Sooooo - hows UR IM training coming.....

[robreddy]

Its January - and January really SUCKS - well I guess it is almost February - and well February SUCKS also ;] - these are the months of base and MOTIVATION - at least for me

So how is everyone progressinging towards their IMs???

Me - it is all about consistency rite now - no huge volume - just trying to slog it out day after day

Swimming - coming along - this is the time to swim as much as possible - seem to be doing OK here

Biking - i can;t bike outside - i get to cold - so it is on the trainer - nothin epic, no idea how some of you ride those things for 3 hrs - again consistency - good mixture of big gear strength work and little gear cadence work - happy with how both are going - turning the legs over nicely

Run - have not been on the treadmill yet this year - YEA - volume is a bit light but feeling OK - speed is down and long distance is down - but i'm not hurt and running smooth - big hill work is progressing -

so going into Feb - things are fairly on track - IMB will be mostly for fun - IMKY is the focus - still a good bit of time to prepare.

head is in the game and looking forward to big volume in the spring/summer

seems to be a nice group of people going long to train with - huge bonus points

r

[TimAckley]

I think at this point with just coming back from a long training weekend I am at a pretty good point for the bike and the run... but still a lot of work to go...

Swimming for me is at a stand still, I think tomorrow morning will be my first time in the water in almost two weeks, Something with a muscle in my shoulder blade.. So I am "TRYING" to be patient with not getting to the pool...

Its unbelieveable how hard it is to not go to the pool and stay in bed and sleep...

Biking is doing good, I got outside for 4 days of riding in Florida recently and "WOW", what a relief, I hate my trainer.. I am dreading the month of Feb. and the long trainer sessions.. I am hoping for another Florida trip in March for another long training weekend with some swimming.. I hope spring comes early in March...

Running has been better than most winters, I think throwing in a winter race kept my milage and motivation to run.. But again, I dread the treadmill and have done 95% of my runs outside..

The Club Challenge has helped to keep motivation up for winter training too... Its nice to see what others are doing and compare distances.. I am always curious to see what type of distance others are doing for there long course training to get ready for there race.. Wether I have done enough or should be doing more...

[Charlie]

Everything is moving along for me. No huge stuff, just consistent.
Last year at this time I was doing way to much. "Training scared". I was going to be ready!
This year I am trying to calmly lay my foundation.
The tough part has been getting focused again. I have had no problem doing the work, but I haven't always been excited about it. My guess is after focusing in on IM for 3years without blinking I finally took a rest this past fall. re-establishing the desire has taken a little time. But it is beginning to take shape in my heart and brain. Having begun to build a solid base while just going through the motions, I am finding it much easier to match my new found ambitions with my fitness level. It is becoming fun again and my attention is much more focused on 4th street Live.

As for the club challenge, I am contributing, but I am paying little attention to it. Last year I wore myself out and got sick. I was constantly trying to climb the rankings. It was fun. But Ironman is my focus. I can not sacrifice that for The CC.

[Nathan]

Swim - I'm right on. Never stopped after IM Florida and hence never lost any base. Swimming mostly at Flamingo Pool 3 days a week now.

Run - consistent 3 days a week. Dropped from 35 miles a week (trying to accelerate too fast in hopes of making the best of the Miami Marathon) to 25 miles a week. Best decision for me. All runs are outdoors of course. I don't mind the chilly weather.

Bike - not been very good with this part lately. All trainer miles. But I am about to put an end to that (at least on the weekends). Saturday I will venture out to the Everglades National Park (closed roads - i.e. no cars) for the first of many group rides for the MS 150 Tour. It should be fun. Hopefully it will become a Saturday / Sunday routine that will help with Ironman training.

Ironman Brazil will be a blast.

[bprack]

I feel like I'm falling behind a little since I have been sick the past 2 weeks, but I still feel like progress is being made.

Swim--> Progress is being made--have picked up about 30secs per 100yd from this time last year

Bike--> been doing a lot of the Indoor session and feel headway being made. Also have put in about 350 miles on the Mtn outdoors when I'm feeling okay and its not raining. That Includes a couple 3hr rides

Run --> to this point I have been in maintenance, but I feel pretty good trotting out there.


This month will be a big build month towards IMAZ.. Im looking forward to getting the road bike out at the end of the month!!!

[Jack Carney]

Pretty slow this year after being sick and having a year from hell workwise. I am really glad I did IM last year as I would be really nervous this year with my light start.
I am starting to ramp up now and really want to get back to my consistent six day workout weeks as I have put on weight and want it gone.
I have been on the trainer and have been running light easy miles just building base and have been swimming regularly now after a slow start.
I will get some running in next week when I am in FL and cant wait to run with just shorts and tee shirt. Nathan I will be in Ft. Lauderdale Sunday night through Tuesday afternoon if you will be around.

[JMcAbier]

Reddy and I were just having this discussion...

IM training has been going really well for me. I'm 4 months into it now and have been building a great base; I'm very excited about how I have developed in all 3 disciplines.

Swimming - Such a roller coaster; some great days, some what the heck days. Seems like my swims earlier in the week after the long workouts of the weekends are the worst. But then again, I'm usually a little flat anyway.

Biking - the trainer is, well, it is what it is. Luckily, I have been putting in some good time and haven't gone crazy yet. I have never been to the movie store this much in years.

Running - I have been running outside on all but the worst days. My patience is coming along.

I did have some set back in the motivation starting about two weeks ago when I went out for my long run and I didn't have thick enough gloves on...I mean, man I haven't had fingers that numb and cold since sled riding as a kid. It was miserable! In times like that, all I can think about is "what the heck am I doing?" I love this sport, but not in f'in January. It took over a week before I could build up the courage to run outside again.

