The Dog Days Of June

It's post May long weekend and June has been a challenge when it comes to getting in some good training. Not that it's really that necessary any more, I raced the Press Run a week after the Jasper training camp and ended up running 97kms that week. It did a number on my knees and I struggled with a right knee issue on the bike for a couple weeks. I also did another 180k ride with Steve the following weekend and a 30k and 34k run, these are the weeks where training starts to feel more like a job and last Thursday when I had to do a 30k run I was really dreading it. There always comes a point in the training where you wish it was over and you could just do the race now, but I'm grateful for the rest I've been getting this week. It came at a good time because now I've been fighting a moderate flu, which I'm hoping is just a couple day thing. It couldn't have come at a worse time, the only thing you have to do in the 2 weeks leading up to an Ironman is not get sick...

Well I guess it was somewhat inevitable after a terrible April where I was sick ALL the time, May was fantastic and I had my best training month ever. June started off okay but my body was starting to break down and it simply needed some forced rest. I'll be okay by the weekend it's just frustrating to lose a little fitness leading up to your big event for the year. Regardless I'll still have an incredible race and I'm now thinking a 9:30 is possible if all goes well, it is my 'stretch' goal and I'll still be very happy with anything under 10hrs. Based on my training though I feel like a 1hr swim, 5:15 bike, and a 3:10 run is possible, add in 5 mins for transitions and there is the 9:30. Of course anything can happen on the day and it's predicted to be 30'C, the warmest day we've had was about 23'C so we'll have to see how my body reacts to the heat. I've done my share of ice baths and cold rides this year so maybe I'll finally get to feel warm.

Racing and Resting

It's been a lot of fun training this year, with 3 of us from GP doing IM CdA there is always someone ready to swim, ride or run with. Some of us are getting to the point now where we wish the training was done and we could just do the race next week but I'm going to enjoy the next 3 weeks of training before probably the last Iron distance event I'll do for a very long time. Last weekend the boys went out for a long ride and I decided I wanted to get in a race before IM, it was my first race in over a year so I was a little apprehensive but I just wanted to go out and have fun.

It was a 1/2 marathon and my strategy was to stick with the lead group or individual until the final 3kms and then go for it. The risk was that the lead group would be running 3:30 mins/km and I knew I would be hurting if I tried to hold that for 21kms. Fortunately the guy I was running with was pacing along at about a 4:08-4:10 min/km pace and I found that to be very comfortable. I stayed on his shoulder for the full 18kms and I'm sure he didn't like that one bit, he slowed down, I slowed down, he would speed up, I would speed up. For over an hour we raced like that and I was thinking 'this is awesome I feel great, why have I not raced like this in the past.' when we started the final loop around the reservoir I said thanks guys to the two I was running with and started running 3:34 mins/km for the final 3. No one else was in sight after the first km and I won by about a minute. Not how I normally race, but I wasn't interested in setting a new PB and I didn't want to go to that place of suffering for a 1/2 marathon. I had an incredible time and even managed to do a short 60km ride afterwards, the ride was actually harder than the race I had some serious stomach issues and needed to turn back early.

The last week has been rough, a lot of us are feeling broken down with all the hard miles. I didn't realize but I had run about 97kms that week of the race and my right knee was seriously hurting me. I took a couple down days and went for some Graston at Anodyne as well as a slight bike adjustment from Robert and it seems to be feeling better now. I have a couple more heavy training weeks and I should be ready to go, I need one more good long run, a moderate bike and a few long swims and then it's game on! After all this hard training I'll be looking forward to a little rest, Ryder has the right idea.