I just watched my LSU Tigers destroy Georgia Tech. For those of us that bleed purple and gold it's been a tough year. Hopefully this win will be a sign of good things to come. Great way to start out 2009. Also, I set a personal record by eating 35 chicken wings during a football game. I'm going to feel those wings when I wake up at 5am to get in my long run for the week.
I guess my way of getting crazy these days is eating chicken wings. Man, I'm getting old :)
Geaux Tigers!!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Weekly Review
Took some time off this week to spend some time with the family. We had my wife's family in from Baton Rouge for the week. We all had a good time and a great Christmas. In addition, I watched 4 boys (ages 9 months - 9 years old) for 3 days straight so my wife and sister-in-law could go shopping (your welcome Julie!!!). Jon Coco is not "programmed" to be a stay at home dad. My hat is off to all of the stay at home moms/dads out there.
For the week I ended up with:
For the week I ended up with:
- Cycling - 3:30
- Running - 1:50
- Swimming - 1:45
- Weights - 1:15
I did a LTHR test on the bike this past week and the results came back where I thought they would. The protocol I use is a 20 minute warmup, then 40 minute time trial as hard as I can go and then I take the average hr of the 40 minute time trial. The run protocol I use is essentially the same thing.
I was supposed to do a LTHR test today on my run but I re-injured my calf trying to throw down a tomahawk dunk (8 foot goal) on my nephew on Thursday. This calf issue is really becoming annoying. Essentially, anytime I do any type of hard effort (sprint, jump, etc) on the run I tweak my calf and then I can't run for 3-4 days. I'm wondering if I have a slight tear or something along those lines. I'll probably go see a doctor at some point in January if things don't get any better.
I'm going to crank it back up for the next few weeks. I'll probably be in the 13-16 hour range over the next 3 weeks and then I'll back off for a week and recover a bit. This will be the pattern I will follow leading up to New Orleans.
I'm still trying to plan my training schedule for 2009. My two "A" races are New Orleans and Florida but I would like to strategically schedule several smaller sprints and possibly a half ironman leading up to Florida as training events. I only raced in 2 races last year (Arizona & Stonebridge) and that's just not enough. I should have asked for race entry fees for Christmas.
On a lighter note, my training partner, JT, is back from Marathon world and we are working on some strategies to try and talk his wife into letting him do Ironman Florida....
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Weekly Review / Holidays
Had a pretty good week workout wise. I'm finally getting back in the groove and getting accustomed to planning my work week so I can fit in all of the workouts. I can also tell I'm "training" again because I can't eat enough right now. I'm constantly hungry. I guess this appetite will settle down in a few weeks.
For the week I hit all of the scheduled workouts although I did cut one of the bike rides short by about 10 minutes.
I did a 1000 yard time trial in the pool this morning. My plan here is to establish an initial marker in the pool and then I'll retest every couple of weeks to see if I'm improving. My New Year's resolution is to join a master's group. I'll probably join the Lifetime Master's Group in Garland (close to work). I'm at a stage where I've taught myself all that I can in regards to swimming so it's time for a coach.
Next week I plan on cutting back a little on the time, spending time with family and doing some testing on the bike and the run. I'm going to do a LTHR test on the bike on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on the weather) and then do the LTHR test on the run on Sunday. I'll use these scores to re-establish heart rate zones for training as I believe they have changed from last year. As you can tell I'm too cheap to pay $150.00 at Lifetime or to local coaches and have this test done. I'll eventually get it done professionally (perhaps before I start training for IM Florida) but right now I've got better things to spend $150.00 on.
We've got family coming in on Tuesday so it's pretty hectic around our house right now, getting things clean, wrapping presents, last minute shopping. I tried to explain to my wife that as a triathlete it's important that I conserve my energy for the next workout and that I get in my proper rest. She didn't see things my way and quickly assigned me to toilet duty..... (Team Seabiscuit Members - I even gave her two choices!!!!) Oh well, that's a battle I wasn't going to win today.
