One year out

Yesterday started official Ironman training. Here is the current plan, always subject to revision. Please keep in mind that this the ideal schedule, life and aches do play a part.

Saturday - this will typically be the long run day. The plan is to keep the long runs between 9-15 miles until the end of March (March 30 is my half Ironman). I may keep the long runs still at that level through the Ironman or I might increase the distance in the last three months (June, July, and August 2013).

Sunday - this will typically be the long ride day with a two-mile brick run. A brick run is a run that comes right after a bike ride. I am somewhat loose with "right after" as it largely depends on the heat or available time.

Monday - run three miles before Crossfit and then Crossfit in the mornings. In the evening go on the spinner for no less than an hour. I probably will watch Dancing with the Stars, my one and only TV show that I watch, while on the indoor bike. After the season ends, it's back to Spinervals and Sufferfest. Then go for a one-mile brick run, but longer if for some reason the three-miler in the morning didn't happen.

Tuesday - dilemma time. My swimming has slowed down considerably since I haven't been swimming much. But I really like the hikes with my Dad. So, here is my compromise. One Tuesday a month I will hike up to First Water with my Dad. The other Tuesdays I will get in an hour swim. After the swim, I plan to do a loop around the Rose Bowl, primarily doing intervals and run drills. Not sure how that will work, but we'll give it a try. Tuesday evenings will be hill repeats on the bike. It will be dark. I can't help that. I've got enough illumination stuff to light myself up like a Christmas tree. And I will go out as soon as I get home to get as much of the light as I can. I simply don't know when else I would be able to get in any hill repeats and I have to do them. Brick run after.

Wednesday - three mile run before Crossfit and then Crossfit. That's it for the day.

Thursday - While I am still going to 95 on Thursdays, this will be a 45 minute swim (usually 1200 very slow meters, but hopefully I'll get the pace up). I then will get in the four mile run in Cypress Park. After I don't go to 95 any more, I will just get in a straight run around the Rose Bowl with enough add-on to make the run be four miles. Thursday night will be an hour or more on the spinner with Spinervals or Sufferfest with a brick run after.

Friday - this is my rest day. I will get in my one-mile run, usually during Crossfit. On Fridays at Crossfit we have "Friday Fitness Fun" which means you get to do your own workout instead of the planned Workout of the Day (WOD). I usually do a lot of body weight exercises (squats, push ups, pull ups, dips, etc.), with the emphasis being upper body to give my legs a bit of a rest. And that's it.

So that's the basic plan. I wanted a plan that gave me thirty-five miles of running per week, but the plan above just isn't that much and I don't see adding on to it. So, it might just have to be twenty-five miles. I'm comfortable with running all my runs longer than three miles on a 3 minute run/1 minute walk system. If I was able to do the Ironman run on 3/1, I would be ecstatic.