Sunday, November 1, 2009

My New Home for the Winter

Thanks to my wonderful husband/coach, I have officially started Ironman training. Although the race isn't until August 2010, there are a lot of things I need to improve on - so I might as well get started. This year was the first year I did any type of legitimate training since I officially retired from swimming in 2004. Since then I have managed to stay in shape by training for local road races and a couple of marathons. When I retired from swimming, I was ready to move on and try all the sports I had to give up in order to focus on the pool. It wasn't until Mark and I moved West to Vancouver that I had the opportunity to try my hand at being a triathlete.

Our first summer in Vancouver I got back on my road bike and started to get back in the pool teaching Mark how to swim. We also started running together and found that between the two of us, we had 2/3 of a great triathlon! I competed in a couple of local sprint triathlons and found that I was itching to try something a little longer. This summer Mark and I put together a solid, but brief training plan to get me ready for both the Victoria and Vancouver Half Ironman races. The training plans worked out great and I had some really solid races with the limited amount of training I put in.

Since I definitely do not think I can "wing" an Ironman, Mark has started to put together a training plan that will work with my unusual work schedule as well as the local swim, bike and run sessions that are offered by our club.

However, the main focus for me throughout the winter is this (my new home):


I will be sending a LOT of time on the trainer, set up on our balcony as I try to develop my cycling legs. I will also try and get out on the road when the weather permits, but with the shortened daytime hours, most of my training will be in the comfort of our condo.

My goal will be to get on the bike 2-3 times a week and work through a series of drills and phases to improve my cadence as well as increase my power/speed. With Mark's experience I have no doubt that I will be well prepared to tackle the 180km ride next August!