Well, I did it: I signed up for my most grueling race to date - the FirmMan Half Ironman on Sep 8. Plunked down more than two Benjamins for some "fun" in less than two weeks: 1.2 mile ocean swim, 56 mile ride from Narragansett to Westerly and back via the Charlestown hills, and then a half-marathon.
I did my only Half Ironman in 2011, and finished it in just under 6 hours (5:58:37), but had a real tough time on the bike especially, and for the next few days I had pain and ailments I previously didn't know existed. Let's hope 2013 is a new chapter.
Monday:
3+. Easy post-work run through Champlin Glacier Park. Since when are there Strava segments in here? "Moraine Coaster Up" - must be the work of Jonny Miles - is he baiting me? :)
Tuesday: 0
Alarm went off at 4AM for a run. Heard the downpour and went back to bed. Gonna have to "man up" as cooler and wetter weather arrives.
Wednesday:
5 miles in the morning. Easy run through Misquamicut, including running on the beach. Very quiet on the 1st day of school.
6 miles. Schonning 5K. See separate write-up.
Thursday:
24 miles ride/run brick with FiveK. Wind a tailwind, almost took the bait to join him on an Atlantic Ave segment, but wanted to save something of my legs for a long run the next morning. He rode 24mph on that segment. Good ride overall, but sad to see it getting darker earlier and earlier and summer coming to an end.
3 miles. Immediately transitioned from bike to run to simulate upcoming tris and mitigate that "Gumby" feeling of rubber legs.
Friday:
23 miles. With time approaching for my fall marathon, plus trying to get in long rides for my Half Ironman tri, plus helping Matthew train for Surftown, it's getting hard to find time to fit in my own long run training.
On a Friday work-from-home day, swapped out my 2-hour commute for long run time. Ran through downtown, and then up the hills on Narragansett Ave, and out 91 to Dunn's Corner-Bradford Road. Hadn't run this section of 91 along Chapman Pond (trivia point - Westerly's largest freshwater body) since the marathon from Westerly Y to Narragansett Pier back in '06 (3:13, in case you were wondering).
Wound through Wahaneeta Preserve to get to quieter South Woody Hill Road, before running the last 10 miles or so along the coast through Weekapaug, Misquamicut, and Avondale. Target pace 6:50s, which I held to most miles except hills and trails. Last 2-3 miles was a real mental challenge running solo to keep going and at 6:50s pace. Probably my longest and fastest non-stop training run ever. 23.1 miles, 2:39:17, 6:52 pace.
Saturday:
51 miles. Longest training ride to date, with FiveK. Nostalgic ride for me, up into and through Richmond, where I lived for 15 years during my childhood/early adulthood. Rode through the Charlestown hills for the last time before FirmMan, and then Shannock Hill in Richmond. First 45 miles were non-stop; the iced coffee stop at Dave's Coffee was a refreshing break before finishing 51 on the day.
Sunday:
13 miles. Matthew's longest run. This route picked by him had a little of everything: trails, barefoot beach, hills, and flats. The route was to simulate distance and time, so varying up the route kept it interesting. Riyan Lennon joined us for a short part of the beach run, as did a flock of small birds that kept flying ahead of and landing right in front of us.
Weekly mileage:
Run: 51
Ride: 75
Swim: --
Week recap:
After a mid-week race and monster weekend ride and run, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I am beat! Next week will start consecutive race weekends, with one of my toughest coming up: Firmman Half Ironman.
I did my only Half Ironman in 2011, and finished it in just under 6 hours (5:58:37), but had a real tough time on the bike especially, and for the next few days I had pain and ailments I previously didn't know existed. Let's hope 2013 is a new chapter.
Monday:
3+. Easy post-work run through Champlin Glacier Park. Since when are there Strava segments in here? "Moraine Coaster Up" - must be the work of Jonny Miles - is he baiting me? :)Tuesday: 0
Alarm went off at 4AM for a run. Heard the downpour and went back to bed. Gonna have to "man up" as cooler and wetter weather arrives.
Wednesday:
5 miles in the morning. Easy run through Misquamicut, including running on the beach. Very quiet on the 1st day of school.6 miles. Schonning 5K. See separate write-up.Thursday:
24 miles ride/run brick with FiveK. Wind a tailwind, almost took the bait to join him on an Atlantic Ave segment, but wanted to save something of my legs for a long run the next morning. He rode 24mph on that segment. Good ride overall, but sad to see it getting darker earlier and earlier and summer coming to an end. 3 miles. Immediately transitioned from bike to run to simulate upcoming tris and mitigate that "Gumby" feeling of rubber legs.Friday:
23 miles. With time approaching for my fall marathon, plus trying to get in long rides for my Half Ironman tri, plus helping Matthew train for Surftown, it's getting hard to find time to fit in my own long run training.On a Friday work-from-home day, swapped out my 2-hour commute for long run time. Ran through downtown, and then up the hills on Narragansett Ave, and out 91 to Dunn's Corner-Bradford Road. Hadn't run this section of 91 along Chapman Pond (trivia point - Westerly's largest freshwater body) since the marathon from Westerly Y to Narragansett Pier back in '06 (3:13, in case you were wondering).
Wound through Wahaneeta Preserve to get to quieter South Woody Hill Road, before running the last 10 miles or so along the coast through Weekapaug, Misquamicut, and Avondale. Target pace 6:50s, which I held to most miles except hills and trails. Last 2-3 miles was a real mental challenge running solo to keep going and at 6:50s pace. Probably my longest and fastest non-stop training run ever. 23.1 miles, 2:39:17, 6:52 pace.
Saturday:
51 miles. Longest training ride to date, with FiveK. Nostalgic ride for me, up into and through Richmond, where I lived for 15 years during my childhood/early adulthood. Rode through the Charlestown hills for the last time before FirmMan, and then Shannock Hill in Richmond. First 45 miles were non-stop; the iced coffee stop at Dave's Coffee was a refreshing break before finishing 51 on the day.Sunday:
13 miles. Matthew's longest run. This route picked by him had a little of everything: trails, barefoot beach, hills, and flats. The route was to simulate distance and time, so varying up the route kept it interesting. Riyan Lennon joined us for a short part of the beach run, as did a flock of small birds that kept flying ahead of and landing right in front of us.Weekly mileage:
Run: 51
Ride: 75
Swim: --
Week recap:
After a mid-week race and monster weekend ride and run, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I am beat! Next week will start consecutive race weekends, with one of my toughest coming up: Firmman Half Ironman.
Wow, nice work signing up for the FirmMan. Looking forward to seeing how you endure, er perform!
ReplyDeleteI'll be cheering as usual from my house. Always a fun race. Good luck! And yes, I made a segment in the Glacier Park, just for some friendly competition....
ReplyDeleteTurf Wars in the Glacier Park, nice...and congrats on taking the FirmMan plunge, I've a few years of training ahead before taking on something like that!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for FirmMan! Wowza.
ReplyDelete