change of plans.

I've been following the Half Ironman 20 week program from BT.com. It's been too much. It averages about 800 minutes (13.3 hours)/ week, and maxes out at 1000 hours (16.66 hours)/ week. It's too much for me. I know my IM training program will bring me above that, but I am just not there yet.

I decided to switch to Olympic to HIM bridge - 12 week program. It doesn't start for me until 04/20, so I think I will do the first week 2x.

green - bike
yellow - run
purple - swim
red - strength

This plan averages between 8 hours/ week and 13 hours/ week. I am feeling much more comfortable with this plan. It will still be a challenge but will not be impossible for me to complete. It's demoralizing to see myself so far under my weekly goals.

I feel better.

the answer to 'how long is an IM?' often elicits gasps of disbelief from people [often with 'and you are PAYING to this?!'].

and although the day will be, I'm sure, long and exhuasting and full of emotion, it's the getting there that's true test of endurance. the training is the cake and the race is the icing.

a marathon is a long, hard [thatswhatshesaid] race, but there is support: there are other runners, there are volunteers, people playing music from their houses, little kids offering high fives. a 20 mile training run, on the other hand, offers none of that. the training runs are often harder than the race.

last night I met with an old friend for dinner. I planned on getting my workout done in the morning, but, well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. dinner was a cheeseburger + fries [with the most delightful cinnamon seasoning!] and then I had to hit the gym. pool closes at 9:30, gym closes at 10:00. dinner ended at 7:30 and there wasn't time to sit and let all that food digest.

the swim:
2400.00 meters in 52m 21s // 02m 11s /100 meters
400 wu
ms
8 x 25 easy/ hard
12 x 100:
75 easy - 25 hard
50 easy - 50 hard
25 easy - 75 hard
100 hard
^^ x 3
300 kick
300 wd

then: get out of the pool, racoon eyes with goggles marks, natch, and changed into a shirts, shorts, and running shoes for-

the run:
4.64 miles in 45m // 09m 42s/Mi
15 min wu
20 min hills
10 min cd
(treadmill)

[that damned delicious cheeseburger sat like a rock at the bottom of my stomach through most of the workout.]

I was the last one to leave the gym. this, to me, is what training is about. it's about the very unglamourous, the ugly, the tired, the pushing through when you don't want to push through anymore.

reminds me of:
it's just ten percent luck/
twenty percent skill/
fifteen percent concentrated power of will/
five percent pleasure/
fifty percent pain/
and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.
[Mike Shinoda - Remember The Name]

t.i.t.s.

[you pervs ! I know what you're thinking]

t.i.t.s. = time in the saddle and I, my friends, need more of it !

I rode outside today for the first time since I raced, erm, completed Savageman September 08. I've spent a decent amount of time in the trainer but nothing compares to riding outside.

the plan was to ride the Columbia course twice.
then the plan was to ride Columbia once and the Irongirl course once.
and then ... riding Columbia - once - was enough.

it's no Savageman, but it's a tough ride:

considering that I haven't ridden outside in 6+ months I'm happy with my ride. An older guy drafted off of me for one of the early hills and thanked me for it. hey, no problem buddy, glad to help!

I used Infinit for the first time today and was pleased with it. No GI issues and it went down well. I need to practice drinking while riding - anyone have any tips? My bike has a small frame so the water bottles are jammed in there and they are hard to get out.

[and next week I will ride that course ^^ 2x !... or at least that 1x and IG 1x]

totals 30 march - 5 april

swim: 4400.00 M in 1h 34m 44s
bike: 52.90 Mi in 3h 21m 22s
run: 15.01 Mi in 2h 16m 09s

total: 07h 11m 15s

delightful swim + sunny run

nothing beats the feeling of a great swim.

[unfortunantly, that feeling has a cost: dragging ass out of bed at o'dark o'clock and leaving a warm bed for a cold pool.]

yesterday morning I had an amazing swim [after the not-so-amazing feeling of getting out of bed]:
2800.00 meters in 1h 00m //28s 02m 10s /100 meters
400 wu
ms:
3 x 200
8 x 25 kick
4 x 100
8 x 25 kick
5 x 50
100 easy
6 x 75 pull
200 cd

I love having a training program to follow -- it saves me from having to one of the four swim workouts I usually do.

this afternoon's run:
5.19 miles in 45m 08s // 08m 42s/Mi

good news: glorious weather - low 60s, sunny, blue skies.
better news: little to no foot pain !

tomorrow I will ride Columbia. I was going to ride it today but it was really windy --- and I haven't been outside on my bike since September. hilly course + wind + nervous rider = bad idea.

*trust the training, trust the plan*