[Aussie Rob]

Good and bad for me. I've been doing between 8 and 10 hours a week of aerobic stuff, and an additional 2-3 hours of strength training. I'm at it twice a day, 6 days a week, although i sometimes skip the saturday afternoon weights. Overall i feel good and not tired. Been very consistant so far and havn't missed any sessions bar the one saturday weights workout.

Swimming is coming along nicely. I didn't swim at all from September through December, but have been back in the pool for 4 weeks now. I'm even forcing myself to do more than just mindless laps, and i think i like it. Hell, i even bust out the kickboard for a few sets every session. Took a couple of weeks, but i have a good feel for the water again, and am beginning to feel stronger. Currently in the pool 3 days a week, with the workouts being 45-60mins. Into Feb they will all be 60 min sessions.

Bike, well what can you say about the bike? I hate the trainer, absolutely hate it. But im on it 3 days a week. Ride for roughly 60mins at a time, although i sometimes stretch it out, or cut it short if im pressed for time. I need to get over to Reddy's place more....it makes the trainer much more enjoyable to have someone to chat with while you ride. Getting a good mix of spinning and resistance work....but have no idea if this is making me a stronger cyclist or not. I do get my HR up there several times a session though, and sweat like a pig, but it's mostly in the 70-80% max HR range....so i guess it's doing me good. As long as i can beat Tim.W next summer on the bike, ill be a happy man. He knows why.

Running. In short, i haven't been except for an easy saturday morning run. Although i hope that changes next week after i see the physical therapist and find out what im doing wrong and how to correct it in my stride. Once that's sorted, ill be back to 3 days a week. The running is the bad part of my training. I know it's my weakest leg, and i really hoped to be further along with it by now; although running into this problem now is probably a blessing in disguise. I get to correct my gait and stride before i really start building volume, and i still have enough time to build a strong run base before Moo.

One thing ive been really happy about is my diet. I'm eating healthy and smart, and i don't feel at all deprived. As of the 27th, im down 8lbs in 3 weeks. By the end of base training i should be into the low 170's....and racing in the 160's.....which would be great considering i raced at about 188lbs last season and topped out at 196lbs over the holidays. Should make running a whole lot easier.

[Kate Kosar]

I will add myself to this group even though I still think it's pretty hilarous that I'm trying to finish IMAZ in November, with ramp-ups via IM70.3 Florida and IM70.3 Cancun. My main obstacles are the dreaded old woman diseases ~~ sluggish metabolism, way turtle slow pace, and lots of arthritis, joint aches, and general muscle pain. Working with an orthopedic surgeon-type sports medicine guy at the Cleveland Clinic to keep the ouchies to a minimum. They're great. Finished the 1/2 mary at Disney in January and am fairly consistent with my daily training. Got put off last week with a groin pull (sartorial? psoas?) causing me to back off the run. Hired a former fatty as a coach who finished IMCdA last year. She's tough. Am finding that the details are like really a lot ... what to drink, when to eat, when to train, what to wear, etc., etc., etc., but it'll come together in the next eleven, er, ten months maybe. Gotta keep a big old sense of humor about the whole thing. DH bought me a St. Jude medal ... he's the patron saint of lost causes. Everyone have fun training!
Kate

[speerka]

Since this is my first, it’s very difficult for me to really assess if I’m where I should be or if I’m in deep trouble. I’m not following a specific plan, I’m just trying to get my body used to more frequency (since that works well with my schedule) without doing long training sessions yet, hopefully when it is time for those, my body will be ready for it.

Swimming – making huge improvements thanks to Rob, still working mostly on maintaining good form and pacing myself through the sets and now more breathing. I just need to be more consistent in the number of days that I train per week. Morena has been a big help in getting me to the pool early in the morning and evening. Many of the training plans seem to stress starting to transition directly from a swim workout to the bike at this point, I haven’t done this yet.

Running – Running between 30 to 35 miles per week, which includes a longer run on the weekend and generally 3 shorter runs during the week, 2 of which are tempo runs and a maybe a hill run. Maybe another shorter run if I’m feeling up to it. I feel really strong on my runs and I’m trying to hold back the urge to crank up the intensity.

Bike – urgh, need to be on my trainer more. I’ve only done 3 rides longer than 1 hour. 3 times per week – generally, I think my intensity has been pretty good on the bike. No bricks yet, maybe in February. I’ve lost some weight since I last completed longer rides and I’m little worried about pain on my butt given the lost padding. I haven’t been feeling super comfortable in the saddle lately. Charlie was mentioning special diet that baseball players have to keep junk in their trunk for sliding, I need to look into this. Let me know if anyone knows how to deal with this.

Weights/Core/Yoga – Doing one session of each during the week and stretching in the evenings. I could probably being doing more here as well, but I think I’m seeing some progress. I feel like I should be doing more, but I also think my time is better spent on the bike.

Katy

[benmiralia]

Getting ready for IMUSA and I have to say that hiring a coach made all the difference in the world to me. I am the laziest Ironman on the face of the planet. If I can find an excuse to sleep in and skip a workout I will skip it every time. But when I know that I have a specific workout at a specific time and that I have to answer to someone if I miss it than I am much more likely to drag my sorry ass out of bed and do it.

Swim- Okay, so I have been more than just a little slack here, but Cleveland State is calling me and I will be back in the pool with a vengeance next week.

Bike- Better than I have ever been at this stage in the training which is good because it is my weakest leg. Lots of base building, strength, and drill work. Shorter durations during the week and long brick workouts (3 hours or more) on Saturdays.

Run- Just did a half marathon in Naples and kept my heart rate below 165 and still finished in 2 hours. Slow for a half, but factoring in the heart rate just what I needed. Long runs on Sunday (12 miles or so) feel relaxed and comfortable. All in zone 2.

All in all a very steady push into the next stage.