Training Plans

With training officially under way, I thought I'd discuss how I plan to prepare for the 4 events in 2010. Leading up to each event is a different phase of my training. For Phase I, training for the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon, I'm following a 12-week program that has me running 4 days each week, with 3 days consecutive running, a rest day, then a long run. I'll be running Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, although I am going to cut myself some slack and make adjustments from time to time.

Phase II, preparing for Ironman 70.3, starts November 2 and overlaps with Phase I through the end of January. The training program I'm following was created by Craig Zelent, an accomplished local triathlete and one of the coaches for the Triathlon Club of San Diego. The program can be found here.
http://media.triclubsandiego.com/documents/California+70.3+Half+Ironman+2009.pdf Essentially the program involves alternating a long distance week with a "brick" week. For the distance weeks there's a long ride and run, which I'll do Saturday and Sunday, with shorter workouts spaced throughout the week. For the brick weeks Saturdays involve a long bike ride immediately followed by a run, and Sundays involve a long run on dead legs.

Programs for Phase III (training for the full marathon in June) and Phase IV (preparation for Ironman Arizona) will be determined after the Carlsbad race in January.

By the way, had a good 3 mile run earlier this evening. Signing off for now.

56 weeks and counting...

Day one, many to go. After much internal deliberation, I've decided to commit to the following:

1. Run Carlsbad 1/2 marathon in January 2010 (~14 weeks from today);
2. Train for and participate in Ironman 70.3 in Oceanside in March 2010 (~22 weeks from today);
3. Train for and participate in San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June 2010 (~33 weeks from today); and
4. Train for and participate in Ironman Arizona in November 2010 (~56 weeks from today).

I'm creating this blog to record my progress and the successes and failures I'll experience along the way.

As a busy corporate attorney and new parent, I've struggled with whether I will be able to make the time required to adequately prepare for these events. In the end I realized that I don't have much of a choice. I have to do this, to prove to myself that as I approach my late 30s I can still accomplish physical challenges, and of course for the health benefits that will come from these endeavours. I have to do this, as after 9 years of dedicating myself to my career at the expense of almost everything else in my life I need to do something for myself. And I have to do this for Audrey Kai, our daughter who was born August 3, 2009, to set a good example for her and to put myself on a course where I will be around for a long time for Audrey and for her mother and my beautiful wife, Kim.



So the countdown begins at 56 weeks. Should be quite the ride...