Wednesday, August 17th 2011
Bike 5 hours (125 km)
transition about 5 minutes
Run: 90 minutes
Core: 30 minutes
Comments:
I didnt sleep well (once again)
The bike ride was moderately difficult until the 3 hour mark … when Mario stopped to get some water and cokes at a bakery.
He told me the hardest part is coming up.
Regretfully, I drank half a coke and ate a big pretzel (i was very hungry) .. because 2 minutes after we left the bakery we started a massive, steep climb.
The coke, water and pretzel seemed to be swirling around in my stomach as I climbed … and climbed and climbed.
I felt like shit.
After 30 minutes of struggling on the steep climb, I stopped and started to walk with the bike. I was dead. (essentially we were riding our bikes up a very steep mountain) I walked for a few minutes, but realized that it would take me forever to walk to the top … and then Mario rode back down to me and told me to stop being a pussy and not walk.
The climb last another 20 minutes or so …. and I struggled the entire way.
Once at the top, we rode down the other side and had a few other smaller climbs.
We arrived back at Mario’s house after 5:02 … 125km (we rode at a slower pace than previous rides, but I think it has to due with the long climbs slowing our pace down)
I took a few minutes to drink some water and change my shorts … Mario suggested I not wear my long sleve black t-shirt on the run because its “too hot,” but I was too lazy to put sun cream on my arms and told him I was used to the black shirt … (big mistake)
The first 35 minutes of the run were good, and I thought about running 2 hours … because I didnt have my car, thus had to either walk or run home — and in the beginning, I felt so good, I decided to just run home.
But there wasnt a cloud in the sky, and I was running on trails across large open fields … and I was hot.
I finished my water bottle after 56 minutes (legs felt good) … but the last 35 minutes I was weak and my saliva was like glue.
When my alarm went off at the 90 minute mark … I happily started to walk home (no way i was going to run)
All in all a good training day, but probably the day i was the most tired. Maybe its the lack of sleep? Dehydration? The long sleve black t-shirt sucked in the sun?
I have a 4,000 meter swim and 3 hour run tomorrow … and then 2 hour of core strength training at night.
End of next week, I will have my 2nd 7 day test week: 4k meter swim, 160/180km bike and 25/35km run depending on the day, every day for 7 days.
Then my summer vacation is over and I go back to Dubai. (a little bit more than IM swim distance, nearly the full bike distance, and half marathon every day for 7 days – the purpose is not just to get me into shape for naseba seven, but also to give me confidence)
I will have a 3rd and final test week sometime in October, and will come back to Austria to do it.
My first test week went smoothly, and gave me confidence .. but next weeks test is on a different level.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
A person who played a major role in motivating me to get into ultra/advenure races is a man named “Candy.”
Candy has run a triple ironman, a few 100 mile races … and many marathons. I have always been amazed by his training (he runs after work 20-40 miles straight a few times a week)
Recently, he started a blog on his training: www.andy-collier.com
Later, when I am not dead tired, I will post a blog/story about how Candy, Oxy, some fat buddah, IMcentric, and several “girls” bullied me … into going after making these adventure challenges happen.