I don't mind the swimming. It is a good start to the day. Fridays are the best swim days at the moment. It must be because it is the end of the week, cold and people are trying their best to last till the weekend and the thought of swimming at 5:30am is probably the last thing on their minds.
I also found just before lunch time on a Saturday is when the pool is quieter. All the kids' learn to swim classes and squad is finished around then.
My swim time for 4km is now down to 1hr 12min. That's in a 25m pool. I don't stand up, tumble turn or push off the wall with the exception of my hand in aid to redirect my forward motion as I come past in a large swim turn to try limit contact with anything other than water.
I realise the open water will be a completely different experience but at the moment I can't see myself getting a chance to do an open water swim between now and Ironman. I see it as no big deal. I can swim the distance comforably and well aware of the problems associated with chop, swell, currents and the need for course correction.
I have two more weeks until tapering starts (26th of May) but as there have been a few things on at the moment and the training volume has been less it feels like I have already started.
I guess it is getting to that time of the training phase where motivation and commitment are challenged on a daily basis. Sometimes it is a case of saying to one's self, "JFDI"!
...(Just E-ffing Do It)...
I am so close now!
I have been really enjoying the running lately with the increased distances at a pace that surprised me.
I am a lot more comfortable operating for extended periods at higher heart rates. I have also started to see it in some of my recent rides where usually I would be riding at around 130-137bpm with peaks of up to 150bpm, I have noticed higher speeds, cadence and peaks of up past 160bpm.
On the 30th of April I did a 25km run at 5 minutes per kilometre on a fairly hilly course. Particularly in the first 15km. I was holding back thinking I didn't want to over cook myself however I think I could have sustained 4:45min/km.
The next (last) Wednesday I wanted to try for 35km. I have been putting off the bigger distances, feeling I wasn't ready, worried about my ankle, birthdays, Easter, and illness.
This was to be my last big run before the race in June. There is no point in pushing for a marathon in training at this stage and after the previous week I was excited at the prospect getting the 35km under my belt.
I don't know what it was but I wasn't feeling as good as the previous week. I could feel a little discomfort under the knee cap at around 15km. By 20km I could start to feel the tension in the side of the knee, on the high camber side of the path I was running on. It didn't feel like it was going to become worse until I started to go up a slight rise at 21km. That is where the pain got quite bad. I backed off the pace and decided I could still do at least 30km if I just alternated the pressure by running on the side of the road, then path, then road again. My thinking was if I could just through the undulating parts of the course I was running, I would be okay on the flat sections.
No... By the time I got just over 1km past the turn around point near home, even the downward slopes were hurting the outside of both knees.
I stopped and tried to massage the Iliotibial Band (ITB) but nothing was going to stop the inflammation from causing the pain.
I had no choice but to turn around and jog/walk back home. The run distance fell short of the 35km by 12km.
So I have decided to start with a short distance again, around 10km and see how the knees go. I think part of the problem is the time trial position on the bike. I will be reviewing the bike fit over the next few days. I have already moved the TT bars back a little.
I am now alternating between riding and running of an evening with swimming in the mornings.
I really don't like my Tuesday "Tired" swimming set:
- 300m warmup. Start slow with speed increasing every 100m then 30 seconds recovery.
- 4 x 25m drills with 30 seconds recovery.
- 4 x 25m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.
- 4 x 100m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.
- 2 x 200m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.
- 1 x 400m with whatever is left, not leaving anything in reserve.
- Warm down
Give it a go and let me know what you think. It is only 1700m in total and you get to rest... ;-)
I think I'll enter the Western Sydney Ironman 70.3 in late November. With the training I have done for the full Ironman, I may as well. It will be 2 weeks after the Highland Fling mountain bike race in Budanoon. Perfect lead up to it!
Sorry... No pictures this post.
Pat signing off...
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