Trainer = Opportunity

Today I was scheduled for an hour long ride on my trainer. When I got home from work today I was starting to talk myself into saying that I could use just one more recovery day from last week (Sunday was a planned recovery day, and well Saturday just turned into one with everything going on). I was still feeling a bit fatigued from the weekend and was trying to justify not riding because I was "listening to my body". Then it hit me, trainer = opportunity.

Anyone who lives in a cold weather climate that bikes, whether they are a pro or amateur will admit that riding on the trainer can be hard. You are blowing through the wind all summer on your bike, seeing new scenery every few miles, wind in your face, getting a nice tan, etc. When your on the trainer you are riding in the same spot, seeing the same scenery, the wind is provided my the fan set upon your body, but at least you don't have those summer tan lines right? Riding on the trainer is tough mentally and sometimes the hardest part is just to get on that damn thing. Today while I was weighing my options it popped into my head that some competitors tonight will take a night off the bike, some will find an excuse not to ride. This provides me with an opportunity to gain strength on them. Every workout that I do on my bike through the winter that I plan, better prepares me for my training in the summer and ultimately gives me a higher percentage of executing the perfect race day at Ironman on September 12th.

So from here on out for the rest of the winter (only 62 days until spring!) when I am struggling to get onto the bike, I will just think about which of my competitors are giving into temptation and that I may just be able to get some strength on them and better myself for race day!

Just remember one thing....

"Someday my body won't let me do this, today is NOT that day"

Ben

Welcome to 2010!

Winter is in full swing here in Wisconsin which means biking is next to impossible outside, you pray for everyone to shovel their sidewalks so you can run, and the only open water swim your gonna get within the next three months will be in Lake Michigan on New Year's Day at the Polar Plunge. Winter's in Wisconsin are rough, its cold, cloudy, and the sun rises and sets with the blink of an eye. All this makes training through the winter a little bit harder, but still just as fun!

The current status of my injury is that the fracture is about 90% healed according the to x-rays taken on Friday. While my shoulder is doing good it is hard to lift anything above 10 pounds and the mobility is still a little sore. It looks like I won't be able to swim for at least another month, possibly adding in PT if the shoulder needs it. I am hoping to be back running by the end of the month though which would be a huge plus. So with me not being able to do two of the disciplines for awhile I have decided to ramp up my cycling in the meantime. My Specialized Tarmac is now setup on the trainer and I am rolling off rides on it every day almost. I can really feel my cycling legs coming back from last year. I rode less then 100 miles after my triathlon in September until my last ride outside December 6th. And this past week alone I put in about 5 hours which is the equivalent of about 100 miles. I have decided that for January I will work hard on my bike and prepare myself for the upcoming season.

Now that the holidays are over and everyone is back into their normal routine I can resume mine as well, well kind of. I am back on my regular diet and cutting out alot of the trash so I can prepare my body for a successful 2010 season. Alcohol and sweets not longer exist in the apartment and I am now stocking up on carbs, protein, lean meats, fruits, and organic foods. It's almost as if I am putting my body through a detox of sorts for the next month ramping up until training really gets into swing in March.

I am just about done with my 2010 race schedule. 2 races on the schedule are TBD and I probably won't decide if I will be doing them until the week of the race. I will just listen to my body and if I am fresh I will go ahead with it, otherwise, I'll just take the time off. It really all comes down to having my body as well rested and as well trained as I can by September 12th.

May 2nd Discovery Duathlon
May 30th Madison Marathon (1/2)
June 6th Lake Mills Triathlon (Sprint)
June 13th Capitol View TBD
July 18th Racine 70.3
August 1st Bradford Beach Triathlon TBD
August 8th Centurion Classic
September 12th IRONMAN WISCONSIN

For the next week I am just going to put in more and more time on the bike. I am setting up my heart rate zones for this year today so I can incorporate those into my training plans as well. Until next time just remember to put one foot in front of the other!





Ben