![\"Rookie4\"](\"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rookie4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMy overall goals:<\/p>\n
1. Go out hard<\/p>\n
2. When it starts to really suck, ingest some caffeine and hang on<\/p>\n
3. Come in under 1:09:xx for the 300m swim, 11.2 mile hilly bike, and 2 mile run on sticks.<\/p>\n
Here’s some more specific goals, just in case you’re wondering how I’m prepping for such a different race than my usual.<\/p>\n
This week:<\/p>\n
Race simulation brick: done. (Mon)<\/p>\n
This was awesome and I think it will be a staple for all (at least sprint and olympic distance) triathlon race weeks.\u00a0 We set out all of our transition gear on a towel, just like we would at the race.\u00a0 Then, we did:<\/p>\n
- \n
- ~1.5 mile run.\u00a0 Warmup to steady run the first 1.25, then a little pickup at the end to simulate the breathlessness of coming into transition after a swim.\u00a0 However, sadly, there is nothing like coming horizontal out of the water to simulate the disorentation, it did approximate the tiredness.<\/li>\n
- Did all the transition things.\u00a0 Even put on my helmet and sunglasses (and then took them off).<\/li>\n
- 20 min bike, simulating conditions.\u00a0 This course has a tendency to be windy so I made sure the resistance stayed down pretty far, and used about the same gearing I expected the day of the race.\u00a0 We put in a minute out of the saddle at 5 mins in (to simulate a short, steep hill on the course) and lots of resistance 10-12 mins in (to simulate a longer hill later in the course).\u00a0 18-20 mins, I let off the resistance and spun my legs faster.<\/li>\n
- Transition quickly back to run.<\/li>\n
- 1 mile run about 90% max speed.\u00a0 I felt AWESOME off the bike but lost my legs a little in the middle but finished strong.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Rookie6\"](\"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rookie6.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFast Swimming (Tues lunch)<\/p>\n
I headed to the pool and did some pretty high effort fast stuff.\u00a0 I was supposed to do this on Thursday but due to scheduling it ended up here.<\/p>\n
- \n
- 250m warmup (4:50)<\/li>\n
- 300m just slower than race effort (5:30)<\/li>\n
- 100m fast x2 (1:41, 1:40)<\/li>\n
- 50m fast x 2 (:47 and :46)<\/li>\n
- 100m easy (1:49? I swear it FELT easy)<\/li>\n
- 300m race effort (5:22)<\/li>\n
- 100m cooldown<\/li>\n
- ~30 seconds between each set (enough to stop panting hard)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Huge confidence builder.\u00a0 Unless something weird happens, I should swim a HUGE PR this weekend.<\/p>\n
Endurance Spin (Tues PM)<\/p>\n
I was fully willing to sandbag this one, and my legs honestly weren’t having the first couple intervals, but about 30 mins in, something clicked and I beat my power goals from two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
- \n
- ~10 min warmup<\/li>\n
- 5 mins at FTP\/5 mins easy<\/li>\n
- 4 mins at 110% FTP\/4 mins easy<\/li>\n
- 3 mins at 110% FTP\/3 mins easy<\/li>\n
- 2 mins at 120% FTP\/2 mins easy<\/li>\n
- 1 min at 130% FTP\/1 min easy<\/li>\n
- 30 sec MAX<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Then we worked our way back up (1 min rest, 1 min on, etc).\u00a0 The target power on the way down was 30 watts under what I was hitting on the way up.\u00a0 That felt pretty awesome.<\/p>\n
![\"Rookie5\"](\"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rookie5.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEasy run with pickups (Wed)<\/p>\n
Ran 5 miles at easy pace, and every .5 to .75 of a mile, picked a spot in the distance to run my 2 mile race effort (about a block or so away).\u00a0 At first, my legs were not having it after 2 hard days, but got with the program after a mile and 8 min mile pace pickups felt… not so bad.\u00a0 What I’m now calling my block burners workout did it’s job.\u00a0 I’ll take that into my race, thanks.<\/p>\n
The rest of the week is….<\/p>\n
One more OWS with pickups (Today)<\/p>\n
