Since I’ve found Art Clarke’s (Running Naked) SOAP format for reporting on training so interesting and useful I am adopting it for my own use as well. In short, SOAP is a method used by physicians to aid in treating patients. SOAP is a way to organize thoughts that helps the physician (or anyone really) examine all parts of a problem eliminating natural biases. For an explanation on how and why, read Art’s entry about it.
Subjective:
Overall training is going well. I feel great, although I feel hungrier than I used to, but presumably I’m burning the calories off in training. The bicycle ride on Sunday was harder than I expected it to be (I decided to go fast and see if I could lap my training companions on a 2.2 mile course. I failed, but not by much.) The cycling may be my biggest risk because I have a tendency to hyperventilate that may need to be managed.
Objective:
Running is up to 1.4 miles. Swimming is at 1/2 mile. I did a cycling workout that was 13+ miles this weekend. No soreness or pain of note to report.
Assessment:
I’m arguably in the best shape of my life. I have no doubts that I will be in shape to finish the triathlon. It is beginning to occur to me that the triathlon is a race and that I may want to be more competitive than previously thought. The original idea was just to finish but the competitive spirit may take over.
Plan:
Keep increasing the running distances; this is the most important. By the end of the week I should have run 1.8 miles. Do at least one swimming workout this week (Friday probably). This week is challenging from a scheduling standpoint, so I’ll have to be creative to stick to it.