As the weekend wrapped up Matt and I both said to each other that there seriously is not much else we can do to get ready for Ironman. We've both put in the time and hopefully all of this hard work will provide us both with a round trip ticket this October to the big island.
The weekend will go down in history as my hardest Ironman training weekend ever. Jen, Matt and I packed up the X-terra after work on Friday and we drove to Louisville Kentucky, home of Ironman Louisville. The drive to Louisville took around six and a half hours which means we didn't pull into our hotel until midnight Friday night. I don't know about Jen and Matt, but I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow!
Let the fun begin. Up at 6:00 AM, the day began at the Bikram Yoga Studio just outside of town. The three of us would soon endure one, or should I say survive, the most intese yoga class I had ever gone to! The Bikram Yoga class was hot yoga and when I mean hot, I MEAN HOT!!! I would compare the hot room to a sauna and the temperature topping out at well over 100 degrees. Within 5 minutes I was sweating perfousily and there would be no end in site for the next 90 minutes. The class was for "advanced" students only....and granted I've taken yoga on and off through out the years at my local gym, but in no way would I even come close to calling myself "advanced". The three of us made it through the class and I wish I had weighed myself before and after the class because I must have lost a couple pounds from sweating alone. I had no idea how I was going to survive the rest of the day knowing that I still had seven and a half hours of training to do. After Yoga, we were in much need of food (and hydration). We found this quaint cafe right near the studio and the food couldn't have been better. Now at this point I probably could have eaten cardboard and told you it was delicious, but seriously this place was the bomb.
Having no time to spare, we got our breakfast to-go and ate in the car as we headed back to our hotel where we met up with our two other friends from Pittsburgh, Rich and Gil. Rich and Gil were also down for our "Epic IMLOO Training Camp" weekend. The five of us changed into our bike gear and began the day. Now let me tell you that by 10AM, it was already 93 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We all knew that we were in for a very long day but mentally we were all prepared. We rode together for the first three miles from our hotel to the bike transition area and then it was on. Matt and I took off and never looked back. The first 10 miles of the IMLOO bike course is flat and fast. We were hammering it at 27+ mph on the flats and were not even 30 minutes into this thing. After riding on River road you make a left hand turn onto Route 42 and the next 60-70 miles of the course is rolling but as long as you can handle the heat, this thing is a very fast course!
As usual for me there a couple of high points as well as low points that always occur during a ride. Staying hydrated was the biggest struggle and I had realized that I was drinking over 24 oz every 45 minutes. I struggled to keep my heart rate in check due to the heat (below 160) and once we were about 60 miles into the ride and I could tell Matt was feeling good as he started to gap me by about a minute or two. I said to myself that this isn't a race so I stayed focused and knew that if I continued to drink and fuel that I would eventually start feeling better and bounce back. This is by far something that experinece and experinece only will teach you. I've learned that I'll go through many low points during a ride but mentally you have to tell yourself to keep pushing as it'll eventually get better and you need to simply stick with it. I think its your bodies way of telling your mind to slow down and give up and you have to mentally challenge the body. I was in sub-par shape around mile 60 or 65, but by mile 70 I was back in the game. With 30 miles to go until we got back to transition it was all busniness between Matt and I. Very little talking and we were both determined and focused. Taking the liberty to glance at my spedometer every now and then, I knew that we were riding stong. Once we eclipsed 100 miles for the day and made the final right hand turn back on to River road it was time to see what the legs had left. I was shocked to see how good I felt. My legs had felt as if they had 20 miles on them, not 100. Needless to say Matt and I were able to keep our speed well over 24 mph for the rest of the way. When we got back to the transition area Matt and I just looked at each other in disbelief. We had biked the Ironman course comfortabily in 5 hours and 15 minutes which means we averaged 21+ mph for the entire ride.
When we started the day we knew that we wanted to ride for 7 hours and that meant we still had over 90 minutes to go before we called it a day. Feeling excited and with fresh legs, Matt and I hammered the pedals up and down River Road another two or three times, often reaching close to 30 mph when the winds were just right.
