Taking on a new training program can be pretty exciting. But I don’t recommend an Ironman plan without having adequate time. Time is something I have not had. Since moving back I have been very busy with work, going in sometimes 6 of 7 days. Not to mention a staff retreat outing that took many hours, was stressful, and made me miss some training. With that behind me I am on my way.
Thus far, I have been putting in about 2x/week of core to focus on the strength. A better core will help in the water and also on the run after hours of work. I have also been lifting about 2x/week. Nothing heavy; just the high rep/low weight for chest, shoulders, and back. I want to get stronger for the swim but I know the extra bulk will not be beneficial to lug with me on the bike and run. So balance is key. My bike has been about 2x/week on the trainer and once/week on the road for a longer ride of 20-25 miles or so. The trainer sucks as I pedal the whole time and at a much slower pace than the same effort would give me on the road. I am getting in 3 runs a week of about 4-7 miles each. It is a bit low but my first marathon isn’t until November, and I can manage pretty well on the run, so I am looking to use time an energy to build a base in the other two sports.
The bummer is that I had to take on coaching boys HS volleyball this term. So three nights per week I am staying late at school and missing out on some valuable training and rest time. I have accepted this and figure that a long base will work well for me.
After a few weeks in the pool, I am getting myself together. I started with 500m days and couldn’t do more than 250m in a shot. Then I got up to 1000m and was doing 500m at a time. My first time trial came after about a month of this and I did 2K straight after having not even gone half that far. I rocked out a 39:23, which is equivalent to a 1:15:00 swim for Ironman. I am stoked. I swam 1:13:00 my first Ironman and I am close to that pace already. I want to improve on it.
My bike hasn’t gone as well. Optimistically, I entered a 98K race. It was only just over twice as far as I had ridden so far, so why not do it? Well, first because I came down with nasty chest infection and spent the weekend in bed. I hauled my butt to the race and realized that I forgot my gloves. Gloves are sorely needed because South African roads are essentially gravel laid over glue. It hurt. I also forgot my Gu’s so I had no energy supplement. Not a good day. I couldn’t really stay with the pelotons that I wanted, but it was a decent effort. I held about 22.8mph over the first 27 miles and then faced with a turn I decided to head to the finish for the shorter race. The last 4 miles were killer and I ended the 50K ride in about 1:30:00. So it was a decent day despite the setbacks.
I have decided to keep a Cumulative training distance/time for the program. Here is my effort from August 1 to Sept. 4.
Thus far, I have been putting in about 2x/week of core to focus on the strength. A better core will help in the water and also on the run after hours of work. I have also been lifting about 2x/week. Nothing heavy; just the high rep/low weight for chest, shoulders, and back. I want to get stronger for the swim but I know the extra bulk will not be beneficial to lug with me on the bike and run. So balance is key. My bike has been about 2x/week on the trainer and once/week on the road for a longer ride of 20-25 miles or so. The trainer sucks as I pedal the whole time and at a much slower pace than the same effort would give me on the road. I am getting in 3 runs a week of about 4-7 miles each. It is a bit low but my first marathon isn’t until November, and I can manage pretty well on the run, so I am looking to use time an energy to build a base in the other two sports.
The bummer is that I had to take on coaching boys HS volleyball this term. So three nights per week I am staying late at school and missing out on some valuable training and rest time. I have accepted this and figure that a long base will work well for me.
After a few weeks in the pool, I am getting myself together. I started with 500m days and couldn’t do more than 250m in a shot. Then I got up to 1000m and was doing 500m at a time. My first time trial came after about a month of this and I did 2K straight after having not even gone half that far. I rocked out a 39:23, which is equivalent to a 1:15:00 swim for Ironman. I am stoked. I swam 1:13:00 my first Ironman and I am close to that pace already. I want to improve on it.
My bike hasn’t gone as well. Optimistically, I entered a 98K race. It was only just over twice as far as I had ridden so far, so why not do it? Well, first because I came down with nasty chest infection and spent the weekend in bed. I hauled my butt to the race and realized that I forgot my gloves. Gloves are sorely needed because South African roads are essentially gravel laid over glue. It hurt. I also forgot my Gu’s so I had no energy supplement. Not a good day. I couldn’t really stay with the pelotons that I wanted, but it was a decent effort. I held about 22.8mph over the first 27 miles and then faced with a turn I decided to head to the finish for the shorter race. The last 4 miles were killer and I ended the 50K ride in about 1:30:00. So it was a decent day despite the setbacks.
I have decided to keep a Cumulative training distance/time for the program. Here is my effort from August 1 to Sept. 4.
Cumulative Distance
|
Cumulative Time
| |
Swim
|
9000m
|
4:09:20
|
Bike
|
190.5 mi
|
11:20:34
|
Run
|
90.72 mi
|
12:07:22
|
Core
|
N/A
|
2:30:00
|
Lift
|
N/A
|
2:15:00
|
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