IRONMAN CANADA TRAINING - 2022
Week beginning Sunday, June 19, 2022
10 weeks out from race day.
WEEKLY GOAL
Take in Parksville and get another chance to test the toe.
SUMMARY
Total Time: 18 Hours
I feel like I was ON MY BIKE
Biggest Sunday to Saturday week of the year. 2 five-ish hour rides will do that.
My toe is doing its best to heal but it is still is sore and noticeably swollen.
My seasonal hay-fever, which typically goes into hyperdrive during the first warm week in May, kicked in for real this week. I was waking up congested and groggy most of this week.
SUNDAY JUN 19 ☁️
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 2 | Stress 2 | Soreness 5
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Ride 4:30 on TT bike. Overall effort is easy to steady. I would make a point to AVOID any substantial time in the bars while riding w/ good focus. So....Riding in the bars = good. But riding in the bars with a good bit of pressure on the pedals = Not needed on this day.
Eating early, eating often. Stopping for more water and extra calories as needed.
Have fun. Ride real far.
NOTES
Total Time: 290 Minutes Ride: 132 km
From Parksville to the first emergency service turnaround after Bloedel Creek. The forecast was for winds NW at 7 kph; reality was the wind blowing in the opposite direction and I got further up the road on the first half and pressed on the way home.
My QL was good through the first 105 minutes even with a measured effort, the long stretches in the bars was all it took.
600ml of maple syrup and a caffeinated Maurten gel was carried along with +2 litres of water. Water was empty rolling back into town and I did have a small bit of syrup left.
Spent time in the hotel's hot warm tub before dinner.
MONDAY JUN 20 ⛅️
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 3 | Stress 2 | Soreness 5
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Morning Mobility 25 minutes
Ride 2:00 on TT bike. Another day, in the bars a fair bit. But only if the back allows. No loss if you end up in the horns all ride. Still fueling. Still hydrating. Still keeping the effort on the easier end of things. Getting in the miles.
Off the bike: Walk 60 minutes. Yes, get out and go for a walk. Like you're going somewhere. 6k is probably a good goal for distance
NOTES
Total Time: 190 Minutes Ride: 59 km
Back on Highway 19 but just out to the intersection at Horne Lake Road today.
Almost a rinse/repeat for my QL today; it might have turned sour a bit sooner but the effort was higher today. The wind was lighter today too.
90 minutes into the ride, I had a good rhythm going approaching the Highway 4 Exit when I noticed that my rear tire was low on pressure. I rode for another km before dealing with it. I pulled a small staple out of the carcass then filled up with Vittoria Pit Stop. 2nd can in row worked and got me rolling again in no time.
From there, I took Hwy 4 toward Qualicum Beach. Looking at the elevation profile afterwards, it was net downhill however, it did seem flatter. I had a really fast punch past French Creek until I reached a set of traffic lights leading into Parksville.
Solid ride.
Carina and I walked the trails at Little Qualicum Falls (about an hour) and the uphills reminded me of the riding 190kms over yesterday and today.
My toe is sore and still on the swollen side.
TUESDAY JUN 21 ☁️
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 4 | Stress 2 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Swim 2600: 6x 50 easy swimming to warm up. Rest as needed. 4x 50 easy swimming w/ buoy. Still warming up. Rest as needed. 2x 50 steady kick. Rest as needed. 20x 50 aerobic w/ focus on sustainable rhythm. #4/8/12/16/20 w/ much higher turnover (not a sustainable rhythm, but also not a full sprint...something you could hold for 400-500 meters all out) r :15 after each. 100 super easy. 800 w/ buoy, aerobic and steady. Covering ground efficiently. 2x 50 easy to cool down.
Post swim: Walk 60 minutes. Another solid walk. Getting out on your feet
NOTES
Total Time: 57 Minutes Swim: 2600m (solid)
Back home and rode my MTB to/from the pool.
And I finally figured out that the creaky noise was coming from the clutch in the rear derailleur. A tiny bit of lithium grease and OMG, I am so happy.
In the pool, I felt really good and I probably did the 4/8/12/16/20 50m reps harder than what was written. The 800m lengths felt like clockwork.
For the walk, it was to the grocery store for stuff to put in the fridge and then a bit further. The toe was felt but nothing acute.
WEDNESDAY JUN 22 🌤
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 4 | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Off S/B/R
Mobility 30 minutes
NOTES
Total Time: 0 Minutes
No workouts scheduled. I cut the grass, watered the plants and repaired the dishwasher.
