Sunday, September 28, 2008

My Journey to Ironman - Part 1

So I want to start doing this little mini-series inside my blog, to help me keep track of my progress and preparation for my 1st Ironman triathlon in 2009.
Starting today....my thoughts on training thus far:
Well, I am still barely wading into this long, grueling process of training towards these long distances (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, & 26.2 mile run).
I have prayed (although, admittedly, not enough...) that God would bless this journey for me, that He would give me the physical strength & endurance needed and that He would allow my body to remain injury-free during the process.
I am making tiny steps towards increasing my training distances and, in addition, I am trying to remind myself everyday to seek God for His plan in all of this.
Swimming will be a hard area for me. Currently, I spend about 2 hours in a pool/week. I max out my distance around 2600 meters (about 1.5 miles)& have never swam even 2 miles straight in a pool or open water.
Cycling is a bit better, in so much as I've ridden a few 100-mile rides, but I don't routinely go out & peddle 100 miles in one ride. My weekly totals on the bike average anywhere from 60-100, depending on the week.
Running is my training focus right now, as I am aiming to finish my first 1/2 marathon on 11/16/08. So, right now, I run 3 days a week...1 long distance (currently at 9 miles), 1 medium distance (currently 5-6 miles), & one short distance track workout (about 3 miles).
Running is hard for me too. I enjoy it tremendously, but I tend to like long, slow runs & not the hard, fast ones. Trev (my coach) has helped me with my run position thinks I can get faster over the longer distances, too.
Trev has been wonderful - helping me to change up my run & now, change up my swim stroke, too. He has a wealth of info & helpful tips for things related to Ironman that I (as a total novice) have no clue about. Well...he should -- he's completed 2 Ironmans! Anyway, he has been great for me & I look forward to the rest of the training with him.
Ok, that's all for now. Part 2 coming soon....

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