Three Weeks to Kona - WEEK TWO!

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So far the taper is feeling good and I'm getting that itchy feeling to race. I know this will grow even stronger when I get to the island and see my friends and PBN Team members.  

By Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

Saturday 10/02/04 - 14 Days to Kona

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 


Breakfast: 1.5 servings of Endurox R4 with (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules and (6) Muscle Nitro.  
 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Swim:  1:20 Master's
 
Bike:  1:40 Easy recovery ride to/from Master's
 
Weights:  Upper body/core
 

Workout Log

 

 

Swim:
Time:  1:25
Distance: 4,000 meters

 
Bike:
Time:  1:40
Distance:  28 miles
Avg Speed:  16.8 mph
Avg/MAX HR:  114/138
 
Notes:

Swim workout went fairly well as I did workout w/ group. Speed was solid as we completed the main set (400+300+200+100), finishing the last 100m on 1:12.
 
After Master's I consumed a 500 calorie  Endurox R4 with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine. After completing my strength training (about 20 minutes) I had a Vanilla Ultramet blended w/ 16oz Pineapple Juice and a frozen banana before riding the 17 mile loop back home.

 


 

Sunday 10/03/04 - 13 Days to Kona

 

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 

 

Breakfast: Consisted of (1) English Muffin with butter and Jelly, (1)  Complete Whey Protein Shake blended w/ 16oz of skim milk. Also with breakfast I consumed (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (2) Ultimate Performance Accelerators, (4) Joint Matrix and (6) Muscle Nitro. Approx 4 hours before workout (about 5AM), I took (4) Cortistat PS (these are intended to take 2-4 hours before your workout - I leave them next to my bed and take them w/ 16oz of water when I wake in the night).  
 
On drive over to the bike/run location I consumed a 20oz bottle with 150 calories of Cytomax.  
 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Bike:  3 hours (50-55 miles) including 3 x 20 minutes at IMPace/HR. Efforts between IMPace intervals are easy in zone 1 at 90+RPM's.
 
Run (off the bike):  15 miles including 3 x 1 mile (on the track) at IMPace. Effort between IMPace miles are over a very hilly loop completely in zone 1. (1) mile track repeats are done right off the bike at the midway and at the end before cool down.
 

Workout Log

 

 

Bike:
Time:  3:00
Distance: 54 miles
Avg Pace:  18mph
Avg/MAX HR:  125/156

 
Bike Notes:
Weather today was perfect, a little on the cool side (60-65F), but it was very windy which is always nice in the prep to Hawaii. I started w/ a 40 minute warm-up, finishing on a road where I could complete the 20 minute IMPace efforts without interruption (traffic lights, stop signs, etc…). I also prefer this road to be relatively flat so I can maintain a steady HR without a drop due to a downhill.  
 
After the 1st effort, each interval felt better as it was easier to bring my HR into IMPace (143-147). Between each effort I just pedaled easy in zone 1 HR's keeping cadence above 90RPM's. I also hooked up with my brother-in-law Michael who is always good for helping keep me honest w/ my workout schedule. Unfortunately for him today, he was having mechanical issues with his tires, but he would be there for that final hour on the run.
 
I mention this because it brought up a very good pre-race point which I hadn't thought about. He flatted and was having difficulty with his CO2. We opted to use mine, and when opening the 'gun', the pin which breaks the cartridge cap was broken. Had he not flatted and had problems, I'd have been racing Kona with a broken CO2 trigger and unable to inflate a flat (should I be unlucky enough to get one). Moral of the story - CHECK ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT!!!
 
Bike Nutrition:
600 calorie bottle consisting of (2) scoops Tangy Orange Cytomax, (2) scoops Carbo-Pro and (2) scoops Orange Smoothie Metabolol Endurance. I took a sip off this mixture every 15 minutes and chased it with water. I also had (2)  Carb-BOOM! Gels at the 1:15 and 2:15 marks.  
 
In transition from bike to run, I had 1 box of Extran with about 16oz of water.
 
