Monday, June 30, 2014

My First 9 Hour Training Day: IM Boulder Training Week #14

Now THAT was a training day.

Yesterday was the longest workout of my entire life (if you don’t count labor and delivery, but even that didn’t take this long and there were pain killing drugs involved).  Yesterday’s training was 9 + hours.

This was also my highest volume training week so far this training season coming in at about 18 hours.

I’m sorry if you get tired of my Ironman training details. I have to say, this training is consuming and monopolizes my brain, so that’s what comes out on the blog. I find it fascinating how the body can adapt over time. Only 6 years ago, I could barely run 2-3 miles. I’m not bragging, but I am proud of my accomplishments! Hard work + discipline + potty humor + being slightly crazy = results.

Yesterday's mega-brick:

2,900 yard swim
100 mile bike
6 mile run

Honestly, while conditions were brutal (strong face wind and 95 degrees), there could not have been a better day to mimic what conditions will probably be like for Ironman Boulder in 5 weeks. I stuck to my nutrition/hydration/sodium plan and I think that is why I did not die or cry. Although I did sigh and say, “oh my” and pass a guy and say “hi.”

What I ingested (okay, I didn’t eat my iPod):

IMAG3318

Pre-Swim:

  • Big ass cup of coffee
  • Bottle of X2 Performance (pre-workout supplement. You can get a free sample HERE). I swear by the stuff.
  • Jumbo bagel
  • 2 Salt Stick tabs (I new it was going to be a freaking HOT one, so I wanted to be prepared).

Post swim/pre bike:

  • 1 package mini muffins (200 calories); 1 bottle Nuun

(I have to tape my Salt Stick tabs to the bike or I will forget to take them).

IMAG3317

On the bike:

  • 2 cinnamon sugar pop tarts (400 calories)
  • 1 Stinger waffle with almond butter (200 calories)
  • 1 sweet/salty Zone bar (200 calories)
  • 2 Roctane gels (220 calories)
  • 1/2 package Combos (pretzel/cheese – 200 calories)
  • 4 scoops Powerbar Peform – 380 calories
  • 10 Salt Stick tabs
  • So many ounces of water I could not tell you, but it still wasn’t enough (maybe 200 ounces total? And, I only peed once. Yikes. It was not blood, however).

On the Run:

  • More water
  • Honey stinger gel

I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy trying to survive, but here is one of a jack knifed truck blocking the course. He almost crushed my Pop Tarts.

A little obstacle on the IM course today as we road it!

And, one of the lovely IM course (actually there are some pretty parts, but when you get out east it is all fracking ((hydraulic fracturing – extracting natural gas)), cows, and big ass trucks):

This workout was quite the topper to a long training week:

image

Monday: rest
Tuesday: Bike 23 miles
Wednesday: Swim 3,000 yards, run 15 miles
Thursday:  Bike 15 miles
Friday: Swim 3,200 yards, bike 21 miles
Saturday: 6.5 mile run/intervals
Sunday: Swim 2,900 yards, bike 100 miles, run 6 miles

Total hours: 17 hours, 53 minutes
Total workouts: 8
Total miles: Swim 5.1 + bike  158.6 + run 27.3 = 191 miles

Okay enough about me already.

Tell me what race you did this weekend.

What’s the longest workout (non race) that you’ve ever done?

 

SUAR

57 comments:

  1. Oh my, that is amazing! Yesterday I swam about 1.1 miles in a pond and then went on a 40 mile bike ride (had some time in between during which I ate but when I finished the ride I absolutely devoured a veggie burger w/cheese & salsa and a bag of chips!). Total workout time about 3.5 hours - felt pretty beat and wiped afterwards and I am only training for a 70.3! I don't know how you do it! And I am really worried about not being able to consume enough calories during my race, did a Clif bar and a Gu and two bottles of Gatorade yesterday but was starving after....

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    1. Good workout for you. I try to get 250 cals/hour on the bike. Did the same with the 70.3.

