Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Live Life to the Fittest: Ironman Mont-Tremblant, Yoga, and Upcoming Races

I just registered myself for the inaugural Ironman Mont-Tremblant scheduled for August 19, 2012. According to the website, the race will start with a 2.4-mile  swim on the "golden sands of the Beach & Tennis club" next to the village of Tremblant Resort. The two-loop, 112-mile bike course will then run primarily through Mont-Tremblant's forests and mountains. We will then run a two-loop course is known for its scenic beauty and finish after 26.2-miles in heart of the pedestrian village of Tremblant Resort.
Mont-Tremblant
I am very excited about this race as it will not require shipping my bike and dealing with connecting flights or any of the hassles of traveling across country. As much as I loved St. George(and am still potentially considering it), having a race within a quarter day's drive is very appealing. As Amber will be most likely doing Lake Placid in late July next year, we are still not sure whether she'll race this one, but she'll at least be there to check out the scene and cheer on her fellow athletes. Already I have found out that Keith Shields of NHPR fame is signed up and I expect more Concord-area residents will follow suit when they realize just how close(and beautiful)this venue is.

Having a August race also(hopefully) will keep my motivation up through the race season. Having done three half-marathons, the Hyannis and Gansett Marathons, Texas 70.3, Ironman St George and Mooseman 70.3 before the triathlon season even really began and now not having another A-race probably until October's Cape Cod Marathon has certainly diminished my motivation. Coupled with bachelor parties and weekends of weddings, I expect quite a loss in my fitness by fall. With next year's schedule, between Mont-Tremblant, hopefully an entry into Hardrock 100 and a smattering of smaller races, I can maintain my early season fitness for the full season.

Amber has definitely taken the smarter route, having opted out of those halves(except New Bedford) and marathons and using her early-season triathlons as building blocks for her late season races: Providence 70.3, Lake Placid, and probably Timberman and Syracuse. This strategy allows her to build upon her fitness while allowing necessary recovery and the ability to keep motivation high. Then a nice recovery in late fall before Snowshoe season starts again.

I have already started to have low-motivation without any races in my near future(barring next weekend's painful Mt. Washington where I can just hope not to be passed by a trash-talking 58 year old woman and the Chet Warman 151 mile bike race which has "the longest, steepest stretch of road in America"). Since I can see myself going out and purchasing premium cable and sitting on the couch wallowing in my own filth if left to my own devices, I have decided to proactively(or preemptively) keep myself fit. Therefore, I am planning(much to my disgust at having to wake up before 6am) to sign up for Jeremy Woodward's morning fitness class. For those of you that don't know Jeremy, check out his blog. Amber works with him when she's not in triathlon season, and the improvements in her strength have been remarkable. So despite my misgivings on trusting people who wake up early to exercise, I have enrolled in twice weekly fitness sessions. In addition to Jeremy's classes, I am also making a concerted effort to improve my flexibility which anyone who has seen me on a tri-bike has probably noticed, I am lacking. I will be doing this by working with the excellent people over at Living Yoga and hopefully getting myself a little more limber. So twice weekly Jeremy and yoga sessions, with my 3/week lunch-time runs and weekend rides(or whatever the race schedule brings) should keep me in fairly good fitness. We will see.

Up Next: "Only One Hill"

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