Wait, an Ironman is How Far?

There are only two types of people in this world:  Those who say “I can’t" and those who say... “I can.”

That was the opening line narrator Al Trautwig of NBC spoke at the Ironman World Championships held in Kona, Hawaii recently.  I was watching the special on TV to get pumped up for some training this week.  As motivating as the line sounded, I couldn't help but think that there is obviously a 3rd group of people:  those who hear a sentence like that and throw up a little in their mouth.  I'm a proud member of that camp. 

Cheesy lines aside, I have to admit I got so freaking pumped watching the Ironman special that I went straight to the pool for a 2 hour swim, then hopped on the bike for an 8 hour bike ride, and closed the day with a quick 5 hour run.  I either did that or I put a pizza in the oven and watched football.  Sorry, I can’t remember exactly how it played out but it was definitely one of those things.

Anyway, let’s check out the real story about my week of training since launching the blog:

Sunday, Dec.18:  Launched blog and promptly threw in a Digiorno pizza at 400 degrees for 28 minutes and cooked it to perfection.  I rationalized this by telling myself that achieving my 35 aspirations is going to require consistent routines.  Well, I’ve been eating pizza every Sunday for years, so I got some good practice sticking to a routine.  Plus, I needed some calories for my week ahead. 

Later that afternoon, I went to The Bull City Running Company in Durham and got some great help in choosing a shoe with more stability to help my overpronation (running with too much weight on the inside of my foot).  My left knee has been bothering me for awhile now and the pressure I’m putting on the knee with bad running form is the likely culprit.  I went with the Brooks Ravenna 2 which is supposed to help…we’ll see.  Plus, a quick google search of reviews while in the store revealed this beauty courtesy of Running Ruth from Puyallup, WA… “The Ravenna saved the day and they are just what I need now!  Plus they look HOT!”  Thank you Running Ruth…I’m sold.

To end the day, I tried chugging a glass of water…no joke.  It took me 4 seconds.  I need to do a beer in 3 seconds for aspiration #35 on the list.  I’ve got work to do but I have a history of rising to the occasion.  I’m a gamer, so I’m not worried.

Monday, Dec.19:  I hit the gym around 5pm and started with a 15 minute warm-up on the bike.  Warming up is something I’m committed to doing throughout 2012 to try to prevent injuries.  I’ve never been big on this in the past but I’ve now torn 2 ligaments in my left knee, tore my groin, and had back issues the last few years.  The Sherlock Holmes in me thinks there is a connection.  Actuaries are putting the likelihood of me going down with a career-ending injury in the first week of 2012 at about 73.4%.

After the bike, I jumped on the treadmill.  I decided I was going to do 4 miles with each mile 30 seconds faster than the last (starting with a 9 minute mile and ending with a 7:30 mile).  In what can only be called a BAD SIGN, I remember looking at the treadmill clock after 3 minutes and 17 seconds when I had gone about .36 miles and thinking “Wait, an Ironman is how far?”  True story.  The phrase “I’m screwed” may or may not have entered my mind at that moment.

To my pleasant surprise, I was able to finish the run with accelerating pace and I took to the pool for 45 minutes.  I worked on Total Immersion freestyle… a type of swimming that is extremely smooth, still fast, but uses very few strokes…perfect for long swims. 

Tuesday, Dec.20:  I started again with a 10 minute bike warm-up.  I then lifted chest and triceps for an hour…combination of bench press, incline bench, push-ups, dips, and flys.  I felt pretty strong…probably because I am pretty strong.  I’m going to need to knock out a lot of the goals that involve upper body strength early in 2012 as the bulk will hurt me for most of the aspirations. 

After the 60 minutes of lifting, I took to the pool for another hour.  I did a lot of drills and 5 sets of 200M.  I probably swam about 1 mile in total but spread it out with a lot of rest in between.

I ended the day with a 12 mile bike ride.  Nothing crazy, but I need to start building up base miles to get my ass used to the seat (or “time in the saddle” as fellow bikers say).

Wednesday, Dec.21:  I warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes and then got on the treadmill.  This time, I ran for 4 miles in 35 minutes alternating between flat surface and 3 percent inclines every 2 minutes.  The inclines suck if you were curious.

After the run, I hopped in the pool again for another swim workout.  I did a combination of kick board, drills to practice my stroke, and a pyramid set of 100M, 200M, 300M, 400M.  Actually, it didn’t end up being a much of a pyramid since I decided there was no way I could come back down the pyramid at those distances.  I guess it was more of a ladder…

Thursday, Dec.22:  Today, I woke up at 6am for an early swim.  My goggles broke so Sue and I traded off and on with her goggles which basically lead to a completely worthless workout.  It’s 65 today though so I’ll probably run later this afternoon.

Overall, I’m very pleased with how things are going.  My list of 35 aspirations is crazy aggressive but that’s what is going to make all of this interesting.  Some of the list is clearly going to kick my ass but I’m going to stay with it.  I can’t wait for the new year when I can actually start attempting some of these.  So, are you feeling more or less confident of my chances?