breakthrough

My last couple of workouts have provided me with a small breakthrough of sorts. What this means is that I feel like the work that I've done so far has actually been effective and gotten me somewhere - not saying that I'm ready to go out and finish an Ironman tomorrow or anything, just had a couple of tiny victories. In the dead of winter, it's these tiny victories that get me from one workout to the next.

Tiny Victory #1
On Monday night I went to a group ride to try and avoid the trainer. It met at Mama's Board and Bike in downtown Buford. The entire ride would be in the dark which was amazingly fun but a little scary at the same time. I geared myself up with all my lights and reflective gear and joined the group of about 10 on a ride from downtown Buford then around Suwanee and back, about 17 miles. It was a pretty short ride but proved to be ridden at a fairly good tempo. The tiny victory was in the way I was able to pull the group into the wind and felt strong doing so. This was the first ride that I've felt powerful enough to "hammer" for any length of time.

Tiny Victory #2
My swim workout tonight also brought about some sensations of strength. My times weren't super fast but I sure felt efficient and much more powerful than I had in my first two weeks. It's not necessarily the speed or the times that are important in this game, it's the ability to move through long distances efficiently and relaxed.

The first two weeks of training kind of felt like I was just out there drudging through the mileage, but hopefully I've turned the corner and will start turning in more and more significant workouts that are confidence instilling.

in the groove

I've finally gotten myself into a solid full on training mode. Week 1 went well although I missed a couple of swims due to the lack of a car to get to the pool, but it was only about an hour worth of workout time. All of my bikes and runs were completed. Week 2 has gone even better, and I shouldn't have any problem getting all 9 of my planned workouts in.

One thing that has helped with this is the discovery of the Gwinnett Running Club. They meet 3 days a week for runs of different distances and intensities. So far I've been attending their Wednesday night run at Collins Hill Pool. It is a very diverse group of varying abilities and their seems to be enough serious runners on a regular basis to make it worthwhile to make running with them a regular routine. With all the solo training I have ahead of me, it's nice to have some workouts I can count on where I don't have to go it alone. They also do a track workout on Monday nights and a long run on Saturday mornings.

I've also made some crucial adjustments to the fit of my tri bike. This has been one of my biggest sources of anxiety regarding the race. I've never gone more than 60 or so miles on my triathlon bike, I've always done my centuries on my road bike, so I've been trying to figure out how to set it up to be comfortable for 112 miles. I've learned to make one small adjustment and then ride it to see how it feels - rather than make a lot of adjustments or big adjustments at one time. This way you know exactly what kind of adjustments are helping. It's definitely been a very systematic process to get it right.

Week 1 update

Quick update on how week 1 is going. So far so good. Workouts haven't been super long which means they aren't hard to find time to fit in. The only hurdle I've encountered this week is the lack of a car to get to the pool. I'll end up replacing a swim with some extra bike time on the trainer - what can you do though. The long bike for the week was 2hr and 15min on Monday which brought me to about 38 miles. I felt solid but the legs were fatigued afterward. Generally I feel like I'm physically at a good cross roads of being recovered from marathon season and ready to train hard, but I don't feel as though I've take to much time off.

The cold weather is still here, but once you get out in it a few times it doesn't seem to bother me to much. It's cold..but the miles must be logged and the show must go on!

My Favorite Gear (for now)

Through the benefits of working for a fantastic outdoor company, I have accumulated some great gear to help me during my training. During my run yesterday with Patrick, I was thinking about all of my favorite gear and how in the world would I get through the long workouts, adverse weather, and such with out them. Interestingly enough, it's those small things, those little detail pieces of gear that can make the biggest difference in a good day of training and a bad day. So here are my favorite pieces of gear!

Tifosi Vogel Sunglasses

The great thing about these sunglasses to me is I don't really notice wearing them. They are extremely lightweight and do not have frames. The lenses have "fototec" technology, so they get darker and lighter as the amount of sunlight you are in changes. When you ride a triathlon bike and you are down in the aero position, it forces you to look up through your brow. With a pair of sunglasses that have frames, you end up looking right into the fame at the top - therefor obstructing your view of the road. Not the case with the Vogel's due to the lack of frames, they are the perfect triathlon pair of sunglasses.


