Week 12 - Week in Review

" There is something in every human being that seeks testing. A yearning to discover just how far one can go, how much one is capable of achieving. From this desire was born the most demanding athletic endurance test ever........- the IronmanTriathlon"

- unknown (but brilliant!) author.

The beginning of 12 weeks...this is the business end of the preparation. The base sessions (swim and bike) up to this point in time have been of great quality and benefit.

Reflecting on 'where I am' at 12 weeks.....

• There has been a real focus on achieving the weight goal for this campaign and it is getting there...in fact I'm smashing it! At the start of 12 weeks I have I am at 82kg....this is the lightest I have ever been at this point in time during an IM campaign.
• Is it making a difference? INDEED it is!!!.....the issues relating to the back (pain in the upper region of the hamstring) is not even coming close to what it has been like. The running has improved since the weight is off...I have literally got rid of 6 kilos of bricks off my body...of course it is going to make a difference....the lighter the better....even helping on the bike too.....that power to weight is improving.
• Related to the this is a new LOVE for the sore strength session....it has assisted with the management of the back injury.
• The long runs and 5-6hr bike rides are now a weekly occurrence. Nutrition is going to be the key with these session.
• I have returned to using a multi-vitamin product that I have used for the previous campaigns. The product is put out by Pharmanex and is a Dietary Supplement called LifePak. Along with this I take the Optimum Omega (EPA and DHA Fish Oils) this works on assisting with the cardiovascular health. The other benefits I find out of using this product, is that I have a lot more energy and  helps with the moments when things get a little tiring....I generally feel better...there could be physiological benefits here too....and the power of positive thought.
• My general frame of mind is ready and raring to go....there is some things to be achieved from this IM campaign and I believe I have the mind set to achieve them.
• This IM campaign I have been working closely with a sports nutritionist to get my general eating under control and it has been one of the reasons for the weight loss. One of the big things I finally got under control was my meal portions....it make such a difference when you reduce the size of your meals and add another couple of healthy snacks here and there

Training this week has been taken to the next level...the volume is there and I'm LOVING it...with nothing holding me back...it is full steam ahead.
I know what needs to be done and there is a commitment to the task....I have feel more ready than I have ever been at this time compared to the other 3 campaigns......look out people!!!


Monday:
AM Session - Rest morning

PM session - 45min core strength and conditioning then an easy 30min run on the treadmill.

Reflections:
Core felt good.
Easy run the legs were a little heavy and a little niggle has developed again in the left calf. Feels like a bit of tightness from the weekend.


Tuesday:

Tuesday now is the day of the LONG RUN! Not a bad thing and the first one was 2.5 hrs through the hills.....welcome back. And a successful return it was. Throughout the run I felt strong and worked at keeping the pace between 5-5.30min pace.

Tuesday evening back in the pool for a cool 3km. I could tell that there hasn't been much time in the pool over the last 10 days, arms a little slow to get going but after about a 1km they kicked in.

Wednesday:

Back to an old favourite.....back to Cootha.

Ride from home to Cootha then onto work, total ride time for the morning 2h30 and approximately 53km. I was able to get 4 reps in at Cootha before I had to head to work. The time on the hill was quality, work hard and hope it pays off.....starting to think it will!!

Wednesday evening, ride home (about 45min/17km) then 75min run off the bike.

Thursday:

Good coached session in he morning. Great numbers.

The evening was a swim, but due to work commitments couldn't get there.

Friday:

Morning off....one of rest...it was the calm before the storm.....

Mooloolaba Camp was upon me.....travelling straight from work to Mooloolaba to begin the camp with a solid run.

Felt good throughout this run...however, maybe a little too hard. 5min pace for the first session of a big weekend may have been a little excessive???? Average HR not too bad maybe again a little high given the relative flatness of the course which I ran over.

Saturday:

The morning began at 5.15am with a very nice 45min ocean swim at Mooloolaba beach. This swim basically cover the Tri course up and then back, swimming approximately 3km.

The it was straight onto the bike with a solid 5.5hr ride. This took us up to Boreen Pt, through Pomona and back through Bli Bli to base. This was not a flat course but was quite a challenging course at times. I thought my legs may have struggled throughout the ride, but I was riding strong, the work during the bike build seems to be paying off. Nutrition and hydration went well, I went back to what I knew works for me.

Saturday afternoon it was on the feet again, pounding the pavement.

The legs now were a little fatigued, but I made sure that I had at least a 1hr nana nap before the run. This did freshen them up, along with some help from the skins....a recovery technique, personally, that works.

After the run it was into the pool and then got back into the skins for the rest of the evening. Spent Friday and Saturday night sleeping in the skins.....makes such a difference!

Before this run we were given the task of running 42km between this session and the long run in the morning...which meant we needed to run approximately 27km Sunday morning...very achievable but recovery this evening is key and a good night's sleep.

Sunday:

Up again and in the water at 5.15am for an ocean swim. Again a 3km swim. And felt soooo good in the water...no wet suit and feeling strong and confident about my swimming.

It now faced me....a 2.5hr run...last session of the camp....the question beckons.....how are the legs going to go......the answer......VERY surprisingly WELL.

It was important that we kept it aerobic and slower than the 5min pace we had been running in the last 2 run session....5.30min pace was the goal....and to say that we nailed it was an understatement. It was HOT out there, hydration and nutrition went well, everything cane together. The was the occasional stop to run the tap over our heads to get the core temperature down but we then forged on.

Throughout the run I focused not only on the pace, but cadence and engaging my core.

The course we ran over here was flat and enabled me to get into a steady rhythm.

Weekly Stats:

Swim: 9km (2h30min)
Bike: 225km (8h19m)

Run: 92km (8h22m)

Core & Strength: 1h15min

Maintenance: 0h



TOTAL: 20hr26min