Weeks 1-3 Ironman Mont-Tremblant Training

While I have been “unofficially, officially” training for Ironman Mont-Tremblant since the New Year, my official training plan kicked off on Monday, March 2 with….a Rest Day! I started my first official week by being in Atlanta for work Wednesday-Friday, forcing me to reorganize workouts and take another rest day that Friday.

Week 1 Workouts

Swim: 2200 yards

Bike: 2 hours 46 minutes

Run: 17 miles, 2:58

Crosstrain: 1:30

Total Time: 7:49

Heading into week 2 of training was race week for the Gate River Run 15k (race report here). With the Gate being my last stand along running event until after Ironman, I wanted to feel a bit fresher on Saturday morning. I didn’t taper or anything but I watched my pacing and efforts. Tuesday night’s bridge run with the group meant pulling back the reigns a bit and not getting caught up in other’s run.

Interesting to note, those who pushed it Tuesday night, actually finished behind me. This is NOT a brag but a key point in training and knowing when to simply go easy and save it for race day. These folks are awesome people and runners.

Baldwin-Trail last Sunday

Week 2 Workouts

Swim: 5700 yards

Bike: 1:51 (recovery ride Sunday after the Gate)

Run: 16.27 miles, 3:00

My rest day was the Friday before the race where I was able to enjoy the expo and get a good night’s sleep in my own bed before race day. I did have three solid swim days too!

Weeks 1 and 2 in Training Peaks

Now, going into Week 3, my focus was on my upcoming, first triathlon of the season in Clermont, FL. Monday was an enjoyable rest day with Mr. Memphis and I going to the beach. It was too nice of a night to pass up. I’m sure glad we went as we both had a good time and he got to run up and down as many sand dunes as he wanted.

On Tuesday, I noticed my appetite was pretty much non-existent which for me is rather unusual as I’m normally counting the minutes until my next snack or meal. I was stressed that day from work stuff so I decided to go the trails and run there to switch things up. Wednesday morning I awoke with a headache but this has been somewhat of an ongoing thing so other than being really annoying, I didn’t put too much stock into it.

I headed out Wednesday morning for my first early ride around my area. I noticed the effort felt harder than what was registering on my watch and wind was a non-factor so I chalked it up to just an off ride. Later that day, during a long conference call, my throat got sore. I was hoping it was just dry and from talking but as I headed to the pool for a swim after work, there was no denying that I was getting sick.

Sure as sh**, I woke up Thursday morning with a really bad sore throat and feeling lethargic. I was told to go home but I actually didn’t have any where to go as my apartment was getting a bug treatment sometime during the day so both Memphis and I had no where to go. Of course, they didn’t come until the end of the day so for the first few hours I was home, we dealt with bug fumes. I decided yogurt would help my sore throat and it did so it was a lovely dinner of fro-yo!

When I woke up Friday, I felt ok, not great but better than the day before. People at work asked me if I was still going to race and I said yes barring anything dramatically changing the next day. I was even able to go to a nice dinner and dine al fresco with Tom Friday evening but come Saturday morning when Memphis and I went for our morning walk, I was coughing up lovely greeness and feeling my breathing catch due to my lungs being filled with yuckiness. I was able to cancel that night’s hotel reservation without penalty and laid on the couch or in bed the rest of the day. I made a trip to Publix to get food and essentials and that all but wiped me out. After that trip, I knew I made the right decision to for-go the race.

Seeing everyone’s pictures throughout the weekend was sad but I knew I was in no shape to race. But more than that, this race was a C race, one to shake off the rust and go through the motions. The goal of the season was not to PR in Clermont; the goal is take on Mont-Tremblant and get there with a healthy body. It has taken me years to put things into perspective when it comes to my athletic pursuits. Had something like this happened when I was younger, it would have really brought me down mentally and probably affect me health even more. Now I understand and appreciate the time I have to train when preparing properly and know that missing this one race does not mean ruining the whole season of training.

While I don’t have another triathlon between now and Ironman Raleigh 70.3, I do plan on doing a mock tri or at least part of it to go through my transitions. I feel confident in this plan and will execute it to my best ability. So while the third week of training was not great due to my sickness, it is what it is. I now have set the goal for this fourth week to hit all of my workout sessions even if it means cutting back the intensity or duration so that I get all disciplines in. I am also ramping up the bike sessions as I have focused more on the run and swim as of late.

Week 3 Workouts

Swim: 1800 yards (cut short when I had nothing left in the tank)

Bike: 1:00, 16.4 miles

Run: 45 minutes on the trail

Looking Forward to Week 4

Today, I am feeling much better and was able to start the day off with some yoga. Since today is technically my day off and I want to be smart, I am not doing anything other than errands and another session of yoga tonight along with foam rolling and stretching. I’m vowing to get back on the yoga wagon.

I am also going to try BodyPump at the Y this week to see if its a good fit for strength training as I’m really lacking in this area and want to add muscle back. I’ll try that on my swim days (Wednesday and Friday). I’m also going to try out the Beta version of Zwift, a competitive, gaming platform for trainer sessions. I’ve heard good things so hopefully I find it useful as well. This Saturday is a long ride of 2:00 and then Sunday is the first bigger brick session of the year with an hour ride and 20 minute run plus a swim later that day. I’m looking forward to a full week of training (hopefully without any interruptions).

Here’s to a happy week of training!

PS if you’re looking for great yoga videos that provide many different focuses especially for runners and triathletes, I highly recommend the Yoga with Adrienne YouTube Channel :)