Run (off the bike):
Time:  1:53
Distance: 15 miles
Avg Pace:  7:32 per mile
Avg/MAX HR:  144/158
 
Run Notes:
I had parked my car at a local High School (also where I do my long run), in Holmdel, NJ as the hills there are fantastic. Right off the bike I hit the track for my 1st mile and came in at 6:49 (avg HR 143/148 MAX). I prefer to do these on the track so I can see my splits each 400m and be sure I am on exactly on pace with my IMGRP (Ironman Goal Race Pace). Let me clarify that although I would love to run sub 3hrs (6:50 pace), my goal is to ingrain that 6:50 per mile pace in my system and try to maintain that through the 1/2 marathon in Hawaii with the goal of breaking 3:10.
 
After the track I complete a 5.75 loop over an extremely hilly course completely in HR zone 1. This meant dropping the pace significantly on the uphill miles (8:42 split) and a relatively quick zone 1 mile (7:13) on the more downhill miles. After the loop, I consumed another Carb-BOOM! Gel with about 10oz of water and hit the track for a 6:55 mile (avg HR 150/155 MAX). I then again hooked up with my brother-in-law to complete another 5.75 mile loop which was about 1 minute slower than the 1st, again in HR zone 1 before completing the final mile 15 on the track at 6:51 (avg HR 155/MAX 158). I then consumed (2) servings of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and ran another 400m on the track as a very easy cool down.
 

Misc Recap

 

 

This was a very promising workout as I was still hitting sub 7 minute miles in zone 2 HR with relative ease. I know it will be considerably harder doing this off a 112 mile bike in the heat of Hawaii, but 13 days out, this 54+15 brick felt nearly effortless and I have zero fatigue in my legs 5 hours later. This week will start a more drastic taper into race day.
 

 

Monday 10/04/04 - 12 Days to Kona

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 

 

Breakfast: Consisted of (1) Blueberry Muffin with butter, (1) Complete Whey Protein Shake blended w/ 16oz of skim milk. Also with breakfast I consumed (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (2) Ultimate Performance Accelerators, (4) Joint Matrix and (6) Muscle Nitro.
 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Swim (4100 meters):
500 warm-up  
300 drill  
3 x 400 (at IMPace - 1:28 /100m) w/ 30" recovery  
1 x 50 (easy)  
3 x 300 (at IMPace - 1:28 /100m) w/ 25" recovery  
1 x 50 (easy)  
3 x 200 (at IMPace - 1:28 /100m) w/ 20" recovery  
3 x 100 (at IMPace - 1:28 /100m) w/ 15" recovery  
1 x 150 pull (easy)  
1 x 50 easy swim
 
Weights after swim
 
Bike: 1:10 easy recovery ride.

 

Workout Log

 

 

Swim (AM):
Time:  1:20
Distance: 4,100 meters

 
Swim Notes:
Felt good on all IMPace efforts and really had no fall-off or fatigue as set progressed.
 
Swim Nutrition:
200 calorie bottle consisting of (2) scoops Accelerade and (1) bottle plain water.
 
Completed weights after swim consisting of stretch cords, arm curls, dips, back extensions and abs/obliques. Consumed 1.5 servings of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine immediately after last set.
 
Bike (PM):
Time:  1:10
Distance: 20 miles
Avg Pace:  17.1 mph
Avg/MAX HR:  114/138

 
Bike Notes:
Very easy recovery ride in the evening. HR was not to exceed top of zone 1 (135-140) and really was very low for effort (possibly due to fatigue from yesterday's brick). Legs were not 100%, but felt fairly good considering the taper has just begun. Consumed (1) 200 calorie bottle of Cytomax during 70 minute ride and had (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (2) Antioxidants immediately upon finishing.
 

Misc Recap

 

 

Now that the taper has 'officially' started I am really looking forward to getting to Kona. If the race was tomorrow, I know my system still needs some rest, which is right where I want to be 12 days outside the race. If you head into your taper at 100%, what's the point of your taper - you've most likely missed something in the final training cycle.
 
Tuesday will be another easy day and Wednesday a slight increase over Monday/Tuesday with some IMPace intervals (although they will be short).
 


 

Tuesday 10/05/04 - 11 Days to Kona

 

 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Run (PM): 4 miles over rolling hills completely in zone 1 HR.
 

