Monday, September 13, 2010

And so it begins again...

November 28, 2010 marks the start of training for Ironman number 2.  Which begins with a rest day.  WOOT!  Yes, I'll be following Don Fink's "Be Iron Fit" 30 week program again.  Likely, a hybrid of the "intermediate" and "competitive" programs.  It worked great for me last year (when I bothered to follow the plan), because it is geared to the time crunched athlete and the workouts/days fit well with my current schedule (when I bother to follow the plan).  A lot of people say to not use the same plan twice, but I'm going to ignore those people.  And actually resolve to follow the plan this time!

In less than 3 months my life will once again be turned upside down and all around.  I had "the talk" with Ken this weekend.  You know, the one where I apologize profusely in advance.  And make sure he's on board, strapped in, and ready to roll.  So, I have less than 11 weeks to build a proper base so that my body is ready to take on the stress of Ironman training.  I suppose that means dusting off my swim cap and goggles and dragging my ass to the pool.  It also means that I need to get through the Portland Marathon (in less than 4 weeks) and the Autumn Leaves Ultramarathon (less than 7 weeks) injury free.  I've been battling a few injuries lately, so that will be a bigger challenge than I'm really comfortable with.  But...I'm ready for the structure again.  I actually like obsessing about Ironman.  I dig thinking and breathing all things Ironman.  People around me may hate me during this time (yes, I am very much aware of the eye-rolls and such going on behind my back, and it's all good), but I really enjoy going off the deep end for 30 weeks.  I know that all of you other type A peeps totally get where I'm coming from here.

Now that I'm back on the wagon, it's time to resume my weekly training summary.  This week was pretty weak.  It can only get better from here...

Swim = 0 meters
Bike = 0 miles
Run = 21.86 miles
Strength = 1.92 hours
Other = 1 hour (hiking and such)
Total = 7.82 hours

You do the math.  I'm a slow runner.  However, about 5 of those 21+ miles was walking.  But on the positive side of things, my injury has made itself mostly silent and I was able to knock out a 15 miler on Sunday with hardly a whimper out of my calf muscle.  Win!

And for the body composition bit...

Weight = baseline (no, I'm not putting it out there just yet)
Body fat = baseline (nope, not that either)
Measurements = baseline
*The weekly sports bra/tri shorts photos will resume when the 30 week program begins.  How's that for motivation over the next 11 weeks!

2 comments:

Mike Russell said...

You are a rockstar Sarah. I am stoked to follow your progress over the next 30 weeks! The only people who know what it takes are the athletes and their families.

Q said...

Awesome! I only run and know how much dedication that requires, so I can only imagine what it takes to train for an Ironman.