Happy 2011!

Well, here I am finishing week 7 of my training plan.  I've definitely had a few setbacks trying to keep on schedule throughout end of year and the holiday period.  I probably missed 5 workouts or so during this time, so hopefully that won't affect training too much.  I did have to use my "off day" on multiple occasions to reschedule my workouts, but luckily there is some built-in flexibility.

I feel like I've made some significant progress in the past 7 weeks.  While I struggled to complete a 5K at the beginning of the plan, now that is the warmup for most of the run workouts.  The swim workouts are also starting with 500-1000m "warmups" before the main set and the bike has some longer interval training and drills.  I can't wait for warmer weather to work out more outside as I can't help but feel trapped with running on the dread-mill, biking in my basement, and the dreaded lap swim.  I know that I desperately need some open water training!

To start off the year,  I'm off to head into my basement for a 90 minute ride.  the good news is that Universal Sports is playing recaps of Ironman World Championships dating back to 2001, so that should give well-needed motivation!

On the list for 2011?  Well, I made the mistake of looking ahead into my training plan.  Word of advise - DON'T DO IT!  I have at least a couple of half-iron distance "trainings" in the spring and whereas they are months away, I'm certainly not at that level yet!  My biggest change for 2011?  I really need to start following my nutrition plan which I have NOT been following this fall.  Yes, I can blame it on the holidays, but there really is no reason I shouldn't be more dedicated to it.  I need to drop another 10-15 pounds before July and feel that is entirely within my grasp.  Just keep those freaking' holiday treats away from me!

So here's to health, happiness, and success to all in 2011!  May it be a great year!

Run fast.  Take chances!

Ironman training has survived Thanksgiving

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted on what was supposed to be a weekly blog.  In any case, it has certainly been an eventful two months.  I kept up pretty well with my off-season training but admittedly let it die off a bit towards the end of October, when we took our first trip to Disney with the kids and I had a software conference to attend to which always ended up with me drinking more than I care to admit each night (hey... open bar... can you blame me?)  One of those days, I did wake up early to join a small group of hungover people for a morning "fun run" which was a 5K around the hotel complex (3 laps).

In any case, my "formal' Triathlon Dominator training plan started on 11/15 and I have been pretty religious about it, though not as much as I would like to on the nutrition side.  I have tried to keep eating fairly healthy though.

At this time, I am already in better shape than I have been in since I graduated college.  I've read some posts that seem to bash the plan, but they are from people who never tried it.  All I can say is that it is kicking my ass, but I feel great (though very tired at night...).  It seems like almost every day I am doing the equivalent of a full sprint triathlon.  A solid 90 minutes plus of full training.  I'm trying to work it in during the day but we have been crazy busy at the office and it is sneaking into an after-work thing.  I really need to get into a split morning/lunch type of routine.

My "typical" workouts generally involve two regimens.  It could be a "brick" workout (two of the triathlon disciplines) or just one followed by high-intensity weight training.

Bike workouts are never less than one  hour and vary from sprint-type spins to hills and interval training.  Run workouts are 3-5 miles with the same variance.  Swim workouts are starting at 2000-2500m (about 1.5 miles) and are also composed of drills and endurance training.  All the weight training is circuit-based where you go from one exercise to the next with little rest, then do a cycle of 5-6 exercises 3-4x through.  Pretty intense.

I'm still not sure I calculated my Lactate Threshold adequately.  This is the heart rate at which your body starts to build up lactic acid and is kind of a "peak" rate you don't want to to over.  In fact, aerobically I am supposed to be racing at least 20 beats below this.

So... I survived my first Thanksgiving two weeks into the training (made that my "off" day) and improvised a 5 mile run the day after, which actually felt pretty good (well, as good as a 5 mile run can feel).

I do feel my fitness is improving drastically each day and am really looking forward to seeing progress each week.

Swim fast, take chances!

And the journey begins!

So I started my first week into my Triathlon Dominator training this week and am two weeks into a new diet.  Well, I'm not on the full Dominator package quite yet, but rather on the off-season plan I had mentioned previously.  That is supposed to get me in shape and used to the full plan.

