Learning, Understanding, and Believing

This post will be some what random, just a few thoughts on my mind over the last couple of weeks. As for the pic, G has become the new honorary member of the TRICOWS.

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It’s been a couple of weeks, figured it was time to check in. Started my two week block, went home for 6 days, returned and finished the remainder of the block, all except my last long run, which was post-poned. Of note on the training side of things, we did that Wiggins ride again, 150 miles. We had a few different faces on the ride this time, Chris McDonald, Marilyn MacDonald, and AJ Johnson. With Chris being such a strong rider, the dynamics of our group would change, basically, he could keep people on edge with a pull at any moment. And indeed he did. Everything was pretty casual until the return ride once we got to Wiggins. Last time, attacks weren’t allowed until we got to Hudson, which is about a 1.5 hour ride from home. This time, things got heated not too long after the halfway point. With 60 miles to go, the attacks began. As usual, my self discipline went out the window. As the attacks began, I followed. I might have even attacked a little myself (bad move). I probably don’t really need to finish the story as how the ride ended up for me. You have already read that my long run the next day was post-poned for 2 days. I almost made it back with the group, but just about 3-5 miles from the end before I finally got dropped, and truly DROPPED. Spit out the back like a bad habit. I would say for the last hour, I was truly in survival mode. I was as “knackered” as I have been in a long time, I was pretty drilled. I think the combination of poor nutrition late in the ride coupled with the bolstering 1000w+ attacks by Chris that put me in the hole...a dark hole it was that I might add on the way home. To make things rather comical now that I look back, I was about 2.5 miles from home and there is a fire station there. Now, remember, I was 2.5 MILES FROM HOME and I stopped in there to get a coke just to make it back. I probably wasn’t thinking to clearly and I was obviously in need some simple sugars, but quite funny as I look back. G reminds me of this ride when I am getting a little “ant-sy.” It is a memory that I will take with me on race day.

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Attempting to understand fitness versus endurance.

This IM quest has been such a learning experience personally, well beyond the physical gains. Jeff and I were discussing his newest training concept, Poker Pacing (an article will come soon). I began to realize my ignorance about a few basic definitions of our sport; fitness vs. endurance. This is merely an educational bit and I am sure everyone’s definition will be different. How do you define fitness and endurance?

Here are a few comments, one from a forum and one from a coach.

“I think you define them collectively and that is that. We like to make distinctions between "types of fitness" that are not different at all for any event lasting more than a few minutes. If you can run a marathon in 4:00 but you can't run one in 3:00, it's not a type of fitness that you lack but an amount.
You could make a distinction in types of fitness between sports - ie. you have the fitness to bike 4:30 at IMH, but not the fitness to run 2:40. VO2max does not translate perfectly between sports. But the "type" of fitness you need for a 10k versus the "type" that you need for a marathon are at least 99% the same
When I say a different "type" of fitness, I mean that you have to be good at a different thing. Like the difference between biking and running, or skiing and chess. You would need a different kind of fitness to succeed in each of those. But the type of fitness that you would gain while training for a 10k is identical to that which you would gain training for a marathon, if you were training correctly. The same holds true down to about the mile, where different energy systems have to be emphasized. Even then, training is substantially the same.
If I can be absurdly reductive for a minute, it might help to think of it this way: what would you change about your training between a 10k and a 15k? A 15k and a half marathon? Half marathon and 20 miles? 20 miles and a marathon? The race distance is certainly more daunting as you move up, but the "thing" you have to be good at is still long distance running for each one.
Surely a scientific explanation exists out there, but absent that at the moment maybe it would be enough to say that there is a pretty great correlation between 10k times and marathon times among trained runners.”

