This is a page that I was really hesitant to add to my site. I don't like to talk much about upcoming races, because, the fewer people who know my goals the less pressure there is and fewer people who know I failed when I fall short of my goals. But, then I realized, if I fall short of my goals, but, in doing so, help someone else achieve their goals, then it really turns into something positive for everyone. So here goes....
Current A Goal: 6/11/2017 - Finish Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin 1 hour faster than my Ironman 70.3 Steelhead finish (7:47:32) Current B Goal: 3/19/2017 - Finish Cary Half Marathon at 10:30 pace or better
99% of logs like these on the Internet start with great intentions, but, fizzle out along the way. Going to do my best to update once a week or at the very least twice a month.
Current state of my training. This is my third year of triathlon, and, up until this point I have been mostly self coached with A LOT of help from triathlete friends and biker friends. I have come a long way, finishing my first Half Ironman just last year, but, it wasn't pretty so decided that I needed to get some professional if I wanted to enjoy my racing more. I have only been coached for 2 months and I already realize it is one of the best moves I could have made to get more out of my training for two major reasons. First, and not surprisingly, having someone with more experience than yourself to discuss training with and write your plans is a huge help. Second, and maybe not as obvious, is having an outside perspective. It is much easier for another person to identify our faults than it is for us to identify our own. Naturally, it isn't always comfortable to invite someone to give brutally honest opinions of your training, but, a big part of all training is learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. You don't make gains in your comfort zone. The other best move I made several months ago was joining a weekly masters swim program. This one really pushed me out of my comfort zone and continues to do so every week. However, I have made huge gains in distance and speed since joining.
Here are some benchmark stats.
1000m Time Trial: 24:53 - 2:29/100m
20 Minute FTP: 200 watts
Bike Race Pace: 16mph
Long Run Pace: 10:30/min mile
Weekly Swim Distance: 6000 yards
Weekly Run Distance: 18 miles
Weekly Bike Volume: 3 hours
If you are training for similar events, you may find it interesting to compare this information to my training for Steelhead 70.3.
Has been a tough week and a half. Swim distances keep pushing new limits for me. Had a 2500 yard day followed by a 3000 yard day. Laughable distances for real swimmers, but a personal record for me. Hit by a nasty cold over the weekend, but, thankfully the worst came after my long workouts. Took a couple days off, which was really hard since I have not missed a workout yet. Guess I can't say that any more. Fortunately, started feeling better so, back into training. Big weekend coming up. 1 hour 50 min run on Saturday with masters swim on Sunday followed by 2 hour trainer ride. Wish me luck.
I always look forward to time trials and dread them at the same time. It is always great to get some good data and get a benchmark on your fitness. Scary, because, what if the numbers don't look good and, good numbers or bad, it is probably going to hurt. This week included a 1000 yard swim time trial which I finished in 20:48. For a real swimmer, not fast, but, I'm pretty happy with it. My target pace for my Half Ironman is 2:22/100 yards or better and coming out of the water fresh, so, with a little more improvement, I can probably get there.
Also had a 1:50 "smooth" run this week. Even though it was supposed to be an easy run, and felt somewhat easy, only managed a 11:12/mile pace for 10 miles. Slower than I hoped, but, really enjoyed the run which is the most important. Post run, I realized my heart rate was mostly in Zone 4 (139 - 147 BPM). My coach told me that was way too high and I was supposed to be in Zone 1 - 2. So, I guess I will just go slower (is that possible without walking?) next time. I guess the moral of the story is just get out there and enjoy the day no matter your pace. You don't have to be fast to be successful! (And it's up to you to determine what success looks like for you.)