Journey to Kona Day 212: It's Crunch Time

Five weeks and two days to go before Kona. The last week has been a struggle.  In some ways, I'm ready. In fact, I felt that I wished that the race were in 3 weeks and that I could start my taper.  But today I realized that might not be right. I'm feeling the cumulative fatigue of the entire year. The year began with my first 100 mile ultra, and then had one of my best ironman preparations for IM Boulder, where I had an excellent race.  I went from that to the Santa Rosa 70.3, where I had another excellent result.  I kept my foot on the gas pedal in preparation for Kona.  I've done more and higher quality preparation than ever.  I've been accomplishing things that I've never done before.  And I'm tired.

I remember 2014, the year I completed 3 ironman events and was actually ranked 11th in the world in my age group. That high ranking reflected my endurance and consistency.  The following year, however, was a year filled with fatigue and injuries.  In some respects, I feel that I've pushed myself pretty far this year.  I've grappled with emotional stress unlike any I've ever had.  It's taken a toll.  I am truly on the edge.  That should actually create an opportunity for me.

The key to an effective ironman taper is to get rid of the cumulative fatigue, while staying sharp.  I have five weeks and two days to get rid of the fatigue. That should be my primary goal.  Staying sharp is always a tapering challenge, and it's as much voodoo as it is science or even art.  It's ironic, but as I told my friend Rudy today that I wished Kona was only three weeks away, I immediately knew that I really didn't.  Three weeks won't be enough time to wash away the fatigue and effectively recover for my greatest challenge.  Five weeks should be enough time.  The trick is how to bring this plane in for a soft landing.

My blogs over the past week have delineated a lot of my thoughts on where my training is.  There is thing that I am certain of.  I can continue to accumulate swim volume and focus on my swim form, so that it becomes even more ingrained in my muscle memory. Swimming is the healthiest thing that I do, and todays 4000 yard continuous swim served to remind me that I can keep swimming despite my fatigue level, so long as I don't try to push intensity.  If I can "toe the line" at Kona well rested, my swim intensity will take care of itself on race day and I can have the type of swim that I now believe that I am capable of.

While training in heat has some benefits, the stress of biking and running in the heat is not well placed right now.  I think I finally understand that.  If I wanted to perform longer bikes and runs, it would be ideal for me to do in a cooler climate.  I need to keep that in mind and do everything in my power to stay cool despite the heat.  That means bikes and runs with ready access to cold fluids and ice.  If I want to acclimatize to Kona, which I still want to do, hot yoga is still going to be my best bet.

How much benefit do I get from a couple more long bike rides or runs? That is the sixty-four thousand dollar question.  I find it unlikely that, after ten years of ironman training, and a solid training year thus far, that a couple more long bike rides or runs will make much of a difference. I already had one of my best ironman bike splits in Boulder, at high altitude.  I've built on that with several long bikes over very hilly terrain.  More climbing will also not make a huge difference, and I may be best served at this point to finally allow myself to do some rides on flat terrain. The same may also apply to my runs, especially if it's hot out, which it will be for the foreseeable future.

Pushing too hard at this point can certainly cause more harm than good.  It's time for the soft landing. It's crunch time, but that means it's also time to be smart.  Recovery and washing out my fatigue will get me to a better place on race day than squeezing in a few extra hard or long workouts.  It's time to stay in the moment and get myself ready for Kona!