Ironman Canada Countdown

We are getting very close to the "two months to go mark" for Ironman Canada.

What that really means is that there is basically only about 5 weeks or so left(as of this posting-June 15-to add some distance to your training workouts.

Of course that only applies if you plan on tapering for a full four weeks going into the race.

I hope you are because one of the most important elements to your build-up for the big race is without a doubt "lots of rest".

It took me a lot of difficult Ironman races to figure this out. Most likely in my first 9 or so Ironman races I left my best effort on the bike out on the training course somewhere.

I could never seem to figure out why the bike was so hard on race day, yet so much easier on one of those 100 mile training rides.

I think it is safe to say that most novice Ironmen go into their race over-trained and tired and make it far more difficult on themselves than necessary.

Our bodies just don't recover in a week or ten days after pushing it through training month after month.

Taper for four weeks by cutting back on your training every week until race day and you will most likely be giving yourself the best opportunity to have a successful day out on the Ironman Canada course.

A BUSY SEASON

It's been a pretty busy time for Ironstruck this Spring and as a result I have not been able to keep up with my blog.

Just keeping up and adding new info to my ironstruck.ca website is a challenge and has priority when I do have time to write.

Was at the Vancouver Marathon Expo, The Woody's RV Marathon Expo and the Calgary expo all in about 4 weeks and will be doing a book signing at Market Mall On Sunday May 6.

It was really great being back in Vancouver, the place where I grew up. It is certainly a city that has come of age and I can see why people fall in love with it. I met many very cool people out they during my stay.

The Kenyan runners are pretty amazing they won the men's and women's side in Vancouver despite cold, wet conditions that were not really much to their liking. Or as the men's winner said "it was cold and lonely at the front and I didn't think I would even break 220.

He actually went a pedestrian 2:16(for him anyway). Rumor has it that he has gone in 2:11.

I have been chatting with many people who are getting very close to their big races of the season especially with IM CDA in Idaho later this month, Ironman Calgary 70.3, and Ironman Canada at the end of August.

Also chatting with many people online from other countries who are getting nervous about their pending Ironman races.

What I am noticing--much like most years at this time--is that so many people are doing way to much in the way of training as their races get closer.

To my way of thinking and through my own experiences of making this same critical mistake, people are not tapering soon enough and are simply not resting enough.

There is no doubt in my mind that people are still not grasping the important fact that rest if their greatest friend when it comes to Ironman or half Ironman preparation. There is really not much long distance you can do in the final four weeks that is going to in any way increase endurance.

Basically at that point, you are just using up valuable energy and have a good chance of going into your race over-trained and tired.

Often the novice Ironman does not notice the effects of that over-training until about half-way through the Ironman bike course and then it becomes a very long day.