Ahh, Spring. 14 weeks to my first big race this year.This year will be a twin of last year’s schedule: Ironman races in Coeur d’Alene June 27, Hawaii Oct 9, and Arizona Nov 21. The races, the timing, the rhythm of the training cycle stay the same. But much else is different.
For one thing, there’s a lot more sweat this year. I’ve dropped the coaching service I’ve used since 2006, and joined the Endurance Nation. EN believes strongly in the value of building strength and speed early in the training cycle, and then layering some distance work in towards the end, the last 8-10 weeks before a race. A year ago at this time, I did a 4 1/2 hour, 75 mile ride and a 2 hour, 13 mile run. This year, the ride was 2.5 hours, 53 miles, and the run 1.5 hours, 10.2 miles. But much harder and faster, with several really intense efforts thrown into the mix.
On top of the shorter, harder “long” days, I do two hard days on the bike trainer, instead of one. And, the effort levels (“watts”) are 15% higher, with intervals that are about twice as long. The whole idea is to get stronger on the bike, so I can go a little faster on the bike and have an even better run than before.
So I’ve become a real connoisseur of sweat. On the trainer, I sit out on our upstairs porch, in the open air. If the temp is anything over 48F, then I start to drip onto the bike handles. Above 55, little puddles form below the pedals. I have to wear a headband, and keep towels over all the bike parts directly beneath me. I put a ziplock bag around the handlebar unit which controls my CompuTrainer, to keep it from shorting out. Needless to say, I’m just wearing lightweight shorts, pulled low. If it gets any warmer, I’m going to need to giant fan to avoid passing out while I cycle.
The best part comes after I get off. Tuesdays, I usually swim for an hour before I ride, and then run for 20-40 minutes after. At the end of all this, once I actually dry off, my hair gets a glistening clean feeling, smooth with the saline wetness caked and dried from evaporation. My skin exudes a wondrous aroma of chlorine, which apparently gets absorbed into the skin and glands while swimming, and then gets squeezed out with the water and salt. Sort of like breathing out the essence of garlic after eating it.
If it’s really warm, say over 75F, and I’ve been running, when I stop, the sweat machine keeps on pouring for about 5 minutes or so. A sparkling clean feeling, like stepping out of a shower with the water still streaming down my skin. The most amazing part of sweat is that while it does have a taste (salty – Duh!), it does not have an odor. Whatever smell accrues stays in my clothes, pulled off my cutaneous surfaces by the polyester I wear. As long as I strip and towel off afterwards, no other hygienic ablutions are needed to maintain a neutral aura for the rest of my day. Showers are for suckers.