12th Week - Training For Ironman Texas 2020 - Six Months Until

The weeks have passed quickly and it seems I have not made too much progress.  But, I guess I have achieved the goals I set for this period.  My impatience raises its ugly head and I want to be in complete ironman shape and NOW.

But no matter how bad I want this or how hard and long I have trained, there is huge doubt to be dealt with.  There are medical issues with my wife which we are in the dark about.  The stress has already got into my head with the training. Now, it is doubly hard to get out there and train.  But, I would guess that most ironman participants have gauntlets to run through to get to the starting line. It is part of the journey and I would suppose it is one of the big reasons that completing one of these things is such a personal victory.  

After this next week, it will be six months to game time.  My revised goal is to just take it one day at a time; do the workouts if you can. If I get stopped by these things coming up, then I will have at least had this part of the journey.  So this new ironman plan is much like doing the ironman itself; one step in front of the other until you have to drop out or cross the finish line.  God bless.

11th Week - Training for Ironman Texas 2020 - Achieving Mediocrity

Again, no great week.  It seems like sometimes my training is missile locked on mediocrity.  Am I getting good at being and doing just enough to say I am training for Ironman Texas, yet not enough to truly prepare for it.?  Sure life gets in the way but it does for everyone who wants this.  

I did get in the long bike and managed the long run although I had to split that into a two-a-day to get it in.  This is more of the "just enough" mode  I seem to be in.  In writing my short book on this training venture, this journey, I have written an alternative ending where I quit this enterprise altogether and move away from ironman pursuit.  Right now with motivation in the toilet, that alternative ending seems might inviting to live out.

So, for the time being, I will just go on and see if this smoldering wet wood might eventually my somehow ignite into a flame.  That would be my first choice and my prayer.

Week 10 - Training for Ironman Texas 2020- 10 Weeks Done-Fire and Rain

As the song says, "I've seen fire and I've seen rain."  During this first 10 weeks of Ironman Texas training, I have sweltered in the heat and yesterday had to deal with dust and now rain and cold. I have bonked at the pool because the water was so hot and chilled in the same pool yesterday because the water was so cold. Through these 10 weeks, I have logged 206 running miles, 1114 biking miles, and over 11 swimming miles; all not great but incrementally a step up from the weeks previous to the training start.  It has been a good run of it.  I am blessed.  No matter how this turns out
"I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now."

What's next?  A step up in volume as I  wander off into areas more out of my comfort zone. The true testing of my will, and my spirit, and ultimately my faith, are yet to come.  But there is a wry smile on my lips and I just have this great feeling that no matter how it fleshes out: God is saying "face it. I am with you."

9th Training Week-Ironman Texas 2020

God must know I need an arrogance reducer built into my life as He seems to put enough disappointments in there to keep me humble. That tells me He knows I could never be humble without His help. Over the years I have come to find out there is not much else I can do without His help.  Yeah, this was not a great week.  I didn't get in the long bike or the long run, though I trained some every day. Got a couple of good swims in though.  That made the week seem much better and if I don't think about how long and hard the actual event is going to be, then I  can get excited that things -overall - are going pretty good.

The week started slowly and never really gained traction. It could be that  I haven't had a complete day off in a month and a half.  That could be a little severe for a 75-year-old.  It doesn't feel too severe right now. But over time, it might become cumulative fatigue that could be hard to get rid of.
So, perhaps I need to factor in a day off soon.  Perhaps, I need to pray for direction instead of trying to determine it on my own.  From experience, I know:  His directions will work better.