Christmas was an great opportunity to gorge on some delicious foods ( see my weight graph...ouch!) and forget the training just a bit. Since I was off from work and there was no spinning class, I really relaxed a bit. I banned myself from running for a good week after the few knee worries I've had and I have to say this was the right decision. This week end, I ran twice and went skiing (vid below) and there is no issue with the knees. YAY!
Yes the video is from a GoPro H3. I have finally got around to unpack it and start using it, so I'll definitely try to post more footage here...
I have only gone swimming only twice last week and just did the minimum on weight training.

Yesterday I went to Sundance and skied for a few hours and then  gorged myself (again!) on the fabulous Foundry Grill Buffet with a bunch of friends. Later in the afternoon I did a 8.5 mile run and felt great. I feel ready to crank up the mileage again! (Slowly though...)
All that relaxing and late night craziness means the return to the routine is a bit hard. Again, I feel a bit jet lagged this morning and the swimming has gone completely out of control again! I feel optimistic however: my running injuries seem behind me and I feel ready to fully implement my training plan.

My swimming is still really bad. I feel like I fell back almost to square 1. I am really struggling to maintain decent forward momentum and I am out of breath in a couple of pool lengths. I might be able to use this video tool to improve my technique though. Before watching the video, I never realized how much my legs were sinking. A new focus point for me...
Tonight (New Year's Eve) will be another crazy night with 30-40 friends and there will be no possible avoidance of excess indulgences...

This week, is my third week of my new Ironman plan and I am starting to feel better... finally. the first couple of weeks were a nightmare. I was sick, jet-lagged from the new schedule and basically nothing was going right. A little bit of persistence and I am now emerging a bit stronger and more confident that I can do this.
I have gone every day to the spin class since 12/16/12, including optional days and not planning to miss any. That's 6 days a week. I am slowing getting used to the brutal 4 am wake up every day...

My typical day goes like this:
4am wake up, prepare+breakfast till 4:30, drive to the class (35min). Spin class is 60 to 90 min depending on days. Then I drive to the pool (20 - 25min), I swim for about 20 min (this time will slowly increase...) and by 7:30 - 8:00am I drive to work (15 min drive).
At lunch I try to do some weight training, if not I do it when I am back at home. I leave work around 5:30 pm and drive back home (30min). Then it's time for either a core workout in front of the TV or I go out and run (right now I don't run much because of my knees...). Just enough time left to have a quick dinner, then I'm off to bed at 8pm. 

One of the side effect of this schedule is that my weight has been dropping like hell. So far so good though (I lost about 5 lbs to 137 lbs in the last 2 months). However, I will have to stabilize my weight pretty soon as I do not have much more to lose...
That is a tough schedule which could be improved a lot if I didn't have to drive so damn much... I guess that when the days are warmer and the spinning class is over, I might be able to bike to work instead of driving which will be a much more efficient use of my training time.

This week. I started running again for the first time since 12/10/12. After work, yesterday, I ran about 8.5 miles in my usual Porter Rockwell trail in Draper. Temperature was in the teens to low twenties ( in Celcius that's about -7 to -9). I took the dogs with me and we loved the run!! 
It may seem strange to most but running at night is my favorite. That and the low temperatures and I am right in my element. Running through the dark trails has a different quality and feel which brings me a lot of peace and joy.
The run felt great. No pain in my knees, fairly conservative 7:30 to 8:00 min/mile pace. It was pure enjoyment after such a long break from running.
I knew I should not have run that long for a first time but I really did not want to stop. This morning though I felt it in my knees during the biking. I will have to take more time off running and ease up the mileage next time.

Swimming has been improving steadily as well. My first week was terribly demoralizing. I was not able to swim more than 5 pool lengths (25 yd) at a time without stopping. I could not catch my breath, my muscles were burning and I was really wondering if I'd ever improve. After taking a membership at the pool and stubbornly going almost everyday, I finally had a (small) breakthrough this Wednesday. I managed to swim 10 pools lengths without stopping.
Sure this is an incredibly modest achievement by any swimmer's standards, but for me, this was huge. This morning, I completed 500 yards, only stopping briefly after a few pool lengths. My pace is still very slow. In fact, i can barely pass the octogenarians swimming casually next to me. But finally, I am starting to feel I can swim for longer without total exhaustion.

I have 2 more spin class until the holiday break. Next week I am off from work, and with no spin class and my break from running, I am not sure what I am going to do with myself.

These last couple of weeks, I have been feeling really bad...A rhinovirus, came to visit my lungs...twice, and now I am battling a food intoxication due to questionable seafood. Not to mention, my knee (not so much the left, but the right this time) is still bothering me since the last marathon race.
I am in my second week of IronMan training and the change of schedule is an added stress to my body.
All to say that I have decided to make some drastic adjustments to my plan.
1) Since I signed up for an IronMan in September 2013 (instead of November) the time to train is shorter and I had to re-evaluate my training priorities. This means that I am cutting my speed training / contest out of my program.
I have too much to worry about right now for this to be a priority.
2) I really need to focus on swimming. I am not getting the results that I need at the moment, so I really need more emphasis on it
3) My body is really sending me some messages that it urgently needs a break. With the stress of the new work outs, I need to back off in some other areas. Since I have had a streak of running injuries, I have decided that it is time for me to take a break from my favorite activity. 

