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!



Tuesday, October 14, 2014

*Iron Training - Week 18*

So this past week was my first taper week and I think it went pretty well.  I executed 9-workouts, but they were relatively short in duration:

Swim:  I swam 3 x 2000-yards.  Each swim was an "all out" effort, swum straight, and alternating breathing to each side.  The goal of this was to do some yardage with a jacked-up heart rate as that is going to be my reality for at least the first 1/2-mile of my race.

Bike:  1 x 90-minutes, 1 x 30-minutes (bricked with run), and 1 x 3-hours.  The shorter two rides were at an elevated effort (the shortest ride was executed very hard).  The 3-hour ride was probably right at race pace - so steady and quick, but no hammering.

Run:  1 x 8-miles, 1 x 3-miles, and 1 x 14-miles.  I ran the 8-miler fairly easy with a few short strides mixed in.  The 3-miler was run pretty hard - about 90-seconds per mile faster than "easy" pace.  It was bricked with a short but hard bike ride.  The 14-miler was run at a "comfortable" pace which ended up being about 15-seconds per mile faster than my typical "easy" pace.  I negative split the run, but only by 5-seconds per mile or so.  Overall, it was a good run executed with race day nutrition.

Week 19 will step back the distances even more (except the swim).  I have been trying to get some rest and focus on hydrating throughout the day.  My legs are still a long way from feeling fresh, but I am optimistic that they will get there.  Unfortunately, my kids have all decided to get sick and I feel my body fighting to keep their germs at bay - that takes some energy too.  Better now than 3-days before the race I guess...
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