Ironman - 199 days

I am less anxious on weekends about getting my work outs done then I am during the week.

Sunday morning bliss. I have time to read a few pages of my the latest John Irving hardcover as I sip my coffee. I have time to build a playlist for my long run. I have time to play with my kids. Its -16 degrees celsius today. I am too much of a chicken to go running outside. Armed with my new playlist, I leisurely make my way to the gym and run for 60 minutes on the treadmill. I stop more often then I would like, even though the playlist is fun and upbeat. I run 9.7 kms and then head home quickly... I don't want to overdo it because there is a swim practice tonight as well.

I am the type of person who craves structure... and today is not a structured day. The typical routine chores need to be accomplished of course: food needs to be cooked, laundry done, and preparation for the week ahead. And there is a girlfriend who needs help rehearsing for a job interview. Other than that, nothing structured between noon and six.

L is going away for the week. Which means no swim workouts in the mornings; I can't leave the kids in the house for a 6am swim. As a Christmas present, and as a peace offering to compensate for his travels, L bought me a bike rack, so that I can at least get some workouts done at home while he is gone.

I am in a funny mood today...the plans have been put in place for all of this to work. It feels like I am very organized. All I have to do now is actually get it done... and hope no unplanned events modify the foundation, the plans, the structure.

I find it tempting sometimes to get into a whatif thought process: what if I lose my job? What if the kids get sick? What if I get injured? What if my relationship, so precariously balanced, topples over? This mood doesn't last very long; typically a moment and then I remember: wherever you are, be there. Nothing has happened now, in this moment, to screw up my existence. So top worrying about it and enjoy the weekend.

I have convinced L to take Matis swimming while I train with the antilopes. The pool where we train is actually quite elaborate; the left hand side is an indoor waterpark for families; the right hand side reserved for those who swim laps. Morgen wont be joining us; she is in her first year of high school and feels stressed with all of the homework. She has been in her pj's all day trying to compose a song for her music class. I am in awe, but I don't tell her. I forget that I must have been put through that kind of pressure as an adolescent too.

So the week will end with me on track for ironman glory. I will have had 3 swim practices for a total of 4.5 pool hours. Two runs, a long and a short, totalling 1.5 hours. And one 45 minute bike ride. That's close to 7 hours of work out time.. somewhere, somehow, I need to find 5 more. And I also need to remember that I am NOT training so hard that I can eat whatever I want. Its a mistake I sometimes make... I am not hungry, and I figure I need to eat alot because I am training. WRONG!!!!! I am burning about 600 calories a day more than my normal 1400 daily caloric intake. So a total of 2200 calories should be enough.