Well, I have a sneaky suspicion it is going to work.  Monday's workout consisted of an hour of interval training on the treadmill (just over 5 miles).  Tuesday was circuit training using weights and balance (tougher than I expected).  Today was an hour of interval training on the bike.

Word of advice - never look at the guy next to you to see what he is doing for speed and difficulty.  I was about 40 minutes into a pretty solid bike interval at level 8 and had to fire up the "hills" at the end (and drop my RPMs down to 50-60 range).  I got up to level 12 and my legs were burning.  I glanced next to me at the man who was easily 8-10 years my senior and he was cranking away at level 12 with much higher RPMs.  Must have either been a different bike or a side effect of his cialis, but he cranked away pretty well at that high level.

More interval training tomorrow followed by "yoga" on Friday.  I have no idea what Yoga is.  My gym offers classes which I can take for free, but unfortunately didn't plan the week out well.  Yvonne tells me there is Yoga on demand at home via cable.  That should be fun.  Nothing like trying to do yoga in my living room with multiple dog noses up my butt.

I guess it is supposed to help with strength and flexibility, so I'm sticking to the plan.  I haven't been on a scale this week, but everybody is telling me I'm looking slimmer, so that is a good thing.  11 more weeks of off-season training, trip to Disney with the family (coinciding with a business conference), and then a week break before I hit the real training 9 months out.  Holy crap that seems to be coming up fast.  My legs are burning after a one hour workout.  I certainly have my training cut out for me.

Well, at least I've registered and have a place to stay in Lake Placid...

Bike fast.  Take chances.

July 24, 2011. What the heck am I thinking???

Well, it's official.  I am putting it out there or the world to see to hold me to the grinder.  I am now a registered participant in Ironman Lake Placid for July 24th, 2011.  It has taken me two weeks to drum up the nerve to even start filling out the form, but then I REALLY started to question myself when asked questions about my medical history and whether it was okay to share my info with the medical staff on premises.

I think my biggest problem is that I read too much.  There are too many people posting reasons NOT to do it... that one should never advance more than two "levels" in a year, or that one should prepare for TWO years before registering.  Thankfully I'm stubborn and, quite possibly, stupid.  The general entry was sold out the day after the 2010 race, so all that was left were Ironman Foundation slots.  Hmmm... business expense and charitable donation?  Maybe I can pin my company name to my shirt underneath the resuscitation order.

The application otherwise was pretty straightforward, though there were several questions asking for my background, reason why I was entering, interesting facts about myself (for which I could not find many that were fit to print), and local media outlets (newspaper and TV).  The only question I felt prepared to answer (besides NAME) was about my training plan.  I researched a lot of plans and decided on the Triathlon Dominator by Ben Greenfield.  I researched as much as I could and simply could not find a bad review of the plan.  Plus, I needed something that had a heavy emphasis on nutrition as well as training.  The plan is based on HIT (High Intensity Training) and diet and goes back 9 months from the date of the event.  After an email to Ben as to what I should be doing prior to the training, he recommended the off-season plan he offers (and discounted that plan from $129 down to $29).  I've exchanged a few emails with him and am surprised as to how responsive he is personally.  It gives me great confidence knowing that he seems really interested in you succeeding, with the goal of not stumbling across the finish line, but finishing confidently since the training and nutrition has led to that point.

In any case, I am nervous as hell today, and I'm almost a year out!!!  I will be taking the next three months to revise my diet, build my "base" to the point I feel comfortable starting the plan (expectations are being able to run 5 miles, swim 1500-2000m, and bike for an  hour).  My run is still my weakest link, but that will also be my focus.

Also, last Friday I got a professional bike fitting done at Fast Splits in Newton, MA.  We made a bunch of adjustments that put me in a much better position on the bike and saddle and I feel more confident in avoiding overuse injuries by being set up in this manner.  Tilted the seat back and moved it rearward slightly, dropped the handlebars, and moved the cleats on my shoes around.  Also added some spacers on my forearm rests.  Now that I'm down 20 lbs it feels a bit more comfortable leaning over further.