Given that a fellow has no significant physical limitations, like the lack of legs or arms, then Ironman is almost exclusively a mental battle. The reason I am afraid to make a time prediction is for that reason exactly. I don't know if I have the guts to do what I know my body is capable of doing if properly conditioned.
Proof of my mental incompetence lies of course within my genes, but if you need more than that just look to my indecision in my training strategies. Once again I am "re-looking" at my approach to the swim. Hopefully for the last time. What triggered this last "bout of doubt" was a little more research and a little more practical testing. I am trying to understand the physics of swimming and it is very clear that one of the most significant factors is buoyancy, and also centre of buoyancy. Buoyancy obviously just means how easy you float, as determined by your bone and body density, whereas centre of bouyancy describes which way you would tip and how quickly. Most human beings will sink or float in a normal vertical position since the centre of buoyancy is above the waist. How quickly your legs sink is however determined by your individual centre. It is for this reason that women can maintain a horizontal position easier than men because they carry more buoyant material below their waist and thus have a lower centre of buoyancy. It also explains why the gap between men and women in swim speed is less than in most weight bearing sports. And if you need further evidence of that, have a look at the body types of many long distance female swimmers. They float easily because of low body density, and they float horizonatlly without a lot of effort because of where their primary body fat is located.
Come spring time I am going to figure out a way to measure my centre of buoyancy, but only to prove my point. Yesterday I watched the man in the lane next to me and was amazed that he did not kick at all. His legs hovered about 18 ins below the surface and stayed there as he plodded along. That's where my practical testing came in. I tried the same thing and managed 3 strokes before I literally stopped dead. My legs sank immediately! The fat I carry is all above my waist and I also believe I have very high bone density.
So what does all this mean specifically for me? I may have mentioned before that I want to develop a 2 beat kick. Since I am not athletically inclined it is the best approach in order to have a relaxed swim that doesn't burn too much energy. The problem is, that without my westuit, a 2 beat kick needs to be really agressive in order to keep me horizontal in the water. That unfortunately immediately defeats the intent, and leaves me winded in about 5 minutes!
How then do I train? While I can simulate the energy requirements of wetsuit swimming with pull buoys they do not allow me to kick properly. I guess the answer is obvious and although it feels like cheating in a big way I plan on using my wetsuit more often. After all, I'm an idiot, so why not look like one!
I have also modified my swim time expectation one more time. I came to realize that trying to improve my swim was my biggest stressor and rather than expend energy trying to gain 10 minutes in the water I will focus on the other 2 sports where I am not so intimidated.
And that brings me to running. The only thing that worries me in this discipline is injury of some kind. I was inspired today by Claudette's long run (she is now officially faster than me) and that gets me all pumped. Tomorrow is my longer one and I will try to duplicate her terrific 2 hour, 2 mins for 22.22 kms. I am also very excited to have found my spring marathon and I signed up today. Much to my surprise there is a beautiful marathon in Waterloo, Ontario on April 29!! It is barely advertised and I came on it almost by accident. It meets all of my cirteria.. It's small with not more than 150 runners, it has the same start and finish, it is close by, and is run mostly on country roads. Woohoo!
While my cycling and my weights have gone a bit stale over the last month I am confident that I will pick it back up. Before you know it spring will be here and I'll be back hammering outside. I think I have learned a few things about cycling training that I will try to put to use on the trainer in the meantime.
The big demon I have not managed to slay yet has been the the old waistline. I have crept up a bit in body fat the last few weeks which is no big deal in itself but I wish I knew how to shed the 10-12 pounds that sits primarly on my back and waist. The problem is trying to find a balance between getting enough calories for good workouts, but still be able to go a bit negative with the intake. I try especially hard to watch my consumption of fat calories and yet I am stuck on this plateau. Can you imagine the difference that shedding 12 lbs of useless baggage would make over 42.2 kms of running?? Can you imagine?? I'm looking for ideas all you smart people.
And that's the ups and downs of Ironman training for today. Gotts get to bed early so I can beat Roo tomorrow. Just kidding! I am very proud of her efforts and I don't need to be as fast as her anyway....I just need to be able to do it longer. In all regards you never want to finish before your wife does :)
(swim 2000 metres, 38 mins in my westuit!)
“Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off."---Anon
Love
Peter
