As Ready As I'm Going to Be

Another week has gone by.  I'm now less than two weeks out before IRONMAN Santa Rosa 70.3 and not feeling much better about the race. Last week I realized that the swim was changed from an age group start to a self seeded rolling start. I'm not sure why that upsets me so much...I guess I just don't like change. On top of that, I'm trying to fight off the cold or flu or whatever that has had HS bed ridden for the last two days.

I was feeling better about the race after I completed "The Ultimate 70.3 Brick Workout". I’m not entirely sure how to interpret my results, but I completed the workout feeling pretty good about my chances of a decent race in Santa Rosa. I figured the workout was the perfect start to my taper. 

Brick Results

Swim (2,400y) 

I swam 2,400y straight wearing my LAVA Pants (to simulate a wetsuit swim). The goal was to do this swim at roughly my race pace. My 100y average pace for the work out was 1:45. I am going to compare it to last year's swim time from The World's Toughest Half because this race was also in May and because there was not running/walking like in Barb's Race and Vineman. My race pace was 1:48 per 100y average so I guess my 1:45 is right where I needed to be (including my slow, open turns).

NOTE: The workout said you could have as much as an hour in between the swim and the first run. I had Zoe scheduled for her spay procedure and tried to time her drop off with the end of my swim. I may have taken a little more than an hour due to a slight wait at the vet.

Run 1 (4 Miles on treadmill)

I had this run programmed into my treadmill so all I really needed to do was press start and move my feet. Got off the treadmill feeling pretty good.

Bike (4x30 blocks, based on power, on trainer)

My helmet matches my tri suit!

I was feeling a little goofy before I started the ride so I snapped a shot of me in my aero helmet and my new tri kit. I wanted to have at least one long ride in this suit just to make sure I would be OK in the race. In case you are wondering, I did not wear the helmet during the trainer ride :-) LOL

Run 2: (4 miles on treadmill)

IRONMAN Santa Rosa - Last 4 Miles (iFit results)

This portion of the workout went as well as could be expected. Was I tired? Yes. Did I slow down or give up? No. If I could run the race at a minute per mile slower than what I did during the workout, I would be thrilled. Heck, my best 70.3 run split was a 9:51 min mile average. If I manage 10:00 minute miles at Santa Rosa it will be a good day for me.

Goals 

During my time on the trainer, I came up with some goals for IRONMAN Santa Rosa 70.3 (something I had been avoiding):

A = 6 Hours or better. This means finishing better than my first Barb's Race.

B = 6-7 Hour Finish. Not as good as Barb's Race, but not as bad as WTH.

C = Finish with a better time than last year’s “World’s Toughest Half”.  That means beating 7:49:18!

D = Finish

F = DNF

A Word About My Pearl Izumi Tri Octane Suit 

Seriously, I have no idea how this race is going to go. Who make the first race of the season their "A" race for the year??? All I know is that I am super excited to race (no matter how slowly) in this Pearl Izumi Tri Octane suit.

I have no idea why I've never raced in a tri suit. I did this brick workout (except for the swim) in this suit. I never had to pull my top down or pull my shorts up. Nothing rubbed or felt out of sorts. It was great! I'm also hoping that due to all of my indoor training, the sleeves on this suit will keep me from burning the crap out of my shoulders in a couple of weeks.

Another thing I noticed was the cooling properties of the new fabric. I got off the bike trainer hot and sweaty. As soon as I fired up the treadmill and hit the fan, the air flow on/through the fabric gave me a chill. I couldn't believe how cool it felt. If it does this during the race, I will be a happy camper!

#ifit #pearlizumi #IRONMAN #proform #gozwift