With 14 weeks to go...

The KS 1/2 Ironman is 14 weeks away.

I started the "serious" training two weeks ago, but with a bit of a head cold, am four workouts behind. As I was explaining to Paul, my training partner, if I miss running or cycling, those will be skipped and the next workout will be done; with swimming, though, I feel I need to make those up to complete the plan. In actuality, then, I have only missed three of the swim workouts out of six--I know it sounds bad so far--which should be made up in the next few weeks (if I just try to add one additional swim in a week to get back on pace).

Yesterday, did my first run outside for the season--did 8.5 miles on country highways. My ankles felt beat up, but it was good to get outside...plus, had the best breakfast that I've had in a long time at the Heartland Cafe in Elkhorn.

This week I am going to try to fulfill every scheduled workout despite other life events on the calendar. Last week I finished with about seven hours of training time--had I been healthy, probably would have been close to nine or more. So far--mentally--feeling good and charged up about the process.

Other insight: it is looking like I WILL NOT be going to Europe this June which opens the door for a couple of other events to tackle...Cornhusker State Games triathlon or time trial and possibly the Mayor's triathlon in Papillion.

Try this...

I while back I saw a regular participant from one of my fitness classes chllin' in the locker room in a towel watching TV. I told him that my class was starting soon but he said that he just finished the "executive workout." Once he described what it was, I was determined to try it soon after.

A couple of weeks later I had made arrangements with my training partner to swim one Sunday morning. I was there on time, but Paul was not; so I sat in the jacuzzi hoping he would arrive soon. After 10 minutes, I was sure that he was not coming; and since it is always hard to be motivated about swimming for me, I decided to create my own "executive workout."

This week, Paul and I are a little under the weather. Yesterday, I skipped the morning workout (see yesterday's post); I had thought of making it up after swimming yesterday afternoon, but the congestion was just not going away. Knowing Paul was in a similar way, I suggested we do the "executive workout" to try to flush things out. He agreed to try it.

Here's what we did (approximately): 10 minutes in the hot tub; 10 minutes in the sauna; 10 minutes in the steam room; another 10 minutes in the sauna; and finishing with 10 in the hot tub.

It is a lot of sitting, but I felt spent afterward. This morning, I feel much better than I did yesterday. I still skipped this morning's workout, but feel a lot clearer in the head.

Time flies...

For the last three weeks or so, my wife has been battling through a sinus infection that has produced the most horrendous coughing that I have heard in a long time. She's a saint, though; at its worst she would choose to sleep on a couch in the basement to allow me the best night's sleep I could get. During this whole time, I've been knocking on wood as I have stayed ailment-free.

Well, the inevitable finally happened.

Last Thursday it started with a slight sore throat which turned into congestion over the weekend. So far, it hasn't really slowed me down. Today, though, it called my bluff.

Last night I taught a spin class and felt the clearest I had all day; but I knew that as soon as the class ended, my head would refill and it would be back to the box of Kleenex. Last night I was pretty wiped out. I went to bed at 9:00; but when the alarm went off at the usual time, it was hard to get up. I got dressed and ready to go, but before I knew it, the time was later than what I like to take off. It is like that this head congestion has slowed me enough that time goes by faster. I thought that I was getting ready at a pretty good pace, but I was definitely wrong.

So I made a choice this morning: take a morning off. I still hope to get a swim workout in this afternoon, and I thought that I may do a modified running workout to recover what I didn't do this morning.

So I feel I'm making that choice on my terms...not that I'm lazy which is typically the case. I have a pretty good opportunity to workout tonight since the rest of the family is busy with other things. So, hopefully, I'll make up the lost time, sit in the sauna and/or steam room, hit the whirpool, and be ready for tomorrow's weigh-in.

Tomorrow will be here before I know it.

Good and bad...

To keep a long story short--and to avoid getting upset--I had to sell our John Mayer tickets in favor of a middle school choir concert. I'll stop there.

Trainingwise, things went really well. Despite a busy schedule at school, I maintained the schedule well. Couldn't swim on Tuesday due to conferences and missed Centergy on Wednesday for the same reason, but kept everything else well. In fact, picked up a spin class Thursday afternoon for another instructor who took an impromptu trip, so I moved my planned core workout to this morning (Saturday) before covering Heather's spin class. I also ran afterward. I'm actually thinking about getting on the trainer when I get home from the shop, even though I admitted earlier today that I'm tiring of cycling this week.

