I had hoped to update the blog shortly after I returned from my trip to Florida in December. Writers block maybe. Just never felt like writing I guess. Plus it was the lead up to the silly season, and it was busy.
Ironman training is going well. I did take a few days off over Christmas just to recharge the batteries. I drank and ate too much as usual, but for the past five weeks have been back on track. Dropped 5lbs of Xmas weight, and have stopped drinking alcohol. How long that will last is anyones guess.
I will say though that ever since I stopped drinking I have been sleeping better, feeling better, and saving money, especially when I'm on the road. Craft beer is almost $10 a pint.
This month I purchased my training plan for Mont Tremblant, forever to be known as IMMT from here on in.
I stumbled on the plan through Training Peaks. They have quite a selection of plans for 70.3's and 140.6, for just about everyone from the beginner to the more advanced. The plan I chose was from David Glover of Endurance Works. It's 24 weeks in length and is not too high in volume. In other words it leaves time to have a life. After trading emails with David prior to purchase, he seemed like a great guy, easy to connect with and willing to share his knowledge.
I wanted to keep the plan fairly simple to execute (ie no complicated workouts with HR, wattage, zones to worry about. RPE, rate of perceived effort was easy to follow.), and flexible to fit my erratic schedule. Some weeks I'll have to load up on the biking and swimming while I am home, and when I'm away for a length of time do all my running.
I'm happy with the plan, it includes everything I'll need, all my workouts, plus strength training. David includes the exercises and how to do them. Best part, they don't require a weight room. Couple of dumbbells and an exercise ball.
The plan starts March 4th, just less than a month away, and I am very excited to get going on it. My base-base training is going very well. Getting 7-8hrs a week of training in.
Out of the three sports my swimming has improved the most in just a short period of time. I'm consistently able to churn out a 1:40/100m now. I did a 1000m swim test this week in 16min. It's only a minute off of what I was able to do as a teenager. If all goes well, that will translate into a 60-65min IM swim. Pretty stoked about that. 10-15min faster than IMFL 2000.
Biking and running are coming along, just a little slower. I won't really know how my biking is until I hit the road again. On Zwift I am getting faster and can hold higher wattage for longer. On the run...... My HR is staying fairly low, and I can get through 10km in less than an hour feeling strong. I am incorporating speed and hill work each week, with faster intervals mixed into my longer runs. Thanks to some tips from Dave Scott. Love that guy.
Oh, I did my first Zwift stage event last week. The Cervelo Canada Cup. It was a 5 stage event. That was a lot fun, and made me work real hard.
That's it for now. I am working on a post about my last IM in 2000. It's tough trying to remember back that far and put thoughts to paper. Looking back through photos has helped. Anyway I hope to get that finished soon to share with you.
