Tag: week 12

I Wonder… About Week 12

2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

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WEEK 12 – May 23, 2021

I spend a lot of time wondering about things out there on my swims, rides, and runs. Here are some wonderings about Week 12.

I wonder… why Week 12 is a dial-back week in training? It seems like we just started the new build phase, and two weeks into it I get an easier week. I guess I shouldn’t complain.

I wonder… what it’s like to be a farmer? As I ride through the rural farmland just south of Chicago it appears that the farmers have gotten really busy in the past week. The dirt has been turned, some small green sprouts are emerging from the fields, and there has been plenty of tractor traffic on the roads that I ride. But as I watch them go about doing farmer things, I wonder if it is fun or difficult work.

I wonder… why casual cyclists don’t bother with helmets or even eye protection when they ride? The bugs are starting to come out and I have had several hit me in the face with enough force to sting. I certainly wouldn’t want to have one hit me in the eye. And to the guy wearing a helmet without it buckled – it’s not going to help you out if it falls off your head as you crash. Seems like common sense.

I wonder… why I don’t pre-hydrate more? It’s getting warm and I need to hydrate more through the day instead of after working out. Playing catch-up with hydration is more work than just being more hydrated before and during the workout.

I wonder… where this speed on the bike is coming from all of a sudden? Two longer rides this week had averages of 18.2 mph when I normally sit around 17 mph. Plus I felt pretty good through those rides as well. Hopefully, it wasn’t just the tailwinds on the second half of the rides making me speedy.

I wonder… how many more of these Ironman races I will do? I didn’t do the first one in Wisconsin with a goal of getting to Kona, and unless I can somehow fit a total of twelve races in my remaining time as an aging triathlete, I’m not sure if I can accomplish that. I’m not sure if I even want to do Kona. There are some other things I would still like to experience before I’m well into my sixties.

I wonder… what it’s like to run a 100-mile ultra? Doing that seems as hard as completing an Ironman. I do still have my backyard ultra on the calendar for August, but since I’m doing Chattanooga I kind of figured that I would just use it as a run training day and probably won’t go more than 30-40 miles.

I wonder… if the training for Ironman would be enough to train me for a 100-mile ultra-running race?

I wonder… if I should fess up and tell the wife that I am signed up for the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile Ultra in November?

I wonder… if I should stop wondering before it gets me into more trouble?

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I opened the pool this week as it was predicted to be near 90 degrees for several days. It was a good move I think, and it only took 2-3 days to get it swimmable.  Now I have no more excuses for not swimming.  Yay.

I also saw this coyote on my Saturday bike ride.  I think we each surprised each other.

Swims:  1 – 1000 yards

Bikes:  3 – 78 miles

Runs:  5 – 21.5 miles

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The Ironman-O-Meter

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2020 TRAINING

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WEEK 12 – June 1 > June 7, 2020

IRONMAN TRAINING IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC and SOCIAL UNREST!– PART XII

Lots of questions have been going through my mind lately, so I thought I would break out the old “Ironman-O-Meter” (patent pending) and see if it can provide some insight to what the heck is happening.

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Question Number 1:  Will this race be held in October as expected?

Ironman-O-Meter says:  About a 15% chance.  I was at a 10% chance of it happening about a month or so ago, but I am just a little more optimistic about it than before mainly because of what Ironman Corp. is doing planning-wise.  Although they have canceled or postponed many of the spring races, they have moved several to the fall.  I take that as a good sign, mainly because they want the races to occur as long as they can be done in a safe fashion for everyone.  A lot of the cancelations come as directives from the host cities that are sticking to state guidelines for dealing with Covid-19.  USA Triathlon and Ironman have both come out with safe practice policies recently that will allow us to race more cautiously, so that is a little more promising.  There are plans to eliminate a lot of the social event things that Ironman does for a race, as well as making the race more athlete self-supported.  I may be forced to carry my own nutrition on the bike and run instead of having well-stocked aid stations which is not a big deal.  I train that way all the time.  The City of Louisville, where the race will be held has had some social unrest due to a shooting recently, but I hope the crisis will settle down by fall.  I would think that with the losing out on summer and fall sports, Louisville might welcome us dopes on spokes.

Question Number 2:  What chance is there of me joining a group ride with the local bike group?

Ironman-O-Meter says: About a 25% chance.  A group ride opportunity popped up on Facebook for Saturday that almost looked perfect for me, but I took a pass on it.  This is the same group of great people that I accidentally came upon riding last week and joined in, and I enjoyed some company for a change.  I feel a little safer on some rides in a group because groups tend to be more visible to traffic.  But very few of these riders are training for Ironman and the couple that may be training probably aren’t following the same plan that I am.  What happens when I join the group is that my prescribed ride usually goes out the window.  First to go is the tempo, which is almost always faster than the Z2 zone ride that I should be doing.  And secondly, the distance usually ends up being farther than what my plan called for.  Lastly, the ride can sometimes turn into a testosterone-fueled ride, with someone trying to be the big dog.  That someone is usually me.  It’s probably better that I skip the extra tempo, distance, and one-upmanship and stick to my solo ride. The first rule of the Be Iron Fit training plan is to follow the plan.  The second rule is to FOLLOW THE TRAINING PLAN.

Question Number 3:  Will all dog owners say that their dog is friendly while it’s growling and baring its teeth at me?

Ironman-O-Meter says: 100% of the time, every time.  While doing my Tuesday run I came upon a guy and his two little kids walking his dog off-leash in the nature preserve where the posted sign says pets aren’t allowed.  This dog did exactly what off-leash dogs do in public, he approached me very aggressively, with snarling and barking and got close enough where I took my pepper spray off the safety and was ready to unload it on him.  Now, I don’t want to spray the dog.  He’s just doing what dogs do.  But I also don’t want to get bit either!  The owner quickly yelled at the dog “What’s the matter with you?” like it was the dog’s fault he was off-leash in public.  A sorry was tossed my way as the guy retrieved the leash from his 6-year-old and I turned and finished climbing the hill.  On the way back down a few minutes later I encountered him again and although still not leashed, he was being held by the owner.  That’s when the guy says “Sorry, he’s really a friendly dog.”  Yeah, sure looked friendly to me.  Every damn time.  

 

That’s enough questions for the Ironman-O-Meter for now.  I don’t want to blow any circuits.  Thanks to Rebecca and Emily helping me design the Ironman-O-Meter.  It may need some tweaking, but it did the job.

 

TOTALS FOR WEEK 12:

  • Swim:  2 / 3000 yards
  • Bike:  4 rides  /  93 miles
  • Run:  5 runs  /  23.5 miles
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A little bit of a dial-back week this week.