Up to this point, I've only posted about my race experiences. But, the training is where a lot of the good (or at least important) stuff happens. And a lot has happened over the past few months since finishing my Marathon and putting the focus back on triathlon. Ironman is a new and exciting challenge for me. I was very hesitant about whether this was something I wanted to tackle. Now that I am 3 months in with still 3 months to go, I am feeling confident that I made the right decision.
They say that you should spend your off-season focusing on your weakest discipline... so, for me, a 3-month running focus was probably not following that rule. But, I couldn't help myself... I wanted to capitalize on my fitness. After the Marathon, I was feeling a little burnt out from running, but found great joy in swimming and cycling. Things really started clicking for me in the pool and on the bike. Maybe the break was actually just what I needed!
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Indoor/Outdoor pool at Tri-State Athletic Club in Evansville, IN
(my Wednesday pool for the month of February) |
Swimming: I have to say, swimming was never my favorite sport. When it came to triathlons, I got through the swim, but never much enjoyed it. Well, that all changed about 3 months ago. A switch had flipped and all of a sudden I was enjoying my swims... looking forward to them, even! I was seeing a bigger picture and had a heightened awareness of all the mechanics involved. From then on out, every swim was completed in full (no more cutting it 400 meters short because I was cold or tired). And every swim was completed with focus. There is always something to focus on and correct- rotation, body position, high elbow, catch, reach... but, for me, the most important seems to be TIMING and HOW MUCH WATER I'M PULLING. When I focus on these 2 things, my times drop. All last year, Dan didn't have a whole lot of feedback on my stroke technique except... "You need to pull more water!" If you look at the Swim Smooth website, I'm pretty sure I would be categorized as a 'Bambino'... decent technique, but kind of wimpy ;) You can't imagine my excitement when I finally realized what it felt like to actually pull more water. And it wasn't necessarily that I had gotten stronger, but more that I got the 'feel'. Once I realized that I had the ability to become a faster swimmer (read: fastER, not fast), my motivation to get in the pool increased ten-fold. And with that, my fitness began to increase. Now I am pulling more water and maintaining that for longer periods. My confidence to complete the 2.4 mile swim is night and day from where it was just a few short months ago. Now, swimming laps in a calm pool lane is much different from the open water, crowded triathlon swim. I'm looking forward to seeing how the times and confidence in the pool transfer to that of the open water.
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| My lucky day riding next to 4X IM Champ, Heather Wurtele |
Cycling: The bike is my middle ground. I do not dominate but I can hold my own. I'm hoping to change that. The bike leg of a triathlon is proportionately the largest and the time when you can gain or lose the most. I've been spending the past few months learning how to hurt on the bike. Of course, during the Ironman I don't intend to hurt on the bike because it's a long race. But, right now I want to push beyond my comfort zone. I want to get to a point where I'm seeing higher numbers with the same or lower effort. Again, this has been more about focus and mental strength than anything else. I don't watch movies or chat with my training buddies during Z3 and Z4 work on the computrainer. I stare at myself in the mirror and tell myself over and over how bad I want it. I focus on a smooth, strong pedal cadence and I visualize the race.
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| Outdoor ride with Elisa and Dan (Dan behind the camera) |
With the spring weather starting to break, I finally got outside on my tri bike for the first time since last season. It was humbling riding with Dan and his wife, Elisa. But, it was just the kick in the pants that I needed and I was happy to be able to keep them in sight for some short periods. Plus, I always learn something when I ride with them. This time I learned what a huge difference the front wheel makes when riding in gusty winds. With my deeper rim, I spent a good portion of my energy trying to stay upright. Then Dan swapped front wheels with me and I immediately noticed a huge difference and could then focus on riding hard without worrying about falling over. Good to know. I'm also looking forward to cycling camp next month to continue to build fitness, bike handling skills and to just plain have FUN!
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| Functional Strength with Michael in Duck, NC (Outerbanks) |
Running: This has always been my comfort zone, but it took some time to get my running legs back after the Marathon. It was a good month of heavy-leg syndrome before I started to feel good again. These past couple months, Dan has built me back up to about 5 hours (or 35-40 miles) of running per week with a gradual increase in time at intensity. I've been successful at keeping the injuries at bay by keeping the focus on recovery, short sessions of functional strength and Physical Therapy exercises and just staying in tune with my body and listening when it doesn't feel quite right.
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| Normatec Boots recovery session after a Sunday ride! |
To date, I've built up to 19 hours per week of training. Depending on my work/travel schedule, some weeks have been more manageable than others. I'm fortunate in that I have the flexibility (for the most part) to build my work hours around my training plan. But still, there are only so many hours in the week. I make sleep the top priority because without it I can't perform, I can't recover and I'm certainly not a fun person be around. My motivation has remained high and that gets me through those days when I just don't know if I have it in me. On those days, it's just a matter of getting the workout started. Once I get warmed up, I can usually pull it together.
This is certainly a lifestyle. I'm grateful to have Michael to share it with, as well as all the amazing friends I've met along the way. And, of course, the support of my family... they may think I'm crazy at times, but they always cheer me on and celebrate my accomplishments. I'm one lucky girl.
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