OK, so they have this half Ironman tri in Carleton Place just 20 min from my home today, and I managed to convince the Race Director, Terry McKinty (www.somersault.ca) to reinstate the Aquabike (or as he calls it…the Swim-Cycle). I called Mitch Gold on Friday nite to get a second opinion on how I should do this “final hard workout” before Ironman Lake Placid next weekend. Normally, one weekend out from an Ironman I tend to swim ~2-3K and and bike 100K, so this was perfect…instead of doing it solo, I’d get to do it in a race setting.
So, I start talking with Mitch and say, “I’ll swim harder than Ironman race pace, and then do half of the bike at Ironman race pace and the other half at half Iron race pace”. So Mitch replies, “Well, I think it is the perfect workout but you should do the entire bike at half Ironman race pace and if they allow you on the run course, head out for an easy 5K trot”.
Keep in mind that Mitch is not my coach, but since I respect his opinion, I gave him a call. Another coach who does not coach me is Rick Hellard and he was all for me doing the Aquabike, so what the heck! You can contact Mitch here (http://www.counterpartcoaching.com/mitch.htm) and Rick here (www.zone3sports.com). Rick was also competing in today’s half Iron tri. Last year, he set a personal best of 8:43 over the Iron distance at Esprit, so he is no slouch, although he is just getting his fitness back.
There is a big difference between training and racing. Last nite, I went through the entire routine, getting my gear organized and nutrition ready. This morning it was just like a “real race morning” (even though this thing was tune up “c” event). Then I drove over to the race (this alone is a giveaway that I am doing a race as I never drive to training…only bike…). Then I register and get my timing chip…OK, it feels like a real race.
The swim is out and back in the local river (ironically called the Mississippi river). The thing has a solid current and the course is a 2xout and back. It turns out that heading out is like a treadmill and it takes me 10 minutes to the first turn and then 5 min back…repeat the loop and I am holding steady…then after finishing the second loop a ~90 min to the steps to get out the river into T1. I exited the water in 31.xx which was OK given the stiff current (Rick was only 29ish, normally a 54 min Ironman guy), shuffle over to my bike and get on the bike and get out of T1 under 34 minutes (where the mat was). Best of all, I had no hyperventilation and panic attack like I did at Peterborough Half Ironman last week.
As I start pedalling, my foot starts hurting. I remember stepping on a Zerbra mussel shell at the start and I figured that is what it was. 10 min into the bike, I pull over to make sure that there is no piece of a shell in my foot. Turns out, it is a clean cut, so I put my bike shoe back on, and away I go. The wind was pretty darn fierce today…similar to the Wildflower wind from this spring…a great test. The course was rolling, so it was constant pedalling aside from two descents where I got up to 60 kph. Soon I passed back all the guy that passed me when I was stopped. The legs felt good and I was keeping the pressure on the pedals at “half Ironman pace” as Mitch suggested.
At the turnaround, Rick (doing the half Ironman is ahead of) and then a relay team consisting of athletes he coaches is chasing him down. Behind them are the Aquabike leaders, Olivier Moyou a local Belgian expat short course stud, and Eric Roy (a former top 10 finisher at IMFLA with a sub 9 Ironman to his credit…)…but Eric is 25 lbs overweight and it just getting back into training…I’m thinking there is a chance to catch Eric if he dogs it as him and Olivier have a 2 min lead on me…
The wind and hills on the back side of the course were actually quite tough. I thought that I could split sub 2:30, but I guess it was not in the cards, ending at just of 2:31…then again, may be it was under 2:30 as we had to actually rack our bike in T2 and then “run to the finish line”. With the small field, I spent more than 80K riding solo, with no one around. It was great training mentally and physically. Final time was 3:05, which I was please with. More importantly, my body was working well, and I was not sore after the race…just felt like I had done a hard training ride.
Rick went on to win the half Ironman in just over 4:20. ST’s Schermy finished 3rd in the half Ironman. In the small 11 person Aquabike event, I was third behind the two stud leaders…and in my one person 40-49 age group, I managed to take the win (hard not too…gotta love these low key small local events…).
Anyway, I really liked this Aquabike format. They are great as 'training days with a timing chip on", a racing option if you are injured, a great workout as part of a taper and looking forward as I get older and I cannot run as much, a great way to keep competing without the bashing the body takes during the run.
OK, that’s it…my last “hard” training day is done…back to taper mode…IMLP next weekend…hopefully next week at this time, I’ll be posting that the race went well, and that I did not end up in the medical tent and that I just finished dinner and I am on the way to try and make it to the midnight cheering party!
See ya next week in LP.
Dev
Edit: As per Mitch’s recommendation, I went out and trotted out a super easy 5K which actually seemd to loosen my legs out…go figure! Full results from the zillion events from today are at www.sportstats.ca
