Neverending Gear

I love a good 3-day weekend. Unfortunately, this is the last one I will be getting for a while. It is somewhat depressing that I get Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day right in a row, and now there is a drought until Memorial Day. As of tomorrow, it will be a long haul as I await my next paid holiday.

It will also be a long haul as I train for the Ironman. My Boston training has already begun, but April doesn't seem that far off. August, on the other hand, seems like a small lifetime from now. As I said yesterday (that's right, another 3-day streak!) I am thankful that I have some time to get myself ready for the daunting endeavor that I have laid out for myself.

This weekend felt good. Eight miles and a swim yesterday was a nice start to the year. I did a quick six miles today followed by some intense core training. I have laid off the core workouts and lifting over the past month or so and not really by choice. Work and life have taken time away from my workouts, and I am taking that time back as of tomorrow. I am going to go to bed earlier so that I can get up in time to complete my full workouts each day. I think it will make the stress of work more tolerable. I have never found that the extra 90 minutes of sleep when I ignore the first alarm makes me feel any better during the day. I just hope the gate guards are ready to search my car for terror at 0430 every day, although it will actually be more like every other day. I am going to try to run and swim on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when I don't have to be in to work until later. Mondays and Wednesdays will be running/lifting/core. Fridays are an off day on the marathon training, and I will use these for cross-training/biking and more lifting/core workouts. Weekends for now will still be geared towards my long runs with a swim in there on one of the days if I am feeling particularly motivated. Good plan, I think.

The only thing I didn't physically do this weekend was bike. I think the de-Christmasing of my house took the bike time and put it on the back burner. I always hate the taking down of Christmas decorations. It is the clear sign that the holidays are over, and I am always left feeling a tad down. My cure for that today was a trip to the bike shop. I have been riding in an old pair of running shoes when I ride thus far, and it has not been much of a problem. I figure, given my short but painful history on the bike, that it would be nice to get used to clipping in and out of real-deal bike shoes on the stationary trainer before I try to do it on the mean streets of Delaware. So, as of today, I officially have my first pair of road bike shoes! I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I think these will do for now. The cleats are attached, and they are ready to roll the next time I hop on the bike (probably Friday). I also got some other bike odds and ends, and I am now starting to realize just how much gear is involved in biking. I knew it would be the most gear-intensive of the three disciplines in the triathlon, but I definitely didn't fully comprehend the extent. Between the bike shoes, spare tires, triathlon handlebars, front-mounting water bottles, tire-repair kits, and pouches to hold the tire-repair kit I am definitely glad that we joined the rewards club at the bike shop.

In an effort to keep with my goal of taking back my workout time and not being totally exhausted/burned out, I am now going to hit the sack. Three miles tomorrow and a little light lifting before ten hours at the jobby job. I heart Mondays!