Recovery and Racing

S: 6000
B: 119
R: 15.7

Time: 9.4 hrs

Not much in the way of anything resembling structured training this week, but that's the gloriousness that is being done with Ironman training!!!  Even though I didn't get in the volume I wanted to last week due to my injuries (which still haven't healed yet...) I definitely felt like a recovery week was a good idea considering I hoped to race well at Stumpy Creek this Saturday.  I swam three times including the race, biked four times and ran three times.  That's only ten total workouts this week which met set a 2010 low.

Stumpy Creek:

Going into this race I knew the field was going to be super competitive; guys like Tom Clifford, Sam Dannenbring, Brad Perry (DNS), Frank Fawcett, Mike Selle, Scott, Behme and Fletch.  I thought that on a good day I could put myself near the front with a strong swim and bike but I knew beforehand that the run would be a handful.  I was not wrong!

Swim: 23:38 (11th)
The swim start was a bit surprising but once we got going the wave was very bunched.  It didn't string out much right away (probably due to the lack of swimmers like Lisska/Perry being present) so to about 400 meters in I was still in a big crowd.  At about halfway to the first buoy (messed up rectangle course...3 left turns) I settled in behind Fletch's feet and didn't let go until about 100 meters to go.  Fletch was a great person to swim behind because he didn't kick really hard every time I slapped his feet (which was a decent amount in the first half of the swim...sorry dude!) and he didn't surge or swerve at all.  He picked a great route, which was good because when I would sit to make sure I was in the right place I could not tell at all where we were going... At the last turn I got a side stitch so I slowed a bit to get rid of that and lost his feet but with only 100m to go I wasn't as worried about it.  Came out of the water just behind him and ran up over the mat feeling pretty good about the swim (I had no idea on the time but I knew swimming with Fletch was a victory in and of itself)

T1: 1:08
Ran up the wrong aisle and then jumped over to the correct side and took off the speedsuit, put on my shades, helmet, and shoes and ran out through the arch.  Fletch wasn't in a hurry but I told him to come ride with me so I headed out to catch Selle who was mounting his bike as I was getting to mine.

Bike: 58:03 (1st)
Started out on the bike with a mission to catch Selle.  My legs felt pretty strong but were certainly tight through the first 2-3 miles as they were getting used to the work I was trying to get them to do.  I caught Selle fairly soon and then reeled in the women's winner that was just ahead of him.  At that point I saw a group up ahead all riding in a pack (not a literal pack).  I couldn't tell yet who was in it or how many there were but I forged on ahead to try and catch them.  As I got closer I realized two of the riders were Triple Threaters and one was a Triangle Multisports guy and the other was an unknown.  I assumed the Triple Threaters were Scott and Frank and that the Triangle guy was Clifford (I assumed it was a guy but I was wondering where Amie Krasnozon - great swimmer and good biker - was b/c I hadn't seen her yet) but I wasn't sure just yet.  I made my way up to the back of the pack and passed all three rapidly so nobody would be convinced to sit on my pace.  By the time I caught them (Frank, Duncan Chapman, and some other guy) I saw that the other 3T (Scott) had gapped them by a decent amount so I moved on ahead to catch him.  It took a mile or two and I sat on his pace for a bit before making the pass and exchanging some encouraging words.  After I passed I suggested we rotate to put some time on the chase group and when he next passed me he said "I think we're in the lead dude, the motorcycle has been here the whole time!"  We passed each other a couple of times and it turns out he was right, the motorcycle in front of us was the lead motorcycle!  I pushed hard to the end and ended up coming into T2 in first place, which was pretty cool although I knew it wouldn't last since I was mostly sure I didn't have a fast 10k time in my running legs.

T2: 54 seconds
Racked the bike, removed the helmet, threw on socks and running shoes, grabbed the race belt and went out onto the run course.  Scott got out of T2 a good 3-4 seconds in front of me...

Run: 40:13 (15th)
Not much to say here.  Scott was sprinting to drop me out of T2 and as much as I'd like to think I could have sat on his shoulder for a little while I'm most likely just kidding myself.  The course was pretty darn tough and I was by myself for the first lap and the first mile of the third before I heard Frank yelling at me that Tom was coming up on me fast.  He wasn't kidding as Tom came roaring by me at about mile 4.5; there was NO way I could speed up to sit on his feet.  Frank caught me a little while later and we ran in together.  Needless to say, not a blazing run split but to be honest I didn't expect much out of myself.  While I think I could have run 6:30 pace for a pretty long time I certainly could NOT go any faster.

It was a really fun day; I had great times for the swim and the bike and really enjoyed leading the race with Scott for the very short time in which I actually led.  Hopefully next year there will be a little more of that...

