no fun dealing with geese, but at least you are now prepared for choppy water and geese.
@ Steve - Wow!! You got propellers? I'm so jealous of that kind of swim time. Good job fighting to the end of the long run.
@ Peter- Good work on the swim. I'll be with you way behind Steve. BTW, my brother JT and I are staying @ the same house as Tucker. I heard that you and Michele might be staying in the same house. If so, looking forward to hanging out and getting to know you better.
@ Tucker -I've worn my wetsuit in the pool. Yes be careful about overheating. Suggest you don't swim more than 2000 yds in it and make sure you have a water bottle to stay hydrated. The good part - you'll be able to see how much faster you are in the wetsuit than without. Make sure you rinse off the wetsuit well with non-chlorine water afterwards.
Since Al confirmed that I'm supposed to be feeing like a zombie at this point, I did my long run yesterday (65*, sunny, wind coming off Lake Michigan) instead of whimping out. Ran 18.2 miles in 2:30. Started EZ and ran negative split. Did first hour @ 8:35 pace and walked 30 steps after each mile. HR in the 118-120 range and it dropped down to 105 during the walk. HR increased to the 135 range when I ran 4 sets of hills from the bluffs above Lake Michigan down to the water's edge and back up. In second hour, ran @ 7:50-8:00 pace with HR in 132-138 range, still high Z1. No hill repeats in 2nd hour. Then ran 2 x 10' @ 7:05 pace. HR up to 155, high Z3. I still felt stong and in control. I can tell you that in all the training I've done for stand alone marathons, I've never been able to push the pace like that at the end of a long run. Maybe I could do 7:30 pace for a mile, but surely not 7:05 pace for almost 3 miles. Work works.
Since I'm doing my bike RR on Sunday, I'm doing my swim RR tomorrow. So I did an EZ 30' swim this morning as I had to get to work to close a deal (and I didn't fall asleep in the meeting). I just worked on drills and had a good stretch after the swim. Legs feel better than expected.
Got my RR Swim in this morning in 1:33, which is close enough to my goal of 1:30. Also did my bike test last night. Only made it 30 minutes (ate too close to the test) but my average was 21.6 mph, a big improvement over the 19.1 mph in my last Bike test.
Now I'm mapping out my route for tomorrow's RR#2. After the dehydration last time at CDA, I'm going to figure out a 2-hour loop so I can stop back at my truck to pickup new water bottles and do 3 loops.
Great job everyone on the Swim and have fun with RR#2.
I did my 2:30 long run yesterday. The last 4 miles were really difficult for me for a number of reasons. I took 6 months off running due to injury and just started running again in April so I'm really not in the best run shape. I also ran on the first warm day of the season here, so I am not at all acclimated to the heat! I've only got 3 weeks to acclimate! Yikes! My achilles and plantar fasciitis flared up during the last few miles, too, although they feel much better today. I'm not feeling very optimistic that I'll be able to finish IMCDA running and/or injury free.
@ Bruce - That run sounds great - one you can take to the bank, and draw down on come race day. If your RR Sunday goes as well, you will be READY.
@ Stephen - I bet the medically enforced rest will be a blessing in disguise. Many's the story of the triathlete who had to stand down for one reason or another before an IM, and ended up with a surprisingly good race. Do not worry AT ALL about your swim or run; getting a 3-4 hour bike next weekend might be the only extra work you need, as well as following the other elements of the plan. Don't try to "make up" anything else you have missed, let the recuperation do its work on your body.
@ VIcki - even if the last 4 miles were torture, you did finish the run, showing you WILL finish it on race day. Number one goal for CDA: follow the plan for the bike, and let your running take care of itself. 17 hours is more than enough time for you, even if your foot/ankle issues force some walking on race day. Keep moving forward.
@ Allen - I usually have done the RR in a two loop mode, with replenishment half way thru. This year, like you, I've got it set up with three out-and-back loops (each one different) staging from a spot on the local bike path (I'm still in CO, not GH) with a porta-potti available. Your bike improvement sounds AWESOME.
@Vicki: sorry about the injury continuing to plague you some. I know you will make it to that finish line.
@Stephen: ugh....glad you are getting things taken care of and standing down a bit to heal. You are right, the work is mostly done at this point and you will be fine.
I am somewhat in the same boat. Did the RR last weekend (somewhat tortuous, and did not go as well as planned) and so I did the 4.5 hour ride from last week's plan yesterday. I am in the mountains this weekend, and I wish I had figured out how to get my bike up here so I could be out riding. But, I swam at the YMCA this morning, and I'm about to head out for an easy run (to burn off some of the extra calories I have had today!). Really looking forward to reducing the volume.
