IMFL Training – Week 14

Man oh man. Is this week finally over? In triathlon training, much like other sports, there are blocks or rounds that you go through. Typically we have a 4-5 week build followed by a week of recovery. This past week was the end of one of those builds. That means that this was the longest training week to date (14 hours) and ended with the longest bike and run thus far.

Saturday we were scheduled to ride for 3.5 hours. I really struggled with whether I should do it on the bike trainer or try and get outside. I have a love / hate relationship with the trainer. Trainer workouts are the best workouts you can do hands down. There’s no coasting, no rest breaks, no grace whatsoever. The trainer is the one reason I’m riding the best I have in six years of doing this. On the flip side it can be a total beat down. Partially on the emotions, partially on your rump. For whatever reason trainer rides are just harder on your body than getting outside.

The other factor in the decision was whether I wanted to practice a ride for Florida (a 112 mile bike in November, the ultimate goal) or Redman (a 56 mile bike in September). Riding the two different distances requires two different strategies. Namely that for the full course you ride at 65-75% and for the half target a higher intensity, typically 75-85%.

Ultimately I decided that this was a great opportunity to test my 56 mile capabilities. I got up around 5 AM on Saturday, rolled through McD’s for my customary oatmeal and water, and made the 50 minute drive down to West, TX. One of the tough things when you’re looking to ride long distances is finding longer stretches of road that are accommodating. Up until recently there was a perfect 20 mile loop that started less than a mile from my house. That was until they decided to resurface it recently. Now I’m pretty sure I’d need a football mouthpiece to keep my teeth from knocking each other out when riding it (although I’m told the summer heat is melting it and smoothing it out some). It turns out the I35 access roads going north and south out of West provide and unbelievable 40 mile loop. Probably some of the longest, straightest, smoothest roads I’ve ridden in Texas. I had to stop through the car a few times to add additional ice to my drinks, but otherwise it was a non-stop ride. I got started around 6:30, knocked out 60 miles at my game day pace, and then did a 10 mile cool down. The first two hours, before the sun was fully up, were probably two of the most enjoyable hours of riding I’ve ever done.

Sunday was what has become the usual routine. Sarah and Katy got up and knocked out the 2:20 hour run before church. Kudos to them for pulling the early morning, and additional kudos for knocking a tough run out of the park. Sarah and I talked about her distinctly remembering this run last year. She had not fueled well going into it and called me at mile 10 to come get her. It was a huge lesson to both of us on the importance of fueling. Katy mentioned to her that she’s been glancing back to her workouts from this point last year and how much things have changed. It’s amazing the difference a year makes.

After their run it was off to church, lunch at Fresco’s, and then a lazy afternoon around the house. Finally 6:15 rolled around and it was my turn for the fun. I loaded up my liquids and off I went. The plan (loosely) was to do a 3 mile warm up, 10k through the hills, and then a flat 10k with negative splits. All in 2:20. The warm up felt good, and to my surprise the hills felt decent. I’ve not run many hills this year as both of my actual races will be pancake flat. However, you can’t go wrong running hills once in a while. After the hills I made a 2 minute pit stop through the house to get some additional ice (yeah, it’s still in the 90’s that time of day in TX) and off I went for the final stretch. Between miles 9-10 my hamstring started feeling a little tight. Things like that make me nervous. Push through? Stop? Slow down? I opted to give it a mile and if it got worse then back off. Luckily the pain went away over then next two miles and I was able to keep going.

Sarah had asked where I would be running and said they might come do some cheering. There was a turn around at mile 11 and I was really hoping to see them there. I was needing some encouragement. And something cold to drink. I hit the turn around. No family. As I neared mile 12 there was a park. Again my hopes went up that they would be waiting at the park, smiles and ice cold refreshments in hand. I passed the park. No family. I did find some sprinklers on and as I ran by I took off my hat and ran it through them. It’s amazing the relief that comes with something as simple as that.

As I ran back by the park I started hearing some cheering. “Go Dad!” I looked up to see the kids and Sadie (the dog) hanging out the window. Their encouragement showed up just when I needed it most. They handed me an ice cold water, which I immediately downed and then used for an impromptu shower. Man it felt good. We did the high fives and I was off to the finish line. That mile (13) I logged my fastest split up to that point in the day. I proceeded to pick up the pace for mile 14. The family had run an errand and we ran into each other once again at mile 14. After more cheering, guzzling, and showering, we parted ways one last time. I rolled into my house logging three consecutive negative splits to end the day. After running hills. After the longest week of training. It was a good day.

I wish that I could take all of the credit for the accomplishments of the weekend. But to do so would be telling you about 25% of the story. At this point I have to give a large amount of credit to Coach Bob, my coach for the season. I did triathlons self-trained for the past five years. In the last two years I’ve really started looking into the science of the sport. Sarah trained with Coach Bob’s team last year and it was the first time I had the chance to really see what a solid training plan looks like. It got Sarah across the finish line twice in 30 days with zero issues. I was more than impressed. The progression his team has put together has me doing things I’ve never done before.

Equally important has been the support of my family. There’s no way I could do it without their backing. Triathlon can become an incredibly selfish sport if you let it. It takes time, money, and energy away from other areas of your life, namely family. I try to be very intentional during recovery weeks and rest days to give them extra attention they have been sacrificing. Sometimes it means cutting a workout short or cutting it completely. There’s definitely a balance to be found. Above and beyond that, Sarah has been working with me to find nutrition to fuel me properly. It’s hard to find 3000 calories a day of good, clean, solid fuel. And even more difficult to keep it mixed up so that you’re not eating the same thing every day. She has been amazing in that way and so many more.

Lastly, I can’t neglect the fact that I’m a moderately healthy 40 year old. I’m thankful to my Creator that He continues to allow me to do this. All it takes is one pulled muscle, one bike wreck, one heart attack in the pool. Reading as much as I do about the sport I read about them every week. It would be foolish of me to to fail to acknowledge that much of life is beyond my control. Thank you, God, for the health I have.

Speaking of health, Friday night was NF Awareness Night with the Texas Rangers. We met up with a bunch of our training team and their families and had a blast. (It was also Star Wars night, which was icing on the cake.) Part of my commitment this season is to raise $5,500 to help fund research to find a cure for NF. If you would like to make a donation to a fantastic cause then here’s where you can do it.