Ironman in a Week

A full Ironman triathlon is 140.6 total miles, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Earlier this year, I participated in the Lazy Y Tri at the Waukee YMCA which involved completing these distances over the course of a month. I was able to complete the challenge in 16 days, but I knew that I could do better. Erin and both girls were gone at various camps last week so I decided to use the extra time to try the challenge over and complete it in a week. 

Day 1: Sunday, July 6

I woke up at 6:00am to cloud cover and extremely humid conditions with no wind as I headed out the door for a run. Since it was a Sunday morning, I knew traffic would be light, so I decided to head east across Hwy 141 on a route that I haven't taken in a long time. I was scheduled for a 1 hour easy run and logged 5.24 miles to kick off the challenge. 

After dropping Abigail off at Y Camp, I headed to Dallas Center to meet Adam for a bike ride. It was a little warm but the winds were light and my legs were feeling really good. Even while keeping an easy effort, we rode 24.91 miles in 1:23:02 for an 18mph average. It was a really good first day, but I still had a lot of miles ahead of me. 

Day 2: Monday, July 7

I was very torn when I woke up Monday morning. I needed to get some laps in at the pool, but I knew a morning swim would mean doing my run workout in the heat later in the day. I took the chance and headed for the pool. I was pleasantly surprised by how few people were there when I arrived just before 5:30. I easily got a lane and was able to knock out 30 laps/1,500 yards in 38:24. 

After a long day at work, I got home and changed into my running clothes and headed out into the 86 degree heat with no wind for a speed workout. My workout consisted of 3 sets of 4 x 2:00 at 5k pace. I knew it was going to be a tough workout when my visor was dripping with sweat by the end of my warm up. I struggled through the workout without being able to hit many of my speed interval paces but managed to complete 5.67 miles in 1:07:31. It felt so good to get back into the air conditioning but I was completely wiped for the rest of the evening. 

Day 3: Tuesday, July 8

Without a run workout on the schedule, I opted for a brick workout in the morning. I started off with a 20 mile indoor ride on the trainer, completed in 51:07, before heading outside for a 2.21 mile run in 23:40. I had recovered well from running in the heat on Monday and felt really good throughout the entire brick. 

I decided to try something new on Tuesday evening. I braved rush hour traffic through the Hickman construction zone to head for Valley View Aquatic Center in West Des Moines. I arrived a little before lap swim hours started at 5:30. It may sound silly, but I'm a routine oriented person and don't normally feel comfortable trying out new things but in this case I'm glad I did. The water was cool and the sun was bright. I had a very enjoyable swim and completed another 30 laps/1,500 yards in 37:29. 

Day 4: Wednesday, July 9

Another run workout, but this time in the morning with temperatures 20 degrees cooler than my Monday afternoon workout. 35 minutes moderate pace with 10 x 15 second hard strides. I completed 3.94 miles in 44:16. 

Wednesday turned out to be another hot one. I met Adam and Kyle in Madrid for a ride on the High Trestle Trail. We headed East from the trail head, but instead of turning South in Slater, we connected to the Heart of Iowa Trail and made our way out to Huxley. It was a new trail for all of us and I'd like to explore it more in the future. We ended up riding 25.09 miles in 1:31:54 and it turned out to be a very beautiful evening in spite of the heat.

Day 5: Thursday, July 10

I woke up Thursday morning to thunderstorms. I had originally planned to run in the morning and go for an outdoor ride again after work. With so many miles left, I knew that I couldn't take the morning off so opted to jump on the indoor trainer again for a long ride. I rode 30.01 miles in 1:11:41, a fast ride even on the indoor trainer. I headed to work with tired legs but was starting to heave the end in sight. 

A morning ride meant that I had to run in the afternoon heat again. It was 88 degrees but there was a nice wind. I kept and easy pace for the shorter 2.28 mile run, which I completed in 26:01. I took the rest of the evening off and was super tired so decided to head to bed early. Mother nature didn't care how tired I was and non-stop storms overnight kept me from sleeping much at all. 

Day 6: Friday, July 11

The rain stopped early morning so after almost no sleep, I drug myself out of bed and headed out the door for another run workout. The workout consisted of 3 x 8:00 at half marathon pace. I ran extremely well given I was operating on almost no sleep. I ran 4.86 miles in 54:01 but could barely keep my eyes open when I got home. I decided to call into work to take off the morning and crashed on the couch until around 10:00 am.

I had originally planned to swim over lunch, so I decided to head to the Y and fit in the last few miles on the bike before logging into work for the afternoon. When I arrived at the pool I was surprised to see how busy it was. I had to wait about 15 minutes for a lane, but then made quick work of the 25 laps/1,250 yards completing them in 31:14. With this swim, I officially hit 2.4 miles for the week.

When I got home, I quickly changed into my cycling gear and hoped on the indoor trainer again. I completed my final 12 miles in 28:49, and just like that, my 112 miles of cycling was complete too. 

Day 7: Saturday, July 12

With a race on the schedule for Sunday, I moved my long run to Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning to run and even though I only needed about 2 miles to complete the challenge, I ended up logging 6.08 in 1:10:00. And just like that, the challenge was complete. 

Conclusion

This challenge turned out to be really fun and gave me a glimpse into the higher mileage training that awaits me next year. It gave me the chance to build up my heat acclimation, an opportunity to check out a new bike trail, and most importantly got be back in the pool. Even with the added mileage and training time this week my body held up extremely well. I'm feeling strong and am looking forward to the races during my current training block. Below are my overall stats for the week. 

Swim:

• 3 swims
• 2.41 miles
• 85 laps
• 1:47:07
• 2:31/100 yards average

Bike:

• 5 rides
• 112.03 miles
• 5:26:32
• 20.6 mph average

Run:

• 7 runs
• 30.28
• 5:45:29
• 11:25/mi average