November 1

Two years ago today when I opened my training calendar, I saw the first “official” workouts posted for Ironman Canada 2010. It would be another 10 months and approximately 357 completed workouts posted on that training calendar before I got to August 29, 2010.

So yeah, November 1, 2009 was the ‘official’ start date on my Ironman training calendar. At that time, Sunday August 29, 2010 seemed so far away and yet loomed so huge on my mind. Pain from my PE still lingered and I’d just come off of two weeks with barely any exercise following surgery.

[I can’t believe it has been two years since I started training for my first Ironman!]

Anyway, this year, things have been different and I imagine will remain that way… but probably only slightly.

August 26, 2012 still seems so far away (298 days, 16 hours, 1 minute and 24 seconds at the time I started writing this to be exact) and I still expect it will be an epic adventure, yet, somehow it just doesn’t feel quite so scary. Maybe it is because it all doesn’t feel quite so ‘unknown’. Maybe it is because I also have NZ to look forward to as well, so IMC won’t be my sole focus. Maybe, maybe, maybe, but who really knows?

I do know what has been different though.

I haven’t had to take any time off. I’ve been healthy and feeling fit and, sure, I’ve taken some time to just do what I feel like (and maybe gained a pound or two), but I haven’t been forced to take 2 weeks off to sit on my butt and recover.

Also, my approach to training over the last little while has been a little different. After taking much longer just “doing what I feel like” than I had originally planned, I started writing out more concrete training weeks for myself and Shane and have been plugging away at a more structured workout regime since early October.

It is strange writing my own calendar and I am quickly realizing how much I depend on Kelly and enjoy having someone else writing my schedule for me. I tend to second guess myself a lot and worry that I am missing some crucial step in the training process.

That said, I’m getting reacquainted with the bike trainer and two-a-day workouts. My gloves and long sleeved running shirts have been dug out from the bottom of my dresser drawers and in my mind, my Ironman year has begun – and I’m really looking forward to it!

Next on the calendar is the Thetis Lake Relay with Kirsten, Shane and Tyler and then either the Gunner Shaw Memorial 10k or the Cross on the Rock finale ~ or (if I can swing it) both!

So, here’s to another exciting year of training!

[I’m realizing I count November to August as a year. Do other people look at their calendar based on Ironman Year vs. Non-Ironman Year? Or better yet Tri-Season vs. oh, I dunno, Weight-Gain Season?]