The Vision: To develop and execute a plan that will reasonably prepare me to complete an Iron distance triathlon and which will not adversely affect my role as a father, husband, and breadwinner.

The Plan: A 20-week, no frills, no fluff, schedule that generally prescribes one training session of one discipline each day. Weekly training volume steadily builds over the 20-weeks with a “step-back” every fourth week and a taper the last 2-weeks. Training sessions vary in length each day - the average session for the 140-day schedule is 90-minutes…

The Rules:
1.) Morning workouts only – Complete daily sessions early and spend the balance of the day focused on family and work.
2.) Involve the family – Try and share this special experience in both words and actions – anyone up for a run?
3.) Document the journey – There is only one first time. Pictures, thoughts, feelings – 20-years from now I am going to want to remember it all.
4.) Monitor weight/energy daily – Listen to my body and respond – More food? More rest? Total stud?
5.) Snack between meals – Eat Santa, eat. More frequent and smaller meals are the key.
6.) Master workout nutrition – Get it figured out during training. Nobody wants another Poopman.
7.) Missed workouts are missed workouts – At some point in the 140-day schedule, a workout will get missed. Let it go. Don’t even try to make it up. Move on.
8.) Maintain strength – Shoulders, chest, and lats… let us not be strangers. My swim will thank me.
9.) Train with heart rate – Dare to slow down. Burn the right energy source. Enduring depends on it.
10.) Train with joy. Race with joy – This is really the whole point. This adventure is supposed to be fun. Don’t get so bogged down in the details that the fun is lost!



Thursday, May 8, 2014

*Base Build - 35*

Wow - it is already Thursday and I haven't posted since Sunday!  Okay, time for the nickel recap:

Sunday afternoon Ian and I lifted weights at the Y.  We moved up the resistance on a number of exercises and did well with them.  My only concern is that things always feel easier at 2:00  pm than they do at 5:30 am so we'll have to see how these new weights feel on Tuesday morning.

Monday I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer.  I rode strong and felt good, however soon after the ride my legs felt tired and achy.

Tuesday morning Ian and I lifted weights.  He had a very tough dry land/swim practice Monday night and was feeling exhausted so I had him just do two sets of each exercise at a reduced weight.  He got through it but was dragging.

Wednesday morning I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer.  The ride wasn't great - my legs felt trashed from the get-go and I'm not really sure why.  They continued to feel sluggish the rest of the day. 
I decided that a light run my cheer them up so I ran 5-miles at a very easy pace around the University campus.  It turned out to be a good decision because my legs loosened up and even complimented my wisdom when I was finished:)

This morning Ian and I lifted weights again.  He was feeling much better today and did well with his usual weights and sets.  On the way home he told me that he really liked lifting weights.  Happy dad:)

Today at lunch I ran 9-miles outside.  It turned out to be a TERRIBLE run!  To start, the weather has suddenly decided to get hot - 85, sunny, and humid.  At 6'-4", I struggle in the heat.  To make matters worse, I really hadn't eaten much prior to the run - a muffin a few hours earlier.  I was hungry from the start.  Lastly, I forgot to bring my hand held bottle and so I had no water or liquid energy of any kind.  By mile-2, my stomach was growling and my mouth was dry.  Hmm.  Not good.  I plugged on and by mile-5, I pretty much felt like crap.  At this point I ditched my shirt in hopes of cooling but it didn't make me feel any better.  The last two miles are hilly and it was a struggle to keep things moving.  I finished totally drained, both physically and mentally.  I immediately loaded up on water and as much food as I could hoard and then jumped in a cold shower.  I continued to sweat for a good 30-minutes after the shower.  Ugh.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.  Today would have been a great day to practice my nutrition.  Instead, I completely ignored it and will likely feel the effects even tomorrow.
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