Week 1 down, 22 weeks to go!

Week 1 of Ironman Lake Placid has come and gone already.  As I mention briefly in my last blog I am now up to 22 straight days of training.  It is amazing how fatigued I am, but after a nap feel great. 

This week was awesome, 12.5 hours of training in total.  I think all of last year I only hit 11 hours 1 time.  It is much different training for an Ironamn v Marathon.  I drag myself to the pool because I have to.  This weeks training schedule was a good balance for me, and Cathy I seemed to adjust to it without much fan fair. 

Thursday was a good day of workouts.  I hit the treadmill for an easy 7 miler before work started.  At the end of the day I was starting to feel tired, but I made it to the NE YMCA and got right in the pool.  I knew if I went home first I would have never went back.  The swim workout was 2,000 yards in 39 minutes, not the best but OK with me.  I finished the work-week on Friday with a weights session followd by an hour on a stationary bike for 25.5 miles before work started.  I can't wait for the sun to come up earlier because I am much better in the early A.M. with workouts than the afternoon.

I made one adjustment over this weekend, switching Saturday and Sunday's workouts because of weather.  Saturday would have been a swim and run day, but it was windy.  Weather forecasters were calling for 50 MPH gustson Saturday and calmer on Sunday, so I opted to do my swim and run on Sunday.

Saturday was a nice long steady ride on the trainer at home.  It was 47 miles in 1:52.  This was the longest ride I had done training for any event indoors.  For the 70-mile triathlon last fall my longest rides were 40 miles outside.  During the ride Conor and I watched Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back.  It was great becuse we got all "his" Star Wars guys and was re-enacting the scenes on the table that is next to my bike.  I figured it was better to watch a movie he wanted to help keep him occupied and away from the bike.  He is a good helper, getting the remote for me when I ask as well as getting extra drinks when I need a refill.  He kept asking when I was bringing in his scooter so he could ride next to me.  I told him soon enough.  Saturday night was a nice relaxing night for us.  Cathy and I finally watched The Town.  She gave it to me at christmas, and we finally had the time to watch it without interuptions.  I am counting that as "Team Support Time" becuase without her support and extra time with the kids, this Ironman will never happen.

Sunday I woke up early and headed to the pool for my swim, 2,100 yards in 42 minutes.  Not to bad, but I know I need to get faster and more efficiaent.  This week I have just focused on being in the pool for a long duration.  I have not incorporated a ton of drills yet, that comes next week.  After the pool I went home and ate breakfast and rested for 30 minutes.  I finally got dressed and went for a 13 mile run.  Its was pretty cold and windy, 15-20 MPH wind.  The wind slowed me down, but I was also trying to run slowly.  My goal was to stay at 8 MPH, and my average was just that.  I run near the NE Airport and the wind was brutal coming off the runways, no tree cover to slow it down. 

After my workout I took the girls to church, then the entire family went to the mall for some Christmas gift card redeeming.  Emma was happy to shop in Justice and Claires.  Conor and Cathy opted for new sneakers and flip flops, and Kristina and I just wanted to go home, no purchases for us.  Nice BBQ Pork and veggies for din-din tonight and early bed time for me.  No school for the kids, so they get extra time after eating to play. 

Next week I need to re-do my training plan because of a trip to North Carolina to see Duke and Temple play basketball at Duke University.  My dad is going with me,so it will be a fun trip.  Drive 7 hours to watch a BBall game, sleep in the hotel and then drive 7 hours home the next day.  I have always wanted to see a game at Duke so that is the price I have to pay.  Well worth it.

Totals:
Weight 3 sessions--2:13 minutes
Swim 3 sessions--5800 yds
Bike 4 sessions--115.5 miles
Run 4 sessions--30 miles