Plan to do something similar to the run (in terms of easy, with short race pace bursts), and also my first open water swim sans wetsuit (brrrr) since I’m not putting it on for a (hopefully) under 6 minute swim.<\/p>\n
Wash and lube the bikes (Later today)<\/p>\n
…or really, play assistant to my lovely bike mechanic husband Zliten.<\/p>\n
Nothing, sweet nothing (Friday)<\/p>\n
No training.\u00a0 Maybe a few errands but definitely most of the day planted on my buttocks.<\/p>\n
Slightly productive rest (Sat)<\/p>\n
Packet pickup, eating all the good things, maybe a quick spin out of the legs, maybe a movie, maybe some light chores, maybe a stand up paddle board…\u00a0 but definitely not all these things.<\/p>\n
Race Goals!!!<\/p>\n
Pre-race:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Breakfast: Kind bar, purple stuff.\u00a0 Bring coconut water to sip as I set stuff up<\/li>\n
- Get there at transition open<\/li>\n
- Decent run warmup… half to a mile with strides<\/li>\n
- Soak up race excitement<\/li>\n
- Hopefully pooping as needed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Race!!!<\/p>\n
![\"Rookie2\"](\"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Rookie2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRookie circa 2011<\/em><\/p>\n
Swim:<\/p>\n
This is a time trial start, which I have come to love… except the fact that this beach is rocky and yucky.\u00a0 As soon as the gun goes off I seem to have about 100% more toughness in my feet, so here’s hoping.<\/p>\n
Either way, I think I’ve dialed in the pace I want to go and I’m not going to have much time to think or warm up so I’m hoping to get to about 1:50\/100m pace and just go.\u00a0 This would get me there in 5:30.<\/p>\n
Honestly, if pool times are any indication, this will be easy for me.\u00a0 I’m just not that practiced in open water so I think this is a good goal to stretch myself there.<\/p>\n
EDIT: Looking at the race results from last year… the course HAD to have been long because only one person in my age group swam under 6 minutes.\u00a0 I’ll keep my expectations real there and go by pace on watch vs finish time.<\/p>\n
Transition 1:<\/p>\n
The first triathlon of the year, I usually have issues with transition gravity.\u00a0 I’ve taken steps this year to be ready for it but we’ll see.\u00a0 First, there is a run up a steep hill.\u00a0 I need to remember that I can recover on the bike and that being winded here is JUST FINE, because that usually freaks me out and I go too conservatively.\u00a0 Not this time.\u00a0 I can catch my breath on the first bike flat.<\/p>\n
At this point, I’m hoping that putting on the FOUR things I need to in transition will be rote.\u00a0 Sock, shoe, sock shoe, sunglasses helmet GO.\u00a0 I was trying to go sans socks, but I’m just not ready for it.<\/p>\n
Bike:<\/p>\n
This course is hilly and that is not my forte.\u00a0 I think my best is like 16 mph from years ago.\u00a0 I’m a better cyclist now.\u00a0 I know how to work harder.\u00a0 It’s really, really hard for me to make a stab in the dark at what pace I want to target.\u00a0 I don’t have power to target.\u00a0 As for heart rate, it’s like, get it up there and keep smashing.<\/p>\n
However, I can have process goals.\u00a0 I want to keep high cadence (90 or 100+ as often as possible).\u00a0 I want to push hard on the flats because I’m good at it and that’s where I gain my speed.\u00a0 I want to stay strong up carnage and quad buster and push all hills up and over the top and not stop until I am back up to speed.\u00a0 Caff gel between the two major hills (set to really kick in on the run, but I’ll take some extra energy on the back half on the course.\u00a0 Spin high cadence and let off resistance the last mile.<\/p>\n
In terms of speed\/time – I really need to aim for sub-40 mins (16.8 mph) for the 11.2 miles to have a chance at my goal time.\u00a0 Sub 39 (17.2 mph) would be awesome.\u00a0 But, this early in the season, all I can really do is go after a high effort and see where that lands me.\u00a0 If I do something stupid like a 36 minute bike and then jog the run at 10 minute miles… well, that will just be something to work on (and a victory in it’s own right).<\/p>\n