I have always had the philosophy that if you want to get better at a weakness, then you need to focus on that weakness. If you want to get faster swimming; you need to get in the pool and start swimming. My obvious weakness in triathlon is my run. So based on my training philosophy; I decided to immerse myself into running for a few weeks. I ended my season much earlier this year compared to last, mainly to focus on some running in preparation for the 2012 triathlon season. Focusing on running has also had the added benefits of not being forced to spend much time on the trainer and also decreasing the amount of hours per week I have spent training; which has been pretty helpful since I am still working...(3 weeks left!).
The past few weeks have been the first time in my triathlon career where I have really focused on my run. I have been doing (for me) a lot of miles and really trying to turn myself into more of a runner than I ever have been. The running block has been, for the most part, really fun. I have been able to discover some new running trails. I did a lot of running when I was in Colorado for Thanksgiving. It hasn't been all easy. Although the intensity of my running has been pretty low the miles definitely have started to pile up. I wake up every day knowing one thing is going to be constant; I'm going to run that day, most likely twice. My running block will continue until the end of December but I had my first true test this weekend and I have to say that I am pretty excited with the progress. I managed to run a new PR for a half marathon. It is encouraging to know that the work I have put in is paying off in some regard; especially because in a few weeks I think I am going to have to re-learn how to ride a bike.
