Blog » Training Update - Ironman Lake Tahoe
Training Update - Ironman Lake Tahoe
Where to begin…
Firstly, sorry it has been so long!
My best excuse is that after Challenge Atlantic City I flew home and hibernated through a couple months of Christchurch’s winter for the first time since 2008. Then on my arrival back in the USA in early August I was too busy soaking up the sunshine until now… but really I have just been lazy + doing a bit of exercising!
Things are going well, although I did get sick prior to Lake Stevens 70.3, which meant I had to withdraw from that, but not to worry as I have another bigger, better, and harder lake lined up!
My next race is Ironman Lake Tahoe and it sounds like a beauty.
It is at altitude and is a tough course, which was made even tougher last year when it was literally 0 degrees Celsius on the start-line and not much warmer during the day. I have been told that this is unlikely to happen again, my fingers are crossed though… for 0 degrees of course ;)
I started my build up for Tahoe back in Christchurch and there were some chilly mornings (and days) out in the elements. I really have to thank my sponsors Brooks, Specialized, and Smart Wool for keeping me warm out there, without them I’d just be another human popsicle. Training went surprisingly ok and after a few weeks of that it was time to head to Santa Cruz, California to get some longer (and much harder) miles in with Bevan Docherty.
Santa Cruz was great and my fitness and form got a great boost, as did my exposure to the sun and some extreme heat while riding some quiet in-land Californian roads.
I was lucky enough to get some time at the Specialized WinTunnel in Morgan Hill. An awesome and very interesting experience. The team there are doing some very cool and thorough testing on anything and everything. Look for some fast stuff to be hitting the market soon. Bottom line for me was a 4 watt saving, simply through some minor adjustments, and a more comfortable setup. In terms of time savings that equates to about 2 minutes over an Iron-distance ride. Well worth having!
After Santa Cruz it was time to head up in to the mountains for some pre-Tahoe altitude training.
It was back to the triathlon mecca of Boulder, Colorado for 3.5 weeks and this is where I now write this update.
I’ve had an awesome 3 weeks up here and am feeling like I have found some late season form for, probably, the first time in my career! Giving up a little bit of form and training during the mid-season races seems to have given me an extra lift now and I am really excited to get up to Tahoe in a couple days and to start scoping out the course.
The nerves are starting to flow a little, but it is a good feeling knowing that I am well prepared!
I hope everyone, everywhere, has had a great winter or summer and I look forward to seeing you all around the blocks somewhere soon!
I’ll do my usual pre-race blog a couple days out, so look for it then!
One last note, I would like to say a big thank you to Mahindra Auto for having me on their team. I’ll be the proud and extremely lucky driver of a brand new Mahindra XUV 500 on my return home. I am usually pretty excited to get home after my long trips away, but this time I almost can’t contain myself! Check them out at www.mahindraauto.co.nz
Thanks for reading,
Cheers
Dylan
