The Plan

I have devised a relatively aggressive plan for 2006. I used my wealth of information about training from books, websites, and blogs. The result is a spreadsheet with schedules, pivot tables and charts. I think it rocks.

Here are my fitness goals for the year:

- Live a balanced, healthy lifestyle
- Improve my athletic performance
- Improve my aerobic endurance
- Stay injury-free
- Complete another marathon
- Complete a 1/2 Ironman (or longer) distance race

I am purposely avoiding any weight loss goals. I lost fat (but no pounds) in 2005, and I'll be happy just to continue the trend. If I just do all the running in my plan for 2006, I'm pretty certain I'll lose pounds too.

Other goals, while I am at it:
- Nurture relationships with Husband, family and friends
- Kick a** at work
- Reduce clutter at home and in life

Here is my strategy:

- Line up a ton of races. The races definitely keep me motivated. Living in NYC, I am finding plenty of races which won't require travel, and don't cost much. (Well the tri's are $$$, but the road races are cheap). Even if I occasionally miss one, having a goal for a Saturday morning gets me out of bed. I also picked a few challenging "biggies" early in the season - the Liberty to Liberty Triathlon and the Montauk Century Bike Ride.

- Plan & schedule workout time. Experience has taught me that I need to mark my calendar, pack my gym bag, sign up for a scheduled class, etc. to make it happen. So that's what I'll do every week, for the following week.

- Eat well. In general, I think I do pretty well. I avoid fast food and sugar for the most part. Next year, I need to eat MORE vegetables, protein and whole fruits, and LESS carbs (especially refined) and sweets.

- Be flexible and do something active every day. I can't always get to the gym or the pool or get outside in a blizzard. But I can do a core workout, yoga routine, or workout video at home or in my hotel room.

- Push myself. I really don't most of the time. My goals have always been just to "finish", which is definitely the way to go at the beginning. If I want to run faster in races, I need to run faster in workouts. So there you go.

- Attend group workouts. I found a swim class on Sunday nights that starts in late January. I found a group bike rides on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I think I may get Husband to come along for these - an added bonus. I am a little afraid to ride my bike in city traffic (crazy cab drivers, etc), but I think being in a group will give me more confidence.

- Keep up the blog. It helps! The comments are really supportive, and the act of writing things down really helps me visualize success, stay motivated and stick to the plan.

To make the plan, I put all my races in a spreadsheet. Then I worked backwards and added the training plan for my April marathon. Added my swim class that starts in late January. Added the group bike rides almost every weekend. Throw in a spin class, some weights, and some core exercises, and it gets pretty challenging!

I know I need to stay flexible, so I will release my goals one month at a time. Also, I set goals for both distance and time. Time has little relation to speed - I know I want to spend at least 7.5 hours on the bike, for example.

January:

- Swim. Distance goal = 2000 meters / Time goal: 2+ hours (low, but I know I have some trips scheduled which will make it hard to get to the pool)
- Bike. Distance goal = 115 miles / Time goal: 7.5 hours (25-30 mile group bike rides are key to achieving this goal)
- Run. Distance goal = 90 miles / Time goal: 15 hours
- Core. Time goal = 2 hours. That's my 10 minute core workout, 12 times.

So there you have it. I feel ready. I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I feel good about getting this done before I leave. Also, my posts may be pretty limited while I am away, but I will have my running shoes and schedule in hand!

Happy holidays!