Training Block 3: Complete

It's hard to believe I'm at the halfway point of training. When starting out it felt like a massive mountain to climb and then all of a sudden I'm halfway up.

Recap

Everything started in the base phase great but ran into a brick wall catching a nasty sinus infection. The net result was that week 3 of that phase was cut short and the recovery week was spent recovering more from than illness than anything else. I was proud, though, of how I pressed through on the mental side of it though. Sure that block of training wasn't perfect but, sickness, in large part is out of my control. Also the nature of having kids puts you at significant risk of illness so I need to expect it from time to time.

After that speed bump I was able to get into the groove and put together 2 strong blocks (8 weeks total) of work. I saw my FTP go up, my run threshold go up, and my swim CSS get faster. I can't ask for much more than that, honestly.

Mindset

As I traverse these blocks of training I'm trying my absolute hardest to avoid getting ahead of myself. In my brain I want to achieve a specific goal and usually it's much further out of reach than I like to believe. I need to instead let the natural process play out and improve at a rate that keeps me healthy for the long term.

Progress

My A Goal at Coeur d'Alene 70.3 is sub 5 hours. I think my swim and run will be strong enough to achieve that but my bike just isn't where it needs to be. I think I need to have an FTP around 250 to have a chance at that goal. My B Goal is sub 5:30 which I think is doable. Again, the bike course is my only concern. If the course was flat, no problem. But there's some climbing involved so, we'll have to see how it all plays out on race day.

My weight, unfortunately hasn't changed. It's a bit surprising considering how hard I'm working and I'm eating fairly healthy. I'm not going to worry about it right now, though. I'm enjoying the training and feel great. I'll likely need to do a couple of weeks of very low carb eating and limit the training during that time to get where I want to be.

Looking Ahead

My sinuses were acting up this week but I haven't fallen apart yet. So my fingers are crossed I can stay healthy enough to not miss any training leading up to the race. Looking ahead those, after this block I'd like to see my FTP bump up further than what it is now.

One more build block before we get into the Peak phases of training!