The title says it all…a little less than 6 months and I will be lining up at Mirror Lake for the Ironman. When I think of it as being in July, it seems so far away and yet when I think about 6 months, it seems surprisingly close!
My training started in November which puts me at 3 months into my training. The first things my coach had me do were tests. The swim test was a 500 meter time trial, the bike was a 30 minute (indoor) time trial, and the run was a 3 mile run to determine my heart rate and power zones as well as pace for various upcoming workouts.
The past three months have included biking intervals, increasingly longer runs, running hill repeats, masters swim practices, and strength (lifting) workouts. A traditional week has looked like: Monday – Master’s swim practice; Tuesday – Bike and Run (hill repeats); Wednesday – Master’s swim practice and strength workout; Thursday – Bike and Run; Friday – off day; Saturday – Somewhat long run; Sunday – Bike workout.
The Sunday bike workouts have been tough since I usually ski beforehand. Another challenge has become running in this weather. Every week we seem to get another snow storm! I’ve definitely become sick of shoveling and running has become a little more dangerous. My options seem to be running on poorly cleared sidewalks where a path will become a dead end of a snow bank, running in the street where cars like to come dangerously close (not a game of chicken I want to be playing), or running on a treadmill. I hate running on treadmills so I’ve been avoiding that. Running on sidewalks has become annoying at best so I’ve decided to run in the street (usually trying to find a less busy or wider street).
My Saturday runs have mostly been up in Vermont before some skiing. There’s a great run along a packed dirt road that barely gets any traffic. It’s so nice not to worry about cars or slippery sidewalks! This has become one of my favorite runs. It gets interesting when a Black Lab or two comes bounding out of a yard and almost tackles us but at least I love dogs!
My coach recently sent me my next month’s workouts and they’ve certainly revved up. I’ll try to update this blog a bit more since I’ve been slacking on it being busy with work, training and skiing.
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
~Harriet Tubman
