2 years ago

Countdown to Busselton Ironman with ABMMA PRO (Part 2)

Cyclist speeds down street on black and yellow bike, muscles engaged, motion blur highlights Bioelectric Meridian Therapy benefits. Description: Blurred image shows focused cyclist training intensely, visually echoing BMT’s activation of muscle energy and overall vitality. Title: Road cyclist in motion symbolising the energising effects of Bioelectric Meridian Therapy.

By Michael Rand, personal trainer and triathlete.

After my last blog, Ironman training and recovery journey with ABMMA BMT (Part 1), I thought a monthly follow up of my training progress incorporating the use of my ABMMA PRO BMT Device would be appropriate, as I countdown to the Busselton Ironman series in WA at the start of December.

Not long after my last blog, I won a competition for an entry to Ironman Western Sydney 70.3. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Triathlon speak, a 70.3 is a half Ironman. That means it is a 1.9 km Swim, a 90 km bike ride and a 21.1 km run. The Western Sydney 70.3 falls 10 weeks before Busselton Ironman so it is a great race to do for a few reasons.

Firstly, to keep the motivation up a little bit over winter and secondly, to give a good yard stick on how my fitness is tracking under race pressure and if I need to make any adjustments over the next crucial 7 weeks of training.

Using the ABMMA PRO device for long drives

To get to Sydney from the Sunshine Coast, I decided to drive down on the Friday morning so I could have all day Saturday to do a little training, relax and recover from the previous couple of weeks of heavy training. For ultra endurance events it is rare to have two days almost completely off training, unless you are sick or badly injured.

Map showing the drive from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney — Sunshine Coast to Sydney drive

The drive down from the Sunshine Coast was a great opportunity for me to test my ABMMA PRO BMT Device as a driving aid. I put the red pad just under my T1 vertebrae and throughout the day, during each stop, I put the 2 green pads on different areas. I started on my glute max area, then went to the glute medius, then switched to the hamstrings and quads.

Image showing ABMMA PRO placements on the body — ABMMA PRO placements on the body

Instead of getting out of the car after 11 hours of driving feeling cramped and lethargic, my legs felt alive and ready for action. They were soft and supple and in no way sore or tight.

After good night’s sleep, I got up and went for a short run and ride first thing in the morning. My legs moved beautifully. In previous long drives it has taken a few days to get my legs back under me and firing. This really was a revelation.

The day before the race

After lunch I got back on the ABMMA PRO and ran a 40-minute low level protocol, just placing a foot on each green pad and the red pad on my sacrum.

Image showing ABMMA PRO pads on sacrum and feet — ABMMA PRO pads on sacrum and feet

I used program 1 on a setting of 15 and felt great. I find program 1 is great to help bring the body’s stress levels down when used gently. On Saturday afternoon I went to the registration area and put my bike into transition. Then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I was asleep by 8:30pm and had a great night’s sleep, waking just before my alarm at 4am.

The swim

I woke feeling relaxed and refreshed. I had a small bowl of rice with some mayo for flavour and started consuming a drink that was very high in carbohydrates and electrolytes. My race started a little bit before 7am with the 1.9 km swim. I felt that the swim would be a bit hit and miss because I had no prior opportunity to have any type of warm up. Sometimes this is okay, other times not so much. This time I was determined to start out very steady and keep my effort lower than I normally would.

I felt quite cumbersome for the opening 750 metres to the first turn buoy. But as I warmed up, my stroke evened out and I felt my breathing return to normal and my familiar fluency in the water start to return. I honestly felt that by the time I exited, I was just starting to feel great in the water. With my time of 29 minutes for the swim I was set up for a solid morning of racing.

The cycle

Out on to the bike, I felt I had good sensations from the outset. I felt coordinated and I really had to concentrate on not going too hard. In previous 70.3 races, I have gone quite hard at the start and faded towards the end of the ride. This time however, I was holding myself in check quite well and by the 75km mark (of the 90 km ride) I was thinking to myself my legs still felt fresh and I was holding my target power with ease. By the time I got off the bike, I managed to put out a time of 2 hours 20 minutes which, at 52 years old, is a lifetime best for a 90 km bike time.

The run

Out on to the run I felt relaxed and strong. In previous races I have had trouble going too hard early in the run, blowing up and having to struggle home. This time my energy levels felt good for the duration and my knees had no pain. Even though I could feel my hamstring slightly throughout the run, it didn’t feel sore or get any worse than it was in the first few kilometres. My run time of 1 hour 52 minutes is my third fastest 70.3 run time, and probably the best executed run with pacing, and definitely the most relief post run.

Post-race recovery with ABMMA PRO

Given my recent injury history, I was amazed how good my legs felt post race. My knee pain was settled and my hamstring felt relaxed. I had no time to relax as I had decided to jump straight in the car and start driving home. It was here that I employed my ABMMA PRO device again and connected the two green pads to my lateral glutes and the red pad to my lumbar spine and set the frequency to program 2 and intensity level to 15 for 50 minutes.

Image showing ABMMA PRO pads on lateral glutes and lumbar spine. — ABMMA PRO pads on lateral glutes and lumbar spine.

Then transferred the pads to my hamstrings, then calves, followed by my quads over the next eight hours of driving.

Image showing ABMMA Pro pads on hamstrings, calves and glutes — ABMMA Pro pads on hamstrings, calves and glutes

By the time I stopped for a four-hour nap, I had literally been using my ABMMA PRO for nearly six hours continuously. Again, as I said on the trip down, I had next to no soreness from driving and to top it off, as I was walking around I could barely tell that I had done a 5-hour race earlier that day. Incredibly, my legs felt fresh, and I had barely any stiffness at all.

Back home and ready again

I got home in the early hours on Monday morning and had a nice relaxing sleep for a few hours. I thought to myself, “I feel like I could train today”. I resisted the urge, given the previous days escapades.

However I will be back to my usual training routine first thing Tuesday morning and looking forward to the next block of training as I continue my training preparations for Busselton on 3^rd December.