2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

WEEK 29 – September 19, 2021 

29 weeks down, 1 week to go!  I’ve gone from Week 1 back in March and doing my workouts inside, to seeing farm fields go from untilled dirt, to not being able to see around turns due to the corn being fully grown.  I’ve gone from being mentally burned out, to being very atuned to how great I feel.  I’ve been so far from being ready, to feeling like I’m ready to rock this race.  All it took was a day to day effort, following a great plan for the fifth time, and having the support of my Gunner teammates and the local friends that have been very instrumental in making this training block pleasurable.  Let’s roll!

 

I try to plan out a race day plan for myself and in 2019 it became very clear that the day would be about surviving the heat.  It was a scorcher and I won’t ever forget it.  I don’t really try to worry too much about the weather or water temperatures for race day, but after 2019 I’m not ignoring it either.  So when a couple of casual checks of the long-range forecast revealed that the temperature might be in the 70s and sunny, well that changes my mindset a little.  I may be going from planning to pace an Ironman to racing it instead.  It means instead of a 16.5 mph average on the bike to maybe an 18 mph average.  It means that I may be able to run a sub-4.5 hour marathon instead of something over 5 hours.  I’m definitely bringing the wetsuit, like always.  But last time I knew I wasn’t going to be using it.  This time?  There might be a wetsuit legal swim for the first time in Choo history.  We’ll see, I’m not holding my breath, but it would be awesome if it was.

So, let’s wrap up these 29 weeks and get ready for race week.  Here’s a summary and a link to all previous weeks.  I’ll give you a virtual medal for going back and reading all these blogs.  

Week 1 – Getting pumped for Ironman #5!  PUMP IT UP!

Week 2 – Yeah, I eat junk food.  Who doesn’t?  I’M SHOCKED!

Week 3 – A little optimistic that I was 1/10 done with training.  One Tenth Done

Week 4 – Ended March with some unexpected motivation.  Inspiring Motivation

Week 5 – A cold ride brought out the MacGuyver in me.  Three Plastic Bags and a Popped Balloon

Week 6 – Trying to recall some meaningless training info.  I Can’t Remember

Week 7 – A calf injury had me a little concerned.  Running Injury? A Minor Inconvenience

Week 8 – Feeling guilty about inspiring others to join in this dumb sport.  (not really)  Regretfully Inspiring Others

Week 9 – Roared into May with a light-hearted post.  I’m In The Cool Kids Club

Week 10 – Glad to hit the 1/3 done mark.  One-Third Into the Training

Week 11 – Back soreness had me worried.  I Was Spineless, But Now I’m Back

Week 12 – Wondering and thinking can lead to some crazy ideas.  I Wonder… About Week 12

Week 13 – I had to remind myself that you can’t have the reward without the journey.  Work First, Brag Later

Week 14 – Sort of an odds and ends week.  Week 14 Hitting Hard

Week 15 – Not a great finish to 15 weeks of training.  Limping It In At The Half-way Point

Week 16 – I gave myself a gold star for this week.  Grading Myself

Week 17 – Torch Run with the coworkers, and the start of vacation.  Ins and Outs of Week 17

Week 18 – Foot injury and vacation meant let the training slide a little.  Vacation Overrules Training

Week 19 – I had issues this week, some good, some bad, some ugly.  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Week 20 – An off-road tri, and things we triathletes fear.  Fear, Part… III

Week 21 – My friend Tom takes a licking and keeps on ticking.  Rub Some Dirt On It

Week 22 – Couldn’t do this dumb sport without her.  My Coach Wife

Week 23 – Swapping the weeks around.  An Easy Week?

Week 24 – My first 50K ultra; thinking less about Ironman.  Field of Dreams

Week 25 – Trying to get something out of training instead of doing the opposite.  Yielding a Better Return

Week 26 – I know I don’t have to do this dumb sport, but I still do it.  By My Own Choosing

Week 27 – Had a pretty good training week to round out the endurance phase of training.  A Not So Dreadful Week 27

Week 28 – Some bike maintenance and the welcome of the taper.  Bring on the Taper!

And there you have it.  I’ll wrap up Week 30 in the Ironman Chattanooga race report.  Time to start packing and getting ready for Choo!

SWIMS: 3 – 3780 yards

BIKES: 3 – 67 miles

RUNS: 4 – 22 miles