Thanks all for the comments. When the going gets tough, I'll think about the support that everyone has offered.
S: 2000 meters.
R: Last long run before the race. 15 miles. While I am obviously at my fittest state of the year right now, I think the biggest difference in my run right now is that I am just about at race weight, which makes a huge difference for me in speed and durability. I used to think I kept getting injured from increasing my mileage too quickly or from running 2x/day or from some biomechanical problem - which still may be a part of it. But now after having looked back at my log and matching up my weight, my new theory is that I tend to get injured whenever I am above 160 lbs, and I had been hovering around 160-165 for most of the year until the end of the summer. I won't let myself go that high next year and hopefully I'll be able to run more. I'm at 151-153 right now. I'll weigh myself again at the end of this week and just before the race.
2 comments:
Do you feel any weaker at the low end of your weight range? For the IM, I'd almost think bike strength/endurance is aided by a few extra pounds (at least on a course without huge climbs). Those brick workouts are awesome!
Truthfully, I think I do give up some power as I get lighter. Last year, I had some huge power rides when I was about 160 and was never able to repeat those rides again when I got down to race weight. I was 148 last year; I won't get that low this year.
Despite the loss in power, I run much better when lighter. I think I'll be able to maintain my power - or at least am hopeful - at about 153ish.
The biggest difference I have noticed, however, which I didn't really appreciate until recently, is that, perhaps counterintuitively, the lighter I get, the more calories I have to take in on the bike. I think this is because I have less fat to draw upon during long rides and so run out of energy more quickly. I used to just drink Gatorade on long rides, and that was sufficient; I now eat Cliff Bars or PowerBars -about 2- 3 for a 4-5 hour ride in addition to drinking the same amount of Gatorade. So at the lighter weight, I'm taking in on average about an extra 150-200 calories per hour on
Post a Comment