Starting IMCA Training

So here it is my first week of no excuses, I am now seriously training for an Ironman. I wanted to record the plan in order to have a baseline on what I started with compared to what I will be 'ending' with before I start tapering in late July/early August. 


For readers who are unfamiliar with tapering, this is the period of time several weeks before an event in which the athlete drastically cuts the volume of their training in order to allow some rest and recovery time. I will also get a few 'rest' weeks during the course of the next 8 months so that my body and mind have time to recover.


Monday
45 min. Strength Workout
45 min./2000 yd. Swim - focusing on form (i.e., Masters)


Tuesday
60 min. Run or Cross Train


Wednesday
45 min./2000 yd. Swim - faster


Thursday
45 min. Strength Workout
90 min. Cycling (i.e., Indoor Training Class)


Friday
Rest


Saturday
2hr. 30 min./40 miles Cycling - long, slow ride w/ some hill intervals


Sunday
40 - 60 min. Run - long, slow run w/ some intervals


Thoughts:
This I can do! I'm so lucky to have Mary Doyle coaching me this season. Mary was my very first triathlon coach back in 2008 when I did Irongirl Atlanta. I met with Mary a few weeks ago to talk about my training goals and I told her it was important to me to have one rest day a week - TGIF! I am very fortunate to have had very little injury in the past but my mind tends to break down before my body does so I very much need a rest day each week just to get my head right. Mary is working with me even though it means I won't be getting in 3 swims a week. Honestly - it will be a feat to get me swimming 2 times a week consistently. I don't mind being in the pool but really dislike the fanfare of getting ready to go to the pool, jumping in when it's cold, and getting out when it's even colder. 


I also have what I assume is a temporary mental block with long rides. I am more than happy to jump on my trainer any day of the week but getting out in the cold to do a long ride is not something I'm enjoying right at the moment. It likely has something to do with the cold and possibly doing El Tour de Tucson in November which had me on the bike for longer distances than I'm used to later in the season. I hope some indoor work doing some hard intervals will get me excited again. 


I may have to move Thursday's strength workout to Wednesday. I will be doing an indoor cycling class on Thursdays through March that truly kick my butt so strength workouts might be better paired with swimming. 


Here we go!