On Sunday (5/27), due to family obligations, the only workout I could manage was to get a swim in - and that was only because my parents live on a lake. So I got there a bit earlier than everyone else to squeeze it in before the main festivities.
Practically all my swims at the pool in the past.. year or so have been a mile and a half in length. I chose that distance because it's long enough to be effective, but not so long that I can't stand the boredom. Also, the ironman swim would be done in a wetsuit - so while it is longer, some aspects of the full distance would be easier. Anyway, my plan was to start increasing distance from 1.5 miles - something like 1.7 or 1.8 miles, then a week or two later go up to 2 miles, and build up from there.
I know from experience that straight shot up and back through the middle of the lake is about 1.2 miles. Going around the perimeter adds a bit - maybe 0.3 miles. So I knew that I'd have to follow the perimeter and add a bit. At one point in the past, I had made a partial double loop and it turned out to be 1.7 miles - so I figured I'd do the same thing. Then, in the middle of the swim, I decided to extend it from there, thinking that I'm in the water already and I mine as well suck up the mental boredom and maybe I'd get to like 1.8 or 1.9 miles.
When I got out of the water, I was pretty surprised to see a full 2.4 miles. Not only that, but it was in 75 minutes - just about on target for what I've been thinking I'd do during the event. A couple factors could change this, though - one, I didn't have to contend with other people like you do in the mass swim; two, I've been figuring on swimming the outer edge of the mass of people to avoid the chance of getting a busted face from a random kick. On the other hand, I've also heard that the drafting effect is pretty significant. I've even heard that there's a bit of a whirlpool effect. I suppose I can see that - 3000 people swimming in one direction, I can certainly see where there'd be a slight current being created.
On Monday (5/28), I did what is likely my only century training ride this year. I did a few last year, but always finished them being pretty wiped out. Although I knew that I'd be better fueled during the event thanks to the aid stations every 10 miles, there was still the mental concern of having to do 112 miles on the bike and not having at least one ride of similar length during training that went extremely well.
Today's ride was primarily focused on being able to finish the ride, feel strong at the end, and avoid the bonk I've experienced around mile 80-90 in the past. To prepare for this, I stashed some water along the course the night before so I'd be able to make sure I could stay hydrated. Also, I switched up and used a new formulation for energy gel that I could bring along. Actually, it's more like energy syrup with its consistency - but being thinner than a gel meant that I could load a few 8oz fuel belt bottles with it, strap it around my waist, and have over 2000 calories worth of glucose and fructose (in a 2:1 ratio - mimicking the C2MAX carb blend that Powerbar uses in their Ironman Perform drink that will be on course at IMLP) at my disposal. That left the 2 x 24 oz water bottles available for water plus a Nuun electrolyte tab. And with the water stashed at the 25 mile mark on the out & back course, plus the halfway point being at my parents - I knew I'd be able to refill every 25 miles.
I left in the morning with the water bottles filled with gatorade (mine as well take advantage of the starting point and save the syrup). As I mentioned, I just wanted to finish the ride strong, so I kept the pressure on the pedals a bit light. I discovered after several miles that my HR was hanging around the 120 mark, so I thought that maybe a good thing to shoot for would be to try to keep it under 130 for the trip out. It was morning, and thus pretty cool out still - so it should be doable. I'd allow myself to get up to 140 on the return trip. Not only would it be getting hotter - but it'd also simulate the fatigue from doing the first loop of the IMLP course. And by keeping the HR in total below about 140, I stood a better chance of having strong feeling legs for the run portion of the brick workout I was planning (at the time I was planning on an 8 mile run).
Everything went really well for the trip out. HR stayed in range, only popping above 130 a couple times during ascents - but the legs still felt strong. Strong enough, in fact, to not need a break at the halfway point, which I've done in the past.
On the trip back, it started warming up quite a bit, but I was still able to keep pace and keep the HR under 140 for the most part. By this time, though - it started becoming more apparent that the energy syrup and water I was drinking to dilute it was not hitting the right concentration. In retrospect I think I was starting to get dehydrated. I knew at the time during the ride that I wasn't drinking water at the pace I was planning on - but my stomach also felt like it wasn't absorbing things too awful well, so I was concerned that adding to it would just make it worse. As best as I can figure, I might have taken on too much syrup at once, which started a downward spiral chain reaction. Ideally, I'd have taken a small amount of syrup, a couple swigs of water, and been on my way - but with the syrup on my fuel belt, handling it while moving was a bit of a challenge, so when I did have the bottle free, I tended to take more than I probably should have at once.
Once I got home, I left the fuel belt and took the last 24 oz bottle of Nuun water. I also downed a GU quickly, and brought another with me just in case. My HR was showing as being erratic nearly from the start, even though I was going at an easy pace and perceived rate of exertion was low. But then I'd fiddle with the HR monitor strap, and it'd plummet from the 160's down to the 140's - so I figured it was just static from the tech shirt. Normally this goes away after about 1.5 miles - but even at the three and four mile mark, it was acting up. I eventually got fed up with dealing with it and just left it, and decided I definitely have to get some static guard. Pace was 9 min/mile for a few miles, which I was pleased with, but now the dehydration and screwed up fueling from before was catching up with me. I let myself take a walk break at mile three to try and get regrouped, which helped, but then an incline between mile 4 and 5 took its toll and I took another walk break. I took the other GU, and it seemed to help - but then I realized that I would have to wash it down with electrolyte drink, not water. And what my mouth really wanted to taste at that moment was water. Finally, I was running low on liquid in general - so I decided to cut the planned 8 miles short and go with 6. Part of it was that I screwed up the fueling and hydration, part of it was that I decided that I'd rather save the miles (on account of the ankle) for later in the week, and part of it was that I started thinking that due to my lack of running volume recently I was probably behind the 8-ball in trying to knock out a longer brick run. One thing I did learn though was that even amid the fixable mistakes, I'll still go with my original plan during the event of walking the aid stations every mile. I don't mind taking walk breaks regularly, even though it might drive up my average pace to 9:30 or 10 min/miles - as long as it keeps me from having to walk large portions from mile 13 on - because if that happens, the clock will really start to accumulate time.
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