June 2010

June closes with both highs and lows, fortunately a lot more on the high side than the low side.

First the bad news, I gained 2.6 pounds during the month. I’m sure my increased training had something to do with an increased appetite, but many time my dietary choices were horrible with far too many excuses for sweet items being used. I’m going to be working on this during the month.

Next for the good news, of which there is a bunch this month. My total swim/bike/run miles were 276.5 miles this month, which easily eclipses anything I have done previously, and is at 1210.1 miles for the year (which, by the way, would have gotten me to the distance between home and Disney World in early June). Last month’s individual mile distances were 55.3 miles running, 213.7 miles on the bike (which does include a mileage estimate for spinning classes) and 7.5 miles swimming. This running total is my second highest monthly mileage for the year and the bike and swim miles are the highest for the year for each (and a close second highest month ever for the bike and highest month ever for swimming mileage!). With all this increased training I am feeling great, tired at times, but otherwise great. It’s been tough at times to figure out the best way to fit in workouts to my day, something which has been hampered by finding out several weeks ago that the gym local to my office was closing on June 30th, but I will make due.

Why the big increase? Well, I started working with a coach who is putting a plan together with me to meet my goals to get ready for my best performance at Ironman 70.3 Austin (Longhorn Triathlon) in October, and I am with her training group where I love the social interaction along with the training.

I feel I have already started to see the advances of my new training with the big 15:02 PR time at the recent Y Freedom Tri. Certainly, I was already prepared for a big PR for the day with everything I had already done to prepare myself but starting with a coached group at the start of June. However, on the run portion I felt stronger than I have ever felt on the run portion of any triathlon, pausing only to walk for short periods at water stations on the course. I have no events planned until another sprint triathlon in August, but I am really looking forward to that event already to see how much farther I can progress.

My biggest high point this month was registering for Ironman Texas. I had been thinking of doing an Ironman event in 2011, possibly Ironman Wisconsin and combining it with a trip to visit some of my wife’s family in the state. However, in the span of about 6 weeks the rumors I was hearing became an actual event, and an opportunity that I did not want to let get by me, as I become one of the very first to register as the website opened last week.

While last month wasn't perfect, I'll take it and try to do better this month! I know I'll be continuing to put in more time than I previously did training, and if I can couple that to a better diet, I'll be coming out so far ahead later this year.