My 2010 triathlon season officially kicked off this week! Monday morning I started with a Functional Threshold Power test on the bike. This involves two 20 minute intervals at an all out effort with a 2 minute easy spin between. This closely predicts the amount of power (watts) you can hold for 1 hour. Because I live in the frozen tundra of the Midwest, I did this test on my trainer in the basement (pain cave). That's where my bike will live for the next few months.

The first test of the new season is always an eye-opener - you go into it thinking you can hold x watts but then reality sets in about 5 minutes into the first interval. It's at this point that the mental games begin and you just gut it out.

I ended up with an FTP of 271 watts, about 30 watts below where I finished the 2009 season. From past experience I know I can quickly get back up to my 2009 level and probably exceed it with discipline and hard work.

Because I can't run for another 4 weeks, I'm adding more bike workouts to my typical training week. This should really help boost my power.

I'm also really focusing on getting a jump start on achieving good body composition right now. The past couple seasons I really haven't gotten serious about my diet until a couple months before my "A" race. My thought is that when I do slip the run shoes back on in February that I'll be carrying less weight around which will do two things: (1) reduce the likelihood of injury as I ramp up the mileage and (2) allow me to train at faster paces thereby allowing me to gain back my old run fitness more quickly.

So far so good on body comp...I started the focus in mid-December weighing 186lbs (up about 16lbs from my race weight in August). With minimal activity I'm down to 179lbs. Now with the training starting this week I think I'll see the leanness come a little faster. I'll provide more details on the changes I've made to my diet in my next post.