Finding Too Much

In two weeks, I will be competing in the Harvest Moon Half Ironman Triathlon.  This will be my first ever triathlon, it is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run for a total of 70.3 miles.  As a kid, I never learned to freestyle swim properly and so I started really learning to swim at the beginning of this year.  It has been a real challenge, and I still don't feel as comfortable as I'd like, but it is coming along okay.  My goal was to be able to finish the 1.2 mile swim.  I can do that.  I am going to be last (no, really), but I can finish.  I started training for this triathlon in earnest in the beginnig of June.  My training schedule has me doing each sport 4 times a week.  That is 12 workouts a week.  I train every day, and on most days twice a day.  Training takes between 2 and 3 hours each day.  It has been a lot.  Last weekend I biked the Tour de Cure (62 miles) and then hopped off my bike and ran for an hour  (A super speical thank you to everyone who supported both Erin and I in the Tour de Cure !!!!!).  The next day I ran 11 miles and then swam 1000 yards.  That is a pretty typical weekend for me, but everything had finally added up I think.  My workouts monday and tuesday were pathetic.  I tried to swim 2500 yards on Tuesday and finally called it quits after 1000.  I was exhausted.  I decided that my body had finally had too much.  I took the rest of this week off.  It was wonderful, and frankly, with Erin out of town, probably necessary.  Erin has been incredibly supportive of all of this training (I think she just likes the new swimming muscles...) which has meant the world to me.  I couldn't do it without all of her support.  After a couple of days rest, I ran 11 miles and swam 1000 yards today.  I feel a lot better.  There is still some deep down muscle fatigue, but I think the time has come that I can start working out again.  Anyway, after this weekend I start to taper for the race.  I am excited and feel ready.  My swim time really is horrid at about 50 minutes for 1.2 miles, and will probably put me dead last getting out of the water, but from then on I expect to make up lots of time on other folks.  I'm hoping for a 6 hour finish time, which will put me right about the bottom third.  Not where I'm used to finishing, my last marathon I was in the top 10% of finishers, but I am really excited none the less.  There is so much room for improvement!!  Once the race is done, I think that I will spend some time working on my swimming.  I know that I can do better, I'm fit enough, I just need a lot of work on the technique.  I would also like to run the Boston Marathon again next year.  I'd like to break 3 hours in the marathon, and I'd like to do it in Boston.  That is going to take a lot of work, I have a long way to go from where I am, but I feel like I have a great base to get started from.  We'll see how everything goes, but hey, you have to have a plan right?

-Jake