Things are exciting around the house right now. The kids are out of school for two weeks and are counting down the days to Santa's arrival. Their "wish list" changes daily. The latest is a jet pack and a robot that will do their chores for them. Sometimes they drive me crazy but I know that I'll blink one day and they will be grown and have families of their own and Jennifer and I will be begging them to come home or let us come to their house for the holidays :)
Gotta enjoy the moment!!! Merry Christmas.
For the week I hit all of the scheduled workouts although I did cut one of the bike rides short by about 10 minutes.
- Cycling - 6
- Running - 3:35
- Swimming - 2:45
- Weights - 1:15
I did a 1000 yard time trial in the pool this morning. My plan here is to establish an initial marker in the pool and then I'll retest every couple of weeks to see if I'm improving. My New Year's resolution is to join a master's group. I'll probably join the Lifetime Master's Group in Garland (close to work). I'm at a stage where I've taught myself all that I can in regards to swimming so it's time for a coach.
Next week I plan on cutting back a little on the time, spending time with family and doing some testing on the bike and the run. I'm going to do a LTHR test on the bike on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on the weather) and then do the LTHR test on the run on Sunday. I'll use these scores to re-establish heart rate zones for training as I believe they have changed from last year. As you can tell I'm too cheap to pay $150.00 at Lifetime or to local coaches and have this test done. I'll eventually get it done professionally (perhaps before I start training for IM Florida) but right now I've got better things to spend $150.00 on.
We've got family coming in on Tuesday so it's pretty hectic around our house right now, getting things clean, wrapping presents, last minute shopping. I tried to explain to my wife that as a triathlete it's important that I conserve my energy for the next workout and that I get in my proper rest. She didn't see things my way and quickly assigned me to toilet duty..... (Team Seabiscuit Members - I even gave her two choices!!!!) Oh well, that's a battle I wasn't going to win today.
Things are exciting around the house right now. The kids are out of school for two weeks and are counting down the days to Santa's arrival. Their "wish list" changes daily. The latest is a jet pack and a robot that will do their chores for them. Sometimes they drive me crazy but I know that I'll blink one day and they will be grown and have families of their own and Jennifer and I will be begging them to come home or let us come to their house for the holidays :)
Gotta enjoy the moment!!! Merry Christmas.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Weekly Review
This is my first official week of IM training for New Orleans. Okay week. I missed a swim and had to cut this morning ride short because of the White Rock Marathon. For the week I ended up with:
- Cycling - 4.5 hours
- Running - 3.5 hours
- Swimming - 2 hours
- Weights - 45 minutes
Motivation is pretty good right now and I'm ready to put in the work. I spent too much time on the trainer this past week. Trainer has it's purpose but nothing compares to being on the road. I've had a hard time getting out the door on the bike when it's cold but it's time to man up and just do it and quit complaining.
My wife did the White Rock Marathon this morning (her first ever marathon) and all I can say is my wife ROCKS!!!! For those of you that don't know my wife had our 3rd child just 9 short months ago. She looks great and I'm very proud of her. The conditions at the marathon were absolutely terrible. Consistent 20-30 mph winds and it was somewhat warm. We followed her around the course and saw her at miles 5, 15 and 21. We tried to get to the finish line in time to see her cross but unfortunately we didn't make it in time. She's a little beat up right now but I know this has been a very fulfilling accomplishment for her and me and the boys are very proud of her.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate JT, Chris, Gerald, Rick and Ben on their finishes in the Half & Full Marathons. I can honestly say I'm really GLAD I wasn't out there with you today. Great job in some tough conditions.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Good Trainer Workout
I was supposed to wake up this morning @ 4:45am to start my bike ride at 5am but I overslept by 45 minutes. This presented a challenge because I typically won't "start" a ride M-F any later then 5am because traffic really picks up around 5:45-6am south bound out of McKinney which of course is the direction I head for the start of my route. Anyway, with the outside ride canned because of my laziness I decided to try a new trainer workout that I picked up off of Chuckie V's website:
http://chuckiev.blogspot.com/
The details of the workout are:
Ride (1:30) … Indoor ride focusing on "big gear" work, along with a set of Tabata Sprints, like this...
