Wednesday 9 November 2016

So....I'm back and have a whole new plan...

Well looking back it has certainly been some time since I last updated the blog…4 months to be specific. I have still been reading other blogs and motivation has been on a rollercoaster ride but the ability/desire to string a few words of my own together has ebbed and flowed…while I am certain that my family would disagree, I am not actually one for saying/typing something for the sake of it…honest! That said I now actually have something exciting to say….


November 4th 2017 I will be toeing the line at Ironman Florida!! 12 days after my 40th birthday I intend to compete and complete my second full distance Ironman event. This has actually been on the cards for a little while but I have been waiting to secure my spot before getting too liberal with the info. Given that we, as a family, now know the training commitment required I firstly consulted with my wife and gained her approval before signing up. I will confess that the deal was most probably sweetened by my offer of a US holiday and trip to Disneyland post-race…

So what’s the plan given it is 359 days away….

I currently have the inaugural Ironman Western Australia 70.3 rapidly approaching on December 4th. It will be fun as it is the first time this event is being held and is actually truly half of the full Ironman course I completed last December. We even start at the end of the Busselton jetty, 2km out to sea….

After that….well I intend to rebuild and build. It is my intention to switch my focus to technique and form. I will work on my base fitness and build an all-round level that will sustain me through my next race. I actually have no 100% confirmed races after that…I have a few that I am thinking about, that will be good to use as a gauge of progress but nothing yet locked in. Overall there is some work to be done first:

SWIMMING:
                Regularity in turning up and training will be important here. I know my technique can be improved and thereby improve my efficiency in the water. It is a small component of the overall race but has the potential to really set the day up right! I strongly believe that I can get a 1 hr swim in with some dedication. Florida is an interesting change as it is a two lap swim (with little beach run in the middle) and has the potential for some generous breakers on entry. This means I will need to work on my OWS entry too.

CYCLE:
                Much like Busselton the course promises to by flat and fast. The highest point on the course is 49mtrs above sea level…the total elevation gain (per some Strava rides that I have stalked) is 21m TOTAL! On this basis I will work on my strength in the hills around Perth and will build up that way. I will then get a refit on my TT bike and concentrate on areo and tempo pace along my all-time favourite freeway bike path. This is good as it promises to have similar undulations and wind as the Florida course. But first, I head to the hills to go faster so I will start working on my bike strength over the coming months. At Busso last year I felt good and actually backed off my ride in the second half for fear of blowing up…I completed the first lap in 2:49 and the second in 3:07 for an overall 5:58. I am confident that I can get closer to 5:30 on my ride with an adequate base and areo conditioning.

RUN:
                Ah the run…my Achilles heel (excuse the pun). This is where the most improvement is to come from. Most notably my endurance. I am not sure what to really comment here. I am going to have to work hard to gain my endurance ability here. I think this is where the most mindful rebuild of myself will be coming from. I intend to work strength and intervals as well as on my longer slower runs. I will pick a reasonable race pace to work on and build from there…pacing will be key (something I am a little lousy at!). Over the course of the next 12 months I plan on taking on the City 2 Surf Marathon (this past winter I pulled out following on from the great Hamstring incident at the start of the off season). The marathon is at the end of August which should allow me ample time to maintain my running through the early portion of the tri season and into Florida!

STRENGTH/CORE/BODY (aka everything else):
                Diet is a corner stone of this game too…I know what I need to do, now I just need to get on a do it…I have started some baby (really really baby) steps at the moment and aim to start ramping up the progress and clean-up in the space over the few weeks till the end of the year…then I feel I will be at a stable starting point to move into 2017 from there.

I have been looking into some core work and body weight exercises to throw in to the schedule. I will need to work on my core as I know this is a flabby wreck at the moment…

All of this looks pretty auspicious but it is important to remember that this is a little under 12 months away and I plan on tackling these endeavours individually. Yes, I will be training the three disciplines but with a bias towards one at a particular time. That and my family and work life balance needs to remain in tact…have to pay for the holiday and have people to take with me too….


So, hold on to your hats as I plan on resurrecting the bloggy blog and tracking (and expanding on the above on) this little jaunt over the next 12 months…


Thanks for reading

No comments:

Post a Comment