Good week this week because of… Taper! Just as the plan was building to a weekend 4 hour ride and a 1.5 hour run, Fink dialed it back. I think the next week is set up for another easy week, finishing with an Olympic distance triathlon. Since it is late April in the suburbs of Chicago, good luck finding a race! Instead, I signed up for a half-marathon for next Sunday and will do a little biking afterward.
I missed one of the swims this week as the Friday swim fell on my wife’s birthday. And if I have learned anything about triathlon training, you don’t screw with family obligations! So I had some things to do birthday-wise, and the swim was skipped.
Cycling went well this week, and I felt really good about the 4 hour long ride/half hour brick run. It was a little cool at the start, but all things considered a nice day for a ride. I think I averaged about 17 mph, but was often moving along at over 20 mph.
Had to yield to a peacock on the bike trail. That was a first.
I finally found some time to buy some new running shoes on Sunday. I haven’t tried them out yet. My running shoe brand ASICS has been so dependable for me that I almost never even try them on in the store, I just grab my model and size and go. But last time I bought the new version of the Kayano, the 22 and it’s construction is very different from the 21. I found it to be stiff and the left shoe seemed to slap the ground, which bugged the heck out of me. Very disappointed with this version. So I am trying an experiment and bought a cheap ASICS model, the GEL-EXCITE 3. While testing them in the store, I found them to be really comfortable and sturdy. My experience with the cheaper shoes is that they just don’t last as long in respect to cushioning and wear and tear on the sole. I will keep track and see if they can get to 300 miles. If so, then that is $50 well spent!
WEEK 17 TOTALS:
Swims: 2 total, 2 hours, 6000 yards
Bikes: 4 total, 6.5 hours, 112 (that’s an omen!) miles
The highlight of this week was an awesome group ride in Dixon, Illinois. It was the first time that I had driven to my long time pal Dave’s house and joined him for a ride. We were missing one of our teammates who couldn’t join us, and we had one Gunner dealing with a sore back. We were however, joined by a young man from Germany named Malta, who impressed me with his riding even after traveling the previous couple of days.
4 of 5 Gunners and one German! (photo by Carla DeForest)
I almost doomed the ride for myself by forgetting my bike computer, my heart rate strap, my sunscreen, and my little head covering that keeps the sweat off my brow and covers my bald head. But I had my phone app to record the ride, and all my other stuff that I needed to at least ride and run afterward.
The day was awesome for mid-April. Mid to upper 70’s, barely any clouds, with a slight wind from the southeast. I was amazed at the farms and the rolling hills, and upon cresting several hills I would almost want to stop and take in the scenery. We saw a huge hawk, several horses, some cows, some pigs roaming around, a barking dog who Dave says barks at him every damn time, and a snake sunning himself on the pavement. Dumb snakes. Later on the run we even saw a couple of deer.
About an hour to go. My new buddy Malta was still hanging with the Gunners!
I loved to fly down the rollers, but I learned quickly that I better be a little more careful riding an unknown route as I launched one of my bottles filled with Gatorade. Fortunately for me, Jeff decided not to overdo it with his back issue and let me have his for the rest of the ride when he turned back early. He was also kind enough to pick up my bottle on the way home. Thanks, Jeff! I needed every drop of Gatorade from that bottle.
Dave mentioned that we should turn around around 1 hour 25 minutes into the 3 hour ride because it will take us longer riding back home into the wind. Truthfully, I hadn’t really noticed the wind much, but Dave is pretty keen about those things. Sure enough, when we turned around the wind was right in our face and it seemed that it was going to take us much longer to get back. But we kept on moving and got it done.
One thing I noticed about Dave’s route is that it was very much like the Ironman Wisconsin course in terms of rollers and wide open spaces. Good place to train for Wisconsin or Lake Placid. No wonder Dave is a cycling god.
