Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 86)

I have (finally) caught up with this thread and am amazed by 1) how comforting it is to realize there are a bunch of other in the same boat, 2) the nuggets of information that are shared, and 3) that the water temp has already been discussed.

Speaking of nuggets Brittany's post totally hit the spot for me. The importance to treating each long ride for nutrition and equipment practice was rammed home for me when I realized about 75miles into a long ride that last year's nutrition plan wasn't working for me. For some reason after 4 hrs I could not swallow my peanut butter & nutella sandwiches (weird because I love nutella, grew up on it). I will have to try again to determine if I just had an off day or if I have to tweak the plan. The point is no assumptions about nutrition, clothing, or equipment, it isn't worth it. I also second the ice baths. An unpleasant but effective recovery tool (I need all the help I can get).

As far as flats are concerned I usually carry 2 spares tubes, one patch kit, and a hand pump (paranoid about running out of CO2). Flats will slow me down but there is no way I will let one stop me on my rides (especially at CDA). I will also practice flat repair on the rental race wheels once I get them so that there are no surprises (e.g. stem extensions). That may be pushing it on the paranoia front but it buys be some peace of mind.

Nice training everyone and thanks for sharing.

Bernd 

I had a really good bike/swim focus week.   I was having some IT discomfort after my awesome 15 mile long run last sunday, so I took it easy on the run front.

Swim:   7200 yards (2100/2100/3000).  (Have pretty much settled into a 1:39/100 pace, so I'm really happy with that)

Bike:  180 miles.   80 on the trainer, then a back to back 30/70 on the road on friday and saturday.

Run:  12 miles.

I'm feeling very, very confident about the race.

Here is my week that I just finished.  This is my first of 7 build weeks. 

(Numbers in minutes)

Mon - Off

Tues - 75 run / 75 swim

Wed - 105 bike / 30 run

Thurs - 75 run / 75 swim

Fri - 60 bike / 75 swim

Sat - 45 bike / 150 run        <------- that was my big test this week.

Sun - 240 bike / 30 run

Thanks for the tip on the old pair of runners before the swim!  Great one!

I am all for a cold swim, anything to keep the core temp down. I'm way more worried about the heat of the day getting to me the 14 of 15 hrs I plan to be on the course after the swim, but that's just me.  I would love to see some snow that day.

Disclosure: I passed out with heat stroke at 70.3 Florida finish line last year.

Thus my biggest concern personally is core temp, hydration, nutrition and cramping.  Edit: And the hills on the bike!

I'm notoriously bad in the heat too.  In fact I chose CdA over a few other choices because of historical weather patterns.  Yeah, it can get warm on the run... but it's not guaranteed like in some places.  For people like us, race day wardrobe and a few other tips can make a HUGE difference.  For me that meant:

1) Desoto white skin-cooler fabric top.  I wore arm coolers on the bike but not on the run.  I might have worn them on the run if it the sun had been more intense or it had been hotter.

2) water is your friend... over your head and on your shirt and arm coolers.  Expiriment with this so you know what happens to your socks/shoes when they are soaked on a long run (dry pair in special needs not a bad idea in case you feel a blister coming on).

3) Ice in a hat is painfully cold for me, but if you can tolerate it your head has tremendous heat-transfer potential and this can really cool you down.  Desoto also makes a 3 pocket top specifically designed for using ice (one between shoulder blades, one farther down, and one at the bottom).  Thunderbear (Sindbale - finished 3rd in IM champs one year when he got serious about temp management after several meltdowns in heat in years prior) also believed in a latex glove full of ice, but I just can't go there due to extreme dorkiness.

4) Of course you also need to nail your hydration/electrolyte replacement... that may include adjustment to pacing/effort based on the heat... the harder you ride/run, the less your body will be able to absorb and you need to manage the sweat/hydration deficit carefully... some like me are capable of sweating faster than our stomach can absorb liquid.

Some really great workouts and weeks many of you are getting in.  THESE tough workouts now are the ones that really pay off on race day... it will be too late by early June... your May will make all the difference.  Don't do anything stupid and get hurt, but otherwise it's time to dig deep!

I'll be sitting here drinking some beers and eating nachos and being very impressed with you all.