There it is.. On paper, I liked my new plan.. But right now, I am not capable of doing it. I need to first cut down on the running to recover from my injuries while slowly ramping up the other disciplines, acquiring the necessary skills, endurance to do everything at once.
Right now, getting into the rhythm of a proper ironman training is really kicking my butt.
I get up at 4 am everyday, and that alone, considering that I am not at all a morning person, is a real challenge.  
I will be posting my revised plan soon, but it roughly goes like this:
-Bike (spin class in winter time) 5 to 6 times a week (60 to 90 min)
-Swimming 4 - 5 times a week. 
-Running, when recovered, I will go back to about 40 - 50 miles a week. 
-Weight training 3x per week
-Core training 3x per week (to prevent future injuries)

As I mentioned, swimming is still my biggest challenge. I have signed up to a new gym which allows me to go to the pool often. I am swimming very badly at the moment. In fact, I am able to swim only 5 pool lengths (5*25m) in one go. After that, I get exhausted as I am not able to breathe properly. Right now I do only 300m during each pool session and I end up a bit defeated every time as the improvement is slow or non-existent...

The biking class is good. I don't find it particularly difficult or tiring at the moment but it might be because it is only the beginning of the class.
However, tomorrow, I have a 20 min time trial in zone 5 which may be my biggest challenge on the bike yet.

The running is currently on hold. I am a bit worried that I will lose a bit of my running shape, but I am also aware that I need the break.

I also alternate core and weight training sessions, which I keep fairly brief and basic. My weight training consists of a chest exercise (push ups or flat bench press), a back exercise (lat pull downs or row) and abs (usually reverse crunches)
My core exercises are the most boring aspect of my training. They don't appear to produce any immediate tangible effect, but I know that in the long run they will help me avoid injuries. The exercises in the routine were prescribed to me by my physio and are custom designed to address some of my core weaknesses.

I have yet to find my groove in this training which is tough both physically and mentally even though I am in the early stages of it and consequently at the easiest difficulty level.

By far the biggest adjustment though is the early wake up. When I wake up at 7:00 am, I am a zombie, so at 4 am now... I really am in another dimension. In the long run, if I can adapt, it should be the most efficient way to organize my day to fit in all the exercise. 
Yes this Iron man project promises from the early stages to be the really tough challenge that I wanted it to be. 
Am I up for the challenge? ... One thing is for sure...I will be tested.

I flew in to Sacramento on the Saturday before the race. 
The night was short... Despite the hotel being full of runners planning an early wake up the next day, the Hotel staff had had the good idea to organize a huge (and quite noisy) party downstairs. The loud music and the loud deejay could be heard though a good portion of the night.
At 3:55 am, I woke up, feeling like I had slept a 4 hour night.. Hmm...go figure.
After a quick breakfast, I was off to the starting line in the race shuttle.
It was a quite rainy, windy, dreary morning. The runners were allowed to stay in the bus until a few minutes before the race, but when I stepped out, I immediately felt the extend of the challenge I was about to face. Never in my life had I run a marathon in these conditions. The wind was strong, projecting a stinging cold rain in my face. The forecast had been right. The runners would be facing this weather probably till the finish line.
The marathon was quite impressive in size. Several thousand runners were waiting in the rain before the start line and the crowd seemed to stretch forever.
The start was a bit chaotic. Runners of all sizes and paces were trying to make their way to the start line and it took me a couple of minutes to find my stride. 
My goal, this time, was just to finish the race, but I did start at a 3 hour marathon pace to see how long I could manage it. As it turns out, not very long...
The course was meandering through residential neighborhoods and I quickly took a measure of its difficulty.  In addition to an omnipresent head wind, the course was a succession of rolling hills. The hills were never very steep but the course was never flat either. Some long stretches of  slight incline in the wind and some shorter and steeper hill quickly eroded my energy.
I managed to stay at a pace between 6:40 and 7:00 min / mile for about 8 miles, slowing down uphill and catching up downhill. I felt my left knee injury from the beginning of the race  but once my legs warmed up, it was fine. The pain came and went throughout the race, but never to a point that I could not manage.
The first miles were the worst weather wise. The gusts of wind were sometimes so strong that they would almost me you in my tracks. The rain was relentless and my feet got drenched quickly running through the streams of water crossing the streets. At 12 miles, I already felt really tired. Usually, in a marathon race, I always tell myself that the race has not started until at least the halfway point. The first half should feel easy... Well, this was going to be an interesting race. At this point, the thought of giving up was trying to take a hold in my mind. What the hell was I doing here? Was it really worth it? Even if I ran the rest of the race really well, I could not beat my PR... What was the point of prolonging the pain in this stupid weather? 
Every time, I pushed away these thoughts. I would not DNF, This was good mental training. I would not give up the minute it was getting tough. 

