Having not entered Huski, Sunday’s HIM was the last long event that I will have in preparation for the IM. Accordingly, it is important to extensively over-analyse the outcome, draw implications (real and perceived), and adapt the Cunning Plan accordingly. The take away as I saw it from Sunday was:
THE SWIM
The problem:
Ø Tri-swims are not pool swims. There is a pace pressure from the start - to hold position, ensure you don’t get swum over, and hold the feet of the people in front etc.
Ø While I still have plenty of work to do in the pool – strength, technique, fitness etc – pool swimming isn’t going to be enough for someone with my limited swimming background.
Ø Worse - I don’t think I can plan to just cruise the swim, because you can’t cruise while thrashing about in the washing machine.
Ø Finally, I simply get sick of being in the water. This is probably a mental side effect to the fact my “long sessions” to date are jump in, swim 1500, go home. Short sessions are not even this.
What needs to change in the Plan:
Ø Don’t know, no idea whatsoever – but I need to get some exposure to that feeling of “fuck! I am about to drown in this”
Ø I also need to go longer distances under pace pressure, at least for the first 500m or so. Might use the Friday lake swim as a chance to go hard for 500 and limp home, but even this isn’t particularly long.
Ø Need to suck it up in training and stay the distance. Really shouldn’t wind up any session in less than an hour from here on. That really is ugly though.
THE BIKE
The Problem:
Ø My lower back was starting to tighten significantly on Sunday (not sure if this was because I held the aero position longer than before OR whether it was the carry forward of the fatigue in those muscles from the swim – OR both OR something else), The same thing happened on my only other longish tri 6 years ago.
Ø I am probably generating enough force to ride an acceptable bike leg, but I am not “enduring”
Ø “Enduring” meaning, holding a reasonable force, ON THE AEROS, for an extended period, and still being able to stand up straight at the end in preparation for running.
Ø “Enduring” must by definition also include ensuring that I complete the ride with the full quota of skin on the undercarriage. Another 90km would have seen enough damage to my fuselage to abort the flight.
What needs to change in the Plan:
Ø Do some swims preceding long race-pace rides – sounds horrible really, but may end up being the only effective method of dealing with this
· Where (laps of somewhere like turf farms? etc, more Cobbity?) – Don’t know – needs some thought
· When (Blocks now to get some momentum and capitalise on the last weekend’s race OR consistency across Saturdays etc OR both) – Don’t know – but it seems as though the long “pleasure rides” in the bunch on the roadie are going to have to go on hold for 21 weeks.
Ø Be more consistent at riding in the aero position, even when commuting, or doing easy laps with Pat. Hopefully this will bring about some adaptation in the my back muscles – or alternatively, fuck me completely.
Ø Review saddle choice or HTFU.
Ø Yoga, pilates, some other new-age funky business. If this is going to be a strategy, I need to start reasonably soon to enable the necessary adaptation.
THE RUN
The Problem:
Ø Seemingly any attempt to run strongly is resulting in injury > hence no miles in the legs
Ø No miles = no endurance/strength
Ø No faster training means running slowly in races.
Ø Can tolerate running slowly in an ironman tri, but CAN’T tolerate not enduring – else it will be a long walk
What needs to change in the Plan:
Ø All running now turned into lamentable LSD - Long slow distance miles. No alternative I suspect – Fark I hate LSD, Hate hate hate.
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