My training has been very consistent lately, despite what I like to call having "training tantrums." They're exactly what they sound like. When the hour approaches when I have to train, my inner monologue turns into that of a three-year-old throwing a tantrum. "BUT I DON'T WANNA," whines on and on in my head, and I can do nothing but push through it and get out the door anyway. No wonder I don't "wanna" -- by the time I get home, I'm behind on work (work never stops when running a business...my record was 6 voicemails and 32 emails in a 2-hour training session). Then, as soon as I catch up, it's usually time to GO to work, and after that I get whatever sleep I can and do it all again the next day.
Despite my whining, I can say without a doubt that I am in the best shape of my life right now. I follow an off-beat training style that uses cumulative fatigue (training tired) rather than throwing in obscenely-long workouts on the weekends only. Last year, I used this method and set a personal best in every race before Ironman that I did. This year, I did two races from last year on back-to-back days -- the Charlton 5K and the Hudson Crossing Triathlon. While I did not beat my times from last year, I also did not taper for them this year as I had done last year. Actually, I went into them very tired because I had to cram a week's worth of Ironman training into the previous five days. I only finished less than a minute later than last year at the 5K, and only a few minutes later at the triathlon (and a few of those minutes were wasted unnecessarily for reasons I've already complained about to most of you -- such as trying to find my gear in transition after another competitor oh-so-kindly moved it for me). If I had tapered for these events, I probably would have beaten my personal best times again. But this year is not about blazing speeds -- it's about being as prepared for Ironman as possible. And I feel confident that I am right on track.
Today's training ride was a tough one -- a 40-mile bike followed by a 4-mile brick run, after having done a 1-hour swim and 30-mile hill ride yesterday. I have been trying to multi-task more and more by using long bike rides as opportunities to take care of chores and errands. If you saw me out and about today, it's no surprise, because I was literally EVERYWHERE. Scotia, Clifton Park, Malta -- I was picking up supplies for the gym, toting them across town, dropping them off, going to the bank, post office, etc.
I've found that this is really the best way to get most of my bike training in. I had concerns though because I have two bikes -- my commuting bike (which has a heavy, aluminum frame) and my racing bike (which is a light, carbon-framed aerobike). I was worried that spending most of my training time on my commuting bike meant that I wasn't getting enough training on my racing bike, which is what I will be riding for Ironman. Boy, was I wrong to even worry! At the Hudson Crossing Triathlon, I got on my racing bike and felt like I had jet engines strapped to it. I FLEW (for me, that is...I am generally slow, but I had a good time compared to my usual pace). So now I look at riding my commuting bike as training with weights or resistance -- especially when I'm hauling around a crate full of groceries or supplies.
During my brick runs, I have to keep in mind that the first mile always makes me want to cry. I keep thinking, "Holy crap, I can barely move my legs. How am I going to do this whole run???" Sometimes there are tears. Other times, I can fight back the tears, but they are still there. And then, magically, it gets easier.
Iggy Azalea helps. I've discovered that "Bounce" is my new power song.
So, another successful training day under my belt. Just gotta get through June...
