Once The Flame Begins To Catch!

"You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flame begins to catch
The wind will blow it higher"
Biko - Peter Gabriel

The above is a great verse from one of the best songs from Peter Gabriel, who may be one of the greatest performers of all time. I believe the verse can be appropriate for all who strive to achieve greatest or a goal with an unfettered determination. It is kind of how I feel about my return to triathlons with each passing workout. I sometimes wonder why I did not return to triathlons sooner but now I will make the most of this opportunity. I figure as February moves along some more official race schedules should coming out and I can start to set a schedule leading up to Ironman 70.3 National Harbor on August 5th.

This past week was my biggest volume in regards to total miles and time working out. I did not top the 20 mile mark running but I did have two of my best runs since returning to running. The endurance in the pool is definitely climbing and it is getting a lot easier to just jump in the pool and knock out 1500-1700 yards. The quality of bike riding remains high and despite training with tri's in mind, I know I will be able to drop some solid bike races still. This week is scheduled to be the highest volume week of my base building phase.

Training Totals
Week
Bike - 6 rides/ 196 miles/ 8.89 hours/ 22.04mph
Run - 3 runs/ 17.5 miles/ 2.04 hours/ 7:00 per mile
Swim - 2 swims/ 1.75 miles/ .79 hours
Total - 11 workouts/ 215.25 miles/ 11.72 hours

Year
Bike - 34 rides/ 1084 miles/ 49.78 hours/ 21.77mph
Run - 18 runs/ 110.5 miles/ 13.16 hours/ 7:09 per mile
Swim - 13 swims/ 10.7 miles/ 5.12hours
Total - 65 workouts/ 1205.2 miles/ 68.06

Goals this week
Bike - 6 rides/ 195-210 miles
Run -3-4 runs/ 18-22 miles
Swim - 2 swims/ 1.75-2.o miles

As training progresses, I still have the goal of going sub 4:45 at Ironman 70.3 National Harbor but I am curious to see what Lance Armstrong does tomorrow as he competes in Ironman 70.3 Panama. He is also returning to his roots this year and has several Ironman events on his plate. My goal of 4:45 may change after tomorrow.........

TdO '12 - rehab the knee buddy!