Well next week at this time I will be in the early stages of my race. I have no doubt this is going to be the toughest challenge I have taken on to date. Judging from the past times they look to be at least one hour or better slower than most IM races.
The key to success (finishing!) will be more cerebral than physical. The focus can't be on the clock. I have resigned myself that the time will be slower. I really have to be extremely mindful of taking it easy when I can and reserving as much energy as possible. The swim should be good as there are just over 300 competitors in the full distance. Therefore the lake shouldn't be crowded and the risk of getting punched, kicked or mugged is decreased significantly. While swimming in the wetsuit does wonders for the buoyancy the added restriction does tend to increase fatigue in the arms. I am looking to just settle into a nice rhythm and concentrate on good form.
The bike part will be the biggest challenge. With all the climbing I am going to have to get my routine settled into quickly. I like to break each hour into 10 - 15 minute cycles, where I make sure I drink, get some calories in, change position and stand at least once. Keeping everything functioning is going to take a lot of discipline.
When it comes to the run I really will have to watch my pace. Much like the bike, it will be a matter of getting settled into a pace and a routine. The hills on the run give me far less heartburn then on the bike. I actually don't mind running hills. If you look down it looks like it is flat anyway!
Basically that is my strategy in a nutshell. Finishing is the goal and whatever time it takes will be fine with me. I will keep you posted from the road as we will be heading out on Wednesday.
Have a great weekend!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Countdown Begins!
It is less than 2 weeks until Silverman and I am starting to get excited. I am looking forward to the event obviously but the break away will also be enjoyable. We will be heading out next Wednesday and doing the 24 hour drive to Henderson, Nevada. I am just too nervous about shipping my bike and everything else, plus I don't mind driving. So it should be a fun trip.
As far as the training goes I am feeling confident but I know it is not going to be a fast time. I will be 12 plus hours I am sure, but my goal is to complete the race comfortably. Outside of that I have no other major goals set for this race. The next little while will be some relatively light training and mostly a lot of rest.
Have a great day!
As far as the training goes I am feeling confident but I know it is not going to be a fast time. I will be 12 plus hours I am sure, but my goal is to complete the race comfortably. Outside of that I have no other major goals set for this race. The next little while will be some relatively light training and mostly a lot of rest.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fear and Loathing of Las Vegas
Well that isn’t entirely true, although the fear part of my upcoming race in November is real! Obviously I am adequately prepared for the Silverman but I do feel a tad bit exposed on the cycling side of things. I would certainly have liked to have done more long rides, but the weather has just not co-operated. So I opted for the trainer for shorter, higher intensity type work. Hopefully that gives me what I need to deal with the 180 km bike ride on a course that has 9,800 feet of climbing on it! I’ll get my answer on November 7.
After my marathon on October 10, the recovery has gone quite well and the legs are feeling better already. This week I have racked up 24 miles of running so far with no ill effects. Given the quick turn around time, I will probably not do any runs beyond 10 miles or so.
The marathon in Victoria was wonderful as usual. I ran a fairly good race, clocking 3:02:33 and should easily have broken 3 hours had I managed my days prior to the race better. The prime reason for our trip to the coast was to deliver a load of “stuff” to my daughter who has recently relocated to Vancouver and of course to visit her. So the days prior to the race were spent loading and unloading material, a trip to IKEA for more stuff, and then the assembly of our wares from IKEA. Hydrating and carbo loading were put on the back shelf and the race pretty much forgotten until Sunday morning. Having said that I still ran a great run, 1:02 at 10 miles, 1:24 at the half and I was still cruising at 35 kilometres and then I just seized up. The last 5 or 6 kilometres were a struggle, but I managed to keep a smile on my face and shuffle along to the finish. I have no doubts that I would have easily met my target of sub 3 had I been a little better prepared from the nutrition and hydration point of view. Since I am driving to Las Vegas I will have to be more mindful of those elements on route.
