First Ride of 2010
Everyone seems to blogging and tweeting about their great early season workouts which is leaving me feeling a bit behind schedule. Not that I regret taking a couple of weeks off for vacation over the New Year period, I am just feeling a little bit anxious when you consider that there are less than 4 months until Ironman St. George. So I am making some changes in my training routine and getting down to some more serious training.
Before I get started on a new program though, I am going get some lactate testing done by my coach Calvin Gehlen at Finish Line Coaching. This way I will have some accurate early season benchmarks with which to measure my performance as I progress through my training plan.
I have also signed up for 10 weeks of spinning classes at my local gym. I haven’t been to a spinning class in several years so I am really looking forward to returning. Sorry Coach Troy, it’s nothing personal, we will still see each other throughout the winter however I need something more from my indoor cycling at this juncture. I am moving on.
I am also starting group rides with Pacific Spirit Triathlon club this weekend. I am looking forward to having the group push me harder and faster than I might do on my own at this time of the year. Good bye comfort zone.
I need also need to make changes in my swimming routine. I am just not making any improvements in my swim performance by only attending Masters Swimming. So much of their training focus is on preparation for swim-meets and therefore we spend far too much time perfecting things like flip-turns and dive starts. What I really need right now is some triathlon specific workouts so that I can really focus on improving my stroke efficiency and speed. So I have asked Coach Calvin to setup some structured workouts for me staring in February. I have also been put on the waiting list for the swim program at Pacific Spirit who runs a triathlon specific program (and they have a new coach who is a former Olympian).
I am not planning to make a whole lot of changes in my training routine for running. However I am attending a run clinic this weekend that is being hosted by uber runner Jay MacDonald (one of the fastest 10 km runners in Canada). The clinic should be fun. Jay has promised to keep a bucket at the side of the track just in case we need to vomit after a particular heavy set of intervals. Now that sounds like fun, no?
So I am changing things up and starting the New Year off right, a little late perhaps but hopefully, like the cliche says, better late than never.
