Ironman Training Week 8 – Marathon Taper

Ironman Training Week 8: January 23 – 29

I had a great week of training and got more sleep than the previous few weeks.  Yay!!   I’m going to keep tracking my sleep.  Even though I haven’t gotten up to 8+ hours every night, I still generally feel refreshed and ready for my workouts when I make a conscious effort to get enough rest which usually means 7 hours/night for me personally. 

This week I also continued to taper my running for my marathon which is coming up on Super Bowl Sunday!

Monday: 8 hours of sleep
AM: Rest
PM: Sufferfest “Angels”

I definitely recommend checking out the Sufferfest spin workouts.  When you workout to them, it’s as if you are actually part of a cycling race!  There is no talking; only music.  All cues are written on the screen (cadence, perceived effort, etc.)  I think this will help get my speed and power up, and I think it’s unlikely that I’ll get sick of these workouts because there isn’t an irritating leader to annoy me.  (I have a different spin DVD in mind for that!)  I haven’t gone to a group spin workout yet, but that’s something else I would like to try in the future.

Tuesday: 7 hours
AM: 8.5 mile run (mid-week long run taper)
PM: Solana Beach Masters Swim

Wednesday: 7 hours
AM: Sufferfest “A Very Dark Place”
PM: Swim 1,500m at gym

Thursday: 6.5 hours
AM: 10 Yasso 800s
PM: Solana Beach Masters Swim

My first time doing 10 Yassos was a success!  Now I just need that to translate to my 3:50 marathon goal on Sunday! 

I lead my lane in masters swim class for the first time.  Even though I’m in the slowest lane, it still gave me a mental boost to be the leader!  Plus I had to stay on top of my game for counting laps and remembering drills, so it was a good exercise for me.

Friday: 8 hours
REST

Saturday: 9.5 hours
12 mile run (marathon taper)

It was hot and windy from the Santa Ana winds, so what was supposed to be an easy 12 mile run turned into something with a lot more effort.   I am praying for cool, calm weather for the marathon, but I don’t think that’s in the forecast!

On a random note, I caught a clip of comedian Whitney Cummings the other night.  She was making fun of guys that holler at girls when they’re running…Nicole and I encounter this almost every time we run.  Why do men yell or whistle as they drive by when you’re running the other direction and can’t possibly even stop to acknowledge to them?  My boyfriend explained it to me like this.  Guy sees hot girl.  Girl is passing by quickly.  Guy doesn’t know what to do.  It’s all happening too fast!  So guy yells at girl and says “Heyyyyyyyyyy!” into the wind.   I guess I’ll just take it as a compliment.   But the honking needs to stop because that startles me!

Sunday: 8.5 hours
Brick: 50 mile bike + 3 mile run

I’m the slowest of my training buddies on the bike, so long rides are always a little tough on me mentally.  It’s not fun consistently being at the back of the pack!  Overall, I felt really good on the ride, though, and practiced eating while riding.  I was able to eat 2 GUs without falling off!  Success!  (I also got calories from CarboPro + Vitalyte as well as a Luna Bar.)  I’m trying to increase my calories to about 60 grams of carbs/hour = 240 calories/hour.  I was given those guidelines from a triathlon coach, so I’m going to follow them and see how I feel.  So far, it feels good!  At 120 calories/hour, I wasn’t eating enough previously.

TOTAL WORKOUTS
Swim: 3
Bike: 3
Run: 4
Strength/Core: 0