All things have to start somewhere. It doesn't matter how out of shape you are or how new you are to an activity... All that matters is that you start. It's true that the hardest step is the first one in pursuit of anything, this is because taking a first step or starting a new journey creates an unfamiliar environment, and us as people, naturally, like being comfortable dealing with things that are familiar. We can't get caught in this mindset. I said this once, and I will continue to say it. Complacency is a poison to ourselves and society. Comfort is a prelude to complacency and when we are comfortable we need to be careful to not fall into patterns killing a sense of bettering ourselves.

In spirit of this idea I have begun a new journey towards something completely different from my previous experiences. Ironman Triathlons! In a lifetime full of sprinting and intense strength training delving into the world of high endurance is going to be quite the shock! Even some of the most diligent and motivated athletes are complacent with their training. This also means that their progress is limited. Even if you're an extremely athletic individual and very motivated with your training, it's easy to fall into a routine of the same exercises, same body parts, same reps, sets, rest... etc! This is why it's important to switch it up. Switching gears, goals, skill sets, exercises, routines is one of the best ways to reinvigorate the body to better progress. Muscles are smarter than we give them credit for. They adapt constantly to the stresses that we place upon them and if the stresses are overly repeated, they adapt so well that they don't work nearly as hard or energetically as they could. This is why walking doesn't make you sore, why sitting and standing don't bother your stabilizers. In my case I am completely changing my tune to training and my pursuits in athletics, but you don't have to permanently change to reap the benefits of varying your training. Sometimes just a couple weeks to remind the body the feeling of intense training, or to train varied planes of motion and provide a better base for your ultimate goal. Most fitness professionals program routines to last between 6-12 weeks. Though not widely said, it is a good idea to change your routine when you finish, even for just a couple weeks. Just starting back at the beginning doesn't vary the muscular work enough and can cause you to fall into a complacent state of training. It's good to not be too familiar with your training.

My journey to Ironman is going to be brutal! This change is going to make me a better athlete and I'm going to document my training as I go, so I can show that even though I am starting from zero, I can accomplish great things with hard work and proper training! Time to Work!

Every Day... A Little Stronger

Monday: 600m swim @100m fast intervals 30sec rest
Tues: Weight training: Back and core / Run 5 Miles @6:30 mile pace.