After my marathon on October 10, the recovery has gone quite well and the legs are feeling better already. This week I have racked up 24 miles of running so far with no ill effects. Given the quick turn around time, I will probably not do any runs beyond 10 miles or so.
The marathon in Victoria was wonderful as usual. I ran a fairly good race, clocking 3:02:33 and should easily have broken 3 hours had I managed my days prior to the race better. The prime reason for our trip to the coast was to deliver a load of “stuff” to my daughter who has recently relocated to Vancouver and of course to visit her. So the days prior to the race were spent loading and unloading material, a trip to IKEA for more stuff, and then the assembly of our wares from IKEA. Hydrating and carbo loading were put on the back shelf and the race pretty much forgotten until Sunday morning. Having said that I still ran a great run, 1:02 at 10 miles, 1:24 at the half and I was still cruising at 35 kilometres and then I just seized up. The last 5 or 6 kilometres were a struggle, but I managed to keep a smile on my face and shuffle along to the finish. I have no doubts that I would have easily met my target of sub 3 had I been a little better prepared from the nutrition and hydration point of view. Since I am driving to Las Vegas I will have to be more mindful of those elements on route.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Okay I'm going to try this again
Last post was March 10 of this year and I have finally decided to try and start blogging again. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about, just couldn't seem to find the time or motivation.
So here is a quick re-cap of the events of 2010
St. Albert 10 Miler - 1:05 - 3rd in 50 - 59
Banff to Jasper Relay - Leg #3 (all uphill) 20.6 kms in 1:31 - 4th overall for the leg
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Tri - 2:33 - 3rd again in age group
Stony Plain 1/2 Marathon - 1:24:24 - 5th overall and 1st in age group
Victoria Marathon - 3:02:33 - 6th in age group and 88th overall
As you can see I have had a relatively busy last couple of months. Lots of training as well in preparation for the Silverman in Henderson, NV on November 7. Still not sure that running a marathon hard last weekend, four weeks out from an IM was a great idea, but we will see. Overall my training has gone well but I have definitely not put in enough time on the bike. The weather here this summer was not conducive to cycling so I deferred to the trainer for shorter rides. Hopefully it has all added up and will count for something.
Now to just try and get in the habit of posting more often.
Have a great day!
So here is a quick re-cap of the events of 2010
St. Albert 10 Miler - 1:05 - 3rd in 50 - 59
Banff to Jasper Relay - Leg #3 (all uphill) 20.6 kms in 1:31 - 4th overall for the leg
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Tri - 2:33 - 3rd again in age group
Stony Plain 1/2 Marathon - 1:24:24 - 5th overall and 1st in age group
Victoria Marathon - 3:02:33 - 6th in age group and 88th overall
As you can see I have had a relatively busy last couple of months. Lots of training as well in preparation for the Silverman in Henderson, NV on November 7. Still not sure that running a marathon hard last weekend, four weeks out from an IM was a great idea, but we will see. Overall my training has gone well but I have definitely not put in enough time on the bike. The weather here this summer was not conducive to cycling so I deferred to the trainer for shorter rides. Hopefully it has all added up and will count for something.
Now to just try and get in the habit of posting more often.
Have a great day!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Improvements in the Pool
Over the last few months there have been some definite improvements in my swim. However I was not really aware of the fact that they have been notable and sustained. Since getting back in the pool in November after an extended absence, I have been able to consistently break 30:00 over 1,500 metres. For the longest while I was stuck in the 32:00 range and could not seem to make any improvements. The only thing I can think of that has really changed is that I have concentrated less on stroke count and more on getting a good pull. When I took the TI course they really emphasized stroke count which is no doubt important. Flailing away at 26 strokes per length is not very efficient to say the least. However, trying to get to 16 or so is not realistic for me. Since settling in at about 18 or so, I have noted the time improvements. I also bought some paddles to help me work on improving my pull, because quite frankly it wasn't very strong. The mechanics were okay, I just wasn't catching and displacing enough water. That I think has been key. So I have knocked a few minutes off which definitely will help in the shorter races.
