and I’m really overdue for a post …
There’s not a whole lot going on here at the moment. The holidays were super nice. Having 11 consecutive days with my family and not having to go to work was the absolute best. I think that was my favorite gift!
The 8 week winter training block (Nov 1 – Dec 26) that I wrote about in my last post went off without a hitch. Training was frequent and consistent with just enough volume to get back into the swing of things without needing a day off for rest or recovery. Each week was only about 12 hours’ worth of work with almost all the bike sessions done indoors on the trainer or rollers (much to my wife’s liking) because of the unseasonable cold weather we had in December. The only downside was the 5k race at the end of the training block didn’t go that well. I ran a disappointing 18:23, 15 seconds slower than last year at the same race. Conditions were worse this year (sleet/snow mix) but I still expected a sub 18 min result.
On the plus side, I’ve started to lose some of the off-season pounds and I’m on my way to getting nice and lean. Also, I’m pleased that my swim volume is building back up, although I’ve yet to see the benchmark paces to give me confidence for the early season short course races. Hopefully the speed will come back around during the next 8-10 weeks.
So now my focus shifts to specific preparations for the ironman in May and all that entails. I have 18 weeks until race day to get myself ready mentally and physically for the performance of a lifetime. Both Jennifer and I are excited about the trip and we’ve already started planning our flights and hotel. The kids aren’t hiding the fact that they want to go to Hawaii in October to see flowing lava and go snorkeling and they’re expecting me come home with a Kona slot (no pressure, eh?). I’m really looking forward to my “Big Fridays” every other week where I’ll do the specific work to simulate the conditions I expect to face in Utah (as much as SC weather and terrain allow me).
I’ll try to blog a little more regularly with updates, pictures and video from my journey to St. George as well as race reports for some of the smaller races along the way.
Peace out -
