Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since the Vancouver Half Iron
https://irondaughterirondad.com/vancouver-half-iron-61733/
…and 2 weeks to go before heading back into the Ironman Florida training focus beginning the week of August 8th…which will be 13 weeks from race day
Since the Vancouver Half, I’ve taken it easy, getting in workouts, but more in maintenance mode…since the race:
- Week 1: 4:20:00 for the week…:30 swim / 2:33 bike / :37 run / :40 yoga…2 days off after the race, travel back from Vancouver, very light week with only 30 minutes of running
- Week 2: 11:02:01 for the week…2:30 swim/ 4:55:01 bike / 2:47:00 run / :30 yoga…so a bit on the short side for time, and low intensity all week
- Week 3: 10:30:00 projected through Sunday…3:30 swim / 5:33 bike / 1:25 run / :30 yoga…right knee has acted up this week, so I’ve cut back the running to rest it
Other than the knee issue…still optimistic that it’ll stay intact…swim and bike are good.
In the pool yesterday with Coach Dinah Mistilis, we continue to work on finding that ‘perfect’ cadence, that will give me the most efficient combination of Stroke Rate and Stroke Length…the elements of how fast you go.
…in an interesting twist, I was able to knock out a few, quite relaxed, 25 yard lengths at a 1.1 second Stroke Rate and 20 strokes…adding on 2 strokes for the push-off the wall, means a ‘theoretical’ open water speed (without walls) of 22 strokes x 1.1 seconds = 24 seconds for 25 yards = 1:36/100 yards = under 1:10:00 for the 2.4 mile Ironman swim
https://irondaughterirondad.com/ah-that-swimming-thing/
…alright, it was only 25 yards, and not 2.4 miles, but that’s where dreams begin 🙂
…I was reminded of something that Coach Al Gentry, one of my Masters swim coaches said to me, very early on in my triathlon journey, after one of my wimpy race swims:
It’s called a race for a reason…you do know that right?
You’re a big guy…you can run right over these little guys in the water…just run right over them…own that first buoy
…at the time my heart rate would go through the roof just standing on the beach at the swim start, and it was all I could do to find some clear water away from everyone else to get through the short, 500M sprint distance swims without becoming a medical emergency…
But you know, to a large degree Coach Al was right…it is a race after-all…so the swimming work continues on ‘form’, although now with an increasing eye on speed…and putting some ‘life’ into my swimming…and getting the racing speed Stroke Rate dialed in to something that I can maintain for 2.4 miles in open water…with good form
…or more properly, the Stroke Rate that I can stick in my head, and have confidence in on race day…and just run over anybody in the way 🙂
At this point, my bike remains solid. On my long’ish ride today, 2:43:20, I took up the power a bit for an up and back on the rolling/hilly Shearer road route, 213 Watts northbound, and 204 Watts southbound for a total time of 43:41…turned out to be 19.8MPH average, so good!
https://irondaughterirondad.com/whats-it-take-to-bike-20mph-for-112-miles/
…with my Ironman goal power at 200 Watts, I’ll still need to get my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to 285 Watts or higher to ‘allow’ myself to run the race at that power…70% of my FTP to leave as much in my legs for the run as I rationally can
…my Vancouver Half was a holding-it-back 203 Watts Average (213 Watts Normalized), so exactly where I wanted it for that race…so I ‘can’ run at that power for 112 miles…although right now, based on my last bike test at 270 Watts, that would give me a current race plan of 270 x 70% = 189 Watts…which is still good for 19-19.5 MPH on the rather flat Ironman Florida course, on a ‘normal’ weather day
So for the bike, it’s more of what I’ve been doing…getting in as much Intensity as my body will allow, while jumping up the mileage…and hopefully, I’ll be able to pick up that extra 15 Watts of FTP before race day…with the hot weather now settled in, it’s going to be a challenge to get in quality, high Intensity workouts in the heat…so some early morning starts in my future.
And that running thing…I’m in very good running shape…at least the engine is…the chassis is feeling a bit worn though, with my right knee acting up again this week…and therefore…or as a result of something else going on in that leg…getting some pain/strain that shouldn’t be there…sort of came out of nowhere…like no ‘event’ or ‘trauma’ that set it off…so that’s the good news I guess
…easy 3.5 and 5 mile runs this week, were ok, but the right quad/knee/calf feeling a bit strained
…hoping that standing down on the running…probably keep in some light/short runs…will allow it to sort itself out again, and I’ll be back at it
The Endurance Nation folks have a good saying:
if you have an injury, your injury is your coach
…so running workouts will be dictated by how that right leg comes around
…I was very happy with my Vancouver Half Iron run…and shows me something that I know already…holding back on the bike, can lead to a very good run…or more properly a nice balance between the two, sets up for the fastest overall time.
This week coming up, gets a bit cramped again, my wife going back in to get her stitches removed…her recovery is going well, so that’s good…and guests coming at the end of the week through the weekend, so will probably be a little lighter on the exercise hours this week again…and watching that calorie thing in the face of a BIG restaurant week coming up
…and as always, constant adjustment based on how well the entire body package stays together 🙂