One doesn't have their best Ironman performance without putting in the work. As I look back on all of the Ironman races that I've done, that's been the greatest challenge. It's not like I've been a slacker, far from it. However, there are certain things one has to do to truly expect the possibility of a good result. That's because of what an Ironman consists of. Swimming 2.4 miles. Biking 112 miles. Running 26.2 miles. Alone, each of these tasks requires a certain level and type of training. Together. Well, that goes without saying. In the summer and fall of 2009 I was training pretty well and felt like I was going to be fully prepared for my first Ironman in May of 2010. An unfortunate bike accident during long course world's in October of 2009 had a significant impact on my run preparation going into my first Ironman. In 2016, I did a 20 mile run every week for 20 weeks. That summer, at both Ironman Boulder and Chattanooga, that training paid dividends. Over the years, I've felt like I've put in the necessary run training, but as I prepare for Ironman California, I realize that I've never been prepared for my run like I am now. I've never come close to regular 40 (and even 50) mile run weeks. I feel like I've put in the work when it comes to my run. What about the bike?
The bike is what had me concerned up to a few weeks ago. While I've done long bike rides over the years in preparation for Ironman, I've rarely done bike training that had me confident about my ability to get off the bike feeling relatively fresh. With that said, I've had some solid bike legs during Ironman races. I've managed, just a couple of times, to not feel the "doldrums" during the bike and to start the run with my legs feeling pretty good. In some ways I'd been concerned about my bike training, until last weekend, when I rode my bike 6 hours and felt solid the whole way. Today, I get to back that up. Another six hour day, after a strange week of "rest" which has left me feeling very out of sorts. With four weeks to go before race day, I'm getting closer to my taper. I used to look at four weeks as the time to start tapering, but the taper truly begins two to three weeks from the day of the race, especially if one is really prepared. That leaves me with today's long bike ride and another one (not quite as long) next weekend.
I haven't mentioned the swim, and there are a couple of reasons. The first reason is that the swim is the shortest part of the race. The second reason is that my form usually assures me a reasonable swim time. The third, in this particular case, is that the swim is downriver, which plays to all of my strengths. Also, I've noticed, that because of my good form, I'm able to carry my overall fitness and training into the swim. Still, over the next few weeks, my swim volume will increase, putting the finishing touches on my race preparation.
Preparing for an Ironman wouldn't be complete without mental preparation. Over the years, I've improved my visualization skills and more recently, my meditative abilities. Both are necessary and helpful during an Ironman. I was surprised last week how quickly the six hours flew by on the bike, and my regular 90 minute, 10 mile runs have made the running time also fly by. Still, an Ironman is an 11, 12, or even 14 hour (hopefully not this time) day. The mental preparation is just as important as the physical.
So, here I am. Four weeks out. A long bike today. We'll see how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment