Back to the Grind

-
This week I started back to training after taking basically three months off.   During that time, I needed the break mentally, physically and socially.  My wife and I transitioned jobs.  Oh and we moved nearly 1,000 miles to the sunny shores of the Tampa Bay.  Hello Florida.   Since we basically do most of our races here anyway, why not just move.  

With that, it became extremely hard to manage the work situation, moving and a full training schedule.  I could barely get in a run or find the motivation to train.  The unusually cold winter also made it more unappealing to be indoors on the trainer/treadmill for months at a time.  Because of the move, I didn't really sign up for any early season races.  So with no goals, bad weather and stressful moving, resistance was futile.  I just needed to stop.  

This year, my schedule is pretty light on races in quantity but does include some serious quality races that I need to not take lightly.  I start by ramping up training slowly and going from sprint to Olympic to Ironman in the later part of the year.  

Race Schedule 2015
June - Dunedin Sprint Tri 
August - USAT Age Group Nationals
October - Ironman Maryland
November - TriRock Clearwater
November - Space Coast Marathon

Training plans set and ready.  Last night was a reality check as my first swim since before Thanksgiving was more difficult than I thought.  Out of shape much?  Gained 10 pounds and lost about 3500m in endurance.  I'm actually looking forward to the heat and humidity of Florida.  My Achilles heel in racing is temperature and consistently training in it will help me perform better in the heat.  I usually end up picking flat courses with potential for high heat (see Challenge AC for my point) so this will hopefully be a benefit.  I am also looking forward to more bay and ocean open-water swims to get me away from my wetsuit crutch. 

I'm going to try to do a better job of blogging and social media this year. Hopefully you will hear more war stories as I once again do through Ironman training.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gear Review: Orbea Ordu

-
Image
Almost immediately after finishing Rocketman, I decided that I need a new bike.  If I intended to do an Ironman distance race in the near future, there was no way possible I could do it on my entry-level Fuji road bike.  But my wife and I had agreed that I wouldn't buy any new gear that wasn't essential (wetsuit was essential for this race) until after I did the tri in case I really didn't like it. For one week, I went to nearly every bike shop in Annapolis, Baltimore and Columbia, Maryland.  I looked at every brand possible and did some intense internet homework, reading reviews, specs, and forums like it was my job.  After much research, I went with the Orbea Ordu from Parvilla Cycle and Multisport in Annapolis.  (Side note:  I HIGHLY recommend this shop.  Great service and they carry the specialty brands that you won't find in "box stores." Or as I call them the "me too's.  They are also fitting champions with the ability to do 3D motion capture
Read more

Book Review: 80/20 Running

-
I picked up Matt Fitzgerald's 80/20 Running because my wife had begun to delve into Fitzgerald's nutrition books.  The 80/20 running philosophy has been quoted by a number of coaches I know and has appeared in many places now in the literature. Over the course of my career, I have dabbled in several different methods and am never one to dismiss or support something without giving it a shot.  I began to read the book with an open mind as I typically try to do with all advice books.  This book is really no different than the plethora of already available running training books such as Hal Higdon, the Hansons, Jeff Galloway, and others who have developed "magic formulas" to help runners get better (or more precisely, faster).  Fitzgerald sets out from the beginning to prove to readers that the 80/20 method is the optimal method for improvement.  Period.  Science shows it and Fitzgerald will lead you to the promised land.  Where have I heard this before?  In very s
Read more

Gear Review: Campagnolo Bullet 80

-
Image
I have been searching this year for a set of aero race wheels for my triathlon bike.  Last year, I rented a set of Reynolds for my 140.6 to try to make the effort a little easier. I wasn't concerned about speed as much as effort.  That is still semi-true this season, but I am now getting to the point where I am becoming competitive at shorter distances.  Rather than continue to rent, I looked for something that I could call my own.   First, I went through the tubular vs. clincher debate. There was a lot of research on this and enough for a separate post on that debate.  I decided on clinchers for simplicity because that's what I currently use.  Then back to the wide world of the Internet to research wheels.  Again, debates over carbon, alloy, hubs, spoke count, depth, v-shaped versus toroidal.  I felt like I was back in physics class at times.  For every two people, there were three opinions on the best wheel.   In the end, I selected the Campagnolo Bullet 80.  The dec
Read more