The Good, the bad, and the ok…

Starting with the good, I finished the GW Parkway Classic (10 miler) on Sunday in 1:31. That’s a 9:03 average minute per mile pace, which puts me ahead of schedule for my running goal of 9:00 minute miles (for 13.1) by the end of May. I owe Sunday’s time to my training buddies, both during training and on race day.  Thanks ya’ll. You rock!!! Hopefully, if I can keep knocking down the time, I’ll be at 8:00 minute miles by mid-summer and 7:30 or better by the end of the summer. Only time and training will tell.  

Jumping to “the ok”, my training schedule was intentionally light this past week; however, it got even lighter as the week went on. I missed my two swim days, one because I slept in and the other because the lifeguard didn’t show up.  I did do some swim specific strength training with thera-bands and some much needed upper body work and stretching. I really needed to get some pool time in, especially since I’ve got a tri on Saturday. Fortunately, it’s only a 1500m swim and I can muscle through it.

And for the bad… I gained two pounds. I’m hoping it’s the carb loading and all of the water and Gatorade I drank all weekend in preparation for the race and post-race. If that’s the case, I should at least get back to 198lbs; if not, I just need to keep buckling down. Beer is a carbohydrate, right?

For this week’s training schedule, I’ll be back to a pretty regular schedule. I’m not going to taper very much like I did for the 10 miler. I’m treating Saturday’s triathlon like another training day and am not going to allow myself to use it as an excuse to “rest” beforehand, or eat food I don’t normally eat.  It’s only an Olympic distance race and I should be done with it in about three hours (finger’s crossed).

I enjoyed my rest day today and look forward to crushing it this week.  Have a great one!!!

Cheers,

Scott

April 18 - 24

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
AM - Weight Training/Core
R - 1 :00

Wednesday
S - 2500m
R - :45
B - 1:00

Thursday
AM - Rehab/Stretch
R - Track (Speed Work)

Friday
S - 2500m

AM – Swim specific strength training
B - 1:00

Saturday
R - :30 (easy)

Sunday
R - GW Parkway Classic (10 miler)

Total Time - 5:45 4:45
S - 2:00
B - 2:00 1:00
R - 1:45 3:45

Training Sponsored by the Letter "L"

What a great first week back...

Last week’s training was sponsored by the letter “L”, as in: sore Legs; Lots of hills; Lack of off-season riding; Lamentation of the women (no wait, that’s Conan the Barbarian), Lamentation about my sore Legs... and LOVING IT!!!

Over all, I’m happy with last week’s training, besides the aforementioned lamentation. I was a couple hours short of my projected training goal, but I still got in some great training. Highlights include my first outdoor ride on my bike since November, repeats at the Masonic National Temple (gnarly hill training) with my running buddies, and finishing the week with a ride in the beautiful, but chilly Prince William National Forest. Lowlight… an eight and half mile run the day after enjoying a wonderful evening with the neighbors (good wine and champagne). The run was brutal, but I got it done. I’m getting too old for those kind of shenanigans.

Based on last week I’ve made some tweaks to the schedule and will continue to do so as I work my way up to Eagleman in June. My goal is to get two swims, three rides, and three runs in each week. Additionally, I’d like to get in one weight training session and one rehab/stretching session. That being said, this week’s schedule is tailored down a bit in preparation for the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler (Sunday). I’d like to have some fresh legs for the race and hopefully pull off a sub 95 minute finish time.

I hope everyone has a great week. I'm looking forward the GW Classic and the post run BBQ... but mostly eating!

Cheers,

Scott


April 11 - 17

Monday
S - 1500m
B - 1:30 (Brick)
R - 1 mile (hard)

Tuesday
R - 1:00

Wednesday
S - 1500m
B - 1:00

Thursday (Speed/Strength)
WT/Stretch- Back, shoulders, chest
R - National Masonic Temple stair repeats (x7)

Friday
S - 2000m
R - 1:00 :30

Saturday
B - 2:00 (Brick)
R - :30 1:30

Sunday
B - 1:00 (Brick)
R - 1:30 1 Mile (hard)

Total Time- 10:40 8:20
S - 1:40 1:00
B - 4:30 3:30
R - 4:30 3:50

At It Again...

Hello Everyone,

I’ve been putting this off for over a month now. I didn’t do a blog last year and debated doing one this year as well. However, I decided in order to meet my (lofty) goals this year, I needed to do it. For various reasons, both known and unknown, I found that holding myself accountable for training last year was tough.  As a result, I slogged through three 70.3 races and dodged Ironman Maryland due to a hurricane. Two of the three 70.3’s were pretty painful. I’m really too dumb to know when to stop or quit… both a curse and a blessing.
Ironman training is difficult enough, but I’m sure as others will attest, training for a 140.6 mile race without a training partner, a coach, or a team can be even more challenging. This is especially true in the accountability department. It doesn’t take much to talk myself out of a five hour ride, in lieu of sleeping in or a nice glass <or two> of wine.

So why not get a training partner, a coach, or join a team? Good question, I’m glad you asked. I’m all about training partners. I do rides and runs with some phenomenal folks who really keep me going and help me push myself. However, finding another crazy person to do the amount of training required for an Ironman is another thing entirely. That being said, I’m ecstatic every week I get to run or ride with my training buddies. As far as coaches go, I guess I’m not ready, to get that serious. Maybe when I think I have a shot at a Kona slot (Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii), but until then I’m going to save my money. As far as tri teams go, I think they can be great. However, I don’t think a team is right for me, at least right now. I’ve found that many of those folks, who are great people, just take it wayyy to serious. I probably talk about tri stuff more than I should/want right now; so adding an entire social network devoted to triathlons would be too much.

So… what does that leave? I guess “blogging” (I hate that word) to the few folks that entertain me by reading what I’ve written. I seriously dread having to record missed workouts and bad dietary choices, especially if others are going to read it. Avoiding the dread of admitting to my “bad days” helps me stay on track, which in the long run will help me accomplish my goals.  I know there will be set backs, but that’s what life is about. Nobody is perfect, but staying the course and being accountable helps one make it through, no matter what the challenge.

This year I’ve signed up for three major races, two half Ironman distance races and one full. It’s going to be an exciting year of racing and I’m looking forward to it. To get the season started off right, I’m doing Eagleman 70.3 in Cambridge, MD. Following that, I’m super stoked about racing with my brother again, this time at the Superfrog 70.3 in San Diego, CA. Superfrog will be my ‘A Race’ this year and hope to smoke my previous personal record (PR) of 6:15 at Ironman Texas 70.3, by finishing under 5:15. Dare I say sub five hours? I’ve got lots of work to do either way. Finally, a month later I’ll be doing Ironman North Carolina (formerly Beach to Battleship) with some old Ranger buddies. This is the full meal deal, 140.6 miles, and I can’t wait to feel the pain with some old friends.

I’m going to wrap it up here.  I just wanted to get some thoughts on paper, get some folks in my corner, and get this year of racing kicked off. I look forward to hearing your comments, your cheers, your jeers… and of course the ball busting. More to follow...

Cheers,

Scott