So I knew there'd be some differences in training in another country, but I was looking forward to pretending I was an elite athlete, finalising my preparation for an international Ironman race at altitude.
Apart from the obvious difference of riding on the right hand side of the road, the pool at Alpe d'Huez was my first such experience.
Alpe d'Huez redemption
After my VO2 session on the bike this morning it was time to finish off what I'd started on Friday with a climb up the Alpe.
The last time I'd ridden Alpe d'Huez I'd only done half the job in my failed attempt at the Alpe d'Huez triathlon. Last time, it was blisteringly hot. The heat radiated off the rock walls at the bottom of the climb. This time, the cooler mid-morning held the promise of a much more pleasant experience.
The last time I'd ridden Alpe d'Huez I'd only done half the job in my failed attempt at the Alpe d'Huez triathlon. Last time, it was blisteringly hot. The heat radiated off the rock walls at the bottom of the climb. This time, the cooler mid-morning held the promise of a much more pleasant experience.
Flat out
We'd been hunting for a flat since we arrived in La Grave. Short of going down to Bourg d'Oisan, the next best thing was a little road we found down by the river. Not a bad view, hey?
Well, as it turns out, looks aren't everything.
The Cols of Alpe D'Huez
I had some unfinished business on the Cols of the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon course. I've never admitted it here on the Triathlete Chronicles, but this is the only race I've failed to finish. I was pulled from the bike course by a Frenchman who purported not to speak English and bundled into the sag wagon.
Adding insult to injury, although I promised to write a Chronicle about my experience, I failed at that as well. In many ways, this is understandable. But it's regrettable, because I look back on that experience with a range of emotions. Mostly, I feel the vulnerability, sadness, and shame of failure. But there are also glimmers of defiance and desperation that often accompanies the persistence I hoped to show.
Being back at the Alpe, I'm reliving it like it's yesterday.
Adding insult to injury, although I promised to write a Chronicle about my experience, I failed at that as well. In many ways, this is understandable. But it's regrettable, because I look back on that experience with a range of emotions. Mostly, I feel the vulnerability, sadness, and shame of failure. But there are also glimmers of defiance and desperation that often accompanies the persistence I hoped to show.
Being back at the Alpe, I'm reliving it like it's yesterday.
Travel hopefully
There are many quotes about travel, but one of my favourites is by Robert Louis Stevenson:
"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."
It pays to travel hopefully. After all, a lot can go wrong when you've got a cab ride, a flight, an adjoining flight, a cab ride, a car hire, and a 800k drive to get to your destination.
There is a lot ahead for the Athletic Powerhouse. There are physical challenges that require mental toughness. I didn't expect that the very act of travelling to prepare me for what's ahead but as it turns out, I've arrived more hopeful than I imagined.
"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."
It pays to travel hopefully. After all, a lot can go wrong when you've got a cab ride, a flight, an adjoining flight, a cab ride, a car hire, and a 800k drive to get to your destination.
There is a lot ahead for the Athletic Powerhouse. There are physical challenges that require mental toughness. I didn't expect that the very act of travelling to prepare me for what's ahead but as it turns out, I've arrived more hopeful than I imagined.
Ready to roll
The time has come. I'm sitting at the airport, looking forlornly at the Triathlete Chronicles, shaking my head at the irony of it. The more I train, the more I have to blog about. Sadly, the more I train, the less time I have to actually blog.
This last couple of weeks, I've done some of my best and worst training sessions, of this program, and perhaps ever. I've constructed perfect blog posts out there on the road, none of which have made their way to their rightful home.
This last couple of weeks, I've done some of my best and worst training sessions, of this program, and perhaps ever. I've constructed perfect blog posts out there on the road, none of which have made their way to their rightful home.
This is how VO2 goes
The goal of a VO2 session is... well I'm not quite sure what the goal of the session is. That's why I have a coach.
How it goes, is that you go flat out for a specified time. Then recover for a specified time. Then go flat out for a specified time, then recover, and repeat for the desired effect.
There are many theories on what the optimal intervals are. Actually, I don't really know, but my coach told me there was. He also told me that the intervals he gave me were the magic numbers, according to research. But I don't really know. That's why I have a coach.
What I do know is how a VO2 interval session goes.
How it goes, is that you go flat out for a specified time. Then recover for a specified time. Then go flat out for a specified time, then recover, and repeat for the desired effect.
There are many theories on what the optimal intervals are. Actually, I don't really know, but my coach told me there was. He also told me that the intervals he gave me were the magic numbers, according to research. But I don't really know. That's why I have a coach.
What I do know is how a VO2 interval session goes.
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