On the subject of race weight
This time at Hawaii, I'll be racing at about 64kg. That's 2kg heavier than 2015, and at least 4kg heavier than 2011.
Me in 2011, 2015. 2017
Now "my race weight" is a phrase you'll hear a lot in the lead up to these big events. But how do triathletes know what THEIR race weight is? For those who are new to all of this, I can inform you that there is no scientific basis to it. NO ONE can tell you what your ideal race weight is. And I can also guarantee that 90% of us have it wrong - as in, what we THINK it should be is highly likely to be lower than what it really should be.
Now if all you are talking about is the run, I do suspect that lighter is better. But we are not just running, are we? You need shoulder muscles to swim. You need good glute muscles to cycle. And between the swim and the bike, we are talking about more than 3/4 of the race, in terms of time.
I have rarely weighed myself in this race prep, and I haven't chased losing weight. The only restrictions I've made are virtually cutting out beer in the last few weeks, a dramatic reduction in wine consumption in the last couple of weeks and a (slight) reduction in ice cream consumption!
Now don't get me wrong, I have questioned whether the extra weight will hurt me on the run. Maybe it will. But isn't your performance first and foremost dictated by the training you've done? And by being healthy, well fueled, happy and STRONG, I've barely skipped a beat in training.
Being happy with a few wobbly bits
I'm not that vain, but in the past I wouldn't have worn "short" shorts unless there wasn't an inch of fat on my thighs.
But I rocked out on Ali'i Drive yesterday in some cute little shorts I'd found on special and didn't care if there were a few wobbly bits showing.
You see it's not all about what we look like on the outside. I see the triathlete's body like a car. The chassis isn't what gets the car from A to B. It's the ENGINE (heart) and it's size. The WHEELS (muscles) and their capacity to keep rolling. And these days it's all coordinated by the ELECTRONICS (mind). If that gives out, the most beautiful Ferrari in the World is going nowhere fast.
Rocking the short shorts
So how AM I feeling?
Well, pretty damn good! This week I had a biggish ride on Monday and 90 minute run on Tuesday, and then taper time! The rest of the week included the Ho'ala Ironman training swim, which went brilliantly- 5min faster than in 2015. Let's hope I can repeat that on Saturday!
I'll write a short pre- race blog with my goals. They are not time- based. The one thing I learned a long time ago here is that times are pretty irrelevant and completely condition dependent. No, the goals are all based around execution of various parts of the race. Starting with race week, where the goal is to soak up the vibe and enjoy some of the excitement, but get plenty of rest, hydration and crap TV!!
6 days to go
The week's training
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