Officially Official

While I have been training to some degree, I really haven't been on a strict training schedule since finishing up last season.  I've allowed myself to have some lazy days, and I've tried not to let training completely dictate my days.  As of today, this is no longer the case.  My coach now has complete control over my training schedule for the next 7 1/2 months.  My Ironman training has officially begun. It was nice to wake up this morning knowing that I had a workout already planned out for me.  Monday is usually my off day from training, but since this was day one of Ironman training, I figured that some type of workout would be appropriate.  Besides, I took yesterday off. I spend my last day of freedom getting my yard nice and pretty so that I can start neglecting it on the weekends, and I ended the day on a patio with some friends and a belly full of sushi.  

I started day one with a nice 2350 meter swim.  I had to swim by myself, which isn't very fun.  I packed my SwimP3 player so I could listen to some tunes in the water, but when I got there it didn't work.  I guess the 20 minute charge I gave it this morning before  heading out wasn't enough.  While I was a little disappointed, I had to remind myself that I wouldn't have music on race day.  Today's training was definitely more mental than physical.  I like to swim, but I like to swim with other people.  Swimming alone is boring and I'm always tempted to cut the  workout short....but I didn't today:)  The fact that I'm going to be swimming in cold water in Arizona (which I'm not looking forward to) is hopefully going to motivate me to give 110% to my swim workouts.  I want to finish that frigid 2.4 mile swim just as fast as I can.  I  hate being cold!!!

I'm already thinking about the craziest details of the race.  One detail I've been given a lot of thought to is the restroom situation.  Initially, I was horrified to hear that some triathletes pee while on their bikes!  While on long training rides, I just hop off my bike and find a place to squat if I'm not near a restroom.  After conversations with other Ironman finishers, I decided that "going" on the bike really would be my best option.  After all, if I'm properly hydrated, things should be pretty diluted.  I wasn't planning on practicing this aspect of the race this early on, but while on a 3 hour bike ride this past weekend, I figured I would give it a shot.  I wasn't sure I would actually be able to do it, but to my surprise, it was easier than I thought.  I just stood up and let things flow.  I was slightly grossed out, but not as much as I thought.  It just felt like warm water.  Jeneen was kind enough to give me a water bottle to try to rinse off a bit.  When I got home I threw my clothes in the washer and gave my shoes a good scrubbing. Some of you may be pretty shocked that I'm sharing this information with you, but this blog is the confessions of a triathlete.  It's just one more crazy aspect of this sport. This will no doubt be an interesting journey.


"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision,  hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." ~ Gail Devers