Or, as coach Steve said, 'The hay's in the barn.' The big chunk of my Ironman training is now done, and I was able to get through unscathed by injury. After mid-June's HIM, July was my biggest month ever. I got in just under 84 hours of training time, logging the following volume:
Swim: 72,200 yards Bike: 941 miles Run: 177 miles
I've had some months in marathon training where I was around 300 miles, however, the swim and bike volumes are the highest I've had in a single month. I honestly wasn't quite sure I'd be able to get in all the workouts Steve gave me, but I was able to hit nearly all of the numbers prescribed. It was sometimes challenging to find the training time with our new 4-month old son, but Katie has been very accommodating - I owe her BIG TIME!!!!
Ironman Tremblant is now exactly two weeks away. Time to get in a good taper and rest up for the big day. I have high expectations for the race and feel like I should do well. I did a bit of reconnaissance work on my AG at Tremblant and found out that there is only one guy who placed in the top 10 in the 35-39 AG who is racing this year (and not aging up). It also doesn't look like any of the top guys from the 30-34 AG are aging up. However, I'm well aware that there are plenty of fast guys out there who didn't race last year (hopefully myself included!). I also noticed that Sam Gyde (Kona 35-39 champ) is racing, but he won't be taking a Kona slot - I guess I won't win the AG!
In terms of times, I feel that I'm capable of a 1:06ish swim. I've put in nearly 400,000 yards so far this year, and I've definitely seen some speed and endurance improvements. If anything, I should be able to come out of the water fresh and ready to get in a good bike.
My long rides, of which I did 6 over 100 miles (with 123 being the longest), are pointing towards targeting 240-245 watts. This is what I've been averaging on the long rides, and I feel like I should be able to run well off that type of power. In 2012 when I did the Tremblant 70.3 I averaged 278 watts and had a bike split of 2:23. I'm hoping to be close to 5:00 for the full. If all goes well, I hope to be starting the run around 6:10 or so into the race.
My long runs, the longest which I did this morning (20.1), have all been at a 7:30 pace or better. Today's run was in cooler weather and I ended up averaging 7:22 for the run with a HR of 151. I felt like I could have kept this pace up for a while longer and felt comfortable. It'll be a different story after a little swim and ride, though! I'm well aware that a 7:30 pace equates to a 3:15 marathon, and I feel like that's a high target to aim for. However, Steve is confident I can do it. If the weather is cooler it'll help out a lot. I did a few of my longer runs in temps that were in the 90's with high humidity, and I definitely wilted near the end.
For time goals, my A goal would be around 9:25. This would roughly equate to a 1:05 swim, 5:00 bike, and 3:15 run + transition times. Everything would have to align perfectly for that to take place. Realistically, I think targeting a 9:30-9:40 finish is more realistic, and if I'm faster I'd be very happy. Last year's results were pretty close, with 2-9 in the 35-39 AG finishing between 9:32 and 9:41. There should be 7-8 Kona slots for the AG with 75 being handed out at the race. I'm hoping to be holding one of those papers two weeks from today!
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