Morg007's ironman wales 2012 training log

[IronMorg]

Oh the early mornings are the hardest part, but then you have done it once you can do it again! Enjoy the next five weeks they're going to be great!

yep.... I think haha

Thursday 26th July PM

BIF swim #14 3400m
6 x (50+100+150m) @20sec

enjoyed this one.... the 20sec rests make it interesting as the shorter distance you get plenty of rest but hardly any for the longer. Felt good too and I was fully recovered from the race

Friday 27th July AM
9.63mile z2 run in 90mins @ 9:18min per mile pace

did a partly off road route around some wetlands near me, very nice in the morning before work. Pace was slowed down on the trails and lumps grass paths.

PM
BIF swim #15 3500m
main set 5 x 200m @ 30sec, 5 x 100m @ 20 sec, 5 x 50m @10 sec, 6 x 25m @ 5sec

this one was good.. quiet in lane too. Friday is always a worry due to only 1 lane being open because of lessons at 5pm so I have an hour to get past the main set and into the slower warm down where it won't matter if the lane is busy. But there was only one other person anyway.

Saturday 28th July
85.01 mile bike in 5hr 8mins 6 sec @ 16.6mph average pace. My plan was to attack a load of strava segments and take it easy between. the first 2 though really took it out of me and so I struggled to hold pace. But once I got halfway along I regained some energy and my pace went up. Got cought up in the worlds slowest group ride along a lane... people we ignoring my polite requests to allow me room to get past as they weirdly thought I was in their group... what on a TT? and you don't even know who is with you? anyway I got past and beasted them on a nice drag that they were struggling up! Best part of the ride was the fact I could have kept goinig if I wanted to showing my nutritian strategy is paying off.

then after that...

5.32 mile run in 45mins @ 8:28min per mile pace - tough very tough run. the heat was getting to me and I had to work hard. But pleased with the pace so a good positive.

Sunday 29th July

45min spin on bike which loosened my legs up after the near 6 hours of training the day before.

followed by.

14.04mile run in 2 hour @ 8:33min per mile pace . Very good run and glad to have my running legs back. Really enjoying these long runs going along the canal and either back or finding a way back along the roads.

[IronMorg]

BIF week #24 (6 weeks to go!)

Tuesday 31st August

AM
8.7mile run in 1hr 15mins 32sec @ 8:41min per mile pace
at 10mins I inserted 3 x 6min Z4 pace (followed by 2min jog) and these were done at approx 7:30min per mile pace

good run, but disapointed by the pace of the Z4. I haven't done a lot of speed work lately in my running due to various events. I seem to have either been recovering or tapering down. But I will be over the moon with a 8:41min per mile marathon pace at ironman.

PM
Cancelled session
Got to the pool, got ready, grabbed al my stuff ready to then discover after packing everything into the locker that I had left/lost my padlock! No sign of it. In hindsite I should have left the members area and use the pay lockers in the poor non members area. But I didn't. I had a mini paddy in my head and went home! I called the wife and she couldn't see it where I keep my gym bag in case it dropped out so I had to get a new one.

Wednesday 1st August
AM
1hour z2 bike turbo followed by 3.29mile run in 29mins 17sec @8:53min per mile pace

struggled to get going on the bike and then had the same issue on the run. Felt lethargic too.

Thursday 2nd August
AM
90min bike turbo Z2.. easy pace.

Again very hard to get going and felt very lethargic. Tried to insert a higher gear set in but legs just didn't want to play.

PM
BIF swim #12
main set 12 x 75m @ 20sec, 12 x 50m @ 15sec, 12 x 25 @ 10sec

again struggled - getting a common theme this week, don't feel ill or anything. Wondering if I'm just having a bad training week and its more mental ie lacking motivation.

Friday 3rd August
AM - 90min run cancelled.
Yep think I've got to the bottom of it. I am basicaly knackered! the increase to 90mins in BIF before work and getting up earlier are just too much. I woke up and my body coudln't face a 90min run so I went back to sleep. Its done me great as I feel so much better having had longer in bed. So I'm adapting the plan to my own training needs. I won't do more than 1hr 15mins and possibly only an hour for the Tuesday & friday runs. I was managing ok when doing this before so 90mins is just that bit too much before work with a 3.5km swim after and 52miles of commute to work(there and back). I shall still do the weekend stuff but not working means I can recover better and not have to get up so early.

[IronMorg]

Friday 3rd august PM

3600 (est)m open water swim in 1 hour 12mins 50sec

due to struggling with the GPS (the quary walls are high) I am guessing at the distance. They guys who runs the diving centre says its definatley 400m but I did manage to record 450m for the first lap so I went with that and did 8 laps to get 3600m... the pace is also closer to 3600m. Apart from that good swim, slow middle laps but my pace was good the first couple and the last 3.

