January Gone
January has come and gone. While it was good to get back into running after the break, the weather and the decisionnot to run in the rain has done it's damage. Only 61k on the road and not a single 1 hour run to beat 10km.
The goals I set for January have not been achieved. February will be different. Rain will not stop me from running. My target is to run a minimum of 120km, being 1 hour runs, 3 times a week, with an average of 10km/hour or greater.
Again, once I make 3 runs out of 4 of 10km or more, the weekend run is to step up to 90 mins aiming for 15 km. Some speed work should assist in getting the 10km/hr speed more consistently over the longer distances.
The family has decided to aim for a Sunday outing each week. With the large number of beaches, I should be able to get a couple of swims into the month as well. Some bike work on the trainer can be added, but the focus is to get the running back on track. I need to be able to cover 15km in 90 mins each weekend comfortably.
2009 Goals:
- Mackay Half Marathon - July - 2:06:36 (6:00 min pace)
- Capricorn Half - August - 7:00:00 (1 hour PB)
- Validate for Ironman - August - 2010
Wet Season
While I love living up here in the tropics, wet season can play havoc with training.
Each morning this week, I have been woken up around 5am to the sound of rain pelting down. We're not talking about a misty shower or a bit of drizzle, but a tropical downpour. I've tried running under these conditions before, only to be soaking wet, and having to wring out socks before I've finished the first km.
Although the rain has been consistent, thankfully it's nowhere near the 600mm in 6 hours we got last year.
What do I do? Do I get back to the 3 x 1 hour runs weekly and push to the 90 min run when I get 10k consistently as planned or do I push forward to the longer runs as I hoped to have achieved the first goal by the end of January?
Of course, with 3 days left in January, I could manage both if I get a break from the weather and get in 3 good runs. Another alternative is to dust off and repair the bike and set it up on the trainer for some indoor bike practice. In 3 days, I'll know what's what.
Slow but steady start
The start of 2009 has been slow but steady. After the failed marathon attempt on December 29th, I have started to build a base from which to start my Ironman assault. The plan is to run 3 days a week for an hour each time, with the aim to cover 10k or more each time.
Doing 3 out of 4 runs over 10k, is the first target. Once achieved, one weekly run will increase to 90 minutes and speed work will be added. The speed work is to run 2k in 10 minutes, take a 5 minute break and then do the 2k run again.
Cycling will wait until I am doing the 2 x 1 hour runs, 1x 90 minute run and speed work.
Swimming can be hard to arrange, but I tried on my wetsuit and did a couple of laps in the backyard pool. I'm not a good swimmer and it will probably take a couple of months before I can cover 2k again. Weekends will be the most likely time, so I'll work on getting them into my schedule.
Key events for 2009 are the
Mackay Half Marathon, which takes place in July and the
Capricorn Half Ironman, which takes place on 16th August. It's the Capricorn Half that is the "now or never"event. If I don't validate for Ironman, then it could be curtains for my ironman aspirations.
I've made a promise to my partner, that when we marry, she will be marrying an Ironman. We have set November 2010 as the date, so that doesn't leave much margin for error. It's
IMOZ March 28th 2010 for me.
Wasted Year
We've come to the end of 2008 and I can see another year has gone by without achieving my triathlon goals.
The number one goal for 2008 was to improve my HIM time and get set for IMOZ 2009. Between work, family, moving house, family members being in & out of hospital and just not getting the work done, I ended up not even competing in a HIM for 2008.
Toward the end of the year I set my sights to run the marathon distance. Agsin due to busy lifestyle and not devoting enough time to training, my marathon fell in a hole at the 27k mark.
The new year hopefully will bring in a better set of circumstances and get he to IMOZ in 2010.
