4 weeks from today is Ironman number 2. I've been training pretty heavily and have felt on the edge of burnout at times. At the suggestion of a multiple Ironman finisher friend (who's also been world class in triathlon), I've taken a day off here and there. As long as I get 1 long swim, 1 long bike and 1 long run in per week, I'm happy with whatever else I do. Still following my plan but adjusting as necessary.
Several people I know have recommended this book. I found it appealing because he claims that many triathletes have loads of "junk miles" in their training. That is, miles and sessions without a purpose. I'm not at all afraid of this distance this year as I was last year so I've been trying to get "better." Better might mean faster, might mean less strain, might mean feeling overall better after a run or bike. He's also an advocate of swim drills and heart rate training.
So in that spirit, I've become more interested in swim technique and heart rate data. I can swim, but can I SWIM? As I said, I'm not afraid of the distance but if I can do it more efficiently and save energy/time at the same time, why not? So instead of a swim workout where I don't know the purpose, I've been doing 1 drill set a week and I think I can feel the improvement. I'm gliding much better and feel like I'm swimming less but getting more out of each stroke. I've also decided to get some swim lessons over the winter. If I really want to know how to SWIM, I think it's the next logical step.
For the heart rate data, I've been collecting heart rate data for a good 2 years but never doing anything with it. I know it takes a lot of work and a decent amount of money to really get a good starting point but without boring you with the details, my best guess is that my zone 2 heart rate is in the 111-140 beats per minute range. I guess I would call zone 2 a manageable aerobic pace.
So I set my Garmin to honk, beep, etc. whenever I crossed over 140 bpm. Much to the chagrin of my training pal, Ken, I think it's working. I ran 15 miles today, at a just over 11 minute pace. For a full marathon, that translates to a 4:50/4:55 marathon, which is 20-25 minutes faster than my marathon personal best. And the best part? I feel phenomenal. If I compare that to the KDF Marathon in April, I felt worse that day than post-Ironman. I could barely walk and could barely even walk the next day. I also examined the heart rate data and found that I was easily busting 160 at times. No wonder I felt like crap, eh? Today, I kept it under or very close to 140 and you know how that turned out.
This week is the last big week of training then I start to taper. I'm still at about 10-12 mile long runs, 3200 meter swims and 75 mile bikes for a bit then it really tapers off as I head toward the big day.
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