by Linsey Corbin

I am writing in during my taper (rest) period before the Ironman World Championships, which will be taking place in less than a week. I came out to Hawaii on September 1st to help prepare for the Big Dance. I love coming out here early as you can get in some great cycling on the course, your body can acclimatize to the rough conditions (heat, wind & humidity), and you get in a nice block of final training.

Last week I finished off my final preparations for the race. I have loved every one of my last few sessions - maybe it’s because I know that the light is at the end of the tunnel, and I won't have to do them again for a loooooong time?? Coach Lance has been great help and kept me on task when the going has gotten really tough. It has been fun to have him here and help me get the most out of each session as I top off my stores for the Big Day.

Let's see.... I got in a great treadmill run with mile repeats at The Club in Kona. It got pretty tough towards the end, and I resorted to counting people walking into the fast food restaurant across the street to make sure I wasn't watching the clock. Talk about being thankful about being able to run mile repeats and push yourself to the limits!!

Last Thursday I took one last tour of the Ironman bike course. Not going to lie, my legs and body weren't really feeling it for the first THREE hours. That was a long time of feeling awful!! It made me appreciate the days when my legs feel fresh and light, that is for sure. However, things came around just in time for my favorite part of the course, and I was able to hammer it home and have a great run on one of the hardest parts of the Ironman course: in the Energy Lab (mile 16-20).

Friday morning was one of my favorite workouts of the week. The pros that are in town have been meeting up each Friday morning at the pier and swimming to the 1.2 mile swim buoy, regrouping, and doing it again, and again, and one last time. I am pretty sure I am the only pro in the group that hasn't won an Ironman yet - :). No pressure, Corbin. It is great race-start simulation and practice. Afterwards we all make nice and grab breakfast from Lava Java.

Gary and Junko from Club Massage have been taking excellent care of me. I have been having great sessions back to back as they have been delivering some great massages. So, if you are coming for the race and want quality massage - check them out: 808-334-1134. You won't be sorry!!

One of my favorite weekly workouts during my training this year has been a 2-2.5 hour ride that included threshold intervals. When I am at home in Montana, I would most likely do a similar session on the trainer which allows your body to reach lactate threshold and a higher wattage for short intervals (5-10 minutes). Being out in Hawaii, and without my trusty CycleOps Power Beam Pro, my coach had me do a similar session only as hill repeats. We found that the hills allowed my wattage to get up to where they would be if I were cycling on the trainer. For me, I did a warm-up, followed by a 7-8 minute tempo effort climb that I repeated 5-8 times (depending on the week), and ended with a cool-down.

The Workout

Warm up:
Warm up with some easier cycling for 20-30 minutes. Try to include some single leg drill. During the last few minutes of the warm up include a bit of "activation" by either doing some brief pick-ups or cycling up a small hill. Ride for 5 minutes easy then begin the main set.

The Main Set:
Find a hill that you can cycle up at a steady rate for 5-10 minutes. Make it a goal to stay seated for the entire climb, pedal with an efficient cadence, keep your upper body still and generate the power from your legs, make your pedal stroke circular and at an even rate. Now, start climbing! I would try and pace myself evenly up the climb and make sure I pedaled nice and strong the the final rise of the hill: up and over!

Cool down:
Make sure you flush your legs out after this session. Cycle in the little ring at a high cadence for 20-30 minutes. Make sure and refuel and rehydrate as well.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to checking in again in a week’s time after the Ironman World Championships! Best wishes for great training!!

Linsey Corbin
Montana Made: www.linseycorbin.com