So, after a month which included over 400 miles biking, 150 miles running, and nearly 10,000 yards swimming... i was gandering at what my progress has been since the beginning of this training endeavor.
And here... i will share my findings with you!!!
SWIMMING:
Ok, well i haven't exactly been swimming as much as i should be or want to... ESPECIALLY since swimming is my weakest discipline, but from what i've done thus far, there has been a noticeable improvement in my ability. Now, keep in mind all my swims have been open water lake swims.
My first time out was mediocre at best. I always swim with my friend Katie, and i had her stopping at EVERY buoy to catch my breath and rest. If i couldn't have touched the bottom, there was probably a good chance that first time out that i would have drowned. Alright, not really... but you get the picture.
First recorded swim time (2nd actual swim) - 40:37
Since that first swim, each subsequent outing has gotten easier and my endurance is noticeably better. Katie actually asked the other day "have you been swimming without me?!"
Last recorded swim time (5th actual swim) - 32:34
The distance is 1.1 miles... so, hypothetically, i should be able to finish the Ironman swim in about 1:20 on the high side, taking into account slowing down and inevitable exhaustion. Still... it's clear i'm improving.
Improvement time - 8:03
CYCLING:
I was especially excited to come back from italy and get on my bike. Now, i'm obsessed with getting a new one... a tri-bike specific to this sport. Lighter, more aerodynamic, aerobars... just better in general. Not to say my bike isn't great... but its a normal road bike... not ideal for my type of races. But i digress...
I have a usual loop that i do... down the lake and back up around town. It ends up being about 21 miles.
First workout:
Mileage - 20.8 miles
Time - 1:20:15
Top Speed - 39.8 mph
Average Speed - 15.5 mph
My main concerns with training are not only distances, but more importantly, my average speed. If my average speed steadily gets higher, it shows i'm getting stronger in this discipline. Top speed is irrelevant, but it's fun to look at, and time is just a byproduct of average mph.
Last recorded workout:
Mileage - 21 miles
Time - 1:09:09
Top Speed - 39.6 mph
Average Speed - 18.2 mph
I've done 23 workouts to date at various lengths and intensities... but there's no doubt that i'm definitely improving.
Improvement Time - 11:06
Improvement Average Speed - 2.7 mph
I want to have my average speed up to over 20 mph by Ironman time... it needs to be in order to have a shot at the Kona spot.
RUNNING:
Well, anyone who has been keeping tabs on my training might guess that running is my favourite discipline and the sport i have been training the most in. Ideally, i had wanted to keep my training ratio at 5:1 when it came to cycling and running (that is the race ratio) but it has become a ratio closer to 3:1. My rationale - running is the last chance in a race to pull ahead and finish strong. Many people crumble and collapse at the end, and i don't want to be that guy. This is where i plan on passing those who may have passed me earlier on.
It's hard to put my improvements into numbers. I started off my training mainly on a track and have since gone to the road and x-country courses to train (except for speed workouts.) So i guess we'll show the distance improvements and times.
10 miles road
First run - 1:25:21 (8:20 per mile average)
Best run - 1:17:07 (7:43 per mile average)
5k (3.1 miles) x-country course
First run - 32:23 (10:26 per mile average)
Best run - 23:47 (7:40 per mile average)
5k (3.1 miles) road
First run - 22:39 (7:33 per mile average)
Best run - 19:59 (6:40 per mile average)
The biggest changes i've seen is that i can easily run 6-10 miles at under 8 minutes a mile pace and not be winded at the end. It's actually quite relaxing for me. With lots of short races coming up, i worry that i'm putting too much emphasis on endurance and distance and not enough on speed and fast twitch muscle training... so i think i may have to do more hill / speed workouts to help me with that aspect of my "game."
Maybe i've been looking towards the Baltimore marathon too much and trying to get under that 3:30 threshold (i need to keep at least an 8:00 per mile to reach that.) Who knows...
I GOT IT!!!
Maybe i haven't improved more because i've failed to wear my Action Jeans while training!
Orrr maybe i'll just save them for race day. We'll see!! If anyone can make sure i have a good race day, it's Chuck Norris. Obviously.
So here i am, 10:45 pm on sunday night... and as i wind down this update, i'm looking forward to the easy 10k i'll be running not 10 minutes from now.
All in all... July was a successful month. But i think August will be better.
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