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    2. Sounds like I probably need to up the calorie intake on the bike then, I had the G2 Gatorade so even fewer calories.....I also want to know how much you are sleeping! I am lucky to get 7-8 hours in a night, got up at 5am today to go do a track workout but all I can think about is taking a nap :)

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    3. Most nights I sleep 8ish ours per night. I also try to get a 1/2 hour nap in during the day if I can squeeze it in.

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    4. you are amazing! oh and I LOVE Combos, one of my favorite go-tos on the rare occasion I allow myself near the vending machines at work LOL!

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  2. My longest was 8.5 hours, 112 miles on the bike and an 8+ mile run, congrats on getting 9 hours in, that will pay off race day, but yes, it is nuts! :)

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  3. amazing job this week! congrats on surviving the long training day!!!
    a curious question here--do you ever get side stitches during the run from the food you take in on the bike or even while on the run?

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    1. No side stitches. Yesterday I didn't have any issues. In my first IM I got nauseous on the run, but I think that was an issue of low sodium. During my first 1/2 IM I had a terrible stomach ache off the bike that took about 4 miles to resolve.

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  4. Do you mind if I ask a question? You are already very fit and thin, and you mention just a few years ago you could barely run 2-3 miles. How has your body changed since you started endurance training (I mean, physically - I know of course it will adapt to any workload)? Do you find yourself more lean? Or are you just eating WAY more food to maintain your body in it's current state?

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    1. My body hasn't changed that much. I was fit before (just from being a gymnast and cycling in my earlier days). If anything, I have gained a few pounds and just become more muscly. I think I don't lose weight because I eat a ton (see above!)

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  5. You are amazing! :) Great job on your training week!

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  6. No races right now -- next one will be the local Halloween Half. Longest workout ever was a 14000 yd swim, but I was in high school. As an adult, a 6800 yd swim which took about 3.5 hours.

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  7. Thank you for the inspiration! I'm only a runner, but my insanity is the ultra distances - 50K, 50M, 100M. The longest training run I've done that wasn't a race-used-as-a-training-run was 48 miles on a 3-mile trail loop, mostly at night. It was part of a fat-ass style group run, so at least there were other people out there to run with. It took about 12 hours with pit stops and food breaks.

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  8. The internet ate my first comment :/
    I am amazed and your drive and determination. Thank you for inspiring me to work harder.
    I raced my first Ragnar this weekend (Wasatch Back). It was so fun and so hard at the same time. Our team placed 5th in our division of 52 teams though so that's cool.

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    1. 5th/52 is awesome!! I love relay, sounds like this was a good one.

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  9. Although I am impressed by your discipline and your mileage, I am far more impressed by your ability to consume all that food whilst riding a bicycle.

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  10. My longest workout was my marathon 2.5 years ago! (4.5 hours)
    No race this weekend...

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  11. You're such an inspiration! I just love your blog. Do you eat all that while riding? Excuse my naivety, I only run and I can barely do that and eat or drink anything. I can't imagine having to do that on a bike! The longest workout I've ever done is a 23 mile run when I was training for a marathon. Which felt much more brutal than running the marathon. God bless race day adrenaline!

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    1. Yes, I eat it all on the bike. With the exception of buying more water, I carry all of that in my pockets or in my bento box. Good training for race day. I usually break up the solid food into small pieces and put it in Ziploc bags for easier access.

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  12. Are you using the same coach for this IM? I've been following you for a while and the training seems so much more intense than for your last IM.

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    1. You're right, it is different. This time I am using a local Boulder training group called Fast Forward. We have several very hands on coaches. I agree - it is more intense, even though I'm not sure the training hours are the different. It's just the intensity of the workouts and how they are spaced maybe.

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  13. Wow, that's quite a workout. I'm thinking I need to eat more on my bike rides and the Salt Stick tabs really interest me too. I've thought about supplementing salt somehow on my rides and have gotten some recommendations from my local bike shop. I rode 64 miles Saturday and I'm pretty sure I drank close to 240 ounces of water/Nuun. I can't swim, so I don't plan on ever doing an IM or triathlon, but I have considered a duathlon some day.