a) Begin with a 15-minute warm-up, steadily elevating your heart rate (HR) to 80% of max HR levels or thereabouts.
b) Continued warm-up: do 12 x 1-minute efforts alternating standing in a bigger gear at 65RPM; seated in your aero-bars in a bigger gear at 60RPM; seated spinning at 100RPM, all at a maintainable, submaximal (90% of LT) heart rate. No rest between or after each minute.
c) Now for the fun, the Tabata Sprints. After spinning lightly for a minute or two, sprint ALL-OUT for 20-seconds, recording your maximal power (if you have a power meter…and you should!). This is followed by 10-seconds recovery and ONLY 10-seconds recovery. Repeat this 8 times. Wipe puke from chin.
d) After spinning lightly for a few minutes, start with the strength focus. This is entirely dependent upon your current bike fitness but in general you'll want to start out VERY conservatively. I suggest beginning with 3 sets of 6-minutes as 2 minutes of standing in a big gear at 60RPM; 2-minutes seated "grinding" in a big gear (in your aero-bars) at 60RPM; and 2-minutes seated aero-bar spinning at 110+RPM, all done at a Zone 3 type of HR (or 90% of your lactate threshold HR). Each 6-minute "set" is then followed by 4 minutes of easy upright-seated spinning at a low HR. Increase this each week if your knees allow for it. Eventually you'll want to aim for close to an hour's worth of strength-related efforts. Again, these are sub-maximal and not all-out. Think of it as weight-lifting on the bike with a easily-maintainable weight
.e) Ride the remainder of this 90-minute workout at a high Zone 2-low Zone 3 HR (or 85-90% of LTHR) and record power in relationship to that HR, spinning at 90+RPM in your aero-bars.
f) Finally, be sure to do at least a 3-4 minute cool-down in an easy gear at a moderate cadence (80-85) with a low HR.
I personally hate the trainer and typically do everything I can to avoid it but I can honestly say that this was a really tough workout that I enjoyed. ChuckieV is also offering a free offseason triathlon plan that can be found at:
http://chuckiev.blogspot.com/2008/12/free-triathlon-training-program.html
http://chuckiev.blogspot.com/
The details of the workout are:
Ride (1:30) … Indoor ride focusing on "big gear" work, along with a set of Tabata Sprints, like this...
a) Begin with a 15-minute warm-up, steadily elevating your heart rate (HR) to 80% of max HR levels or thereabouts.
b) Continued warm-up: do 12 x 1-minute efforts alternating standing in a bigger gear at 65RPM; seated in your aero-bars in a bigger gear at 60RPM; seated spinning at 100RPM, all at a maintainable, submaximal (90% of LT) heart rate. No rest between or after each minute.
c) Now for the fun, the Tabata Sprints. After spinning lightly for a minute or two, sprint ALL-OUT for 20-seconds, recording your maximal power (if you have a power meter…and you should!). This is followed by 10-seconds recovery and ONLY 10-seconds recovery. Repeat this 8 times. Wipe puke from chin.
d) After spinning lightly for a few minutes, start with the strength focus. This is entirely dependent upon your current bike fitness but in general you'll want to start out VERY conservatively. I suggest beginning with 3 sets of 6-minutes as 2 minutes of standing in a big gear at 60RPM; 2-minutes seated "grinding" in a big gear (in your aero-bars) at 60RPM; and 2-minutes seated aero-bar spinning at 110+RPM, all done at a Zone 3 type of HR (or 90% of your lactate threshold HR). Each 6-minute "set" is then followed by 4 minutes of easy upright-seated spinning at a low HR. Increase this each week if your knees allow for it. Eventually you'll want to aim for close to an hour's worth of strength-related efforts. Again, these are sub-maximal and not all-out. Think of it as weight-lifting on the bike with a easily-maintainable weight
.e) Ride the remainder of this 90-minute workout at a high Zone 2-low Zone 3 HR (or 85-90% of LTHR) and record power in relationship to that HR, spinning at 90+RPM in your aero-bars.
f) Finally, be sure to do at least a 3-4 minute cool-down in an easy gear at a moderate cadence (80-85) with a low HR.
