100 Days

Yesterday marked 100 days until the race. Which means, today is 99 days until the race. See how that works? The days are just flying by!

I've had a good recovery week so far. Tuesday's swim was unremarkable, but my trainer ride was fantastic. It was another heartrate zone test, a repeat of the one I did four weeks ago. I expected to see my "threshold" heartrate stay the same or maybe go up a hair, but instead it went down 4-5 beats/minute. Since not all conditions were identical, and there are so many variables that affect heartrate, it's not an exact test.

The part that pleased me was that I went a full 2 mph faster than I did a month ago. It's not a true comparison to road riding, because my trainer is magnetic, which means that resistance increases linearly instead of exponentially as it does on the road; but this is improvement, which is exactly what we want!

Wednesday's long run was only 7.3 miles. I ran around my hilly neighborhood in sunny, 70-degree weather. I've been running on flat terrain for weeks, so this was a welcome change. I was surprised to feel strength in my legs that wasn't there before (or hasn't been since the build-up for Augusta Half Ironman). My legs felt fantastic (it's as if last week never even happened). But the best part was, my pace was 30 seconds faster per mile in heartrate zone 2 than it has been.

So, two workouts this week tell me my body is adapting, and that all this base work is paying off!

I also had a bike fitting on Wednesday. I went up to the shop in Charlotte where I bought it, because I had one free fitting left, and I really trust their bike guy, Francisco. I told him about the leg problems I've been having, and explained that comfort and healthy position are the priorities right now because of the race length. After the Ironman is over, I'll get another fitting to get in a more aero position.

In my head, it felt like my seat needed to come up some; Francisco observed and agreed. He raised it 1/4 inch (which is a mile in bike-fit terms) and what a difference that makes! It let pressure off my knees and hip flexors (I'm not having to pull my thigh up as high now). He also widened the position of my aerobars, so my elbows are beneath my shoulders rather than scrunched inward. That should help keep the traps/shoulders/neck happy over long distances.

Today, I'm dragging. These late-night Philharmonic rehearsals are taking a lot out of me (playing Mahler is a workout!). I'm supposed to swim and then do an hour run (another heartrate zone test). I will at least cut my run back to 30 minutes and skip the heartrate test. Since it's recovery week, I want to make sure I'm getting enough rest and will be fresh for next week, because we'll be adding two more workouts. I've also lost some weight (a little faster than I'd like) and my appetite is down, which is one of those red flags that I need some rest and recovery.

After today, only 2 days left of Base Phase!