June looking ahead, and committed...

I have had a bit of a think about the June goals and targets. The long run was my main sticking point. I sort of came to the conclusion that I just needed to HTFU (harden the f### up). Get my A into G, and do my long run on Thursday. So with that in mind I headed out on Thursday for the long run (post taking school cycling earlier in the morning, and after 3 reasonably steady days training). After an hour the calf starting giving a few twinges, then the hami started to tighten up quite a bit, and thought I better start making a B-line for home while I still could! Ended up a little under an hour and a half, when I was gunning for 1:40 (and then it was probably a 1:20 run that took closer to 1:30!). So back to the drawing board a bit on that part of the plan. Obviously not quite where I was hoping to be - yet anyway... Maybe I will do a long run Saturday every second week, and a shorter one on Thursday alternate weeks. It may end up that things get better as training progresses anyway. So the goals for this month are:

• Swimming: I was going to gun for 55km for the month, just steady maintenance, but I think I will cut that back to 50km, which will in effect be a little more, as the pool is closed for the last week of the month and this week is a bit of a hiccup with a public holiday on Monday. Keeping a steady volume is the main focus...
• Cycling: This month will be a kick in the pants on the cycling as were the last couple of weeks. Long rides are sort of under way - weather permitting, a couple of spin classes, and taking the school cycling for one morning. So that will be a couple of easier rides (long one especially), one hard ride (Tuesday spin class), and the school cycling will involve some efforts no doubt!
• Running: Minimum of 4 runs per week, I need at least one run over 1hr 50min, and would like two in this month. I think as an overall goal I will aim for 20 hours running in the month - that gives me 4 weeks and 2 days, and I will try for something like two 4-4.5 hour weeks and two 5.5 hours running/week (longer long runs those weeks). I might try to get a cross country in too - but no promises there! Hopefully that works for getting the running ticking along.
• Gym/stretching etc: I am reasonably happy where I have got to with the gym, as far as getting up to speed (or strength), now I just want to maintain, add a bit of variety and keep the progress a little more gradual. I think 3 weeks of twice/week, and one week with once will be fine. I had been catching up on a bit of reading, and came across a review of stretching research - and it had a list of studies supporting and refuting the effectiveness of stretching. So with that in the back on my mind I cut back on the relatively small amount I was doing to see what would happen. Don't think things got worse, but I don't think think it is the way to continue either. I am pretty sure I hear a ticking in the background, probably an explosive device in my calf... The thing to take out of reading research papers is that reading can be bad for you, and you can probably prove anything you want if you put your mind to it! I will stretch more, otherwise I know it will bite me!

One other thing that has been a little bit of an issue is dehydration! Generally not that much of an issue in winter - but I have really gone off drinking - water in particular. Get through to later in the day, and realize that I have been doing a camel impersonation. Normally I am quite good at getting through a good amount of water through the day, but I am not that much of a fan of cold water, and have really just gone off it in general! So I do have to be a little more diligent with the water and fluid intake in general life - not so much in training.

One other big thing this week - I actually entered Ironman!!! I think it maybe the second time I have entered before January (usually leaving it as late as possible) - and the other time was probably the 20th December! Back in the early days when I was asked early in the season (November/December) if I was doing Ironman, I would usually say - "I don't know yet". And it was true. I would generally do my "base" training over winter, or later on, an overseas season, then prepare for the Tauranga half Ironman or shorter distance national series races, then decide on Ironman, and do a preparation for that. Even if I had decided on doing Ironman earlier, I don't think I would have changed my training at all (with what I knew then - hindsight is a wonderful thing though!).

So I am now semi-committed!