I personally hate the trainer and typically do everything I can to avoid it but I can honestly say that this was a really tough workout that I enjoyed. ChuckieV is also offering a free offseason triathlon plan that can be found at:
http://chuckiev.blogspot.com/2008/12/free-triathlon-training-program.html
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Weekly Review - IM New Orleans
I got through a very busy week at work. As I mentioned in my previous post this was User Conference week and it was pretty crazy. The conference went great but I was physically and mentally exhausted on Friday.
I ended up with a light workout week but I was happy with what I got in considering work.
I ended up with a light workout week but I was happy with what I got in considering work.
- Cycling - 2 hours
- Running - 2 hours
- Swimming - 40 minutes
- Weights - 1.5 hours
My training for IM New Orleans officially starts tomorrow. I'm going to use a base half ironman plan from http://www.endurancenation.us/ and then modify the plan slightly to incorporate more running. The endurance nation plans are typically pretty heavy on the bike (which I like) but I feel like I need to run more this year to have a solid race at IM Florida. New Orleans is a very important race to me as several of my family members are going to the race and this will be the first time for them to see me in a triathlon so I have to put on a good show :).
On a side note, Jennifer's marathon is on Dec 14th and she is ready. I'm looking forward to going to the race and supporting her. She's done a great job hauling the kids to all of my races over the years so now it's her turn and me and the boys are up for the challenge. We are going to do our best to follow her around the course and keep her motivated.
Let the countdown to New Orleans begin......
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Weekly Review - Officially Sick...
Took the Louisiana Family Tour this past week and we had a great time. We stopped and visited my folks in Alexandria on Monday & Tuesday and then headed down to Baton Rouge to visit Jennifer's folks. We drove back on Saturday. 8 hours in the car with 3 kids is a long freaking time. But all in all the kids did great and we made it without too much screaming.
On the workout front, things started off great. I had a great ride/run on Wednesday in Baton Rouge along River Road, Alligator Bayou and the Miss. River. (No, I did not see any alligators in alligator bayou) and then Jennifer I ran for 2 hours around the LSU Lakes and Campus on Thursday. The campus has changed quite a bit since Jennifer and I were in school there but it is the most beautiful college campus I have ever been too. Everything was going great until Friday when the Coco Family Sickness finally caught up with me. Sickness in my family tends to take several weeks to clear the house as we gradually pass it around. Gage has had a cold for about a week now, Reed got it and now I've got it. Stuffed up head, sore throat, runny nose, achy muscles, etc... (Jennifer & Ben are next) I didn't work out on Friday or Saturday and I did a very basic weight routine at the gym this morning so needless to say I'm behind on my weekly goals. I'm trying to be smart and let the sickness pass so it doesn't linger for a few weeks but I'm not very good at "resting"... Totals for the week:
Here are some pics from the trip:
Luke #25 - (My Nephew), Ben, Reed & Myself at LSU in front of Mike the Tiger's Cage and the PMAC
Jennifer, Luke, Reed & Ben in front of Mike the Tiger's Cage...
On the workout front, things started off great. I had a great ride/run on Wednesday in Baton Rouge along River Road, Alligator Bayou and the Miss. River. (No, I did not see any alligators in alligator bayou) and then Jennifer I ran for 2 hours around the LSU Lakes and Campus on Thursday. The campus has changed quite a bit since Jennifer and I were in school there but it is the most beautiful college campus I have ever been too. Everything was going great until Friday when the Coco Family Sickness finally caught up with me. Sickness in my family tends to take several weeks to clear the house as we gradually pass it around. Gage has had a cold for about a week now, Reed got it and now I've got it. Stuffed up head, sore throat, runny nose, achy muscles, etc... (Jennifer & Ben are next) I didn't work out on Friday or Saturday and I did a very basic weight routine at the gym this morning so needless to say I'm behind on my weekly goals. I'm trying to be smart and let the sickness pass so it doesn't linger for a few weeks but I'm not very good at "resting"... Totals for the week:
- Cycling - 3.5 hours
- Running - 2. 5 hours
- Weights - 1.5 hours
- Swimming - 0 hours
Here are some pics from the trip:
Luke #25 - (My Nephew), Ben, Reed & Myself at LSU in front of Mike the Tiger's Cage and the PMAC
Jennifer, Luke, Reed & Ben in front of Mike the Tiger's Cage...