I also relearned the same lesson that I always learn when I ride with my buddies. That lesson is – I SUCK!!! Okay, that’s being a little harsh on myself, but every time I ride with my buddies I get reminded where I sit in the hierarchy of cycling ability in our group. And that is low on the totem pole, way off the back.
But it’s kind of unfair to say I suck instead of acknowledging how good my buddy Dave is. And the kid, Alex, well youth is definitely on his side. I shouldn’t be comparing myself to someone 31 years younger than me. He’s also outstanding.
In reality I have improved my cycling a bunch, and I think I am at a much higher level of conditioning on the bike than in the past.
The rest of the week also went well. I finally got in the three swims this week and felt good about it. Running was also pretty good. Ended the week with an 11 mile long run at about 8:12/mile pace.
Glad that summer made an appearance this week, and I hope it sticks around for awhile.
There are a lot of halfway points in what I do. Any swim, bike or run there is that point when the halfway mark hits and I realize that I am at the top of the hill heading down. It is that point when you say there is no more going out, I am now going back.
During my previous Ironman, the two-loop bike is a definite halfway there moment. And when I reached the halfway mark in the marathon of that Ironman, the turnaround being located right where the faster finishers on their second loop are finishing, there is that moment when you think about being halfway there. You can either dwell on being ONLY halfway done, or you can say ONLY a half left to go! I choose to think of what’s left in a positive way. With every stroke or stride, you just keep getting closer.
SWIM: Back to the local high school swimming hole this week. I wondered how I would fare after missing a week, but I was a little surprised that I swam pretty solid. I forgot to write down the workout for the Thursday swim, so I ended up doing a straight 3000 yard swim at a moderate to strong pace – pushing, but not killing myself. Did it in 1 hour, 3 minutes, which is about a 2:03 pace per 100 yards. That’s right in the 1 hour 30 minute Ironman swim range, which is what I did in Wisconsin in 2013, so no surprises there. I had to skip the Friday swim due to some errands I needed to do. Not a big deal.
Sunday I enrolled in a swim technique analysis class hosted by a coach of a local triathlon team. I was hoping to gain some insight into what I did right and what I could improve upon. What I found was that as a self taught triathlete swimmer, I did a pretty good job. The drills I kind of crafted for myself were essentially the same that she presented to us. The biggest tip I got was when we were doing kick drills and how she presented the kick to us. I saw myself moving through the water a little more efficiently, and I will try to employ that technique going forward. In reality, swimming is so technical that it is almost overwhelming trying to concentrate on it all. All of the swimmers were video taped from one end of the pool coming at the camera, and then from the side, showing both the torso and the legs. The video should be available in a couple weeks with the coach’s comments. So maybe I will gain some more insight then.
BIKE: The weather was horrible this week, which forced me to do all of my rides on the trainer. I might have been able to do my long 4 hour ride outside on Saturday, but it was in the 20’s outside in the morning and I was unable to ride later when it had warmed up a little. It was my daughter’s birthday, so I didn’t want to be away in the afternoon. One difference this week was I brought my old Trek 7700FX hybrid down to the pain cave and threw it on the trainer instead of my road or tri bike. The seat and riding position is a little more comfortable, and it allowed me to get through that long ride without too much complaining from my butt.
RUN: I can tolerate the cold a little better running than cycling, so I did run outside some this week, but the treadmill was also utilized. I do most of my runs by perceived effort, but I did strap on the heart rate monitor this week and was pleased to see that I managed to stay well within the zone I needed.
So, I am halfway done with the training! The race will be here before I know it.
The bonus to already being an Ironman finisher while training for another race is knowing what to expect and how to adapt. I had an earlier week this time around where I had to make some adjustments, but it was nothing compared to this week.
First, the school where I swim was closed for spring break, and therefore I couldn’t swim. At first I was worried about not getting my swims in, and how it would set me back. But in my previous attempt at Ironman, I lost a week of swimming as well and it really didn’t make much of a difference. After thinking about that, I put the idea about it negatively affecting me out of my head, and actually enjoyed the swim-free week.
