Researching Ironman training. HOLY CRAP. Heart rate zones (yeah, I quit wearing my heart rate monitor long ago because I got bad chafeage from it), small chainring/middle chainring/large chainring bike rides (I don't even remember which is which), hours upon hours of workouts, 3 workouts a day, calories and nutrition and hydration and building up glycogen stores, not racing AT ALL in the six months prior, and numbers, numbers everywhere.....
This has the potential to turn me into a huge wreck....and I haven't even taken a single step/stroke/pedal in the name of IM training.
You know how I like to train? KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. You know what's simple? Swimming, biking, and running. I've done all three of those since I was a kid. I like biking and running most when I get into the zone and I'm not at all worried about numbers or heart rate or how many calories I should be taking in. I just GO and enjoy the scenery. Heck, I even like SWIMMING if I can get into that zone and just enjoy feeling the water.
Smart or not, you know how I'm not gonna train? By focusing on algebraic equations the whole time.
I feel like the anti-triathlete. But I can tell you that if I get as anal as some folks out there (and if it works for them, great) and if I get as anal as some of the training plans want me to be, Imma finish my race and hang up my bike and swimsuit and running shoes and never want to do any of it ever again.
Do you know how complicated some people tried to make marathon training for me? Do you know how complicated hydration and nutrition for a marathon can be? And you know what? I finished my marathon. I trained according to what felt good, I ate and drank when it seemed like a good idea and didn't when my tummy hurt, and I was FINE.
This is how I'm going to approach the IM. This is how I'm going to approach all my training. I think a lot of people out there overlook LISTENING TO YOUR BODY. My body knows when it needs nutrition and hydration. It knows when it wants to run fast and when it wants to run slow and when it doesn't effing want to run at all and wants me to sit on the couch and drink a beer. And last time I got all wrapped up in following a training plan and not listening to my body, I couldn't run for two months. And when I had to rip out huge chunks of the training plan and do a lot of winging it, I ran an effing marathon.
Sweet baby Jesus, 140 miles is a long way.
ReplyDeleteYea, I bet IM training plans can get pretty crazy. As someone who has never done the tri stuff, I really can't wait to watch you train for this!
It is a long way. :) But I used to think that 5k and 10k and 13.1 miles and 26.2 miles and 100k (which I did on the bike) were a long way too. (I guess they all still are, in their own right, but I can cover them!)
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