5-Hour 5-Minute Energy

Had I known today's bike ride was going to last five hours and five minutes, I would have never drank that 5-Hour Energy drink before leaving home.

Those last five minutes lasted an eternity, or what seemed like five hours.

Ironman.com & Ironmanlive.com

Note the sarcasm in the following sentence.

Nice work Ironman.com, for the incredible race coverage with both Ironman Canada and Ironman Louisville!

Perhaps had the-powers-that-be (the WTC...World Triathlon Corporation) thought through the realities of holding two Ironmans on the same day, they might've realized the one website tracking both events would've crashed. Yes WTC, there is some outside interest in these events. Of course, I'm sure there's an excuse that has yet to be formulated or announced, but this isn't the first time for such a crash.

If I crashed as much as Ironman.com's website did, I'd be dead by now.

Sincerely,
-Chuckie V

The Work Week: Weekend Warrioring

I've been lazy of late ("of late" being my entire life, but more recently I've been lazier than normal) and blogging has taken a backseat to doing nothing, which is something I do better than most. Lazy is as lazy does...not do. Today, however, I finally decided to scribble down the remainder of my thoughts with this, the third wheel in a three-wheel series about setting training up around a "real job", a job that requires you to train "around" it. Before I delve into the details of weekend-warrioring, I'd like to first assert that contrary to what you may have read into my first blog on the matter, possessing a job is NOT a crime. In fact, it's man's manner (albeit an invented behavior) of assuring his continued existence, enabling him the capacity to buy lots of stuff before he departs this place and transfers his (borrowed) energy unto other life forms. (Interestingly, some of the stuff he pays to procure will outlive him. Like, for example, paperweights.)

I myself have a job, helping to assure my own survival (though it's never fully assured). What's more, if I don't do what I'm paid to do, I will not only fail myself but also those who've hired me. But, to this end, I'd scavenge neighboring garbage bins if I had to; pride does not intervene. Nor would it you, if your survival depended on it. Survival is not always a matter of pride, save for the lions. And like the animals, we work to survive. For me, it's coaching and living off savings gathered from years back. (Incidentally, my plan is to live forever. So far, so good.)

Segue aside, the intent of this particular write-up is to talk about the time we're not working, when we finally get to "balance" all that work with play. "Play" has plenty of meanings, but for those of us who like to touch base with our animalistic instincts (particularly those fight-and-flight responses hardwired into our very being) we do nutty things like, well, Ironmans. Some of us, it seems, like to play as hard as we work.

And here's to you!

On Saturday you'll ideally want to incorporate your toughest training day of the week, a challenge that closely relates to your goal race and all that it necessitates. For the Ironman athlete this essentially means a brick, whether it's a swim/bike/run ordeal or a bike/run challenge. The goal, of course, is to emulate the demands you'll face during your goal race, both in terms of effort and environmental conditions. Of course racing involves a sympathetic nervous system/adrenaline response that won't necessarily take place here, but it's important to make this workout as race-like as is possible: the early morning start, your fueling and hydration practices, your pacing tactics (yes, you should incorporate tactics even in training), employing "mock" competitors, the conditions (by over-dressing if necessary), your transitions and your overall execution. If you're finishing the bulk of your workouts slow and hungry you need to investigate and instigate the necessary changes here on this day. Think of this as race practice. After all, that's what training is. We don't train to get better at training. We don't train to improve specific physiological metrics. We don't train because it's fun. We train to compete.

Now, if you happen to wake up on Saturday and feel like a ton of bricks---instead of doing a brick---you can postpone this workout until Sunday, swapping the two days as though God screwed up the whole 'seventh day of rest' thing. Incidentally, when it comes to the triathlete's needs, He did. Church on race morning?! Give me a break!

Assuming Saturday went without a hitch, Sunday would simply be a "Cavemanesque" bike ride, entirely done by feel, or as I like to say, "as you see fit" (to teach you to develop a more intimate rapport with your body). The goal on this day is to scare the body into believing it has to sustain this type of weekend workload (i.e., a serious dose of iron) for days to come. It does not, as all that would do is ensure that you get fired from your job or divorced from your spouse, in addition to prolonging your training recovery. But "stacking" training days like this every so often is precisely what an Ironman insists upon. They ain't easy, folks!

So, in full (and as shown in my previous two blogs), your "optimal" Ironman training week might look a little like this (and probably should, if you care to do well)…

Monday: Run (1:00) + Swim (1:00) (detailed in previous blogs)
Tuesday: Ride (1:00) (detailed in previous blogs)
Wednesday: Time-consuming Run (2:00) + Swim (:45) (detailed in previous blogs)
Thursday: Ride (1:00) (detailed in previous blogs)
Friday: Run (1:00) + Swim (1:15) (detailed in previous blogs)
Saturday: Time-consuming Brick (4:00 Ride + 1:00 Run)
Sunday: Time-consuming Ride (4:00)

Oh, and you'll note there is no weight-training in the mix. This is because you're on a time-crunch and have better ("better" as in more beneficial) things to do with your time. If you're not on a time-crunch, swim, ride or run more. When you've maximized your training load (and your potential) with these activities then consider the gym.


PS: Today's link of the day is to an Xtri.com interview with an athlete I help guide. You may have seen her name around.