Kona Focus
Kona Ironman Logo 2009
Let me preface this by saying. I hate racing in Hawaii! It’s a self-imposed beat-down! Ok, now that that’s out of the way…I am focusing solely on qualifying for Kona in 2011. I have already signed up for Ironman CDA and believe that Coeur d’Alene’s course gives me the best shot. It’s a challenging bike course with a relatively flat run course. The weather is historically mild, all of which play to my strengths and limit my weaknesses.
So how do I prepare?
First I’ve assessed my current fitness. I have a huge base built this year. That should carry me through until December. I will try to keep it topped off but won’t need to rebase until early spring.
Second, my swim has improved but I still have work to do. I was 2 minutes faster this year but need to take an additional 3 minutes off of that time. Goal for 2011 is 1:06:00.
Third, my bike was sub par last year and I have spent a great deal of time on it already this season. I believe that it is currently at an all time high. My watts are very good so my current focus is to maintain what I have.
Fourth, I have got to focus on my run. I have based my run well but have been lazy about really get down to work on it. I have got to maintain two months of 45-55 miles per week of running with lots of Steady state work. Steady State gives me the biggest bang for my buck.
Lastly but I believe most importantly, I need my weight to be in the low 160′s through the winter. My plan is to lean out to 5% body fat by B2B. I will then try to maintain 7-8% through the winter. This should give the opportunity to do some quality running and biking leading into next season.
This plan gives me 11 months to get ready and I believe that it will take all of it. Goals for IM CDA 2011 are
Swim 1:06:
T1 4 min
Bike 5:10: @ 235 watts avg
T2 1:20
Run 3:38:
Total 9:59:20 Kona with no roll down!
