All About That Base

    All about that base, 'bout that base...  Yes, that is the plan, all about Base Building. Though I haven't been writing as much as I should, I have managed to get my training back on track, for the most part. The biggest impediment these last few weeks has been the weather. Yes, the sunshine was forcing me to finish up my summer projects at a frenetic pace. Knowing the rains were acomin' and there was too much to get done. It's hard to get in a solid arm workout when you've been scraping paint, sanding, priming, and painting a house. But now we are settling into the rainy season, and I can narrow my focus a bit.
    October has been tough. There were outdoor home improvement projects that had to be finished, cutting into my daylight hours. The pool was closed for two weeks for cleaning and resurfacing, and now will be closed again for the first part of next week, so my swim has suffered. Week before last I had several events that took up entire evenings (work and fire station annual events), which blew holes in training. Then last week I was hit with the wretched cold that has been going around, topped off with 2 days of an intestinal bug that left me feeling pretty hollow. But that was then, this is now. Back to a solid training schedule.
    Base Training, building the foundation of fitness that is essential to have solidly in place before you can really start pushing boundaries. I have managed to keep up with strength training and core work. My cardio has slipped a little from not spending enough time, as well as a week of sinus and respiratory viral distress. I am still having some congestion, so am forcing myself to take it easy. Maybe it is best that the pool is closed for a few more days, keeping me from going overboard in the chlorine laced air. I have been spending more time in the weight room at the club, focusing on leg work. I have stayed very consistent with upper body work, adding in some heavy work as well as swim specific strength training. Core strength is one thing a lot of people skimp on, but it is vital for swim/bike/run, especially once fatigue sets in. I do some level of core work on most days, and do at least 2 days a week of intense core work.
    I am looking ahead to next season and know that the two events I have to do are the Bridge Swim, and The Best in The West half-Iron. Those are essential. I am going to pay the entry fees fairly early in the year, to make sure I won't be able to back out. Hopefully I can remain injury free, which is where Base Training really comes into play. A strong base will help prevent injury later. Of course the Run is where I am most vulnerable. Knee and hip injuries have sidelined me the last 2 years. I have spent the better part of a year working on physical therapy, and strength training to try and prep myself to get back into a regular run schedule. I know I need to keep actual pavement pounding to a minimum, so I have to make up the gap with alternative training.
     I have 11 months until Best in The West, 9 months until the Bridge Swim. That may seem like a lot of time, but I know it will go by too quickly. The best way to deal with it is to follow the First Rule of Ironman: Train Every Day. Build the Base: Strength, Core, Cardio. Then: Swim, Bike, Run. So much to do, so little time.