I Swim , Bike , Run. The rest of the time I work on data systems
So I am burnt. My mind is running in circles from thinking about work, about grad school, and then finally the IM. So my simple solution is that to take 3 days off from IM training. I am still in week 3/4 of the training, so the consensus seems to be that I won’t lose a lot of fitness.
So the end of my 3 days is tomorrow. So far it has been relaxing. I am always suprised how much free time I have when I am not training.
I never like to think too much about the 1st week of the training plan. But this time around I was pumped, I was ready, it was game on . I had been good at working out consistently in my off-season. So that come the 1st week of the IM training plan I wanted to jump into it. Continue reading “week 1 disaster”
Ironman motivation is a lot tougher that I thought it would be. My wonderful calendar shows the count down for the next 240 days and I start wondering how my body , mind will survive this journey.
I was discussing this with one of my bike partners and we both concluded that the actual race is the apex of a much tougher journey. A journey that reveals your character, reveals your mental and physical state, and gives you million reasons to stop but just 1 to go on. I am still searching for that 1 reason.
So it starts in late nov. And I have to start getting my lazy out of bed at 5:30 am for morning swims , and then push myself to do a bike in the dark.
So I ask what is the 1 reason to do an IM. Because 240 days, come race-day, I better have that answer because it is game on.
My training goes in waves, On again and off again. All of sudden at week 2 of a 3 week cycle I will lose interest in working out and will just need a break from everything. R blames it on the complete polar opposites I maintain where I workout for 20hrs for 2 weeks at a time and then drop to 5hrs. Just getting burnt out in the process.
So the plan from now to IM is to be consistent and to avoid these waves of training. Plan to train 10-20hrs and touch a couple of weeks with 25 but to maintain that as the threshold min.
1 week since my 70.3 race. Still a bit sore and my knees feel all of the steps in the last 6 mi in the run.
And in my crazy, blood glucose low mood I just signed up for doing ironman lake placid 2010. What was. I thinking ! All 140.6 mi . And this after watching the anguish and pain of the people doing it this year.
I had picked up rhian from the airport and we had driven straight to lake placid (with a side trip to kabab king). We had decided out of necessity to camp close to lp which turned out to be really nice. The camp site was a bit past the turn-off for wilmington. We were able to spend a lot of time in town enjoying the local brew.
On the day of the race we volunteered at the bike station and the run course. It made a fun way to pass the day.
And the next day I did sign up for next year. Yikes!!! Time to get into shape
So rest assured I have a very “special” relationship with my bikes. It is as the level that car-maniacs have with their ultra tricked out ; double exhaust; custom chipped cars.
Mine is with my Bikes. Their beauty , elegance, aero-dynamic nature,and the fact they hardly every break down. I guess the latter is what attracts me to bikes. I find that nearly every other transportation mechanism requires a high degree of maintenance. From the car, motorbike to even trains. There are just so many electrical , mechanical part over time that require some degree of maintenance. And most require some of the transportation mechanism require some amount of CO2 producing fuel.
Whereas on a bike you are the engine.The engine doesn’t really need that much maintenance just the regular food you consume. And unless you have a crash no real break downs occur. From the perspective of the bike itself the maintenance is low, clean it regularly, tune the gears if need be, every once in a while replace tires or breaks.
As of late I own 2 bikes. My road bike a specialized tramac expert , and then my triathlon bike a specialized transition elite . Always looking at expanding collection. I am like the 5year old boy who ogles at all the bikes when he enters the bike store. Probably towards the end of the year I will look at getting a mountain bike (again) or possibly a cheaper road bike. Just for some winter riding.
The first week of training is always hard. Nearly everyday of the week your body is telling you not to do it. Your body screams in agony that why did you take that 2 month break, why did you ever have the last piece of icecream, why not get some more sleep. Continue reading “The first week is hard”