DO WORK

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks of downtime since Buffalo Springs. I tell you what...the break was nice! A chance to cool off, rest the legs and "Get Right" before a long build into IM Florida. I had been aching for break for some time....and was extremely happy when Buffalo Springs came and went. There were some small thoughts about pushing through to IM Wisconsin, but in the end...my focus and desire of doing well in Florida out-weighed everything else.

So...since Buffalo Springs, I've ran very little...actually...make that zero and cycled once! Until Tuesday this week, the only real activity I've seen is a little basketball, the StairMaster and walking on the treadmill. Oh yeah...turned a couple laps in the pool last week.

This week I've started the "base periodization phase" in my fitness once again. Getting strong in the gym and upping the yardage in the pool is top priority this week. Next week I'll bring up the bike and by Thursday...I'll lace up the shoes once again for a maiden voyage run. That should be fun....I can't remember the last time I went close to 3 weeks without running.

I mentioned periodization earlier. IM Florida is the most important race for me this year! I came into this season with aspirations of racing strong in Florida...and I have every intention of laying down the work needed to succeed.

For now, It's all base and weights. Not too scientific. Lots of time working the base foundation and many hours getting strong in the gym will be key priorities over the next several weeks.

CATS Half Ironman, Aug 18th will be my next race. Actually, I might run down to Austin for Jack's Generic Tri. I'll know more a little more about Jack's later on in the month. With regards to CATS, I always like racing this event. Beautiful venue, a solid field and an extremely brutal course. I actually think it's the heat and humidity that makes the course one of the hardest Half's imaginable. Just picture a beautiful lake with visibility up to 15 feet...rolling hills....pine trees as far as the eye can see and the temperature hovering around 110 degrees....with no wind and humidity that stifles just about anything you can imagine. Yep, I love this race so much I've done it 3 times, DNF'd last year and coming back for more! CATS should also give me a good idea where my fitness is!

Outside of those two...I've listed other races that are tops on my schedule heading into the last part of the season.

• Aug 5th - Jack's Generic Triathlon
• Aug 18th - CATS Half Ironman
• Sept 3rd - Austin Triathlon
• Sept 16th - Dave Scott Texas Man Triathlon
• Oct 7th - Longhorn Half Ironman
• Nov 3rd - Ironman Florida
• Nov 10th - Ironman 70.3 World Championship

You'll notice Ironman 70.3 WC right after IM Florida. Yeah, I know. 70.3 WC will just be for fun! Most important thing to remember is IM Florida is the most important race on the schedule! Everything else leading up to that day is gravy. If it interferes with recovery or healthy training...then it's gone from the schedule.

On another note and a more interesting one....Leading into IM Arizona I kept a detailed log of my training. Every day, I updated the weekly blog with details from every workout I did. Everything down to what I ate during large volume training sessions...to how I felt day in and day out was logged for future reference. Kind of like a very detailed diary. Next week on Monday...I plan on bringing the same thing back to website / blog. It will be for my benefit just as much as the reader. Hopefully both the reader (you) and myself can learn from my mistakes and successes along the way. I never presumed to know everything therefore the reason I leave myself open to scrutiny and or praise.

Until Monday next week...enjoy your training, and, if you live in North Texas, try and stay dry!

Later,

Mg