It's IM build time!

This Saturday was exactly 16 weeks in front of my IMFL race--so time to start my 14 week build (to be followed by a 2 week taper).  I was out of town on work on M/Tu but began to get after my IM training on Thursday when I did a 71 mile ride with a Normalized Power output of 197 watts, which is a level I'd be happy at for the race itself.  I also had a 3025 yard OW swim which I clocked in at 51 minutes, swimming comfortably and against a pretty significant tide for about 500 yards.  This is roughly equivalent to a 71 minute IM swim--right about where I'd expect to be swim-wise at this point--encouraging given how little I've swam to this point.  My longest run/walk was 9.5 miles as i begin to extend my weakest sport through application of the Galloway method (deliberate alternating run/walk blocks).

This week in aggregate looked like an IM training week:

7,050 yards swimming
249 miles on the bike
24 miles run
22:18 of total training time

My body feels good (although I can feel the training in my legs--especially after the long ride on Thursday).  My goal this week is to continue at about this aggregate level of training volume but to extend my long sessions in each.  Yesterday I swam over 4,000 yards (in 45 minutes!--with a strong tide) and felt very, very strong.  Tomorrow, I'll top out over 80 miles on the bike and at some point this week we'll get into double digits on the run/walk.

Onward and upward!