10 days to go....the FEAR (TM) has kicked in.....

OMG where did the last four months go???? It seems like yesterday that we were coming back from the Xmas holidays and now we are past Easter, the Royal Wedding is on Friday and I have a half Ironman in ten days - my legs feel like lead, every session I do I seem to be getting worse...hmmm....this does not bode well.....it must be the FEAR (TM) - that well known experience amongst endurance athletes that lurks just below the surface especially just before a big race....

So lets focus on the good and the bad for a moment -

The BAD:
No open water swimming yet - no lakes near me are open
General swimming - my times are getting slower!
Cycling - not managed to get out and do as many hours as I would like to have done
Running - my Achilles tendons hurt - nearly all the time

The GOOD:
My swimming stroke and consistency is improving - I was doing 100s yesterday all were in around 1:21 and an average of 20 stroke/length
Cycling - My ability keeps improving - I went up a cat 5 hill last week without finding it hard (there are four cat 5 and one cat 4 hills on the Wimbleball course) and I am feeling more comfortable on the TT bike (aero helmet helped)
Running - Biggest improvement - my recovery pace 6:00/km - was my flat out pace last year and I can hold 5:20-5:45 for extended periods in training
Nutrition - fingers crossed - I seem to have found a company whose products work for me :-) Zipvit (http://www.zipvitsport.co.uk/) - I have been using a protocol of 1 ZVgel/30min on the bike with Nuun and I have not run out of energy and I have done lots of brick runs without GI problems - we will just have to see how the race pans out....

So there you have it - some bad (the OW one worries me the most!) but mostly good - the FEAR (TM) is abating a little.....

.....so what training have I done today? I started with an hour of turbo pain:

WU:

15mins EASY spin - build cadence to 95RPM for the last 5minutes.
Include 8 x 30s ILT, straight through
Every 2nd minute focus on smoothing the pedal stroke - no dead spots.

MS:
6 x 4min @ 300w (115% FTP)
Alternate: high cadence 90RPM+ REP 1 with 80RPM REP 2, repeat.
3mins v.v.easy in b/t.

CD: 6mins easy (lower HR <100)

Followed by a Fartlek run:

10mins Easy Jog (6:00min/km)

INTO
24mins as:
3 jog (6:00min/km)
2 jog (5:40min/km)
1 jog (5:20min/km)
x 4

I managed all of the intervals on the turbo (accompanied by the secod half of Armageddon) although the cadence bit went out of the window... and all bar the last 3mins of the run (time was pressing...)

Tomorrow is a long (70+min) pool session and then a rest day :-)))))

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Later,
I.