Training Week in Review

Taper! No training this week. There wasn't anything I could do this week to help me on Sunday. All I could do is rest and let the anticipation fuel my energy levels for Sunday.

Date	Day	Activity
09/19/11	Monday	Rest
09/20/11	Tuesday	Rest
09/21/11	Wednesday	Cycle - Spin
09/22/11	Thursday	Rest
09/23/11	Friday	Rest - Travel
09/24/11	Saturday	Run - 3 Mile Easy
09/25/11	Sunday	Race - Augusta 70.3 Half Ironman

Below are my goals for Augusta 70.3.

This is my A race & last tri of the year, so I'm going to give it everything I got. Primary goal is to beat my Gulf Coast time. I've been working on my nutrition and I shouldn't have the issues I had at Gulf Coast, so beating my time won't be a problem.


Specific Goals: 

Swim: 30-35 minutes
I'd be happy to finish in 35 minutes and take 2 minutes off my time from Gulf Coast (37:36). April (swim coach) feels that with the current I can do better and be closer to 30 minutes. Going to try for 30!


Bike: As close to 3 hours or better
Around 18 - 19 mph, but effort based on HR. (Gulf Coast 3:14:28)


Run: 8-8:15 pace or 1:45 - 1:50 time.


Transitions: 3 minute  or faster transitions

Overall Finish: 5:30:00  (Gulf Coast 6:25:03)


Next post will be the race report with all the detail from the weekend.

Training Week in Review

Tapering this week and saw the potential I have for my upcoming Half Ironman. Weather has been a bit cooler lately and it's really helping me on my runs. Despite that I'm supposed to be tapering my runs have been really fast and I'm not running in HR zone 5 either.

We had power problems at our regular swim facility, so no practice. Instead I went to another facility and swam 2500 meters. I did some speed sets, but the majority was on endurance. Tuesday's run was fast, 8:12 average with hills. I felt really good. I was going to do a couple sets of intervals on the bike Wednesday, but saw a lot of my team mates out there and that motivated me to do a lot more. I really pushed it on the bike and then did a 20 minute brick. Even after those intervals, I was still able to run a sub 8 min/mile pace. I took Thursday & Friday off. Saturday was an easy 40 mile spin kind of day on the bike. I did a 30 minute brick after the bike. Legs felt sluggish at first but within 1/4 mile my legs were turning over quickly. I got in a 7:15 min/mile average and was even running sub 7 minutes during the last 1/2 mile. I did 10 miles on Sunday. I started out at an 8:30 min/mile pace until mile 6. Then I started to pick up the pace and finished with an 8:18 min/mile average. If I can get my nutrition on the bike right, the run is going to be my strongest leg. Obviously the cooler weather has helped. I'm hoping the cool weather continues through race day.

Date	Day	Activity
09/12/11	Monday	Swim - 2500 Meters
09/13/11	Tuesday	Run - 7 Miles
09/14/11	Wednesday	Bike - 35 Miles Run - 20 Minute Brick
09/15/11	Thursday	Rest
09/16/11	Friday	Rest
09/17/11	Saturday	Bike - 40 Miles
09/18/11	Sunday	Run- 10 Miles Swim - Open Water ~ 1800 Yards

Training Week In Review

Lots of extra time this week. It's time to taper for Augusta 70.3 and that's easier said than done. I found myself with a lot of extra time and actually started to wonder what I'm going to do with all the free time when the season is over. Technically, Augusta is my last triathlon for the year, but I'm not going to just stop training altogether. There's still a marathon that's a possibility and a half marathon in November. I'm not worried about the half. All I have to do is maintain my current running schedule and I'll be fine. The marathon is a whole other thing. My longest run has been 18 miles and that's the only reason I'm considering doing a full marathon. I'd like to get to 20-22 miles before the marathon. It's my understanding that's when it gets difficult, and a large part is the mental aspect of it. We'll see. So far it looks like the Atlanta Marathon on October 30 will be my next race after Augusta. I'll keep swimming, but cycling will probably drop off significantly following Augusta.

Been back mountain biking. A couple of the guys in the club are also getting back into it and it provides a different aspect to the training and some fun rides.

Date	Day	Activity
09/05/11	Monday	Rest
09/06/11	Tuesday	Run - 7 Miles
09/07/11	Wednesday	Rest
09/08/11	Thursday	Bike - 16 Miles Mountain Bike
09/09/11	Friday	Run - 8 Miles
09/10/11	Saturday	Bike - 48 Miles
09/11/11	Sunday	Rest

This week was also the club's signup for IM Wisconsin 2012. It sold out in less than 24 hours. Because of the financial commitment, I just couldn't pull the trigger. There were other reasons as well. When you factor in registration (almost $700), hotel, airfare & bike shipping the price gets close to $2,000. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, it isn't going to be in Wisconsin. After a year of training and achieving such a huge accomplishment, I'd like to reward myself with a little vacation and Madison, Wisconsin doesn't appeal to me as a vacation spot.  If I really wanted to do an IM for less money, I could always do The Great Floridian in Clermont, FL. Registration is $450 and I can register the day before the race if I wanted to. Not to mention, my family is about a 45 minute drive to the race site, so accommodations are free and I get to see my friends and family. Better yet, they can come out and see me race. There's also the option for Rev3 Cedar Point on the same day as IM Wisconsin and it takes place at a theme park. I'm disappointed that I won't be able to do the club's IM race. I will do one, and when I do, I'm going to make the best of it.

Training Week in Review

I think this is the peak week for my half ironman. Looking forward to decreasing the milage, tapering and building up my anticipation for Augusta 70.3. Skipped swim practice again because the legs just aren't fully recovered to get the maximum workout in the pool. Even Tuesday's run was a recovery run. Legs weren't feeling good again until Wednesday. I decided not to do the spin class and focus on an endurance swim to make up for missing Monday night. Started with 400 meters for warmup and then got some drills in. Using a kick board, I worked on my legs. I really feel this is an area that needs a lot of improvement and I can gain some significant speed if I had a strong and fast kick. Also used a pool buoy and worked on my arms. Afterwards, I just swam straight doing about 1800 meters. Felt good and at a consistent pace.

Scheduled called for a 5 hour ride on Saturday. At my pace, that's about an 80 mile ride and that's a bit too much with an 18 mile run the next day. Last week I rode 80 and had a slow 16 mile run. This week I rode 58 and had a really great 18 mile run on Sunday. The pace was fast. I held an 8:11 average over the entire run. Granted, it was cloudy and below 80º, but I don't think I've ever held that kind of pace for anything over 5 miles unless it was all downhill. Very happy with the run. Although I must say, mentally, it takes a lot to run that kind of distance. I question why I run that much and wonder if I'll even attempt a full marathon. I think after Augusta I'll feel differently as I'll probably cut my cycling by half, allowing me to experience my full potential on long runs.

Made it to the open water swim. Water was choppy. Since it was Labor Day weekend, there were lots of boats and jet skis on the lake. I felt really slow and the waves did not help. I choked on some water, but was able to regain my composure and then continue. I'm looking forward to using a wetsuit again for Augusta.

Date	Day	Activity
08/29/11	Monday	Rest
08/30/11	Tuesday	Run - 7 Miles
08/31/11	Wednesday	Swim - 2500 Meters
09/01/11	Thursday	Run - 7 Miles
09/02/11	Friday	Rest
09/03/11	Saturday	Bike - 58 Miles
09/04/11	Sunday	Run - 18 Miles Swim - 1500 Meters OWS