Ironman comes down to the run. It's what I read in almost every article, and it's what I hear from every veteran. And running off the bike, is not the same as running. If you've done only running (ie marathons)...this is a whole different ball game. You gotta go hard on the bike, but not too hard, because it will show up in your run if you do. How far out can you push the wall...this is what racing an Ironman is about.
So I put a lot of judgement on my runs, especially the long ones after a hard ride or brick workout.
Yesterday, I had one of the worst runs of my life.
How can that be? you say. Just last Monday you had one of the best runs of your life. (maybe she's just getting emotional and has lost her judgement, they whisper).
Trust me, that's not it.
So let's do the analysis...I didn't get going till 9am. Just could not get up when the alarm went at 530. I figure, you know, not such a bad thing - the IM run isn't at 6am after all. So out I go. I'm still hurting from Saturday, my body is not right at this point, and I am definitely still dehydrated. But, I put out my aid stations, I decide I'm doing loops today. I figure 7, since I should be getting close to 21 miles in. And off I go. The humidity was unbearable. I mean, I was dripping more than if I'd stepped out of the pool. At one point I sat down on the electrical box...yes maybe some sick part of me hoped for a big shock and put me out of my misery ;)...and literally left a pool of sweat all over the top of it and dripping down the sides, such that 30 minutes later when I passed it again, it was still wet!
I was actually already hurting by 50 minutes in. After the second loop I wanted to be done. But, I was gonna do 3:00 come hell or high water, and not one second less. If I got nothing more out of this run, it would be that. And honestly, I really didn't broker any other options after that. It was going to be 3 hours or nothing, no matter what that meant. And so I did. And it was TOUGH. Mental shit flyin' all over the damn place. But you know what, I did it. It took a while, and it took a lot out of me, mentally and physically, but dammit I did it. And I'm not thrilled with the way it looked and the way it went, but still, I did it. And if I'd had to do another 8 miles to finish the race, I would've been able to do that too. Would have been a sorry ass time, but I would've done it. Last loop around...how I managed to pass the car and keep going, still not sure...but I did. Going up that hill for that final loop...let's just say I hope there weren't any kids in the backyards. "You are NOT gonna beat me. I'm gonna finish every second of these 3 hours. You WILL NOT BEAT ME." And then I just got mad ... "FUCK you." Yes, that was all out loud. To myself, or whatever demons I was fighting during the run. But I started running again. And I did 3 full hours.
So I'm really quite honestly embarrassed to acknowledge how poor the performance yesterday was...but I've been thanked for keeping this blog real, and I'm not gonna wimp out now. So 3:00 of running, and all I could do was 17.5 miles. Pretty pathetic. Well okay, WAY pathetic. There was a fair bit of walking in there. And truth be told, it took me a fair bit longer than 3 hours to get that 3 hours of running in. Closer to 3.5. Now there were some bathroom breaks in there, but most of it was just stopping and pep talking myself into continuing. And yes. There was a LOT of crying. Big surprise.
Compare and contrast: last week, slightly lower temps and way lower humidity, but no shade (it was open highway remember), and even some good headwind towards the end. 2:45 running time and did 19.5 miles. Two miles MORE in 15 minutes LESS running time (and a whole helluva lot less elapsed time)!! WTF. and no walking!! And I felt really good at the end of it. How do I know the humidity was lower? I wasn't really soaked through till about 2 hours in. Yesterday I was soaked through and dripping before 30 minutes was up. I drank 80 oz of water, and I still lost 5 pounds. I only weigh 125 to begin with these days! When I had slowed to running 10's and slower, my heart rate was still 167.
It's just NOT RIGHT. That's all this Canadian girl has to say. Well that, and the next damn ironman I train for (yes, yes, I really do mean the next one, even with all this agony right now, I know I'll do another) is sure as HELL not gonna be at the end of the summer. Honest to GOD. It's just NOT RIGHT to train like this in these conditions.
Okay. So, I guess, here's the thing. I'm tired. My body is whacked out, and that affected my performance BIG TIME on the weekend and with it a lot of physical pain. Went and had a very long and very painful massage today, so things should be better this week from that perspective. What I got out of the run yesterday was the absolute belief that whatever IMC throws my way, I will finish. I obviously hope to do a lot better than just finish, but pushing through that run, regardless of how pathetic the pace was, showed me that I can conquer those demons. And when they rear their ugly heads in Penticton, and they will, I will be able to beat them down. I promise I will do it quietly though ;) no need to frighten my fellow athletes. Bottom line is, and anyone who has done an IM will tell you this, it is 50% mental. Well, I think I've got the mental part down. Needs a little refining perhaps still, but I'm there.
The end is in sight. The weather will undoubtedly be a lot better than what we are suffering through here. Probably similar to what I had in Muskoka last week. This bodes well for us.
So time to knuckle down, HTFU, and get the last 13 days in. Thanks KevIron for the words of encouragement yesterday, and Coach for calling to check on me tonight.
Almost there. Stay in the moment.
Happy training, and HTFU :)
Kat
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