It's all down hill from here
The long sessions are done….in the bank….in the barn….finished.
Time to start tapering things down and resting up for the big day.
There’s still work to be done, but it’s all down hill from here.
Last Monday I started the week out with a 16 mile run. The heat had returned and the temps were in the low 90s, which made the going a little tougher. I’d taken along Gatorade and gels in my fuel belt and made a quick stop by the truck to reload at mile 8.
I finished up with an average pace of 9:52 at an average heart rate of 157.
I was on the bike for a couple of hours Tuesday afternoon and ended up with around 37 miles. Wednesday morning I was in the pool for an hour and finished up with 3k total yards. Later Wednesday afternoon I ran 6.5 miles. Thursday was a fairly easy day with a 1.5 hour ride in the afternoon. I swam 45 minutes Friday morning and ran for an hour in the afternoon.
A 100 mile ride was on the schedule for Saturday morning. I jumped online Friday night for a quick check of the forecast for Saturday. Low of around 60…great, no problem….highs in the mid 80s….perfect, bring it on….winds 10-20mph gusting to 25mph….oh shiznit…not good….very bad….very…very…bad.
I proceeded to get every thing ready to go for the windfest the next day.
The alarm went off Saturday morning at 5am and I headed into the kitchen for breakfast. After fueling up and taking care of bidness, I dug out my arm warmers since the temps were a little cooler. I figured I’d take them off an hour or so down the road when it warmed up…they stayed on the entire ride.
I headed out about 6:30…in the dark. The first 30 miles went by fairly uneventfully without the wind being too much of a factor. From mile 30 to mile 50, it started picking up a bit and made the going a bit tougher. Then from mile 50 through til the end, it reared its ugly head and blew with full force. Not only were the headwinds brutal, but the sidewinds were tough as well. I’m not the biggest fellow, 140lbs soakin wet. The side winds were blowing me around like crazy. I was praying that a gust wouldn’t hit from the side while a car was passing from behind. Luckily none did and I made it through to the end in one piece. 100.08 miles, 5:46:45, 17.3 mph average speed at an average heart rate of 155. I was very pleased with my ride given the conditions. Most of all I was glad to finish the last 100 miler of this training block.
Sunday was my day off from training and I got in plenty of rest.
A 3 hour run was on the schedule for yesterday. The weather was great for this run, and other than a little foot pain in the beginning, it went well. I finished up with 18 miles at an average heart rate of 154.
September was a big month of training….for me anyway….especially on the bike (642 miles). It’s been a slow building process throughout the year. I never thought I’d be able to train this much and remain consistent, but it happened. I’ve heard folks say, “In Ironman training, you train to be able to train”. I understand what they meant now.
The rest of this week is relatively light and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve only got one longish workout/brick on the schedule, a 3k swim followed by a 4 hour ride Friday morning. Then I’ve got my first 5k of the year coming up Saturday morning. I have absolutely no idea how I’ll do in this race. I’ve definitely not done any speedwork to prepare for it. I’m just gonna go as hard as I can and try not to break anything. Should be fun.
Time to start tapering things down and resting up for the big day.
There’s still work to be done, but it’s all down hill from here.
Last Monday I started the week out with a 16 mile run. The heat had returned and the temps were in the low 90s, which made the going a little tougher. I’d taken along Gatorade and gels in my fuel belt and made a quick stop by the truck to reload at mile 8.
I finished up with an average pace of 9:52 at an average heart rate of 157.
I was on the bike for a couple of hours Tuesday afternoon and ended up with around 37 miles. Wednesday morning I was in the pool for an hour and finished up with 3k total yards. Later Wednesday afternoon I ran 6.5 miles. Thursday was a fairly easy day with a 1.5 hour ride in the afternoon. I swam 45 minutes Friday morning and ran for an hour in the afternoon.
A 100 mile ride was on the schedule for Saturday morning. I jumped online Friday night for a quick check of the forecast for Saturday. Low of around 60…great, no problem….highs in the mid 80s….perfect, bring it on….winds 10-20mph gusting to 25mph….oh shiznit…not good….very bad….very…very…bad.
I proceeded to get every thing ready to go for the windfest the next day.
The alarm went off Saturday morning at 5am and I headed into the kitchen for breakfast. After fueling up and taking care of bidness, I dug out my arm warmers since the temps were a little cooler. I figured I’d take them off an hour or so down the road when it warmed up…they stayed on the entire ride.
I headed out about 6:30…in the dark. The first 30 miles went by fairly uneventfully without the wind being too much of a factor. From mile 30 to mile 50, it started picking up a bit and made the going a bit tougher. Then from mile 50 through til the end, it reared its ugly head and blew with full force. Not only were the headwinds brutal, but the sidewinds were tough as well. I’m not the biggest fellow, 140lbs soakin wet. The side winds were blowing me around like crazy. I was praying that a gust wouldn’t hit from the side while a car was passing from behind. Luckily none did and I made it through to the end in one piece. 100.08 miles, 5:46:45, 17.3 mph average speed at an average heart rate of 155. I was very pleased with my ride given the conditions. Most of all I was glad to finish the last 100 miler of this training block.
Sunday was my day off from training and I got in plenty of rest.
A 3 hour run was on the schedule for yesterday. The weather was great for this run, and other than a little foot pain in the beginning, it went well. I finished up with 18 miles at an average heart rate of 154.
September was a big month of training….for me anyway….especially on the bike (642 miles). It’s been a slow building process throughout the year. I never thought I’d be able to train this much and remain consistent, but it happened. I’ve heard folks say, “In Ironman training, you train to be able to train”. I understand what they meant now.
The rest of this week is relatively light and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve only got one longish workout/brick on the schedule, a 3k swim followed by a 4 hour ride Friday morning. Then I’ve got my first 5k of the year coming up Saturday morning. I have absolutely no idea how I’ll do in this race. I’ve definitely not done any speedwork to prepare for it. I’m just gonna go as hard as I can and try not to break anything. Should be fun.
Happy Training,
TJ
posted by TJ at 9:37 PM
6 Comments:
Coolness, Teej :-) L'il sis' plane ticket is purchased. The parent's vacation home is secured. Dee Dee and I will be down late Friday night. I don't know where/if we are volunteering yet, but my sister is starting to pester them to find out! LOL. This is getting exciting!
Feels good to have all that work done, eh? Ride it out to the end now. How exciting for you!
Again proving why I don't do the bike, no balance, i'd have been sitting in a ditch.
You made it to taper, aweseome!!
Wow, great work TJ. You have been incredibly consistant and it's going to pay off big. Great job especially on that windy ride. Have a great rest of the week and good luck on the 5k this weekend!
My brutha. The winds will make you stronger.
Taper time. Sweet, sweet taper time.
I hope to get to meet you. But eiher way, I WILL be cheering for you.
Enjoy the taper.
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