Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Ironman Wisconsin: Week 16

Less than 4 weeks to go until Ironman Wisconsin. Woooo! Race day can't come soon enough for me. Im ready to have my life back and not feel tired most of the time. (Staying up late to watch the Olympics hasn't helped much either).

I am happy I decided to complete a 140.6 this year though- it's been on my bucket list for a very long time. It is just a lot of work and time. I know it will be worth it, but training has definitely impacted my life a lot, sometimes not for the better.



This week I should have been closer to 19 hours, but I felt crappy so I cut back on a few longer workouts. I still surpassed the "intermediate" and "just finish" plan hours by a lot, but I still feel bad I cut back a bit. Since this is my first IM, I have no idea what to expect and I feel overly critical of my training- that I'm not doing enough.

If there's any positive take away from this training cycle, it's that I enjoy swimming, cycling and running tremendously. I just don't enjoy training at this volume for all of them at the same time.


I swam with co workers on Monday who are doing IM Wisconsin and Florida. It was my first time swimming with a group and I enjoyed the camaraderie. The lake was a choppy washing machine, and it took me a while to feel comfortable in the water, but I eventually settled down and felt good.


Sunday morning CB, Tom, Vinicius and I watched the Women's Olympic marathon while I was on the trainer. It was awesome seeing the American women finish in the top 10! I hope the men do awesome as well!



Looking Forward

•Continue to analyze and tweak nutrition for the bike portion

•Take each day one at a time

•Work on pre swim nutrition

•Ride the IM Wisconsin Course

•Bring my bike in for an adjustment

•Start making a list of everything I need for the big day!

3 days until my first open water swim race

25 days until IM Wisconsin

30 days until I register for Boston!


4 comments:

  1. So a group swim and a group ride (with CB and friends, of course)! It definitely helps to train with a group! :)

    You're definitely nearing the home stretch here, and it must feel good to know you're getting your life back soon :) What's the taper like in your training plan?

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  2. Love the pic of the lake. I might take up swimming in October post-marathon. I'll need a break from running by then! I would say it's better to be a bit under-trained than to be over-trained, so I wouldn't worry about your "intermediate" hours this week. You're almost there!!

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    1. Yes to the under-trained vs over-trained statement! Before my first I remember reading this quote "It is better to show up on race day 10% under-trained than 1% over-trained." And I had to remind myself of that often when I felt like I wasn't doing enough. Plus all of that life stress and work stress is adding to that training stress bucket!

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  3. You are not alone in the "I feel like I am not doing enough" thoughts. Even though this is my second and I am doing roughly the same training, it still feels like not enough. I think the race is just a lot to take in and it is hard to imagine doing it all in one day, but you just take it one stroke, pedal and step at a time to get to the finish! I hope you get a little mental break during taper!

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