Speaking of races it looks like I am going to sign up for the St. Albert 10 Miler on April 11th. I feel good right now and that is a perfect distance to get back into racing. For some reason I feel a bit nervous about it, but that is good I guess.
Hope you have a great week!
Speaking of races it looks like I am going to sign up for the St. Albert 10 Miler on April 11th. I feel good right now and that is a perfect distance to get back into racing. For some reason I feel a bit nervous about it, but that is good I guess.
Hope you have a great week!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
What can I say?
The lack of blogging has been for no particular reason other than I really don't have much to say. I can hardly imagine that anyone is particularly interested in reading about my mundane training regime. Anyone who reads this knows that I generally fly by the seat of my pants, inventing my training program as I go, but the pattern is pretty predictable. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - swim at lunch, Tuesday, Thursday - run at lunch. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - run in the evenings. Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday - bike in the evenings. That's the formula with very little deviation.
So what have I been up to the last month or so? Well on the training front, just see above. Progression is going well and I can gear up at anytime to do a marathon or at least a half iron man with a month's notice. Iron man will take at least two months but overall my fitness level is quite solid.
On the personal front, I have been busy at work preparing for a number of labour arbitrations and also getting our applications in for government granting for some major projects. Both very interesting and time consuming.
Last week we took a quick 5 day trip to Palm Springs. It was wonderful! The weather was perfect and it was a very relaxing couple of days. Now I am invigorated to get hard at the training and pick some races!
Have a great week!
So what have I been up to the last month or so? Well on the training front, just see above. Progression is going well and I can gear up at anytime to do a marathon or at least a half iron man with a month's notice. Iron man will take at least two months but overall my fitness level is quite solid.
On the personal front, I have been busy at work preparing for a number of labour arbitrations and also getting our applications in for government granting for some major projects. Both very interesting and time consuming.
Last week we took a quick 5 day trip to Palm Springs. It was wonderful! The weather was perfect and it was a very relaxing couple of days. Now I am invigorated to get hard at the training and pick some races!
Have a great week!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A Little More Than Planned….
Despite my best efforts last week I surpassed my target of 8 hours by a little more than planned. A combination of good weather, fresh legs and a good attitude resulted in getting into double digits and finishing the week over 10 hours.
Now in the big scheme of things that in itself is not a huge deal, but what it does show is my body is almost pre-programmed for an early season race.
The totals for the week were
Swimming 6,250 metres
Biking 60 miles
Ran 40 miles
There were a couple of hard efforts in there, but by and large it was just some good solid workouts. One of the runs was a good tempo run – 10 kms with an average pace of 6:37 / mile. I still believe that for me to work my Ironman times down I am going to have to capitalize on my running strength. Over the three races I have done, I have not felt that I have been able to really push on the run. In 2008 at Arizona there was no opportunity as the conditions put me in survival mode, but last year at IM CDA I should have been able to do better.
This week will be a cut back week to try and compensate for last week. I will still want to keep the running up around 40 miles since it looks like Red Deer is going to be my spring race in May.
Have a great week!
Now in the big scheme of things that in itself is not a huge deal, but what it does show is my body is almost pre-programmed for an early season race.
The totals for the week were
Swimming 6,250 metres
Biking 60 miles
Ran 40 miles
There were a couple of hard efforts in there, but by and large it was just some good solid workouts. One of the runs was a good tempo run – 10 kms with an average pace of 6:37 / mile. I still believe that for me to work my Ironman times down I am going to have to capitalize on my running strength. Over the three races I have done, I have not felt that I have been able to really push on the run. In 2008 at Arizona there was no opportunity as the conditions put me in survival mode, but last year at IM CDA I should have been able to do better.
This week will be a cut back week to try and compensate for last week. I will still want to keep the running up around 40 miles since it looks like Red Deer is going to be my spring race in May.
Have a great week!
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