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The Training Plan

What does my training plan look like for the summer? Quite frankly, it is terrifying... I thought training for the half iron man was tough, and it was, but I would say this schedule rivals the half marathon schedule I followed. Why you might ask? I'm only training for a 175 mile 2 day bike ride, right? Wrong... Sure, the bike ride is the highlight of the summer events, and what I am focusing most of my energies on, but I also want to stay 10k ready through the summer, and I'm doing the swimming leg of an Olympic distance triathlon with a couple of friends as a relay.  I'm not guaranteeing I'll be able to hit EVERY workout, but I plan to try!

I have been accused of not sharing the training schedule with my friend/training buddy because I don't want her to see what she signed up for, and there might be some truth to that, but I'll tell you what, we are going to feel so accomplished at the end of this summer!

You might ask, what is truly in a training schedule, and for every person it is totally different. For some, it may include speed, endurance and cross training, along with a nutrition plan and strength training. For me, on the other hand, it includes running, cycling and swimming. My nutrition plan is very simple, eat when I'm hungry, and enjoy my Sunday ice cream. The strength training includes lugging my laundry to my bedroom from the basement. I'm simply not as structured as some folks, but that is OK.

Here is an example of what can happen even if you do the training thing right... This week I fueled properly for my 11 mile, turned 9 mile run. I ate the pasta, I drank the water. I did my midweek runs and got a lot of rest prior to Saturday. Basically, I did everything 'right'... And then I woke up to pouring rain and 100% humidity... No nutrition or training can prepare you for that type of running misery. Now, I admittedly am being totally dramatic, but my point is, nothing can truly prepare you for event day. All you can do is follow your schedule and hope to god, it all works out.

So, what exactly does this first full week of training look like for me? Here is the schedule:

Monday: Swim 1500 m, run 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest Day
Wednesday: Bike 1 1/2 hour, run 3 miles
Thursday: Bike 1 hour, run 3 miles
Friday: Bike 1 hour, swim 1500 meters
Saturday: Run 11 miles, Bike 20 miles
Sunday: Bike 35 miles

As I said, that schedule about makes me sick to my stomach, and it will lighten up once the half marathon is over... But the goal is to make Pedal to the Point a much more pleasant experience than the run I stumbled through on Friday. The only way I can adequately prepare, is to get on my bike and start peddling!

To donate to one of my team mates, find their donation links on this blog post: http://couchtoathlete-sarah.blogspot.com/2014/02/introducing-team-were-mess.html.

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