Friday, October 28, 2005

Cramming for Ironman

I ordered a few reading materials off amazon few weeks ago. On the website, it would take them December to delivery to me. I wasn't happy about that. To my surprise, they arrived today. So, let the cramming begin :) My goal is with these books (I also borrow a few others from the library), I can have a better training plan for 2006. I feel that this year the training plan is more or less fluky. It is more like "oh let me see, I think I can run 21 km right now. Ok, let's start there and move up". The triathlon distance I was training for I was very confident in completing it. My base was there since I rode 180 km the year before. It was just a matter of putting everything together.

For 1/2 IM next year, I want more than just finishing. Finishing is important. But I know I can train harder and compete better. :) In my tri, I was 11/21. That put me about 50% percentile. I think I can move up a bit. If I do this right, I think I should hit about 70% percentile. Well what that means in time, I will have to see. Planning a time is a fine balance. Too hard and I will burn myself out. Too easy and I will feel like I haven't gone all out. I know though that I have to train this progressively. Ease my body into the distance and intensity.

Here are my reading materials:

Sports Nutrition Guide: Minerals, Vitamins & Antioxidants for Athletes by Michale Colgan

Going Long: Training for Ironman Distance Triathlons by Joe Friel

Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel

4 comments:

mama d said...

Cliff,

All good things to you in your triathlon endeavors! You may want to peek in on a friend of mine, Louie Bonpua, who finished his IronMan while in chemotherapy (www.shrimplouie.com). Yes, his site has been unchanged since January 2002, when he left us (after carrying the Olympic torch). But, you may find him inspirational, as I certainly do.

Louie understood that God put him on this earth to talk about cancer (leukemia).

all the best,
kristin
triathlete/Team in Training coach
adopting from China

William said...

Hey, good post. Glad to see you getting organized. Joe Friel seems to be the name in tri-books.

One other sport nutrition book that really says it all is Nancy Clarks Sports Nutrition Guidebook. I have this book and am about 1/2 way through but it is THE definitive guide on what we should be eating as althletes.

Let us know how the Joe Friel books are.

MB said...

I just bought the Joe Friel books too. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

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