Well, it's late here in Warsaw, IN and I can't sleep. Not sure why, but I just laid in bed for an hour; my mind was racing and I could not seem to calm myself down. So, why not talk about training and IM preparations?
I'm in the middle of the third week of my build phase and I can't wait for next week's recovery. Tonight I had an excellent 10mi trail run at an easy pace as to avoid rolling an ankle on all the rocks/stumps/roots/holes on the trails in Winona Lake. Regrettably, the trails did not possess the same level of concern for my ankle as I did; a wicked bad roll about 4mi in caused some serious concern for my abilities to even walk home. But after a serious dose of HTFU, I finished the last 6mi. I'm only joking, I winced and wimpered like a child for 5 minutes before getting the nerve to even rotate my ankle to see if it was ok.
I can really feel the bump in fitness and I haven't been hurting too much on any of my workouts, yet. Last week I hit 14hrs of training and I'm shooting for 16+ this week (currently at just under 8). I still have a good amount of sessions scheduled for this week including a steady-state bike during lunch and speed session at the track tomorrow evening. Then Saturday afternoon will be a hammer-fest on the bike for 100mi then a short transition run followed by two runs on Sunday (13 AM, 9 PM).
Although, while my physical preparation has been on track, I am continually influenced mentally by outside factors that are difficult to avoid. Nothing triathlon related, rather work, roommates, school, job search, moving, finances, travel plans, etc. Usually I do a good job balancing all these aspects of my life to make sure they all stay upright. However, it seems that if one seems to get a bit shaky, the rest start moving with it. This time, it's the roommates. Luckily, they move out on Saturday and I get the place to myself for two weeks!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
In the thick of it
Ironman Wisconsin is only 37 days away! It's all starting to feel very real now. Last September when I signed up, it was on a whim because my friends were going to do it. Now, just shy of a year later, I'm getting a bit anxious. I'm not worried about finishing, that will happen. The part that that makes me nervous is the mental aspect. Specifically, can I keep myself in the correct mindset for 10 hours? An hour in the water focusing on easy strokes, body rotation, 6-beat kicks, and a good catch. Five and a half hours on the bike staying relaxed on the uphills, keeping a high cadence, calming my outraged ego as people pass me, gel/water/gatorade/heed/salt/powerbar every 20 minutes, and peeing on myself. Then three and a half hours of running, counting down the aid stations, more water/gatorade/gel/salt/coke every mile, eyes up, swing the arms, high cadence, and more pee. And that is only the list of things that I can control. There are just as many environmental aspects that I will simply have to deal with: weather, other people, mechanical failures, etc.
Seems like a lot to pay attention to for hours at a time, right? I find it very easy to sit at my desk and visualize that I will be strong enough to tell my self to HTFU and run. But will I? I will only be able to partially answer that question after a few race simulation workouts. But even if I go balls to the wall on those workouts, they will take 6-7hrs max. That still leaves another 3-4hrs of untested territory.
Enough with that, lets get to the nitty gritty of the training details. I started my final build block last week and it lasts until August 20th. 12-13hrs this week and last, then 15-17hrs for the next two weeks which will include 5+ hr race simulations.
A very macroscopic view of the disciplines:
Swimming: 3x / week (1 OW session, 1 drills/stroke session, 1 speed session)
Biking: 2-3x / week (1 speed/strength session, 1 long ride, 1 easy ride)
Running: 5-6x / week (2-3 easy, 1 speed/strength session, 1 long)
Other: 1 cords session, 1 yoga session
Nutritionally, I am doing very well. I have nearly cut out pasta from my diet by replacing it with brown rice, lentils, or quinoa. Very limited amounts of meat and cereal, and a frozen fresh fruit & veggie smoothie is almost a daily occurrence. Mounds of tuna, potatoes (idaho and sweet), black beans, corn tortillas, and stir fry veggies. This morning I was down to 164 lbs before my run and hoping to be down to 160 in 37 days.
Shit's getting real...
Seems like a lot to pay attention to for hours at a time, right? I find it very easy to sit at my desk and visualize that I will be strong enough to tell my self to HTFU and run. But will I? I will only be able to partially answer that question after a few race simulation workouts. But even if I go balls to the wall on those workouts, they will take 6-7hrs max. That still leaves another 3-4hrs of untested territory.
Enough with that, lets get to the nitty gritty of the training details. I started my final build block last week and it lasts until August 20th. 12-13hrs this week and last, then 15-17hrs for the next two weeks which will include 5+ hr race simulations.
A very macroscopic view of the disciplines:
Swimming: 3x / week (1 OW session, 1 drills/stroke session, 1 speed session)
Biking: 2-3x / week (1 speed/strength session, 1 long ride, 1 easy ride)
Running: 5-6x / week (2-3 easy, 1 speed/strength session, 1 long)
Other: 1 cords session, 1 yoga session
Nutritionally, I am doing very well. I have nearly cut out pasta from my diet by replacing it with brown rice, lentils, or quinoa. Very limited amounts of meat and cereal, and a frozen fresh fruit & veggie smoothie is almost a daily occurrence. Mounds of tuna, potatoes (idaho and sweet), black beans, corn tortillas, and stir fry veggies. This morning I was down to 164 lbs before my run and hoping to be down to 160 in 37 days.
Shit's getting real...
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