Iron News Man - October 30, 2009

By CHRIS SCHAUBLE

Updated 6:35 AM PST, Mon, Nov 2, 2009

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Two days of high-level Ironman Arizona training and a world of confidence gained! That’s what the next 48-hours will bring. I can’t wait to tackle each session. Today’s training highlight is my longest swim… essentially the FULL Ironman swim distance. Tomorrow I’ll wake early (for a Saturday) and then ride for an estimated seven hours! I will actually ride longer than needed for Ironman.

The point of my “Peak Week” is to train my body to a level that lets me know what it’s capable of. Doing all of the Ironman distances in a single week is obviously not the same as doing them in a single day. However, combined with the other training this has been and will be a challenging week. I’m glad that at NO POINT so far have a felt overwhelmed by my training. It’s been an extremely encouraging sign.

Here’s my TrainingPeaks.com schedule for today from Triathlon Coach Jason Healey:

Workout Description:

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Countdown to Ironman

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Ironman Journey

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Triathlon Training

Swim 3700 yrds total. Warm Up: 4 x 25 with (10" rest) then 4 x 50 with (20" rest). Drills: 200 yrds. Choose drills from the Triathlon Training Series Swim DVD. MS: 4 x 50 with (15”), 2 x 75 (20”), 3 x 100 (25”), 2 x 200 (30"), 3 x 500 (90"), 2 x 100 (25"), 2 x 75 (20”), 4 x 50 (15"). CD: 2 x 50, 4 x 25 easy with emphasis on form.

I plan to get a nap after I leave the NBC lot. Depending on how long I sleep, I plan to knock-out today’s swim, then weight train biceps and triceps with Jordan Yuam. My appointment with Jordan is at 2pm, so if I sleep too long, I’ll swim after the weight training. Sharpening the saw, that’s the way I’m approaching my Ironman preparation!

Days until Ironman Arizona: 23!

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-Chris

Why blog? To inspire others.

Simply put, two years ago I was overweight! At 6’1” I weighed 252, and wore size 40 pants. Few people really noticed, but I did. In pictures, on TV, I was not happy with my appearance. Covering the 2007 LA Marathon for NBC4 was the last straw. Every picture I was in highlighted just how out of shape I had become.

No more! Since that time, the guy who could barely run around the block has slowly built-up his endurance and completed the 2008 Long Beach International Marathon , 2009 Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, 2009 LA Marathon, and the 2009 Vineman Ironman 70.3.

However, something happened along the way. After my first marathon, I fell into a funk. I asked myself, “Why do you feel such a let-down after a marvelous achievement?” The answer I have since learned from my coaches, I failed to set the “goal beyond the goal”. Thus, my quest for Iron was born!

I’m registered to compete in the Ford Ironman Arizona on November 22nd, 2009. Along the way, I will compete in various road races and triathlons to fuel my passion and push my training along. The intense and at times brutal training will happen after my duties as 4 a.m. to 7a.m. anchor for NBC4 have finished. The sacrifices I will make will be substantial, and for that I thank my beautiful family and friends in advance.

I invite you to share this journey with me.