Let's get serious

It's been a while since I've last posted about my training, all geared towards the big race, Ironman Western Australia in December. I've been told by my wife that my posts on training can be a little too serious and more often then not, mundane. Well, with only 6 weeks to go the big race, things are starting to get serious. 

Just last week, I ran over 82kms - a new personal record for me. I had 3 long runs - two 90 minute and one 110 minute late Sunday afternoon, while most of Perth's triathletes were on their way back from Mandurah 70.3, which many scored fast times and PBs for, well done to all! I wasn't sure how my legs will respond to so many long runs in a single week and a first time doing a long run in the afternoon. Glad to say, that they responded pretty well and I kept to sub 4:30 pace for all of them. The key was to take one session and a time, and not worry about the next one. 

This week, I only had one long run, and it was 100 minutes, so 10 minutes less than the one on Sunday. Originally scheduled for Thursday morning but with an early meeting, I rested and ran on Friday instead. So with fresh legs, I was able to score sub 4:25 average pace. Hoping to carry the good momentum through to the weekend. I had to ride both Saturday - 2.5 hours, and Sunday - 6 hours. 

It was hot this weekend, with the mercury rising to a maximum of 35 degrees. The northerly winds hasn't quite died down either. Saturday's ride of laps from Sorrento to Burns Beach went alright. I did a short open water swim at Sorrento Beach after, I was the only one swimming, it was pretty scary especially with all the reports on shark sightings lately. On Sunday, I rode down the Freeway South bike path. It was alright going down but I didn't have much left in my legs on the return. The headwinds and the heat made it much harder. I stopped by Hungry Jack's at Safety Bay Road for a $1 thick shake and refilled with soft drink several times. 

As I got back to Raffles foot bridge, it was nearly midday and a storm was brewing - dashes of lighting could be seen, what a bizarre weather! The diagonal head/cross winds from Raffles to Mill Point Road had me clutching on the bars for my dear life. The thought of another thick shake was very tempting so I made my way to the Hungry Jack's in South Perth for another treat. It rained while I was in the restaurant, but it cleared as I did the remaining 45 minutes of my ride. Still did 180km, but 17 minutes over 6 hours and a very slow 28.6kph average. Surprisingly, I still found my legs for the 30 minute brick run and it was hot and sunny again, as I ran along Mounts Bay road to the Swan Brewery and back. There were some playful uni students were asking me for something but I gave a smile and just ran away, yes, not a very friendly I am! 

Another week to look forward to. I have a more manageable load during the week, but the weekend load builds on this week. Hope I'll survive that. I barely did this week.