Last Big Push

There’s just under two weeks of hard work remaining before I taper off into Shepparton. Just 4 weeks until race day and I can’t think of much else right now. It’s constantly on my mind but that’s one of my biggest strengths in order to get the hard work done. I am so determined which helps to ensure I do all that I can to make a statement in Shepparton. I mentioned my goals in my post on August 7 - http://ironmanlincoln.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/my-goals-and-program.html - and, although I can’t guarantee what races I will do after Shepparton, I can definitely say I will be greatly disappointed if I don’t go under 4 hours 30 minutes in this race and hit my desired splits too.

I feel better in all aspects of my ability than I ever have. I swim, ride and run faster and stronger than at any time since taking up the sport and I am the lightest I have been in 9 years. From 2004 – 2007, I put on 10kg of muscle by doing strength training in the gym 5 or 6 times per week for 3 years. When I took up triathlon, I didn’t think about losing weight to improve performance because I didn’t know it would help. At my heaviest, I was a solid 80kg after being about 70kg at the beginning of 2004. I am currently hovering in the 73-74kg range with the hope of being between 72 and 73kg come race day but, providing I don’t gain weight between now and then, it is not a priority in these final weeks.

I dream about becoming a professional athlete. It used to be a dream about playing hockey for Australia but things didn’t pan out that way. In the past couple of years I have grown a dream in my head about turning professional in my current sporting pursuit. Sometimes it seems a bit too far-fetched and other times it seems like I might just be good enough one day. This race in itself will be a big factor in seeing how close I really am to achieving that. Based on last year’s results, I am not even close. Ideally, I will finish this year closer to 4 hours flat, instead of 4 hours 30 minutes. That would indicate for sure that this dream is within reach but it is going to take something special to achieve that. If I have a flat tyre or my stomach plays up on race day it will mean trying to achieve a fast time in another race, later on. Fingers crossed for no mishaps.

Over the weekend, just passed, I saw some great signs of my increasing fitness. On Friday, I had a great swim which consisted of my 20 x 50m fast efforts. However, I altered this to perform 20 x 100m with the first 50m performed fast off a deep water start, then, cruise back the next 50m at just below race pace, concentrating on technique. This was to simulate making a fast start to the race before settling into a more sustainable pace. I felt strong, powerful and consistent.

On Saturday, I did my long ride in good conditions. I used my normal route from home to Gisborne, which is 50km. I filled my drink bottles, then, rode back 15km to the bottom of the climb that I had just been up on the way there. I turned around and went back up the climb and back to Gisborne. The climb is about 4km long with between 5 – 9% gradient which means, for some of it, I can stay on my aero bars and build strength in that position. I filled my bottles again at Gisborne and returned home with a good tail wind. I covered 130kms at a higher average pace than I ever have in a long training ride. At this time last year I wasn’t doing this distance in the weeks before the race and I definitely wasn’t putting out this kind of pace and power on those roads. I feel in the right kind of form to smash my bike PB at Shepparton. I followed my ride with a short run until I felt like I had found my running legs at race pace. It took about 2 – 3km to feel good and then I jogged back home making it about 20 minutes in total.

On Sunday, I did my long run in really tough conditions. It was pushing 30 degrees celsius and the warm, very dry northerly wind kept building its speed. I did a 3km warm-up, including drills and dynamic stretching, to a spot where I placed two 750ml bottles with a half strength electrolyte mix. I then did 4 x 4km race pace efforts with a 2 minute rest in between. The aim was to do 5 x 4km but I was a little short of time and with the tough conditions the work I completed was more than sufficient. I consumed two gels during throughout those efforts and went through 1 and a half bottles of my fluid. After the fourth effort, I walked 500m while taking in another gel and the remainder of my fluid before jogging the last 2.5km home. I was happy with my pace and enjoyed a long ice bath afterwards.

I will perform almost the exact sessions over the next two weekends before my taper and aiming for similar or better results. It is a great feeling to see these progressions and terrific for my confidence as race day nears.