[IronMorg]

Saturday 4th Aug
5hour turbo followed by a 7.4mile run in 1hour at 8:07min per mile pace

due to the olympics and using the threat of rain as an excuse I did the dreaded 5 hour turbo session. Now this is not a problem as long as you have plenty of distractions. So I cought up with TV and watched the triathlon and rowing. I inserted overgearing intervals in for laps on the triathlon (alternating laps from over gearing to normal gear for a god solid cadence).

the run went very well, BUT the turbo may get the legs moving but my upper body feels harder worked on an actual outside ride so this run was not as hard as it should have been. May have to make sure I'm out for the rest of the training plan.

Sunday 5th Aug
1 hour easy spin on the turbo followed by 16.23mile run in 2 hour 15mins @ 8:19min per mile

turbo was more of a leg loosener/warm up; run was great, my longest run ever and did an "out and back" route along the canal. Weather perfect with nice breeze. Only thing is I think 1hr45 is the very most I can do without refueling with drink/gel as the last half out was very tough. Just ordered a drinks belt so shouldn't have that problem now. Even with my body demanding fuel I kept the pace throughout and didnt slow down.

[IronMorg]

BIF week #25

Tuesday 7th August AM

6.72mile run in 1 hour @ 8:57min per mile pace

due to legs still feeling it after the long run on Sunday I ditched the BIF speed session. I probably won't do them again as I'm not after pure speed, just pure stamina/endurance and running on feel will help. I'm finding my run pace after the long sunday run doesn't come back till Frday or even Saturday anyway.

[IronMorg]

Tuesday 7th Aug PM

BIF swim #13 main set 5 x 400m @ 45sec

the actual swim training it self was great and I did between 7:57 & 8:10 min 400m which is fantastic for me (slow for the dolphins here of course!). But had a right nobhead swimming very very slow in the fastlane with 2 of us doing a similar pace to me. At first he wasn't coursing too much of a problem but when a 4th person came in it was too much. swimming front crawl that speed is impossible when stuck behind him! So I had a quiet word and politely suggested that he would be better in the slower lane (where ironically there were less people) and he turned and said nah, you're alright and carried on! the twat! I gave it another couple of swims again and again he stopped me from doing my normal pace so I asked him again and pointed out this is the fast lane and really he's too slow for it. He said he didn't realise it was a fast lane! Even though there is a big sign at the bottom of the lane by the entrance saying "FAST LANE" with simialr signs for slow and medium! he then moved accross. I really hate having to do that as he's every right to be in the pool but with a lane system it means people of different paces can swim without slowing others or getting in the way of those wnating to go slower. If I was in the slow lane, it wouldn't be fair on those in that lane if I was trying to swim a 25sec 25m pace. Most poeple have common sense and get into the right lane but I find that occasionally you get idiots who become stubburn (usually mid 40's overweight blokes for some reason). Anyway rant over...

Wed 8th August AM

45min bike turbo - z2 peceived effort followed by 3.29mile run in 27mins 33sec @ 8:22min per mile pace

good session this morning, kept a smooth cadence whilst watching the olympics highlights from the day before. Run was great, felt good. Glad I ditched the HRM a few weeks ago and just run on feel.

[md6]

Sounds like you are nailing the training now, I agree that 90 mins before work can be a strain, and if you shorten the session a little it won't kill you - i cancelled a fair few morning sessions as i'm terrible and i got round.

Good on you for getting the guy to move lanes, a little courtesy in the pool would go a long way for most people i think. People using the 'wrong' lane is a particular bug bear of mine!

What kind of time are you hoping for - it sounds like your training is going really well so you probably have an idea of what you would like?

[IronMorg]

yeah so pleased I realised the 90min session was too long.. better to do a shorter quality session than miss one completely. time wise I think I should be out on the bike at the 1hr 30min mark. Swim should be 1:15 ish but its a faily long run from the swim exit to T1 which will add time onto my T1. Bike I'm looking at 7hrs to 7:30hrs based on what I did at the Eirias middle distance race with a similar bike leg (at the 56mile mark it was 3:35 on my watch). Run - I'm convinced I can do a sub 4hrs standalone if not a little slower 3:30 with a bit more training... but after a 112mile bike.. maybe a tricky proposition. I did 1:56 HM at the eirias so it won't be far off. I am aiming for 4:10 so I can beat my mums other half who did the first ever london marathon in 4:12 as that would give me bragging rights So 12 and a half hours at a real push but probably nearer 13-13 and a half hours due to the overall distance and probably bad conditions as the Eirias was sunny with no wind on the bike.

man I hate making predictions

[md6]

man I hate making predictions

Think of it as a target rather than a prediction, that way its better!

They sounds like pretty solid and well considered times too, although IM is harder than just twice a half. but i'm sure you know that already! Can't wait to see how you get on with it.

[IronMorg]

Thursday 09th August 2012 AM

bike turbo - sufferfest "downward spiral"

with the lowering of my morning session volume I decided to go back to the sufferfests and was glad I did. Good hard session but not too much volume wise.