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| Realistc Goal Setting |
One of the concerns in the back of my mind is a smidge of dissappointment over my pace. Namely the bike. Sure Saturday was the first outdoor bike but given how slow it was, I need to adjust my expectations for IMLP. As the training program progessed I nudged my expected finishing time down a bit every couple of weeks. Now I'm expecting much much longer than anticipated. Sure its a bit early, but I need to get realistic about a sustainable pace and not set myself up for disappointment. Of course the primary goal is to finish, but I had overly-optimistic time goals that need to be put in their place.
I know the rule of thumb is, enjoy the race and just finish it however I've been placing some pressure on myself to perform a certain finishing time. I need to reset mentally. I need to get faster on the bike. It was supposed to be my strength!
I was a bad boy this week. I deviated from the training plan an put way more bike in and slightly less run. I am going to try to stick to the actual plan this week or risk burning out or peaking too soon for IMLP. We'll see how I feel this week.
TRAINING: (Set 7, Week 2 - Performance Phase)
Swim - 2:00hrs
Bike - 9:00hrs (260Km)
Run - 4:00hrs (42Km)
TOTAL - 15:00hrs
I never even thought of a time goal. Anything better than 16:59:59 is good enough for me :)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about my IM time goals. I'm like, "wow I'm kicking butt in the pool!" But when I swam in open water for a measly 20 minutes last week I gasped for air and my HR spiked.... so I need to mentally adjust any sort of time goals I have to be more realistic. It's our first IM - I'll be happy just finishing!!
ReplyDeleteWait until you have your first race, even if it's a short one, in order to approximate how fast you really are. I was always amazed about how better my speed was in a race compared with a speed training session. I think the taper time and the extra motivation from the other participants makes a lot of a difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd I quote:
ReplyDelete"You whine like a mule.
Nobody cares how long it took you to finish an Ironman. You finished. Period. WIN!"
It's a long day and things change by the minute. No matter what, you will be stupendous. Enjoy it - you'll feel like a rock star.
Isn't the point of a plan to stick to it? If you don't stick to the plan, you are like a turd floating in a toilet: aimless and smelly.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is 16:59:59 as well.