Today, I ran 18 miles...18?...already?! I have never run this distance this soon in a season. My understanding is that coach Sean is building up my endurance, so that something like 15 miles is "easy".
Overall, it went well. I was to run at a 10 minute/mile pace. I ended up at 9:46/mile. My endurance was good; it's my legs that got tight and sore.
Recent revelation - I need to stretch and have good flexibility.
Stretching is something I need to much more of. I need to spend the extra time, especially before and after a workout, to make sure I have stretched. It has been easier to kind of stretch so that I can get a workout in. I am to the point where I NEED to stretch, as I am way too tight in my legs.
I have found my new best friend in the recovery area - compression tights. They are REALLY tight and hard to get on and off...but, they REALLY work. AND...I don't have to do ice baths to get the lactic acid out of my legs. Lactic acid develops in your body as you are physically exerting. In this case, it is my legs that produce lactic acid when I run. After awhile, the blood cannot get rid of all of the lactic acid hat builds up, and it starts to build up in the system, causing soreness and reduction in ease of running (did I get that right, coach?). I wear the compression tights for 3 or 4 hours after a long workout and my legs feel much better afterwards. What I am focusing on is recovering so that I can do my next training session.
Tomorrow will be the end of my 10th week of training. 10 weeks already! As I told Ellen tonight, I had to recover from my 18-mile run, how am I going to do the Ironman (where I will have swam 2.4 and biked 112 before getting on the run)? That scary thought is why I focus on where I am today in my training and trust the process. I will get there and will be ready.
One of the hard parts about training is that you wake up every morning six days a week, knowing that you have at least one workout to do (and sometimes two). I was actually excited this week when I went to LA Fitness and the pool was out of order and I couldn't swim. Not that I didn't want to swim, but that I got a break from a training session - I was kind of giddy about it. That little bit of a break for my body was a welcome sight.
Balance continues to be the key word in my life - training, work, home, family. I have learned to be flexible and to adjust when necessary, as life throws curve balls at times. I do the cooking and grocery shopping - that is becoming more of a challenge, as the weekend workout durations increase. Ellen has been very understanding and accommodating to my schedule and helps with the shuttling of our girls to their activities, especially when I need to get a workout in.
Expenses - triathlon is an expensive hobby/sport. Even if you are not trying to keep up on the latest technology, there are costs involved. There is always something that comes up that you need to buy...the compression tights were NOT cheap, but worth every penny spent. The costs of the races, energy drinks and foods, gear for the bike, etc, etc, etc. I don't think I will get gifts for any occasions for awhile.
Laughter - I can be intense at times, as I get focused. While I need to take this training seriously, I need to not take it too seriously, as I want to enjoy the journey. We were watching something on tv the other night and I was cracking up...I realized that I need to laugh more. My 16-year old Rachel, says that I laugh at every commercial. (I really don't, but there are some good commercials out there)
Support of family and friends - I could not do this without them. First and foremost, my wife Ellen has been a HUGE supporter of what I am doing. I am so grateful.
Nutrition - I met with nutritionist (and sub-3 hour marathoner!) Jackie Dikos. I learned a lot from our session, especially that I need to drink more and eat more during my training sessions, especially the long ones. It is about the right kinds of foods to fuel the body. I realized that I need to eat and hydrate well before long training sessions (and after the workout, so that I can recover well. More to com on that, as my learning curve is high on that too. Not that I don't eat well; but, I need to make better choices (what's wrong with a Pop-Tart from time to time?]
My friends have been very encouraging. I am appreciative that people have been telling me that they have been reading my blog to keep up on my journey. I am doing the blog to chronicle my journey. It's neat to know that people are following what I am doing. Thank you, Ron Stohler, for the support today on the Monon!
It is great knowing that I am not doing IM Louisvlle alone. I am glad that I have teammates that are doing training too. We try to train together when possible. I got to see several of them on the Monon today as I ran...while I ran the second half of my run today, they went out for breakfast...I need their training plans!
I have been learning to listen to my body and what it will tolerate. Coach Sean will adjust my training based on feedback that I give him. I had a 15-mile run last Sunday and had a hard run set for Monday (6 miles). I told him that I did not know if my body could tolerate a hard run the day after. I ended up doing the run on Monday. I was pleased that my body responded, but I do know that I could have changed the workout to another day or change the type of intensity if necessary.
My learning curve is high...I continue to learn...almost every day. I can honestly say that this is the hardest physical challenge I have ever put my body through. [I thought that completing the Goofy Challenge in 2009 was the hardest challenge I had ever done...half marathon on Saturday, followed by a marathon on Sunday].
I am keeping my focus on the goal, one day at a time. What a journey so far!
