Is it Time...

I wonder if it is time to start this blog again? I mean, do people still read blogs now that Instagram and Snapchat are so popular? Time will tell I guess. I even thought about changing the title of this blog since I m no longer racing, however, I am still training. I have really gotten into being in the weight room lately.

44 Years Old Today!

Well today, Sept 7, is my birthday. I turned 44 today. I remember when that used to sound so old to me, but that is so not the case any longer. I was trying to put it in perspective so I decided to look for some other things that are turning or are 44. Here are some famous folks that are 44: Marky Mark AKA Mark Wahlberg, Meghan Kelly, Kid Rock is 44. Jeremy Renner and Matt Damon from the Jason Bourne movies are both 44.

A lot of other cool stuff also happened on Sept 7 throughout history: The Beatles first appeared on US television on Sept 7 1963, same day the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened. The People's Court made it debut on Sept 7, 1981. And of course, JFORD arrived on Sept 7, 1971, so all in all, it is a pretty good day and year if I do not say so myself. So How did I celebrate this day?

Well, first off I arranged for the entire USA to get a day off from work! After that, I was able to sleep into till a little after 8 AM!  It was glorious and felt great. Then my wife and I got up and headed to the pool for a swim. A 1000 yard swim this morning. (I almost had a blog post about a lady hogging a swim lane when she was walking half the lane, which really ticked me off, but I am staying positive in my old age) After a good swim, we went to the weight room together. This was the first time in a weight room for me in a long time. I mostly did my ab workout, but I did try and use some machines while I was there.

Later we came home did some chores and then we just could not wait any longer and had to dive into the cookie cake my wife got me. It was delicious! We then opened presents, and I got a lot of cool Arkansas Razorback stuff, which I really needed. I am also getting a new Garmin 910XT, which should be here by the end of the week.

I am really excited to get this new watch. I have read review after review on it and it sounds awesome. I am looking forward to using it in the pool and running.  I am sure it has so many things on it that I will actually need to read the book to figure it all out, but I can't wait. I already feel faster after just ordering it! I am sure I will be posting more about it once I have it in my hands!

I have been dabbling with a new program called Periscope, this is a program that lets you broadcast from anywhere. I mostly have been just using the hashtag #DailyTrainings and then talking about my posts. I am not sure how often I will use it, or ho long I will continue to broadcast, but it is a pretty neat app.


 

Training Plans

I think  that a good training plan is one of the most important things to hammer out before you start training for a triathlon. Years ago, I would have just gone out and S/B/R whatever I wanted and just made sure I could do the distances. Now I rely on a good training plan to start off my training on point.

I normally will search the web prior to pick out a training plan. I have tried dozens of search terms to try and find a great plan for me, but I have not ever found it yet. I always end up going to beginner triathlete and using a plan from them. A lot of plans on the web are expensive. They require more time than I have (after all, this is a hobby, not my life) and it is not quite what I want.

For example, I do not want weight room training in my workout schedule. Now I am in no way discounting the benefits it may or may not have, I am simply saying that I do not want to go to the weight room. With all the swimming, biking  and running we do, I am not sure I could find time to lift things up and put them down. My core workouts even slack off once I am into a plan. So there is no way I am going to the weight room.

I also want to find the right length of training. In 2013, when I became an Ironman, (suttle enough?) I trained for months. I started training in March for a September race. 7 month long training plan!  By the time race day got there, I was so ready for it to be over! I think that is one reason that it took me so long to recover mentally from that race. So now I will be sure to not train to long for a race.

SO, here is what I use. I use the Beginner Triathlete's custom made plans. I input all the information like, date of race, when I want training to start and even the pace I think I can do throughout the race. I then select how I want to focus my training. Do I want to focus on swimming, biking or running?

This time for Redman, I am swimming 2 times a week, biking 3 times a week and running 3 times a week for a total of 8 workouts:

Monday- medium swim
Tuesday- medium run, medium bike
Wednesday- short bike
Thursday- long swim
Friday- short run
Saturday- long bike
Sunday- long run

I know there is no rest day, but if you read this blog, then you know I am not opposed to taking a rest day when needed. This schedule gives me some flexibility to live my life and do the things I need to do all while training to be a two time Ironman and to beat Brad. It also means that I do not have to get up early every single morning so I can sneak in my lunch swims if possible. The beauty of this IM plan is that I will not start it until mid May, which I think will help me a lot more than last time.