The Great Aerobic Ketogenic Experiment: Week Five

Week Five of the Great Aerobic Ketogenic Experiment. This week felt good. The volume went up, my speed went up and I was able to get back into ketosis.

I did something a little crazy and singed up for the Rage Triathlon at the Hoover Damn in just two weeks. Olympic distance too! It’s a little sooner that I was planing on, but I really want to get some practice. I think this will be a fun trip and a great opportunity to get an early season jump on triathlon. The challenge will be staying in Vegas before the race. I need to make sure I keep my sleep and diet in check for ultimate performance. The timing work well, because it will be just two days before I was going to start an intensity period to prepare for the Colfax Marathon.

Training

The training plan for week three was; Monday swim 3000 yards and MAF run for an hour, Tuesday 90 minute MAF run, Wednesday 90 minute MAF bike, Thursday Brick, 1 hour run and 1 hour bike, Friday swim 3000 yards, Saturday long run 22 miles, Sunday bike ride around 3 hours.

The training went well, I liked getting back into the MAF work. The longer workouts felt right I and I really enjoyed myself.

After my 20 mile run, I was feeling really good. Unstoppable, like this marathon would be no problem. Unfortunately, that’s not how I was feeling after 22 miles. While I made it through all 22 miles, and without incident, my body was not entirely happy.

The last two miles were there hardest. I could not keep my heart rate at MAF, unless I walked. So there was a lot of jog/walk going on. While I’m okay with this, it actually was a little painful to walk, it was more comfortable keeping the jogging stride. I also ran a lot slower than I had though I would. I was about 15 minutes slower than my prediction. I’m not exactly sure what that was all about.

I think being on my feet, jogging for four hours is extremely hard. These are the kind of runs I need to get my body ready for the marathon though. It makes me worry about my pacing. I’m not sure what to expect. If I can shave 15 seconds off my MAF pace. I’ll still be running about 10 minute miles. The good news is I know that I can do that, but I want to go faster than that. I’m just not sure that my body will be ready.

It’s very interesting to see how this distance effects my body. Last year I was so afraid of 13 miles, and now it’s so easy. Will that be the same with 26 miles? I guess only time will tell.

I took the triathlon bike out for a spin on Sunday. The weather was absolutely perfect for a ride. I think it’s going to take a little getting used to, but I can tell how fast the P2 is. I did a fair amount of climbing, about 2,00oft, which isn’t a feat fit for that type of ride, but I had a good ride never the less.

Diet

I went off the rails on Easter and threw myself out of ketosis. I spend all week trying to get back in. Finally after my 22 mile run and a dose of SuperStarch on Saturday I was back in ketosis.

The major achievement this week, was the ability to avoid snacking. I’m not sure why it was easier this week than before. Does the low intensity work not make me as hungry? This could be. I also think that maybe it’s just a cycle thing. I notice I’ll go through periods of time where I’m hungrier than others.

Progress

Progress is going well. I had some good runs and my MAF pace is decreasing. I’m really happy to see this progress. While the long run progression is still a little on the slow side, I’m not going to worry about it just yet. The extra distance could take my body a while to get used to. Right now I’m doing great under 10 miles and I’m okay with that for now.

My HRV seems to be doing well, so I know my body is happy. My sleep is good, the best it’s been in years. I’m going to bed super early, but I have to admit it’s well worth it.

My weight is not doing exactly what I want it to do, but we’ll see what happens next week. I need to get down to a race weight as I’m only weeks out for the official start of the season. It’s time to be super strict about what I put into my body.