I like this quote and it reminds me that whatever I imagine an IM marathon to feel like, the reality will be worse! As I continue to research IM training and nutrition a session that caught my eye was the IM Metric Bike Run. This consists of a 112k bike followed by a 26k run – both completed at IM perceived effort (not IM projected speed!). I tried this out on a smaller scale this weekend and completed a 73 mile bike followed by an 8 mile run ran as alternating IM pace with half IM pace.
In the end, the session went well and I was strong on the run. However, it didn’t start so well. I had planned to join the local bike club for their Sunday ride, after completing a 17 mile loop prior to the club meeting time. The pesky wind slowed me down and at 12 miles into my lonesome loop I hit a mad headwind. I was going to miss the meet up so I had to red line it for 5 miles, which was not the idea of the session. I just made it, pitching up as the first group was leaving. As the ride progressed, it was plain to me that I was finding it tough to stay with the group. I was tired from a big week’s training and having a cold (that’s my excuse!). This further added to the bike part of my planned session being way too hard. It screwed my feeding up also, as I barely had time to eat and drink as we tanked along. This was ok for the others as they were stopping half way for tea and cake! I was not stopping in order to make my session IM specific (do IM racers stop for tea and cake?).
I hung on and as the group peeled off into the café, I eased up and tried to get some nutrition strategy going for the last 28 miles. This helped a lot but every hill had my legs turning to jelly. So it was very surprising when I started my run and actually felt ok. The IM pace runs felt very relaxed at 8:00 miling. Increasing the pace for the half IM pace was ok too (around 6:50 per mile). All in, a good session but I will build on this by doing a proper IM effort on the bike and increasing the run. I suspect that I will have to completed future sessions like this alone. Bike club rides are too full of accelerations, sprints up hills and bursts of red lining the effort.
I received my Swim Smooth Master Catch DVD this weekend. Some great stuff on there and I hope to focus on some swim improvements over the next few weeks.
This Sunday I race at the Speedy Beaver. It’s a bit short for the training I have been doing but as it is the National Age Group Sprint Champs I though I would give it a go. I notice that the run course has been changed to exactly the same run route that we plan to use at the inter-Services Triathlon on 27 July. So the race will be a good tester for that.
Stay healthy out there.
1 comment:
Sags, I've heard that quote and I don't buy it. If your (by which I mean one's) IM marathon starts ugly then you're bike has been too hard. Yes, you will be feeling tired from the bike but should start the marathon feeling fairly good. How to train for that? No rocket science. Lots of bike miles so that 5-6 hours feels easy and steady long runs for run endurance.
The great ironman trick/mystery to resolve prior to the race and to execute in the race is to know how to pace the bike so that you get your fastest possible bike split whilst ensuring that you have enough in the tank to run the steady marathon pace you have identified you can achieve. That pacing/effort strategy is the hard part to get right so needs lots of testing!!!!!
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