Puny year to date

I'm not training terribly intensely this year. I don't have the fear of Ironman hanging over my head this year. It's a lot more relaxed.

I was just curious to compare how much training I had done by this date last year with this year, a week before Columbia Triathlon:

Swim, 2006 YTD: 70,490 yards
Swim, 2007 YTD: 34,000 yards

Bike, 2006 YTD: 914 miles
Bike, 2007 YTD: 415 miles

Run/walk, 2006 YTD: 289 miles
Run, 2007 YTD: 218 miles

Yes, the 2007 totals seem pretty puny in comparison! Part of it's a much colder, longer winter this year; part if it is not having my husband able to care for the girls on weekday mornings, part of it is just plain lower volume and less week-to-week consistency. Let's hope it's higher-quality training this year. Uh, yeah, sure, that's it. Well, it's true of my running this year, but I have my doubts about cycling and swimming! But the proof is in the pudding, and we'll see how things shake out next Sunday on a race course on which I have two previous times to compare.

Fear-based training

It works for me! Here's the evidence:

March 1, 2006

• Swim YTD: 28,990 yards
• Bike YTD: 349 miles
• Run/walk YTD: 123 miles

March 1, 2007

• Swim YTD: 15,700 yards
• Bike YTD: 191.5 miles
• Run YTD: 84.7 miles
• Walk YTD: 10.8 miles

Yes, I just don't quite have the same motivation to train that I did last year at this time, without that Ironman scimitar hanging over my head.

Still, I weigh less, I'm running faster, and I'm much more confident in the water and on the bike. And I'm ready to crank up the volume when the weather improves and I can have some fun out there!