OK, so it's been a while since I've posted and as you read the next three posts (as I try to catch up), you'll understand why.
So....two and a half weeks ago......I officially started my triathlon training for a half ironman distance race in early September. I had a plan to lead me to awesomeness. DH agreed to watch T in the mornings that I needed to get a swim in or any morning workout. I would try to schedule my two-a-day workout days when the nanny was here (Two days a week) so I could get everything in by the time DH got home from work. And DH would get his workouts in when he got home from work. We would eat dinner when he was done and T and I would go to bed soon after. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Goal for week one was simply to get it all in – total of 7 hours for the week to include one day off. And for the most part I did that. Only had to miss one swim, but it was on a two-a-day, so I still worked out that day. What I didn’t factor in, and something you all would figure I knew by now with a 4+ month old, is that EVERYTHING just takes longer now. When I got up in the wee hours of the morning to get DH to begin the duty transfer, I still had to get dressed, pump, and get out the door. What used to take me less than 10 minutes to get ready for the gym in the morning, now took me close to an hour. Imagine thatJ
The training that I’m following is a plan on www.beginnertriathlete.com – the only free half ironman distance training plan available. I did have to start adjusting the schedule of the workouts as the scheduled day off is Saturday for the first few weeks. Weekends are the easiest time for me to get workouts in because DH is home to help out, so I moved the day off to a weekday. Now, I’ve been training long enough that I’m pretty comfortable knowing how to move workouts around, but many people struggle (DH is one), knowing how to move workouts to best increase their fitness.
There truly is a method to the madness when coaches create training plans. You want to make sure you aren’t too fatigued when there are tough workouts to get done. I like to remind myself “On easy days, go EASY. On hard days, go HARD”. When I’m rearranging my workouts to better fit my schedule I break up the workouts into easy and hard, and then alternate those workouts. We’ll talk in depth about the importance of rest in a future post, but the short of the long is to remember that easy workouts are a type of ‘active rest’. Difficult workouts (from a triathlon training perspective) are placed in training to increase fitness and speed. If you aren’t rested for those workouts, then you’re basically just burning calories. EVERY workout has a purpose. Know what that purpose is and keep it in mind as you are training each work out.
Week One Complete…..And then I woke up with a sore throat on Monday……
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