Yesterday I swam for 30 minutes straight and felt pretty good. Did the same thing last Sunday, and thought then that I could have worked harder. So yesterday, I tried to pull harder and stronger through the latter laps and finished 30 laps in just over 30 minutes; so I held a one-minute per lap average consistently.

Tomorrow is 16 weeks out from Kansas--112 days! It really begins tomorrow!

And so it begins...

I've had a pretty good week, and a really nice swim this morning; plus, I was juiced to help out with LTF's Indoor Triathlon this year which put me in the mood to kick in the training for the season coming up. This coming week I am going to try to follow the schedule as best I can with conferences at school, but have no specified training plan per day. The rigorously structured workouts will begin next week.

To the right there is a general calendar of the nature of my workouts each week...mostly for Paul's info. There are more regimented workouts at those times, but those will vary from week to week, so I thought keep the information general as to not having to frequently update the information.

As the weeks go on, I hope to be better about keeping my blog up to date.

Stress...

Busy week: First week of the spring semesters and trying to learn the new Body Traning Systems programming to get ready for the launch this morning. All went well and smooth, it just stresses me out.

With Group Ride I always feel that once I learn a season set, then it is just a matter of presenting it in an entertaining way; I forget the coaching element. The feedback I got Thursday was a good reminder of that, so I thought this morning went much better.

With Centergy, I still feel out of my element, but much better than two years ago. Yesterday we went through a practice launch and I, again, I thought today went much better. The difference today was working through yesterday's soreness-- I woke up this morning with a sore back and didn't really connect why until we started the workout today.

To get ready for the launch this week, I eliminated the swim workouts for Tuesday and Thursday and running and the strengthh workouts I wanted to build in. Next week.

I'm getting back into the swing with new students again, but by the time i finally get to know the names of the sophomores, my student teacher will take over and I won't know any of them. Cest la vie.

Saw Avatar last night.

Keep the wheels on the road; until next week.

Gettin' serious...

I told my wife today that since I finished the last piece of birthday cake today that the holiday season was officially over and it was time to get serious. We both need to make a mindful commitment to being smarter about what to eat and how much.

As for training, things have been going well though the snow days seem to put a damper on things. I actually have plenty at my house that I could easily log a lot of training time in my basement, but there is something in my head that wants to keep home and the training field separate.

So let's recap some simple, but challenging goals:
1. Blog every week--I didn't go into the shop today, but I did remember to blog (here I am).
2. Don't procrastinate.
3. Quit making excuses--like trying to separate home with the training field...just shut up, get on the trainer and ride!

Talking with my training partner Paul, I think I have my event calendar more solidified than before. Here it is...
1. I was going to do the February 7 Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon, though I was thinking that this was a bit early. However, I did think it would be a good benchmark to then check progress at the next one on April 11. But I think that I am only going to do the April IT...falling back on the thought that February is too soon, but also with timing of other upcoming events.
2. Paul and I were looking at the Siouxperman Tri in Sioux Center, IA, on May 1--sprint distance but a pool swim, and the price was right. Paul found the date for the Bluff Creek Tri in Boone, IA, on May 23. There is a choice of sprint or Olympic distance and we'll probably do the latter. I think this would be a better one for the sole reason that it is an open-water swim. This will also be a little over a month after the LTFIT, and two weeks before KS. This is a USAT event.
3. Boys Town Memorial Day Run. This has become a family tradition, but it may just be a training run for me with one week to go before KS.
4. KS Half Ironman. This is what the whole season is for. This is also the week before my possible trip to Europe...so what better way to recover than cavorting through Europe. USAT event.
5. MS Ride with team Moxie. This is a fun ride, but wouldn't it be fun to do back-to-back 100s?
6. Mayor's Triathlon? Haven't decided on this one...I don't like the bike route so much on the trail; but Paul mentioned doing this as a team.
7. First Annual Omaha Triathlon. Olympic distance, so not as intense as KS. USAT event.
8. Black Squirrel would be fun to FINISH this year.

And after that, mostly tapering down with some fun things like CCRun, a Omaha Marathon race (10k or half-m), BNB, and who knows what else. The big things will be done before September. I think that may be busy enough.