- “Lets use the example of an athlete of mine. She eventually was 4th as WPRO at IM Wisc and did ultra runs (3-6hrs) prior to taking up IM. In her first IM ever she went 11:15 and got a Kona slot as an AGer. When I asked her what her strength in IM was, she responded "endurance". I told her that her greatest limiter was "endurance". She was still 90min away from what I thought she could do in IM. She quit after going 10:06 in Brazil but her endurance was much higher than when she went 11:15.
Endurance (in IM) is being able to race for 8 to 11hrs with efforts at AeT to AeT+10 without your pace and power declining. Short course guys are fit. You were a very fit runner back when you ran track, however, your run endurance was relatively low compared to elite IM.
What we see in IM, are athletes who think "speed" is fitness. Because they train moderately hard so much, they never really develop the lower end AeT type fitness that is needed over a 10hr day in IM. I have coached several short course guys and gals who won their AGs in short course and flamed out in IM. They couldn't slow down in training and their underdeveloped, steady, aerobic fitness hounded them. What I saw was this huge gap in pace from AeT+10 to AeT. Sometimes almost 90sec! It should be nearer to 30sec.
You can probably run under 3:15 in a marathon, but an IM requires an 8-10hr effort strategy. That is endurance relative to IM.”

Just something to ponder....

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Believing, much harder to do than said.

You gotta believe. Not believing is something that I think we all have done or still do as race time comes around. We all question if what we have done is enough? If we have failed to accomplish a goal and choose to go a different route, that we are not accustom to, is it right? We all are faced with these dark rooms with no light on and sometimes we just have to be fearless and believe that the PLAN is going to work. It is the execution of the plan that I personally have struggled with, the fear that I am going to swim 15 minutes off of my best swim, the fear that I am going to bike worse than my first Ironman by 20 minutes, and the fear that I am once again going to reduce the IM run, into the IM walk which ultimately leads to the IM shuffle. How many times do we have to experience poor race results until we finally figure out that if we stick to the plan, treat the day like a training day, that we will come out successful, only to turn that dark room into a room with shining light? For me personally, these are thoughts that run through my head constantly. Sometimes it takes longer for us to figure out or actually listen to those who have already made the mistakes. Often we have to make them on our own until it sticks....and that would not be me of course!!! :) So as I begin to prep for IM Canada, the mental plan has begun. My swim at the Res the other morning got it jump started, I was somewhat relieved and excited that I swam the 4 loops (loop was somewhere around 900m – Gordo will confirm at next LCM swim practice) at the Boulder Reservoir in 53 minutes. The swim was comfortable, bilateral breathing, and relaxing. So there I was at the end of the swim thinking, “If I just swim like this, I am going to swim alright, Boom, fear #1 down.”

Out onto the ride, while speaking with G, he reminded as many have so many have. I was expressing my “FEARS” about my results on race day and he said, “Why worry, what if the swim is long and for the matter of fact, what if the swim is short? Your time will be your time, just race your fitness/race. Remember, under perform for the first two events, 26.2 miles is a long way to run, much less after a swim and bike. Personal meltdowns and utter shreddings of oneself in a workout are good reminders to carry on race day.” (hint, hint, Wiggins Ride)

So here I am today, my workouts lately have been strong for me, much more than when I first arrived. My swim set yesterday of 5K+ was not necessarily the fastest I have I have swum, but definitely one of the strongest. I fell off the descending sets and settled into my basic rhythm of just swimming approximately IM pace and my bilateral pace still was a 1:30/100m, which was a good sign. Last week, we road up to Ward, which is a 16 mile climb. It is the strongest I have rode thus far. I had a 2:10 run 2 days ago, again, as strong of a run that I have had since I got here. One thing that I can say for the most part is that I have been able to successfully finish the plan given to me, each session (well, maybe had a couple of demon days), each day, and each period. There were times that I didn’t believe and I shook my head, but I just kept on, walking into that dark room unsure of what was going to bring.

My hope for this IM is to erase all of the fears of “times” that haunt me. Begin a new approach to IM and continue to successfully build on what I have been taught this summer.

“Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.”

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(Dennis, Chris, JD, BDC, me, Mark, Mat)

Only have a couple of weeks left here in Boulder. I am definitely going to miss this place when I leave...but then again, who knows what opportunity will come next, I never thought I would have been here in the first place.

Thought I would throw a pic in of the lads while out on the town, while we work hard most days, we definitely have had some fun as well.

J