The Forge

This week, more than ever, I feel like I'm starting to put the pieces together for a strong season. Slowing but surely, I'm begining to chip away at the dross that this winter's off-season has left me with and create what I hope to be a finely tuned machine. While I'm still struggling to show any kind of speed in any of the 3 sports, I feel like the steps I'm taking are in the right direction. Overall I plan to go in with a stronger core and legs. If I learned anything while training for the marathon, it was the need to take better care of my body. That includes stretching, nutrition, and rest. I was telling a friend just yesterday that while training, I never experienced so many aches and pains in training for a Half Iron as I did training for a marathon. Considering the Half Iron takes me 2 hours longer to complete, that seems a bit off, but running can be really tough on the entire body.

This week, I'm going to be working on putting a little more speed into my game. My legs are too accustomed to running at a Mary pace, so things are going to have to change. This can only mean it's time for the dreaded hill repeats and sprint sessions. Neither of which I'm very fond of. Luckily, I live in a town full of great medium sized hills not too far from the house. The bad news is there are too many houses along the route which may lead to a few spectators seeing me lose my lunch after a few sprints. Lance Armstrong is notorious for being able to keep a stoic face on the toughest of climbs therefore not allowing his competition to tell whether or not he's struggling. I haven't quite developed that ability. My pain is usually clearly marked on my face with bright lights and neon arrows pointing at the tears and drool pouring down my chin.

No races are on the calendar just yet, just possibilities. So stayed tuned as the season unfolds.

Tail winds!