Its race week again, this time its 70.3 or half ironman time. I have just complete a solid 3 week abridged preparation for Sunshine Coast 70.3. Basically it was 3 weeks building through each week, increasing volume & intensity, peaking last week at 8.25 hours, including 2.2km of swimming, 170km of cycling, 22km of running and 17 days of consecutive activity. Am I well prepared for a 70.3, truth be told probably not, but given my base this year and the consistency I have built on, I believe I am well place to achieve a significant personal best time over this distance. Mainly because my current PB over this race distance was set in 2013 when I first attempted to race over a longer distance, 5 hours 45 minutes is hardly a speedy target to improve on! Here’s what my last three weeks have looked like:
That said there is little I can do now, accidents and recovery (post ironman) have all had an impacted on my preparation for this race. However I am now in race week and very excited, its taper time. For me this will be a shorter taper, as based on the above information I am hardly over worked or trained at the moment. I’m planning on a massage on Monday, a short sharp ride on Tuesday, a punchy little swim on Wednesday and then just some shorter stuff to complete gear checks and ensure everything is race ready by Sunday! Ironman are special races taking the athlete experience to another level. Named and numbered racks are one of my highlights, not having to rush to register early so I can get to transition to fight for the best possible rack position available! At ironman, there are no choices, it is simply rack your bike in your allocated named and numbered position! This allows for a much more relaxed Saturday morning, allowing the gear check spin to be complete at a more reasonable time, have breakfast (slow), coffee and then roll into transition when ready, generally just before lunch. I really love the atmosphere at these big events, insanely fit people, expensive bikes, the vibe is electric, it’s the reason I do triathlons!
So with the weekend fast approaching, the weather watching in full swing, the AIG (athlete information guide) released, I am now rehearsing the perfect race in my head over and over again. One of the biggest changes to this years 70.3 ironman is the swim start, now mimicking the ironman rolling start, eliminating the wave start, this will be exciting and is a very positive change for a safer swim all round! I am also contemplating a few ‘what if’s’ and coming up with solutions to those potential hiccups. Planning my nutritional strategy, focusing on my fluid intake, gradually increasing my consumption of carbohydrates over the week, all with a view of trying to peak on Sunday morning well rested, recovered and ready to race. One thing I have learned over the years is nothing in racing goes perfectly to plan, and being prepared means having a solution or strategy in mind for the unknown that is racing. I need to trust in my preparation and be prepared for anything.
So for those interested there will be live tracking available on Sunday at the following website and my race number is 646 (based on the recently release start list).
This weekend also marks the first time both my daughters will complete in the Ironkids race on Saturday. Girl 9 has already complete a few kids races, however, this will be Girl 7’s first triathlon. It always great to share in their excitement as they complete the swim, bike and run, with the highlight generally being the water icy-pole at the finish. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing my kids enjoying the physical challenge of completing a triathlon, seeing their faces when they cross the finish line, it gives me almost as much satisfaction as completing my own races!
Well that’s a quick preview of my race week / weekend, hopefully when we next meet I’ve written about how successful my 70.3 campaign went and what my new personal best time is over this distance!
Till next time build consistency, keep smiling and live to Tri!
SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN IRONMAN? 