New way of thinking

It might have been reflective of a new approach to training, when I skipped the our club Helsinki Triathlons traditional cup sprint and opted for a long, intense workout last tuesday. In my opinion, that kind of 4-6 hour workout at or close to ironman race pace is the single most important workout to improve in long distance triathlon. Note the difference: at or close to ironman pace means fast, not long and slow. I never like to do long and slow. Waste of time.
That said, sprints are important as well in order to improve the speed reserve and feel more comfortable at ironman pace. On thursday I did a 20K flat out bike on my own, and friday I ran 3K on the track.
But last year, I was like doing anaerobic training every other day, cycling tempo rides, running stairs, running intervals. This year, I have been doing more aerobic work, and done about one anaerobic workout per discipline a week.
I have also been riding more in the zone slightly above the aerobic threshold, between ironman pace and half ironman pace. That's a pace where my body burns a lot of stored glycogen and some lactic acid is produced in my muscles. But it is still a quite comfortable pace, which I, for example, can maintain on the bike for some two hours.
This is a typical, great workout for improving your ironman bike speed: 4h bike, beginning with a heart rate of 135 for 1h, increasing speed to a heart rate of 140 for 1h, then 145, and, finally, a heart rate of 150 for 1h. That is based on the assumption that your ironman race pace is around 145 bpm. But BEWARE. The increase in heart rate should not be due to increased fatigue or loss of liquid, so make sure you actually increase your speed. Ok, sorry, I know. This is totally paleolithic. In 2011, everyone should have a power meter, not some silly, unreliable heart rate monitor. I usually trust my speed gauge more. But then you have to take into account wind and other weather conditions as well.