Went through my last workouts before the race today and felt pretty good. No sign of the needling little injuries that have been plaguing me of late. Hopefully that holds true on Saturday.
Aside from my injuries the biggest thing that has me leading up to this event concerned is the heat - though current forecasts have it at 90+ degrees with high humidity. For me this translates to a suffer-fest on the run.
The plan:
- Prerace: Up at 5:30 for a full cup of espresso and a couple Cliff Bars. Apply body glide and suntan lotion. Mix up the feed bottles and check out of the hotel.
- T0: Rack the bike and open the bag - gotta love simplicity here! Get a chip and find a place to chill.
- Swim: Go at tempo and avoid the heart rate spike during the mass swim. Stay out of harms way! Find a pair of feet to camp on.
- T1: Get out of wetsuit and spend a bit of time stretching back.
- Bike: Will be going with the tri bike for this one. Though I haven't practiced it I'm going to try leaving the shoes on the bike and starting out that way to see if I can get T1 times down. Due to the heat I'll plan on having a handlebar mounted hydration system full of water as well as a feed bottle mixed at 900 calories of Perpeteum with a little Endurolyte added to the mix to keep the salts high. Hit the bottle at 1/2 hour intervals. Keep heart rate at the Z3/Z4 boundary. Focus on staying smooth and stretching my back often. Last hits of hydration at about 1/2 hour before T2 to avoid bloating and stomach slosh. At that time pop a couple of Advils.
- T2: Try keeping the shoes on the bike. Spend some time stretching out the back before starting off on the run.
- Run: Attempt to keep heart rate at the Z3/Z4 boundary - though I'm not sure how successful I'll be given the heat stress. At most mid Z4 will be ok. If necessary walk to get the heart rate down - at least during the first 9 miles. After that release the hounds. Start out at 11-10 minute pace and negative split down to 8's if all seems good. Another feed bottle (gel flask) with Perpeteum mixed at 300 calories for the run. Hit it at every aid station and follow it with water. Will also be bringing Endurolytes in an empty M&M container - pop one or two at each aid station with water. Walk the aid stations. Frequently pour water over head to bring down core heat.
So that's the plan. Assuming all goes well I should finish somewhere between 5:30 - 6 hours, probably closer to 6 given heat.
Workout Summary
For the swim I focused on "silent running" - being very smooth and making as little noise as possible. Pushed a bit on the bike because it just felt good. The Rooster over slept today so it was a solo ride. Ran into him on my way back as he was going out for his first loop. During the run I forced myself to stay below Z4, though I felt I could go harder - a good sign!
Originally I was planning on skipping any circuit work this week but I went ahead and did one quick circuit on the cable machines. Something about circuit/weight training leaves me feeling more energized after my brick workouts. I read somewhere that it helps to flush the lactic acid and also spikes the endorphins so there you go.
1 comment:
I agree, heat and I just do not get along....and to think I have my hardest brick of the year on Saturday before I start to taper for Steelhead....great timing by mother nature. I hope I'm alive Sunday.
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