I managed at 1:5x trail run last night, hammy was a bit sore after but not terrible.
Also finally got out on the TT bike again today, 80k @33.6kph from 211W AP, but that was on crap roads, windy, I had a backpack on and normal helmet etc. so reasonably pleased, then a 4k brick which wasn’t much fun.
Just got an email saying Ullswater was 12.8c when they measured it today, F*** that’s cold, they are dropping the 3.8k to 2.5k and I think people are kicking off, despite the fact I don’t think they have much option. So glad I changed to the mile, and even that is going to be hard work as it usually gets colder where the stream joins it.
Then it will be rest week over, although I’m away for a couple of days, and have the Yorkshireman 70.3 next week.
Nice to finally get a nice and easy long run in. Did it on my commute in and will be looking to do this once a week now. Need to up the swim time from now on though, pleased to get another open water swim in too.
Forgive me, for I have sinned. No swimming this week. Just didn’t seem able to fit them in, but managed a solid 11.5 hours with a 5 hr bike yesterday and a 19km run today.
Feeling more confident about my running and seem to be clipping along a little easier, but I’m not sure I’m going to get the 2.5 hr runs in that I was hoping to. We’ll see. Still, I’ve done significantly more running than my 2 previous iron distance events, so not all bad.
Just shy of ten hours this week, which wasn’t bad as I had a business trip. It was a lower effort week allegedly, but an almost 3 hour easy ride yesterday turned out to be a hard effort with huge variability and I suffered terrible cramping later that day.
Picked up my new road bike Friday and cycled it home through London. A long, painful journey through traffic.
Long, easy swim yesterday went well. Really good 10 mile run today in the pouring rain … felt strong for that.
Next week is a bruiser. 3 weeks until Roth, so 2 big weeks then a taper. Flying tomorrow on a business trip though, so it will be very weekend heavy. Dreading Saturday… swim 1 hour, bike 3 hours, run 90 minutes max. Doesn’t sound a lot, but it will hang over me all week.
22.5 hours which is my biggest week … ever …
10 hours in the saddle 90 mins actually outside…
Lots of S and C, nice 18 miles in the rain today at 144 bpm average, speed up on what I’d expect.
Two big weeks left…
Weight down
Diet crap
Bonus I guess…
2 short swims, 51 minutes.
2 short spins on the winter bike, 1 really easy 2.5hr ride with the club. 3hrs 52mins
35 miles of running in the calendar week, 50 miles in a rolling seven day period (from 113) 4hrs 45mins
Legs are pretty shot now and looking forward to having a bit of a rest!
Bit of a crap week for me, life etc making time a precious commodity.
Only 34.9km across 3 days. one super easy run. One half and half (steady effort/easy effort) and one short sharp trail race.
Still, a few positives to come from it. One the steady portion of my run on the coastpath i ran very controlled on the hills and cruised the flats and downs. Yet was only 40secs down from my KOM on the first half of a 27 min TT segment that i set last year. And i was going full bore for that. This time i was properly cruising. So that was a real positive.
Also managed to come 3rd in the trail relays which was ace. First ever relay for our new club, where we managed to put three teams out representing 50% of our whole club! And it didn’t go unnoticed, which is cool.
Came away with the 9th fastest individual time as well, so happy with that!
Need to try to get a slightly longer run in this week somewhere, as my week is looking really busy with work, kids etc.
Absolute disaster for me at the weekend, all going well at the start of the swim, then a rogue kick in front of my face caused me to chug down a load of water, couldn’t get my breath back, which led to a panic attack, 250mtrs of miserable doggie paddle later I crawl out of the water to then spend 10 mins with a medic who advises me not to carry on. I ignore that and head out onto the bike, couldn’t get my breathing back under control so slowly cruised round, hit T2 and complete the run with a very slow run/walk.
Good job it was only a supersprint or I would have def DNF’d for the first time ever, never had anything like this happen when open water swimming before so still feeling quite a bit down about it
Last week was a bit of a rescue TBH. Still felt unwell but not that ill, just full of snot, wheezy chest and nasty cough. Managed 7 hours of easy aerobic with 3x1hr rides, one swim and 3x short runs and one 15km run. Will keep the effort down again this week as still a bit snotty and wheezy but have entered a sportive for Sunday and should be right for then.
