First day of training for Ironman Louisville 2011

This is my first real attempt at a blog.  I have 7 solid months of intense and sometimes grueling training ahead of me, so I figured I might as well keep track of it and read back on it when I need a laugh.  Or a good cry.

My 30-week training program for Ironman Louisville officially began today.  Ironically, today is a rest day!  Wes and I went to a yoga class, though, and we got our sweat on for an hour and a half.  It wasn't intense like cardio.  It WAS intense like buddha, though.  Yoga does a body good.

It's hard to imagine that in 30 weeks my EFFORT at completing 140.6 miles will be done.  Assuming all goes well during these 7 months of training, I'll certainly be starting the race at 7am on August 28.  Whether I'll cross that finish line before midnight on August 29 remains to be seen.  During the past few weeks, as I've anticipated the beginning of training season, I've been running on the treadmill and biking on the trainer.  January has been relatively cold in North Carolina, so it's good to be indoors getting exercise.  As the temperatures climb this spring, so too will I on both bicycle and on foot.  At some point, I suppose, I need to get back in the water.  It's been two and a half months since I've been for a swim.  To be exact, my last swim was a 1.2 mile salt water swim in the Beach2Battleship half iron distance in mid-November.  My training plan has me back in the pool bright and early Wednesday morning.  Apparently, there's no time like the present.

So here's to 7 months of training for the most interesting and difficult physical challenge I've signed myself up for to date.  Not that long ago, I very much imagined that I would NEVER be interested in attempting a full iron distance event.  In 7 months, I'm hoping to have completed one.  Ironman Louisville, here I come.