Pearl Izumi Barrier Shoe Covers












These thick neoprene booties that cover your shoes are a must for cold weather riding. Forget the toe covers, nothing compares to these bad boys. Keeps my toes warm and toasty even on the most frigid and windy days.


Novara Thermal Tech Arm Warmers













These offer me the option of shedding layers on the fly. Fleece lined and wind proof to 60 mph, they turn any jersey into a long sleeve jersey - but when the ride heats up, you can peel them off while riding and tuck them in your back pocket. Also great for cold weather running - I used them at the Rocket City Marathon.

Wigwam Ironman Tailwind Pro Running Socks













These socks are great for many reasons other than the bamf Ironman logo. First being that they are partially spandex, so they move with your feet and help you avoid blisters on the long runs. They have a cushioned sole that makes them extra comfy. The toes are seamless as well, so no annoying rubbing from that either.

Nathan Speed 4 Hydration/Fuel Belt












Make fun if you want, but this thing has gotten me through more than it's fair share of 20 milers. It's got enough storage pockets to hold 800-1000 calories of your favorite fuel, and four 10 oz bottles to fill with whatever keeps you hydrated the best. The bottles are removed and loaded into the holsters with ease so you don't have to slow down and look at what your doing.

So those are my favorite pieces of gear at the moment - I'll let you know if I obtain any other gear worth blogging about!

Base Phase

This Sunday marks 24 weeks to go until Ironman Coeur D'Alene. Of recent my training has been kind of off and on for lack of a better description. I've been battling a cold and the cold - this is one of the harshest winters I can remember. With the extreme cold temps and lack of daylight, outdoor training time has been at a premium. I've been in the basement on the cycling trainer just about as much as I can stand in an attempt to maintain general fitness. Yes the indoor pool is an option, but when it's 15 degrees and dark out it is very very challenging to coerce yourself out of a nice warm bed to head to the pool alone and crank out laps while staring at a black line.

With that being said, it is definitely time to put up or shut up. I have all the resources to train through just about any weather or daylight constraints, it's just a matter of getting the ball rolling. Pulling a 24 week training plan from Triathlete Magazines Essential Week by Week training Guide, modifying it slightly by adding some more cycling volume and a bit more intensity here and there - I've created a plan that suits me pretty much to a T. This coming week I will begin the journey of a lifetime, my quest to finish an Ironman distance triathlon. 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running - all in one day. It's going to be a lot of cold, long, lonely, and grueling workouts to get myself to June 27th, yet at this point I have no choice but to force myself to do it - the entry fee is paid, the travel plans are all set. To me there is no greater challenge than to be self coached and self motivated. It would be all to easy to pay someone to tell me what to do and when to do it. I'm a firm believer that going through the suffering alone with my thoughts will make me better on June 27th, because in the end nobody is going to help me go the distance on race day. I expect this adventure to come down to an intense mental battle with myself on the 26.2 mile run, so that is how most of my preparation will be done.

The plan itself is divided into three 8 week phases: Base, Build, and Peak. These first 8 weeks a far and away the most important aspect of he entire plan. This is because in order to develop the ability to go for 13 or so hours straight, I need to build my endurance steadily over a long period of time. If I don't allow myself time to build slowly and have to "cram" my training into to short a period to close to the race I will probably end up over trained or injured. This would also affect my performance on race day as I would not have adequate time to recover from training before the race. Also included is a small amount of high-intensity work to enhance my efficiency and prepare my body for the build phase.

Here are the first 8 weeks (Build Phase) laid out: Ironman CDA 2010 Build Phase
-The key workouts are my long efforts, they are highlighted in yellow.
-Every 4th week is a recovery week. Not as noticeable of a drop in this phase though.

My goal for this week is to simply get accustomed to my new workout routine and simply get into a good rhythm with my training.

So here goes nothing!