I’m glad it’s not just me (beginners) who sometimes struggle in OWS. Some of my races have gone well and lots have gone terribly until I can get into my stroke. I once doggy paddled the first 400m of an Oly and it’s so miserable! Onto the next one eh!?
Wondered if anyone has any thoughts on splitting the long run. Morning and evening and maybe 2/3 run in the morning. I’m thinking about how to minimise impact to Sunday family time and not being wrecked for the whole day.
E.g. instead of a 32km I could run morning 20km evening 12km.
I tried it in 2012, worst Outlaw run split, for exactly the reasons you suggest.
Double run days are great, for their own reasons.
To run a good marathon? No.
If you want to minimise impact on family time, get up at 5am and run to work? (Assuming you can do so…)
Wednesday is long run day.
Sunday is long ride day.
Saturday is 100% family time.
You need those 30-32km runs in your legs.
Economy, efficiency and confidence.
Running 30-32km shouldn’t leave you feeling smashed.
Run 9 minutes at a VERY easy pace, walk one minute.
It’s all about time on feet and adaptation.
FWIW: my threshold pace is about 3:45/km, but I do my long runs at 5:15/km
Considering splitting this weeks long run to improve recovery, but will be 3.5 weeks away from IM and I want the mental boost of having clocked in another 30km so probably won’t.
Usually do long runs around IM pace as 10:1 Run:walk but will slow it down and build to IM pace in second half.
Or, you could get up earlier and run the whole 32km. I don’t know how fast you are, but if you could do it in 3h…you could go out at 6am and be back by 9. In some respects this would help prevent you stiffening-up, because you’d be mobile for the rest of the day. The only thing I find is that my HR is elevated when I roll out of bed and train early - so you (maybe) have to account for that.
Like Poet says, if you want to condition your legs, you need to give them a good working over; because after about mile 10 in an Ironman, it feels like someone has put lead in your quads…or is that just me? You have to learn how that feels and keep going.
16 hours last week and last key sessions before the taper starts.
Dipped under 19 mins at Parkrun (fastest this year) on Saturday, with 18:57
Wanted to have a good focused brick yesterday, but loads of wind and rain, meant I did my longest ever turbo of 3 hours instead. 233w NP followed by a 10 mile run on 7:33 pace (even with 9:1 run/walk)
Got in the pool this morning for a little 20 x 100 off 1:45 and found other than the first 4, all under 1:30, which is 2-4 seconds quicker than usual
Am hoping that I might be peaking at the right time for once…
I’d say it depends though. A split run isn’t necessarily as effective as a stright long run but can be useful. I do them as part of the general building of volume so I might do 2x13km or 2x15km but not inplace one run of the total distance. So I might find a run of 25-30km would beat me up a bit and leave me quite fatigued in early spring but splitting much easier on the body.
Yes, running to & from work for example would be a good way of getting the volume in, say if it was 15km each way. As you say, the legs would be slightly less battered than a straight 30km run, and you could make sure you were well fuelled/hydrated for both.
I did do split runs one year, the year I PB’d in fact. I’d run 10 mins to railway station. Run 1h at lunchtime then run around 80 mins home. But I’ve had very similar results off stand-alone long runs. I think logistics/commitments are what will drive people to their ‘best’ strategy.
I seem to have hit a lull in training, luckily last week was an easy week, but I bottled the 3.8k O\W swim in Ullswater, it was reduced to 2.5k as it was so cold. I did the mile but it was very cold and my 500M splits were getting slower as I was struggling to control my arms!
I seem to rush my stroke too much when there’s other people around, I’m going to try and not rush it so much at the 70.3 this weekend.
I did get a couple of wattbikes and 80k on the TT bike in. Also managed just under a 2 hour hilly run loop, hammy was a bit niggly the next day but I’ve ran the last 3 days and it’s not causing any huge problems, I’ll need to manage long runs though.
I’m away for a few days, then got a 70.3 this weekend, I’ll be doing it fairly fatigued so not setting many targets, sub 5 would be good though.
