My Twitter account: https://twitter.com/tri4kona2014
The ultimate finish line, Ali'i Drive
It’s been a tough week, and I’ve trained well. I’ve clocked
up some good miles, and completed some intense sessions. I’m pleased with how
the week has gone. It’s fair to say that I am in good shape, and I’m pushing my
limits further than ever before. Into unchartered territory. I'm in a better position now than I thought I would be at the start of the year.
On Monday this week I had a rest day, as usual. After work I
had my regular Monday evening trip to the osteopath to get loosened up. I still don’t enjoy
these osteopathy sessions, they are physical and painful, but they are a necessary evil. My osteo seems
pleased with how things are going. I got home after the appointment and I made a pile of food for the
week. Plain pasta and sweet potatoes day in and day out can get a bit tedious,
so I’ve started adding ginger, chillis and garlic to my food take make it a bit
more exciting. Ginger is supposed to be very good for you. I’ve started eating
more alkalising foods too – raisins, cabbage, lots of broccoli, lemons.
I
thought that in the next few weeks I would try to lose some weight and drop a
couple of kilograms. If the photo below is anything to go by, and if the scales
are accurate, then maybe I don’t need to… It would have been a sub-66 reading
if I hadn’t eaten a banana and had a protein milkshake just before I weighed
myself.
On Tuesday I was on the turbo for a tough session. This was
the first time I’ve ridden hard on the bike since the Icknield 100 mile time
trial (a gap of 9 days) and I felt good. My legs felt fresh and strong. I did an hour at a
consistent, hard pace, then a short run. Wednesdays are usually easier days and
I did a fartlek run – fartlek apparently means “speed play”, so it was a mix of
some fast and some slow running. It’s nice to be out in the warm, bright
evenings. I have structured my week so that the really tough, longer stuff
comes later in the week. This means I am at my most tired at the weekends, when I can
sleep as late as I like.
On Thursday evening I was on the turbo trainer doing
intervals. I did 1 hour and 40 minutes, with 5 x 10 minute repeats at high
intensity. These were tough intervals, particularly the last two, with my heart
rate up at 180bpm. Again, I followed this with a short run. By the time I had
got showered and had eaten my dinner, it was well past my ideal bedtime – it was
about 11pm before I got to sleep, but I knew I only had Friday to get through.
Had Monday or Tuesday been a “late” night, then there would still be a whole week to
get through before the weekend.
During the week I took delivery of yet another pair of
running shoes. These are the ones I will race in at Ironman UK:
On Friday after work I got straight in the pool. I’m lucky
that I can leave work at 2pm on Fridays as long as my hours are done, and being
in the pool from 2pm to 3pm is good because it’s very quiet and I can usually
get a lane to myself. I did a tough 10 x 200m session, each repeat in 3
minutes, with only a 20-second recovery. This was a “critical swim speed”
session, at just below threshold pace. There are other “critical swim speed”
sessions that I do: 20 x 100 in 1:30 with 10 seconds recovery, 10 x 200m in 3:00 with 20
seconds recovery, 5 x 400m in 6:00 with 40 seconds recovery and 3 x 600m in
9:00 with 60 seconds recovery. They are tough, tough sessions. I generally don’t
pace them very well, and usually start off faster than target pace, meaning by
the end I am slightly slower than target pace.
I’ve noticed that my legs start to cramp up really badly at
the end of these sessions. I don’t tumble turn, and the pain is initiated by turning and pushing off. So I think I will keep an eye on the bigger picture and finish
off with the critical swim speed sessions for now. There are other sessions I can do. After my Friday swims, I get
on the turbo trainer for some single leg bike drills – pedalling with one leg
only to promote a smooth pedal stroke throughout the entire pedal revolution.
Pedalling efficiently isn’t just about pushing the pedals; it’s about kicking
back at the bottom, pulling up, and kicking over the top, as well as pushing
down. I’ve done a single leg session almost every week for the past 5 months,
and they have been really beneficial. On Friday night, I cooked for the weekend
and got to bed as early as possible.
On Saturday morning, I got up late having slept for 12 hours
straight. Bliss! I got on the turbo trainer for a tough 4-hour session, with
the intensity increasing throughout. By the end, I was hanging off that bike. Hard
work! Then a 30 minute run. The recovery after such a tough session is
important – jog to cool down, have a protein shake, banana, lie down for 10
minutes with legs elevated, shower, cold water on the legs, and a good dinner.