Workout Log

 

 

Run:
Time:  :29
Distance: 4 miles
Avg Pace:  7:15 per mile
Avg/MAX HR:  141/148
 
Run Notes:
Had a very busy work day with a lot of time behind the desk. I didn't get out to run until the late afternoon and due to sitting for so much was initially very stiff for the 1st few minutes. About 5 minutes in I did loosen up and felt extremely good. There was a lot of spark in my stride and splits vs. HR were solid over the hills (avg HR/MAX):
 
Mile 1:  7:19 (134/146)
Mile 2:  7:04 (143/147)
Mile 3:  7:08 (144/148)
Mile 4:  7:27 (145/148)
 
Nothing negative to report from the run, and I believe this is the fastest time over this course at zone 1 HR's.
 
Also of note, I did allot of visualization on this workout, for 28 of the 29 minutes I was running I pictured running from mile 22-26 in Kona, in the sweltering heat, but not feeling it. Racing in the heat will need to be a combination of consciously observing what is going on inside your body, but continuing to stay external enough to make adjustments when necessary. The goal is to race the marathon as a driver would monitor the gauges - he/she just reads the signals, gets fuel, speeds up, slows down based on the readings they observe. They aren't feeling what the car feels, they are simply monitoring it and adjusting to those conditions as they are presented. Hopefully I can stay aware enough 8.5hrs into the race to succeed at what I want to accomplish.
 
Immediately after run I consumed (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (2) Antioxidants.
 

Misc Recap

 

 

Tomorrow will be a higher volume day, but (2) days into the taper I am feeling good. I will need to continue to focus on getting in my sleep and have scheduled a massage later in the week to get that extra bit of relaxation/recovery in before the trip to Kona.
 


 

Wednesday 10/06/04 - 10 Days to Kona

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 

 

Breakfast: Consisted of a (3) egg broccoli omelet with a vegetarian sausage pattie and a banana and orange juice smoothie. Also with breakfast I consumed (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (2) Ultimate Performance Accelerators, (4) Joint Matrix and (6) Muscle Nitro.  
 
AM workout was completed about 90 minutes after breakfast.

 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Run (AM):  7 miles very easy over a hilly course, well below top of zone 1 HR's.
 
Bike (PM):  2 hours (35+ miles) over hills, including 3 x 15 minutes at IMPace/HR. Efforts between IMPace intervals are easy in zone 1 at 90+RPM's.

 

Workout Log

 

 

Run (AM):
Time:  55:37
Distance: 7 miles
Avg Pace:  7:56 per mile
Avg/MAX HR:  136/148

 
Run Notes:
Run today felt 'average', but it was just a very easy effort. HR was normal falling in the mid/upper 130's at a 7:45-8 minute per mile pace. As the pace would e significantly slower than IMGRP (Ironman Goal Race Pace), I focused on my form and leg turnover (still aiming for 90-92 foot strikes per minute).
 
Immediately upon finishing I consumed (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (1) Antioxidant. I walked another 5 minutes as a cool down before stretching.
 
Bike (PM):
Time:  1:10
Distance: 20 miles
Avg Pace:  17mph
Avg/MAX HR:  118/147

 
Bike Notes:
The ride today was scheduled to be about 2 hours long and include some IMPaced intervals. About 10 minutes in I went over the 1st significant climb and there was a little fatigue in my legs so I opted to shorten the ride to a 20 mile loop. A few minutes into the 1st IMPaced interval I just didn't feel 'settled', so I changed the workout to an easy 20 mile R&R ride as tomorrow is a 2.5-3 hour ride which I consider more of a key workout.
 
Immediately upon finishing I consumed (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (1) Antioxidant.
 
Bike Nutrition:
200 calorie bottle consisting of (2) scoops Accelerade and (1) bottle plain water.
 

Misc Recap

 

 

As I'm only 10 days outside of race day I don't feel bad about cutting back workouts as there is no gain in fitness that's going to occur between now and race day. I've often said there's nothing you can do in the last (2) weeks that will make you any faster, but there are a lot of things you can do to make you slower. Thursday will be a ride in the 40 (+/-) mile range w/ some IMPaced intervals and I will then be without my bike from Friday afternoon until it arrives in Kona on Monday morning.

