I'm am officially finished with my second week of Ironman training!!! My first week was quite casual and the last week... well, it was amazing. This week I did 9 workouts! Three in each discipline. My bike rides were all done on my indoor trainer, one was a VO2 max test (more about that below), a power workout and a 2:20 ride while watching a very exciting movie. For my runs, I ran a 60 minute hill training workout, a 50 minute "fartlek" workout and a 105 minute/19k LSD (long slow distance). I swam just under 6000 meters. One more "build" week of and then a rest week- Hot Tub and yoga! :)
I feel a new confidence in the pool! My thursday night swim practice with UBC Triathlon Club was amazing, swam 2000m and felt solid. Now I just have to get faster, which, I've been told comes when you swim 3 or more days per week. So, 3 days a week for the next 33 weeks... Oh, I counted how many weeks of training I have total of 33 weeks of training! Two down! :)
As for the VO2 max test... The Human Kinetics program at UBC is doing a study on the potential advantageous and/or unfair effects of Salbutamol, an drug used by asthmatics(and maybe non-asthmatics). The World Anti-Doping Agency is bankrolling this study and I'm a participant. I wish I could tell you the names of the tests they performed on me, but I can't. Test 1: They had me take full inhalations and exhalations into a computer to see my lung capacity. Inhale as deep as possible and then exhale as fast as possible and hold for 6 seconds, trying ever so hard to squeeze an impossible extra amount out. Test 2: I hyperventilated for 6 whole minutes, breathing a "dry" mixture of air. That was by far more painful and difficult then any exercise I did this week. My throat was burning and 6 minutes felt like an eternity. Full breaths in and out at a very high cadence. Test 3: Repeat of Test 1, but in 5 minute intervals for 20 minutes. This is to see if I have Exercise Induced Asthma (which I don't), which can have a delayed onset.
Then, my favorite part: The VO2 max bicycle test. This is a great scene from American Flyers with Mr. Costner, sport a magnificent mustache. I envy his athletic and mustache ability... The test I took was on a bike of course and I had a big air mask strapped to my face.
According to Wiki - "world class male athletes, cyclists and cross-country skiers typically exceed 75 ml/kg/min and a rare few may exceed 85 ml/kg/min". I scored 78!! What does that mean? It means I have athletic potential. It also doesn't really mean much. My coach said its something to brag about, thats it. :) Well, I've been tooting my own horn. My good friend and training partner scored a 63, just barely enough to participate in the study, but is a stronger, faster athlete..
On the next two tuesdays, I'll be at the lab again, on the bike, with the mask on. But I'll be doing two 10k time trials. On both tests, I'll be given an inhaler that will or will not contain the drug Salbutamol. Neither I or the facilitator will know, making it a double blind study. The reason they want experienced elite cyclists for the study is for consistency in the time trials. Both time trials have to be pretty close in time to be useful. An inexperienced cyclist might have minutes of variation. Then they will measure the O2 levels I'm breathing out and see if there is an advantage.
Oh, and I get paid $50 each test! :) Cash money always wins. Maybe I'll get her to take a picture tomorrow of the bike setup and me and the tubes...
One more thing, a very funny and accurate animation:
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