First Wetsuit Swim

Last swim before the race today, a little over 800 yards with the wetsuit on to make sure I at least swam with it once.  The fit is perfect.  I was a bit surprised at the difference and additional glide you get with the suit.  Stroke rate is typically around 18 per 25 meter length in the pool, and I was at 15 with the suit on.  It seems to be going on a bit easier than the first time I tried it on as well, so all looks good.

Leaving town tomorrow and hitting the pre-race briefing, expo, and have to rack the bike as well.  The forecast is a bit unpredictable as it looks like a slight chance of rain in the morning on Sunday with highs in the afternoon reaching into the mid 80’s.  That will mean humidity and I will need to make sure to take my Enduralytes.  Tomorrow I will put up some photos from the race site and transition area and the main focus of the day will be to get there safely, get checked in and setup, and get off my feet.

Ironman Augusta – 4 days to go

Taper week is flowing.  Still had to work around the floods in Atlanta this week so Tuesday only got 45 minutes on a stationary bike instead of 70 minutes as planned.  Wednesday had 1950 meters in the pool and a 38 minute run with 18 minutes at a high exertion rate.  The sun came back yesterday and the heat and humidity have skyrocketed, so the run was a good sweat.  My HR was a bit higher than normal, but finished well.  Today I was able to get in an easy 45 minutes on the bike outside, which is what I was scheduled to do.  Only a swim tomorrow and a short (20min) ride Saturday with a run of about 5 minutes to keep the blood flowing.  Then Sunday is race day.

My goals for the race are now set.  I will be ecstatic with anything under 5:45 for my first 70.3, and I have a set goal of 6 hours even.  I won’t be disappointed with any time, as long as I finish feeling well, but 6 hours is about what I expect to hit.  My goal times are:

SWIM: 1.2 miles, 30 minute goal.  I should be able to hit this swimming with a current, and in a wetsuit.   Main goal is to get strong about after about 5 minutes and never feel like I have too much exertion during the swim.  If my HR gets high enough to loose my breathing pattern I am going too hard.

T1: 3 minutes.  Not too sure what to expect with 3400 racers, but my time group is in the first 30 minutes of start waves, so I think 3 minutes should cover it here.

BIKE: Based on the course reviews I have read it, looks to be a fast course with the capability of causing you to hit it too hard and loose your legs for the run.  I am going to go conservative and shoot for a 3 hour 15 minute ride which would work out to 17.2 mph average over the 56 miles.  The bike is going to be the part where I may be able to shave off some time, so a secondary goal would be 3 hours even which would be 18.6 mph average.  If I can hit that mark I will be in a good spot.  My main goal on the bike is to take it easy for the first half, and keep the HR in my Zone 3 (of 5).  Somewhere close to the 2 hour mark I will let my HR get a bit higher as at that point the perceived exertion is not as hard in the higher Zone 3 and lower Zone 4 areas.  Look for some speed at this point, and since the last 7 miles are mostly downhill I can get my average up without burning out.

T2: 3 minutes

RUN: 2 hour 5 minutes for 13.1 miles.  That would be a 9:32 pace.  Based on my last official runs being in the mid 8 minute range for a 10K, if I take it easy (close to 10min/mile pace) for the first half then slowly pick it up over the second half I should be OK with this time.  If I can have negative mile splits from miles 7, 8, 9 and 10 and hold it there to the finish I will hit this time.  Last two miles I want to make sure that I have left nothing in reserve at the finish.

TOTAL TIME BASED ON GOALS: 5 hours 59 minutes

Bike Preview

Here is a great preview of the bike course that gets the appetite going.  Looks like it should be a steady, if not fast, course. http://all3sports.net/?p=235 .  I just need to keep my pacing right and go for it in certain spots.  I have two other co-workers doing the race and a few other acquaintances, and the advice I have received from the experienced guys is to pace for the run, and let it all hang there.  If you can accelerate across the finish you left too much on the course.

Right now my weight is in the 191-193 range, and I am hoping to be at 189.9 or under by race day.  I have a good idea of what I need during the race to eat and fuel, and just have to keep an eye on the forecast for the next few days.

This afternoon will be a 70 minute ride, tomorrow has a swim and run, and the week gets real light after that.  Only a 45 min ride Thursday and short swim on Friday.  I am finalizing my goals for the race and will put them up tomorrow so I can see how I feel going in versus how I actually perform.

Augusta Ironman 7 days to go

Last week of prep, more or less.  It has been awful weather here in Atlanta and was only able to get outside once this weekend for a 8 mile run.  Missed the ride scheduled, but at this point I don’t think there is anything left to do. I have a slow schedule this week and hit the road Saturday morning.  The final tally for the race will be 3400 competitors, so this will be the largest transition I have ever seen!

We have some serious flooding here in Atlanta, and have taken almost 1 and 1/2 feet of water since last Tuesday.  Thankfully it looks like most of the rain has avoided Augusta, and the river levels are OK there.  About a mile from my house the Chattahoochee River is at a 100 year high.