I was wanting to do something SBR but alas, follow the program. I did better last week's hourly total in the first 2 days of this week.
THURSDAY JUN 23 🌤
Sleep 3 | Fatigue - | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Ride 60 minutes. Get out on the TT bike. Keep the effort easy, but getting outside for a ride.
Run Test #2: 10 minutes walking to warm up. 10x 3 minutes easy running, 1 minute walk after each. 10 minutes walking to finish up.
NOTES
Total: 130 Mins Run: 30 Mins Ride: 22 km
Run/Walk test first because enquiring minds want to know...
Completed the effort as written (all 10 reps of easy running) and was just mildly uncomfortable. It was sort of how I remember the run during 70.3 when I was jacked up on adrenaline and caffeine.
The weather was really nice this afternoon too!
Before heading out on the bike however, it was a gingerly effort to put my left cycling shoe on with a pretty sore toe.
While crossing the bumpy timbers of the bridges on the Galloping Goose, the toe continued to hurt. I rode out to Langford and scoped out a new hill to do repeats on (Langvista Drive) before heading for home.
FRIDAY JUN 24 ☀️
Sleep 3 | Fatigue 2 | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Swim 3000: 4 rounds (50 easy free, 50 fist drill, 50 paddle-fist r :20 after each) 2 rounds (50 gradual build, 50 as 25 EASY/25 FAST, 50 as 25 FAST/25 EASY r :30 after each) 100 easy swimming. 3x 600 @ IM effort/focus. R 1:30 after each. 2x 100 EASY to cool down.
Ride 60 minutes EASY. This can be outside, on the rollers, on the MTB, on the TT or on the road bike if the roadie is fully operational. As long as the ride is easy, it works for me.
NOTES
Total Time: 120 Minutes Swim: 2950m
Awoke a bit on the groggy side this morning but my toe feels ok considering how it felt after the run yesterday. Weight has crept back up since the start of the week to 80.kg.
Maybe it was the end of the week but I have been more focused in the pool.
Rode easy out to Gonzales, then Dallas Road before a short jaunt to Esquimalt. Weather was fantastic today.
SATURDAY JUN 25 ☀️
Sleep 4 | Fatigue 3 | Stress 3 | Soreness 4
Rate on an scale 1-7 1=best 7=worst +5 is a warning
PLANNED WORKOUT
Dead bugs pre-ride.
Ride 4:30 on MTB. Great Trail or on the Goose. Easy riding when you can, and harder up to get up the main climbs. Standard fueling and hydration. Have fun. Stop to refuel as needed.
Mobility 25 minutes
NOTES
Total Time: 300 Minutes MTB Ride: 72.6 km
Great Trail or the Goose; both being fire road routes but two very different terrain options. I picked the Great Trail on the hottest day of the year (so far).
Mixed a 710ml sludge bottle with ~1300 calories (lemonade/maltodextrin) and filled a 2L camelback with water.
Pedalled easy for the first hour until reaching the base of Wolf Hill. No stopping and I noticed my heart-rate was above 160 BPM; that should have had me anaerobically locked up and pushing my bike up the hill. No today. I felt the effort for sure but there was no desire to stop. In fact, I didn't stop until I needed to lift my bike over the gate at the south end of the Goldstream Heights subdivision.
I continued on the trail to Stebbings Road taking note of the loose aggregate and steep grades.
From the trailhead at Stebbings Road, it was more downhill and I was contemplating the return trip.
The trip alarm I set for 2:30:00 went off and the next point up the trail was the Sooke Lake FSR; I turned around there.
The climb back up to the Stebbings Trailhead was not as taxing as I thought but I did choose the pavement to get to the trailhead on Trail Way. There is more elevation going though the subdivision with a very consistent 5.8% grade (according to Strava). Climbing this route took me ~14 minutes to the first peak on my TT Bike last summer. Today, I climbed it in ~20 minutes with my MTB with a very consistent effort.
Really hot with no breeze until I crested the top of the subdivision.
Two or three hard efforts before getting on the Centra Gas fire-road for the well earned descent off the Malahat. On the descent, I hit a wasp at speed and he got himself wedged between the rim of my glasses and the front of my helmet. Before I could flick him on his way, the bugger stung me in my eyebrow. I hate wasps.
I stopped at a gas station for water in Langford before heading home. My legs were tired but what hurt the most was my butt. I'll be swapping that uncomfortable saddle before I ride this bike again. My pinkie toe held up just fine.