As we finished the day we had biked close to seven hours (I think it was actually 6:50 something...) and had biked 143 miles. It was truely epic! This was the longest ride I had ever done and believe it or not I still felt like I had something left at the end. The day wasn't quite over as Matt and I laced up our running shoes and we did a quick out and back 2.5 mile run. After the run we collapsed in the hotel pool and boy did it feel good!
Once back at the hotel, reality set in and so did exhaustion. Including the hot yoga class, we had just exercised for 9 hours...and we were cooked! Everyone at camp did awesome and Jen did great too biking close to 120 miles. The five of us headed to a local pizza joint and food had never tasted soooo good. By the time we ate and got back to our rooms for bed, it was already 10:30 PM. The day will go down in history as one of the best single training days of my life. (Thanks Matt!)
Day 2 of camp started a little bit more relaxed than day #1, but that would all soon change. We were all moving like lethargic slugs but knew that we had another full day ahead of us. We started the day off with a swim at the Milestone Babtist Wellness Center. We were treated like royality the the club and I'd like to say a special thank you to the club for everything they did. I could really tell that they go out of their way to support Ironman athletes and the three of us couldn't have been more thankful. Not to mention the facility was five star.
Our swim workout started with a nice easy warm up followed by many longer sets with some shorter IM sets in between. Matt insists that we do "butterfly" sets, but that's just Matt! We swam for over an hour and if I were to guess, we swam around 3500 yards. Next up was our long run. With the heat and humidity again at it's peak this run was going to be challenging. The plan was to run for the IMLOO course at least once and then go from there. Matt, Jen and I started off the run and right away I knew it was going to be hard. It took a couple of miles before my legs responded but I eventually settled into a good pace. Matt and I were going through Gatorade like there was no tomorrow and had to stop at a gas station on two different occasions. We ran out past Churchill Downs, to the run turn-around and then back into downtown where we ran through the 4th Street Live festivities and the Ironman Louisville finish. With 16 miles on my legs I threw in the towel and cosidered myself done for the day.
It was a great way to finish the training camp weekend!!! Ironman Lake Placid is less than 4 weeks away and I couldn't be in a better place mentally and physically right now. My training is firing on all cylinders and all I have to say is that the competition better bring their "A" game.
The weekend will go down in history as my hardest Ironman training weekend ever. Jen, Matt and I packed up the X-terra after work on Friday and we drove to Louisville Kentucky, home of Ironman Louisville. The drive to Louisville took around six and a half hours which means we didn't pull into our hotel until midnight Friday night. I don't know about Jen and Matt, but I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow!
Let the fun begin. Up at 6:00 AM, the day began at the Bikram Yoga Studio just outside of town. The three of us would soon endure one, or should I say survive, the most intese yoga class I had ever gone to! The Bikram Yoga class was hot yoga and when I mean hot, I MEAN HOT!!! I would compare the hot room to a sauna and the temperature topping out at well over 100 degrees. Within 5 minutes I was sweating perfousily and there would be no end in site for the next 90 minutes. The class was for "advanced" students only....and granted I've taken yoga on and off through out the years at my local gym, but in no way would I even come close to calling myself "advanced". The three of us made it through the class and I wish I had weighed myself before and after the class because I must have lost a couple pounds from sweating alone. I had no idea how I was going to survive the rest of the day knowing that I still had seven and a half hours of training to do. After Yoga, we were in much need of food (and hydration). We found this quaint cafe right near the studio and the food couldn't have been better. Now at this point I probably could have eaten cardboard and told you it was delicious, but seriously this place was the bomb.
Having no time to spare, we got our breakfast to-go and ate in the car as we headed back to our hotel where we met up with our two other friends from Pittsburgh, Rich and Gil. Rich and Gil were also down for our "Epic IMLOO Training Camp" weekend. The five of us changed into our bike gear and began the day. Now let me tell you that by 10AM, it was already 93 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We all knew that we were in for a very long day but mentally we were all prepared. We rode together for the first three miles from our hotel to the bike transition area and then it was on. Matt and I took off and never looked back. The first 10 miles of the IMLOO bike course is flat and fast. We were hammering it at 27+ mph on the flats and were not even 30 minutes into this thing. After riding on River road you make a left hand turn onto Route 42 and the next 60-70 miles of the course is rolling but as long as you can handle the heat, this thing is a very fast course!
