Excitement, Self-doubt, & Progress

The Ironman process has been part excitement, self-doubt & progress. I started working with a coach, Jeff Capobianco of Breakthrough Performance Coaching, in November. I had been coached by one of the top coaches in the area over the previous year and made some impressive gains, so making the change was a bit concerning.

Jeff's personality and style of coaching was perfect for me and I was excited from the start. Jeff is a Tri stud who completed Lake Placid last year in 9:48:04... qualified for Kona, etc. etc. He obviously knows how to train and race, so I was really looking forward to working with him.

Over the next several months I experienced a sense of improvement in all three disciplines and that was a great feeling. Then I hit a wall. Times were slower, I wasn't hitting my prescribed power numbers on the bike, and I started to wonder if I was cut out for Ironman.

Then it started to click. You know what was going on? I was getting stronger, but I didn't know it!

On the swim front my times were slower, but Craig said I was swimming better and that it would click. Although I wasn't hitting my numbers on the bike I was pushing harder than I ever had, and I was running distances I had only thought of.

Self-doubt had turned the corner and I've begun to see progress. I've become even more excited! I'm swimming better/faster, I've increased my watts on the bike and I'm running better and longer. I'm pretty pumped!

Up next? A 20 mile run this Sunday..it will be the furthest I've ever run, but I said that last week as I prepared for a 16.

16 was interesting to say the least.... Last Sunday was torrential, so Vin and I decided to run together at the gym. We arrived just after 3:30 only to find out the gym closed at 6, which meant I wouldn't have enough time to finish the 16. At 6:00 p.m. I had run 14.3 and felt that I had to finish, at the very least, to prove I could do it. I decided to finish outside. Mentally I needed to know I could do it. So outside I went in the pouring rain with winds gusting over 40 miles an hour. I ran two miles to make sure I did the 16. The best part about it? My brother followed me in his car to make sure I was safe...only a brother! Thanks Vin.

As I head into another build week, including my first 20 mile run, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes... "Preparation breeds confidence"... My confidence is building as the preparation continues.

Key Workouts

Over the last several weeks we've entered a pretty deep build phase. I've accomplished many "firsts" and I'm pretty psyched about that. I remember a few years ago that running 4 miles was a task. In the last 5 weeks my long runs have been 12, 12, and 14...this week I have 16 miles. My longest run ever!

In addition to the increase in running I've increased my 20 minute power and engaged in some solid workouts... 10 x 2 minutes at 125% of your FTP is definitely a workout! Try it sometime. If you aren't training and racing with power you're missing out. It's the quickest way to get better, faster, and race smarter.

I continue to make progress on the swim front as well. My 100 time is coming down a bit and my technique is coming along.

The home front is still solid. Most of my training is done early a.m. (5:00 a.m. forward) so the "damage" is minimal. I know that the weekends will start to get longer, but I'm fortunate to have a wife that gets "it". She is super supportive and I can't thank her enough.

Thankfully the annoying injuries have been kept at bay, but it's a constant battle. I recently switched to a smaller crankset to see if I can take the "kink" out of my hip, so we'll see how that goes. So far so good...

Equipment... Parlee TT, Zipp Disc with PowerTap, 808 front, Aerodrink, X-Lab rear mounted hydration system, Blue Seventy Helix (for now), & Fit Werx kit.

More to come