I love it when the fig tree leaves come back in the spring. They all fall off with the first frost, but every year this little tree produces tasty figs. It was 18 inches high when I planted it 7 years ago.

Countdown to Lake Placid Ironman

Workouts:

Morning

Follow the exercises in this book with care and you will learn a great deal about effective running.

Swim: 2,000 yards steady, picking up the pace, alternating pull buoy and free on 500s.

Water running: 20 minutes, engaging my spinal torque to spare my quads and hip flexors, as recommended by Jack Heggie in his great, Feldenkrais-based running book.

Afternoon

Bike: 2-hour trainer ride, 5 min x 80 watts, 5 min x 90 watts, 5 min x 100 watts (warmup), 1:40 x 110 watts, 90 cadence for 10 min, 60 cadence for 5 min, repeating this cycle, then 5 min x 50 watts (cool down prior to run).

Run: 3 miles on my favorite road loop, focusing on a decent pace, and soft feet with strong springy arches.

Willbe loves water, but not as much as other dogs I’ve known.

The weak link in my run is foot strength, and I know how to work on that, so I had better do so!!!!

Walk: tacked on a 4-mile walk across town with Willbe, our yellow lab, which pretty well left me ready for sleep.

Notice how I can take on a slowly increasing load with consistent training, in spite of the flu, and so forth.

That’s what endurance training and the Ironman are all about - consistency and the joy of exercise.

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.