However, mile after mile my pace slowed down. For a while, I managed to hang on at about 7:30 / mile. By mile 16, I was going about 8:00 / mile. Many groups of runners passed me and every time,  I tried to follow them. But I really was not in the shape to hitch a ride behind any of them. The amount of effort required to keep up was way too much for me. I would hang on for about 30 seconds and little by little, let the train of runners drift away.
At mile 20, I was counting every quarter mile and soon the pace slipped close to 9:00 /mile. At mile 24 the 3:25 pacer and his followers passed me as if I was not running. 
I really did not want to let these guys go past me. I pushed my pace to follow them. 
The difference of pace was quite significant. They were running at about 7:30 min/ mile and it took every ounce of mental strength not to let them run past me. I gathered my strength and accelerated to follow the group. It was quite a radical change of pace at this stage, but I convinced myself that I could maintain this pace for just a couple more miles.
At mile 25, the pacer said:" Okay guys, if you have anything left, just go for it now!". When I heard that, it really triggered something in me. Some unknown resource from the depth of my being commanded me to surge forward.
I pushed hard and ran to the front of the group. Then, I continued at a fast pace for a little while. But very soon, at mile 25.5, I was spent... I slowed down again and the 3:25 pace group caught back up with me.  Soon they were slipping away, some 50 yards in front of me. In the crowd, cheering loudly, I heard someone shout at me: " Come on!, you can catch that 3:25 group!"  As silly as it might sound, this really helped me refocus mentally... I managed to summon my mental resolve once again and I ran as hard as I could, caught up with the group, and ran passed it. 
A last left turn and the finish line was in sight. I accelerated even more, sprinting, feeling almost no pain at this point.
I crossed the finish line with a burst of emotions. Yes, this was my slowest performance of the year, but one of my most epic runs ever. 
It was painful from the early stages and I could not wait for the finish line, but in the end, the reward was at the measure of the effort.
I think this is one of the first time where after having mentally disengaged from the race due to pain a fatigue, I forced myself to reconnect and significantly affect my pace. A small victory, and something to keep in mind for future races. Even when you have nothing left in the tank, you actually have lots of energy left. Even if you are not aware of it, a lot of energy is just waiting for your mental strength to unlock it, to unleash it. 
I realize that have quite a big reserve to tap into still... Shortly after I crossed the line, a runner tapped my shoulder. As I turned back towards him, I realized that he was not calling me. He was simply trying to hang on to my shoulder as he was loosing his balance and collapsing backwards.
Another example that shows me how far some people are able to push themselves to achieve their absolute best on the day.
It is this mental resolve that really inspires me. It is this resource I am just learning to tap into and my ability to mobilize this hidden energy, to bend my mental limits is something I want to learn to achieve. I will need it in my future races. I can't imagine completing my Ironman without having to rely upon it.

With my injury still bothering me and considering of the last few weeks speed sessions bad results, I decided to stop and regroup.
With the California Internation Marathon in Sacramento coming up, I decided to do a couple of endurance sessions. Since I had not had a proper long run in weeks, I decided to tried to regain a bit of endurance before the marathon. Of course, given the lack of training, I knew I was not going to break any records, but my priority was to try to get as much endurance training in the last couple of weeks to make sure the marathon would not be an ordeal and that I would be able to enjoy it.
On 11/18/12, I did a 14 miler, which was pretty hard. I had wanted to do 20, but on that day, I this is all I could manage. I completed the run in the trails behind Draper temple and the trails were extremely muddy and slippery. 
Consequently the run was very slow and a bit more energy draining than usual.

Then I took a 3 day break to let the knee recover a bit (it was still a bit painful in these long runs), I order to be ready for the Thanksgiving 5k. 
That race was a bit of a disaster. I finished it in about 21:30. A pretty slow time considering I have done 19:30-ish in training. This confirms the trend of bad results and lack of fitness I have seen on the track lately, Sure the course was tough with half of it uphill with nice inclines, but I really felt slow and sluggish throughout the run.
On 11/25/12, I completed another run in the hills behind Draper temple. Again, I had planned a 16 miler but 11 really felt quite enough. With steep uphill sections, this trail is more demanding than the Porter Rockwell trail that I usually deal with and as a consequence, long runs become tiring much more quickly. Still... For marathon training this is very light... Well quite inadequate in fact. 
I decided to run a last time on the Wednesday before the marathon. An 8 miler, at around marathon pace. This run felt pretty good. I finished it in about 58 minutes without pushing to the max. However, in the following next 3 days, my legs were incredibly sore. This was very concerning to me and outlining yet again my lack of fitness. I have done this run many times in the past, often quicker and without leg soreness of this extent. The marathon was going to be tough. At least my knee was starting to feel a bit better...