Once again the time has come to plan the next phase of my training program. This week concludes the “Base” phase, and next week represents the first of 8 weeks of “Build”. With that, the volumes for my daily and especially my weekend workouts will begin to ramp more heavily. As will the intensity in any of my workouts.
I’m very excited to be entering this new phase of training. I’ve been wondering when it was going to happen. An Ironman is a very long race, so one has to obviously prepare the body slowly for the rigours associated … Its not really an everyday thing to go for a 90 min swim, and 6+ hours bike ride and then run a marathon. Clearly prep is required. And so far, the volumes haven’t presented any sort of challenge relative to what that full Iron distance is going to require.
I’m also a wee bit worried. As I’ve expressed in recent posts, my schedule is pretty full, so adding time during the week is going to require some thinking and juggling. Adding intensity isn’t so difficult. Well, bad choice of words… Adding intensity will be very difficult, but won’t present as big a time-management challenge!
So… This weekend became a weekend of “getting stuff done”. I spent my Friday evening finishing off my taxes so I can get them sent into the government. Saturday evening riding, and an hour or so this morning pulling together the next 8 weeks of workouts – and laying them out on paper. I’ve taken a lot of the learnings from the last 8 weeks and applied them to the next phase of training. Knowing what days of the week I can handle two workouts. When I can’t. How to shift things around to accommodate the time when I have the boys versus those weekends that I don’t.
I just finished getting the Build Phase loaded up into my Google calendar – so they transfer across to my BlackBerry as well as to the training calendar on the AGD site.
Now that that’s all done, its just a matter of putting in the time required to hammer through the plan – day by day, workout by workout. From memory, my top day (accommodating a weekend when I need to do both my long ride and my long run on Saturday because I have the boys on Sunday) will include a 4:45 bike, a nap, then a 2:30 run…. Just over 7 hours of training….
Can’t wait. Looking forward to it! As crazy as that sounds…
Hi Mark
Just wanted to share my concern : You definitely need to get more sleep . Your body will be stronger in every way . Mind , moody. , Cranky etc… It’s probably bettor than working your schedule harder.
Larry. (uncle)
Uncle Larry — I’m totally hearing your concern and others who’ve said the same thing. I will be looking at how I can compress some weekday workouts as required, finding time for naps (train ride home?) and other creative ways to make sure I don’t burn out! Trust me when I say I value my being healthy!