I want to get outta Dodge!

As I expected, this week is going to be tough.  It's always tough to get ready to go on vacation, no matter what you do.  But, my stress levels are throught the roof already.  I guess it's a good thing I'm in my taper, because I think I'd have a hard time coming home to do any serious workouts....I'm just fried.  In the midst of all my work-related issues, I also need to find time to prepare to leave.  We fly out on Saturday morning, so there's no "off" day to get ready.  I've already begun to lay my things out.  I figure I'll probably pack everything tomorrow night, then do my final adjustments on Friday.  And, as per usual, when I say "I'll pack", I really mean Jenn.  One nice thing happened today...we got bumped to first class on the first leg of our trip.  I've never flown first class, so I'm looking forward to it!  As for the rest of the week.....I'm just keeping this thought in my head......

Whew! Please get me through this next week!

Okay, one more week of work...and it's really worrying me.  Work has just been consuming me lately.  If I'm not working, I'm stressing about it.  It has really been affecting my workouts (or causing me to miss them).  Fortunately the taper started...so all the hard work is already done.  Now, I just need to get through the next week of work and hope nothing blows up at the office while I'm gone.  I do, however, need to start thinking about the race and my trip, which begins next Saturday.  I'm no where near ready to go or mentally prepared to race.  People sometimes wonder why athletes leave for IM races so early before the race....it's to get away from the normal distractions so we can concentrate on the task ahead.  Some may say, well its only a race....but I say, yes it's ONLY a race, but it's THE race I've trained for since last November!!!!
This weekend is all about the final workouts, and getting mentally and physically ready to leave.

Mystery Solved...and hello Taper!

For the past few weeks I've had a tough time getting dialed into my bike....just not feeling comfortable...and lacking power.  Now I know why!  Apparently, somehow, my seat post dropped down.  I have no idea how.  Since the bolts were tight, it never dawned on me that this could happen.  And, I didn't really want to mess with it.  I'm notorious for not feeling "good" and adjusting my position on the bike...which can make matters worse.  Anyway, on Saturday, I just had it.  So, about an hour into my ride I pulled the post up and noticed the electrical tape exposed below (which was at some point marking my position).  I estimate my post had dropped by approximately a 1/2 inch.  I felt much better immediately.  Although I still need to go back and accurately re-measure everything.  The only downside is that now that I've been riding with the wrong position, re-adjusting everything throws mechanics out of whack.  I was struggling with knees and back during the end of my ride.  I guess I have a couple of weeks to get this fully resolved!

Oh...back to the ride.  It was a good one.  I meet the QT2 contingent of Tim Tapply, Jesse Kropelnicki, and Tim and Cait Snow out in Concord and we proceeded to ride out to Wachusett Mountain.  It was a solid ride...and some fun.  Fun to the extent that it's fun to ride with different people....or anyone at all!  I've done the majority of my long rides by myself this year.  However, these guys were doing 7 hours, starting from West Roxbury....and before I knew it, I was out so far that my 5 hour ride turned into 6 hours.  But, other than my physical issues from changing bike positioning, I felt good.  But those physical issues reared their ugly head during my transition run.  I reduced my run from 40 to 30, since I rode an extra hour (I figured that was a fair tradeoff).  But, my knees were bugging me the whole time.  Oh well....like I said, time to get things right!

