Base Phase is DONE

Base phase is over!!!! Hallelujah!!! Ten long weeks of slow miles are in the books!

I know I got a lot out of the base phase, and this is by far the best I've ever done at executing base training properly. But I am excited to graduate to the next phase and add some speedwork.

As predicted, I didn't have time to do the run heartrate zone test Friday, so instead, I warmed up then ran 2 miles as fast as I could. The first mile was at 8:11 and the second mile was at 7:55. Seeing as I haven't done any running faster than 10 minute pace since October, I was happy to hit these numbers. All my base runs have been 10:30 to 11:20 pace, with one particular zone 1 run at slower than 12. It felt WONDERFUL to get the legs moving again. I'm really looking forward to working on speed later in the season.

Today marked the end of recovery week. I did a 2 hour solo ride and finally explored Devil's Backbone Road. When I showed Sophie this picture, she said, "You rode there? Mom, don't ride there. It's dangerous. Look at the name!"




IT. WAS. AWESOME. I love riding through the country and the farmlands. I actually stopped to take a couple of pictures. This friendly dog greeted me at (appropriately enough) Dog Leg Road.

 

 

There were horses, cows, goats, dogs, cats, frogs, birds, and lots of quaint farmhouses. I really liked this one:

Of course, I saw about a dozen roads that just need to be explored, but they'll have to wait for another day.

Today was my first outdoor ride since my bike fitting. The bike felt great. My saddle felt much more comfortable today, and my hips felt like they had so much room - the flexors weren't all crunched up. And no knee pain!

My main goal today was to keep my heartrate low, so I made myself go incredibly slowly up the 13 thousand hills I encountered. At one point I had to laugh when my speedometer read "6.7mph." How slowly can one go without falling over (when not on a track bike)?

I felt fantastic when I finished. The combination of a 50% reduction in distance from the past two weeks, the new bike fit, and the very easy ride made my legs feel downright springy when I finished. I actually wanted to go for a run afterward. (But I didn't - the time for that is coming!)

Next week brings two new additions: a third weekly swim (Thursday) and a run after my long ride (a.k.a. a brick workout). I'm feeling good and am looking forward to the challenge. What will make this week difficult, though, is that JC will be out of town for a week. I'll have to stick to a tight schedule if I'm going to fit everything in. But, really, how hard could it be?

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!

Booty of Evidence

I think I've done good work so far this week. Wednesday evening's long run was fantastic - the weather was nice (upper 40s) and my 10 miler felt effortless. My knee and its cohorts gave me no trouble at all.

The surprising part was that my legs felt great the following morning. I walked/ran with Sophie before school, just over half a mile, then hopped on the trainer for an hour recovery spin. I felt peppy and relaxed.

This morning's swim was really, really good. I hit a new low 100 time, and hit it more than once! What's weird is, I still have the old problem of getting slower when I try to swim "fast." I assume this means that I'm breaking form and not using good technique when I speed up a certain amount. It takes me less time (and much less energy) to swim "steady" than it does to swim "fast." This is something that has always happened to me (and some other mediocre swimmers I've talked to). I wonder if it happens to good swimmers too? If you're a good (ie "fast") swimmer and it happens to you, please let me know!

As for biking and running, I can go a little faster in Zones 1 and 2 now. That's evidence that the  base building is working. I'm glad my engine is growing stronger. However, who knew the engine was located in the buttocks? It must be, because my ass is GROWING. What is UP with that?!?! It must be all the extra blood volume I'm creating. Seriously, I wonder if my tri shorts are going to fit when racing season starts. Is it muscle? God, I hope it's muscle.

25% There

I'm officially one-quarter of the way through Ironman training! Holla!

Yesterday was beautiful. I did an easy 25-mile ride with a nice group of people out to Shull Island. The weather was just gorgeous - 70 degrees and sunny. I would complain about this warm snap cutting into my precious jeans-and-a-sweater weather, but really, it was just a fantastic day.

Ken, Me, Jenn (my twin), Don, and Todd (also training for IMTX)
Marlena was taking the picture, but you can see her awesome bike, Belle Chere, in Jenn's hands

It was also the best job I've done of staying in the right heartrate zone. It's still very hard to go slow, but I've been re-reading a lot about base training to remind myself of the physiological benefits of going slowly, and that's making it easier to do the right thing. I will continue to be patient and have faith that the results will be worth it.

Last night was the NW YMCA Tri Club's annual banquet. Our club members are really good people, and they are always helpful with advice and encouragement. We are so fortunate to have this community of athletes.

Tomorrow is my first two-a-day in a really, really long time. I'm looking forward to it! I mentioned it to Sophie, and she asked me, "Is it a brick?" That's my girl.