You always hear, it's better to be 10% under-trained than 10% over-trained. I think I'm 5% under-trained, so I'm right in the sweet spot for 2012 IM Kansas 70.3.
I've focused on the bike the past 4 weeks. Hill rides. Sprint workouts and getting the distance in, even if it means getting up at 4am on a Thursday to get a 45 mile ride in.
Running had been coming along great as I have set PR's at 5k, 10k and half marathon this year. Now, I'm not sure how that speed will hold up after a 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike ride. I've been doing some BRIK workouts, but they have been sparse.
The best swim for IM KS was...
36 minutes in 2010 IM KS when I DNF'd with a front flat that I could not get fixed out of T1. I think I was going to have a great race that year, but the flat took me out. The swim was perfect. Perfect weather, no waves and no full contact swimming. IM Boulder 70.3 2011 was water like glass with no wind and I pulled out a 35 minute swim. Best HIM swim by a minute. Definite capable of a sub 35 this year, I think.
Last year's 2011 IM KS was a 40.5 minute swim due to winds and waves. I was body slammed on more than one occasion and it was just rough overall.
The KC Tri brought out a pretty decent 28 minutes for 1500 meters and more than likely was longer due to an errant buoy. I think the swim can be pretty good, ans as good as 2010 if the wind holds off.
Bike, oh the bike...
Last year IM KS was the worst for bike splits. THE WORST. I just wasn't getting the speed I wanted. Was it equipment or training, or a combo of both?
Well, I have a new bike, new wheels and have upped the training. Hopefully the wind stays manageable and I can turn in a split of 2:56 or better to top 2009 IM KS splits. Last year was 3:09, gag.
I think last year I also tended to ride closer to home with a younger son in case I had to make a bee-line for home. This year he sleeps through the night on a consistent basis so I've ventured out to more challenging ride locations. Hopefully this pays off and the wind stays below 5mph. I think that was also a big contributor to a sucko bike split last year.
The run, run fast hopefully!
I've got the run dialed in as much as it will be for this year. Running great times for half marathons, but you can't translate that to a HIM run after 56 miles of biking and starting out at 11am or noon when the temps are heating up.
Last year was by far the best HIM run at IM KS at 1:53. Other than that, the other two HIM runs were well over 2 hours due to dehydration, GI distress and cramps. I have my revised nutrition plan to avoid GI distress and keeping sufficiently hydrated. Hopefully it all comes together this year.
Overall I'm not sure how it will go...
I've only completed 3 HIM's. I have signed up for 5, but one DNF for a flat and one DNS for my son's health complications at birth. So, it's not enough of a sample base for me to be 100% confident to shoot for a time. It's more like swim like I know I can, bike smart while staying on top of nutrition and hydration - remembering to cut off solids in time for the run and staying hydrated on the run with a heart rate around 165.
As long as I follow the "plan", I should be able to cross the line with no body malfunctions. If I can stay complication free, that allows me to open up a bit and push harder.
If I was stupid, I would take my best times in each split and call that my goal.
SWIM - 35 minutes
BIKE - 2:56 hours
RUN - 1:52 hours
And allowing around 10 minutes for transitions and miscellaneous stuff, that would be around 5 hours and 33 minutes.
Plausible, yes. Realistic? Not sure.
1 comment:
Good luck man!!!
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