Stretching Boundaries
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the last 10-or-so months since I’ve been training for Lake Placid is that I am capable of doing things that I never imagined possible. I have been consistently stretching the boundaries of what I believe I can achieve athletically. Last summer, and even last fall, it was an accomplishment for me to swim 500 yards without stopping and now that’s a warm-up (in fact, today, the main set of my swim a 40 minute continuous, steady, non-stop set – I swam 2,350 yards. That’s about 1:42/100; certainly not Aquaman, but fast for me!). Last summer, I did a few 55-60 mile bike rides and they just about killed me; that distance doesn’t scare me anymore.
Last spring, I was terrified of doing a Half Ironman and never would have even threatened to train for an Ironman, this year I am convinced that no matter how much pain and agony it takes, I can complete a full one (whether or not that happens at Placid, remains to be seen, but I CAN do it). Now, I’m thinking about other endurance feats to accomplish – the Boston Marathon next April, of course, but I’ve also recently decided to tackle an ultramarathon. Last November, Assaf ran the JFK 50 Mile race and this year, on November 17, I plan on being there to run it. Registration doesn’t open until July, so I still have time to reconsider this decision, but I’m psyched. 50 miles! How can I possibly consider doing that to myself? On the other hand, at this point, with my current level of fitness and training, how can I not?
I’m a little worried that I’m getting ahead of myself, but part of the fun of racing these events is planning ahead and thinking about future races and goals. I’m not even thinking about training for the 50 until after I’ve recovered from Placid and then I’ll work with John to figure out an appropriate training schedule. For now, though, it’s all about Placid.
I’m not going to try to compare the Ironman to an ultramarathon – even though there are many people I’ve talked to or heard from who race both, they’re entirely different animals in my mind. At this point, there’s no way for me to estimate if one is more difficult than the other – I would expect the Ironman to take me longer, but I’ll be on my feet for much, much longer in the 50. All I know is that it’s one more challenge that until recently I never thought possible.
Run – May 10
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 1:00
Average heart rate: 149
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Cloudy, warm, humid
Bike – May 10
Time: 1:00
Average heart rate: 117
Indoor ride
Swim – May 11
Distance: 3,750 yards
Time: 1:10