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.