Training Plan

The pressure is on now - I got a training plan from Wendy Mader!

Yes, THE Wendy Mader - overall female finisher (amateur division) in the 2008 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

She's done some 9 Ironman triathlons and usually finishes in under 10 hrs. Her swim times match the pros and she's an amazing cyclist too.

She owns t2coaching in Windsor and is the CSU triathlon coach. Needless to say, it feels pretty cool to have a training plan from her.

I've mentioned here many times that we (Brenda, Sarah, and I) are going to follow Gale Bernhardt's Ironman training plan, like Marshall and i did last year for the Florida Ironman. But Brenda felt that we should review the plan with Wendy and get her advice. Not hire her as a coach but do a one-time consultation with her.

So B and S went and saw her a few weeks ago and I saw her on Thursday. We all came away with a totally different plan from Gale's. And I feel good about it.

I don't have anything against Gale's plan but Wendy has more experience than Gale and well, we could speak to her face to face.

So, what is the plan?  It's heavier on cycling and lighter on swimming than Gale's, which is fine with me. Wendy felt that I didn't need to swim 3 times a week, which was a big surprise. She said "you did a 1:20 Ironman swim in Florida, right?" and I said "well, it was 1:18" and she said "you don't need to swim 3 times a week" - that was music to my ears!

So, what is the plan?  Here is the general schedule for the summer (while we are swimming outside):

Monday - lake swim (45 - 60 mins, my choice; her plan starts when Master's goes inside)
Tuesday - run
Weds - bike/run brick
Thurs - off (yes, I actually have a rest day!)
Fri - Spinerval bike, low intensity
Sat - Run long - 1.5 - 2 hrs
Sun - Ride long - 2 - 5 hrs

After September when Master's moves inside - the real plan starts then:

Mon - Master's swim (2000 - 4000 yards)
Tues - 6 - 10 miles of tempo running
Weds - Master's swim, bike 2-3 hrs and run for 30 mins
Thurs - off
Fri - Spinerval, low intensity
Sat - Run 2 - 4 hrs
Sun - Ride 3 - 7 hrs

Sunday and Weds will be the hardest days. I feel good about the swim and bike part of this plan but not the running (speaking after running 9 miles today and my hip hurt like hell).  I honestly don't know if i'll be able to run on Tuesday - I'm worried I'll be too sore from Sunday. But we'll see.

I'm excited about training but a little nervous about it. Its more than what I did last year but that's what I need, I think. I just don't know if my body will hold up!

Today I ran with Kevin and Dale at Jo Jo - we ran around the outer circle 6 times, which is 1.5 miles per loop. I really enjoyed running with these guys - they are so nice. But my hip really started hurting during the run and I could hardly walk afterwards. Ice'd it and took Celebrex and it was better but it really makes me wonder how I'm going to increase my mileage.

Tomorrow I'm riding up to Estes with Scott Taylor - another great guy. I've mentioned him before - he's training for Florida IM.  Taking my road bike - hope I make it up the Glen Haven switchbacks!

Riding in the Rain

Not my favorite thing to do, that's for sure. But I'm glad I got it done.

And there's always hiccups along the way. Colleen and I had made plans to ride at 6:30 on Wednesday. Brian emailed to say that he would go too.

Then Colleen texted me Tuesday night to say that she needed to start at 6:00 instead of 6:30 (ouch!). That extra half hour makes a huge difference to me!

No problem, I told her. I can do that. Then I proceede to stay up until 11:00 Tues night to watcht the movie Precious with Kurt (if you ever want a reality check about how cush your life is, just watch that movie....you'll never complain again.)

The alarm goes off 15 4:45. I have to have coffee and a small breakfast before i ride two hours with Colleen. I was actually awake but very tired and groggy.

At 5:20 Colleen calls to say that she doesn't feel up to riding. Great!  I got up early for nothing!  Oh well, no problem, I told her. And I really did understand. I know how it goes. But that extra half hour of sleep would've been really nice!

So Brian and I take off at 6:26 AM. The sky is so dark with clouds that I had trouble seeing with my sunglasses on (not safe to ride without glasses and i don't have the clear lenses!).

It was very dark and foreboding but Brian felt sure that it wouldn't rain until after 8:00. Not so. It started coming down midway into our ride and rained fairly steadily until the end. Fortunately, I had brought a jacket and as long as we kept riding, I felt fine.

Brian is a fast rider and I had trouble keeping up with him. I felt good but was not very aggressive. I'm still a little shaky on my racing bike and when the rain started, I decided to just keep a steady pace and get home.

We rode 38 miles and all in all, a good ride.

Quick recap of the week: Monday I ran 50 mins with Brenda and Sarah at Jo Jo (they met me there and ran a lap with me). Tuesday I took off - woo hoo - and Weds was the ride described above. Today is Thursday and I ran 40 mins with my friend, Michelle (from Tasmania! More on that later), and tomorrow I'm swimming at the lake and spinning, hopefully. Not sure I'll have time to spin.

Tonight I have a meeting with Wendy Mader!  More on that later too.