The time has come for a true test to evaluation my Ironman readiness. I set my alarm for 4:30am tomorrow. By 7:30am I will be starting the 1.2 mile swim.
Last week end I tested my open water swim endurance with an unprecedented 2.4 mile swim. I finished in 1:49. Pretty slow, but at least I acquired the confidence that I can swim this distance in open water. Tomorrow, however, the wetsuits won't be allowed due to the high water temperatures.
I am not too worried about the swim. 1.2 miles is a distance I have performed numerous time at the pool and a few times in the lake. Sure, my training predicts that I will be slow, conceding maybe a half hour, but I hope I can catch back up on the ride and the run. Even though I improved my endurance in the water quite a bit, swimming speed improvements remain elusive.
The bike ride worries me a bit because it is very hard to memorize with many critical turns. So if the markings are not great, I will be in trouble.
My plan is to stay in low zone 3 for the whole 56 miles. This should leave me with enough stamina to finish with a relatively strong run.
Nutrition will be 200 - 300 cal / hr during the ride and 4 - 5 gels on the run.
This is my very first half and will give me a good indication of where I am at.
Full Ironman is about 4 weeks away now..!!
Full race report to follow...
Last week end I tested my open water swim endurance with an unprecedented 2.4 mile swim. I finished in 1:49. Pretty slow, but at least I acquired the confidence that I can swim this distance in open water. Tomorrow, however, the wetsuits won't be allowed due to the high water temperatures.
I am not too worried about the swim. 1.2 miles is a distance I have performed numerous time at the pool and a few times in the lake. Sure, my training predicts that I will be slow, conceding maybe a half hour, but I hope I can catch back up on the ride and the run. Even though I improved my endurance in the water quite a bit, swimming speed improvements remain elusive.
The bike ride worries me a bit because it is very hard to memorize with many critical turns. So if the markings are not great, I will be in trouble.
My plan is to stay in low zone 3 for the whole 56 miles. This should leave me with enough stamina to finish with a relatively strong run.
Nutrition will be 200 - 300 cal / hr during the ride and 4 - 5 gels on the run.
This is my very first half and will give me a good indication of where I am at.
Full Ironman is about 4 weeks away now..!!
Full race report to follow...
