Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A New Year, Ironman Training on Track

I happened to go to my blog site today and realized that I haven't blogged since I started back with my training in October.  It's been three months!  But what a terrific three months.  My foot is 98% better (I'll leave out the last 2% for when I have absolutely no "sensations" in my heel).  Last week I trained for 15 hours, including some of the toughest workouts I have done in some time.  I am reminding myself as to why I love ironman training.  When done properly, it corresponds to a feeling of invincibility that is hard to obtain anywhere else.

This morning I did VO2 intervals on my bike.  Five intervals that were each 3 minutes long, each with a near maximal effort that left me feeling almost sick to my stomach as I neared the end of the last two.  That told me that I did them properly.  What I was most proud of was my pacing.  I never looked at my new power meter until I was at the end of each interval.  Each interval had a slightly increased average power.  That's the way to achieve the most effective result from this workout.  One of the other things I love about ironman training is being in touch with my body in a way that I never knew was possible.

After the bike ride, I immediately went for a short, 3 mile, transition run.  Near the end of this, I was able to do four 30 second fast strides, right around 7 minute mile pace.  This is what I want to train my body to be able to do, and practice makes perfect!

In addition to 15 hours of training last week, I probably spent close to the same amount of time recovering.  I have a new NormaTec compression device and an electrical stimulation Compex device that are helping me recover every day.  I haven't fully achieved the feeling of living and acting like a professional athlete, but I'm getting closer!

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