Volume 17, Week 16: It's all in the Details....

 

 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.....So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Genesis 6:14-16, 22 (NLT)

    Week 2 of 17 in the books!  It was a great week of training, re-planning, scheduling, and more training.  And I've learned that doing this plan the right way is all in the details.  Here are my weekly stats to kick it off...

Weekly Stats:

• Weight: 179.8
• -0.7 last week
• -0.8 start
• Swim (x3):
• 2.81 miles (4,950 yards)
• 2:00:47
• Bike (x4):
• 59.88 miles
• 4:30:10
• Run (x3):
• 17.18 miles
• 3:12:04
• Strength (x2)
• 37:07
• Yoga (x4)
• 1:41:31
• Totals:
• 16 workouts
• 79.86 miles
• 12:01:38

    This week was one of really digging in a learning the details of my training plan.  I finally got my full 7 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman17-week plan put together like a puzzle, printed it out on 11x17 paper (so I could read it easily) and then laminated it.  It went right onto the master closet door where I can start marking off the days as I complete them.

    I upped my swimming days from two to three this week.  One of the big challenges of working my training plan into my weekly schedule is when the pool is open compared to what my working hours are.  Since September, I've been swimming on Monday and Wednesday after work, but to make my plan work into my week, I had to bump one of the afternoon swims to an early morning (ugh) then added the third swim day to Friday.  I am really learning to love the swimming workouts, and am seeing improvement in the fact that I can swim a certain pace at a lower effort. Swimming isn't as easy to gauge as I'm doing it as running or biking is.  I just can't continually check my watch for pace, speed, or whatever.  When my watch beeps, I'm not sure what it's for unless it's the last length of my workout set.  So I did 2 solid workouts in the pool on Tuesday and Wednesday, but didn't get to finish my Friday swim as open swim started earlier than I had in my head.  So my workout time math was wrong and they kicked me out of the lanes.  Still got 1000 yards in that day though.     

     On my bike, I did 4 rides for 4-1/2 hours of time in the saddle.  I'm still working my way across America and finished up my 2-hour ride on Saturday in Knightstown, Indiana.  That's one more state line crossed as I work my way from eastern NY to San Francisco.  It's fun to see those miles tick off on my app, and see my progress on the map.  Still working my way through the TV show "Lost".  Now that I know that the show doesn't make sense, it's more fun this time through.  Plus it definitely helps the longer rides indoors to just have something to focus on.  

    I completed 3 runs, one on the indoor track at school on the snow day (one of three snow days we had this week!), one on the treadmill, and FINALLY one outdoors...in shorts, no less!  50 degrees outside meant I had my first outdoor run in about a month. Just had to splash through some snow melt puddles. 80 degree swing from Thursday morning when we had -30 degree wind chills.  Crazy KS weather!  Each of my runs have  different goals related to HR and intensity. 

My final run on today was with one of my long-time running buddies, Jay Sandbloom.  Lots of good memories running with Jay and it's been almost 6 years since we hit the pavement together!  Way too long between runs.  Working on him joining us for a triathlon one day.  (No pressure, Jay, but just do it---at least the duathlon!!)

I found a couple of short strength workouts online by a couple on YouTube, "Tiff and Dan".  Did a leg workout with dumbbells and an arms/shoulders session using only two dumb bell weights, but that one worked me hard.  Every day I didn't do a strength session, I tried to do a yoga session, either a short 20-min or a longer 40-min session on my rest day.  I feel stronger with my poses so I can see the consistency is paying off there as well. And there's a lot of stretching in those sessions, so that will benefit me in the long run.  

Reflections this Week:

    I had to change up my plan this week already, even after completing it and laminating it.  After I realized I wouldn't be able to do a Friday afternoon full swim workout, I had to adjust my Fridays.  If I have a longer bike or run to do on a Friday, I'll do a shorter 1000-1500 yard swim in the afternoon (or as much as I can before they boot me out of the lanes). If I have a short run or bike that I could get in after work, I'll just have to make the Friday swim an early morning workout.  So I had change my Fridays a little, reprint my plan, re-laminate it, and put it up on the door. Training plan, version 2.0.  Overall, it won't affect my performance, and I just have to be flexible.  I'll be able to change that up more in the summer as I work toward the full Ironman, as the outdoor pools will be open almost every afternoon and evening.  

