Saturday, April 30, 2011

I'm Alive

I'm still here!  Sorry folks, I got carried away by real life for awhile there.  Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks until show time.  That means 5 weeks until taper starts.  Seriously, where did the time GO?  I'm in the middle of the last build series, and while I've botched it up quite a bit, I think I'm still on track for a finish before midnight on June 26th.  Status check:

Swim - My swimming is pretty solid at this point.  I've logged double the volume in the last 4 months than I did in all of 2010.  Open water swimming will start soon too.  (Note: Lake Coeur d'Alene is currently 42 degrees and it snowed on the course last week.)
Bike - Let's face it, I'm still too heavy to climb efficiently.  Race day is going to be painful.  But I can't go back in time and fix it, so I'm going to try and be positive and let that carry me through the hills on the course.  This WILL change before Arizona.  It has to.
Run - I'm not going to set any records, but I'm feeling confident about the distance.  (I would also say something about being injury-free, but I don't want to jinx it, so there will be no mention of such things.)  If nothing else, being severely undertrained for 3 of my last 3 marathons has taught me that I have the will power to get through the miles.  And I'll have a fun time doing it.

And in case you're wanting a volume update...
A couple of weeks ago:
* I was still recovering from being sick, and still dealing with major allergy issues.  I did well on the bike, but had a hard time getting enough oxygen while running.
Swim - 6550 meters
Bike - 117.25 miles
Run - 11.96 miles
Total - 13.12 hours

Last week:
* This was supposed to be a 16 hour training week, but I ended up logging around 80 hours at work.  So, I'm going to view almost 13 hours of training as a major win.  I also did a long swim of 4000 meters and a long run of just under 12 miles.
Swim - 6750 meters
Bike - 82.03 miles
Run - 18.23 miles
Total - 12.52 hours

Monday, April 11, 2011

Weekly Recap: Meaty

The training note from my coach on Monday read "OK - things are going to start getting meaty around here."  No joke.  Especially after looking into the future a couple of weeks.  I was a little unsure of myself, since I was still a bit sick and heading out of town for a 6-day business trip.  That didn't sound like a recipe for success.  But I DID IT!  I'll fast forward to the summary:

Swim - 7286 meters
Bike - 96.25 miles (ALL on the trainer)
Run - 15.91 miles
Strength - 45 minutes of TRX (ouch, it's been a while)
Total - 13.12 hours

If you want to hear some of the gritty details, forge onward.

Monday - I got to see an alligator.  Up really really close.  This has nothing to do with training, but how cool is that!  I said "see you later alligator" to people the rest of the day.  I was very amused with myself.
Tuesday  - I had my long run of 2 hours on the calendar.  It was impossible to do this before the 7am start time at work, so I opted out of the group work dinner and headed back to the lakes near Louisiana State University.  There were dozens of walkers and runners out until the sun went down, so I felt safe and right at home.  Except that it was 75 degrees and not raining, which is very much different than home these days.  (Dear Pacific Northwest Weather Gods, it's not funny anymore.)  The temperature was perfect, a nice breeze was blowing, and the mosquitoes weren't too bad.
Wednesday - I started the morning with a little TRX.  I had also done some strength training on Tuesday, so by this point I was having a hard time bending over to put on my shoes.  Good stuff.
Wednesday night (after a good southern crawfish boil) I headed on over to the most disgusting excuse for a lap pool I've ever seen.  I wouldn't have been so annoyed had I not paid for what was advertised as a "25 yard pristine lap pool".  So, in Louisiana, 25 yards = 15 yards, pristine = so murky you can't see the bottom, and lap pool = no lane lines or painted stripes.  Oh, and 90 degrees is apparently the optimal workout temperature.  However, the 350 pound ladies doing water walking provided a bit of open water swim experience.  And at least I had access to the spin bikes afterwards (which were indeed spin bikes as advertised).
Thursday/Friday - Rest days.  Unintentionally.  What happens in Baton Rouge stays in Baton Rouge, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Saturday - I made it back into town late on Friday night, so Saturday was a rough start.  After a 2 hour trainer ride (seriously, weather gods, enough!) I headed to the pool for the longest session this year.  And I had a new gadget courtesy of my Mom to track the laps.  Thanks, Mom!
Sunday - Oh my.  This day sucked.  It started off with practicing my Ironman morning nutrition, which was by far the best part of the day.  Can't I just practice eating all week?  Oh wait, I do.  Then I was off to the pool for another 2500 meters.  And then back home for FOUR HOURS on the trainer.  FOUR HOURS(Alright, I give, what would you like me to sacrifice?)  And then a 3 mile brick run.  But I did it.  And I'm really proud of myself.  This day is what the guts of Ironman training are made of.  The days that suck and hurt and you find the gumption to get through it anyway.  This is what makes us ready.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Last Week, A Little Late

Yes, I know it's half way through this week already, but here's my update from last week.  Bettah late dan nevah.  I'm in Louisiana at the moment and their accent has infiltrated my brain.

I headed into this week (um, last week) with one of the nastiest illnesses I've had in awhile, and I was thankful that it was a recovery week so that I could get back to 100% without missing too many key workouts.  The overall volume was weak sauce, but I got lots of rest and even took an extra day off mid-week to rest up a bit more.  Sunday was an all-day travel day from Portland, OR (mid-40s and storming rain) to Baton Rouge, LA (mid-80s and nothing but sunshine).  SUUUUUNSHINE!  Before crashing for the night I managed to muster up the energy for a sunset run along the lakes near LSU.
Swim - 1600 meters (hey, you try swimming with a sinus infection!)
Bike - 45 miles
Run - 11.9 miles
Total - 6.09 hours