Gage getting ready to take Christmas Pictures....
Ben, Reed and my Dad hanging out in the clubhouse that they built...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Past week has gone okay. I had some "bike" issues at the beginning of the week and I didn't get it resolved until Wednesday thus I missed my "Tuesday" bike ride and today's ride was about 30 minutes off of the goal time. The run(s) went pretty good. I had 4 solid sessions. The calf is still bothering me but as I mentioned yesterday I can work around the calf issue. I can't run as fast as I would like but I'm getting in some solid miles which is my primary focus right now. As far as the swim goes, my stroke feels okay but it's hard to stay motivated in the pool without a race in the near future.
For the week I ended up with the following:
For this upcoming week, my goals will be:
Jon
For the week I ended up with the following:
- Cycling - 3 hours (1.5 sessions, the .5 session was a crappy trainer ride at home. I hate the trainer!!!)
- Running - 5 hours (4 sessions)
- Swimming - 40 minutes (1 session)
- Weights - 1.5 hour (2 sessions)
For this upcoming week, my goals will be:
- Cycling - 6-7 hours
- Running - 3 hours
- Swimming - 1 hour
- Weights - 30 minutes
Jon
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Much better then last week
Did my long run this morning and it was 10 times better than last week. I ran about 16.25 miles and I felt really good. Had something left in the tank afterwards and my HR stayed steady throughout the run. It's always interesting to see how your body reacts to exercise. For me, it seems like it's been a crap shoot recently. Calf is still causing me some problems but it's not preventing me from running which is good. As I've gotten older I've noticed that preventative maintenance (stretching, icing, etc) has become very important....
I'm going to put in a short ride (1 hour) on the trainer this afternoon and then take the older boys (Ben & Reed) to see the movie Bolt. Tomorrow, I'm going to ride for 3-3.5 hours in the morning. I'm behind on my training goals for the week but I still have a day and a half to make it up. This blog has really served it's purpose as I'm actually feeling the pressure to workout so I can have a "positive" blog update tomorrow telling everyone how I achieved my goals for the week.
I'm going to put in a short ride (1 hour) on the trainer this afternoon and then take the older boys (Ben & Reed) to see the movie Bolt. Tomorrow, I'm going to ride for 3-3.5 hours in the morning. I'm behind on my training goals for the week but I still have a day and a half to make it up. This blog has really served it's purpose as I'm actually feeling the pressure to workout so I can have a "positive" blog update tomorrow telling everyone how I achieved my goals for the week.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Weekly Review/Sunday Ride
Got a hallpass from Mrs. Coco today and met up with an old friend at White Rock that I haven't seen in 6+ months. We had a great time cycling around WR and catching up. We hammered it for right around 2 hours, our original plan was 2.5-3 but I ended up getting 2 flats so we had to cut the ride short.
This past week went okay, I missed a few workouts but the ones I missed were not what I considered key workouts. For the week I ended up with the following
For this upcoming week, my goal will be:
I had initially planned to swim twice a week during this time of year but I'm going to drop this down to one session for the next few weeks so I can focus on running.
Baseball & Soccer just ended so it's going to feel strange not rushing off to practice and games this week. I'm sure we will adjust quickly to the additional freetime :)
This past week went okay, I missed a few workouts but the ones I missed were not what I considered key workouts. For the week I ended up with the following
- Cycling - 4.5 hours (3 sessions)
- Running - 3.5 hours (3 sessions)
- Swimming - 1 hour (1 session)
- Weights - 1.5 hour (2 sessions)
For this upcoming week, my goal will be:
- Cycling - 4.5 hours
- Running - 4.5 hours
- Swimming - 1 hour
- Weights - 1.5 hours
I had initially planned to swim twice a week during this time of year but I'm going to drop this down to one session for the next few weeks so I can focus on running.