Next was the weird spring weather we are having. I guess it isn’t so out of the ordinary, but it certainly made me change some plans. I finally brought my tri bike up from the basement where it has been serving me this winter and spring on the trainer, and took it outside for the first time this year. I received a FLO full disc aero wheel for Christmas, and I decided to throw it on the bike and take it for an inaugural spin. Even with the moderate wind that I was somewhat cautious of, I could tell that it was going to be fun to ride. I even hit 36 mph during one slight downhill stretch that I normally struggle to get to 30 mph on regular cycling wheels.
Maiden ride with my new full disc wheel. Crazy fast with this thing.
The next day was much windier, so I opted for using my 60’s, which are also aero wheels. I thought I was going to get blown off the path. I never gripped the handle bars so intently before! Thankfully, I made it back in one piece.
Saturday was my scheduled long ride, calling for 3.5 hours and a 30 minute brick run. Mother Nature was not cooperating however, and my streak of riding outside turned to a tortuous 4 hours spent indoors. My butt is still angry with me. Being inside is just not where I prefer to ride. It may not have been as strong of a ride as if I had done it outside, but I sucked it up and got through it.
So I adapted this week, cutting some workouts and shortening others. But I know it is a long journey, and there are many quality swims/bikes/runs ahead in the upcoming weeks.
I have trained for and completed one other Ironman race, and that one was Ironman Wisconsin. From my researching race reports for Ironman Lake Placid, I am finding a lot of similarities between the two races. Both are well liked and have a strong following. Both races always sell out quickly, although not quite as fast as in recent past years mainly due to a lack of a pro field and the additions of a handful of new Ironman locations taking some of the devotes away. They both also offer a challenging bike course, and each comparing the atmosphere of the bike routes to that of the Tour de France. The volunteers at both are reportedly awesome. And both are favorites of the voice of Ironman – Mike Reilly. He tends to never miss Madison or Lake Placid. Lastly, both boast of awesome finishes, with IMWI having the state capital building in the background and IMLP finishing on the 1932 Olympic oval.
My two buddies and me at the finish line of IMWI a couple of days before the race in 2013.
But there is one main difference between the two races: the swim. IMWI has always been an in water, mass start. IMLP has changed to a self-seeded start. I can only guess, but I think the size of Mirror Lake at IMLP is somewhat smaller than Lake Monona in Madison, and therefore due to the swim-start initiative that the World Triathlon Corporation has implemented, IMLP moved to a self-seeded, wave start of the two loop course.
I participated at Ironman Muncie 70.3 in 2014, which was a wave start based on age groupings and I found that to be a great swim. The swimmers were spread out well over the 1.2 mile swim, and I chose to swim the inside line of the buoys and had very little contact with other swimmers. I was hoping that IMLP will be very similar.
Then I read the some IMLP race reports from 2015. Many of the authors reported that the swim was “tough,” or “brutal.” Not what I was hoping to read. But I think a good many of those people are strong swimmers, hoping to be 1:15 or quicker, and found that they were swimming among swimmers that possibly self-seeded themselves a little too strongly. I will not make that mistake.
I asked a swimmer from the 2016 IMLP Facebook page what his recommendation for the swim start for a guy like me (slow and dreading the swim). Others pitched in with their comments as well. Most said to seed yourself according to your expected time and be truthful (no problem there!), and to stay wide of the underwater cable or stay to the inside of the buoys. Either of those options were what I was planning anyway. As far as the cable is concerned, it is an underwater cable that lays out the course for the swim. Since Mirror Lake is very clear, it is an easily visible guideline and allows swimmers to swim without having to sight their way out of the water. I think my plan will be to watch where others are swimming and when I get into the water at the start, look for a clear line of swimming, even if it means that I swim a little out of my way. Finishing IMWI’s swim in 1:30 should allow me ample time to swim the two loops at IMLP and not get pummeled.
