56 Mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run, Heat Training

This workout reminded me that come Nov 5th, 2005 I will be exploding on the run course at about 13.1 miles. It pulled into focus the fact that while 15 mile runs are better than last year's 12 mile runs, they're still not 22 mile runs. Just didn't have the time to train up to where I wanted to be this year. Which is fine. Plenty of goodness without being trained up: Ava. Reger.com. Terpa.

Humbling workout. I had hoped to have more endurance at the end of it. Instead, I was wobbly. I've trained myself for endurance, at the expense of speed. My is that I can go longer at a slower pace which is better than going fast for a while and then blowing up. After today I'm not sure I built up enough endurance. Doubling what I did today at the same pace isn't likely. But that's the pace I was looking for on race day.

Ironman is so intriguing to me because on the one hand it's so blindingly simple: put in the hours and you'll do well. But on the other hand there's something inarticulable that must be present to succeed... a drive... a desire... luck.

Bike today was uneventful. Kept the heart rate low... about 130-140bpm. 56 miles. No stops.

Then I was off onto the run. A little too fast at first, but I forced myself to settle in to a smooth pace. First 6.55 in 54min which would seem to imply a 13.1 time of 1hr48min, but it wasn't to be. Final time of 2hr.

Total workout time of 4hr55min.

I dehydrated myself badly. Delirious on the drive home. Unsafe on the roads, in all honesty. My eyes kept darting all over the place. I didn't feel I would be able to respond to something out of the ordinary... luckily, nothing happened. Ordering a roast beef sandwich at the Arby's was surreal... my voice sounded distorted and I couldn't get a handle on how loud to speak. There was even a little paranoia as I worried that the guy at the window was mad that I was yelling and spit in the sandwich.

I did the heat training thing for the whole workout. Three thick layers on top and a pair of thick cycling pants. Most people were out in spandex shorts and a thin short sleeve top. I didn't think I was sweating much until I finished the run. All of the layers were drenched. Salt lines were up and down everything. When I got home I realized I had lost about 9 lbs. At the end of the run I bent over to drink from the fountain and felt a very acute pain in my forehead... like it was about to explode... I had to stand up quickly.

The dehydration makes perfect sense. I drank less than two bottles of water for the entire workout. I simply didn't feel thirsty. I didn't feel that hot. But obviously I was. I guess it's the fact that my head and hands were cool.

Took me about an hour to recover fully. Ate a good bit. Drank a ton. Took a shower. Reality came back to me.

I'm gonna get thrashed in Florida.