Coeur d'Alene Idaho

Ironman Training Days 3 & 4

December 9, 2011 by Asia

Day 3 – Thursday 12/8/11

Morning
5:45am – 6 mile run
Nutrition: Nothing before or during my run. I made myself a breakfast wrap for breakfast afterwards.

I bundled up as much as possible and ran to meet Nicole & Mike for a 6 mile run in the dark and cold. I like to think this makes us hardcore! (If you live on the East Coast, please don’t comment!) I need to leave for work by 7:30am at the latest, so I appreciate my training buddies getting up extra early to accommodate my schedule. The run felt really good. I think I’m finally getting to a place in my marathon training (which overlaps my Ironman training) when my 5-6 mile runs feel pretty comfortable and effortless. Yay!

Evening
Rest. Went to a couple’s house for dinner before they have their baby in January.

Day 4 – Friday 12/9/11

Rest day! The first half of our training plan typically has Friday rest days, and then rest days will fall on Mondays. I debated adding in a swim, but I decided to take advantage of sleeping in while I still can. After work today, Jeremy and I are attending the Ironman World Championship pre-screening (Kona) with Tri Club of San Diego (TCSD)! Dinner, Ironman, and professional triathletes. Sounds like a perfect Friday night to me!

Tomorrow will be challenging – 16 mile run with Nicole!

June 2011 - With Team WODS and friends before our 1st marathon: San Diego Rock 'n' Roll!

Don’t forget to check out the start of my Ironman training here! Happy Friday!

Ironman Training Day 2

December 7, 2011 by Asia

To see the beginning of my Ironman Journey, be sure to checkout my first post of this series: Ironman Training Starts TODAY!

Day 2 of training included:

Morning
5:30am: 1 hour on bike trainer. “Spinervals 27.0 – Threshold Test & Suffer Fest” DVD. This was my first time on the trainer, and it made me sweat. A lot. I learned that my normal cadence is pretty slow, so using the trainer will definitely help me get more power on the bike!

Nutrition:
– Pre-workout: Nothing
– During workout: 1 scoop Carbo-Pro (100 calories) mixed with 1 scoop Vitalite (40 calories)
– Post workout: 2/3 cup cereal with soy milk and ~1 TBSP flaxseeds

Evening
7:30pm: 1 hour of TCSD technique swim class at JCC with Jeremy. This was my first time back at swim in nearly 3 months! It was hard getting into the pool since it was about 48 degrees outside, but I felt pretty warm once I started swimming. My only issue was occasional calf cramping. I struggled with this before and need to figure out how to combat these cramps!

Nutrition:
– Pre-workout: PB&J sandwich and apple
– During workout: Nothing
– After workout: Pasta with vegetarian sausage and marinara sauce

Now it’s time for bed…definitely too late since my next workout (a 6 mile run) begins at 5:45am tomorrow. Good night! Please let me know if you have any tips on how to prevent cramping while swimming!

Before my First Sprint Triathlon - June 2011

Ironman Training Starts TODAY!

December 6, 2011 by Asia

Today is Tuesday, December 6, 2011, and today is the day my Ironman training officially begins! Over the next 7 months, I’m going to record my journey right here. My goal is to be able to track my progress and understand what works and what doesn’t work for me so I can become the best triathlete possible. How far can I push myself? How much sleep do I need? How many calories should I eat? How will I become an Ironman?

I am really excited and nervous for the next 7 months! My life is definitely going to change in a big way. I’m so lucky that my boyfriend and two great friends will be going through this with me. We’ve affectionately named ourselves Team WODS!

Race Schedule
February 5, 2012: Surf City Full Marathon – 26.2 miles (Huntington Beach, CA)
March 31, 2012: Half Ironman – 70.3 miles (Oceanside, CA)
June 24, 2012: IRONMAN – 140.6 miles (Coeur d’Alene, ID)

Day 1
5:30am: Rest. I woke up with the intention of a 6 mile run but my hip and back were still feeling sore and tight from my long run on Sunday so I decided to rest and see how the day played out. (I’m already actively training for my full marathon on 2/5/12.)

6:15pm: Met up with my training buddy Nicole for an easy 6 mile run outdoors. I felt great and had no hip or back pain during the run, but my knees were a little sore.

Below is a picture of the early Team WODS in June 2011: Jeremy, Asia, Nicole, and Mike (taking the picture). Three of us are raising our hands here to admit that it was our first triathlon ever! One year from that date, we will all call ourselves Ironman.

Team WODS beginnings. Nervous first timers. June 2011.

Why I want to be an Ironman

July 22, 2011 by Asia

What’s an Ironman?

For those of you already thinking What the heck is an Ironman? click here to learn more about this 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run triathlon event! The one I am officially signing up tomorrow for is Coeur d’Alene! My half Ironman (aka a 70.3) will be a LOCAL race in Oceanside, CA! I’m so excited to have a plan in place! My first sprint is this Sunday (yes, my first one), my triathlon books are in the mail, and I am ready to seriously ramp up my training. This IS happening! All within 1 year! Am I crazy??

Practice Triathlon for Beginners June 2010

Training

Four of us are working to complete this goal together: my amazing boyfriend, Jeremy, my great friend and blogger, Nicole, and her wonderful boyfriend (who has already completed 1 Ironman), Mike. We make a great team, and I look forward to this support system. I don’t know how I’d do it without them. I think I’d go crazy doing 4-6 hour training rides alone!

Fearless Foursome - The beginning of an amazing friendship

Cost

Triathlons are expensive. This is not a cheap sport, and an Ironman is the most expensive event of them all. It costs $600+ to sign up for the race. That doesn’t include transportation (flights, rental cars, etc), lodging, and all the equipment needed. Check out my first road bike I recently purchased! (I saved $500 so didn’t feel TOO bad about the cost of carbon fiber….)

New Bike! Trek Madone 3.1

Why? Why? Why?

Why would I want to subject myself to this? The answer is simple. I want to be an Ironman. I want to hear the announcer say “Asia Simonelli. You are an Ironman!” when I cross the finish line, hopefully with a big smile on my face.