I'm going to spend a little time on the bike today just getting my legs loose and maybe watch an episode or two of Friends. Other than that I have some housework to do and a few things for my day job. Somewhere in the day, though, I intend to reread the chapters in my Ironman training book about the prep phase and its objectives; I want to refresh the objectives of some of the "Ae" and "Ss" workouts. I've come to grips with several adjustments leading up to this moment. Some have been too easy to make, while others are going to be a big challenge.
As I ramp up to the beginning of my structured training, I've found that one of the easiest adjustments I've had to make to my lifestyle is giving up alcohol. Many of you who know me well know I appreciate the skill of bar tending. Lois and I love to drink for the taste of cocktails--anything from an old fashioned to a melon ball to a Hawaii five-o. We enjoy beer and wine too, often opting for some of the less mainstream brews; for example, the beer currently on tap at home is Arrogant Bastard Ale. So two weeks ago when I decided to start working out in prep for formal training, I cut alcohol consumption out almost completely. Since then I have had a couple social drinks, but nothing like the 2-5 nightly drinks I was enjoying. I have felt no cravings for them, zero symptoms of withdrawal and water intake has increased ten-fold. For me it's just a matter of deciding to change and then doing it.
Another relatively easy change I've made is adjusting what I eat. I've moved from a diet laden with late night wings and pizza to all healthy foods eaten at at intentional intervals throughout the day. My breakfast around 6:30 usually involves all the food groups in all the right amounts, then lunch is at 11:30; it's my biggest meal of the day, but again, all the right food groups with low fat intake and lots of fruits and veggies. Then dinner is around 3:30-4 pm. This one is just a few hundred calories, usually with a piece of fruit, a yogurt, some nuts and a small portion of whatever lunch was. When I get home from work I consume only water and then it's off to bed around 7, which brings me to my next lifestyle adjustment.
I now get up at 3 am every day. I feel if the workouts don't get done before work, they just will not happen. My wife is a victim in reference to wake up times, and she'll tell you how it is in her blog, Early to Bed, Early to Rise. Waking up early every day is sometimes far from easy. Almost more challenging, however, is going to bed at 7pm. More on this later...
Lois is a coffee lover. I didn't like coffee when I met her, but that has since changed. Hey, when I met her, she didn't drink alcohol. I'm pretty sure my influence on her is much worse than hers on me. Anyway, given the early morning hours now, she has extra time in the mornings; she's working out now with all that extra time, but naturally she's not working out as long as I am--she doesn't have an insane New Year's resolution. By the way, I give her mad props for doing workouts in the mornings, because as a light sleeper who the cats will not allow back to bed once I'm gone to the gym, she really is subject to the effects of my lifestyle changes. She's not a morning person, as we've discussed, and she's also not an athlete. Sure, she played softball and basketball in high school, but how many of you carried your high school fitness all the way through college and a few years more without working out to maintain it? Lois has other interests in life that don't involve time on a treadmill or under a barbell. So given the 3 am wake up call and a 7 am departure for work, you can imagine Lois has plenty of time to drink coffee alongside her workout. She's up earlier, I'm up earlier...we now go thru $10 in coffee beans every week, and that doesn't even include the espresso we drink! I'm feeling a little like Bryan now.
I turned the espresso machine on before starting this post. Time to go make myself a French vanilla cappuccino.
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