This week saw me do my last longest run, bike and swims (well, potentially!)
Monday
I swapped things around a bit and swam at lunch. I forgot my normal googles and had a bit of a mare with water getting in the pair I’d brought, and I snapped them in the changing room even before I got anyway near the water! Anyhow, a 1hr swim included some 500m sets. In the evening I had a beaut 2.5hr ride out to Bucklands Beach, Howick, Whitford, Sandstone, Pakuranga, Mt Wellington home.
Tuesday
My third stroke and stride- this time a 750m swim and a 4km run at St Heliers. Another mosh pit fight in the swim, and I got smacked in the eye, but I tried to just keep focussing on my own swimming, not looking behind me to see how far down the pack I was, and RELAXING! I blasted the run again, passing about 7 or 8 girls this time, but eased it back a bit coming into the finish, knowing I had a long run the next day and didn’t want to smash myself too hard. I finished 3rd in my age group, my best yet – 10th, 5th, 3rd. This will be my last race of the series as I’m in Sydney for the next one.
Wednesday
On Waitangi Day I headed out to Titirangi Golf Course and ran (most of) The Legend course from there, with a detour off Scenic Drive and down Slip track, pipeline and exhibition drive and a little bit extra to make the time on my feet 3hrs- about 30-32km. It was a great run- a variety of off and on road, undulations, hills, bush and sun. I started the run at a leisurely 2pm to simulate the kind of time I would be running at IM. I took water, Enervit and gels with me, and a caffeine tablet. Overall a good effort, and I recovered well…with a meal at Lone Star! Now, normally I can never finish their portions, but I opted for the fish special- with scallops and prawns, potato and feta salad and coleslaw and finished it all!
Thursday
I swam at lunch again today and had a better session, with the right goggles this time. I did a mix of intervals today. Later I had a WLT session (55 mins) and a 55 min run off bike undulating.
Friday
A nice recovery and technique swim, with a dip in the hot pool…
Saturday
I decided to do the 100km route x 2 from the Auckland Cycle Challenge 2007. Now, I would have put the course elevation map up, but over the weekend, they have updated the website, and there’s a different route for 2008!!!! Anyhow, it takes in lots of hills round the back of Albany, taking in Riverhead Forest, Helensville, Kumeu. It was a toughie…205km in the end- 7.5hrs. I had to do 2 x 50min at IM pace (steady) and 4 x 10min mod-hard with 4 min RI to finish. It was a good ride, tougher than the IM course for sure, but it was good mental training to do two laps, simulating IM. I had plenty of fluids- water, Enervit, coke and PowerBar gels and bars. The weather was great though and it was great to see some new countryside.
I was really pooped, how I could ever do a marathon after that….I recovered well at home-legs up the wall, protein drinks, and then we treated ourselves- I had a New Orleans fish burger from The Fishmonger in St Heliers- it’s the healthiest option I reckon- grilled fish, corn salsa, heaps of salad, a bun (ok it was white!) and just a few chips- I never eat chips, but I had to make an exception- I have this craving for salty potato anything after a long ride!
Sunday
Well it was a windy and rainy night and I dreamt that people were surfing big waves in St Helier’s….and when I got down there at 8am, it was so choppy and windy, too bad in fat, that my planned 3.5km swim to Tamaki Yacht club was canned. I wanted to do the swim as it would be supported by lifeguards, IRBs etc. and a great way to knock out a good sea swim, with renewed confidence from the support crew. Alas, it was not meant to be…So 4km in the pool instead. It took me about 1hr 9mins, which was good considering a few stops to get past people, and a few water stops- the pool was over chlorinated- some problem with the mix, which made me so thirsty. Then I did a 75 min ride along the waterfront in mod-hard range, battling the sidewinds and waves spilling over the road, and a 75 min steady run up through the Domain, up Mnt Eden and back to the waterfront. It was so humid, I was battling my thirst all the way.
This week has been a good training week, although the self-doubt and “am I ready?” gremlins are lingering. Getting enough rest and sleep is difficult, when it’s so hot, and trying not to pick up any bugs/infections is a challenge working in an air-conditioned office.
Three more weeks of training to go- one more peak week and a two-week gradual taper.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
YAY EMMA.....
We are so there!!!!! Well done with the training - you are a machine and I'm sure you will do really well at Ironman - I'm just jealous of all the training you seem to be able to do without BOMBING OUT - wish I had that kind of staying power, but, I am still pretty pleased with how it's all gone for me anyway.
Will see you in Taupo!
I think you've made leaps and bounds of progress Kathy! You are an inspiration to all Mums out there and you will be so fit and healthy off it too!
I do honestly think of bombing out, but it's all in the mind, we all have bad patches (if people say they don't, they're lying) the stronger athletes just think and know they can get through it. I do finish most rides thinking how the hell am I going to do 42.2km of running now...My biggest problem is that running's my strongest. I want to run well, and don't want the bike to make me stuff it up, so I'm having to learn patience! Doing stroke and strides and olympic distances though has given me a taste of the faster shorter stuff and maybe that's what I want to do...who knows. Anyhow, lots of time for reflection after the event...we must not lose focus now, just got my programme for the next couple of weeks. It's pretty good, with lots of needed recovery time yey!
I'm the queen of meltdowns Em, so if you have any lapses in confidence in that last week or few days before IM, trust me, I've been there done that - I'll talk you through it!! You sound like you're doing everything right, but for some reason I think the more conscientious and goal oriented you are with regard to training, the more your self belief can wane. You know you can do it, and do it so very well. You've done the training, and now it's almost time to boogie! :-D
my main advice is NOT TO OVERTRAIN!! you can just follow my example if you're not sure what 'not training' is....(i have a sneaky suspicion...)
ha ha. you're such a hard out. :)
Cheers Rach for your boost of confidence and your posts. What's your bebo, so I can read your C2C report? You did so well from your message on ontri. (i'm not posting much there anymore, as it all get a bit petty at times...anyhow...)It's all about the experience I'm sure, hey but what about us "soft" triathletes eh (re sportzhub)? I get my trainers dirty off road...occasionally ;o) You should have seen me after the WestCoaster off road run- I was ecstatic and have offered my services to Lion- as they sponsor all the totalsport multisport events- as their offcial Spring Tide embassador and entrant (especially as I beat all the other Lion competitors!) So i may yet come to the dark side...me loving swimming as you know ;o)
I see you've been out trying the road in my neck of the woods (Rodney). They're great with not much traffic. Latey I've been spotting some of the bigger names out and about so it seems to be the place to be.
Not long now
Post a Comment