There is light at the end of the tunnel...

Ahh, I'm still, sick, but feeling much better. I slept 11 and half hours last night. That's more than I sleep in two days sometimes. It was great. I've been eating a lot, and drinking a lot. I've always thought that food is enough to cure anything. That is along with some cold medicine and plenty of rest and relaxation. I stayed home from work today to spare my co-workers from the possibility of getting sick and in hopes of being able to get enough rest to kick this cold out the door.

Now, the real question is if I'll be ready for Sunday. My concern is not whether my body will be in shape for Sunday, it's just whether I'm feeling up to it. If I had to race with the way I'm feeling right now, it probably wouldn't happen. Tomorrow, maybe. The deciding factor may just be how I feel when I wake up on Sunday morning. It will be an early morning. Probably 5ish or a little before. The mornings have been the hardest and waking up that early when you're feeling 100% is still hard. I won't be upset if I can't race. Illness is out of anybodies control and nothing to be upset about, that is unless you get sick right before the big race in September. Then I'd be just a tad bit upset.

I figured with the downtime in training this would be a good time to outline some of my athletic goals for the off season. I've been putting a lot of thought into how to approach this off season. Last winter the focus on swimming was huge for me. I went from a non swimmer to being really strong in the water. The only problem was my lack of cycling and running left me right where I finished last season, after I got warmed up for the season. So, there was a need to figure out how exactly I would maintain during the cold winter months. Here's a rough outline. This will most likely change, but I wanted to start thinking about it ahead of times. It's good to know what to expect for the future.

Swimming: Masters team twice a week, swim on my own once or twice in addition to practice. Speed work and pace work for longer distances.

Biking: Riding with the team. Group rides once or twice a week and spinning/riding on my own once or twice just to keep my legs used to pedaling. No speed work, no climbing practice. Just base miles.

Running: Base miles. Three times a week, no more. I love running, but I can see the tole it takes on one's body. I'd like to get in two short runs (3-6 miles) and one long one (6+ miles).

X-training: Gym. Low weight, high reps. Focus on endurance and form. I don't want to put on any mass just not be all skin and bones. I used to lift weights primarily, so I'm familiar with how to put together a workout plan. I think since I'll be continuing some form of cardio work I'll be able to get stronger, look better, and perform better with out putting on any mass.

Thats the idea. Will it be what I actually do? Hopefully. As long as I can stay between 170 and 180 I'll be happy. Race season weight is 165-175 so a few extra pounds during the winter is OK.

I found this picture from another blog (here). In my opinion these 2 guys are the baddest of the bad. Norman (Kona winner 2004 and 2006) is a monster and Faris (Kona winner 2005 is just an all around nice guy. Read the article about Faris at that blog if your interested. It's pretty interesting to hear how different he is from the rest of the pros. It's an inspiration when you find out somebody like that is really not that much different than the rest of us. Well, sort of.

Long post today. Race Sunday. You'll being hearing about it soon. Hopefully there will be pictures.

Listening to: Pharoahe Monch - Desire

Feeling: Better, finally.