Post-Ironman training – 800w and a splash in a puddle

Whilst “ticking the Ironman box” and “getting the tattoo on a private part” may have been my recent goal. All the time my secret hope was what would follow.

I had/have super high hopes that with many, many (many) hours of aerobic training I finally have that aerobic base we all dream about. So after a couple of easy weeks post-Ironman, that basically involved hill reps on a bike in the UK and hill reps running in the Ionian Islands, I hoped that the super BUILD has started.

It has been a bit strange and definitely does feel different. I’ve been pushing some big watts, for little old me, for short periods and have bizarrely got some power-duration PBs over the sub-30 second range. Bizarre as I haven’t trained for that and haven’t been to the gym any more than normal. And I’m not quite sure how aerobic training is supposed to help that. Oh well.

More watts are more watts and so I’m not complaining.

Then I come to my fast-local bike laps. QUITE a way down on my PBs of yore. There’s not much more in the tank to give but I’m hardly breathing at the end of it. ie the legs are lacking at threshold. Strange that. Haven’t been training there much. Go figure.

Then a race two days ago with a couple of mates and my FTP from that race is the best it’s been since December last year. Again not much more to give; but a ‘meh’ feeling at the end of it with a recovery time of about 15 seconds. I exaggerate, but you get the point.

Then I go for a test run with ‘today’s mystery watch‘. That’s basically a half marathon and a bit if I include all of the running I do outside of the formal test. My legs are killing me. What about the Ionian hill training? What about the super base? Has it gone already? (A: no, it shouldn’t have)

The Puddle? Oh yes, I nearly forgot that. The race-cum-FTP thing was done in the wind and rain. Lots of puddles. And yes, you’ve guessed it, that was in the UK and not the Ionian islands (West side of Greece for those of you about to Google)