TODAY…RIGHT NOW.

The Spring thaw has begun, the Olympics are half over, and my toenails are growing back.  Although the lull between the marathon and Ironman training has been put to good use (lots of skiing, and getting over a huge cold), it's time to enter into another season.

So it begins.  Today is my first official day of training for Ironman Boulder.  It's the first day out of 168 days. 24 weeks from today, it's all over.  Hundreds of hours of training stand between me and reaching my goal.  There are friends of mine who are all doing the same race, but each training plan is as unique as their fingerprint.

This event has been on my calendar since mid-November, when I purchased an online training plan.  Through the website TrainingPeaks.com, I got a 24 week plan geared toward women who have some experience with triathlon, but is entering their first Ultra-distance event.  The plan includes a 100 page training guide that covers nutrition, training techniques and race day tips.  It starts with 5 to 6 hours of training a week for a few weeks, then quickly gains momentum.  By summer, I'll be clocking 14 to 16 hours a week until mid-July.  The taper…well, let's not get ahead of myself, so ask me how I feel about the taper when it gets here.

Six months seems like a long time to train for one event.  Maybe it is, but this is uncharted territory.  I don't know what kind of preparation I will need to bring to the start on August 3rd.  I figure, 6 months gets me going well enough that when I end up with some cold my kid brings home, I still have a base upon which to build.  I also have a huge vacation planned.  My family and I are spending a week at Walt Disney World.  Let's just say, that I think Ironman may be easier.  I also would like to have some semblance of life outside of training.

Last year, I crammed 3 races into 5 months of training.  This year, due to budget constraints and lessons learned from last summer, I do not have any more races planned between now and Ironman.  Although I would love to do a century ride, the local schedule doesn't line up with mine, and traveling to an out of state race is out of the question after Phoenix, since I need so save a bit of scratch for the Mouse.

What am I doing differently this training season?  Well, lots of swim/bike/run.  Duh.  But also, I'm adding in strength training.  There are different schools of thought around this.  One idea is not to waste energy on strength training, as the sheer volume of triathlon training is already taxing.  The flip side, though, is weight training that is specific to the muscles and endurance building improves triathlon performance.  I'm talking light weights, lots of core work and high reps.  I also secretly love strength training.  Whether or not it will actually improve my performance, isn't as important reducing the risk of injury.  Basically, the stronger I am, the more I can take.

Another thing I want to do differently is eat better.  Actually, I think I'm eating better anyway recently, but I find my self being very conscious of my fuel intake.  Nutrition is considered the fourth discipline in triathlon.  Well, I have three words.  Girl Scout Cookies.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Lastly, I'm going to make an attempt at Heart Rate Training.  I may have to devote a whole blog over this issue.  In short, my heart rate data does not reflect the common "220 minus your age" maximum heart rate.  I have always struggled with navigating the data I do get, coupled with the fact that I have a hard time keeping a chest strap in place around my smallish ribcage.  But, I'm going to make an attempt at gathering this data.  It just makes me crazy.  Stay tuned for more on this issue.

Ultimately, my goal is to cross the finish line.  At all.  A respectable finish time, and my ideal goal is based on my 70.3 time of 6:15.  The general rule of thumb is, we double that time (12:30) and add an hour.  I would be beside myself if I finish Ironman in 13 hours and 30 minutes.   So what will that look like?

Well, anyone who knows me, knows my swim will land in the to 10% of my age group.  I'm looking at my 2.4 mile swim finish of 1:10.  As I'm not competitive enough to dial in my transitions, I'm hoping for sub-5 minute T1.  Then the bike.  I have no idea what 112 miles on the bike will feel like, but I'm shooting for an average pace of 17.5 mph.  This gives me a bike time of 6 hours 24 minutes.  Yes, it hurts to even think about it.  T2 has always been quick for me, but again, shooting for sub-5 minutes.  If I am to hit my goal of 13:30, my 26.2 mile run needs to come in around 5 hours and 46 minutes.  Give or take.

So here we go.  I want to thank you all for the support you have shown me so far.  It gets hard from here, so all of the "Atta girls" are huge.  I'm looking down a long road.  Some of it will be great.  Some of it…not so much.  By the way, you might want to buy stock in Advil, Gatorade and Chocolate Milk. I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now.  Scared?  Nervous?  Indifferent?  Excited?  Maybe all of it.  I almost want to say something inspiring and thought provoking…but, I got nuthin.  I guess, even though I have a well researched training plan and lots of motivation, I'm looking at this as a "one day at a time" process.  If you were to view my training plan, I have at least one workout 6 days a week already on the calendar.  I pour over this plan, moving workouts here and there in an effort to maximize the training. But today…right now...it feels like, "one down, 167 to go."