This morning, I chose to train with two professional triathletes. Through Nicole Gallagher of local coaching company, BPMSports I did a track running session with Belinda and Justin Granger. Belinda has won 14 Ironman triathlons and placed consistently high at the World Championships in Kona.
Here are Macca’s thoughts about his recent ITU race and injury, and how his plans to qualify for the Olympics may be affected.
Justin coached us today including his wife. After an 800m test run (at even pace), I qualified for Group 2. This meant holding 1:30-1:35 for 400m, with 200m jogging for recovery, for 8 laps. Group 1 had to do 10 laps with a faster pace. I ran with Belinda and another two runners. The lady dropped out from the pace after one lap, and I stuck closely with Belinda and the chap for six laps before I dropped my pace to 1:39 for the last two laps. Justin gave me encouraging feedback, mainly to lean more forward. After the workout, the Grangers shared some useful tips including the fact that they enjoyed working with triathletes as the latter never seem to give up on the hard work. They may take a longer recovery set, but they complete the work. I was pleased with my effort although running at 6.15am was a challenge unto itself. Their recommendation for speed-work seemed daunting: aim for 20-25X400m in each session. Mirinda Carfrae did this to do well for her runs in both 70.3 and Ironman distance. If it is good enough for professionals and elite athletes, it may be worth considering seriously.
I enjoyed my training session with the pros and age-groupers, although I had to rush off to attend a Train-the-Trainers certification. As luck would have it, I sat next to a New Zealand trainer/consultant, Mike Matthews who did sub-12 hours Ironman races about 15 years ago. At his best, he ran 1:20 flat for half-marathons and about 3 hours for the full 42.195K. A former cross-country runner and barefoot runner, he recommended me the following menu:
1) Run off-road/trail at least once a week, running fast uphill and including fartlek (speedplay).
2) Avoid junk miles – endless miles with no purpose.
3) Ride not more than four hours, with occasional fast bursts/intervals (1-2 minutes sprints with recovery spins).
4) Do bricks: run off up to 60 minutes, after a reasonably hard bike session.
5) Swims should include hypoxic breathing (anaerobic, holding of breaths).
With Ironman New Zealand confirmed, my second Ironman for 2012 may be some of these choices: IM Korea, IM Switzerland, and Norseman. The latter is an extreme 226K that expanded itself this year due to cold weather and cold water. Participants swam up to 4.8K and rode 200K (instead of the usual 180K) before heading for a marathon that includes hilly terrain. Malaysia’s Tee Boon Tiong (in blue long-sleeved sweater in photograph) completed his quest for personal Viking victory in about 20 hours.
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