Dave’s Triathlon Journal

I learned how hard it is to stay fueled for multiple workouts in a day.

I started out with a two hour run this morning (which I got to do in shorts and a short sleeve top, one of the first of the year!) and felt pretty good after finishing up.

About an hour an a half later I went to do a swim workout of 2000 continuous yards. I felt great as I began but slowly started to run out of gas and after 1500 yards I was out of gas and had to take a break. The last 500 I took very slow and easy.

That workout certainly emphasized the importance of fueling for me.

I had to take last Friday and Saturday off last week because of a chest cold. I wasn't feeling 100% on Sunday but I didn't want to miss another workout, particularly a long one. I'm paranoid that if I miss one I'll be that much further behind in getting ready for Lake Placid.

I ran for a hour and 50 minutes on Sunday morning and then did a 45 swim session of mostly technique work.

Thankfully, the weather is warming up and yesterday I rode for about 2 1/2 hours and did 45 miles. While it was warm, it was also very windy. I did an out and back and the back was not good. I thought I was flying on the way out, and as soon as I turned around I realized why, I had the wind at my back!

I did my first outside brick this morning….in the cold, still.

It did get to around freezing this morning so it wasn't as bad a bike ride as this past weekend.

I biked about 22 miles with six intervals thrown in then ran for forty minutes with another two intervals. It was probably my toughest workout of the year in terms of effort and the cold didn't help either.

Here's to hoping for warmer weather….

The winter time has always been a time of testing how cold it can be and still get a training in. In running, I've created temperature ranges to determine the number of layers I need to wear to be comfortable, how warm can it before I need a running hat vs. a winter hat, when can I get away without mittens, etc., etc.

This winter I started to explore cycling outside. In years past I would hang up the bike in October or November and dig it out in March or April and occassionally grind through a few indoor trainer rides in between.

Knowing I would need to keep up my fitness over the winter to be ready to hit the ground running for my Ironman training I decided to try more winter riding. Yesterday I set a new boundary for myself. It was 19 degrees and windy when I left yesterday. I had two layers on my legs, four on my torso and two on my hands. I was out for about 75 minutes and felt pretty good. However, today is the first day of spring and I have little interest in setting a new cold weather riding standard this year!

My light recovery week continues….I did 2500 yards last night at Masters. They have a meet this weekend so they only had 2100 yards scheduled. I stayed after to get a few more laps in, I know it is a light week but I didn't want it to be that light.

I must admit that I'm not looking forward to my weekend training. More cold weather is predicted which I don't mind running in but 30 degrees on the bike is not my favorite thing.

-Signed

Hopeful For Spring

I did yet another training session at the gym today. It is a recovery week so I did a short brick on the spinner and treadmill. It was 60 degrees here over the weekend and I had a great 2 hour ride outside. However, I've been relegated back to the gym to suffer for a couple more weeks. The cold air and wind has returned once again.

I took a much needed rest day today and slept in until 7:30! I've had a lot of work and family obligations over the past week so I've tried to not interfere with those obligations by doing early morning or evening workouts. This has made the sleeping schedule a tough one.

On another note, I'm going to be ordering a new tri-bike this week! I've been riding a modified road bike for the past three years but with at least one Ironman in my future I thought it was time to get serious about the 6+ hour bike ride I'll experience on race day.

It is a Serotta CXII (which appropriately stands for 112) and it is a completely custom fitted bike meaning I'll have to wait three to four weeks to get it. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Well it's been a couple of months since my last post. I wish I could say there was some big reason why but there isn't. I guess I just haven't gotten into the routine yet, however, as my training schedule becomes steadier I plan to update more often.

To cover the last couple of months in a nutshell

• I completed the Disney Marathon in January.
• I took the rest of January completely off…and gained a few pounds
• In early February I got back to a training routine, though I admit it was difficult at first.
• In mid January I hired a coach to help me plan my season. This has really helped me to get back on track.
• I'm doing 10 - 12 hours a week training right now and this most recent week felt really good.

This coming week is a rest week, which I must say I'm looking forward to!