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Ironman Training Year 1 Recap

2016 was the first year of training for Ironman in 2018.  For the most part there was a lot of progress and improvement, with a few sidesteps.

In March I broke 2:30 for the half marathon for the first time.  It was truly anticlimactic.  I hadn't come closer than 2:32 in several years of trying to break 2:30.  Then it happened.  With a 2:28.  In Dallas.  With no one there.  I've done it three times this year.  So I guess I am a 2:30 half marathoner now.  I am also able to consistently pace 2:45.

May was the most awful Olympic distance tri ever at Bonkers.  Paired with the irony of "earning" an invitation to AG nationals based on that race.  Small races are weird that way.

Early June is Monumental Mile.  I always think I'm going to break 10:00 and never quite get there.  Until I ran 9:41 this year.  Still not sure how to feel about that.

In June I was anxious about the Grand Rapids tri/Athena nationals.  I was still owning the awful experience at Bonkers, but David and my parents were there for this one.  And I had a great race.  31 minutes off PR.

But I was still terrified of the bike course for Muskoka.  No amount of reassurance from David or Matt was making it seem better.  But we got to Huntsville and drove the bike course.  And it was going to be ok.  Then we were out on a training ride, which had some big hills...the hills were fine, but nearly getting hit by a concrete truck was distinctly uncool.  I forgot my watch at the hotel, but had a great race, taking 37 minutes off my IM 70.3 Muncie time.

Tri Indy wasn't anything spectacular...not fast, not slow.  But consistent.  Apparently I can keep an Olympic tri under 3:30 now.

Marathon training season was a mixture of crazy hot and raining.  Crazy hot for speed work on Tuesdays and raining for long runs on Saturdays.  Almost every week.  The leadup to the Detroit Marathon was awful (BMW wreck, Erika's death), and the race was warm (mid-60s) and it rained from 17-23.  And there was a side stitch at 19.  And what was supposed to be my first sub-5:30 marathon was over 5:40 again.

In the fall David ran three 5Ks and managed to beat my 5K PR twice...so I was supposed to reclaim the household 5K record at the Donut 5K, but an ice storm had different plans, so that will have to wait.

Overall swimming is going well, I have a new bike that will be exciting to ride in the spring when I can ride outside (still on the Giant on the indoor trainer), and running seems to be going ok.  There was cadence-gate but I think we're all moving on.  I have been lifting weights since May and am doing reasonably well in the gym.  I am going to TRX and yoga when I can too, as additional strength and flexibility work.

I found out that IM Louisville has a 16 hour time limit rather than the standard 17 hours.  That puts more time pressure on, but there's still time and work to be done.  Pushing on into year 2.

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