Yesterday was my last long run of the year.  I decided to head out to Elm Bank (park) in Wellesley to do my run.  Elm Bank has a 2.35 mile loop (mix of soft surface and pavement....with a decent little hill on it), so I can hit my car every loop for nutrition.  It also has porto-potties....if the mood should strike!  Jenn and Billie came with me and did the reverse loop walking.  It was good to see them....kept me motivated.  All in all this was my best long run of the year.  Although I ran a faster pace during my last long run for LP, we had specific goals for this run:  (1) keep the HR in Zone 1 and 2 for the run, except for the last 30 minutes where it goes to Zone 3; and (2) run 2:15 straight.  I accomplished both.  There were two oddities during this run though.  My first mile was noticeably slow....and I'm not sure why.  I don't think I ran an 8:50 first mile.  Also, about 12 miles in, after the mood struck me to use the bathroom, my HR spike for the better part of two miles.  I know my body well, and I can tell you that it didn't rise to over 200 beats per minute!  Anyway, I ended up with a 7:15 avg for 19 miles.  If you take out the first mile, the avg is 7:09.  Not bad considering I kept my HR at or below 140 for the first 14 miles.  My last 5 miles were 7:00, 6:41, 6:43, 6:47 and 7:00 (which included a 1/4 mile cooldown).

The big workouts are now DONE!  Things start to dial back from here.  Next weekend is short...only a 3 hour bike and an 80-90 minute run.

-P

Feeling "IT"!

I'm definitely feeling "IT" these days.  Last weekend completely crushed me....and I've been doing my best to get through the week from a physical and mental standpoint.  My split run on Sunday (1:15/:60) took a toll on my right knee.  I had to bail on my Tuesday run, but was able to get my Thursday run in (in the pouring rain, I might add).  Mentally, I'm just ready to get into the taper and a better mindset to race.  Right now I just want to get this friggin' thing over with.  However, I think I have another good race in me this season, if I can get in the right mindset, taper well, and get back to feeling "dialed in" on the bike.  Today is the last big ride (next week is 3 hours)....5 hours and a 40 minute transition run.  I'm really hoping to get that "feel" back on the bike today....stay tuned!

Epic Saturday

While I have many long training days leading into an ironman race, there's typically that ONE day that stands out.  For me, that day was yesterday.  It consisted of an early swim, a 6 hour ride, and an hour run w/tempo.  This workout was originally scheduled for last weekend, but w/Jenn in China, I didn't want to leave my dog by herself all day (and this w/out would take ALL DAY).  So, I spoke to my coach and we bumped it out by a week.  My day started at 5:45, as I started to get some food in me.  I got the wetsuit on and headed to Mystic Lake for my swim.  Originally, I was supposed to go for an hour, but since I swam the day before, I reduced it to 35 minutes.  It was a good swim.  I'm feeling very good in the open water right now.  However, since most of the pools in the area shut down for a couple of weeks this time of year, I haven't been in a pool since the end of August.  I need to get in some speed and stroke work over the next few weeks, as my pool opens back up tomorrow.  After my swim, I quickly got home and got ready to ride.  I was meeting Tim Tapply in Concord Center (about a 30 minute ride)...so I was on a schedule.  As soon as I got on my bike, I knew that this was going to be a long day.  My quads hurt immediately....and I also was having difficulty getting "dialed" into my bike.  I have these stretches, where I just don't feel comfortable.  Hopefully that will go away in the next couple of weeks...as I have no intention of screwing around w/my bike fit right now.  Anyway, after manuevering through the parade that was happening in Concord, Tim and I finally caught up w/each other at Walden Pond.  We proceeded to do a long loop that I sometimes ride (ultimately, I did the loop 3 times).  Fortunately for me, Tim also wasn't feeling great....so we could suffer together.  It was a decent ride from an effort standpoint....although my power was lacking a bit.  I did have one incident where my Gel Flask basically exploded on me.  It was my fault...the cap wasn't screwed on flush.  There's nothing like gel covering your hands...it might as well be crazy glue.  The only good thing was that it happened about 10 minutes before we had planned to stop at a store...where I could wash it off.  Tim peeled off from me at about 4.5 hours in....so I did the last loop solo.  I was definitely starting to suffer.  For some reason my right knee was really bothering me on the ride....and was hindering my ability to ride.  I did my best to keep working....but was really starting to get worried about the run...something that I was trying not to think about.  The last thing you want to do during one of these days is think about how much the next part is going to hurt (just like an IM).  I managed to pull in my driveway at 6:04....my longest ride this year...heck...probably since 2008.  I was hurting as I walked in my house.  I ate a banana and got dressed to run.  Out the door....knees were hurting a little...but not quite as bad as I thought they'd be.  After a 7:16 first mile, I started to get dialed in and realized that I was going to be okay.  The run was supposed to be 40 minutes of IM tempo (I did 45 minutes...because I forgot what I was supposed to do).  So, as I locked into a HR and pace....I clipped off mid 6 minute miles....and kept my HR right where it was supposed to be.  Where the hell did this come from....I actually felt good.  All in all, I averaged 6:50 pace w/cooldown.  Very nice way to finish things off.

