Goal Numbers

I am planning. Honestly, I never really stop planning. It is no secret that my goal is to qualify for Kona. Earning a spot to Kona is dependent on how I place at a race. It isn’t just based off a time, like the Boston Marathon for instance. But that hasn’t stopped me from setting some goal numbers that I think will put me in the best possible position to earn that slot. I am a big believer in stating my goals out loud; it keeps me more accountable. So here are some numbers I am working on.

• FTP (Functional Threshold Power, how strong I am on the bike): 200 watts. Currently at 185 so I am getting close!
• Normalized Power: “An estimate of the power that you could have maintained for the same physiological “cost” if your power had been perfectly constant, such as on an ergometer, instead of variable power output.”- Training Peaks. I want to push 160-170 watts per Ironman ride.
• Weight: 125 pounds. I got down really close to this for Ironman Arizona. This is all about clean smart eating. Currently hovering close to 130.
• 100 yard swim pace: 1:30/100 yard for an easy/moderate effort. Currently swimming happily around 1:37ish/100 yards.
• Marathon Time: 3:40. I have run this before, and as long as this recovery keeps going well, I will run it again (hopefully in May!).

Ironman is such a big race that I have to break it down into manageable chunks or it is just overwhelming. I really hope to put this all together in the next couple years (before I turn 45 would be awesome!).

TrainerRoad Plan – All about the base

I have no real races on my calendar until May. Therefore I made the tough decision to take a break from being coached and manage my training myself and with the tools I have available. As soon as I start training for my marathon in May I will start back up with Jen. She has done so much for me and I believe in her training. I just needed to give myself a break when there was no upcoming race.

My plan for the next couple months is to use the training plans available in TrainerRoad to work on my cycling, run as much as I comfortably can, and swim around 10K a week.

The running is coming along pretty well. I had a tough week in early October where I was convinced that I may be developing another calf tear. So, I backed off for a couple weeks and then went back at it. Lesson learned, I need to take a recovery week while building up my running volume.

Swimming is swimming. Nothing exciting to report there. (but my Coeur Kona bikini is pretty awesome)

The most excited thing I am doing is using the Sweet Spot Base Mid Volume 1 training plan from TrainerRoad. The way the plan works is pretty slick and I am really enjoying it! I didn’t have a great FTP on the first day so I kept my original FTP and so far I am completing the workouts as prescribed! It will be great to see how I respond after the 6 weeks.