Okay Okay, i'll plan!

Its been niggling at me that i haven't got a training plan.  I have my reasons, mainly as history has shown me that i am useless at sticking it one.  But also because i workout to feel good.  I'm racing to enjoy myself, so i want to enjoy my training.  I fear that if i am told to do say, running on a day i really feel like swimming on, then i will stop loving it.

But as i wrote out the distances for the Olympic triathlon i'm doing in July, it really hit home how far it is.  It scared me a bit and i have reconsidered a training plan.  Its easy to think you are doing enough, even that you are doing more than you think.  I tally all my workouts, on daily mile and on a spreadsheet, but its too late to look at the week and realise that i haven't run or swam enough, i need to have something to work towards to ensure i am doing the right distances.

So, i am loosely going to follow the 18 week Olympic for intermediates. I realise that i am a beginner but the plan for that would have me doing shorter distances than i do now so feels wrong.  And i say loosely as i plan to use the distances as guides as opposed to strictly follow the days to do things.

I feel that if i can at least maintain the increases in running distances, types or runs/swims and cycling miles then it will allow me to compete at the level i want to. I want to race it as well as i can, without taking all the fun out and taking it all too seriously.

Here is what February looked like for me:

You see, i didn't notice i hadn't swam in that long at the beginning of the month.  This was just before i started this spreadsheet.  Glad i did, DailyMile is great, but this is easier to track details.  Again, i need to swim, time flies and if i'm not going to the gym to spin or run, like now when i can go outside as i'm at home in the day, then swimming can easily be forgotten for a week without me even knowing.

So as i fill my succisive* hours with more and more training i will be confident that it will all be worth it in the end.  When i cross the finish line after swimming 1500m in the sea, cycling 38km of the welsh coastline and running 10km, i know i did it to the best of my ability and enjoyed the whole process that got me there.

*

Succisive : of spare or extra time