15 September 2014 - IM Chattanooga Training Update; Road running; Wristbands

Training for Ironman Chattanooga the past 2 weeks has seen lots of ups and downs. Two weeks ago was my final peak week with nearly 25 hours and lots of miles in it. Last week was the start of my taper, cutting back to less than 20 hours. (This week will be a lot less.) Some good workouts, especially running, as well as some very poor workouts, especially the long rides. I've had to modify my taper quite a bit due to coaching this coming weekend. (Fingers crossed I'll get it right - no guarantees.) At last some of the shorter rides have begun to feel better and faster at a normal effort, thanks to the taper. Even the one this evening was pretty good. It also helps that the bike is finally getting set up the way I want it for the race (hydration systems, new bento bag, tool/tube carrier) and it went into the shop tonight for a major tuneup and chain replacement. 

I've done an open water 4000yd swim in my swim skin to test it out as I'm guessing the river swim will not be wetsuit legal (76.1* f or below). Word is that the dam up river will allow some water to flow so times should be very fast. I'll try to get another swim in using the swim skin suit tomorrow, Tuesday, before coaching our final Team Challenge San Diego workout for TriRock on Sunday. (We can't wait! Our athletes are SO READY!) My swim has very slowly declined speed-wise over the past few years. It's a small amount but noticeable when you are a swimmer that watches the pace clock on every repeat in every workout. That said, come race day, my time will be what it will be!

As the run miles have come down and the strength training has gone away I've had some time for my legs to start recovering. My run is going to be a wild card come race day. It's the first time I've had a year of real running without resorting to water running or elliptical machine. So of course, I am trusting in the taper. I can't wait to see what happens! My aim is for the podium but, as always, conditions are out of my control, as are who shows up.

One quick comment that probably deserves its own blog post. One of the main places I run on the streets has a nice bike lane running down the side. There are curbs, parked cars, sidewalks, driveways - your typical sort of suburb. Many people run on these roads. Or walk. Or push their kids in strollers. I can't tell you how many people do this in the bike lane with their BACK TO TRAFFIC! If you're on the sidewalk it doesn't matter. If you're on the street please... FACE ONCOMING TRAFFIC! You have a better chance of seeing what's coming and possibly getting out of the way of danger. The small downside is that people pulling out of driveways or cross-streets may not look to their right before pulling out because they don't expect anything coming from the direction you're traveling so you do need to be defensive with that. 
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These past 10+ months have been a huge undertaking - fundraising, training, plus coaching and longer hours than ever at work. I've squeezed in everything I could, working hard to find success everywhere. Final fundraising is upon me and many kind, generous folks have donated. I have been overwhelmed and quite emotional about this. As part of my thank you to my donors and to honor my honorees, I'm going to carry wristbands across the finish line of the Ironman marathon with names on them all. The wristbands arrived tonight (Monday) and I've just begun to put the names on them.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this amazing journey on my behalf and who donated to a great cause. It's not too late to donate or donate again!

ALMOST THERE!
http://tinyurl.com/TeamChallengeSlade