Week 3 (My rebirth into a triathlete)

If you read the previous post, you realize that I am now feeling like an athlete again. It is a funny thing, feeling like an athlete. Being an athlete is something that has defined me longer then my job or my family. I have been swimming, biking or running since grade school. It has always been a part of my life. The fatigue, the soreness, my body does not feel right without them. In fact, my wife would say that I am pretty grumpy when I am not exercising. However, she was amazed at how much got down after Ironman Florida last year.

Now on to the pressing details. Week three, 71 miles of biking and 30 miles of running. Anyone who looks at this, who has done an ironman will be under impressed. What is worth noting is that these workouts were done for the most part at zone 3 or above. My favorite workout of the week was 2 x 1.5 miles at threshold pace. Luckily for me my inactivity lead to a relatively slow definition of threshold pace. A second test in one week should have me at a little faster pace. I went out with someone from my local tri club that has really become an amazing triathlete over the past two years. He is 10 years younger and was pushing me pretty hard. We settled into 6:20 / 6:18 for the two sets. During the sets I really felt as though it was my legs not my heart limiting me. My HR was 160's with a Max of 189. It hurt, but it really felt good to push.

I will do my best to keep this updated. I am hoping to figure out how to add some pictures in order to spice up the thoughts. Everyone should consider themselves lucky that I did not post a pic of all the hair that came off my legs.

Stay focused,

JTG