Winter Training
Posted by Admin on December 29, 2010 in Training
Man, it so hard to be “regular”. I mean to say that it’s hard to find a training rhythm in terms of scheduling during these holidays. I had illustrious plans of generating some strong base fitness in advance of the January rush, which is when many athletes, triathletes and weekend warriors alike, decide to turn over a new leaf and begin fitness plans. I’m fairly confident that I do have a good base of fitness already since I’m now entering my eleventh season of multisport training and racing, but with 2011 being an Ironman year for me, the sooner I hone that base and begin the build, the better. I’m doing the best I can, but it’s so easy to fall off the training wagon. Come January 2nd, I’ll have far fewer distractions, and when I get into serious training, it becomes a tornado of ever-increasing focus for me. Honestly, I can’t wait.
Swimming: nonexistent. I haven’t been in the water since my last triathlon on October 10th. Tragic and pathetic, I know. I’ll fall into the aforementioned January rush and get back to it after the New Years holiday. I’ll likely start off for two to three weeks solo training to get myself up to a reasonable fitness level before joining my triathlon team for group workouts. I don’t want to start off with the team and be the slow guy in the pool. Yes, some vanity is mixed into this too!
Cycling: Just before the Christmas holidays, I was regularly meeting up with the Terrier team for indoor cycling sessions, and since then, I’ve been doing them on my own at home. I feel like I can get out of the saddle and push a big gear for a long time, so my confidence is good… for now. In one of the last group sessions, I worked out for two successive one-hour sessions… and felt strong at the end. I really want to have a good cycling season and feel like I can push harder than in past years since running off the bike has gotten much easier for me. With fewer fears of having jelly legs, I hope to have a six hour (or less!) Ironman cycling time.
Running: I thought I’d have a very hard time running, and while the first couple of short runs didn’t feel great, I remembered that I needed to run slow and just build a base. I’ve since had an easier time and have a couple of long-ish runs under my belt already, including a 9.5 miler from my apt. to Roya’s work and back. I ran easy, and predominantly ran on grass or gravel. I’m planning to run the NY Road Runner Club’s Grand Prix of half-marathons; that is, a half-marathon in each of NYC’s five boroughs. The first one is in late January in Central Park, so that’s my current running goal. I don’t expect to get a personal record, but I want to feel strong and in control.
A huge snowfall this week has made run-training nearly non-existent… for now. Within a day or two, the melting will make the running path safer. I’ve run tons of times in the ice and snow, but the quality of the runs aren’t that great in my opinion since I’m mostly focused on avoiding a slip and potential injury. Unlike most people, I like treadmill running and I’ll likely head to my team’s gym to get in those workouts.
Diet: For a while, I was doing so well with eating healthy and organic foods, but the holidays at my parents’ home and several holiday parties later thrust me way off the wagon. Roya is so focused on being helpful in this regard, so I’m considering it just a minor detour. She’s definitely going to take good care of me. I’m a lucky guy.
Lastly, Spirit: I’m am so confident that Ironman Germany will be a great experience. As my third IM, I carry the knowledge of what I did the last two times in training, and what I should do differently this team. Chief among the changes is my membership with the Terrier Ironman training group. Working with coaches and fellow athletes will keep me working hard. And, with a really good attitude this time around, I am so looking forward to a great finishing time. The current goal is sub 13 hours, and while a sub 12 hour time could happen, anything less than 14 hours will be a major victory. I think that I’m capable of 11-something, but we’ll see what happens on race day. I know that I’ll be well-prepared and that’s all that an athlete can ask for.
Happy New Year to all. Get ready for great new things in 2011.
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