Another Training Update

I was planning on doing these updates monthly as we progressed towards race day, but I think that might be a bit too long between updates if anyone is actually following my progress via this method.

Training is progressing very well.  I'm at the point that I'm beginning to see real improvements in all three disciplines.  The improvements in the pool aren't so much in my time, but in my stroke.  My training plan incorporates a lot of drill work (sets where you work on your form), and I can tell doing those sets has really helped my form.  I'm a particular fan of the Zipper drill.  In that drill, as you bring your arm back towards your head to make a stroke, you trail your thumb along the side of your body, as if you were unzipping something.  I've noticed that when my form starts to get sloppy, I can do this drill for just a few strokes and it helps calm me down and get my form back to where it needs to be.  If I get in the lake at the race and feel my form is not where I want it, you can bet I'll be using this drill during the race to help me out.

Beyond my form coming along, I've been working on figuring out what kind of pace to take in the swim.  I'm convinced that in every single other triathlon I've done, I've started out too fast in the swim.  In the few races I've worn a wetsuit, the wetsuit has only made this worse, as the compression on my chest makes me gasp for breath even more than normal.  I think I've settled on trying to hold a 2:00 per 100 yard pace at the race. That would put me finishing the swim in roughly 45 minutes.  I know from the pool it's a pace I can hold, and I've been doing a lot of work in the pool during my cool down sets to make sure I know what that pace feels like so I can hold it on race day without having to stop and look at my watch.

My biking is coming along nicely as well.  Due to some uncharacteristically warm weather this weekend, we were able to get the bikes off the trainer and outdoors yesterday.  We did laps at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.  The scenery down there gets boring real quick, but it's safer than normal public roads and the 3.7 mile loop makes it impossible to get lost, and if something happens to either my wife or myself, we're guaranteed to come upon each other within fifteen minutes or so.  My cadence was down from the trainer rides (73 RPM yesterday, 88 RPM on my last trainer ride), but that's expected when you transition from the trainer to the road, so I wasn't worried.  I average a speed of 17.7 mph and got in 22.13 miles in 1 hour and fifteen minutes.  Overall it was a very good ride on a flat course.  Soon, I'm going to have to get out on the actual roads and start tackling some hills to prepare for Wisconsin.

Today's run was stellar.  I did this run by myself because my wife had to go into work.  It was warm enough outside that I could finally run in just shorts and a tee-shirt.  I managed 5 miles in 57:40, with an overall pace of 11:32 minutes/mile.  This is by far the fastest I have ever gone for this long of a run, and I'm very proud of it considering the course I picked.  I left my house and went to 108th street, and then just went straight down 108th.  There are some pretty massive hills on 108th (not necessarily steep, buy very long hills), and I managed to run all of them.  I didn't stop to walk once today, and I can't tell you how big of a boost that gave me when I was done.  It's been a very long time since I've gone that far without stopping to walk, and I've never done it on a course that is as hilly as the one I ran today.

This weekend was the first time that I really began to see true gains from my training.  I could have gone harder on the bike yesterday, but that wasn't the point; it was my first outdoor ride and I was just trying to shake off the rust and see what I could do with a normal effort.  Today's run was a bit more than a normal effort, but I was happy I put in the work I did and managed the pace I did.

The runs I've been doing on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings with the Endurance House people are obviously helping.  (This week was a bit of an anomaly as I had plans with family on Saturday morning and couldn't make it to the EH run; hence why I flipped the bike and run workouts this weekend).  Scott has been giving me tips and has been pushing me while I run, and all of that helped out today.  If you're in the KC area and are looking for a run group, check them out on Tuesday nights.  It's a good group.

Despite the gains I've made so far, I don't think I'm ready for the half-Ironman yet.  I think I could get through the swim and the first half of the bike just fine, but the last 25-30 miles on the bike and the entire run would be very rough right now.  Thankfully, I've got plenty of time to continue preparing.  Despite the fact that I know I'm not ready yet, the gains I'm seeing have got me more excited than nervous about the race.  I think when race day comes I'll be ready.

Half Ironman Training Update

Now that I've finished a full four weeks of training for the Wisconsin 70.3, I figured I'd give a quick update on how things are going.

I've really enjoyed the training plan, but recently I can tell it has been taking a toll on me.  Today was a rest day, and I needed it; this weekends workouts left me exhausted.  The training has progressively gotten more intense the further into the plan I get (Captain Obvious statement, I know), and while I can tell my body is adapting to it, I can also tell that it's not something I'm entirely used to yet.

I'm pretty proud of what I've done so far.  In the first four weeks of training, I've only missed/skipped a total of three workouts, all swims.  I had to skip the first two swims during the first week because I was unable to swim - I started the training plan knowing I would not be able to do these workouts.  Since swimming is my strength, I figured starting my swimming training one week behind my bike and run training was no big deal.  The third skipped workout was this past Friday - the pool was closed due to a high school swim meet, and I wasn't aware they'd be closed until I arrived at the pool and found out.  I wasn't happy about it, but there was nothing to be done, so I just took it as another rest day and moved on.

The group runs with Endurance House have been a big boon, and I'm very much looking forward to group rides once the weather improves and we can get the bikes outside.  The owners of the store have really helped me out in multiple ways.  If you're in the Greater K.C. area, check them out.  It's worth your time and the drive to the Northland if you live down south.

Overall, training is going well.  I'm keeping up with the volume, and I can tell I'm getting better.  I've lost a few pounds since I started, and the weight sets are helping me to gain muscle, so I think I've lost more than two pounds of fat, it just doesn't show on the scale.  As mentioned, I'm enjoying the process so far, even when I have days like today when I'm sore and exhausted.

I'm beginning to look forward to race day with excitement instead of panic.  I think the panic/apprehension will still be there until I actually complete a race of this distance, but it's slowly starting to fade to the back, which is a good thing.