Thankfully this one is over.  Today is a split run...w/the longest portion being only 1:15.  Managable.  Next week is another long ride...but only 5 hours.  The Sunday run, however, is a bit more daunting.  It's another split run:  1:45 (w/tempo) in the AM; 1 hour in the PM.  After that, I suspect that things will start to taper down.  After 7 straight years of this type of training, I will say that I won't miss it.  I'll still incorporate some long rides and runs into the season....but starting your day at 5:45am and finishing your workout at 4:30pm kind of sucks!  Not to mention, your body is so fatigued after a day like that, that it's difficult to sleep (much like after an IM).  Last night I woke up at 2am...and was up for good at 4:50am.  Again...thankfully Epic Saturday is over.  Okay, time to get a couple of runs done...and watch some football!

-P

Hey Legs....nice to see you again!

Well, the legs are finally coming back...and it's taken longer than expected (well, for me...not my coach).  Anyway, I've now gotten two good runs the past two weekend.  Last weekend was a 2 hour progression run... 40 minutes @ z1, 40 @ z2, 40 @ z3.  I intentionally started the w/o later to run in the heat.  It was a solid workout.  However, I miscalculated the last 40 minutes w/respect to hydration...and was suffering at the end.  All in all, around 6:53 pace for 17+ miles.  Today was a shorter run...90 minutes @ z1/2.  Again, I waited until around 9:30 to run.  But, it really didn't warm up much.  So, I wore my underarmour heat shirt during the run.  The first couple of miles were torture, as my knees were really hurting (nothing like running in pain!).  But, after the first couple of miles, the pain subsided and I started cranking along.  I kept my pace consistent and my stride tight...and clipped off an average of approx. 6:30 miles for the middle 8-9 miles.  I even hit a 6:15 mile in there.  My overall average was 6:50 even.  Anyway, the legs are finally coming back....just in time. 

Jenn's been gone for a week now.  She's traveling in China.  She gets back next Friday, and I'll be happy to have my training partner back.  She makes this task a whole lot easier.  She may not actually swim, ride and run with me.  But, she encourages me and helps me through my workouts....and even drives out to meet me on my run to hand off fluids and nutrition.  The best training partner there is.  And, I'll need her as I have a 3 sport day next Saturday.  Swim, 6 hour ride, hour run.  I cringe just thinking about that one!

-Pat

Random thoughts before Earl...

Well, I thought I'd post some random thoughts today, just in case Hurricane Earl takes a quick left and wipes out Eastern Massachusetts.  Random Thought #1:  We have three ipod shuffles....and none of them seem to work. Or, if they do, it's for like 30 minutes.  There is nothing more challenging than starting a run with tunes....and then losing said tunes. Random Thought #2: Quite often I run on the Minuteman Bike Path  in Arlington.  Now, mind you, it's called a "bike path", but if you're a serious cyclist you shouldn't be on it....or you shouldn't be on it riding 25mph...or in your aerobars...especially when it's a nice day and very crowded.  Nothing pisses me off more than having some fly by on a bike veering in and out of people.  It's a recipe for disaster.  Hit the roads like a real cyclist (rant over).  Random Thought #3:  I've been running in pain for the better part of 3 months now with patellar tendonits in the knees.  It's not fun.  I'll be happy to give my knees some rest after IM.  Be kind Earl!