Several weeks before the pandemic began I had decided to train for Ironman St. George. It was supposed to be held in May of 2020, so I had little time to train. Nevertheless, I'd begun my training and felt confident that I'd be able to race. Obviously, a lot changed in March of 2020 and not only did the race get postponed, but I stopped training. It wasn't until the summer that I started exercising regularly again, and my focus was purely on running. A possible stress reaction in November caused me to back off again, and it wasn't until February 22nd of this year that I began fully engaged in Ironman training. That was nearly 7 months ago, and my training efforts during that time have taken on new meaning. First, I focused primarily on lower heart rate (Maffetone) training. Second, I prioritized running, to the extent that I invariably have been running before I bike. Third, swimming took a back seat until a few months ago, but that's always been ok because swimming, while not necessarily being a "strong suit" is something that I can quickly get "up to speed" on due to my good form.
This has all taken on a new light as I've been training for Ironman California, which is now just a little over 5 weeks away. Most importantly, it's working. I've not only had my best race performances in my life over the past few months, but I can tell that I continue to absorb the training. That's the word I've always loved when my training is working. "Absorb." This week is a great example. After an incredibly solid three day weekend of training (Hour bike w/ VO2 max efforts, 9.3 mile run on Friday; 5:07 bike followed by a 3.2 mile run on Saturday; 13 mile progression run on Sunday), I took the day off on Monday and felt fine enough over the past three days to run 9.5 miles each day, and got in a one hour nonstop swim. I didn't bike, but that was a combination of too much work and balance (knowing what is coming up this weekend). Today, I'll start to repeat last weekend's efforts.
The fact that I've run 28.5 miles in three days and I feel fine is cause to recognize how much I'm absorbing my training these days, and how the run has become not only "second-nature," but my "go-to" workout. I haven't decided how much I'll run today, or even if I'll run. That decision will be based on a combination of factors, including how I feel, but also, how much time I have (due to a couple of meetings this morning). I've really worked hard to find a balance in the past several months between work and training, while maintaining my life and commitment to my wife and family. So far, so good, but it can be a bit of a slippery slope when the training is going so well.
I fasted yesterday and still ran 9.5 miles (albeit at a pretty low heart rate). Nevertheless, the day probably added a little extra stress, leaving me with a little higher heart rate and a little lower HRV (Heart Rate Variability) today. Still, I'm feeling pretty good and will see how my bike goes with some more VO2 efforts. My coach is having me do this workout once a week in the weeks leading up to Ironman California in order to improve my bike power a bit. Last week went great, we'll see how I absorb this weeks workout!
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