Week 1 of my final build for Kona done. It went great. I had my best long ride in a LONG time. 4h49m @ 0.73IF, averaging over 23mph until the wind turned and I bonked hte last 30 minutes. I learned 300 calories per hour at the end of a build week doesn't cut it (glycogen stores not topped off like in taper) for rides over 4 hours. My excuse, I didn't feel like carrying a couple more bars and didn't want to stop and by any sports drink. Very happy with my pace. I was a flat route, but that includes stop signs and a couple bathroom stops, road helmet, 4 bottles, box rims, but good...though worn... tires and latex tube on rear. Lets felt great until I bonked. Overall it was a huge confidence booster. I haven;t had a lot of long rides this year and on most I fell apart pretty early on. I felt like if I hadn't bonked I could have ridden tempo that last hour.
Running feels good. I did step on a scale and I'm maybe 1lb heavier than last year, so I'm making progress overall, but the extra 2-3lbs will probably cost me 5-6' at Kona...maybe. Then again, my energy levels should be more stable. So it's hard to say. I think staying cool, pacing well and being mentally strong will make the biggest difference. IF you feel hot and you focus on the heat, then your performance will suffer. It was moderately hot at Racine and I never focused on it and jsut held the pace my legs gave me.
Swim is still hit & miss. I found a local swim coach that I might have take a look at my stroke and give a few pointers. I can schedule a session through my gym. Yes, it's a little late to make big changes, but I'm not looking for major changes. I've swam faster this winter and one and off, but it doesn't quite "stick". I think the 27xx I swam at Racine was my good stroke and I think that could translate to 59-60 at Kona which would set me up to clear traffic on the bike at Kona a little easier and sooner. If I swim 1:01-1:03, I'll have to burn a match(s) to move up and avoid a drafting penalty.
Big scare this week was not having my tri bike for 6 days. Headset was trashed. Actually, it's been that way for I think 2-3 years. No I'm not kidding. I'm a little embarrassed about that. But headset doesn't specifically slow me down. So drive train, aerodynamics, tires tubes, on top of it. So i was on my road bike all week, and in reality, probably rode a little easier, which wasn't so bad and it set me up for a great long ride. I ended up then skipping the local Olympic distance race (was rainy anyway).
This next week I'm doing Des Moines Triathlon (formerly Hyvee tri). A friend got me a comp'd entry and a couch to crash on. It should be a great change to finally break 2 hours and ride under 60'. I think my goal will be burying myself on the bike and see how many pros I can out split. Then cruise a tempo run with a negative split around a 37-38. Should be fun! the challenge will be the logistics. We're also visiting family in Keokuk, IA, so I go there first, then straight to Des Moines for packet pickup, then bike check, then dinner possibly with some Facebook friends. It will be a C+ to B- race. I'm only 1-3/4 weeks into a block, but I won't have time for any workout on Sat. so it will be GASP! a day off. I think I only have 2-3 of those a year, usually after an "A" race.
Then one final week to get my fitness to a peak again and I'll taper. To clarify, in a base, you raise your overall training load to that you hit a peak CTL for the season. In a Build you do 2 things. You train is a way that's more specific to your race, and you return your CTL to a point right at or just slightly higher than the peak CTL from the base period. What you don't do, is try and hit a new peak. In Build 2, you peak CTL might even be lower than in Build 1..especially if you're doing some 70.3's in a build for an IM. You race yourself out of shape just a little, then use the build to regain that fitness. But it's a fair trade as those races are great workouts, build your confidence, test your fitness and help establish pacing metrics and race predictions.
By the numbers:
Swim: 2h32m, 11,045y,
Bike: 9h53m, 209mi (mostly Road Bike)
Run: 6h09m, 49.8mi
TOTAL: 18h23m
TSS: 1169
SIDENOTE: One of my athletes had a great day at Muskoka this weekend. Did hit his stretch goals, but had a swim PR, comparative bike PR (that's one of the hardest bike courses of all IM's) with negative splits by power. He ran faster than Maryland last year too and paced really smart, targeting negative splits, but faded in the heat.
Also, a local female placed 2nd in her AG and 6th overall and should be headed to Kona next year. She rode a 5:25!!! and had such a lead that a good but not fast 3:56 held off everyone behind. Haven;t seen the final results to see how it all unfolded. IM's website is severely lacking for to track competition effectively.
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