New workout last weekend represented a new strategy in the Ironman preparation – the 8 hour swim/bike/run.  It was all completed within the 15 x 10 SF area in our basement and included approximately a 1 hr swim on the Vasa machine, 6 hrs on the Computrainer riding the 112 mile St. George course and then running close to an hour at sub 7 min/mile on the treadmill.  Why?  Two primary purposes.  The first was to further fine-tune the race day fueling plan (what works during a 4-5 hr workout likely won’t be as effective during a 10 hr event).  The second was to “normalize” the ironman distance (again – if longest pre-race workout is just 4-5 hrs, race day is a different animal).  The workout went well and I did learn some things about fueling.  However, I was extremely tired for the 2-3 days following the workout, which is why I’ll only do this workout once/month during the months leading up to the event (and not at all in the final month prior).  It’s not for everyone, but I’m convinced it’ll be extremely beneficial come race day.  Stay tuned!