Baseball & Soccer just ended so it's going to feel strange not rushing off to practice and games this week. I'm sure we will adjust quickly to the additional freetime :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
One of those days....
My calf was finally feeling good enough to put in a long run on the "road". I woke up this morning and was excited; ready to start getting back into the swing of things with running. I have a 15 mile route in McKinney. It's a great route, 97% sidewalk, some hills, nice mix of terrain. I ran this route about 3 weeks ago and felt great, and I felt like I had plenty left in the tank after I completed the route.
Well after the first mile, I knew it was going to be a long day. HR was high, legs were tight and my stomach was not too happy with me. Needless to say, it was pretty miserable. My Avg HR was 15 beats higher then it was 3 weeks ago and my pace was about 20 seconds off from what it was 3 weeks ago. The whole time I was thinking... Have I lost this much run fitness in a 2.5 week layoff or am I getting sick. One thing I've learned from the IM training, is that some days you just kind of suck no matter how much you prepare, rest, etc. So I'm assuming today I just sucked but I do feel that "SOMETIMES" it is important to complete these types of workouts regardless of how bad you feel. Gotta work through the pain because you know it will be there in some shape or form on race day and I feel that it is important to know what you can and cannot handle.
On a positive note, my wife is in the final stretch of training for White Rock and she is doing great. She's got that "Eye of the Tiger" look these days and it is inspiring to watch someone put their heart and soul into achieving their goals. (She's also making me feel like a slacker on my running which is good motivation for me)
Well after the first mile, I knew it was going to be a long day. HR was high, legs were tight and my stomach was not too happy with me. Needless to say, it was pretty miserable. My Avg HR was 15 beats higher then it was 3 weeks ago and my pace was about 20 seconds off from what it was 3 weeks ago. The whole time I was thinking... Have I lost this much run fitness in a 2.5 week layoff or am I getting sick. One thing I've learned from the IM training, is that some days you just kind of suck no matter how much you prepare, rest, etc. So I'm assuming today I just sucked but I do feel that "SOMETIMES" it is important to complete these types of workouts regardless of how bad you feel. Gotta work through the pain because you know it will be there in some shape or form on race day and I feel that it is important to know what you can and cannot handle.
On a positive note, my wife is in the final stretch of training for White Rock and she is doing great. She's got that "Eye of the Tiger" look these days and it is inspiring to watch someone put their heart and soul into achieving their goals. (She's also making me feel like a slacker on my running which is good motivation for me)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Offseason/Injury Update
Well I'm officially in offseason mode right now. I'm trying to do 2-3 rides per week, 2 swims per week, 3-4 runs per week and lift weights 1-2 times per week. The rides haven't been over 3 hours and the swims are right around the 2K mark. My primary focus on the swim is technique and just keeping a "feel for the water". I need to join a master's program so I can get some coaching but just haven't done it yet.
My primary focus this winter/offseason is going to be the run. I'm traditionally a weak runner and of the 3 disciplines this is by far my limiter. My original plan was to train for a marathon this winter but only compete in half marathons. However, I injured my calf about 2 weeks ago and haven't run until this morning. This morning I ran about 3 miles on the treadmill and the calf felt okay but still not 100%. I'm going to stick to the treadmill this week and then hopefully get back on track running wise next week. Assuming everything goes okay, I'll probably target a half marathon in Jan/Feb and try and meet some time goal. Haven't determined that time goal yet, but my initial thought is around 1:40.
Ironman New Orleans 70.3 is April 5th, so I'll officially start training for that race the week of 12/8. I'll execute a 17-18 week training plan and see where it takes me. The toughest part of an early season race is cycling in the winter. With young kids it's important that I'm home at a decent time on the weekends for family time so I typically leave by 5am on Saturday/Sunday. This time of year it's tolerable, but December-February it's downright miserable to cycle in 30-40 degree weather. Last year, I had my IM AZ traning partner JT to accompany me on these days but JT is trying to qualify for Boston right now and is focused on running. (JT if your reading this, give up that running stuff and come back to Triathlons remember it's all about the bike my friend) JT is really kicking some serious tail right now and I feel confident that he will nail that Boston qualifying time at White Rock in a few weeks.
