Week 29: Taper Time But Stayin' Hot!

 

    Love this photo of me at last week's Kansas City Triathlon.  Covered up my face some with the hang loose gesture, but as fast as I was cruising right there, it turned out awesome.  Taper week is upon me! Two weeks of tapering, actually.  That was the last of my long weeks for this training block and when I finish up with Eagleman I'll start up on my full Ironman training!  Spoiler alert before the end of the blog today, I will probably have a late blog posting next week since Matthew's wedding is on Sunday afternoon.  I plan on a race preview along with a short recap of the week.  Starting off with my weekly training stats....

Weekly Stats:

• Swim (3x)
• 3.84 miles (6,6761 yards)
• 2:07:49
• Bike (4x)
• 125.32 miles
• 7:09:49
• Run (3x)
• 24.18 miles
• 4:03:03
• Yoga (3x)
• 1:17:04
• TOTALS:
• 13 workout sessions
• 153.34 miles
• 14:37:45

Training Notes:

    

    Final long week. And I'm tired.  Lots going on in the last two weekends and weeks.  And some really long runs and rides as I wrap up the race-specific training section of my half Ironman plan.  I really fell short on my strength and yoga sessions this week, but I made sure I got my core workouts in.  When the workout times go up and the time available go down, something's got to give.  And strength and yoga is on the chopping block. Still important, but priorities....

   

    I was able to get an open-water swim in at the (former) Morsch Farm.  I did 7 loops around the pond for a total of 2,111 yards.  ONE yard short of the 1.2 mile half Ironman distance.  Didn't see it until I was out of the water or I might have jumped back in to swim 3 feet.  Felt great in my wetsuit and got se great video courtesy of Chad.  On Friday I swam 2,150 yards to complete the full distance again but this time in the pool.  I'm ready for the swim, just praying for somewhat calm water.  

    Lots of biking this week.  Over 7 hours with a full 56+-miler on Saturday morning.  I was planning on riding outside for my last long ride, but the forecast was for rain.  Of course, it's Kansas, so the forecast was wrong and it didn't rain.  

 But I rode the 70.3 Eagleman course on ROUVY.  Nothing spectacular since it's extremely flat.  It was good to say I've ridden the course, even though it was virtually. It was also great to chat with several of the guys from the podcast group, including Tony from Melbourne, Australia who was getting a late night ride in--it was 1:00 AM Sunday morning his time by the time he was done (16 hours ahead of central time)!  After last week's triathlon, and my long rides this week, I'm confident going into the next couple of weeks and then onto the race.  

    My runs this week went great.  I had a long 2-hour run on Friday morning before work.  Nothing like starting my work day with an almost 12-mile run.  Found my groove and made sure I was keeping hydrated and fueled right.  In the past, I haven't been very good at fueling right for my longer training runs (or rides), but I've been careful to do what I would do on race day.  The biggest difference is I use the cheaper Gu gels instead of my race-day gels.  Gu's run about $2 a pop, where my Maurten gels are $4 a piece.  

    The Maurten gels are the on-course nutrition for the Ironman-branded races, so I'm only going to use those on race day.  The good news is that at my local running shop, they're giving 30% off if you're in training.  So it's a big savings!  After my Saturday 3-hour, 56+-mile ride on the trainer, I finished the workout off with an hour long run.  Really felt solid and have seen huge gains in my run after the bike.  That's been my biggest challenge, and I'm getting out of the danger of  just blowing up on the run.  But I still have to be steady and fuel correctly.  Can't wait to put it all together in the long-distance in two weeks!  By this time in 14 days, I'll be done and hopefully will have a great day. Just trusting my training and have faith that everything will fit together perfectly.  And if I do have something that challenges me, that my training will help me overcome whatever it is.  But I'm not going there....it's going to be a great day all the way around!  

Life Applications:

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
Revelation 3:15 (NLT)

    As I went through this final long week--a long week after some long weeks, there were many times that I thought about just coasting through it.  I didn't want to work hard some days as I got up in the morning, or had to do long rides or hit a long run in the middle of my already full crazy schedule.  But I have a goal.  To finish, to finish strong, and to knock my PR out of the water.  The only way to do that is to stay hot.  To keep working hard and not slow down.  

    I can honestly say I've enjoyed each workout once I'm in the middle of it, and especially when I'm done.  Usually it's the anticipation of tomorrow's hard work that gives me pause.  But almost a year ago, I commited to Eagleman, both financially and personally, and also had committed (not monetarily at that point) to Ironman Florida.  How easy it could have been at ANY point along the way to just coast.  To take the day off.  To bag the workout, or just not give it full effort.  Easy.  But then I would just get out of it what I put in.  And my goals and expectations I put on myself might not be met.  Sure I would've finished Eagleman.  Maybe even get a PR, but is mediocre good enough?  I always tell my students that I don't want them to strive for mediocrity.  I want them to push themselves and not just say "that's good enough".  And if I go lukewarm on my workout effort, that's exactly what I would have been doing.  

    At the end--the end of the training block and plan, or the end of my time on earth--I will face if I was hot or cold in my effort and faithfulness.  To the training plan or to following the Lord.  I don't want my race day results say that I was lukewarm in my training.  Or that I was cold.  I had to choose one side or the other.  I was either in or out.  Couldn't be both.  The same goes for my walk with the Lord.  I'm either in or out.  Hot or cold.  I have to make a decision and can't just do the walk when I feel like it.  Or when I've had enough sleep.  Or when it suits me if I want something.  I have to trust the process and the plan. My race isn't over on earth.  And I will continually be "in training" to be the best version of me that God has made me to be.  Definitely not perfect, but I can only give my best effort as a flawed human being in service to a perfect God.  I have to give myself grace too.  In my daily walk with Jesus and in my triathlon training plan.  Everyday I want to enjoy the daily walk in my faith, like I do each workout. Still have a long ways to go.  Consistency is the key all the way around. 

Final Thoughts:

    Next Sunday is Matthew's wedding, so I probably shouldn't be on the computer at the reception. I have a recovery/taper week, and plan on doing some sort of workout every day, but won't get to the blog until the following Monday or Tuesday.  I plan on a short recap of the week (I'll have some swims, bikes, and runs in some different locales to share), but want to give a preview of the following Sunday and the 70.3 Eagleman course.  Share my goals, my predictions and my thoughts leading up to the day.  Stay tuned--I'll still post things on Instagram and FB during the week. But check out the sunrise from my Friday morning 2-hour long run around Heritage Lake.  Can't beat it!!

    As always, thanks for following along.  I can't believe it is the end of May, graduations are over, the wedding is exactly 1 week away, and in 2 weeks I'll have completed Ironman 70.3 Eagleman.  Going to be a crazy 14 days!! All I can do between now and then is:

Keep Fit, Stay THE Course, and 

Keep Moving Forward

CPC 

Olathe, KS

5/25/25

13 days, 7 hours, and 37 minutes until 70.3 Eagleman

159 days, 14 hours, and 7 minutes until Ironman Florida