First Quarter Results Reflect Strong Growth!

Today is the last day of the first four months of IM Florida training.  That means I'm 25% of the way there.  Here is a brief summary of the mileage & hours I spent training in the "First Quarter."

I knew the time I spent in the weight room would decline as I spent more time on the "three disciplines," and I've aimed to gradually build overall mileage on a weekly & monthly basis.  As much fun as it is to flex in the mirror, I really can't count that time toward my weekly totals.  In the months ahead, as the weather improves, I expect running and swimming to level off a bit, and biking to pick up substantially. 

The good news is that thus far, I've been able to avoid any major injuries.  I've learned some hard lessons over the years about managing mileage and rotating exercises to prevent overuse injuries.  I've also been very lucky the last two years not to have encountered any issues that put me out of service for extended periods.  I've said it before:  I'm grateful to be able to run, bike, and swim without feeling pain.  I know this won't last forever, and I won't ever take this luxury for granted.

Last night, Alisha and I had a discussion about the day-to-day struggle to stay motivated.  Although my training times have increased substantially over the past few months, I've enjoyed training for Ironman much more than any event in recent history.  The Triathlete's Training Bible has played a significant role in preventing burnout/overtraining.  A major focus of that book is ensuring that each workout has a specific purpose -- even if it is only active recovery.  My weekly workout plans include specific types of workouts aimed at building endurance, force, speed skills, muscular/anaerobic endurance, and regular testing.  A side benefit of these targeted workouts is that I am less likely to lapse into the ho-hum mindless mileage ruts that are so typical of distance training.  Here is what my chart looks like:

The shaded-in areas indicate when I've completed workouts that target these specific areas.  A careful observer will note that I almost never reach my weekly goals for "total hours" of workouts.  I'm working on that.  Of course, I would argue that if you achieve all your goals on a regular basis, you are underachieving. 

As it turns out, it's actually very difficult to squeeze in 12 or 13 hours of workouts in a week if you happen to be an ambitious lawyer, father, and husband.  Who knew?