Sunday, September 14, 2008

Beach 2 Battleship Part 1


Now that Patriots is done, I'm on to the next race.  A triathlete buddy at the Y approached me and asked me to participate in a 1/2 Iron relay.  What do you think the first thing out of my mouth was? "Well if I do it, I'm not doing the swim leg!"  I told her I would do the bike leg but she had told someone else they could do that,  so I'm doing the 13.1 run.  (smiles)


Towards the end of my triathlete training I started experiencing some soreness around the back and front of my left knee cap.  Long story short, I had runner's knee and just stayed off of it until Patriots.  It acted up a little on the course but nothing that halted me, that was the heat! I knew that after this week I needed to start kicking the running up to be ready for 11/1/08.  I'm a little concerned about the knee, but I'm just going to stretch and pray the knee doesn't make this training miserable.  I have 7 weeks to be ready for the 1/2 Iron.  My plan is to do the long runs on Wednesdays and train the smart way, by adding a mile or two each week (periodization).  I might consult with my friend BP to help me train smarter.

1/2 Iron Distance
Swim-1.2 mile 
Bike-56 mile
Run-13.1

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shannon -

Here's my suggestion for approaching the 1/2 with 7 weeks to go. If you're able to run 7 miles at a comfortable pace, start out there. The goal is to accustom your body to running for longer and longer periods of time. The next week, try 8 miles, then 9, and then 10. If you're able to get through that injury free and feeling good, bring the mileage up to 12 miles, followed by 14 miles. Overdistancing is good for a 1/2 so you know you can do the distance mentally. I'd also suggest adding a weekly tempo run into the mix. Half marathons aren't about just running 13.1 miles. The goal is to run it as fast as you can. After a mile warm up, start picking up the pace to where it starts to get uncomfortable. Run a mile at that pace and then pick up speed for the next mile, if possible at AT. Finish with a mile cool down. Over the 7 weeks, gradually add distance (or time) to the kind of uncomfortable and AT phases. You may work up to 5 to 6 miles between warm up and cool down. I really would have preferred to e-mail this to you rather than posting it on your blog. Do you get paid for generating traffic on it?

Bill

Anonymous said...

Shannon -

Wow, the entire triathlete community is buzzing about your blog. It's brilliant. Keep up the good work.

Cheers,

Paula

Anonymous said...

Shannon -

My friend Paula referred me to this site and I'm glad that she did. I'm learning so much about triathlons that I didn't know previously.


Dave

Anonymous said...

Shannon -

All of my tri comrades are fascinated by the knowledge they have gained from your pearls of wisdom. We can't wait for the next blog.

Mark

Anonymous said...

Shannon -

When we first conceived of the sport of triathlons back in the '60s, little did we know that it would spawn the brilliance displayed in your blogs. I may have to go back into competition using what I've learned from you and the Bill dude.

Peace Out,

Scott

Shannon said...

OK I've had a rough day but this made me smile.

Thank You BP or Paula, or Dave, or Mark, or Scott or who ever you are!