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  14. Amazing training day! U r going to rock your IM.

    Love this! Hard work + discipline + potty humor + being slightly crazy = results. (same as me without the potty humor)

    Also, love and miss brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Eat with extra enjoyment for me. :)

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  15. That's just incredible. I would not, could not, should not workout that long. I'm very impressed. Also - betcha you came home and were starving for protein. That happens to me when I've been training long on mostly carbs for fuel.

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  16. Phew! Great job! I guess the longest I've ever worked out was doing a half marathon at a pretty slow pace, lol! I love triathletes, I am just amazed at what you all can do!

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  17. My longest workout is probably 3 hours.

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  18. Well, since you asked ;), I did Ironman CDA yesterday. The weather was perfect, with a high of maybe 70 degrees. The wind however, was not perfect and the water was so choppy. I wanted to cry as we stood on the beach. But we got through it and the wind was still an issue on the bike but it was a great day other than that. I took over an hour off of my previous IM time and I am so happy! I'm not sure how you manage ziplock bags but I'd like to learn. I took all of my calories (Perpetuem) in one bottle (yes, it got gross), one Powerbar and my supplements in hourly tin foil packets. That's about all I can handle while riding. And, I saw the former Bachelor, Andy Baldwin walking to transition. How about that? Good work on your training! I'm going to go have another beer and catch up on my TV shows. :)

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  19. I am in CO for vaycay and ran for the first time in Boulder today. WOW. I just could not get any air in my lungs!!! I had to take several walking breaks. Like after every quarter of a mile. I won't be here long enough to get used to it hehe.

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  20. *burps*
    I"m full just from reading what you ate during your training.

    You are seriously bad ass

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  21. Your training is AMAZING, and so inspirational. I lead a beginners running group, and one of my girls is in her thirties. She said that someone told her she was too old to start running - I couldn't BELIEVE it! I am going to send her your blog to show what you can do if you don't let the naysayers drag you down.

    Keep it up!!! I can't wait to see how you go!!

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  22. OMG Beth, I am beyond in awe. I cannot imagine such a workout. But am loving your journey, thanks for taking us along.

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  23. Amazing and inspiring, thank you and keep up the fabulous work! What kind of salt tab do you recommend? I live in Atlanta and am running through the summer. I drink nuun but feel like I need to add more salt to my longer runs. I'm at a loss when it comes to salt tabs. The heat and humidity really suck the sweat and salt out of me.

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    1. Hi Carrie. I use the Salt Stick brand b/c it has high sodium as well as other electrolytes.

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  24. No racing. Longest workout was on the order of 8 hours. Long bike, short-ish run.

    You are going to have a great race! Please post bib number when you know it so I can follow you on race day.

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  25. 9 hours, you have officially crossed the line into crazy. I sometimes run that long, but not often!

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  26. My standard Saturday workout is 8 miles on the elliptical, a one-hour weightlifting class, a one-hour Zumba class, and a two-mile cooldown run. It's about 4 hours.

    About once a quarter, I'll do 13.1 between the elliptical and the track with both classes. I like keeping my mileage up, but I'm not much for racing right now.

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  27. Sooo impressive! How do you eat all that on the bike without crashing? I am barely coordinated enough to drink water while on my bike. My longest workout during marathon training was a nearly 5 hour run.

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  28. 9 hours is impressive. but think of how much pizza you can eat guilt free!!!

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  29. You are a badass and I love your blog. We didn't race - but rode the MS150 bike ride...on mountain bikes. We are looking into road bikes now, for next year. Plus i'm hoping to investigate duathalons (I suck at swimming).

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  30. I did Ragnar Wasatch Back. I was runner 11, so I had 22.6 miles. One of them was a tough climb to Snowbasin Resort, and another one was a descent from 8950' into Park City. It was a tough thing for this flatlander to accomplish!

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  31. Clint the Cool GuyJuly 1, 2014 at 8:40 AM

    Hi Beth! Long time lurker here, first time poster. I love your blog, and read it all the time.

