Road to Zurich: 247 days to Ironman

Nine months sounds like plenty of time to train for Ironman Zurich, but to me it feels like it’s tomorrow. I’m still working on laying down a solid foundation so that when I have to increase my mileage in the swim, bike and run I’m not caught by surprise.

A few weeks ago I noticed how much time I wasted thinking about what to make for dinner. I’d get anxious and then go grocery shopping far too often. I talked to my family and proposed a two week rotating dinner menu. I had them write down their favorite dishes and included them in the list.  Evan loved this idea and wrote it up on the glass board we have on a wall, that way he always knows what’s for dinner. I swear by this method now and guarantee it saves me hours per week of planning and shopping. In the near future cooking lessons are in order for the two of them!

My friend Lucia has access to a free gym space and invited me to use it with her once a week. We decided to try  circuit training with jumps, lunges, lifts and weights. I could barely walk the day after the first session, my muscles hurt so much. The second week I added a 5kg weight and it felt too light. A few weeks ago I did my lunges with a 10kg weight and had to grunt and shout to do ten of them. The week after I’d absorbed it all and had no problem. I feel stronger on the bike and as if I’m running taller. Game changer, I tell ya!

I also signed up for the Barcelona Marathon in March. I don’t really need to do a marathon before my Ironman; after running thirty-four I feel pretty comfortable with them. But some of our Up & Running ladies are running it and I knew that if I was standing on the Ramblas spectating I’d kick myself for not joining in. I also think it’s  really important to have a few intermediate races and goals before the actual Ironman so that too much pressure doesn’t build up for just-that-one-day.

Lastly, my husband gently pushed me out the door last night to go back to my regular yoga practice. I kept complaining to him about a niggling piriformis problem I’m having with my right leg. He kept repeating to me, “You should go back to the yoga centre!”. He was right; it’s just what I needed…