It’s been an up and down kind of week for training, as of my last post here, I was moving forward with an automated training program called TriDot. I’ve since been turned off a bit to it as I read many of the reviews on it (not terribly positive) and I feel like its missing the mark for me …

I did a decent job with self coaching myself after Jason’s passing last year, and using their program certainly made me work in a different way, but I didn’t really understand what I was doing and why. I don’t mind the “work”, but relating the “work” to why helps put it in better perspective. My power, running and HR zones changed constantly, it is SO hard to plan ahead to workout when things change so dynamically.

Plus I don’t care for their interface. I really like TrainingPeaks and what it has to offer, so we are going that way instead. I’m already a paid subscriber, and I know how to do this, I will look for help from a coach on that platform.

TriDot also offered me two free months, after I put my credit card in. This is where things got strange … I read a lot of stories that even if you cancel, you can still get charged. Plus they are trying to upsell you all the time, which leads me to believe that I’m not getting their “best”. That bothers me.

So we’re not taking their free 2-months and heading off on the journey I had already started before being distracted by them.

So today I started doing my time trials and testing to set my zones for the first 4-6 weeks. First up was the bike …

I did a 30-minute time trial over at Flatwoods park, after doing a warm up. my FTP is currently at 256, which feels about right. Totally different than what TriDot told me … oh well. This let me setup my zones properly so I can layout my training.

Tomorrow I get to do the swim test, so I can get those zones together .. I struggled last year because I really never did the swim test. I never did any targeted enough workouts in the pool … well, that is going to change.

Here is where my zones are laid out for the first 4-6 weeks. I plan to officially start next week after I return from my trip to Pennsylvania.

It’s hard to believe that its only 44 weeks until Ironman Maryland, but its WAY too far out to start doing a countdown. I don’t even have the full season laid out (or paid for either).

Then on Saturday, i get to do the run test. That will suck, I am so out of shape for running… Ugh.

More results in a few days … gearing up for the new season, exciting times!