Its race week

So it’s Monday of race week. For me, the anticipation will build more and more each day until finally the weekend will arrive and I’ll be able to unload it all on the race course.

I’ve been kind of quiet lately and in the words of JonnyO, I’ve been “getting the word done” (getting the work done). I just completed a training block that lasted 21 days without a rest day. During that time I had what I consider to be break-though workouts in each discipline. The bike break-though came at the Lake Murray Triathlon with a 24 mph average speed, the swim came in the midst of a pulled neck/back muscle debacle which refined my stroke a little and resulted in an effortless 1:32 per 100 meter average pace, and the run came early last week with the 6 mile tempo run at a 6:25 pace on a route with 350 ft of climbing. I would be a kid at Christmas if all these came together on race day.

In other news, I’m back to commuting by bike to work and loving it! I’m hoping to park the V8 Silverado for the summer and mainly ride to and from work. I also see commuting as key to my Ironman build-up. It basically gets me 2 hours a day in the saddle for almost zero family time sacrifice. Can’t beat that! Combine that with a 1 hour session at lunch and 1.5 – 2 hours before the morning commute and you have 5 hours of training 5 days a week plus a weekend session. That should allow me to train about as much as a pro triathlete without any evening training and very little weekend training (family time). I may also take two Friday mornings off a month so I can get my long runs or long 60-100 mile rides/bricks in. I love training and, in a way, can’t wait for June, with its short course racing, to be over so I can start grinding out the miles and meters.