On Sunday I did hand paddle drills in the pool to strengthen my arms, and a run
of 2 hours and 10 minutes. I was a bit apprehensive about this run because my
long runs are the “riskiest” sessions I do in terms of the possibility of
getting injured, but thankfully I got through it with no problems.
Also, 5 or 6 times per week I stretch, do core strength work
and weights. A full programme of stretching, core work and weights takes about
45 minutes. Time management is of the essence…! Last year, I thought I was
doing everything I could, but I have really taken it up another level this
year. No excuses… If I don’t qualify for Kona, it won’t be through lack of
trying. At least I can say I’m doing everything possible.
This all bodes well for race day, which is now only 5 weeks
away. However, when you are fitter than you’ve ever been, when you’re in good
shape, when you have put so much in, this brings additional pressures and
stresses. Highly-trained athletes talk about being on the “knife-edge” or “walking
the tightrope” – the fitter you get, the more stressed and depleted the immune
system, and the greater the susceptibility to picking up an illness, and indeed
an injury. I really, really can’t afford to catch a cold or a cough, get a sore throat, pull a muscle, or get a sore knee. It’s tough. I was really asking for it at
the Crisis relays last week (see post 25), but thankfully I seen to have gotten
away with it.
Ideally for the next 5 weeks I would train and spend the remainder
of the time resting - on a sofa with my feet up, or sleeping. I’d love to know
that I’ll get through the next 5 weeks without a hitch. Indeed, I’d pay money
to know that I will get through the next 5 weeks and get to the finish line
without a hitch. I can take comfort from the fact that I’ve been in a similar
position last year, and I got through it. All I can do is keep trying to be as sensible
as possible, keep eating well, keep well hydrated, and keep the fingers
crossed. I’ve got to get through another tough training week next week, then an
easy week, then one more tough week, followed by a 2-week taper. It’s getting
close. And yet it’s still so far away. 5 more weeks. Only 2 more tough weeks.
I’ve got a few things to think about in the coming weeks.
After the disaster of last year, it’s essential that I am able to eat my own
food when at the hotel in the couple of days before the race. I need access to a fridge, microwave
and toaster. I put in a quick phone call to the hotel I will stay at during
race weekend – they aren’t willing to let me put my own food in their kitchen
fridge, and there is no fridge in the room. Hmmmm. I’ll need to work something
out. I’ll also need to see about getting the bike serviced again, and having
everything checked. It’ll need new tyres and a new chain. In particular the
wheels, gears, brakes and bearings will need fully checked. I need to do a couple of wetsuit swims.
While on the turbo trainer, I’ve been
watching (amongst other things) a couple of videos of the Ironman World Championships in Kona. It would be amazing to go there and compete. It is
the ultimate. It is so tough. It’s been a heck of a journey so far. It will
take a heck of an effort at Ironman UK to achieve a qualifying slot, but I
believe it’s within reach. This absolutely doesn’t mean it’s a cert and I take
nothing for granted. There is so much that has to go right, and my best might
end up falling short, but I have a chance. What a prize. The Ironman World Championships. Hawaii. These pictures look pretty good to me…
Swim start, Kona pier/transition area at the top, tropical fish underwater...
Biking in the lava fields, being battered by crosswinds
Training done this week was as follows:
Monday 9th June 2014: Rest
Tuesday 10th June 2014: 1:10 turbo (1 hour hard), 30 minute run
Wed 11th June 2014: 30 minute fartlek run
Thurs 12th June 2014: 1:40 turbo (with 5 x 10 minutes hard), 30 minute run
Friday 13th June 2014: Swim 3km (with 10 x 200m in 3:00, 20 second recovery), 1:05 turbo (single leg drills: 10 x 2 minutes left leg, 2 mins right leg, 2 mins both legs)
Saturday 14th June 2014: 4:05 turbo, 30 minute run
Sunday 15th June 2014: Swim 3.3km, 130 minute run
Tuesday 10th June 2014: 1:10 turbo (1 hour hard), 30 minute run
Wed 11th June 2014: 30 minute fartlek run
Thurs 12th June 2014: 1:40 turbo (with 5 x 10 minutes hard), 30 minute run
Friday 13th June 2014: Swim 3km (with 10 x 200m in 3:00, 20 second recovery), 1:05 turbo (single leg drills: 10 x 2 minutes left leg, 2 mins right leg, 2 mins both legs)
Saturday 14th June 2014: 4:05 turbo, 30 minute run
Sunday 15th June 2014: Swim 3.3km, 130 minute run
Totals: Swim 6.3km, Bike 170 miles, Run 35 miles
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