Ups and Downs

Well...I'm am at the grind..training hard and getting in some quality workouts. The swimming is coming along, and I'm definitely seeing some improvements. I also feel MUCH stronger than previous years on the bike and my running is still my strongest. I tried doing my Tabata intervals again this past week...I got through three of them, which numbers looking really good, but then it happened. The PowerTap decided to go out. I secretly think that it was because I was pushing so many watts...but in reality it was something else. I tried to get it going again, but then found it to be that the trainer was too tight on the rear triangle of my bike. By then it had been 10 minutes since my last interval, so I scratched the tabatas for the week. For the first three here were my numbers : 1054 watts (yes! a new all time high), 863 watts, 855 watts. So the numbers were good and I was feeling strong, but as with all technology, you can't always trust it. I will try the workout again soon so I'll let everyone know how that goes.

In other terms, I did my longest run of 6.5 miles just the other day. I have been sticking to shorter run as of late and will slowly increase the milage as time progresses. I think last season I focused on too much long running and eventually my running hit a plateau. I would like to keep increasing speed and improve as the season progresses.

For swimming...I hit a new point in my life. I swam this morning...........and I actually LIKED it! Sure I am not swimming ridiculous amounts of 8000 yds per day like other pros, but I am purely working on my stroke and getting the fundamentals in. I think that this was a problem with past seasons too. I would only just go to the pool to get in lots of yards and not work on drills/what my stroke should be like. I think that this is a problem with many first time swimmers. We figure that the best way to improve is to just keep swimming until we get a little faster. In reality, with swimming you should work out the flaws and develop a smooth and powerful/efficient stroke. I am slowly getting that and have been getting some help weekly from Well-Fit's head coach Sharone. Each time, I get helpful advice on what to work on and that is what I do for the remainder of the week. I am very excited to test out my swimming once the season begins and see some improvements. If I can drop 2.5 minutes from my 1500 meter swim (which is very realistic), I will be placing consistantly in the top 5, if not 3, overall in each olympic triathlon that I do. And that is not including my biking or running. I think that this will be a breakthrough season which will show my potential as a top triathlete.

Other than training...I am playing the waiting game to see if any schoools let me in for their physical therapy program. I also signed up to become a certified USA Triathlon Coach which I will be doing in May of this year. So things are heading in the right direction!

Well, now its off for an outdoor (yes OUTDOOR) run since the temps are cooperating today..gotta take advantage of that. Check back soon for some more updates!