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.
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!
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, 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.
ReplyDeleteDespite 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