Finally...Time to train for KONA

Kona Countdown

It’s already July!  My countdown calendar has more and more days with a big X through them.  The motivational reminders around the house are growing by the week.  First there were a few on my bathroom mirror.  Now they are on my computer, on my fridge, on my TV, and in my car.  I have had two weeks of solid IM training.  After years on trying different training styles and strategies I’ve learned a lot about myself.  One thing I do know is I will burn out if I do too much too soon.  This is why I haven’t told myself I was training for an IM until mid-June.  This is why I slowly build each week and make adjustments as I go.  This is why I haven’t been too strict with my diet.  What works for me is - one thing at a time, one week at a time, and one day at a time.

The boys getting ready to head out on the lake.

I am LOVING summer.  Lee, the boys, and I have already had so many fun evenings and weekends.  They are growing up so fast and I don’t want to look back and regret anything.  It’s a hard balance of working hard and making sacrifices to reach the goals I have set for myself and then being there for my boys to help them reach their goals they have set for themselves.  I believe in actions speak louder than words and I want to show them through my hard work you really can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  

Each day can be a juggle  getting my training in and still making sure the boys get  where they need to be on time and keeping  the house functioning.  Thankfully Lee is very supportive and understands how much the World Championships mean to me.  I’ve started a list titled “Post Kona”…I’m writing down all the things I want to try and/or do after October.  For me, it helps to be conscious of the decisions I’m making in terms of my training and what I’m actually giving up to get in the long bike rides and the long runs.  The reason this is important to me is because I know when it gets hard out there on the race course and every part of my being is going to want to walk I need to remind myself of what I gave up and what my family has given up this summer so I could be there at that moment racing.  I need to dig deep and remind myself to keep moving forward so all the sacrifices weren’t for nothing.

Making adjustments….I have created a training plan for me and I have workouts planned for each day and week leading up to Kona.  I like to see the map and the course I plan to take, but sometimes I hit a few detours and need to make adjustments.  I feel like I’m following my GPS in my car and I take a wrong turn and it says, “re-calculating…re-calculating”.  I have at least one re-calculation a week in my plan – not on purpose, but because I’m listening to my body and a certain workout I have planned isn’t the right one.  For example, I woke up Saturday morning with a good brick workout planned and my heart rate was elevated.  I opted to sleep an extra hour and do a nice easy ride on the bike and then an easy recovery jog off the bike and some yoga.  Now this week with it being the 4^th of July it will be a cutback/ recovery week for me and I’m sleeping in a few extra days and getting miscellaneous errands checked off my to do list like a blog update.    

My training…right now my big training days are Monday-Thursday.  The boys have hockey during the day and Lee is at work.  Since I have my summers off I’m able to train early, take the boys to camp, train again, nap and train some more before Lee and the boys are home.  My evening and weekends are family time.  There isn’t much training going on those days.  There are no races on my calendar besides Vegas and Kona.  Three of my boys are doing their first full tri this summer and I plan to swim and run with them.

I’m creating a lot of consistency with my training and feeling the power coming back in my legs when I’m biking and running.  I still have a long way to go to be where I want to be for Kona, but I don’t have the sense of urgency… just let. 

We are all able to accomplish great things.  This I know for sure. The question isn’t can I achieve it, but how much am I willing to sacrifice to reach those goals.  There will come a time between now and Kona when I will be willing to sacrifice a lot to get my body to do what I want it to do on October 12, 2012.  But that time isn’t just yet.  I’m enjoying our family bonfires and making s’mores, going for pizza before we hit the go-cart track, and getting popcorn with butter at the movies.  So right now my training is consistent and on track.  Soon my nutrition will be too.  I look at it like a puzzle and I have all these pieces that need to come together by October 12^th.  I have all the edge and corner pieces in place right now and I’m steadily working at the more intricate pieces in the middle of the puzzle.  Each week the picture becomes more and more clear and the small details are put in place.  By the time I land in Kona at the beginning of October I will have a very clear picture of what I’ve created and what I have accomplished.  It will be a matter of putting the beautiful puzzle into a frame and enjoy the view.  

For my IM training the swimming, biking and running is only one part. For me my training consists of more than those three things.  I include yoga, weekly chiropractor adjustments, weekly deep tissue massages, daily naps, daily foam rolling, nutrition, mental training, and making sure I a keep a balance with my family. 

Lee finished up my Kona room for me when I was in Hawaii and even added some pictures.  This one is on the door.

My Kona room…I love this place.  I can close my eyes and be on the Queen K.  The other day I did a trainer ride in my Kona room and then headed outside for a run.  As I was running I thought it felt a little cool.  When I came back from my run I checked the temp and it was 86 degrees out…I think my new definition of hot has changed.

Treadmill, bike, heater and TV...all I need.  I watch really bad TV too when I'm biking and running.

When I first decided to do an IM I remember thinking 112 miles on the bike was far and IM Wisconsin was a hilly bike course.   The mind is very powerful and when something seems hard or far then it’s time to create a new definition.  Last summer I did a handful of bike rides which were longer than 120 miles and some were VERY hilly.  By the time IM Wisconsin came 112 miles wasn’t so far anymore and the hills weren’t that big anymore.  This summer I’m creating a new definition of hot and a new love for wind.  

I’m coming Kona and I will be ready to ride in the heat and wind come October 12^th!