IM Training Begins Today

I just received a Facebook note from Coach Gerardo.  He informed me that Ironman training officially begins today. Really?

Um, what have I been doing since last November???  Because that definitely felt like Ironman training!

Seriously though, I get it.  I realize that my Fortius training prepared me for a marathon and a Half-Ironman until this point.  I've built a base that really feels like a mountaintop, and now we're going to erect a new peak from which I'll stand this November.  I can't see that peak right now.  It's obscured by clouds (dreams) and fog (fears).  I'm not even sure I'll see that peak until I'm halfway through the Ironman marathon.  And I don't know if the peak will be scalable at that point in my journey.  My legs didn't have another 13 miles in them at Vineman.

I've been pleasantly surprised by my progress to this point though, so it's safe to say I'm cautiously optimistic.

If we continue with the mountain climbing metaphor, today I left base camp.  This was my first workout since the Vineman Half Ironman.  The hardest part wasn't even the training.  It was the thought of training!  I had quickly grown comfortable sleeping in (as much as that little monster Bam-Bam will allow!) or arising with enough time to catch the final 20km of each Tour de France stage.  And not packing a workout bag every day.  Or cramming my bike in the car.  It's amazing how easy and alluring it is to give up working out or eating right.  The temptation is right in my face.  Not to mention the satisfaction that comes with having completed a Half-Ironman.  I could stop now. Quit while I'm ahead.

If it wasn't for the sense of accountability this blog brings,"retiring" sounds pretty appealing.

But by now, you know me better than that.  I'm no quitter.  And we ain't done yet.  Considering I signed up for my second Ironman before completing my first, we're really just starting.

So, I ran hill sprints tonight in the studio parking lot.  Then I lifted in the gym after.  Dumbell lunges, leg extensions, dumbell squats, dumbell calf-raisers, step-ups and a lot of core work.  Since it was my first day back from a weeklong break, I only used light weights tonight.

I know the heaviest lifting is yet to come.

117 days and counting.