Friday, February 4, 2011

First Month of Ironman Training

My first month of Ironman training is down the hatch. Here are my stats:

January 2011 Totals:

Bike: 16h 29m  - 286.03 Mi
Run: 8h 15m 25s  - 57.05 Mi
Swim: 15h 43m  - 36150 Yd
Strength: 6h 05m
Cross-Country Skiing: 1h 00m
 ...and comparing to last year

January 2010 Totals:
Bike: 7h 37m - 127.74 M
Run: 9h 30m 35s - 69.20 Mi
Swim: 11h 40m - 22150.00 Yd

I still have plantar fasciitis which is affecting my running. I have been doing lots of stretching, icing and exercises, but I still have soreness and tenderness when running more than 3 or 4 miles.  I am getting more and more concerned.  I was hoping to do a couple of races like the Frost Bite (last month), Partners in Pain and Snake River HM, but the way things are looking I will probably have to pass on those.

As far as training is concerned, I am certainly training differently than I was for Troika (half iron distance) last year.  For Ironman, I am actually following a training plan.  I decided to skip masters swim in January and February, I am not sure if/when I will go back to masters.  I am swimming solo at the gym and I have been happy with my workouts there and the flexibility that comes with that. 

Additionally I have learned a lot about Ironman training and about myself.  A few observations that come to mind not in any particular order:
1. Training is on your mind ALL the time.
2. January is a significant date for us folks training to do Ironman CDA .  It seems the clock starts ticking at this point.  If you don't start training, you are falling behind!
3. I shower more at gyms than I do at home!
4. It has been COLD here in Spokane, hence most of my training is done indoors on the bike trainer or the treadmill.
5. Last weekend I rode 2:45 on the bike trainer, the longest I have ever done.  This weekend my plan calls for 3 hours...ouch!
6. While on the bike trainer, watching something on TV makes ALL the difference.
7. Triathlon can be expensive: bike, cat eye for bike, wet suit, wheels (hopefully), new shoes etc.
8.  Family support and flexibility is crucial.  A BIG thanks to my wife for taking on more responsibility when needed!
9. One of my goals while training is to think about the race more.  While riding, I need to envision the race.  The same for running and swimming.

My swim is my limiter and I really want to improve on it.   Yesterday my plan called for a 2500 yard swim, no warm up or cool down.  I was a bit nervous about this swim.  I even considered doing a different swim, but I figured it would be a good time to see where I am at.  I swam a nice comfortable pace and tried to glide as much as I could.  When gliding I have to hold my breath longer and keep my chest/head further in the water. In the end I was real happy to have completed this swim in 38m 26sec which is at a pace of 1m 32s /100 yards.  February is off to a great start!  Happy Training!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Western Digital WD TV Live Plus Rocks

This multimedia player is just the coolest!  I bought this at the end of 2010 and have utilized it lots.  You connect it to your TV (and computer network) and you can play videos/movies (.avi, .mpeg, .iso, etc) or music (.mp3) that reside on a network attached station (NAS) or from a shared computer hard drive.  This is great way to watch shows while you are on the bike trainer.   Lately while I am riding I have enjoyed watching Spinervals, Ironman World Championships and Tour Des France races....inspiring stuff!
"Play media from your home network and the Internet on your big screen TV. Plus, enjoy access to your Netflix unlimited membership and other premium content. Don't confine your movies, music, and photos to your small computer screen. Experience them as big as life on your TV in Full-HD 1080p with WD TV Live Plus HD media player".  For more info see it on Amazon.