Ironman Training done

S: 2100 yds
B: 263 mi
R: 20 mi

T: 16.2 hrs

Really slacked on my swimming and running this week, but at least I had reason for it.  On Monday I crashed on my bike (luckily for my ego the crash was not caused by a lack of skill on my part) and the resulting injuries (not much road rash just some swelling and soreness in the following days) forced me to re-evaluate my running and swimming goals for the week.  I didn't want to run and cause my hip's healing to slow down and I also didn't want to hurt my shoulder (bore some of the impact from the crash).  Ironically enough, I swam the day of the crash (after it actually...) but then none at all the rest of the week!  I wasn't sore on Monday - that's my explanation anyway - but Tuesday through Thursday I was a bit pathetic.  My only running this week (dumb on my part) was the long run on Saturday of 20 miles in just under 2.5 hours.  I felt AMAZING until about mile 16ish and then not running all week caught up to me and my quads because extra tender and my legs were just generally tight.  Got it done though; last long run of the year (potentially!). 

Cycling was good this week; as that was the lowest impact non-swimming related activity I could do I managed to do a lot of it.  The long ride on Sunday the day after the long run was a bit of a struggle but we managed.  We only managed because Fletch did most of the work as John and I had both run the day before and weren't feeling super stellar.

So to sum up the Ironman build:

Since May 3rd (start of the long ride/long run binge!) I have

Swam 105,400 yards...averaging 8,107 per week
Biked 2,552 miles...averaging 196.3 per week
Ran 433.7 miles...averaging 33.4 per week
Totaled 213 hours...averaging 16.4 per week

including 2 race weeks and 2 recovery weeks.

All in all I'm very satisfied with my training leading up to this Ironman.  This last week was the only time where I really feel like I missed out on some key (filler) workouts during the week.  I've hit every single long ride (11 rides of 100 or more miles) and almost every single long run (3 20 milers and a handful of 15-17 milers) so I can't complain.  I'm much fitter and more mentally prepared for the arduous day that is Ironman versus November of last year which is also a plus. 

Stumpy Creek International is the next race (Saturday) and that will be a good barometer for how slowly I can do an International distance race!

Louisville: the swim!

So let's talk about the swim at Ironman Louisville, which takes place in the gorgeous Ohio River.  It is unique from other Ironmans in a couple of major ways: it is non-wetsuit legal and it is a time trial start.  Those factors combine to change the goals for the swim in a couple of ways.

Non wetsuit legal:
Not being able to wear a wetsuit will definitely affect me more than it will a "good" swimmer.  The wetsuit neutralizes those differences in abilities a little bit, especially over the course of 2.4 miles.  I believe the wetsuit also significantly helps ease lower back issues a lot, as I've found that during long open water swims with no wetsuit my lower back begins to get sore after about 2 miles.  Hopefully with all of the non wetsuit swims Fletch and I have been doing up in the Lake (as well as other random ones here and there) my body will be able to handle the long (time-wise) swim a little better.  I've definitely felt that these OWS with Fletch have helped close the gap a bit between my pool swim times and my open water swim times although I haven't had a race yet to determine whether or not that belief is true...

Time Trial start:
I think this is going to be part of the next "wave" (pun intended) in Ironmans: the wave start.  With the increasing participation numbers in each race (Lake Placid reportedly had 3000+ registrants), a time trial type start will soon be the only way to go.  I definitely think this format is MUCH better for a slightly above average IM swimmer like me as I won't get pummeled by people who will be going sub-hour swim (since I would line up near the front of a race like CdA/Florida/etc.  What it also means is that I won't really be able to "race" anybody during the race because I'll never know exactly how far ahead (or behind) me they are.  I may be ahead on the course but they may have started 15-20+ minutes behind me so they are actually crushing me!

Times:  I am looking for a 1:10 or better swim.

Peak Build Week numero UNO

S: 10,500 yds
B: 241 mi
R: 42 mi

Time: 20.2 hours

I was super stroked as far as my swimming went this week.  I had two great swim workouts on Monday and Thursday but on the flip side the great workout on Thursday caused me to be tired and unmotivated to swim 2+ miles in Lake Norman on Friday morning and therefore didn't meet up with Fletch as we usually do.  I was hoping to get in one more swim on Sunday afternoon but it didn't end up happening.

I got in some fantastic biking this week; not just volume wise but some good intensity on Tuesday afternoon at the Inside Out ride where Scott, Donny and I dropped everybody else and forged along on our own.  Fletch, Behme and I banged out a great long ride on Saturday in the 100+ degree temperatures but held a nice, steady pace and continued on our positive trend of great long rides during this IM build.

Running was a bit of a mixed bag this week; my legs felt fine but I've been getting absolutely sick of running in this heat.  Consequently I switched to running inside on the treadmill at the Y for most of my runs (with the exception of a medium long run and the long run) and that was a welcome change but it's tough to do more than 4 miles on the treadmill as it gets pretty boring.  My long run on Sunday with Behme went really well; my legs felt really good and not at all tired from the ride the day before but at mile 17 I got sick of dealing with the heat and I decided to call it quits while Behme forged on relentlessly.  I guess there's something to be said for being older and wiser as I guess it also makes you tougher!

