And it begins...

I offically started my prep phase of training on monday. Prep means that I will be preparing my body for longer more structured training to come. In the prep phase there is a lot of freedom and flexibility. Basically I focus on getting in some short, fun workouts and pay more attention to my diet. I like this time of year b/c I can just head out the door with the simple goal of enjoying a nice day doing something I love. This phase will last for about 3 weeks.

Of course, every year at this time I do something stupid like ride for way too long or run some crazy distance. Not sure why I do it but I always get the urge to just go for it. So, my traditional "stupid" training day was on monday with Reto. I went for a mountain bike ride to test out some things I have chaged and then went into the santa cruz mountains for a 2 hour death march. Things were obviously set up for disaster as reto is training for a marathon and I have been building my biceps through the ever difficult task of marathon beer drinking. I figured I am not totally off the wagon in terms of fitness...I did just come off of a full racing season. Nice thought but my thinking is a little off this time of year.

So, I survived the "stupid" run of the year...2 hours of running with tons of climbing. Even reto was suprised I finished...way to believe in your athlete coach ;) I guess all that "carbo-loading" paid off after all! Overall, it was an incredible day in the mountains. You know, it might be stupid to just go out there and train like an idiot so early in the season but, for me, this type of stuff keeps the fire burning and really motivates me. Plus, it helps me clear my head and allows me to really evaluate and pinpoint what I want to accomplish in the coming year. So, stupid yes but also very productive.

For me, doing a super long training day early in the season when I feel fat and out of shape is motivating b/c it makes me realize that I have some serious work to do and I don't want to feel this way for long. For non-athlete's this would likely be discouraging but for us crazy triathlete's this feeling is what pushes us and takes our performance to new heights.

Something tells me I will do something "stupid" again very soon but this time it will probably be on the bike...stay tuned for that story. Early season long rides always make for good stories =)

Happy Thanksgiving!