swim, bike, swim, bike, swim, swim, swim......run?

So for the past 3 weeks I have been going crazy in two pools! I have been spending Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12 to 1 in the pool at Southern Miss, and Tuesday and Thursdays in the pool at Wesley Medical center working on what I learn in masters class. I have also recently been meeting my friend Tiffany at Canebrake to swim in open water (much different than the pool.) I feel that it has paid off.

On the days that I have not been in the pool, or actually the days that I have been in the pool, I have also been on my bike getting in some seat time. I have been hitting 4th street for some hills as well as riding Eply Rd. for more hills. I have had some really good rides alone, but I have also enjoyed riding with James and Tiffany. Company definitely helps when riding. On Saturday I decided to go for a ride and ended up seeing James doing a Time Trial. We shot the shit for a few minutes and decided that we would meet for a run the next morning. This is when I realized something.....

Let me just start this by saying that James is a crazy fast runner and I knew that he would push me a little harder than I have been trying in the past few weeks. I went home had a few Gluten Free (GF) beers with a wonderful GF chicken and pasta alfredo dinner prepared by my wonderful wife, and went to bed. I woke at 6am, had some coffee, breakfast and headed to James house for the run. After a mile or two I realized that I had been neglecting a very important part of the triathlon..... the run! Probably the best part of my tri, and I was feeling like crap. If I learned anything from James this weekend, it is that you can't slack on ANY part of triathlon training! Each part of this training is important, and if I want to make it to my ironman, I need to step it up. I can't take any part of this training for granted.

He calls it Time management 101!

Tattooed 26.2 moving up to 70.3

Sunday, April 22, 2012

1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

Signed up and ready to go! Let the training begin. I stared at the computer screen for about 3 days debating on if I could be ready for the 1.2 mile swim by next April. I decided that if I signed up for it, I would really have to bust my butt to get the swim down. I pretty much plan on being in the water 4 to 5 days a week for the next 10 months to make sure that swim will not be a problem.

"Get busy livin, or get busy dyin." - Andy Dufresne

Sunfish Triathlon

1/3 mile swim, 17 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

I have officially signed up for my first real triathlon!

I have been thinking about doing this for a few days now. My swimming is coming along, so I decided to go ahead and go for it! I'm excited, but nervous. Time to get in that nasty hot muddy water and train for some open water swimming.

This is stop #1 in my ironman mission!

It Clicked!

I started swimming about 3 or 4 months ago. Wait, let me back up, I started flopping around in the pool about 3 or 4 months ago! I HATED it, I was getting so discouraged and about to give up. Everyone kept telling me that it would "click" and I would be able to swim forever. I wanted to punch them in the face for saying that. I couldn't do more than 50 yards without feeling like I was going to die. I'll be honest, for the past few weeks that dream of the Ironman has been slipping away from me. I figured that I would give this masters swim class a try at USM this summer, and if that didn't work I would just stick to being a marathon runner.

Well, week 1 and 2 came and went in the pool at Masters swim class. I was doing a little better, but still struggling at the end of my 50 yards. I have been trying extremely hard and even hitting the pool on my off days. My run is not getting enough attention right now, but I have to get this swimming down! Last Thursday I was a t the pool at Wesley Medical Center and did a 50 yard swim. Again I was breathing pretty hard at the end on the swim. I took a few breaths, and decided to try something that was taught to me in class. I started another 50, but this time when I hit 50 I felt like I could keep going. I ended up doing 100 yards and I was not breathing hard at all! IT CLICKED!!!!! I ended up doing a 200 yard set that day and to top it off I finished with a 400 yard set! The next day at masters class I got to do 150 yard sets the whole time. It was crazy how it just "clicked." I am so excited to swim now, and actually look forward to getting in the water. Yesterday i did a solid 500 yard swim in the pool. Today I am meeting Tiffany after work for my first open water swim out in Canebrake. I am a little nervous, but excited to try it.

Here are last weeks swim numbers:

Monday: 1200 yds feeling like crap because they were all 50's

Wednesday: 1200 yds and I felt the same as Monday

Thursday: 1250 yds IT CLICKED..... It felt great!

Friday: 1150 yds and it felt great!

TOTAL: A Whopping 4800 yds!!!!!