Managing Progress

I am not sure if it was my recent "success" at my first half IM or whether it was when a friend PMd me to tell me he asked a group member: "Do you know who has really stepped up during training? He said: Jen! And that's correct. You are doing great!"... but I decided to examine my progress so far in IM training. And let me tell you, I was surprised.

1. Every Tuesday, the "group" rides bricks usually in LAV. It is a semi-hilly stretch with one of my highly hated hills, Griffith. Our brick is only 45 minutes and last night we had to add extra to our ride. Why? Because apparently, I have gotten faster. How fast? Well, I examined my data. In March, it took me 47 minutes to do that stretch. Last night, 33 minutes. What? No, I'm serious. Some of it has to do with my confidence on the bike. I still feel like it is my worst leg of the Tri, but I am coming along. Here is another example. First time, my average was 13 mph, last night it was 17.4 mph! Woot!!

2. Also, on Tuesdays, part of our brick is a run. In February, my 15 min run netted just over 1 mile... average was 1.2. Last night, we ran 1.67 in the same 15 mins. Again... that is a nice increase. Another significance is that I am riding faster (harder) and still able to run faster after! Woot!

3. During the Build Phase of my IM training plan, we swam 3000m. Once every 2 weeks, we had a straight 3000m swim without stopping. It became a great tool for examining my progress. The very first time I swam 3000m in 1:10. The last time: 1:02. That is an 8 minute decrease with the same effort level meaning I wasn't trying to beat my time. I simply swam and timed it.

The Peak Phase of my training began this week. As I told my husband: 9 weeks of hell before the big day. Swims increased to 3500m, long rides will get to 5 1/2 hrs and long runs to 3hrs. It is really going to wreck havoc on my family - basically mommy is busy during the weekend.... so I am making every second I spend with them count.

And I hope, when I am down about my training, when I have a workout that just plain stinks... I will look back at my progress and smile. Training for an IM isn't easy. The willingness to put in the required training and to be proud of my progress thus far will carry me to the start line.

How do YOU examine your progress?