Ironman Mont Tremblant

Haven't posted in a really REALLY long time! Not much to say because I've been busy training. The whole point of this blog was to track my progress in the triathlon world as I worked towards the goal I set for myself in 2009: complete an Ironman in 2012. Well, I did it. 11:35:11 at the Inaugural Ironman Mont Tremblant. I won't go into much detail, as I've already done a race report for the Barrie Triathlon Club (www.barrietriathlonclub.blogspot.com) A lot of sweat, pain, injuries, sacrifices, and successes went into making the last 4 years extremely memorable. This is by no means a letter of resignation for my triathlon and Ironman racing. I have A LOT left in the tank. My next goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon by 2017 (the year I turn 40), do another Ironman and RACE it to a sub 11 if I can train while raising a family. I really enjoyed racing the Ironman distance. I just stayed in my comfort zone the whole day. Thankfully my comfort zone is relatively fast, so even though I beat my 12 hour goal by 25 minutes, I didn't hurt or really feel any negative effects of the race. I could have gone back to training that week if I did catch a cold! Anyways, it's been a slice. This blog was fun when it started, but then it became work. I accomplished the goal I published on the internet in 2009 on this blog, and now it is time to let it fall away into internet obscurity. Au Revoir Matt's Triathlon Blog! Muah!

Training and Staying Motivated in the Winter

Training is going well so far, but there is only so much one can do indoors. I've been averaging around 9:30 - 10:00 hours a week, almost eclipsing 11 hours, but I've had to cancel a few long bike rides to help the legs recover after some not so good feeling runs.

The big thing is finding the balance between cancelling a workout because I'm lazy and I think I need it off, and needing to take it off because my body is telling me. I've been doing pretty good lately understanding the too. If I'm tired I force myself to start the workout and build up, which leaves me with more energy afterwards and a positive feeling of not quitting, but the last three runs have left something wrong with my ankle when I wear my outdoor running shoes. I may have to buy a new pair sooner than I thought because of the sharp pain I get 70-85% through my runs.

The big thing that I keep reminding myself is that although this base is going to be great when I can go outside, it's important to keep my training in perspective and realize that my race isn't until August, and that it's important that I'm healthy when I can get outside and really hammer out some good rides, because right now 3 hours in the saddle staring at the tv is not cutting it!

So now I'm finishing my recovery week, and next week I'm going to start building to a big week for March Break which is in 3 weeks, and then I'll recover after that big one.

week of Feb 27:
5hr spinning (both in the gym)
3.5hr running (speed work and LSD)
1.5hr swimming (long pull session, and short full motion session)
1hr weights

week of March 5:
5.5hr spin/bike (2.5hr basement, 3hr gym)
3.5hr running (14km speed, 27km LSD)
1.5hr swimming (3500m pull, 1500m full motion)
1 hr weights

BIG MARCH BREAK WEEK:
2hr weights (Lifesource and gym)
6.5hr spin/bike (3.5hr spin, 3hr bike)
2hr swimming (3800m pull, 1900 full motion)
4hr running (speedwork, 30km LSD, 5km recovery)

then recovery week to prepare for Around The Bay AKA Redemption!!

The Importance of Pacing

looking at my last 2 runs (which have felt like crap and left me in pain), and my 2 runs before them, I've noticed a huge difference: the first 5km.

Example: 18km marathon build - 5:30 pace http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149451227

the key to this run being successful, was the slow start for the first 5 - 6km, which allowed me to pick up the pace for the last 5 - 6km (the inbetween is a continuous uphill run along hwy 27).

Now the 19.7km run at a 5:21 pace http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149451238

it's a faster pace, but I was in a lot more pain which left me unable to train to my full potential. These types of runs have to be saved for races, not LSD. I can do my speed with KevO by running intervals in a controlled environment. By not doing so leaves me with this:

a bummed ankle. I'm hoping it's just a bruise, or some little niggling pain, and I'll be back out training, but last night (2/15/12) at km 14.5, a sharp pain started on my inner ankle. Wouldn't have been too bad if I wasn't 6km away from my car on some dirt road with no street lights in the middle of nowhere. Again, last night's run had me starting too fast, and ending in too much pain. I need to get back to moderate pacing at the start. That was how I recovered from/prevented further injury last year, and if I'm going to continue with high volume of training, I'm going to have to remember to do the same again.

So, here's hoping that the ankle is fine (probably is...finger's crossed), and I'm able to get back out training again. Although I did get a lot of work done tonight, I'd still rather be in the gym or on the road (notice how I didn't say pool? I loathe swimming!)

Thanks for reading!

weeks two and three were great for me!

So far the training has been going well. I've slowly built up my weekly work, getting up to 9 hours last week. This week I'm feeling a little run down so I don't know how much I'll do. The 12-week schedule I have says this is supposed to be a recovery week, so I might take it as that, but I also don't want to lose the momentum I've been gaining. I'll probably try to maintain the same hours, but with less intensity. So far, here's what I've done:

week two
swim: 50 minutes (2500m)
bike: 4.5 hours
run: 1.5 hours(15.5km)
strength training: 1 hour

week three
swim: 60 minutes (3000m)
bike: 4.25 hours
run: 2 hours (22.5km)
strength training: 2 hours

Ironman Mont Tremblant Goal Times

As of right now, and hopefully they will change, these are my goal times for Ironman Mont Tremblant:

Swim - 1:20
T1 - 0:10
Bike - 5:50
T2 - 0:10
Run - 4:30
Total - 12:00
My transition times are long, and probably won't be like that in the race (especially T1), but I want to give myself time to calm my heart rate, and get myself ready for the race. I don't know what I'm going to wear yet (wholesale change, or the same outfit all day), and that will affect my transition times.

I figure as training continues, I'll be faster in each discipline...especially the bike. At Centurion Canada I rode a 5:50 race for 170km. Although Ironman is longer, I don't think the hills are going to be as difficult. Plus, I will actually be training for that distance, unlike Collingwood where I just showed up and rode without ever training for that distance.

Motivate Me!

you can tell how fast I'm going by the spray of water! Almost ran sub 20:00 for 5km in this pic. Can I do that this year? Hope so! By the end of August I was able to do 4:05/km pace in speed work, and 3:50/km quality. That helped lead me to 2 personal records in two local (and tough) half marathons, and potentially to a sub 3:25 in the Goodlife Toronto Marathon. Looking for sub 4:30 at Tremblant for the run.

week one is done!

There are 32 weeks left until Ironman Mont Tremblant, and the building has started. Last week I did 6 light workouts to get my body used to training again.

Monday: 11.1km run in a snowsquall at 40km/h+ wind gusts
Tuesday: 1000m swim in a very crowded pool
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: 1000m pull buoy swim, 90min bike ride (finished Kona '96, and did CTS climbing)
Friday: rest
Saturday: Mind to Muscle session
Sunday: 13.3km run

so far, so good! I've got 8.5hrs planned this week. Typically when I do close to 9hrs, I have trouble keeping the momentum until next week, but hopefully I'll be able to keep it up! Going to have to...I'm going to be an Ironman!