   

Current Plan

 The plan I picked and am following has all the workouts coded. It's been a fun game to decode each workout into the details and specifics.  As I worked through the second week of my training plan this week, I'm still learning how to hit my marks that the workout is geared toward.  An example of a run workout from week 7 on Tuesday with the name "RT12" with a total of 55 minutes is broken down into specific details like this:  

5 minutes Zone 1 (HR 117-131)

15 minutes Zone 2 (HR 131-146) 

10 minutes Zone 3 (HR 146-162) 

20 minutes Zone 2, (HR 131-146)

5 minutes Zone 1 (HR 117-131)

Not too complicated once I figured out how to follow it well.  I have a workout option on my watch that I can build however I need to.  I plug in those numbers, and my watch will automatically go to the next step, tell me what the markers are for the next part, and keep track of all the details.  My goal is just to hit the marks as best as I can.  What I'm learning through each swim, bike, or run workout is that I'm not going to hit each and every HR goal exactly. Sometimes it takes a minute for my

HR to come down to a lower recovery BPM.  And my watch will beep and tell me I'm still to high with my HR.  Sometimes it will tell me I'm too low.  I could set it up for pace and it will give me the same feedback.  So I just do my best, knowing I won't be perfect.  But each workout is a game in and of itself as I'm trying to get the best execution score I can.  I'm trying to follow every workout as close as I can, as I fully know that the people who developed the plan know more than I do about what works. I have to trust it and just do it, without even fully understanding it. I for sure wouldn't   have come up with so many detailed steps in the plan. Thankful for others who have figured it all out!

Former Plans

    My previous 3 Half Ironman plans were so simple compared to this. My current plan seems more complicated, but as I've grown in my knowledge and studying of the plans (and having experience with previous races), I know if I follow the details, it'll take me further than my simple "what I think might work" way of doing it. To be fair, I did find the previous plan online, but it's just so generic and didn't have a lot of meat in it.  No HR zones, no real goals for each workout, no strength or yoga.  Just get out there and do it.  It worked for sure, but I know  this one will allow me to finish stronger in my half distance, and finish well in my full distance.  I'm really enjoying the journey of following the plan to the T.  

Training/Life Applications:

    Just like the previous 16 weeks, I've been thinking how what my training is teaching me about life in general.  As I've worked through my plan, working on the details yet not being able to see the final outcome in June on race day, I have to just follow the plan.  Try and do the best I can, knowing that I won't be perfect, and to give myself the room and the grace to have a bad day or bad workout session.  As I look at the big picture plan, I see 3 hours bike rides followed by a 1 hour run on a late Saturday in the plan.  I see all the codes for 17 weeks of workouts, and even though I know following the plan will get me to where I want to go, I know that there will be tough days as I'm tired, days I don't feel like doing the prescribed workout, or workouts that just bomb.  But I have to keep moving forward.  

    I feel this as I walk in my faith.  There are days that just seemed like they're in code.  I don't understand whatever circumstance I find myself or find my family in.  I can sometimes see huge hard days coming on the horizon, and am not sure how I'll handle the "workout" for that day.  But I know that if I follow the plan and try to hit the marks that Christ has set out for me, I'll be alright in the end.  There will be awful days--we're human and there's no escaping pain and difficulties.  But I need to keep my eyes on the prize, and do my best.  Jesus gives me the room to not be perfect as long as I turn from my sin and continue to move forward in His grace and forgiveness.  I look at Noah and the detailed instructions that the Lord gave him in building the ark.  Since Noah hadn't ever really seen a flood or a boat, I'm sure the detailed plan made little sense.  But he moved forward with following it to the letter, trusting that the outcome would make sense in the end.  Same goes for Moses and putting together all the details of the tabernacle. Exodus 25-31 has intricate details on exactly how he should have put it all together.  And he did just that.  No final drawing or rendition to see what it all looked like (maybe), just faith in that he was following it the best he could.  

    I don't have that type of detailed instructions in my daily life, thankfully (this training is taking up so much of my "off hours" already!)  What I need to do is love my neighbors, and love God with all my heart, soul and strength.  Not always easy, and often I fail.  Since Jesus paid the price for my sin and downfall, I don't have to be perfect, but I should strive for it. And in the end, my goal should be to become more like Jesus.  And that's all I can do in my training as well.  Strive to to hit the marks on a daily basis, and to become a better triathlete because of it.  

Flashback content incoming...

    Eleven years ago today I completed my first official triathlon.  68 Inside Sports indoor triathlon.  400-yard pool swim, 10-mile stationary bike, and 5K indoor track run.  Somehow I managed to come in 3 overall in the men's division and 2nd in my age bracket (and the 5K turns out to be my official PR--didn't have a Garmin to keep track, so I'm adding that to my records now!)  I did get a FB memory on which I documented my times, and I have to say I'm fairly happy with my very first multisport event.  Not to minimize my results, but I'm pretty sure it was a very small field doing the "race".  But it's what got me hooked.  No going back. And now I'm striving toward a full Ironman. 

Thanks for continuing following me on this crazy trip this year.  Can't believe it's March this Saturday! 

Keep fit, Stay THE Course, and Keep moving forward.  

250 days, 11 hours, 35 minutes until Florida. One day at a time.