I'mmm baaaccckkk.....

I've decided that my season starts and ends the first week of November. Today is the start of the 2009 season. 

This year my focus is to get faster. I've decided that I'm only going to do Ironman 70.3 races and not do a full Ironman this year. Training takes to much time away from family on the weekends and it wouldn't be fair to my family for me to do an Ironman again this year. I want to be able to spend at least one day of the weekend with the family. I also want to get a motorcycle and go with Alice on weekend rides. My goal for next year is to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Florida. It turned out that I had the chance to go last year based on my time at the Muskoka Ironman 70.3, but because I wasn't there to take it, they rolled it down to the next person. My plan to get there is to eat healthier, drink less beer, loose 15 lbs, training according to Mark Allen's plan and try not to get injured.

I started my Mark Allen maintenance program today. I did a weight lifting session followed by a 2000 meter swim. The swim was one of the toughest I've ever done. I decided I'm going to focus on technique, so I was trying to keep my strokes long and do 19 strokes per 25 meters. It was hard. For the first time I found myself breathing hard at the end of a set. Afterwards I had a bit of a sore stomach. I think it was from eating fairly well and then having some Halloween candy before I went to the pool.