Iron Training Week 9 - Mike D.

It's amazing what you can train your body to go to through and the response you can garner from it with dedication and discipline. I say this in reflection to when I purchased my training program for the Ironman from ActiveTrainer.com . All I could really do at that point was say, "We'll see how this goes...." Well, I can proudly say that it went well and I survived the first 9 weeks and the 3 ridiculous build cycles that came with the plan. At this point, I am done with all the major brutal workouts and besides a few long days between now and IM, I pretty much just need to rest up and taper down to get both mentally and physically prepared for the challenge that lies 4 weeks ahead. Luckily, I ave a pretty full schedule over the next 30 days and that should help me to relax and take my mind off of things relating to endurance. Anyways, here's how lucky number 9 went.

I started off and continued the whole week with tons of recovery. I pretty much stretched, rolled, and used my Compex on almost every day. It was all I could do to clear the lactic acid that had built up in my muscles from the previous weekend and try to get back to 100% for my last big weekend. Things were pretty rough on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but I worked my way through training and by Thursday I started to feel better. My calves were the major instigator and were far soarer than they usually are after a long ride or run. I think the 3 hour run is what really broke them off and I really wasn't sure if they would heal in time for my Saturday run. They ended up coing back to life on Friday which was a huge relief. I pretty much had already told myself that I would do the full run and bike even if my legs were still soar which could of led to injury. Glad that didn't happen. :)

Training totals for week 9:

Swim: 6 miles

Bike: 138 miles
Run: 33.5 miles
I've been on a bit of a shopping spree lately snatching up a few things here and there trying to get my set up dialed in for the race and adapt to the PowerBar sponsored nutrition that will be on course. Last week I picked up a set of cogs and chain to get the new wheels installed on my bike and have that thing running like a champ on race day. I also got some new nutrition to experiment with. I have a pretty strong stomach from scarfing down Mexican food over the years, so I'm not too worried about it but might as well test some new things out while I still have time.