    "Tell me what race you did this weekend. What’s the longest workout (non race) that you’ve ever done?"

    Well if you reaaally want to know... Last weekend was my longest workout ever! I ran 16.75 miles, and was on the road for over 3 hours, long enough for my Pandora to die on me. (I didn't know it would do that. Huh.) I'm training for my first Marathon, on Oct 5th. My legs are still slightly sore. Running 16 miles seems like a huge achievement for me. But to think - you regularly crank that out in ROUTINE training! That is insane :)

    Reading your running tales is always interesting and amusing. Don't worry about talking too much about yourself - that's what blogs are for, right? People wouldn't be reading if they didn't want to know all the grisly details of your training. It satisfies that inner nosiness :)

    It is an inspiration to read about your training journey. Everyone has their own training journey. Yours is on a much bigger scale than mine. But it's awesome to read a blog of someone who understands - someone who "gets it".

    The other day a coworker asked me if I was going through a midlife crisis, unable to understand why I suddenly like running so much, and do these long runs. I couldn't explain it to him. How can you? I used to think that running was awful too! But once you start, you can't stop. It's addictive that way.

    Keep up the good work! Good luck on your Ironman! Have a great day!

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  32. Hey Beth,

    Your training was incredible last weekend. 9 hours is unthinkable. For me, I only spent an hour lifting, then 3 + hours on the hills of Lebanon, CT. That was sufficient!

    There is a guy I know from my gym who ran the Western States last weekend. He finished in 23 hours 43 minutes. Under 24 hours got him the silver belt buckle. I can't wait to congratulate him. That is quite an accomplishment.

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    1. Wow, 23 hours, 43 minutes of running. Damn he deserves that belt!!

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  33. You're such a badass! This weekend I did a sprint tri, and along the way I reminded myself of how lucky I am to NOT be doing an ironman. you're an inspiration, as always.

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  34. I am in awe, as usual. I was actually thinking about you the other day, wondering how you can think about normal, everyday stuff when you're training at this level. IM training seems impossible to me not so much because of the actual swimming, biking, and running (although that's unbelievable, too) but because you still have a job and a family and friends and a beautiful dog and the ability to type amusing, coherent posts! Do you think your training has helped you to focus and concentrate; sort-of compartmentalize what you're doing throughout your day? Or maybe you were always good at that stuff and that's why you're able to train and compete as an Ironman while people like me are sitting here looking at your training graph with our jaws agape.

    Also, I counted 10 workouts. Do you count some of the combos as singles?

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    1. I have to admit, it is sometimes hard to "think about normal everyday stuff" in the midst of all of this. It is pretty consuming. I think the key is being ultra organized. I make lots of lists and there is no extra time for reading good books (well, I read but one book takes me a month these days) or leisurely coffee with friends. Keep in mind, I don't work full time either. And, my kids are a bit older too. I could never do this when my kids were young. My son drives now so that helps a ton.

      As for the question about workouts...I counted the mega brick as one big freaking workout. I guess technically it is three.

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    2. I completed two IMS while being a single mom and working full time...you just have to set your mind to it.

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  35. way to go! I did IM coeur d'Alene and it was crazy windy there too. No hydraulic views there though…it was gorgeous and i highly recommend it!

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    1. congrats to you and glad you had a good race day. CdA looks beautiful.

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  36. I have ridden over 120 miles just for "fun" with one other person. I think we swam later in the day....My longest run was 12:30 for my Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim. That was for fun too.

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  37. This weekend I rode a 71 mile bike ride. I had to get through two triathlon races, which convinced me to ride "blindly" through Longmont to avoid those races. When I finally cut back to return to Boulder, I ended up apart of an MS ride. I was happy to run after being on my bike 4 hours and 40 minutes. Definitely my longest training day yet. Ironman Boulder is fast approaching.

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  38. I love the salt tabs taped to the bike. Awesome.

    Hey, speedy, if you were slower then you'd have longer workouts like me. :: grins ::

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  39. That is a tough workout! Good job! I use to workout 4 hours a day 5 days a week. Hello 11% body fat

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