Race Week: Friday - 3.30.2007 - Taper Update #7

I will be updating this one throughout the day and posting right before I call it a night.

Morning upadate:

Considering the race is tomorrow this will be the my 7th and final taper update. Things are going really well. I had another solid sleep last night. Only 7 hours but once I woke up at 6:20 I got up because I felt rested and wanted to started eating. After my easy run/ride today I'll try to get in a nap. My body feels good. I haven't felt this rested or relaxed in a long time. Even though I really anxious to race I am really calm. It's the state I was in before Xterra Worlds. I can't wait to throwdown, I am confident that I couldn't have trained any harder or smarter (thanks Jim), but I think I have now raced enough now that I know what to expect. I know I have never raced this distance but based how hard I worked I know I can do this. Now the only question is how fast?

Staying hydrated.


I have put 3 months of focused training for this one single race, I also know the training is also going to provide me with a great base as I trasnisition into more Xterra-based training(hills, mtb, faster intervals, etc). Last year I raced too much and really wasn't able to put in solid chunks for individual races. It's going to be nice to see what the extended specific training and focus brings. Here's my total volume for the training I put in this race which started on 1.1.2007:

Total Training time: 195:38

swim: 189480 yd

bike: 1292.3 mi

run: 382 mi

Strength: I don't have the exact number of sessions but between core and strength work I put an average of 3 sessions a week.

Total training time per week:


Total training distance per week (by sport):

Afternoon update:

Wow. I just got back from a really quick ride and run. Jim had me doing a 20 minute run and a 30 minute ride each with some accelerations but keeping it really easy. I drove down the Encinitas to get this so I could avoid all the hills in my hood. It is also another beautiful day in Southern California. 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and a very light breeze. Photos below. I felt awesome. I had a lot of spring in my step and during the acceletations I would get up to about 6:00-6:15/mile pace and felt like I could hold it all day. After 20 minutes I jumped on my bike, practiced moutning with the shoes strapped in and then headed up the coast a bit. I can't remember the last time my legs felt that fresh. I was in my full race gear, aero wheels and helmet. During my short quick intervals I was flying. I can't wait to put my fitness to the test tomorrow .

It really doesn't get any better.

Making the turn to head back to the truck.

chillen in the not-so-hot tub, it's about 60 degrees right now. A book, a recovery shake, and a cold soak. My brother was just out messing around with the camera.

I really want to race hard. It's someting I will continue to work on and something I was lacking last year. I had some good results last year but I think it was far from what I am capable of. In this respect I really look up to Jim. He races hard. It doesn't matter what phase of training he's in. He could be shelled or fresh. It doesn't matter whether it's an Xterra race, a local 10k, a club Aquathlon, and I think most people know about his IM debut in Florida (3rd overall, 8:37 just in case you didn't). He shows up, puts his game face, and races hard. He can flip the switch and get the best of whatever he has on that day. To achieve the lofty goals I have set for myself this year I am going to need to learn how to do this and truly leave it all out on the course. I feel like I am getting better at this but tomorrow will be another test. I know I am going to be feeling it towards then end of the bike and the start of the run is NEVER fun, but my plan is to dig deeper than I ever have and lay it all on the line for the last 13.1 miles. I owe it to myself. I have trained my ass off, made a ton of personal sacrifices, and have never been so focused in every facet of my training.

Evening (final) update:

Well I just finished my pre-race dinner. Blueberry Kodiak Cakes. I have gotten a lot of good carbs over the last couple of days and I am defintely fueled up.

dinner:


Well that's it. I am going to finish packing up my gear and sit around and watch some TV until I fall asleep.

Here's the race info:

James Walsh

Bib# 2377

I defintely be putting up a race report, but not sure when. I am defintely going to take the time after the race to hang out with family and induldge a bit.