Volume 3, Training Week 2!
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)
Now that I’ve covered the “what” and the “why”, below is the base level of “how” I plan on training and finishing Ironman Florida. Stay tuned after the weekly stats….
Early Friday Morning Run
- Weight:
- 178.9
- +.1 lbs from last week
- -.3 lbs from Nov 1 start
- Swimming: (1x)
- 1.68 miles (2,950 yds)
- 59:19
- Biking: (3x)
- 42.10 miles
- 2:30:45
- Running: (3x)
- 15.99 miles
- 2:30:26
- Strength: (3x)
- 2:14:58
- Sleep:
- 7 hour, 3 minutes average
- TOTALS:
- 59.77 miles
- 8:15:27
I only had one swim this week as the Community Center closed early on Veterans’ Day--I didn't know that until I walked in and they told me after I scanned my card. I did 3 bike workouts and also did 3 run days. On Saturday, I did a brick workout (two back-to-back workouts): 15.2 miles on the bike then a 4.4 mile run twice around Black Bob Park immediately after. On that run, I broke a sub 9-minute pace for the last 2.4 miles. Wasn’t looking for that pace, but it just happened. So I’m happy. Felt strong, but know I need to back off some on my work effort (I’ll get into that later with the “how” part of this week’s blog and in future breakdowns.) This week I added 3 strength days. I use P90X as my go-to place for strength workouts. I did the Core Synergistics and the Shoulders & Arms workouts, and also did Ab-Ripper X. Nutrition went OK this week. Had an evening where I had HyVee Chinese. Not my best meal of the week. And on Saturday after my brick workout, I may or may not have eaten the whole can of cinnamon rolls along with some eggs and sausage for breakfast. But they were good.... I need to refill my calories as I burn a lot throughout the week, but probably not all at once! Last week I talked about balance, and once I get even deeper into the year, that will come into play so much more. This week I did 10 workouts for a total of 8+ hours of time. That’s only going to increase. As my body gets used to the increased workload, I know it will be able to handle the increase, and I’ll need to really be more diligent in my time management! Now onto the “HOW”….
How I’m going to train and complete this 140.6 mile event is a total work in progress. The best thing I could do is hire a coach to help me in the planning, training, nutrition and overall advice and expertise. However, there is a small thing that holds that up. The cost. In all transparency, for next year alone, race fees alone are going to be about $1800. YIKES! That doesn’t include any travel, lodging, gels, new shoes, goggles, bike tune ups, etc. It’s already a crazy number, so adding a coach just isn’t in my budget. Maybe I could do a Go Fund Me….
So, I’m going at this with advice from friends who have completed a full distance Ironman, friends who will run with me, bike with me, and those who know nutrition way better than I do. I’m also using several books that have already been huge in my understanding and planning of all the aspects of the race. I will dive deeper later, but this is the 30,000 feet viewpoint.
The first book is 80/20 Triathlon, by Matt Fitzgerald. This book is based off the idea that 80% of my training should be at low intensity and only 20% should be at or above race pace. I will break this down into each sport discipline in future blogs, and I'll fully admit I’m not quite there yet. It is primarily a heart rate (HR)-based effort, and I’m still way above “low intensity” on my average bikes and runs. The other book I’m digging through is The Complete Nutrition Guide for Triathletes, by Dr. Jamie A. Cooper. This covers all aspects of nutrition, and since it is written by someone who is both a dietician/nutritionist and a completer of Ironman, the information is tailored to triathletes and has nutrition plans for daily use, before a race and also during a race. A third book I’m looking into for nutrition is The Endurance Diet, by Matt Fitzgerald. I haven’t dug too deep into this one yet, but plan on it.
This is the foundation and the learning part of the next year. I’m not an expert but I know enough to start this process. I plan on breaking each discipline (swimming, biking, and running--and nutrition) down in future weeks. I am already in “training” now, but for the time being, I am really just working on getting stronger, faster, and being able to go longer. Then when the training plan begins somewhere in January for the Half Ironman and in June for the full Ironman, I will be ready to put it all together. Right now it is all about consistency and discipline.
Which leads me to what I’ve learned this week as I go through my weekly devotions. A few points were spot on at the end of the week.
#1. Every run (or bike, swim, or strength workout) should have an intended benefit as a goal. I need to have a plan when I go for a workout. Is my goal to get faster, to work on breathing and pace, to improve my swim form in the pool, or to go long and slow? If I just go and do my workout without plan, then I’m going to be all over the board and just be floundering. This is applicable not only in my physical training, but also as I strive to move forward as a Christian. Every time I read my Bible or do a devotional, I should do it with a goal in mind. Not just to “get it done”. There are times I will have slow runs or short bike rides that are just to fill a spot, and those are OK, but those will also benefit me by giving me some rest even while running. The same should be with my spiritual life. A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Well, thanks for reading (if you made it this far!) and thanks for following my on this journey. 2 weeks down. Just a few more to go.
11 months, 2 weeks, 9 hours, 58 minutes until Ironman Florida…
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