26 Days to IM Texas..."if it was easy, everyone would do it"

Almost two weeks ago I posted about IM Texas:  everything surrounding that choice, and the build I was about to go through....it ended yesterday.  To sum it up---I made it, but with plenty of adversity.  After a "recovery week" (read: 14.5 hours of training), Build 1 (4/9-15) was 19 hours, and Build 2 (4/16-22) was 19h 20m...we saw temps go from "knee/arm warmers" cold to "no socks and tri jerseys" hot yesterday (105!!!  record for Phoenix).  I've learned a lot about training in the heat over the past 2 years---but what I have mostly learned is that it takes a lot longer to recover from "all day" training in the heat.  I'm sure my AZ friends will agree;  "surviving" a 100+ mile ride on saturday, then riding 90 minutes and running for 2h30m (which gets pushed into the heat because of the ride) pushes you to places most people would call insane.  Ice baths would be nice, but I have family time that this training already cuts in to, so the recovery is sacrificed to keep some sort of family life in place.   So here's the 2 week block again, and I'll add some stuff underneath....

Build 1:

Monday April 9:   1:45:00 bike....includes hill repeats: 6 x 4' at 40 cadence

Tuesday April 10:  3900 swim   +   1:20:00 run with 14 x 400 included at 6:00 pace or faster

Wednesday April 11:  3800 swim

Thursday April 12:  2:00:00 bike...includes 2 x 15' in Z3, 95 cadence and 2 x 20-30' climbing, 1st half high Z3, 2nd half Z4

Friday April 13:  1:15:00 hilly trail run....hills in Z4

Saturday April 14: 3800 swim  +  5:00:00 bike, with 2 x 30' high Z2, 3 x 15' Z3 (all 95+ cadence), then, starting in Z3, increasing cadence into Z4, then hold for 2-4', then let it come down to low Z3, then repeat 4 times.

Sunday April 15:  2:00:00 ride with 1 hour in Z3 + 1:50:00 progression run:  3 x 25' increasing HR ~5 beats per rep, starting at IM pace

Build 2:

Monday April 16:  rest...

Tuesday April 17:  1:25:00 run with 6 x 1 mile repeats (sub 6 pace) + 3900 swim

Wednesday April 18:   1:45:00 bike....includes hill repeats: 6 x 2.5' minutes at 40 cadence

Thursday April 19:  3500 swim + 2:00:00 Bike   4x 12' of Z3 at 90-100 cadence. Then, uphill - 2x 25 at Z3 climbing alternating cadences

Friday April 20:  4000 swim + 1:15:00 run with middle 45' at HIM pace

Saturday April 21:  5:30:00 bike..... includes 2 x 20' high Z2, 3 x 15' Z3 (all 95+ cadence), 8 x 4' in high Z3/Low Z4

Sunday April 22:  1:30:00 EZ spin + 2:30:00... run 20' warm up then 3x4mile progression with 1 mile easy jog in between. 4 miles increase speed by 20 sec per mile - so start at marathon pace from IM and build.

long warm down at Z2 HR

Build 1 went perfect...nothing about it was crushing, not even the 20 mph winds while riding the Beeline for 5 hours on the 14th(up and back, up and back, ALL day long...).   The 15th: awesome...ended up on the Marquee course while buddies were racing (sorry to cherry pick, but not really).  Running with Matt Russell was a treat...amazing athlete, the nicest guy, and he kept me on my paces for the progressions and then some---I kept looking at my watch for pace, only to see 6:1X for most of the 2nd half hour we ran together---thanks for the push Matt!!!  The "aid" stations were a treat as wel for this 1:50 run---its amazing your run quality is when you actually have the correct nutrition/hydration in place versus the suffer fests I end up in on longer (mean: lack of water/aid) runs.   I've noticed that keeping the body cool, hydrated plays a HUGE role in training quality...I'm sure you all agree to this "duh" comment.  Orange slices, coke, cold water...I was in heaven regardless of the 16 miles I had to get in.

So it was into Build 2 last week...and it ended up being a mental battle all the way through.  I finished Build 1 week feeling like I had conquered the world, then took the rest day to stretch, roll, and hang with the family.  On tuesday I came out of the pool feeling decent, but once the run started, I quickly felt the training volume/intensity from Build 1.  My legs didn't want to run, and it took a 10 minute self talk to get into the speed work.  There was a 20+ degree change in temps from sunday to tuesday, and the swim probably dehydrated me a bit---running 6:30's was all I could muster for the mile repeats.  For reference, I can usually get those under 6:10 with a decent effort---on this day it was an "all out" effort and the legs just wouldn't turn over any faster.  And so it began---a week of suffering.  The wednesday muscular endurance workout was a step back from the progression in this aspect of training I have been heading down; I welcomed that (and I never like to step down...).  Thursday had me on Nine Mile Hill for the repeats, then into the pool---I remember the thought of jumping in while on the pool deck was disheartening.  While I hit all of my targets on the bike and in the pool, just starting the workouts became a chore.  Jenny has always said the right things when I need to hear it, and there's one thing I found myself saying all week:  "you committed to this, you have to carry it out."  I also tell myself that if I am going to take time away from my family, that I have to make that time count----no cutting it short, no taking it easy.   So with those thoughts, I plowed through the weekday workouts.  Saturday came and I started to come out of the IM training fog a bit, but then came the heat...97 when I got off the bike after 5h30m of riding....my core temp was about as high as it has ever been, which happens when my body hasn't acclimatized to the heat.  I rode the final hour in the garage on the trainer, trying to get the 8 reps in Z4 in...I died at number 5 and just spun it out to the end---failure is a good thing!!!  Yesterday morning I knew I was in trouble again--still cooked from the day before, and the energy level was low---and I was eating a ton of good stuff in prep---IM fog in full effect, no matter what I did.  The 90 minute spin was no big deal, but just put the start of the run into the middle of the morning...crap is was going to be hot!   I could have run in circles and set up an aid station at home, but after circling the Bee Line on saturdays ride, I needed to venture out---big mistake  I did get the 2h30m's in, it wasn't without a couple "overheating" bouts when the pace picked up on the progressions.  I even had a few mini meltdowns out there, but my mantras kicked in---I guess that is the one benefit of beating yourself silly for 2+ years.   This may have crushed a part of me, but I came out feeling like I had beaten the heat...it was supposed to be tough, and it had me grunting, closing my eyes, digging into my core to get it done.  It's pretty hard to think IM Texas race day will be harder than this past weekend.  With a fresh engine...well, we can just hope for a good day come May 19th ;-)  I feel ready--but there is still some work to do...

Salt loss?  I would have been hyponatremic without supplementing all the water I took in on Sundays run...

SaltStick Tabs were in over on both weekend days, and I think, no matter what people say (about "boiling water" and the likes...), they have their place for me.  I was all over the First Endurance products as well---Pre Race Capsules are a not so secret weapon, and the MuliV, Optygen HP, and Ultragen kept my body moving when my mind wasn't.  I know that sounds like a plug, but when I stop taking them, I notice a steady decline in my ability to hit the targets and keep riding the fine line...Chris has had me on that line all pre-season it seems ;-)