Wednesday, August 8, 2007

I am a sweaty pig

In order to get acclimated to some serious heat and humidity in my IM Lou prep, I rode my CompuTrainer today. No fan, multiple layers of clothing and a constant river of sweat draining off me. It was only 90 minutes, but it was hard. I did 30 minutes of warm up including some 1 legged pedaling. Then it was time for the good stuff. 3x10 minutes at 250 watts w/ 5 minute recoveries, then 1 last 5 minute interval at 275. My heart rate was up there and my legs were turning over furiously. During the hard sections I kept the RPM's up around 95. I have found that this really helps with my leg speed on race day. There are several pro athletes including Peter Reid, Luc Van Lierde and SImon Lessing that use motor pacing to up their leg speed. Since I don't have the scooter, or someone to drive it for 2-3 hours, I simulate it on my CompuTrainer. Anyways, so by the time I finished I was soaked from head to toe. During the ride I took in about 80 ounces of fluid, 1 PowerBar and still lost 5 pounds! It's not uncommon for me to lose a serious amount of weight during my rides, despite taking 35-45 oz. of fluid per hour. It's especially bad on the run. I have lost upwards of 2 pounds in a 1 hour run, despite taking 40 oz. of liquid. It's something I manage on a daily basis and make sure to drink often.
It was a good session and I finished off the day with a 30 minute run with 5x(2x2). The legs were a bit stiff, but they felt great at the end. A strong core/weight session at home and then some dinner. I am feeling good and ready to race.

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