My New Supercomputer

Turns out the Garmin 310x frightened me for good reason. It took Coach Gerardo and me two hours to set up the software and program the settings.  I could have watched a full-length film in that same timespan, done two loads of laundry or burned about 1,000 calories training.

I probably drained that many brain cells trying to figure the damn gadget out.

But, to be fair, this watch is frickin' cool!  The mapping and GPS features alone make me feel like a superfly spy, beaming my coordinates to HQ (in this case Fortius Coaching) at a moment's notice.  I'll also be able to read my heart rate for the first time while swimming.  I've been curious for a long time how hard or how little I'm working in the water.  I have a feeling my heart-rate is pretty elevated.

The Garmin 310x ain't for the beginner, that's for sure.  I'm almost more intimidated to master the watch than to complete the Ironman itself!  I don't even feel comfortable calling it a watch.  It's a supercomputer that dwarfs my wrist, like a turtle resting atop a mouse.  I'll use my new toy for the first time tomorrow, an hour cycling mini-time trial.  If I don't accidentally hit a self-destruct button, I'll report back then.

My training earlier in the day went well, considering Sunday's 20-mile run.  I really didn't feel any ill-effects today, which was pretty surprising.  I swam an easy 2,450 yards, with the help of my Zoomers flippers.  Today was the first time I felt comfortable with the flippers, gliding effortlessly through the pool during my kick intervals while stretching my calves and ankles.  I almost felt guilty for how easy the workout seemed.

Almost.

Then, this afternoon during lunchtime, I ran for 50 minutes in all heart-rate zones on a hilly treadmill course.  Surprisingly, my legs felt fresh after about 10-15 minutes of warm-up.  And that was even at the peak of the run, with the incline set at 7.5% while maintaining a 6.0 mph pace.  That was an accomplishment in itself.

I'm looking forward to another accomplishment tomorrow...

266 days and counting.