Training Update

I'm in week 8 of my Ironman training and it's coming along pretty well - I've spent more time on the bike trainer than I ever have in the past thanks to Spinerval videos, and I can definetely tell the fitness, and overall strength and power is improving. I'm excited to get outside to really see if the training translates on the open road. My swimming has really improved this year as I've put a lot of focus on technique and drills, and am using the Swimming Immersion technique - my times have improved, and I'm not near as tired at the end of the sets as I would have been at the same time last year. I spent a lot of time on the off-season working on my running - doing hill work, 400 and 800 intervals, and general speed work. Running is the area I need the most work in improving, I feel the off-season training is starting to pay off. I'm up to about 10 hours a week, plus 1.5 hours of weight training/core work.

ACSM Certification class

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to an American College of Sports Medicine class to review information for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam. It was a 3 day class that focused on physiology, fitness tests, and program prescriptions for resistance, flexibility, and cardiovascular training. I really enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it. Being in the fitness industry for the past few months I could easily relate to the majority of the information, and how it applied to training my triathlon athletes. The big difference is the ACSM training is pretty conservative and is geared toward people who are starting with a small level of fitness, whereas my triathlon training is geared toward people with a much higher level of fitness, and looking to improve in both speed and fitness so the training programs are much more aggressive and intense. I now have to schedule the test and start studying. Anyone ever taken the ACSM test? Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

Garmin 405

For Valentine's Day my wife got me a Garmin 405 - a GPS enabled tool for tracking distance, pace, speed, calories burned and heart rate. The Garmin also allows you to wirelessly upload your workouts to either an online or desktop based application to analyze your workouts - in other words, it enables me to 'nerd out' and evaluate my training zones and workouts and see my progress over a certain amount of time, as well as tweak my training plan accordingly. It also has a 'virtual training partner' that allows you to set a certain pace, and it will tell you how far you are ahead or behind that pace. Another feature is to create biking and running routes and upload them to your Garmin. I plan on getting an attachment for my bike that will track my cadence and speed. Oh, you can also use it as a watch :). Anyone have a Garmin? What are your thoughts about it? How do you like it?

IronBaby

When I did Ironman Florida in 2007 my parent's bought my daughter an Ironman shirt. Today was her first day wearing it, so I thought I'd post a picture. I don't think she was as thrilled as I was when she was wearing it, nevertheless, daddy is proud :)

Brr Ride

Saturday morning was almost perfect for the BRR (Bike Ride to Rippey). The ride started at 10:00 AM and temps were in the upper 40s (pretty decent for Iowa) and hardly any wind. The ride consisted of a highway trip to Rippey and back to Perry. It felt good to get out and ride within the elements, and off the trainer that sits in the basement. From a training perspective, I felt really good for the first ride of the year, especially being February. It was a nice aerobic, 24 mile ride. Here's a post-ride pic of my dad and I.

Week 4 IM Training Review

Week 4 of IM WI training went pretty well - 9:00 hours of sport specific training and 1.5 hours of weight/core training. Starting to get back into the swing of things and can tell my speed work in the off-season is starting to payoff (well, for my usual speed anyway), specifically on the Thursday speed run. In the swim portion I'm really focusing on my drill work and consistently working on lowering my stroke count on both easy and hard laps. It's coming along - starting to finally get a little muscle memory.

Monday: Swim - 500 yards of drills, 5X300
Tuesday - 40 minute run, 1 hour bike trainer ride (lots and lots of interval training)
Wednesday - weight training, 1 hour bike trainer ride (intervals again)
Thursday - Swim - 500 drills, 10X100, Run: 2X800 @85%, 4X400 @ 90%
Friday - recovery swim ~500 yards
Saturday - 1 3/4 hour trainer ride, 30 minute run-off
Sunday - 1 hour run, 30 minute trainer recovery ride

Value of Support

As endurance athletes, we put a lot of time in our training regime, which requires sacrificing time with family, friends, and sleep. In order for us to be successful, it is so important to have the support from our family. Personally, without the support and sacrifice of my family it would be extremely hard for me to be able to put in the hours and dedication to meet my endurance goals.
From a coaching perspective, an invaluable resource is when a 'team' or class supports one another. As both a coach and competitor, I find it extra motivating to be surrounded by people who give words of encouragement and push each other to push through a set, and push themselves beyond what they thought their limits were. it forces you not to "dog" through a set. It is both an uplifting and driven experience.
I told my athletes the other day that even though triathlon is an individual sport, the triathlon community and competitors are a very tight knit group and always support each other, whether it be on a training day, or in a race. I remember when I did IM FL and I was around mile 100 or so, people would pass me and say things like "You're doing great", 'You're almost there" - these simple words of encouragement helped so much to get me through the race. Even in these first 3 weeks of training, I know my athletes are becoming better because of of the training, as well as each other.
In conclusion, support those around you, and they will reciprocate so you can all meet your goals and push yourself beyond what you though was possible.