Hawaii Ironman Training week 1/2

Well week 1 and 2 are just about done of Hawaii transition phase 2011. I’m rating my performance to date at 6 out of 10!!!

This is the first time in 8years that I have followed some sort of training program. The last time was in 2003 when I last qualified for Hawaii! Geez, what does this mean, I have to be organised?!....
Been pretty inconsistent so far, except for the sessions I’ve done with my Hawaii training buddy KK and haven’t hit the water since New Zealand. Not exactly the best start but there’s plenty of time to correct that.

Bill my dog is tickle pink with the new setup though, been taking him out on easy runs with me. He runs fartlek whilst smelling bums and chasing me when I get out of eyesight!

The separation of work and training has gone great guns too, training quite separate to the squad schedule. So when coaching I can devote 100% of my time to my athletes, and when training, I can do the same time to my training.
I have found though that I get the best training ideas for work when I am out training myself. My training partner unfortunately is constantly being ear bashed with these as we ride… Sorry!!

The double edged sword of committing to racing Hawaii is that I get to try some new stuff on myself that I have yet to integrate into any athletes programs. Spose I can call it educated experimentation!
This will definitely be a win win. For me as an athlete and for my experience as a coach.

Enter barefoot jogging post Thursday strength ride being one of them. Far from being a training fad type coach, I have started doing some barefoot jogging for the first time. Slow jog just to strengthen the integrity of the lower leg and calf for the next phase of training. The three old Italian Bocce fellas who share grass oval space at Studley park with me every Thursday think I am a bit crazy though. They smile politely, but quite possibly think otherwise as I run past every few minutes.

Bonus too is I get to train with people that until now I have respected from afar. Case in point, the star Bev Thomas, who KK and I bumped into Saturday. Bev joined us for our last power ride to the Dandys

Finally, I am bummed to hear the great man Lance Armstrong has pulled the pin on Hawaii 2011. I would have loved to race against the great man this year

Anyway, better stop taking and work on getting a little more consistent.

Happy training.

Foz