Ironman training re-start

Today was the day it officially re-started! Not an enormous long-distance workout for starting, just a modest speed workout on the track and a half-hour of upper body freeweights and core work in the living room. But it's a start.

I've got the week mapped out for week 3 of 24 weeks of iron-distance training, which will end up at the beginning of summer (when I was planning to do Eagleman Aqua Velo, which has been dropped from the schedule in favor of a vacation at the beach). I still need to find a fun event or two in early June to cap off my spring training.

Key workouts planned for this week are a 120-min bike (probably on the trainer inside tomorrow), a 70-minute run, a 60-90 min swim and a 70 min bike/20 min run brick.

Then over the summer the plan is to go to maintenance training while the girls are out of school and free time is more limited; then crank up the volume again 10-12 weeks out from Beach 2 Battleship on November 7th. Battleship or bust!

Oh yeah, here's my current tentative event schedule, subject to additions when I find some other fun events (mostly for summer/fall) that fit in well:

• RD Seminar: 08 Feb 09
• B&A Half Marathon: 01 Mar 09
• Disney Princess 5k: 07 Mar 09
• Disney Princess Half Marathon: 08 Mar 09
• National Half Marathon: 21 Mar 09
• Dorchester YMCA half?: 11 Apr 09
• Oxford Day 10k?: 26 Apr 09
• Potomac Marathon: 03 May 09
• Columbia Triathlon: 17 May 09
• Chesapeakeman Aqua Velo: 26 Sep 09
• B2B iron distance tri: 07 Nov 09

Here we go again

Going back again to Michigan to see if I can get it right this time! (Have you ever noticed that's how triathlon sucks you in and keeps you coming back? There's always one or two things that you could have done a little faster or more smoothly).


Note to the Race Gods: No flats, this time, please!? K THX.

Not planning the 2008 season, sort of

I think there should be a moratorium on planning the next year's athletic events until at least the Halloween candy has been eaten.

I'm just saying.

Except if you're going to participate in some of the Big Triathlons, you are compelled to enter them up to a year in advance. Which sucks.

I've got some events in mind, some I've had to enter already if I wanted to get in, entered one marathon just for the early entry discount (and I'm not fully committed to it, I can always switch to the half marathon), and some I've already decided against (another Ironman attempt because of insufficient training time and insufficient desire, Big Sur marathon because of the excessive travel time for me).

I'm still mentally casting around for a major focal point to my training next year, though. I'd like some big event that I can get excited about. (Ideas for me??) Or maybe I should just get excited about doing better at the same old nearby events. Hmmm. Whatever it is, it's got to be FUN. (Which also precludes an ultramarathon for me, btw, and hitting both feet with a sledgehammer - same difference).