IMLP Check In #1 - Urgh

So I don't think I want to do the weekly check-ins like I did during IMoo training, but I would like to do some updates.

Unfortunately, 2022 is starting off like 2021. Not good. Running has been the marginal bright spot - which is GOOD, because I have a half-marathon coming up - but everything else? Not so much.

I think moving coming up isn't good. 

I think I'm too focused on future worries and it's making it harder to focus on the day to day. Which makes it even harder to get daily stuff done - even house-cleaning tasks, not to mention training.

I do believe as long as I can string together some sort of consistency - even if it's not up to the proper volume - it'll help me until we at least move. My current goal is survive until April. That will give me about three and half solid months to then build more volume and get prepped for the race.

Wish me luck ...?

(And if anyone reading this is SLC-based and has advice for training there - favorite run spots! Favorite places to ride! Pools! (even though that one is probably gonna be the city rec centers) - I am all ears. We're hoping to find a place on the east side ...)

2022 Goals

Unlike most of my previous years here, I really don't have many 2022 goals.

I don't know whether that's due to PTSD from last year, or hedging my bets in case this year also turns out to be a mental disaster. Which obviously I hope not since, uh, hard-ass race in IMLP.

I also don't really have much of a race schedule (yet), given the fact that we're moving to SLC in a few months. The move was originally planned for June (yes, self, let's move close to peak IM training, that's brilliant), but for actually unrelated reasons, we decided to move it up to the spring. Which honestly works out a lot better for yours truly.

I also don't have a super crazy thought out training plan like I did in 2019. I have general high numbers I'd like to hit (like weekly long run, long swim, long bike) each week, but not super specific workouts on specific days. With packing and moving (and skiing some still)(and adventuring), I want to see if I can actually make IM training work in regular life. Obviously I'll have to take a few weeks here and there and buckle down - particularly in peak training - but other than that ... here goes nothing.

I did, however, write down two intentions for this year that concern the athletic life:

- successfully train for IMLP and;
- go no longer than 15:15

That last one involves me chopping off basically 40 minutes on a brutally hard course. However, during a crazy day, I still managed to PR at another horribly hard race in IMoo. And if it rains at Placid, I know I'll do okay thanks to PRing my bike in Memphis - in the rain, while getting stung by a wasp - while ridiculously undertrained. As long as IMLP doesn't have a lot of false flats, I think I'll be okay. I can do long climbs. I can do descents all day long. Just ... false flats. But hopefully I'll be able to train those too.

In general, though, my main goal for 2022 is the same one I've had for years - finish out healthy and happy while having fun. Since I choose to do this, I better enjoy it.

December and 2021 Round Up

Oh, 2021. You were worse than 2020. But before I get into that, let's go over December's numbers, shall we?

Swimming: 495.6m (.31 mi)
Cycling: 136.05 mi
Running: 17.95 mi
Lifting: 9 sessions (3:08)
Other: two hikes (2:20), one day skiing (1:45), one walk (1:30), two sessions yoga (:23)

So. Swimming was a disaster. For the month and the year overall. As I've written in here many times, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with races, and then post-Memphis, I just didn't want to get in the pool. I started for a while, and then nope. Hopefully the nice long break will be good for me.

The bike ended up being okay this month thanks to Tarsh and the Stomp the Trainer challenge. Signed up for the 250km (halfway) ... and didn't quite make it. I took two days off - one being for the state burning (empathy made my heart hurt) - and had I not done that, I probably could have managed. In any case, nice to get back on the bike.

Running ... is. I started slowly half training by the end of the month so that was good.

As for my 2021 goals ... the only one I really hit was to remain healthy and happy. Everything else kind of got thrown out the window. I'm not even going to rehash them here (if you're REALLY that curious, go here). The year ended up being more athlete friendly (as evidenced by the fact that we had races), but harder in so many other ways. 

For me, it's because I do NOT do waffling, and 2021 was a year of nothing BUT waffling. We knew essentially what was going on in 2020. But 2021? Who knows?! And I don't thrive in that. At all ... as evidenced by my year.

But, even with all the waffling, there were bright spots. I PRed my 70.3 bike in the pouring rain. I can still pull a sub-30 5K out of my butt. And I still decided to sign up for another IM.