IM Canada in the Globe and Mail

Today's Globe and Mail sports section has a 2 page spread on IronMan Canada. Standings, photos, and a couple of nice pieces about the IM phenomenon. I thought this was pretty cool until I noticed that it was a 'special supplement'. That means it wasn't really news, it was a paid-for insert.

Even though IM events draw upwards of 2,000 competitors every time and sell out within hours, and even though triathlons in general are becoming more popular every year, it seems our sport still does not rate real coverage in the major dailies.

I'm not sure whether to be miffed at this or not. On the one hand triathlon is a great sport and I wish it would get the respect it deserves from the sporting world in general. On the other hand I kind of like that it's a niche sport. I used to golf alot, and watched in horror as each year more and more duffers and nimrods took up the game. I doubt there's any chance of that happening in a sport as demanding as triathlon, since beer drinking and riding in a powercart are not allowed, but if it ever did then it might lose a bit of its appeal as an 'elite' type of sport that not everyone can do.

A Typical Week

Although my new training schedule, once implemented, will likely not rival the one posted below for intensity, it will definitely look a bit more ambitious than what I do now. I've completed 5 races so far this season with one more to go. That will make 3 olympic distance races and 3 sprints. No long stuff at all this year so the training has been kept to a reasonable level for these kind of events.

Here's a typical week for me:

Sunday - long ride (80-120k) or a brick (2 hour bike, 1 hour run)
Monday - rest
Tuesday thru Friday - a mix of short run (40 min), weights, and swimming. It varies from week to week depending on how I feel. There is also a hockey game in the mix on wednesday night.
Saturday - long run (1.5 - 2 hours)

Once a month I get a shiatsu massage, which I find very helpful in eliminating some of the minor physical complaints that would otherwise not be addressed. It helps a lot with flexibility and with any muscular stiffness that can build up into the sort of chronic complaint that would otherwise simply be 'normalized' as part of the feel of being a masters athlete. Low back pain, neck stiffness and a lack of flexibility should not ever be a regular part of your routine, and massage can help with that.

Most winters I cut back on the running, getting out only on the weekends, up the frequency of weight training to 2-3 times per week, and shun the pool from September to May. I have a feeling that won't work if I expect to do anything respectable at IMLP.

I've been looking into come coaching options and have narrowed it down to 2 candidates. I will also be undergoing a lactate threshold test to determine where my optimum heart rate zones are and all of that, so the results (good or bad) will get posted here.

(Is) Coaching for Dummies?

One thing I will have to make a decision on relatively quickly is whether or not to hire a coach, or at least whether to purchase some kind of customized training program. On the one hand, I've been racing for 5 years now so I do know a little bit about the sport. On the other hand, I'm pretty much chronically undertrained and probably not reaching my potential. A potential I might add that gets just a little diminished each year as I get older.

Coaches, however, do not come cheaply. From a basic "we'll email you your program and let you get on with it" type of thing at around $100 CDN per month to the deluxe "we'll design a program for you, make sure it fits with your daily schedule, call you on the phone twice a day to see how you're feeling and then hold your hand when you cross the IM finish line" for upwards of $350 per month, there are many variations available.

The other option is to buy some training books and cobble together something that looks do-able. I'm leaning towards this option, but will likely invest in a heart rate monitor (recommended by every book i've read on this subject) and a lactate threshold test. Just to see how fit I am / am not.

Details to follow...

Risk Management 101

One of the things that I will definitely NOT be doing during the training phase (ie. in the 10 months or so leading up to IM) is playing hockey. For some reason I have a knack for injuries, particularly to the lower extremeties. If I'm not twisting a knee I'm taking a shot off the foot, and these are not the kinds of injuries that you want if you plan on a smooth training program.

Again last night with the foot injury - a shot off the heel has re-aggravated a previous injury and will probably make my race this sunday more difficult. I'm glad it's only a sprint, but still.

So, once this summer hockey season is over that's it until next August. Hockey poolie yes, hockey player no.

Typical Training Schedule for Who?

Preparations for an IronMan race should not be taken lightly, I realize that. But how much training is enough? A friend (and IMUSA 2005 finisher) sent me this sample training schedule for a "#1 age-grouper":

• Mon - 22 mile bike easy @ 20 mph, run 13 miles


• Tues - 32 miles bike hard @ 26-29 mph, swim 4000yds


• Wed - 32 miles controlled-pace bike @ 24 mph with four sprints, run 13 miles tempo skip run if Thurs is long


• Thurs - Run 13- 23 miles, swim 4000 yds


• Fri - bike 32 controlled-pace @ 24 mph with sprints, swim 3000yds
• 
  
• Sat - bike 30 hard followed by an hour later with 13 mile run maybe a short swim after


• Sun - bike 42- 100 miles maybe follow with a short run, 6-10 miles

Wha? Does this guy have a life? A job? Holy cow.

You can bet I won't be following a schedule that looks anything like this. Not unless my employer will agree to a paid leave-of-absence and my girlfriend agrees to take over every single household chore including all cat maintenance duties. Unlikely? Oh yeah.

Welcome to the CarbonMan Report

So i signed up for IronMan USA (Lake Placid, NY) for 2006. Nobody forced me to, I didn't do it on a dare, I don't have any deep seated personal issues to work through, and I'm not expecting to have any life-altering epiphanies as a result of training for and/or completing the race.

This blog will be a record of my preparation for IMUSA - the training, the warmup races, the pain and suffering. All that stuff. Because why not? It will serve as either a warning or an inspiration for anyone else contemplating the event.

Let the blogging begin.