Anyway, it is way too early to be worrying about the swim in the race. I’ve got things that need to be taken care of before even toeing the line in late July.
This past week went well, but I only got one swim of 3000 yards in due to the school where I swim being closed for and early release on Thursday, closed on Good Friday, and closed for an entire week next week for spring break. I’m sure it shouldn’t be an issue. I missed an entire week of swimming and cycling in 2013 training for IMWI, and had no trouble getting prepared.
The weather was a little better this week, although we are heading into the spring with its out of nowhere storms, and up and down temps. Hopefully soon we will start seeing steady warmer temps. I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can open my own pool and not miss anymore swims.
I dove into the build phase of the Be Iron Fit training program this week with a little dread, fearing the new swims in the plan somewhat. The swim training got boosted to 3000 yards per swim this week, up 500 yards per week from the previous first ten weeks of training. Fink also added an extra swim on Fridays for a total of three per week and a whopping 9000 total yards. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) for me, I missed the Friday swim because the local high schools had a teacher institute day and the pool was closed. Oh, darn.
Speaking of the swim, I am always perplexed at how my bladder reacts to swimming. I know exactly when 35 minutes of swimming has passed without even having looked at my watch. I will have to get out at 35 minutes and head to the locker room for a potty break. Now before you say anything, I know people pee in the pool. But I refuse to be one of those people. After that first trip to the toilet, I will be making a return trip about every 15 minutes. I really don’t understand why that is. I generally avoid hyrdating on days I swim, and I don’t bring a bottle of water with me to the pool. Maybe I am absorbing it through my skin like some sort of aquaman. That seems like a stretch. I never see any other triathletes complaining about this issue. Maybe they are pool pee-ers. That’s not a stretch – some pee themselves on the bike.
Lots of good riding and running outdoors this week. I was thinking of maybe bringing my tri bike up from the basement where I ride on the trainer, and put my road bike down there instead. I don’t usually ride the tri bike outside in early winter to avoid getting it all dirty from the salted roads. I will need to swap my wheels out and put my aero wheels on. I am looking forward to picking up some speed on that mph average. The weather was awesome for mid-March, but another little cold snap is coming. Even though it looks like we broke winter’s hold, the brief warm-up might have been an early blessing.
One of my training friends had an issue with his tri bike, breaking his rear derailleur hanger, making it unrideable. Fortunately that is an easy fix, and he also has a nice road bike to ride in its place until it gets fixed. It sure did drive home the need to be careful when loading and riding these bikes. It also helps to know how to diagnose the problem and possibly have extra parts on hand to fix issues like that in case they pop up. I was glad to help him figure out the problem and put him back on track.
A rain filled week has been forecasted for us this upcoming week. Hopefully I can get outside for the long stuff on the weekend.
The end of Week 10 marks the end of the base phase of the Be Iron Fit Ironman training plan. It really seems to drag along until – boom – 1/3 of the training plan is done. The base phase is intended to get you prepared for what is to come, and it certainly did it’s job. Nothing was really too difficult to handle, and the genius of Fink’s plan certainly gets you well prepared for Ironman.
Ten weeks of base phase totals up to the following:
SWIMS – 18 total (I missed two in Wk 1), 18 total hours, 45,000 total yards
BIKES – 30 total, 34.5 total hours, 513 total miles
RUNS – 70 total, 40.5 total hours, 301 total miles
This week’s roundup was definitely the longest of what I did for the first ten weeks. The swims didn’t change at all through Weeks 1-10, with all workouts being 2500 yards in length and twice weekly. The bike ended with a plan topping 3 hour ride. And the run maxed out at 1.5 hours this week. Both of the long efforts on the weekend were good hints at what is to come.
The best part of the week was riding with a fellow Gunner. We rode from my house in Mokena, south and west to Elwood, into a strong wind. So happy to have it at our backs on the way home. I certainly hope there are more group rides to come!
com·mit·ted kəˈmidəd/ adjective feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.
