Weeks 34 and 33 wrap-up--IM training begins...

Week 34 marked the first week of my IM training program, and it's been a bit hectic adjusting to multisport training again from strictly running. The biggest adjustment has been finding the time to fit in multiple workouts in a day--more just an adjustment in my normal routine than anything. Plus, I had an early meeting Tuesday and commitments after work Thursday, so I had two early mornings to get workouts in--big adjustment for the non-morning person.

My swim stuff is going ok--the drills that are included in the program seem to help, particularly the pull drills, which has helped with my core rotation. And, it seems like I'm getting stronger--I can definitely feel my upper body muscles (funny thing about running--you don't really use the upper body much). My sit bones have also had a "fun" adjustment--after 2 weeks of being back on the bike, things are getting back to normal, but man it was uncomfortable for a few days!! I have to admit that I love my trainer--as much as I wish I could ride outside, I think it'll be bearable to get in my time inside as well (now if only I had a bigger TV...but maybe next year).

Last Saturday, some of us did a 5K trail run near Rockford--one would think that a 5K would be a no-brainer for one who just ran a marathon, but I have to admit it kicked my butt. We ran through about 6" of snow and it was true trail run--hills, tree trunks, bridges, etc.--and of course my pride got in the way and I took off faster than I should've...plus I kept landing wrong on my left ankle. All in all, it was a much harder run than I expected--fun, but tough. I'm going to miss the 10K in the series, but will be back for more pain for the 15K and 20K runs to round out the trail run series...guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Monday night was the first meeting of the Ironman Mondays seminars, held at a gym in the city. Jeremy and I both signed up and went--the first session was on training programs and some basic do/don't items associated with training. Big learning for me this week--better to use mileage than time to gauge run training...that's already caused me to make some adjustments to my program. The seminars are led by two normal people who have both done IM Wisconsin before--not pros--and I think it's going to be an interesting series. Next month's topic is on nutrition--I'll definitely be taking lots and lots of notes on that.

Some other quick learnings/observations over the past two weeks...

1. I'm never going to catch up on sleep until this is all over. As much as I've tried to get to bed earlier, it really is tough...and Sue basically told us to expect to be tired for the better part of the year anyway.
2. I'm never to going to catch up on laundry. Between the towels for the pool, tri shorts, running shorts, bike shorts, and all of the assorted items that go on top, I'm pretty well convinced I'm going to burn up the motors on my washer and dryer.
3. My time management skills are improving but have a long way to go.
4. I'm a much slower swimmer than the guy who wrote the training program. If his estimated workout time is 45 minutes, I'm pretty much guaranteed to take an hour. Oh well...
5. Drills (both in the pool and on the bike) help break up the monotony of the workout, but I still don't care for kick drills in the pool or isolated leg drills on the bike. Feels sort of like eating broccoli as a child--I know it's good for me, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
6. The smell of chlorine is nauseating after a while (not to mention the joy of the crazy dry skin it causes).
7. Thank God I have understanding friends--two weeks into the program and I'm already running late for dinners, gatherings, etc. and forgetting to call people back...yikes!!
8. Week 1 of IM training involved more time than the longest week of marathon training...again, yikes!!

Here's the wrap up for both weeks...

Week 34
Swim: 3:03:15 / 7650 m
Bike: 3:25:15 / 51.05 miles
Run: 2:16:16 / 12.78 miles
Total: 8:44:46 / 68.58 miles

Week 33
Swim: 2:26:37 / 7700 m
Bike: 3:45:54 / 57.18 miles
Run: 2:31:21 / 13.77 miles
Total: 9:05:52 / 75.74 miles

Next week will be interesting--I have a business trip to New Jersey and then I'm staying a couple extra days to hang out with my friend Jenny...I think we're going swimming Friday morning out there, but we'll see how the rest of my workouts fit in. Should be fun...