The last two days have allowed me to do something that I normally stay away from during ironman training. Going hard. My coach talks about different athletic types, and I'm someone who likes to intermix intensity into my training. In fact, I thrive on it. Today, I was able to do several hard efforts on my bike ride, and it felt fantastic. I had a swim lesson, mostly in my wetsuit, and was able to put in some hard efforts in the water as well. Coupled with a hard uphill mile run yesterday, I've gotten in some solid intensity in the last two days, and in the absence of volume, it really feels good. In fact, the concept of reducing volume while adding intensity is both interesting and fascinating to feel.
The other cool part of this week is seeing where my swim, bike and run is at. I'm swimming solidly, at paces that I haven't swum in a decade. I've only started my lessons and my swim training. I still have room and opportunity to improve, albeit about 8 weeks, while I'm training for Kona. In lieu of the improvements that I've made in the last few months, I certainly think that focusing on my swim, continuing to lock in my form, and improving my endurance at a higher pace, will be well worth it!
Today's bike ride showed me the my bike power/speed is also as good as it's been in a long time. Santa Rosa will give me a good idea as to where that translates in a race. Similar to my swim, adding volume to my cycling in preparation for Kona should lock in both my fitness and power. Putting in several more long bike rides leading up to Kona is a huge priority.
The "surprise" is my running speed. I'm very happy with my recent paces, and I've seen that I'm better able to hit my goal cadence. Yesterday's uphill mile was my best, and I'm planning to repeat that same effort tomorrow. The real question is what type of pace I'll be able to hold during the half marathon portion of a 70.3. Then, similar to my swim and bike, will be run volume. I'll be channeling my "20 x 20" run program from a few years ago. I've already signed up for the Camarillo half marathon two weeks after Santa Rosa. I'll convert it into a 20 mile day, and I'll be on the road to more 20 mile runs in preparation for Kona.
It's not surprising that I enjoy intensity, whether it's training, racing or working. It's who I am, and why I do.
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