On Friday I was doing my planned run on my normal route through the nature preserve when I saw the following written in sidewalk chalk on the trail spaced apart by about 100 feet:
11-11-16
WILL
YOU
MARRY
ME?
N♥
Well, I guess the sidewalk chalk proposal was not as successful as the proposer had hoped. But it got me thinking about the commitment involved in being married and how lucky I am to have someone that I am committed to and to share our lives together.
But marriage isn’t the only commitment in my life, for I am surely committed to running, triathlon and this current Ironman pursuit. If you have the strength to right click on the application submit button, you have certainly become committed.
Commitment seemed to be a theme this week as a friend from my high school class and friend on Facebook pondered whether or not to sign up for the Chicago Marathon. She has had some experience as a runner, but the marathon distance is very much new territory for her. She had lots of doubt about being able to run the distance. I responded that I believe anyone can do it if they put forth the effort and train with purpose. Everyone always fears the distance the first time, and I would be lying if I didn’t get nervous race day eve, and morning. But when you put in the work, the light at the end of the tunnel gets closer and closer. She committed.
As I learned from finishing my first Ironman in 2013, the hard work was done in the 29 weeks, six days leading up to the race. The race was a complete joy. If you commit to the work you can reap the reward.
For Week 9, the commitment was certainly evident for me. The weather was up and down, with a few outdoor runs that were damp and cold, and a cold and windy ride of almost three hours on Saturday. Balance all of that with the family obligations and commitments as well. But when the week ends and the last workout is in the books, I can look back and know that I did the work.
If you are at all curious about what a typical training week would like for someone training for an Ironman, I thought I would show you a day by day example of this week. I think you will see that it isn’t all that bad. It’s just daily exercise of about an hour that is preparing you for a goal. I really believe anybody can build to this.
Monday – A rest day! But since I have a running streak going, I did a two mile run on the treadmill.
Tuesday’s are swim and run workouts. For the swim, here is the workout that I did:
300 w/u = 300 yards of swimming to warm up
8X50 drills = This means you do 8 reps of 50 yards each. For my drills in the first set I did a high elbow drill that emphasizes getting my elbow high, and a drill that emphasizes glide and kicking.
16X25 @ 10 secs = This is a set of 16 total 25 yard swims at a high intensity, with a 10 second rest between each rep
1X400 @ 60 secs = A set of one 400 yard swim with a minute rest at the end
16X25 @10 secs = same as above
8X50 drills = another set of drills, this time I did 4X50 fist drill, where you use your fist instead of an open hand to make sure you are using your arm fully to move you through the water. And a 4X50 of fingertip drag, a drill to essentially teach you hand position in and out of the water.
200 c/d = 200 yards of easy swimming to cool down
The swim took me just under an hour to complete.
The run for Tuesday was a 60 minute comfortable run, which I did on the treadmill and was able to cover 7 miles.
Wednesday is brick day. A brick is where you do a back-to-back workout, typically a bike and then run. The plan called for 45 minutes on the bike and then a quick change to a 15 minute run.
Back to the pool for Thursday. The workout is as follows:
300 w/u, 8X50 drills (fists, and finger drag for drills)
1X300 @40 secs, 3X200 @30 secs, 1X300 @40 secs
8X50 drills (high elbow, glide/kick and kick board drills)
200 c/d
The Thursday swim was done in 55 minutes and was followed up with a 60 minute 100 rpm bike spin, and a slow 1 mile treadmill run once I got home.
Friday called for 1 hour and 15 minutes of Zone 2 running. There are four zones based on heart rate, with Z1 being easy, Z2 having normal effort, Z3 pushing it somewhat, and Z4 reserved for race effort or in some cases all out. Z2 is what I do most of my runs at, but they usually end up being Z3 because I can never hold back, especially when I am outside and in control of the pace.
