1TIM

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/09/2008
• Time: 19:00:00
• Total Time: 5:12:16.00
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Average Pace: 11:55.71/mile

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 11/09/2008
• Time: 15:00:00
• Total Time: 7:56:29.00
• Distance: 112 miles
• Average Speed: 14.1 mph

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 11/09/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:40.00
• Distance: 4,224 yd
• Average Pace: 2:08.64/100yd

Well this is it. I have been working since March to get to this point. And now in three days I will be racing my first ironman triathlon. The silverman in Henderson, Nevada on Sunday. I am not trying to win, I am not trying to break any records, I am simply trying to finish the thing to see if I am really tough enough to do it. I have some pretty big goals for 2009 but I need to get this under my belt before I can start focusing on them.

My training has gone pretty well. I did not follow a training schedule I simply did what I thought was necessary to be able to finish. I ran a marathon in June and I did follow a training schedule for it. I sort of felt like it let me down(although I did finish with a good time). So this time I took matters into my own hands. But now I feel like I should have loosely followed a schedule and modified it on my own.

I focused on the bike most of all, because all of the people I talked to said don’t skimp on the bike. I did tons of climbing because the siverman course is known for it’s elevation gain. Pretty much all I did was climb. My peak ride was 120 miles with 12k elevation gain. I managed to pull that off in a little under 9.5 hours. I feel like that ride was much harder than the silverman course and would allow me to tackle anything.

My swimming had to get a little faster so for about the last six weeks I have been trying to swim with the masters as much as possible. I think it has improved my technique a lot. I always swim in a lane above my level so I think it has also helped to make me faster. Also with my new wetsuit I think my time will be significantly faster than I think it will be. If not that’s ok.

My run training has been a little below par but I have put in enough work to get me through it. I do not think it is going to be fun or pretty but it will get the job done. By the time I get to the run I should be in auto-pilot mode anyway. It is going to hurt, and hurt lots but it wouldn’t be an ironman if it didn’t.

So here’s what I think. The swim will be ok, if I can get past the excitement in the beginning and pace myself. I should be able to make the swim in 2 hours no problem. The bike will be hard but easier than the rides I did in training. I should be able to do it in 8 hours maximum. The run is going to be horrible and I will probably be praying to Jesus for help at some point but I still should be able to pull it off in around 5 hours.
All in all, it looks like one very long day.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 11/04/2008
• Total Time: 00:39:00.00
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 9:45.37/mile

Nice and easy today. Just worked on getting as much reach as possible and sighting. Also I have been having goggle issues so I took my new pair back and replaced them with tyr nest pro. They are going to be great tinted great water tight fit and tinted lenses. Did I forget to mention that the silverman will be only my second time in open water?….hehe. Hope I don’t sink.

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 11/03/2008
• Total Time: 00:30:52.24

Rode on the trainer today due to rain.

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 11/02/2008
• Total Time: 00:51:00.00

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 11/01/2008
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00

New gear woo whoo!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/30/2008
• Total Time: 1:07:53.66
• Distance: 7.5 miles
• Average Pace: 9:02.99/mile

So today was the last day that I will get my doors blown off by the masters. The lane I swim in is a much faster pace than I swim and today I got lapped twice. Goggle issues weren’t helping any either.

Now for the good news. I picked up a wetsuit today from a guy that swims with me. Apparently he is also doing the silverman half and I never realized it until today. But back to the wet suit. I am very happy I didn’t just role with my rip-curl wetsuit(circa 1985) like I planned a while ago. The new suit is super buoyant and it feels as if you are swimming downhill. I am pretty sure that it will make me go faster. And any fears that I had for the swim are now gone.

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 10/29/2008
• Time: 21:00:00
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00