IM – 4 days: The Calm Before the Storm

Last week was week two of the taper and week 39 of the training program. There’s now four days to Ironman Switzerland.

I did more this week than last, owing to the long runs and mountain running I did on Monday and Thursday. I ran greater than a marathon  (45km) for the second time in three weeks, which is encouraging. I’m glad I got those last long runs in rather than tapering for the full two weeks on the run. It’ll make a difference starting the marathon, I think.

The last weekend spin of the training program was scheduled for 2 and a half hours. On Saturday morning, I did this 55km out on a flat route over Bohernabrina, Blessington, Kilteel and back. I did my best to keep in Heart Zone 2, which means below 150bpm. This was quite difficult at times, it’s very slow. I’ll be aiming to keep within sight of this for the first 90km of the IM however, so it was good to know in advance what this pace will feel like: frustratingly slow. It’s supposed to reap dividends during the marathon however, so I’ll be  going for this strategy.

For the fact that there’s little training to go save for 30 minute swims in the morning, it seems like a good idea to recap the training for the last 8 months. In total, some stats:

• Swim: 115.8km (58 hours)
• Bike: 6033Km (252 hours)
• Run: 575.8Km (58 hours)
• Strength and Conditioning: ~90 hours
• Accidents: 1 (coming off the bike on ice in January)
• Cost: Somewhere in the region of €4000 (Race entries, physio, equipment, bike maintanaince, travel)
• Triathlons completed: One sprint (Velentia Island), one Olympic (TriAthy), one half-Ironman (Ironman UK 70.3)

It’s humbling to have cycled over six thousand kilometers and have cumulatively run ten marathons. The hardest past of the training was by far and away the 7am starts in the dark to cycle to the gym for S&C sessions during the winter. In hindsight though, this has been the training that’s paid off the most. You don’t appreciate S&C when it works, because nothing happens. But when it doesn’t work however, you know all about it when you try and go long.

The highlights have been most of the other times: the long cycles, the mountain runs on Lug ná Choielle and the races. Velentia Island in Kerry and Ironman UK 70.3 in particular. It’s hard to beat the excitement of racing, especially when it’s turned into a mini holiday.

I’ll fly to Zurich on Friday and the race starts at 7am on Sunday morning. I’m looking forward to getting over there and experiencing the ridiculous buzz and hype surrounding these races now.

So that’s it then. In the words of Dean: “For those of you who do make it, you will cross the line as a different person. You will be forever changed by the experience. You will learn more about yourself in the next day than you have known previously in an entire lifetime”.

The hard part is over; Now for the even harder part.