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So it has been a while since I last posted. Winter is a shift in focus for me and has been for over 10 years. I'm a professional patroller as part of the National Ski Patrol and, as such, I work weekends at a resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I do a tremendous amount of tele skiing while working but that is for another post. To get to the resort it's a four hour drive from my home. Luckily, I have a house in the area so I just take the weekend and stay near the resort. That being said, my swim/bike/run training usually takes a huge hit. This winter, with its cold and snow, was certainly no exception. My one rule for the winter : don't get hurt.
Our local tri club has competed (reasonably well) in the USAT Winter Club Challenge and this year I signed up. This program spans Dec - Feb and each month concentrates on a different aspect (swim, bike or run). Clubs register their teams and compete in their division (small, medium or large sizes) for total mileage. Athletes are also ranked individually in age groups too. It's a fun way to keep people motivated during the winter. After hitting a marathon PR at Space Coast Marathon, in early December 2013, I took the rest of the month completely off. I lost some of the fitness but I really needed the reset after a long tri/road running season. Starting in January, I began to "train for training" to make sure I was ready to start Ironman training in February. After choosing my plan for the full iron training, I looked at the first week. The starting mileage was pretty much my peak (or close to it) for last year's training. I decided that January and February would be getting ready so it wasn't a complete shock to my system.
For those who may not know, I will be doing my first Full Iron distance race in June of this year. I have four other triathlons (one half, two sprint and one ply) and one marathon lined up for the rest of the season, but the big elephant in this room is Challenge Atlantic City. I am five weeks into my plan and boy is it a challenge to manage the time. I think time management might be tougher than the actual training. I spend more time and mental effort figuring out how to sleep, eat, work, maintain my marriage, take care of our dog, support my wife (also a triathlete and a DC region triathlon team manager for a foundation) and still get the time/mileage in for workouts. One delay in my day will set me back and I never recover. Actually, one misstep in timing on Monday makes things back up for the whole week. I feel like I'm constantly backed up, whether it is with training or household items (i.e. laundry, cleaning, house repairs, etc). Typically, work doesn't suffer since that is the one thing that I do not let myself cut corners. It is very interesting going from half iron plans to training for the full iron. I would say this is far more intense than training for my first marathon. Even though I am in full fitness and capable of running, biking, swimming the distances individually, trying to ensure that I can put them all together is "funky". I don't even know what other words to say.
My weekly rest day is Monday and it is my goal to post here each Monday. New gear will be heading in as we move through the season and expect full reviews. This year is going to be fun with several A races and a few B races on the schedule. A full triathlon season is coming right up!
Our local tri club has competed (reasonably well) in the USAT Winter Club Challenge and this year I signed up. This program spans Dec - Feb and each month concentrates on a different aspect (swim, bike or run). Clubs register their teams and compete in their division (small, medium or large sizes) for total mileage. Athletes are also ranked individually in age groups too. It's a fun way to keep people motivated during the winter. After hitting a marathon PR at Space Coast Marathon, in early December 2013, I took the rest of the month completely off. I lost some of the fitness but I really needed the reset after a long tri/road running season. Starting in January, I began to "train for training" to make sure I was ready to start Ironman training in February. After choosing my plan for the full iron training, I looked at the first week. The starting mileage was pretty much my peak (or close to it) for last year's training. I decided that January and February would be getting ready so it wasn't a complete shock to my system.
For those who may not know, I will be doing my first Full Iron distance race in June of this year. I have four other triathlons (one half, two sprint and one ply) and one marathon lined up for the rest of the season, but the big elephant in this room is Challenge Atlantic City. I am five weeks into my plan and boy is it a challenge to manage the time. I think time management might be tougher than the actual training. I spend more time and mental effort figuring out how to sleep, eat, work, maintain my marriage, take care of our dog, support my wife (also a triathlete and a DC region triathlon team manager for a foundation) and still get the time/mileage in for workouts. One delay in my day will set me back and I never recover. Actually, one misstep in timing on Monday makes things back up for the whole week. I feel like I'm constantly backed up, whether it is with training or household items (i.e. laundry, cleaning, house repairs, etc). Typically, work doesn't suffer since that is the one thing that I do not let myself cut corners. It is very interesting going from half iron plans to training for the full iron. I would say this is far more intense than training for my first marathon. Even though I am in full fitness and capable of running, biking, swimming the distances individually, trying to ensure that I can put them all together is "funky". I don't even know what other words to say.
My weekly rest day is Monday and it is my goal to post here each Monday. New gear will be heading in as we move through the season and expect full reviews. This year is going to be fun with several A races and a few B races on the schedule. A full triathlon season is coming right up!
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