Hanging in There

Well, Jason is still sick but he seems to be having less severe episodes. Since the condition has become chronic, I'm continuing to fight to take him to doctors but also fight myself and prevent myself from wallowing in frustration. I've been trying with all my might to maintain routine and a sense of normalcy, simply by trying to eat healthfully at regular intervals, work out regularly, and go to bed at a decent time. I've also been working my ass off in lab, which helps get my mind off of the situation.

Back to Training:
Meanwhile, I've found solace in training again. I've been working out with my training buds, and that has been wonderful therapy. Also, I'm following my new and improved training plan, which will be up soon for all to see. I've also signed up for races to get me excited, and I am. Actually, I'm stoked. In addition, I think I'm going to start investing in some new toys, starting with a tri bike, which I've been meaning to get for awhile. Time to start getting out there and taking some for a test ride!

Prep Training:
These past few weeks have been a "Prep" period, in which I'm introducing my body to regular training again (vis a vis Joe Friel). Since I'm still sore after most of my workouts, I'm trying to work on frequency and back off on duration and intensity until I don't feel so trashed the next day. At that point, I'll know my body is ready for the next step. I think I'll probably stay in Prep phase for a few more weeks to be safe.

Prep Specifics:
I'm training about 6-8 hours a week with 1-2 days off/week. I've also started regular stretching and weight training, which has been wonderful for injury prevention. I've also started doing Yoga and am signing up for some classes (more for peace of mind) at a studio by my apartment. I'm also getting weekly deep tissue massages.

Basically, I've been doing weights 2x/week (1 hr total body--mix of free and machines), running 2-3x/week, swimming 2x/week, and biking 2-3x/week. Basically, I've found when I run 3x/week, I only get to bike 2x and vice versa so I've been swapping each week with a bike-heavy vs run-heavy one. For now, this is all I can manage. I'd like to get back to doing each 3x/week. Especially with the bike, where I've lost power, and the swim, where I've lost everything.

To address my limiters, #1, I need regular incentives to follow my plan. Group workouts are awesome for this.

Running:
Weekly Goal--3x--tempo, long, and track or R&R (total mileage ~20 mi or ~3.5 hrs)
Wed and Sun, I run with a group. The mid-week run is my tempo run and Sunday is my long run. I really look forward to these. For my 3rd run, I can do a track workout with the tri club on Tuesdays, or run on my own for recovery. I've been opting for the latter lately given how out of shape I am (also I'm not sure how useful track time is for my long-term goal of Ironman, although I think it would be useful in the beginning when I'm up to it). Anyway, running I have down pat. It's easy for me and my strength. I really haven't lost too much here.

Biking:
Weekly Goal: 3x/week ~50-60 miles (~3-5 hrs) (trainer session--strength/drills/intervals; mid-distance tempo ride; long ride)
For biking, I have decided to go out with a group on the weekends for my long ride. There are tons of options in this area. I'm trying a new group this Saturday. Gulp! We'll see how it goes. During the week, I like to spin on the trainer to a Spinerval DVD for 1 workout, which kicks my ass and builds muscle. My 2nd mid-distance workout during the week is usually a much-needed solitary ride up the coast for about 30 miles, which ends up being a tempo/interval ride with some hills and some aero time. I've lost some endurance and definitely strength/power on the bike but I think it will come back quickly. I do need to get a bike fitting again because my aerobars have become incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Go figure. Of course, once I get a tri-specific bike, my current bike will be solely a road bike so maybe I won't have that problem. However, a bike fitting is in order in the meantime.

Swimming:
Goal: 3x/week (2 masters classes; 1 ocean swim; ~4 hours or ~4000-5000m)
This is still and has always been my biggest limiter. To make matters worse, I like it the least so I spend the least time doing it. It's not that I hate swimming. It's just that the pool is rather boring and I'd rather be biking or running. However, I do love the ocean. I think I could even swim 4x/week if 2 of those swims were ocean swims. Maybe I should consider that. Having said that, I improved the most when I swam in a masters class. I'll sign up for the morning classes and get it out of the way to pave room for the evening running and biking session. Sigh.

Bricks/Tris:
Every other week, I'd like to do a practice triathlon. Either in a race situation or staged myself. Ideally, I'll do all 3. At the very least, I'll build in a brick bike/run mid-week (so I have enough recovery for my long weekend sessions).

That's my plan in a nutshell. Build back up. Use this framework as my backbone and go from there. Here's my tentative race schedule:

6/17 Low Tide Ride 'N Stride (low key 8 mile beach run)
7/4 4th of July Scripps Bike Ride (50 miles)
7/14 Camp Pendleton Olympic Distance Tri
7/29 Solana Beach Sprint Tri
8/19 America's Finest City Half Marathon
9/30 Mission Bay Sprint Tri
10/28 Soma Half Ironman (Tempe, AZ) GULP!!!
4/13/08 IRONMAN ARIZONA GULP!!! GULP!!!