2 out of 3 ain't bad

2 out of 3 ain't bad. Another month of Ironman training has come and gone. And with it comes another testing week. I have written about my testing week before, but as a refresher, every month I have been using a series of bench mark tests to help me evaluate my fitness. Going into this week I was really tired. I think that the cumulative stress of training has had a pretty significant impact on me. Additionally, I have spent far too many hours working, when I should have been sleeping.

I began the week with one of my most feared workouts: 2x20 minutes all out on the bike. I feel as though my legs are stronger than last month, but I also think they are more tired. My test was a struggle the whole way through. Sweat poured off me like a leaky faucet. I had a hard time getting into a good cycling rhythm. When the dust had settled, I was exactly the same as last month, 325 Watts. Honestly, I was quite despondent. What had I been doing this pat month? Did all those miles amount to nothing? After some serious thought and some reminders from the folks at Endurance Nation, I decided I could go on with training. OK, I am being dramatic, but I in some way felt like that. I have done it before, had a bad workout and just been disgusted with myself. I admit, I have a fragile psyche when it comes to athletics. I realized that staying at 325 was a good thing. First, I did not lose fitness. Second, I was able to keep the same level of fitness as my endurance increased. Also, when I went back and looked at my goals for Ironman CDA, one of my bike goals was to have my FTP > 325. Hell, I am already there.

Next up, I had a 5K on the local track. I was looking for a little redemption. The only thing getting in my way was a 15+mph headwind along the back stretch. Undaunted, off I went. I was hoping to run 5:35's as that would have been a 10 second per mile improvement since my last test. As I finished the first quarter I found myself on 5:20 pace, way too fast. I backed it down a little and ended the first mile at 5:27. The strong wind on the back half of the track really made the run hard. It quickly became a seemingly never ending series of 200 yard repeats into the wind with a 200 yard recovery. The second mile passed in about 5:33. The last mile plus was a suffer fest. I was pushing as hard as I could. Saliva was falling out of my mouth because I didn't have the energy to spit. My second to last quarter felt as though the track was transformed into molasses. I put my head down and pushed as hard as could. I ended up finishing with a mile pace of 5:32.1 .1, yes, I am a little superstitious. A 12.9 sec improvement sounds a lot better than a "13" second improvement. I was ecstatic. Another one of my season goals was to have my Vdot > 58.5. I just ran a whole point higher. That deserves a little celebration.

Last on the list was my 1000yard time trial in the pool. I have been feeling like my swimming is doing fine, but it is the sport I let slip if life/work gets in the way. I snuck out of a conference early in order to get to the pool. Sadly, my head still felt a little funny after my 5K celebration the night before. Yes, I had two 12oz beers. My college self would be calling me out right now for being such a light weight. As I warmed up, I set out a plan to go out conservatively and finish strong hoping to bring my 100 yrd average down from 1:25 to 1:23-24. The first three hundred found me right on 1:23 pace with nice powerful, relaxed strokes. At 600 yards, I could tell I was getting a little fatigued. I was just under 1:23 pace. By 800 yards, my arms actually began to speak to me. They were quite direct in saying, "Please, for the love of God, stop swimming!" The last 300 was a struggle, but as I came to the wall, the time 13:45 was on my watch. I was way too tired to be excited. It took a few minutes for me to recover, but as I started off on my cool down, I knew I had made a nice improvement. Somehow I managed to drop 25 seconds from my previous swim. I find myself close to a goal that I have had as a dream for a while, getting my T-pace down to 1:20.

So in the end, I was reminded of how this sport can give out so many highs and lows. Sure my bike is the same but my swim and run are continuing to get better. I know that what I need now is 8 more weeks of really focused training so that I can tow the line on June 21 as fit as I possibly can be.

Todd