Should I add some extra time/mileage onto next weekend's rides (3 hour and 2 hour) since I'm not riding as much this weekend?
Did my Swim RR#2 today. Did 4200 yds in 82:15. That was 2:15 faster than swim RR#1. I was able to hold the pace @ 1:58/100 all the way while in the first RR, my pace dropped off in the last 700 yds. Felt like I could have gone farther @ that pace. Did a 300 yrd CD to simulate not swimming straight in open water. Total 4500 yds. Felt good about the effort and time. Then went for an nice ride. Beautiful day - sunny and 87*. Did 27 miles in 90 minutes. Since I'm doing the bike/run RR#2 tomorrow, I wanted to make sure that my legs were not completely rested for the effort.
Hey Team - Continue to be impressed at the great work folks are doing - and have to give my brother some flak. When I first signed up for IMCDA, he said "Good Luck - I could never do that swim." Now look at the post above - amazing what happens when you put your mind to it...!
So on my end, have had a couple of good weekends of training. Memorial Day weekend was up in Lake Placid. Got in 185 miles riding on the IMLP course, 2 open water swims in Mirror Lake and a good brick run. This weekend, did 3800m in pool on Friday, ran 15.3 miles in 2:15 on Saturday, then did a charity century ride today....So I'm glad to hear Al say we should feel a little wiped out. Body had been holding up and fighting thru my nagging injuries, but now confident I can get this done.
Also took my bike into the shop for a final tune up - hard to believe that it's about a week away before need to take it in for Tri-Bike Transport. Looking forward to meeting everyone..!
Comments
I'm one day behind on my Long Run and RR. This AM's run was a good confidence booster, being the only 2.5 hr run I'll do this cycle. Since I did it on the same course as last year, I compared results. Temps (60-72F), time of day (8:45-11:15 AM), and calm wind were the same, but today was bright sun, last year was overcast. My HR overall was the same (118). I went out a bit slower this year, and came back fast at the end pushing the last 4.5 miles as if I were trying to gun the finish on race day. Pace was a bout 7 sec/mile slower overall this year, mostly due to the slower "warm-up". Most important, I felt strong, capable, and competitive during the second half of this run.
So overall, I'd say I'm doing fairly well with my run fitness, given by shortened training cycle this year and current focus on locking in IM pace/power work these past two weeks. I'm looking forward to my RR on Sunday; I'll tire myself in preparation with a three hour ride tomorrow up to 10,000 feet.
No long swim this week; I may try and get in 3800 meters in my local lake next Sunday after I get back home. Assuming it's warm enough! That should give me a clue as to how I'll be able to do on race day, as I've got years of data on my times for the 630 m distance in that lake. I had been doing each "length" of the lake in about 11:50, which produced a 1:10 IM split. I'm curious how much I've lost this year, as well as whether I can actually do the full distance, since most of my swims the past two months were 45 minute sessions, after I'd done a few 1:00 to 1:10 days in April.
I am bummed about the RR tomorrow though...glad I had a solid first one and that I am 100% confident I have my nutrition and race pace issues dialed in. I guess the 'big' work is done for me!
Scary!
@ Stephen- Sorry to hear about your problem, but at least you now know what it is and can address it. Anyway, you've been working hard so a few days backing off shouldn't hurt your fitness. May even help.
@ Al - Nice run. Great to see you feeling confident about your run based both data and your RPE. Good luck with the RR ride.
@ GH - Good luck with the RR ride. When I do mine on Sunday, I'll be dressed like you. Race outfit below. Top with as many pockets as I got to carry stuff.
@ Art- Nice Swim. I'm sure it was no fun dealing with geese, but at least you are now prepared for choppy water and geese.
@ Steve - Wow!! You got propellers? I'm so jealous of that kind of swim time. Good job fighting to the end of the long run.
@ Peter- Good work on the swim. I'll be with you way behind Steve. BTW, my brother JT and I are staying @ the same house as Tucker. I heard that you and Michele might be staying in the same house. If so, looking forward to hanging out and getting to know you better.
@ Tucker -I've worn my wetsuit in the pool. Yes be careful about overheating. Suggest you don't swim more than 2000 yds in it and make sure you have a water bottle to stay hydrated. The good part - you'll be able to see how much faster you are in the wetsuit than without. Make sure you rinse off the wetsuit well with non-chlorine water afterwards.
