Why I Don't Mind Winter So Much

It's not that I actually prefer riding on the trainer or running on the treadmill, but when I train this way, it saves me tons of time.  Unless it's a ride over 3 hours (2 more coming up this weekend!), I only need to go into my fridge and grab a bottle of Gatorade and/or Coke to drink.  So I save time because I don't need to:

• Mix up one or more bottles of Infinit or defizz Coke
• Load up a Fuel Belt (I have 3)
• Wash said bottles
• Spend time figuring out what to wear based on the weather
• Obsess about the weather
• Drive somewhere cool and/or safe to ride long
• Remember to put on my Road ID (yes I have one now)
• Pack a cooler so my bottles stay cold if I'm riding in Fermilab
• Transfer my "wallet" (it's a small case from a bike ride LOL), phone and spare keys to gym or bike bag
• Choose a nice looking outfit (I must represent, after all!), although I do do this indoors at times
• Load bike into car, take it out, load it back in, take it out, put it into the house
• Remember to pack a bag for dirty clothes
• Apply sunscreen
• Pack extra food if I'm driving somewhere
• Clean bikes

Swimming is pretty much the same for me year round since I swim indoors, although it actually takes a bit more time in the winter because I have to wear more clothes just to be outside and in my car for the short amount of time it takes to drive to/from the Y.  I know, I could walk, but that would add time with boots and all.

Maybe it doesn't seem like that much time that I'm saving during winter training, but trust me, it adds up quickly.  Now, you might think that is balanced out by the monotony of trainer riding and treadmill running.  Well, there's that.  But I have a good TV and a great sound system and I can have the music LOUD, and all my fluids are COLD. 

I also tend to train less in the winter months, and were it not for winter, I would probably kill myself year round!  Seriously!  Much as I'd enjoy living in a warmer climate, I just don't know how I'd stop myself from wanting to be running, riding and swimming outdoors A LOT all the time!

And since my winter indoor sessions (except for long runs when I'm training for a marathon which I will be after IMCOZ) are typically shorter than in-season, it's an opportunity for me to build/reinforce my personal HTFU, because I hate steady-state stuff on the trainer/treadmill, and typically do progressive rides/runs.  That IM-pace ride on Saturday bored the crap out of me to ride steady for such a long time, for example.  Rides like that are the exception rather than the rule.

The time I save from training indoors gets reallocated to other pursuits that I really enjoy, like cooking, reading, sewing, more strength training and relaxing.  Then there's that lack of yard work in the winter.  And you might say, but SNOW!  Well, yes, there's that, but I don't mind shoveling when it's just 1-2" and fluffy.  To me, it's an opportunity to be outside in it.  I should do more cross-country skiing, too, but oh well, not this winter.

I also like drinking wine in the winter with a good, hearty meal.  I'm just not into wine in the warmer months.

Finally, my house is much, much cleaner in the winter.  There isn't bike and run gear all over the place!

But hey, I'm leaving for Cozumel in 2 weeks and get to temporarily put winter on hold!  I used to regularly take a winter vacation somewhere on a beach before I started doing triathlons.  I'm going to start doing that again, even if it includes some sort of race.  In 2014, I'm going to Vegas in March, and in 2015, it's back to Orlando (can't believe I haven't been to Florida since 2011) for Dopey Challenge.  I am also going to try and get down to Florida this coming spring to impose on some friends that said I could come and visit whenever I want.

So as much as winter can be a pain in the ass at times, I'm going to keep my positive attitude about it being an opportunity for me to switch gears for a few months.

ROTPM: Day 1

Pics are here.

Checking the forecast last night, it looked pretty good for rain today, but still I acted as if that wasn't going to happen. I chose bike tops, shorts and socks, and run shorts and hats assuming it wasn't going to rain for 4 straight days.

I set my alarm, set the coffeepot, got my swim bag ready to go, cleaned 6 pairs of sunglasses (I have many others as well; but there are 6 that I wear regularly), cleaned and lubed LGL, and got to sleep.

It was funny that I felt the typical nervousness before a race as I lay in bed, and I even had some of "the dreams." Sometime during the night I also changed the parameters for days 1 and 2, figuring I may as well just make them the same, so 2100 yd. swim, 28-mile bike and 7.5 mile run. Which would mean that if I run 13 on Friday, then on Saturday I only need to run like 24 miles. "Only!"

When I woke up today, it was already raining, and there was a big radar blob that looked to hang around most of the day, and wimp that I am, I decided I do everything indoors today. I just didn't want to deal with cleaning the bike again, being miserable, and possibly contributing to worsening whatever touch of viral crap I have. So I got LGL set up on the trainer for when I arrived back from the pool, and packed a gym bag so I could run on the treadmill at the Y.

I left for Good Samaritan (the only open pool in the area, it seems), right on time, and I should have been swimming right at 6:30, but I decided to jabber with a couple of guys before I got going. No worries, I started at 6:40.

Since I hadn't swum since Friday, and Friday was a whopping 4,000 meters, it felt really good to swim! The water temperature was nice as was the air, and I was glad to do it. Somewhere during the first 500, I decided I should just swim 2500 yards each day of ROTPM, so I'll end up at 10,000 yards, which is sorta like Ultraman distance, but 10,000 isn't that hard anyway since I've been doing about 12,000 per week for awhile.

The swim went by quickly, and it was nice to take a hot shower before changing into my bike clothes. It was still raining when I left, and there was some rush hour traffic, but I was back home and got on the bike at 8:10AM, so I was sticking on my schedule only 10 minutes late. I put in a tape of the 2004 Ironman Hawaii (the year I did it) and settled in with my bottle of Infinit.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on the trainer, but it didn't bother me one bit, especially knowing all I had to do was 28 miles and I was fresh as a daisy! I actually stayed in the small chainring for the first 45 minutes just to force myself to not go too hard. I have discovered this year that I bike best when I can be at 100+rpm. My average cadence today was 105. At IMLP it was 92, which is good considering all the climbing.

I toweled off a little and headed to the Y (still raining), and got my favorite treadmill. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on a treadmill, but I thought it was a good thing I was on one now, as it would be a good way to reintroduce my legs to running for the torture I am putting them through in the next few days!

My warmup pace felt nice and easy, which is how it should feel, and I could have run harder and faster, but I chose not to.

I was on top of my nutrition today--following what I'd mapped out in my spreadsheet, and even drinking more while running that I normally do. So I get to do the same thing tomorrow! Only I hope it's not raining--I'd rather bike and run outdoors, but we'll see.

Here are today's totals:
Swim 2500 yards in 47:00 (pace=1:53/100 yds.)
Bike 28.125 miles in 1:24 (pace=20.09mph)
Run 7.56 miles in 1:11 (pace=9:23/mile)

Mileage to go:
Swim: 7500 yards
Bike: 195.9 miles
Run: 44.8 miles

Ouch!

It's still raining, and I must try and nap a bit, and then get up and eat, stretch, think about tomorrow and do it all over again!

I am still quite giddy over having been invited to Ultraman Canada, and I am very happy that I am doing ROTPM, because I am thinking of so many things that will be relevant to UMC. Even though I've done Triple T a few times, I am being more meticulous with ROTPM because there is that Ironman at the end. So off to bed I go, and will catch up tomorrow on Day 2!

ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!

ImpromptuMan Race Report

It's all contained in the pics! Read the titles and captions, and there you go!