Training is about to begin

I'll provide a brief recap of the last 6 months that will kind of bring you up to speed on this adventure that I'm about to begin...

As my first post points out, I've kind of become absorbed by the sport called triathlon which includes swimming, biking and running.  2013 will mark my 5th race season.  During the first 4 seasons, I participated in numerous short and medium distance races until late last August when I finished my longest race to date; a half iron distance triathlon.  A 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike course followed by a 13.1 half marathon.  I'd trained for this event along with several other races since January 2012. 

In September I signed up as a bike course Marshall and a run aid station volunteer at Ironman Wisconsin.  Due to the fact that this race typically fills it's registration spots in mere hours, all volunteers were given a priority position to sign up to participate in the 2013 Ironman if they chose.  The primary reason I volunteered was to sign up in 2013...so at 5:00 in the morning on September 9th I was in line to do just that!

As many of you know, the majority of my time in the fall is spent hunting...Due to this travel, hearty meals of hunt-camp life and the holidays, I typically put on 10 lbs. from the time of my last race and the beginning of training in January.  This year was no exception despite my best intentions to avoid weight gain.  In November however, I returned to Lifetime Fitness and started what I called my "training to train" program.  My informal exercise included weekly spinning classes, a bit of running, swimming, strength and core work. 

About 6 weeks ago I met with my triathlon coach (Derek Lindstrom of Beyond Performance)and discussed the plan for the upcoming training season that would culminate with the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon in September. This will be twice as long as any of the races I've completed to date...a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike course follow by a 26.2 mile marathon run!
Anticipating January 20th as the official start of my training program, I have really upped my exercise effort during the 6 weeks since I met with Derek.  I feel strong and ready to begin the journey!