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Operation Ironman – Phase 1

My tri race season has come to an end.  Overall it was successful with several PRs and great memories, but in all honesty I’m burned out, especially mentally.  I raced a LOT this year.  So far I have done 23 races that included road races, triathlons, and open water swims.  Next year I will not be racing as nearly as much.  Don’t get me wrong I love to race, but with the challenges I have had to face coping with my mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it was too much.  I only have four triathlons on my schedule for next year (Richmond Tri Club Sprint, Monticelloman Olympic, Rev3 Quassy, and Ironman Mont Tremblant), compared to the eight that I did this year.  I’ll be cutting back on my road races as well.  Now it’s time for me to work on some things during the offseason.

  1. Find a long term companion / caregiver for my mom.  Since my mom was diagnosed I have had a couple of people to help out with my mom.  For one reason or another things have not worked out and I find myself in need of another caregiver.  Since I’m not racing and my training is not as intense, I’m really going to take some time to find someone who will look after my mother for the long term.  As I do my research and interviews, I will take it upon myself to look after my mom during the week.  That does mean four trips down to the country per week, but that’s ok since I know it’s temporary.
  2. Work on my flexibility and functional strength.  I’m as flexible as a pinto bean and my core, hips, and lower back are very weak.  Not a good combination for an endurance athlete.  I’m incorporating functional strength training into my training schedule twice a week and I’m doing yoga once per week.
  3. Drop more weight.  I reached my goal of losing 10 pounds for Ironman 70.3 Raleigh, but for Ironman Mont Tremblant I would like to lose between 3 – 5 more pounds.  I’m going to continue to use Weight Watchers online, but I need to clean up my diet a little bit more.  The main culprit is that legal drug called sugar.  I love sweets, especially Lucky Charms cereal.  I have decided not to eat any more Lucky Charms until after Mont Tremblant.  Hopefully when that time comes I won’t crave them anymore and that Lucky Charms leprechaun can get to stepping.   
  4. Read as many books as I can about Ironman and anything that will help me be better prepared for Mont Tremblant.  So far I have read You Are an Iron and Be Iron Fit.  I plan on reading the following books by the beginning of March, if not sooner:  Becoming an Ironman, Going Long, Unlikely Finisher 140.6, Iron Heart, 10 Minute Toughness and Breakout.  There’s one book I have already read, but I plan to read again – I’m Here to Win by pro triathlete Chris McCormack (“Macca”).  A lot of athletes and fans of the sport think Macca is arrogant, but I believe for one to take on any type of endurance sport you have to have a certain level of confidence.  Macca’s level of confidence is just higher than most.  Furthermore, Macca has a great understanding of the mental aspect of the sport.  
  5. Become comfortable with performing basic bike maintenance.  I know the steps to change a bike tire, but I definitely do not feel comfortable in doing it on my own, especially during a race.  I do have the book, Bike Maintenance and Repair for Dummies, so I probably need to add that to my reading list too.  So this fall and winter I will definitely be practicing changing my front and rear tires and getting to know my bike on an intimate level.

I think everything that I have planned for Phase 1 is doable.  I just need to really utilize my time wisely to ensure everything gets done. As I stated in my previous post I applied to be part of the team Athletes to End Alzheimer's with the Alzheimer's Association.  My goal is to raise at least $10,000 raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's research, care and support.  I hope you will click HERE to check-out my fundraising page and donate.  Thanks in advance!  Until next time.
             

Comments

  1. KristineNovember 24, 2013 at 2:42 PM

    You're a reader like me! I want to read Macca's book. I think he is awesome. I'm from Virginia, by the way, about an hour or so north of Richmond! Went to UVa.
    I also need to get a good core strength routine in place. Two pregnancies and not much exercise ruined my core strength and I've paid for it in injuries and have had to do physical therapy after both babies. Learned a lot, though.
    I can't even change a tire so I need to learn that, I guess.
    I wish you luck on all your goals and hope to keep up with you. LIke I said I'm about an hour from Quassy and was thinking about attending anyway so we will have to cheer for you and maybe meet up after to say hello! (And maybe we'll race each other in a year and a half :)

    ReplyDelete

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