 

 

Thursday 10/07/04 - 9 Days to Kona

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 

 

Breakfast: Consisted of (1) English Muffin with butter and jelly, (1) Complete Whey Protein Shake blended w/ 16oz of skim milk. Also with breakfast I consumed (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (2) Ultimate Performance Accelerators, (4) Joint Matrix and (6) Muscle Nitro.  

 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Bike (AM):  2 hours (+/-) w/ 3 x 10 minutes at IMPace/HR (8-10 minute recoveries between each)
 

Workout Log

 

 

Bike (AM):
Time:  2:10
Distance: 39 miles
Avg Pace:  18+mph
Avg/MAX HR:  128/156

 
Bike Notes:
Weather was the coolest it's bee to date at around 50-55F w/ light to moderate winds. Spent about 30 minutes warming-up and then went into the IMPace intervals. As is usually the case, the 1st one was a little 'fidgety' until I got settled into pace. The interval was done on a road with few interruptions and a few very small rolling uphills/downhills. Pace on each interval was 22-23 and felt comfortable, not amazing, just comfortable. HR average on intervals was 144.
 
Immediately upon finishing I consumed (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (1) Antioxidant.
 
Bike Nutrition:
300 calorie bottle consisting of (3) scoops Cytomax and (1) bottle plain water.

 

 

Friday 10/08/04 - 8 Days to Kona

 

Pre-workout Nutrition

 

 

Breakfast: Consisted of (1) Walnut Muffin with butter, (1) Complete Whey Protein Shake blended w/ 16oz of skim milk. Also with breakfast I consumed (2) Multivitamins, (2) Antioxidants, (3) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (2) Ultimate Performance Accelerators, (4) Joint Matrix and (6) Muscle Nitro.  

 

Scheduled Workout:

 

 

Swim (meters):
500 warm-up
300 drill
2 x 500 (100 fast on 1:20 to simulate race start + 400 at IMPace @ 1:28 per 100m) on 30"
200 easy pull
2 x 400 (100 fast on 1:20 to simulate race start + 300 at IMPace @ 1:28 per 100m) on 30"
200 easy pull
2 x 300 (100 fast on 1:20 to simulate race start + 200 at IMPace @ 1:28 per 100m) on 30"
300 easy pull
100 easy cool down  
 
Bike:  45 minutes very easy (just checking on bike after yesterday's tune-up)
 

 

Workout Log

 

 

Swim:
Time:  1:15
Distance: 4,000 meters

 
Swim Notes:
Had a very good swim this morning with Randy Nissinoff who is a much better swimmer than I so it was good to have him push me a little on the opening 100 and then settle into the IMPaced 100's. After warm-up, completed all sets with a 1:20 opening 100 meters followed by the balance of the set on 1:28 per 100. Each set was right on pace to the exact second (1:28 per 100m equates to a :55+ IM swim).  
 
Immediately upon finishing I consumed (1) serving of Endurox R4 mixed with an additional 5 grams of Power Glutamine and (1) Antioxidant before heading out on the bike.
 
Swim Nutrition:
200 calorie bottle consisting of (2) scoops Accelerade.
 
Bike:
Time:  :45
Distance: 12 miles
Avg Pace: 16mph  
Avg/MAX HR: 110/124

 
Bike Notes:
Just did a very easy ride to check out bike for any issues related to the tune-up last night. My mechanic found that the location where my fork is bonded to the steerer tube had cracked and could have potentially broken any day. He did a quick replacement on it with a fork he had in stock to be sure I wouldn't have any problems on race day (you'll notice a very mis-matched fork on my bike in any Kona race photos :o)  
 
After my ride I had another Endurox R4, before heading home for breakfast #2.
 
Bike Nutrition:
Finished off 200 calorie bottle of Accelerade which was left over from my swim.
 

Misc Recap

 

 

I was glad to catch the issue with my fork as having a mechanical problem in Kona would have been terrible. After the ride I broke my bike down and packed it up for Sports Express to pick it up this evening for a delivery in Kona on Monday morning. So far the taper is feeling good and I'm getting that itchy feeling to race. I know this will grow even stronger when I get to the island and see my friends and PBN Team members.  
 
This weekend just has a swim and (2) runs scheduled before my flight on Sunday afternoon.

 



Please don't hesitate to drop a post on the PBN Forum if you have any questions or there's anything else you'd like to see included in these reports.
 
Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

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date: October 10, 2004