I planned my run on a route that is about 8.5 miles long, but I needed some extra running to hit the 75 minutes. So I went a little farther. A little too much farther I guess, and ended up running 9.85 miles in 1 hour and 22 minutes. No big deal, except it was brutally cold out.
Saturday was a day I dreaded all week, because I knew it was going to be too cold to ride outside, and the plan called for a 2.5 hour Z2 ride. To the basement I went and did the ride on the trainer. Thanks to my iPad, with the Facebook and Scrabble apps, and the Kentucky vs. South Carolina basketball game (Go Cats!), the time flew by much quicker than I anticipated. I got in an estimated 35 miles, and then did a quick 1 mile run on the treadmill.
Suffering away in the Pain Cave
Sunday was a repeat of Friday, only much colder. It was about 12 degrees out when I left the house. A couple of my fellow Gunners always run outside, so I felt some inspiration to run outside too. Had it been that cold in December, I probably would have stayed inside. But living in the midwest, I always seem to get acclimated to the cold by February. I’m starting to get the hang of layering my clothes well, and wasn’t really bothered by the temp. My right eye really starts watering as soon as I get into the wind and cold, and that is bothersome, as the tears stream down my cheek and almost give me frostbite. I have some issue going on with that eye, and I am planning a trip to the eye doctor this week.
So there you have it. A typical week of swimming, biking, and running in 30-week plan that will prepare me for the Ironman distance.
This week was your typical meat and potatoes week of training. I think this would be an ideal workout week for training for an Olympic distance race. It’s just a good mixture of two quality hour long swims, two easy bikes with a longer two hour Saturday ride, and three, one hour long runs and a 15 minute brick. Play with a little less and a little more distance, add some speed work to both the bike and run, and Week 6 is a great training week to build an Olympic distance plan from.
I once again had a pretty good effort this week in the pool. I find that a combination of improving my kick a little, and the fact that after 6 weeks in the pool I am starting to gain a little more arm strength, and speed and confidence in the water.
The bike again was an outdoor ride on Saturday for two hours. It was a little colder than last week, but the sun was shining brightly, and the wind was gentle. I stayed on the Old Plank Trail instead of venturing onto the back roads of southern Will County. Very little ice left on the trail, so there was nothing really to worry about.
As far as what I am wearing on these cold rides, I better note it down because I can’t remember this stuff for some reason. I start with a trisuit, a onesie as I call them. Then add calf compression sleeves. Over that I add a long sock that covers the calf, and cover that with a thin cycling ankle sock. On top I do a thermal compression long sleeve shirt on top of arm warmers. I add a long sleeve tech shirt over that, and a long sleeve cycling jersey over that. Then comes a regular cycling jersey on top to show off what kind of dumb things I am into. I wear a Headsweats head band under a balaclava, and add a thin beanie-type hat over that. For gloves I use a thin pair of running gloves under my Windstopper thick gloves. A pair of cycling booties cover my cycling shoes. And a thin layer of Vaseline on my exposed face, a trick that makes a big difference for my cheeks and nose.
After finishing the two hour long ride, I added an hour long brick run after it due to being busy on Sunday. I bonked a little after that three hour effort, which is a mistake that I consistently have to relearn every time I train for a race. Makes me realize that I need to also focus on nutrition and not wing it in training. I can’t afford those mistakes on race day, so learn from it now!
I also used my heart rate monitor for the bike ride on the long ride. I had not used it since starting the plan because I forget about it, and by the time I glance and see no reading on the bike computer for heart rate, there is no way I’m going to shed all the above clothing and put the damn thing on. But it was nice to see that for a Zone 2 ride, I was comfortably riding in that zone with not much extra effort. I think I pushed into Z3 about 6 times, only to dial it back to Z2 when the computer’s alarm sounded. A fairly easy pace at this point in the plan. I replaced the battery in the strap, as it had been in there for a while, and I will try to use it more on rides.
an amazing run 