Getting back at it....

It really seems like it has been a whirlwind couple of months. Since the last time I posted I got a new job, moved 900 miles, fell in love, found out I am going to be an uncle and lost a dear family member. So needless to say the normal routine I had become accustomed to was suddenly thrown out the window.

As I look back though, I am starting to realize that maybe that is not such a bad thing. Over time during training the body becomes accustomed to the workouts we do, especially if we stay in the same routine over and over. Because it gets used to it we begin to see diminishing returns and start to plateau. While the changes over the last few months have definitely been interesting to becomes accustomed to, it also has given me the opportunity to take a step back and re-evaluate my progress and mix things up a little bit.

There are basically three things at a minimum I need to make sure I have access to: pool, bike, running

1) Pool - check! Although I live in the middle of North Central Kansas now, in a place that is a fair distance away of anything resembling a city I was lucky to find a pool close enough to me that I can still swim a couple mornings a week. Now the 5am workout has moved to 6am since that is the earliest the place opens, but nevertheless I can still swim. Its indoors, heated, and has a great staff there.

2) Bike - check! Of course I still have my bike. However when I was living in Texas I could bike outside pretty much year round. Obviously that may not be possible in the middle of winter here. However for X-mas last year my awesome mom hooked me up with a bike trainer. So now I can set my bike up in my basement and ride to my hearts desire. Even if it is blowing snow and ice outside.

3) Running - check! Like the bike, when I was living in Texas I could pretty much run outside year round, which was a big thing for me because I HATE running on a treadmill. And once again, running outside in the middle of winter may be a touch challenging here. So I broke down and got myself a treadmill(albeit a used one), so on those really nasty days I can still get some type of running in, even if I do feel like a hamster on a wheel.

Now that I still have the three minimum fundamentals it is time to get back into a structured workout routine. I have already jump started it by signing up for a half marathon in less than a month from now. 28 days to be exact. Which is something that I need considering I have the Houston marathon in just over 3 months. 92 days to be exact. I am not too worried about it.....yet. I have run a marathon before and even though I hope to improve my time from last year, I at least know what to expect this time around(like the dreaded wall around mile 20).

And all that then leads into the main event, Ironman Texas. Exactly 217 days away. It seems like plenty of time to put in the adequate training, but I am sure those days will fly by faster than I can imagine.

It definitely going to be interesting getting used to a new routine in a new environment with its own set of new challenges, but you know what....I am getting back at it!