New developments

First off, I have been sick this week since the 5k. It really threw a wrench in my plans to workout. I barely had the energy to get on the trainer and ride. I was coughing up ping-pong ball sized loogies (seriously!!!) and generally low energy. It took a lot of effort to force myself to rest but it was what my body needed. I'm still full of snot but pretty soon I'll have to be the woman from the advil commercial.



But most importantly some new developments on the triathlon scene have me more than excited. I am thrilled that Greg and Naomi are starting up a METHOD triathlon club in Edmonton.

The Method is a way of training developped by Ironguides who have a pretty impressive roster of athletes they have developped. But it isn't so much who they've trained but how they've trained them. I've been following and reading about their coaching style for a while now with great interest. Not having a coach per se but always looking up to other athletes and picking their brains I've been trying to mish-mash my plan with all sorts of training philosophies. I bit the bullet and downloaded the 20 week IM plan and after reading through it all have noticed two things:

1. I have less panic about trying to fit it all in. The plan is laid out in a very concise and constructive way. I can see myself fitting it all into 'real' life and I don't feel overwhelmed by the schedule. There is a degree of repetitiveness to the program which really suits a busy lifestyle. When you go into your workout there really is no guesswork (and no heart rate monitors/wattage/cadence calculation etc). There is a goal to each session that is clearly laid out and (THANK GOD) not a lot of "recovery workouts" or even "optional workouts". There are clear ways of dealing with fatigue or need for rest.

2. I am super happy that a club is forming. I'm currently training with partners when I can. Meaning, can I fit their schedule with mine? Are they doing similar workouts? I have shown up a few times to masters swim only to find out we're doing about 1200 - 1500m of drills and things like "kick at the wall" (you know, what you see your kids doing at swimming lessons). Which is FINE if you're only wanting to work on stroke/kick development but I see much more benefit from getting in the pool and working either my aerobic or anerobic system and if I have time then working on some drills (I usually put them in my warm up or cool down). I always push myself harder when I'm with a group but I need the group to be doing something similar and something triathlon focused.

Not to mention the club will be doing some track sessions - wee! (Ok I'm a bit nervous about that, but wow, to not be alone while trying to do some speedwork is a huge benefit for me and I know I'm going to learn a ton from this group).

So things are coming together for me. Isn't that exciting?

Wanna join me?

Info on the Method Club in Edmonton

Want to download the coolest training program from Sprint to Ironman?

Triathlon Training Plans

Enjoy your training everyone :)