I’ve reached the half way mark of my training. Here’s how it’s been going so far…
Swimming has been the hardest discipline for me to keep up with. There’s a saying that goes something like “we enjoy the things we’re good at” which must explain why I’m a little sour each time I have to get in the pool. I just get so bored down there under the water. There is nothing to look at or listen to. There’s also the fact that the water always make me cold and I have to see nasty stuff floating alongside me. Plus my luck has it that I’m either the only one in the pool (which means the life guard only has me, and my stellar swimming abilities, to look at) or the pool is jam packed and I’m stuck sharing a lane with the lady who doesn’t understand the concept of “sharing” a lane and swims breast stroke down the middle.
Biking has become my primary mode of transportation so it’s been real easy to keep up with my bike training hours. Early May Greg and I broke ground on the house that we’re building (well technically it’s Greg and his dad doing the building, I’m just kind of supervising and helping out where and when I can). Anyways, prior to breaking ground Greg would give me rides into town every morning. Now that Greg is building I’ve started biking to and from work. It’s a 23 mile round trip so it’s a great way for me to keep up with my bike portion of my training plus it’s saving me a lot of money on gas. It’s also very hilly which will prepare me for Wisconsin. Running is pretty easy for me to keep up with because it’s what I enjoy the most and it’s always easy to make time for things you enjoy.
One thing I have noticed is that I have become much more flexible with my training methods and I’m now incorporating other activities (that aren’t swimming, biking, or running) into my training. Surviving Ironman is going to come down to me being able to move constantly for about 13 hours. Incorporating other activities such as hiking, basketball, or house building is a good way for me to still keep training but it gives me a break from my usual activity and allows to have a little bit of a social life. For example, last weekend I was supposed to go for a 2 hour run… but it didn’t happen. Instead of going for a 2 hour run I was in our “hole” working on our house from 7:00 am- 9:00 pm. I was raking and shoveling stones, sanding walls, picking up heavy stuff, and constantly moving for 14 hours. I fell asleep by 9:30 Saturday night and was completely wiped out all of Sunday, not to mention I was way sorer than I would have been if I had done my 2 hour run. I didn’t feel one bit guilty about replacing a 2 hour run with 14 hours of building.
Over all it’s been easy to keep up with my training in terms of biking and running because I enjoy doing those things and I use it as a way to get me to places I need to go. Swimming is the only discipline I’ve been slacking on but Ironman is only 2.4 miles, so I’m sure I’ll survive plus I’ve still got time to work on it. I’m still enjoying training I am getting a little more excited for September every day.