I haven't mentioned this lately, indeed I haven't mentioned much lately, but Coach Kris rocks. This is easily said in a week like this one where I have gone down to 6.5 hours of pretty easy training--as compared with last week when I was at 15.5 hours of training. Grownups, much like toddlers, are happy and compliant when they are well-rested and fed.
That is me right now. Unlike some of the training plans I have followed in the past, Coach Kris takes recovery very seriously--maybe making a special issue of at my advanced age. My training is less than half what it was last week and I get two--count 'em TWO--days with no training at all.
Now if only I could get the psycho triathlete side of my brain to remain asleep past 3:30 in the flippin' morning. Seriously, I have done two Ironman training programs with key morning training sessions without ever being awakened by an alarm clock. I never use an alarm because I never need one . . . because I always wake up.
Always.
Even when I don't have to.
Even when I don't want to.
Which brings me to another point--the flip side of rest week. Unlike toddlers, psycho triathletes aren't happy unless they are hungry, exhausted, and on the move. That is me in spades. I'm a midget when it comes to racing, but I am a giant in training. I LOVE to train. So the flip side of Coach Kris, during the build weeks, suits me just fine.
Other plans I've followed had one rest day ever week, which always kind of annoyed me. Sure, I need reset, but I want to DO something. Coach Kris uses his Ouija Board or Magic Eight Ball or Divining Rods to give me something every day during the build weeks. I get recovery by Coach Kris' mix of intensities and the mix of swim/bike/run. And instead of piling all the key workouts into the weekend, I actually have some key sessions during the week, meaning more key sessions and better recovery between the sessions.
I think our only problem, Coach Kris and me, is that I don't speak "swim." He does speak the polyglot swim dialect, and he doesn't always stick to the glossary of "swimming terms" that he sent me. I'm not sure what kind of alchemy goes into swim coaching, but instead of saying, "swim longer and faster than last week," you get a lot of numbers and "@" signs and "s/dr/k by 50s" and "desc 1-4." I usually get the gist of it, but sometimes you just gotta e-mail and say, "WTH?"
He hasn't laughed at me.
Yet.
To my face.
All this is making me better, I can feel it. However, I have yet to show it in a performance.
But, Ironman 70.3 at Buffalo Springs Lake is a week from Sunday. It is a hard course that I have raced twice, but never very well. I'm starting to feel like I am a hard athlete. I'm starting to dream crazy numbers. Do I dare even say them out loud? Write them down?
Hmmmmmmm.
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4 comments:
What is your coach's name again? :-)
no-seriously. Great races come from great training plans. Go rock BSLT!
Kris is indeed a Coach-God.
Sounds like it's all working for you.
DO NOT say numbers out loud or post any numbers. It is a sure way to sabotage yourself or jinx your performance.
Tell us afterwords.
Good luck.
Say them, write them, blog them. And remember you did so when you are on mile 8 of the run. Go for it!!!
I am so excited for you!!!
What is confusing about swim/drill/kick 50 yard efforts that get progressively faster and you do 4 of them?
I get the lingo. Oh, sorry I forgot...I used to do swim team. I guess I speak "swim".
You are going to do great next weekend and I have a feeling that you are going to give this slow chick a run for her money. I will pick up a round of beers or margaritas after the race. It may be margaritas. We will need the extra salt after those hot conditions.
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