Next week will be another big week (12-15k in the pool, 250+ bike, 45-50 run) if things go well and that'll be it for high volume training this year! Y

Nice little week

S: 13,000
B: 154
R: 33

Time: 16 hrs

5 swims totaling my highest volume since Scott and I went a little crazy in the pool together back in January and February.  I definitely think the higher frequency (swimming 5 times versus 2-3 times per week) really helps me out in terms of feeling strong in the water.  Swam in the lake on Friday and then again on Sunday and I really feel like that helps close the gap between my pool swim times and my open water swim times (I, like many other triathletes, am much faster in the pool than in the open water...) and I look forward to continuing that as the year progresses.

Not a whole lot of biking this week other than a 105 miler on Saturday that didn't feel amazing but was still pretty solid.  My heart rate was much more in control on this ride than it was 2 weeks ago in Louisville but it was also 10-15 degrees cooler and a much "easier" effort.  Next two weeks will be back up over 200 miles but I still haven't decided by how much.

Runs were a little fast this week; I was usually averaging 7:20-7:30 pace on each run and I'm not really sure why that was but I'll just roll with it.  Next two weeks I'll be looking to get up over 40-45 miles but the long runs (last 2!!!) will make that a little easier.

Recovery

S: 7000
B: 78
R: 28

Time: 10 hrs

Recovery was the name of the game this week.  Only 2 swims, 2 bikes and 3 runs.  Both of the swims were open water and very enjoyable; the bike rides were out in the open but were not especially enjoyable, and none of the runs felt particularly amazing.  I guess when you're used to working out 15-18 hours a week 10 hours will mess up your groove.

Louisville Recon

Swim: 12,100
Bike: 268
Run: 32

Time: 20.7

FINALLY managed to get in some solid swimming volume this week.  I ended up swimming five times so my average per sesh wasn't that high but still got in a nice long OWS with Fletch in the lake so that's a nice bonus.

I obviously spent the most time on the bike this week as that has been the focus the past two weeks.  Going into the weekend I already had just under 160 miles already in the legs so I was fatigued but still ready to put out a solid effort on Sunday.  Two very hard efforts on the bike this week so consequently I'm now very tired.

Not a whole lot of running this week but that was on purpose since I knew I'd be on the bike so much this week.

The real focus this weekend was on the Louisville trip with Fletch, Behme and Woody.  We drove to Louisville on Saturday morning and got in a nice swim at a local pool (actually ended up being long course which was nice) and a brief run around the race area a little while later.  The next day we biked the race course at a very hard effort level and everyone suffered a good bit on that ride.  It was probably the hottest bike ride I've ever done; combine that with it also being one of (if not THE) hardest bike rides as well meant that it left a special mark on me once it was over.  The course itself was mostly as we remembered it but we just confirmed that you cannot go too hard if it's a hot day and expect to run the marathon.  It's definitely NOT an easy bike course.

Here's my "synopsis" of the course:
Heading out of T1 you turn left and get on River Rd for appx 8-9 miles. This road is very flat and fast and for the most part well-paved. As the name suggests, you bike along the river before encountering a short (but pretty steep) hill at mile 9ish before turning left onto 42. 42 is a mostly uphill road during the busy (4 or 6 lanes of traffic) section until you get to the 2 lane highway-ish part where it's very rolling. At about mile 17ish you take the right turn to get on the out/back section that is mostly flat at first before a sharp and decently long downhill before bottoming out and making the climb to the turnaround. These are probably the two steepest climbs on the course. At least they're out of the way early. 

After the out/back you turn right to get back on 42 for about 2ish miles before turning right on 393 and beginning what is basically a gradual climb up to 146 (and the loop section of the course). 

It's a deceptively difficult section that can really wear you out if you go too hard on your first loop. Once you make the left hand turn it's a flat and fast road to La Grange. This section is well-paved and very fast. There is one decent climb at miles 40/70 but it's not long. Once you make the left hand turn onto Ballard School Rd it is a pretty difficult set of climbs that appear as though you can 'power' over them but they're actually pretty difficult. Definitely small chaingring climbs. After several decent uphill intervals on this narrow road you come to a dead end and turn right on Old Sligo Road. This road is rolling but fairly fast and you then make a right turn on L'esprit Highway which is more of the same. Rolling but fast. No sustained climbs on this section but still some hills. Then you turn left on 153 and I honestly don't remember much about this road but that tells me that there's nothing too crazy. Once past that (1-1.5 miles) you turn left on Hwy 42 (same road as before) to get back to the beginning of the loop. Very soon on this road you see a sign that says "Louisville - 32 miles" which can be a real skullf*** if you let it on the second loop. 42 is very rolling but pretty fast. It's between 8-10 rolling miles to get back to the beginning of the loop (393). During the second loop you just continue on back the way you came (no repetition of the out/back thank god). 



Here's the data from the ride:

Time:	05:01:35
Moving Time:	04:59:44

Avg Speed:	22.2 mph
Avg Moving Speed:	22.3 mph
Max Speed:	40.4 mph

Elevation Gain:	3,622 ft
Elevation Loss:	3,621 ft
Min Elevation:	423 ft
Max Elevation:	906 ft