Ironman Texas (Page 65)

I did 21 miles starting at 1:45 and I lost close to 10 pounds.  I think I should have ran a different route that had water closer.  I did not feel dehydrated, but I had major cravings for the next water station.  I am surprised I feel better running now then when I did my open marathon which could mean I did not train hard enough on the bike or swim for that matter........

I saw 3 snakes on my run today.  One was dead, one was alive and small, and the other was about a 2 foot long moccasin and I did not get close enough to see if it was alive.  If you see me at the swim start you may want to get away.  I hate snakes so much I think they get close to me to get a reaction.

Better get in the sauna!

Did my one long 3hr run today in the afternoon - it was hot, but the wind was good to keep  somewhat cool, can only expect we wil have this heat and more on race day.   Planned for 16 miles (8 miles out and back) shut it down at 15.25 miles when I hit 3 hours and wlaked it in, no reason to go over three hours I was dragging!  I guess it in reality it was 16 miles in 3:15 or so...  You definitely have to plan out those water stops, I walked in to the local Groceries about every 40 minutes dripping with sweat and hydrating up!  After that run race plan has changed to (1) Average swim,; (2) Strong the bike; (3) See if I can get over 1000 people to pass me on my 26 mile jog/walk! 

4 weeks to go!  Better news - 2 weeks until Taper time - on that note, I am a solid taperer...

Wow, not sure what to think about the heat...I did a 4 hr bike ride today in the snow.  Wearing a balaclava and ski socks & gloves

I know you speak in jest but slowing the bike down a little can pay huge dividends on the run.  Taking 15 or 20 minutes longer on the bike if it allows you to finish 30 minutes or 45 minutes or 1 hour faster on the run is smart racing.  As the saying goes, push too hard on the bike and you'll have 26.2 miles to pay for it.  No sense in passing a couple of hundred folks on the bike only to have two or three times as many pass you on the run.

What distance should I plan for the aid stations to be apart? 

According to the website, every mile.  

What about the bike? I looked on the site and it didnt mention anything about where the aid stations will be located. At least I couldnt find it on the site.

Sorry I ment the bike.  I have heard 10-25 miles.  10 miles would be great 15 pushing it for a 2 bottle set up I am planning on using

I checked the next two races, Australia is every 15km, and St. George ranges from 11-17mi. I'd guess we will be similar to St. George, depending on where there is room. 

Do you think mirrored or blue lens for the swim?  I need a new pair of goggles so I want to buy specific.

I always go with clear - works best for me in any situation.

I wouldn't pick blue.  From what I understand, they make certain color buoys more difficult to see outdoors.  At least that's what I read somewhere. 

For all of us heading in to the last week or so of build phase, this is something that my coach shared with us after this weekend's long training efforts:

I think everyone knows the expression “misery loves company” and I just wanted to let you know you are not alone  

Here are some of the posts I got this morning after the weekends training…

Many of us are overreaching for IM TX, the cyclists are peaking for State Crit and Athens and just about everyone is “cooked” 

This time of year it is easy to hit the panic button and think you are not ready as the training seems to be getting harder and not easier.

The training is harder as you feel the effects of cumulative load.  

The entire season is starting to catch up with you and your body is starting to really “hate” you  

Now is the time to bust out all the tricks – good food, better sleep – massage – ice baths – 110% gear - compression – stay off your feet – really – this stuff matters. 

One more hard week and then the taper starts…relax and know all this by design and you are not alone. 

-It's official...this is just silly...20M run and dreading it...I would rather be in detention in HS with the clock that ticks backwards

 -I punked out and lost motivation. going to rest and finish up later - I think I'm burned out... Tried picking it up to race pace and just felt out of control 

-Got a late start after sunrise Easter service. This was just a continuation of the bad T-run from yesterday. Legs still heavy, not comfortable, and HR was all over the place. SO I turned around, went home took a nap and vegged out on the couch for a few hours trying to stay off my legs....will try again later.

Tried the long run again later in the afternoon. Felt better, but not great. Legs feel SO heavy! I had nothing left for a tempo effort. Great excuse for an ice bath and a Dr Pepper...I love Dr Pepper...but I digress... Today was the first day that my mind actually started freaking out to how close the IM is and how much this weekend's workouts sucked.

-I was hoping for a better day than this. Was tired when I got up...even though 8.5 hrs sleep. I'm thinking the back to back "big" days make it hard forme to hit both. I knew before I hit the 3 hr mark that it was gonna be a long ride. I stuck it out and got the miles in. Last 2 hrs were a struggle. I was supposed to hit it faster than IM watts...nope.

-Ugh! 1st 2 miles were 8:48 & 9:24 - felt like crud. Backed off from there - Avg HR ~ 133

 -And here's where the wheels started coming off the wagon. Legs were heavy. Couldn't get a comfortable rhythm in my pace. Not sure if it was the heat or fatigue from the ride effort, but it was not fun.