Fitting it all in.

Where does the time go? I am guessing that it is an issue with just about all triathletes. Where do you fit in all of your workouts and still have some semblance of a life? I tried getting up at 4:30am and getting a run in before work...but I have to be in at 7:00 am...........and I am most definitely not a morning person. I try to get an hour in right after work....from about 5:00 - 6:00 pm.....but that is when the kiddo has to be picked up or taken somewhere. So here is my plan....Half IM on intense if not immense training. I am doing 6 workouts a week. Some are at some weird times and some are back to back with others.

Saturday mornings is for shooting. It is a family activity to go to the range for matches. I am not willing to give that up....so it is a long(ish) run Saturday afternoon. Sunday mornings I try to get out on the bike for a couple of hours at least......try that is. Mondays is a lunch time swim and bike combo. Tuesday is quality run day. An hour or so with intensity of some type. Wednesday is long swim day. I am trying to get over 3000m right now with longer repeats. Thursday is quality bike day. Right now its an hour or so at tempo with a few jumps. Time change comes March 9th (yeah!) So I can start getting a little more time in....

Friday.....well I just veg. And maybe go to dinner with the family. How do you fit it all in?

Prep ends....Base 1 starts!

I am a geek. Yah, I know. Big surprise, right? But, I like to plan my training well in advance and have a well thought out schedule for each weeks work outs. To that end, I use a plan outlined by Joe Friel in the Triathlete's Training Bible.

Each training phase is designed to get you to your chosen "A" race in peak form. I have been in Prep phase since October. Lots of LSD and nothing above an aerobic heartrate.

This week is rest and test week. Yesterday, I did a swim test to see where I stand. 500yds done at an aerobic pace in 8:01. Not bad for me....especially at this time of the year. Jan (local pentathalon guru, and good guy) has been giving me pointers and some helpful criticism.(That looked like crap! Do more!....Just kidding....kinda)

Today was a bike test on the trainer to find my aerobic threshold. Found it.........just a bit lower than I would like to have seen. Oh well, it is what it is.

Sunday is a running test on the treadmill to plot AT while running.

Mundane, blah, milktoast....yeah well Monday starts Base 1. I get to build on what I've done and start adding some hills to help prepare me for Lubbock. I am stoked.

And I have learned something from past mistakes. I have my training plan written down all the way to the end of June.....But I don't mind going with the flow. Life is too short to be a slave to a calendar.

Base 1 lasts 3 weeks. Guess I'll see how that schedule works out then.

Intervals with Eddie........

This past weekends weather was a blessing. Mid 60's and mild wind on Saturday meant that I was going long. I filled my jersey with the usuals: gel, cell phone, and pepper spray.....more on that later. All was going great until I hit mile 25 or so. Seems that some of the trailer dwelling members of the community love large aggressive dogs. Pit bulls and chows are the dominant choice. It would be unmanly to actually keep your dog confined to a kennel or heaven forbid you have to keep the gate closed......Now that was a great part of the cinematic classic "American Flyers"

Doing intervals with Eddie in real life isn't nearly as fun.


Sure enough I heard the unmistakable sound of paws manically clawing at the pavement and poof there was a very large, angry looking pit bull attempting to take down some fresh prey...me. I hit the afterburners and realized that the dog had the angle and would intercept me before I could get away. I grabbed my can of pepper spray, aimed it at the beast and let fly a nice long burst of liquid hell.....right into my own thumb. That evil elixir doused my right hand and even a few drops made it to the dog. The dogs will to kill was quashed and I was going to make it. My heartrate went from a nice aerobic 135 to 165 in a flash. Now what do ya do when your glove and hand are soaked in liquid fire? Sure gives snot rockets a new level of excitement.