With the first big race of the year done (IM 70.3 St. George) and my spot in the 70.3 World Championships secured, I’ve been looking ahead to the rest of the season. My winter training was mostly focused on getting that Vegas slot in the first race, to relieve pressure from the remaining IM races. With that pressure relieved, I’m approaching my next two IM 70.3 races (Kansas and Muncie) and my Rev 3 Half in Williamsburg as B races. These are races where I still want to perform my best, but I won’t have the peak and taper time like I did for St. George, or like I will for Worlds in September. If I’m brave, I’ll be able to take some more risks, because I don’t really need to worry about finishing place as much. But of course, I always want to finish on that podium! I’ll be taking risks to look for the magic balance between speed and power on the bike, and leaving enough strength in the legs to have a better run than my usual plod.
As part of my race-specific prep for Kansas, I sought out some heat and wind this weekend. As long as tornadoes stay away, that’s most likely what is awaiting us on the yellow brick road. I went out to the Piru 40k Time Trial on Saturday and raced in the heat and wind, with a 20min transition run. My pace was what I would hope to hold during an Olympic Distance tri, so I was happy to see my legs weren’t too dead after the ride, and I was able to get into a good running rhythm.
Then went to the valley today and found similar conditions. I laced up my GORuns and went for 60 minutes at tempo pace, after a good warm up. This pace is what I hope to hold for the half next weekend. It felt very do-able, and my heartrate was low, which is reassuring.
All of my training days in recent months have started with either a PurPak smoothie or a PurPak water bottle, and I’m thankful this habit has kept me healthy, strong and training fairly consistently. I’m sure this consistency will help greatly as the race season moves on and the stakes become higher. Here I come Toto!