As usual for me there a couple of high points as well as low points that always occur during a ride. Staying hydrated was the biggest struggle and I had realized that I was drinking over 24 oz every 45 minutes. I struggled to keep my heart rate in check due to the heat (below 160) and once we were about 60 miles into the ride and I could tell Matt was feeling good as he started to gap me by about a minute or two. I said to myself that this isn't a race so I stayed focused and knew that if I continued to drink and fuel that I would eventually start feeling better and bounce back. This is by far something that experinece and experinece only will teach you. I've learned that I'll go through many low points during a ride but mentally you have to tell yourself to keep pushing as it'll eventually get better and you need to simply stick with it. I think its your bodies way of telling your mind to slow down and give up and you have to mentally challenge the body. I was in sub-par shape around mile 60 or 65, but by mile 70 I was back in the game. With 30 miles to go until we got back to transition it was all busniness between Matt and I. Very little talking and we were both determined and focused. Taking the liberty to glance at my spedometer every now and then, I knew that we were riding stong. Once we eclipsed 100 miles for the day and made the final right hand turn back on to River road it was time to see what the legs had left. I was shocked to see how good I felt. My legs had felt as if they had 20 miles on them, not 100. Needless to say Matt and I were able to keep our speed well over 24 mph for the rest of the way. When we got back to the transition area Matt and I just looked at each other in disbelief. We had biked the Ironman course comfortabily in 5 hours and 15 minutes which means we averaged 21+ mph for the entire ride.When we started the day we knew that we wanted to ride for 7 hours and that meant we still had over 90 minutes to go before we called it a day. Feeling excited and with fresh legs, Matt and I hammered the pedals up and down River Road another two or three times, often reaching close to 30 mph when the winds were just right.
As we finished the day we had biked close to seven hours (I think it was actually 6:50 something...) and had biked 143 miles. It was truely epic! This was the longest ride I had ever done and believe it or not I still felt like I had something left at the end. The day wasn't quite over as Matt and I laced up our running shoes and we did a quick out and back 2.5 mile run. After the run we collapsed in the hotel pool and boy did it feel good!
Once back at the hotel, reality set in and so did exhaustion. Including the hot yoga class, we had just exercised for 9 hours...and we were cooked! Everyone at camp did awesome and Jen did great too biking close to 120 miles. The five of us headed to a local pizza joint and food had never tasted soooo good. By the time we ate and got back to our rooms for bed, it was already 10:30 PM. The day will go down in history as one of the best single training days of my life. (Thanks Matt!)
Day 2 of camp started a little bit more relaxed than day #1, but that would all soon change. We were all moving like lethargic slugs but knew that we had another full day ahead of us. We started the day off with a swim at the Milestone Babtist Wellness Center. We were treated like royality the the club and I'd like to say a special thank you to the club for everything they did. I could really tell that they go out of their way to support Ironman athletes and the three of us couldn't have been more thankful. Not to mention the facility was five star.
Our swim workout started with a nice easy warm up followed by many longer sets with some shorter IM sets in between. Matt insists that we do "butterfly" sets, but that's just Matt! We swam for over an hour and if I were to guess, we swam around 3500 yards. Next up was our long run. With the heat and humidity again at it's peak this run was going to be challenging. The plan was to run for the IMLOO course at least once and then go from there. Matt, Jen and I started off the run and right away I knew it was going to be hard. It took a couple of miles before my legs responded but I eventually settled into a good pace. Matt and I were going through Gatorade like there was no tomorrow and had to stop at a gas station on two different occasions. We ran out past Churchill Downs, to the run turn-around and then back into downtown where we ran through the 4th Street Live festivities and the Ironman Louisville finish. With 16 miles on my legs I threw in the towel and cosidered myself done for the day. It was a great way to finish the training camp weekend!!! Ironman Lake Placid is less than 4 weeks away and I couldn't be in a better place mentally and physically right now. My training is firing on all cylinders and all I have to say is that the competition better bring their "A" game.
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2 comments:
You guys are amazing!! Great training. I feel sorry for the guys that have to compete against you!
hot yoga is the best! it's funny because I always try to describe it to people and nobody ever believes me when I say how hard it is! sounds like your training is going awesome and that you are all so ready for IM LP. Glad your training camp weekend was a success :)
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