Since Al confirmed that I'm supposed to be feeing like a zombie at this point, I did my long run yesterday (65*, sunny, wind coming off Lake Michigan) instead of whimping out. Ran 18.2 miles in 2:30. Started EZ and ran negative split. Did first hour @ 8:35 pace and walked 30 steps after each mile. HR in the 118-120 range and it dropped down to 105 during the walk. HR increased to the 135 range when I ran 4 sets of hills from the bluffs above Lake Michigan down to the water's edge and back up. In second hour, ran @ 7:50-8:00 pace with HR in 132-138 range, still high Z1. No hill repeats in 2nd hour. Then ran 2 x 10' @ 7:05 pace. HR up to 155, high Z3. I still felt stong and in control. I can tell you that in all the training I've done for stand alone marathons, I've never been able to push the pace like that at the end of a long run. Maybe I could do 7:30 pace for a mile, but surely not 7:05 pace for almost 3 miles. Work works.
Since I'm doing my bike RR on Sunday, I'm doing my swim RR tomorrow. So I did an EZ 30' swim this morning as I had to get to work to close a deal (and I didn't fall asleep in the meeting). I just worked on drills and had a good stretch after the swim. Legs feel better than expected.
Good luck this weekend everyone. Be safe.
Now I'm mapping out my route for tomorrow's RR#2. After the dehydration last time at CDA, I'm going to figure out a 2-hour loop so I can stop back at my truck to pickup new water bottles and do 3 loops.
Great job everyone on the Swim and have fun with RR#2.
I did my 2:30 long run yesterday. The last 4 miles were really difficult for me for a number of reasons. I took 6 months off running due to injury and just started running again in April so I'm really not in the best run shape. I also ran on the first warm day of the season here, so I am not at all acclimated to the heat! I've only got 3 weeks to acclimate! Yikes! My achilles and plantar fasciitis flared up during the last few miles, too, although they feel much better today. I'm not feeling very optimistic that I'll be able to finish IMCDA running and/or injury free.
RR swim today and ride/run tomorrow.
@ Bruce - That run sounds great - one you can take to the bank, and draw down on come race day. If your RR Sunday goes as well, you will be READY.
@ Stephen - I bet the medically enforced rest will be a blessing in disguise. Many's the story of the triathlete who had to stand down for one reason or another before an IM, and ended up with a surprisingly good race. Do not worry AT ALL about your swim or run; getting a 3-4 hour bike next weekend might be the only extra work you need, as well as following the other elements of the plan. Don't try to "make up" anything else you have missed, let the recuperation do its work on your body.
@ VIcki - even if the last 4 miles were torture, you did finish the run, showing you WILL finish it on race day. Number one goal for CDA: follow the plan for the bike, and let your running take care of itself. 17 hours is more than enough time for you, even if your foot/ankle issues force some walking on race day. Keep moving forward.
@ Allen - I usually have done the RR in a two loop mode, with replenishment half way thru. This year, like you, I've got it set up with three out-and-back loops (each one different) staging from a spot on the local bike path (I'm still in CO, not GH) with a porta-potti available. Your bike improvement sounds AWESOME.
@Vicki: sorry about the injury continuing to plague you some. I know you will make it to that finish line.
@Stephen: ugh....glad you are getting things taken care of and standing down a bit to heal. You are right, the work is mostly done at this point and you will be fine.
I am somewhat in the same boat. Did the RR last weekend (somewhat tortuous, and did not go as well as planned) and so I did the 4.5 hour ride from last week's plan yesterday. I am in the mountains this weekend, and I wish I had figured out how to get my bike up here so I could be out riding. But, I swam at the YMCA this morning, and I'm about to head out for an easy run (to burn off some of the extra calories I have had today!). Really looking forward to reducing the volume.
Should I add some extra time/mileage onto next weekend's rides (3 hour and 2 hour) since I'm not riding as much this weekend?
Did my Swim RR#2 today. Did 4200 yds in 82:15. That was 2:15 faster than swim RR#1. I was able to hold the pace @ 1:58/100 all the way while in the first RR, my pace dropped off in the last 700 yds. Felt like I could have gone farther @ that pace. Did a 300 yrd CD to simulate not swimming straight in open water. Total 4500 yds. Felt good about the effort and time. Then went for an nice ride. Beautiful day - sunny and 87*. Did 27 miles in 90 minutes. Since I'm doing the bike/run RR#2 tomorrow, I wanted to make sure that my legs were not completely rested for the effort.
Hope everyone id having a good training weekend.
So on my end, have had a couple of good weekends of training. Memorial Day weekend was up in Lake Placid. Got in 185 miles riding on the IMLP course, 2 open water swims in Mirror Lake and a good brick run. This weekend, did 3800m in pool on Friday, ran 15.3 miles in 2:15 on Saturday, then did a charity century ride today....So I'm glad to hear Al say we should feel a little wiped out. Body had been holding up and fighting thru my nagging injuries, but now confident I can get this done.
Also took my bike into the shop for a final tune up - hard to believe that it's about a week away before need to take it in for Tri-Bike Transport. Looking forward to meeting everyone..!