Time to Get it "On" (Almost)

Great swim today. Took a break from the drills and sets and got in my best longer swim of the season. Went 1500 yards fairly comfortably. Pretty worn out afterwards, but it is a much better feeling than being worn out after a run. With running, you're not only fatigued, but your knees and feet feel pounded on too. After a brief nap, I feel great.

The "on" season is about to officially begin for me. I sat down with a calendar last night and made a rough outline of my training plan. It is a 24 week plan I will be following, and because I will be gone for two weeks late in the summer, I will start 26 weeks before the main event, Ironman Wisconsin.

This 26 week training period will begin... Monday! No more skipping workouts on the basis that it's the off-season. Time to get serious.

My training, if I can stick to it, will be much more aggressive than last year. Having a little better grasp of the fundamentals of each discipline, I feel better prepared to focus on speed. The fear of being able to simply finish is gone. Rather than training to ensure that I am able to swim 2.4 miles, I will focus more on how quickly I can swim 2.4 miles (and there is a lot of room for improvement!). The same goes for 112 miles on the bike.

This will mean many days with two workouts. A stronger focus on drills and speed sets for the swim, and the inclusion of interval work on the bike.

Will my body be able to handle this? I think so. If not, it's always best to set your goals high. I'm at such a better starting point than last year that I know if I miss some workouts, it won't be the end of the world.

The swim is still my weakest event (though also the one with the most room for improvement!), but the bike is the most intimidating to me. This is not a change from last year... which is strange for the following reason.

Going into Louisville, I had convinced myself that if I could just get through the bike, the run would be no problem. Running is my strongest leg, and I'd done a marathon before. Everyone I talked to, however, said the run was far and away the hardest part. And... they were right. The bike is long and grueling, but the run was just an incredible mental challenge. I remember having changed my opinion after the race, that the run was the worst of it, beyond a doubt. So it's strange that, here I am, again, harboring a foolish confidence toward the run, and a nagging fear of the bike.

Wisconsin is six months away though, and I'm sure my thoughts on the matter will change a thousand times between now and then.

Time to get after it.

WORKOUT

• 3/14 Swim: 100 warm-up, 150 w/Techpaddles, 1500 freestyle, 150 w/Techpaddles, 100 cool-down