One thing I will say, is this lay off from running has really made me miss it, so I'm motivated to get back to running.....
My primary focus this winter/offseason is going to be the run. I'm traditionally a weak runner and of the 3 disciplines this is by far my limiter. My original plan was to train for a marathon this winter but only compete in half marathons. However, I injured my calf about 2 weeks ago and haven't run until this morning. This morning I ran about 3 miles on the treadmill and the calf felt okay but still not 100%. I'm going to stick to the treadmill this week and then hopefully get back on track running wise next week. Assuming everything goes okay, I'll probably target a half marathon in Jan/Feb and try and meet some time goal. Haven't determined that time goal yet, but my initial thought is around 1:40.
Ironman New Orleans 70.3 is April 5th, so I'll officially start training for that race the week of 12/8. I'll execute a 17-18 week training plan and see where it takes me. The toughest part of an early season race is cycling in the winter. With young kids it's important that I'm home at a decent time on the weekends for family time so I typically leave by 5am on Saturday/Sunday. This time of year it's tolerable, but December-February it's downright miserable to cycle in 30-40 degree weather. Last year, I had my IM AZ traning partner JT to accompany me on these days but JT is trying to qualify for Boston right now and is focused on running. (JT if your reading this, give up that running stuff and come back to Triathlons remember it's all about the bike my friend) JT is really kicking some serious tail right now and I feel confident that he will nail that Boston qualifying time at White Rock in a few weeks.
One thing I will say, is this lay off from running has really made me miss it, so I'm motivated to get back to running.....
Friday, November 7, 2008
Introduction - Purpose of Blog
As my profile states, I'm a triathlete wanna be. I completed my first triathlon in April 2006 and ever since then I've been hooked. I completed my first Ironman in April 2008 (Ironman Arizona) and I can honestly say this was one of the proudest moments of my life.
I'm trying to achieve the delicate balance of being a competitive triathlete and at the same time being a good father and husband. Sometimes these can be conflicting goals, but I do my best to always put my family first.
The purpose of this blog is to provide some level of accountability for IM training in 2009. I'm signed up for Ironman New Orleans 70.3 (April 2009) and Ironman Florida (November 2009). I'm going to coach myself and my plan is to divide up the 2009 season into two halves. The first half will be base work and preparing for New Orleans, the second half of the season will be preparing for Florida. I would love to sit here and tell you that my goal is to qualify for 70.3 World Championship or the Ironman World Championship but I know that I'm not there yet and in fact I feel like I need 2-3 more years of solid training before I can compete at that level. But regardless my time goals for these two races are 5-5:15 for the 70.3 and 11-12 hours for the Ironman. At this stage I feel like these are achievable goals based on my current fitness levels and the amount of training I will do in 2009.
So for the next year, I plan on documenting my training, how I physically feel, mental state etc as I try and achieve my tri-goals for 2009. Hopefully, this blog will serve as my conscience and keep me on track!!!
I'm trying to achieve the delicate balance of being a competitive triathlete and at the same time being a good father and husband. Sometimes these can be conflicting goals, but I do my best to always put my family first.
The purpose of this blog is to provide some level of accountability for IM training in 2009. I'm signed up for Ironman New Orleans 70.3 (April 2009) and Ironman Florida (November 2009). I'm going to coach myself and my plan is to divide up the 2009 season into two halves. The first half will be base work and preparing for New Orleans, the second half of the season will be preparing for Florida. I would love to sit here and tell you that my goal is to qualify for 70.3 World Championship or the Ironman World Championship but I know that I'm not there yet and in fact I feel like I need 2-3 more years of solid training before I can compete at that level. But regardless my time goals for these two races are 5-5:15 for the 70.3 and 11-12 hours for the Ironman. At this stage I feel like these are achievable goals based on my current fitness levels and the amount of training I will do in 2009.
So for the next year, I plan on documenting my training, how I physically feel, mental state etc as I try and achieve my tri-goals for 2009. Hopefully, this blog will serve as my conscience and keep me on track!!!
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