Seven Hour Bike Ride

In my last post, I wrote about the remedy for IRONMAN OVERTRAINING SYNDROME or IMOTS being 7 HOUR BIKE RIDE (instead of the 5 HOUR ENERGY SHOT) and that is the theme for this weekend.

The big day finally arrived for the Longest Bike Ride on the IM training schedule.  It was scheduled on the same day of the World IM Championships in Kona, HI where one of our team mates was competing.  Our coach scheduled a 7 hour bike ride followed by a KONA IM celebration to watch the world championships at her home.

We met before the sun came up, threw our bags stocked with extra clothes, food, and water into the sag wagon, and gathered for quick instruction.  We were faced with something that has been missing all summer, COOL AIR.  We had to decide if we needed extra layers because the coolness was probably only temporary.  I opted for long sleeve under my jersey for warmth and sun protection. 

I realized I forget my bike socks so I asked my coach if she could loan me a pair and she handed me a pair of IM socks.  I was hesitant about taking them from her because legend has it that it is bad luck to own any IM logo gear until you are crowned an IM.  I am hoping that is not true if you are just borrowing the item.

As soon as the sun started rising, we were off.  There is usually a lot of chatter and catching up that goes on at the beginning of a ride.  I have gotten into the habit of taking a slow start to get warmed up and not trying to keep up with everyone who sprints out of the chute.  I like to start slow and pick up speed as the muscles get warm.  9 miles into the bike ride, we were faced with a 3 mile hill.  When we reached the top, many teammates pulled off at a gas station to use the facilities.  I was just getting warmed up and decided I did not want to stop and the rest of the group would catch back up and pass me up anyway. 

I raced down 9 mile hill on my own.  It seemed like it took a long time and I know I was going to be faced with going back up this long steady steep hill in a short while.  At the bottom of this hills lies a small town named Rio Verde.  My favorite part was just around the corner, 8 miles of roller coaster hills adjacent to the McDowell Mountains with spectacular panoramic views.  This leads into the hilly community called Fountain Hills which has a fountain in the center of its rolling and steep hills.  We were given another challenging route to climb out of the town with one very steep climb and my mind wondered why we were being subjected to this extra treat when 9 mile hill would be waiting for us on the trek back.  When I got to the main road called Shea Boulevard, many of my team mates had taken an easier route and ended up in front of me.  I think that was an evil trick after I followed the coach's directions, but I was happy to see my teammates.  Eventually I caught up and passed a few riders as we road up the Beeline (north of where the Ironman course is located and a more scenic portion of the road) to Bush Highway.  It was a bit windy and at times, I felt like I was riding through chocolate pudding and just pedaling in place, but I am always trying to simulate possible race conditions to help put my mind at ease and remain calm.

We reached the turn around and it was all down hill....well that was until we returned to 9 mile hill and it is exactly that a very long long long long, well you get the picture, long hill!  I actually felt pretty good.  The weather was cooler and my stomach was happy.  The time was going by quickly because of having my teammates around me, the sag wagon, and trying to eat and drink 200 plus calories an hour.  My picnic for the day consisted of 1/2 Bonk Bar (the official IM bar), a pack of mini fig newtons, 1 PB&J lunchable, 1 pack of GU Chomps, 1/2 Bonk Bar, 3/4 banana, and potluck of leftovers along with 1/2 bottle Ironman Perform and 1/2 bottle water and 1 salt stick every hour. 

At the top of 9 mile hill which I conquered on my own slow and steady, I refueled and then had 1 1/2 hours left to get 7 hours in.  Anything was easy after that so I rode until the clock struck 7 hours of moving time.  Everyone went their own way to get the extra miles in as the route was 100 mile long.  I ended up completed 116 miles in 7 hours.  The actual time on my clock was 7:10 and I hit the IM distance 112 around 6:45 which helps me with my overall goal of finishing the Ironman.

This ride was different than the rest.  I felt decent.  I started off slow and I worked on the things I had learned in my last session with Jeff on cadence and shifting.  The weather was perfect and I did not suffer from nausea or cramping.  I even felt like I could have run after the ride (at least part of a marathon).

LONGEST BIKE RIDE COMPLETE:  CHECK.  Is it time to TAPER.....NOT YET!  But the longest ride is now behind us and the next time I will do this distance will be on November 18th.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing and watching the Ironman World Championships with my coaches and teammates.

I went home that night and put Dr. Hoy all over my tired muscles and squeezed into my full body compression gear and went to sleep.  My alarm rang at 4:15 this morning.  Woken up by an external alarm clock and not the one in my head is rare for me.  It was a morning that I felt like I could have finally slept in.  No rest for the weary Ironman.  Today was my husband's day.  He was riding in the Tour de Scottsdale, a 70 mile bike ride that goes around the beautiful mountain preserve near our home.  I dropped him off the start and parked the car and then I took off on my training run where I planned to spectate the tour.  I made it out 9 miles before the bikes finally caught up to me.  The leader was out in front of the first pack and then several large packs passed by and I was unable to spot my husband.  I wondered how long I should wait since I was not certain if he was in one of the front packs and within a few minutes he was leading his own little pack.  Then I headed east 2 miles to try and catch them again on a different part of the course.  I could see some bikes go by so I tried to hurry because I knew he would be in one of the early groups, but I tired IMIT can only run a 12 minute mile so fast.  I did make it in time to get one more view and he had moved up to the back of a larger pack.  I needed to get back to my car so I could go pick up my son before my husband finished, but I had what I thought were 6 more miles to go which turned into 7, doing 2 extra miles than was on my schedule.  I got to watch the short course cyclists for the last 5 miles of my run. 

Today I mastered the 12 minute mile.  Every time I have a long run, I manage to get slower and slower running on tired legs.  I am not proud of the time, but I am proud and I would be totally satisfied if I can RUN the Ironman course and am not forced to walk or crawl!  I can cut myself some slack knowing that I rode 116 miles the day before and still able to get up and get the run done.  More importantly we made it back to the finish to see my husband finish in 3:07.  He is awesome.  I only wish I had a little of his speed.  I had hopes of being able to actually ride with him when I got my new faster bike, but he got motivated and got faster too and he is still on his 20 year old Italian Steel Frame.  For being an IT guy, he really needs to get with modern technology and then watch out!

To top the day off, my brother picked me up and took me to SWIM practice for an hour of slow easy laps to cool down and help the sore muscles.

So if you are wondering how to recover from IMOTS, take a 7 hour bike ride and then follow it up the next day with an 18 mile run.  YOU WILL FEEL GREAT!