Road to The Ironman Part 4: Progress Analysis

With a little less than five months until race day, I finally am starting to feel like I am a real athlete. I've been struggling with balancing my longer work outs with my long hours at work. It's been challenging to keep my priorities in line. Training for this beast is very consuming both mentally and physically. While I do want to give this race my all and succeed, being an outstanding physician clearly takes priority as does spending time with those I love.

That being said, I have made some strides in the right direction. This week we repeated the series of tests I mentioned in Road to The Ironman Part 3. Here are my results----drum roll please.

Swim:
I improved my time per 100 from around 1:25ish (remember I messed up the first test) to just under 1:18 per 100. My goal was 1:15 and I was a little disappointed I didn't meet that goal, but I'm still happy I improved.

Bike Test: (20 minutes all out) This test my only goal was "better than last time"
I improved my Watts from 174 watts to 190 watts.
My Lactate Threshold from 175 to 185 with a much bigger drop in my heart rate after stopping.

Run Test: (20 minutes all out)
My mile/minute pace for 20 minutes went from 9:12 to 8:30. This one really blew my mind. I still feel like running is my biggest weakness, but I feel good that I am improving and excited to attempt my longest run ever (15 miles) back in GR on May 9th.
My Lactate Threshold HR also from 183 to 188, again with a bigger drop in my HR when I stop- this indicates I have better cardiovascular compliance (fitness) than I did 8 weeks ago.

Thanks to you all for your support and encouragement as I continue down this road :)

Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House

Dani and Bryan came to visit this weekend. We had a great time with Bin 36 on Friday night and seeing a show at Second City on Saturday. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Hyde Park to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. I've never been to any of his homes and was really impressed. I'm hoping to head out to Oak Park soon to see more. Anyone interested?

Viceroy Hotel- Palm Springs

This boutique hotel was set about a block from the main street in Palm Springs. Most guests stay in private villas, but we opted for the less expensive option of a luxury hotel room. The grounds have 3 pools, a fitness center and a full spa. I couldn't help but think that both Natalie and Jon would enjoy seeing some pictures of the furniture here. My untrained eye was blow away, but I'm interested to see what the experts have to say.

Spring Break 2009 :)

I just got home from a 4 day California vacation. I flew into LA and spent the night at Andrea's new place in Santa Monica. We ate fresh seafood at a shack on the side of the road in malibu. The next day we headed to the outlet mall and then for 3 days of sun and relaxation in Palm Springs. It was amazing. Above is the Vicorey hotel we stayed at. More photos of that to come!
Our day routine was get up at 7-8am. Workout. Walk for coffee. Lay by the pool from 10-4pm. Happy hour (one gimlet for Andrea, two for me) from 4-6pm. Go out to dinner at 6. In bed by 9p, repeat. The most perfect and relaxing trip.