At this point, I've been doing the Yoga for about 13 weeks, and with the end of February rapidly approaching, it is time to start formulating a plan for training over the next few months.
The goal, of course, is to build up to be able to do the half iron in June. As of this day, I have four months.
First off - the swim. I've been pretty diligently going to the pool 2-3 times per week, swimming a total of a mile each session. While it would be nice to see some more rapid improvements with regards to time, I have to keep it in perspective - for a presumed 7-8 hour event, the swim is approximately 30 minutes of that - so while it is worth putting time and effort into increasing swim endurance and time, the level of effort to eek out another minute of performance could probably be better spent elsewhere (yes, I'm looking at you, mr bike). So the primary goal with the swimming training is simply to be able to finish the mile distance with as little fatigue as possible. Once the weather warms up a bit, I'll be able to do a few sessions in the lake that can bring the distance up from 1 mile to the required 1.2 miles. So, for all intents and purposes, swim training could be brought down to once/week if need be - but if I can get it to 2x per week, that'd be ideal.
Next - the bike. With the bike being the longest, by time, event in the triathlon, I should probably spend a major portion of my time and effort on it - if not a decided majority. I need to work up to a 60 mile ride, and I should probably do three or four rides of that distance before the event. I'm hoping to make riding to work be the bulk of the miles I put on the bike. Even though it is only 17 miles and takes about an hour each way - being able to do that commute 2-3 times per week would be really nice. During those sessions, I could vary the intensity to build up strength, or go hard and fast for the first half of the commute to tire myself out, and then I'm forced to extend my stamina during the latter half. Buildup of mileage in a single, long ride would be done on weekends when I have more time to do so. So in total, I'm hoping to do a bike ride 3-4 times per week.
Finally - the run. This time around, I have no desire to put any real emphasis on speed work. I'll have enough to worry about in building up stamina for a half marathon after 56 miles on the bike, without having to worry about whether I'm keeping a certain pace. I've learned over the past couple years that speedwork is what kills my IT band. In a way, going with no shoes will help this - it gives me something else to concentrate on during my training. My hope is that building up the required stamina for going with no shoes will also help govern the amount of intensity I put on my hips and quads, which have a history of tightening up when pushed too much. I also want to avoid running on successive days, and I'll need to have at least one session per week of mileage build up. So I'm thinking running will be about 3 times per week.
So - swimming 2x per week, biking 3-4x per week, and running 3x per week. And we can't forget about Yoga. I think that needs to get in there 2x per week - if for no other reason than to help maintain pliability of connective tissue in the hips, and maintain core and hip flexor strength. So we have 11 sessions to squeeze into 7 days. And rest! Gotta have some rest in there. Trying to fit 10 lbs of shit into a 5 lb bag.
But I think it can be made to work, with some alternating weeks between a long bike ride and a long run. So it might be something like this:
Sunday - Yoga, swimming
Monday - Bike commute
Tuesday - swimming, short run (3-5 miles)
Wednesday - Yoga
Thursday - short run (3-5 miles)
Friday - Bike commute
Saturday - Long bike ride OR long run (alternating weeks)
Unfortunately, with my work schedule and travel, no schedule will hold the entire season without some interruptions. Plus, there will certainly be days where I just need some time off. So the above schedule is just a template, but it'll kinda change week to week. However, there are some definite's on a weekly basis that need to be included:
- Yoga 2x per week. Given that yoga helps every other discipline in some way, shape, or form (either in preventing injury, or increasing flexibility), this is essentially non-negotiable. Pecking order for workouts to be given up in favor of Yoga would be swimming, then a short run, then a bike ride.
Also, the Sunday Yoga was put in for a specific purpose - to follow the long bike/run of the previous day and hopefully counter and tightness that might result from that activity.
- Long run/bike ride every week. Absolutely essential to build up the endurance necessary. It the weather is not favorable for a long bike ride (ie, rainy) - I may have to shift weekend yoga to Saturday, or maybe do long runs two weeks in a row.
The fewer absolute requirements - the better. Given those requirements - a feasible schedule might be to do swimming and yoga during the week, and only ride/run during the weekend, with those being the longer distances. I think that would still work for my purposes, and there may be weeks that essentially turn into that.
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