I got a phone call from my dad the other night. He said my mom has been reading my blog and is "concerned". She thinks I should consider skipping one of my 2 upcoming events, either the century ride or the marathon. Ha ha! Moms.
Well, it turns out that my century ride has been downgraded from the 100 mile ride to the 55 mile ride at the Tour de Palm Springs. My dad's riding buddy in Palm Springs signed up for the 55 miler, so that, combined with my training and upcoming marathon, made the 55 miler seem like a better fit. That takes a lot of pressure off, but even riding "only" 55 miles, I am still a bit worried about keeping up with my dad! That's right--the 34 year old training for an IRONMAN is afraid of getting dropped by her 62 year old dad. Trust me, it's a legitimate concern! He rides like 20-30 miles at a time 3 or 4 or maybe more times per week! In other words, he is doing what I should be doing! When we rode a hilly course the day after Thanksgiving he smoked me on all the hills. And while the cycling portion of my training has been progressing very sporadically since then, he has been riding and improving consistently. I recently found out that he has a bet that he will beat another cycling friend in the 55 mile ride. That means that when my dad drops me at mile 10, we can both pretend that it is just due to his friendly rivalry with that guy.
So that leaves plenty of room to worry about the marathon. But I have decided not to worry about that either. I was concerned because my triathlon training doesn't really allow for the necessary running focus that effective marathon training requires. I actually found myself wondering: How am I supposed to train for a century and a marathon simultaneously and be any good at either one?! Yes. I actually had that thought. Right before I realized that is EXACTLY WHAT IRONMAN TRAINING IS!!!! That's what happens when you shift focus from your real goal! So I am just gonna keep on with my Ironman training and see what happens. I plan to work up to an 18-miler, then two days later, if I can run 10 miles, I think I am good to go for the full marathon. And if not, I will just downgrade to the half marathon! That is the real key to success: LOW EXPECTATIONS!
Well, it turns out that my century ride has been downgraded from the 100 mile ride to the 55 mile ride at the Tour de Palm Springs. My dad's riding buddy in Palm Springs signed up for the 55 miler, so that, combined with my training and upcoming marathon, made the 55 miler seem like a better fit. That takes a lot of pressure off, but even riding "only" 55 miles, I am still a bit worried about keeping up with my dad! That's right--the 34 year old training for an IRONMAN is afraid of getting dropped by her 62 year old dad. Trust me, it's a legitimate concern! He rides like 20-30 miles at a time 3 or 4 or maybe more times per week! In other words, he is doing what I should be doing! When we rode a hilly course the day after Thanksgiving he smoked me on all the hills. And while the cycling portion of my training has been progressing very sporadically since then, he has been riding and improving consistently. I recently found out that he has a bet that he will beat another cycling friend in the 55 mile ride. That means that when my dad drops me at mile 10, we can both pretend that it is just due to his friendly rivalry with that guy.
So that leaves plenty of room to worry about the marathon. But I have decided not to worry about that either. I was concerned because my triathlon training doesn't really allow for the necessary running focus that effective marathon training requires. I actually found myself wondering: How am I supposed to train for a century and a marathon simultaneously and be any good at either one?! Yes. I actually had that thought. Right before I realized that is EXACTLY WHAT IRONMAN TRAINING IS!!!! That's what happens when you shift focus from your real goal! So I am just gonna keep on with my Ironman training and see what happens. I plan to work up to an 18-miler, then two days later, if I can run 10 miles, I think I am good to go for the full marathon. And if not, I will just downgrade to the half marathon! That is the real key to success: LOW EXPECTATIONS!
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