We are in the final push to Ironman Arizona! I'm excited yet a bit nervous about being prepared for November 21st...all you can do is train your best and hope that you are prepared for what you are presented with race day. Will it be in Tempe Town Lake or Saguaro Lake? Windy? Hot? I can't control those things, so they are the same for everyone, so I'll roll with those punches.
My worries revolve around pace and nutrition, and I think that will be the focus of my training from here on out. The things I need to figure out:
Pre-race nutrition: Pig out on carbs, reducing fiber in the days before...load that glycogen and fill the tank!
Swim pace...I don't swim with an HRM on, so I've got to swim smooth and not "blow up" due to swimming too aggressively. I have a 4 km open water swim this weekend, so I think I can work on it there.
Bike pace: all driven by HR---I jsut had testing done while I was in California for the Coast Ride (see below)...the testing tells me I have been training on bad data---my zones are lower than we anticipated, so my zone 2 HR is actually my zone 3 HR now. So this means all of my base training has been in zone 3---there's good and bad with that issue, but I am corrected now, and lets see how it unfolds in the next 10 weeks!
Bike nutrition: all the science says you can eat 300-700 calories and hour, but in the "field" that number is very close to 300 cals/hr before stomach issues arise. I will pretty much be a mathematician when it comes to race day, but between now and then, I am going to work on what works for me specifically...I want to eat as much as possible to have me fueled for the marathon (this isn't a weight loss program!). For the bike, everything is based on the principle of "riding to run"---the race ends after the marathon, so my bike pacing and nutrition are geared for what comes after the bike, not on the principle of how fast of a bike split can I do. The answer to this is the million dollar question in Ironman Racing...you only learn this with experience, of which I have none (which is why it is soo hard to qualify for Kona in your first Ironman). I've adopted the philosophy of eating calories and drinking water (with a little bit of EFS thrown in for electrolytes, but not going overboard). Calories will be EFS Gel Shots, Clif Shots, Honey Stinger Shots, and Gu Roctane Jet Blackberry (gotta keep the taste buds entertained!
Run pace: I have a feeling that when I get off the bike I will feel good, to the point that I will want to run faster than I should out of the gate. I don't know this part of the plan yet, but I imagine I will hold back slightly until I reach somewhere in the area of mile 13-16....then, prepare to be passed if you are in front of me (that's my mentality---kill or be killed!). Recent runs off the bike after 100+ mile rides have been going well...almost as if I have not been on the bike once I have settled into my run pace.
Run Nutrition: EFS Gel Shots that are loaded with calories--sipping on them every other mile or so, and washing down with water. When the going gets tough, regular Coke will be the savior!
I could be in the best shape ever, but avoiding the "rules" could spell disaster! My focus is controlling what I can control...everything else I have to adapt to, just like everyone else!
To make this entry even longer, I just wanted to say the Coast Ride was phenomenal! 380 miles in 3 days with a little running thrown in. Awesome group of people, beautiful weather, great roads!! This is a link to the Day 2 ride:
Marina to Morro Bay Coast Ride Day 2 by esvans at Garmin Connect - Details.
That's it for now! I'm going to start posting my daily workouts and notes at the end of each week, so stay posted!
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