Thsi is where compression socks/sleves come in soooo handy.  Here in FL we get "squishy shoes" just from all the sweat on a long run.  Add in water on top of the head and you have water logged shoes all day.

A few months back we tried out some compression sleves and CEP compression socks.  Besdies the other benefits they supply, they help keep your shoes and socks dry.  They really are nice.

One thing I'll mention - especially for you guys from the southeast - is that Coeur d'Alene is nice and dry.  They never get the humidity that you're familiar with.  So even on a "hot" day, you're not swimming in your own sweat.

But as for the actual temperature: be ready for anything.  Bring long sleeves / windbreaker, other warm stuff just in case.  I think it was upper 40s / low 50s one year on the run, with drizzle.  And the opposite happens too.  2006 was 97+ degrees.

Last year was moderately warm... 88-90 I think.  It was a little maddening running down Centennial Trail alongside the lake in the heat while watching teenagers jumping off a diving board into the lake.  I wanted to take a detour and join them for a minute.

I did just about nothing last week and it was fantastic.  I had a recovery week planned after my HIM, but I ended up doing about half of what I had planned.  I'm sure this was the right choice.  I was either fighting a mild virus on top of allergies or bumped up against overtraining.  Rest works for both so I went there.  I also did some spring cleaning and reconnected with the family, both very necessary for my mental well being.

Now I'm feeling rejuvenated and ready to put some really good training in the bank.  I completely agree that May is a pivotal month.  Make sure to plan for adaptation/recovery in addition to all your break through workouts.

P.S. we've discussed the bike course elevation here a lot.  my .02 is that it isn't a rolling course.  most of the climbs are not matched with an equal descent.  The climbs on their own aren't ridiculous, but the lack of rhythm is what throws a lot of people off.  Last year my heartrate averaged in my Z2 and I avoided spiking above Z3, but it was constantly going up and down along with my cadence.  If you have never ridden this course and are highly rhythm dependent for your pacing, I would train in a way that mimics the changing nature of this course not just the climb grades.

leopard8996 - 2011-04-25 10:58 AM For the ladies out there I find that ice in the sports bra has been a huge help for keeping your core cool

Hate to say it, but I highly encourage this practice 8)

(too easily set up)

For a Newbie....the hills on the Cda course are a KILLER!   Having a very hard time figuring how to get through the hills and still keep my HR down and leave enough for the Marathon.  I figure there are about 22 hills per 56 mile lap.    On the largest hill I am averaging 6mph....not  sure how to keep my HR down without crawling.   I will practice on them as much as possible.....

Had a great recovery week last week after HIM. I did some strength work on Thursday. 6 mile run on Saturday and 50 mile bike on Sunday. 

Now time to get back to the real work. I have my first "big day" the first weekend in May, so I am gearing mentally for that. Happy Monday everyone

Ok, nerd alert.  I just realized yesterday that I have been riding a standard crank, and not a compact like I had assumed.

This results in two feelings: embarrassment that I am a walking stereotype (dumb blonde), and pride that I have been pushing a lot of hills with a greater degree of difficulty than I had been thinking.

Lucky for me my husband just bought a nice compact crank for his bike, so I'm planning on borrowing for the race.  Is there anything I should know about transitioning from one to the other?  I heard it can throw you off trying to find the proper gearing if you're used to the 53/39.

Training for me last week went pretty well:

As you know I'm a big proponent of a compact crank for almost anyone on this course.  It will help you pace the bike correctly and be able to have a tighter cassette so you can be in the perfect gear more often.

I would not recommend swapping bikes on race day.  If it's the bike you'll ride in the race, you should spend a bunch of time on it in training.  As for getting used to the shifting... it works the same way so not much of a difference.  When it's too easy shift to a harder gear, when it's too hard shift to an easier gear.  Avoid cross chaining if you can... but I suspect you'll find your sweet spot gears for most of the ride are aligned better on the compact crank.

Last week was my biggest week of training;  it was bike focused.  I had a 75 mile bike planned for Saturday that turned into an 84.64 mile ride after trying to avoid dirt roads and getting lost a couple of times.  The total climb was 288 ft.  This week is more run focused and not as intense.  Great work everyone- let's hope for better weather.