Customized Plan

While I plan to get a triathlon book and base next year's training on what I discover there, I still fear the triathlon specific training will hinder my ability to get my running speed back down where it should be, which is a tricky question in itself.

A quick fitness history:

• I never participated in organized athletics as a child.
• I was a heavy drinker in the Marines.
• I ate primarily fast food in the Marines.
• I had limited speedwork in the Marines. (An occassional "Indian Drill" where two people at the back of our running formation would sprint to the front.)
• I ran 6:20 miles in the Marines. (Usually ran our 3-mile fitness test in 19:00)

All that tells me I have some sort of untapped natural ability that with proper training and diet, should get me back down to somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00 miles. That's just a guess really, but that is the plan for my last two triathlons and also the fall beore it gets cold.

So, here's is my "customized" plan and I should have done this a long time ago. I have altered Hal Higdon's Intermediate 10k plan to suit my lifestyle and training for the Pinehurst Olympic Triathlon, while only sacrificing one day, which Hal says could be an additional day of rest anyway. In general, I'm keeping Tuesday through Thursday the same. I made Monday's my rest day (as they always have been) and changed the Friday rest day to a swim day. Saturday's cross training has been changed to my typical Sunday bike, which is basically a long ride (30-40 miles) where I attack the hills. Sunday, is the same as the plan: a long run.

Here's the rationale:

1) Eliminate all but one day of swimming. Most triathlon plans call for multiple days of swimming. I think the basis for this is that most people are weak swimmers. I am not. I am consistently in the top 25% overall for swimming in every race, while I am in the bottom 50% for the bike and run. So, obviously, I need to do less swimming and more running and biking. I am willing to sacrifice a little on my swim to get better on the bike and run at this point.

2) Make Fridays my swim day. It takes time to drive to the pool and back and change, etc. I have to come back home to take CB to school, except on Fridays. Making this my swim day gives me the option of coming back home or just going straight to work, or, showing up at the pool late (like 6 am) and getting a lane to myself. Or, and I have done this several times before, going to the pool at 5:30 am, busting out a quick workout and coming back home to make up for a missed run earlier in the week. I can do a quick double before work on a Friday, if necessary.

3) Eliminate all but one day of biking. Unfortunately this is a necessary evil. While I would certainly benefit by a short speed workout on a weekday, I just can't get out because of time constraints, traffic, and not having a trainer (which we can't afford right now). So, eliminate the weekday bike. Besides, depsite all the missed bike rides and accompanying anxiety, I still only rode one day a week between Kerr Lake (June 4) and Mission Man (July 30) and actually improved my pace over similar terrain, albeit a shorter distance. I just don't need the stress of trying to make an impossible workout. Furthermore, I think the races Ive been doing and the GI issues I have faced because of my inexperience in the fueling department have left me underrated on the bike. Depsite my best pace being 19+ mph this year and despite Pinehurst as being one of the more difficult bike courses, I am will break 21 mph at Pinehurst. Better pacing, better fueling, and better bike maintenance are all valuable lessons I learned this season that will help make this possible.

4) Increase the number of days and intensity of running workouts. The triathlon workouts I have been going by are suspiciously short of running I think. It seems a lot of the cookie cutter plans devote the most time to biking as that is the biggest event timewise in a triathlon. However, in a short few months of improving by leaps and bounds on my first road bike ever, I think I have fallen behind on running. I need to get back to this and really bring my times down. A 26:00 5k (my best this year) just doesn't cut it, especially since I know I'm capable of better. There is a greater likelihood of me taking a big chunk of time off my run than my actual bike (which as I said in #3, is probably faster than I have shown) at this point.

5) More running gives me more flexibility in my schedule. Let's face it, I have less margin for error in completing a weekday workout than I do a Friday or weekend workout. But I can always run safely and at whatever time I want when running. And I don't have to worry about getting run over by a landscaping truck while biking or getting a lane at the pool because I'm a few minutes late getting up. This will ensure I complete a greater percentage of my workouts.

6) Eliminate all doubles. I just don't have the time to do two workouts in day, especially with the new baby coming. By not scheduling a day of double workouts, I free up evenings for household responsibilities or possibly making up for a missed workout (after everyone goes to bed) or if everything is going super, squeeze in an afternoon speed workout on the bike.

So, there you have it. My first customized plan designed to reduce missed workouts overall and still be family-friendly. I hope it works as I will be putting it to the test at my second biggest race of the year: Pinehurst.