Peak performance & timing

The Olympics are approaching and the athlete's have been building up their performance to qualify and then be ready to peak at the critical moment in the event.  The same has happened in the Euro's football tournament with Italy scraping their way through to the final but getting better as they progressed. 
Tomorrow I have friends competing in Ironman Austria and the Outlaw tomorrow and remember their fitness level and training regime was quiet different from mine 3 months ago.  Now my "A" race is over I mustn't compare my fitness to theirs as they are in peak condition, as they should be.
But while I am on holiday I'll be picking up my training in preparation for a tough half ironman event, 1 month after I return. I am aiming to peak just in time for the event.  Failing to plan is planning to fail.  I'll bring you up to date with my progress in a couple of weeks.

Mindset

Something strange happened this morning which I will share with you.  As you know I have been feeling "out of sorts" recently and my sleep was broken at 4.30am with a false alarm call from the security company that monitors our alarm at the office so that didn't help.  I got up and prepared to go swimming.  As I drove off I changed my mind and headed to the office instead as I thought I could use the extra time clearing up before my holiday.  Changing my mind on the way to a training session!  This is a first.
On reflection I think I am suffering the "post ironman blues" which I thought I'd avoid by having other events lined up.  I currently do not have a training plan nor do I have a control mechanism (my coach) to make sure I am doing it - remember it was 12-14 hours a week before Ironman.  So I made myself a wee promise this morning which is when I get back from my holiday my training plan will be ready as will my mindset as I will have 1 month to get ready for a tough half Ironman competition.  In the meantime I am going to enjoy the extended rest and not feel guilty about it.  Now, back to work!

Running on empty

We all lead busy lives and when combining the family life with running a business and also training, sometimes it can get a bit much.  Fortunately my training schedule is a fraction of what it was 7 weeks ago but I am now starting regular training again.  However I finish for 2 weeks annual leave on Friday and I'm "running on empty" / knackered / shattered and fighting off a sore throat / man flu.  It always happens.  Your defenses drop as the holiday approaches and bang, you feel crap.
But I am promising to relax on holiday although I will be running in the sand to practice for Marathon des Sables, sea swimming, possibly sailing and definately scuba diving.  That's when I'm not challenging the kids at crazy golf, reading, eating wonderful meals with the family or enjoying a cocktail with my wife.  You know what?  Just making that statement has made me feel slightly better already!  Here's hoping that will get me through a hectic last two days before I can relax.  Hope you enjoy your holiday when it comes.

Londons calling

What an exciting time to be in London.  Yesterdays Wimbledon trip was fantastic with good tennis, fine food & wine plus great company.  The whole city is buzzing with the tennis and preparing for the Olympics.  I ran in Hyde Park this morning and as always enjoyed watching the commuters either running, skating or cycling to work.  The cyclists come in different shapes and sizes; the racers, the mountain bikers and the "Barclays cyclists".  The later ones have hired the bike for their trip and are cycling to work in the business suits which considering the humidity is a bit smelly! They can leave the bike at a Barclays point in London which is a great way to get people around town. Now time for a shower and then off to earn a crust in the big smoke!

Back in the saddle

It's been 5 weeks since Lanza Ironman and due to saddle sores, mechanical problems and bad weather I haven't been back on my bike.  So despite being a bit tender from a great night out with friends I took advantage of a short break in the weather this morning.  The sun made a rare appearance and I headed out for an hours ride to test out the bike, and myself.
All went well and it was great to be back in the saddle.  My legs felt good and although I didn't feel "at one with the bike", that will come within a few rides, I enjoyed flying through the countryside taking in the fragrances from the flowers.  No I haven't gone soft in the head before you suggest it, it's just when you're training and always working against the stop watch some times you don't take in the scenery and the fragrances.  So I'm going to try and enjoy my surroundings while working hard. Tomorrow I'm off to Wimbledon, mixing business with pleasure but I'll pack my running shoes so I can run in a park and keep my return to fitness going.

Getting there

Coming back to training is an interesting process. The rest has been great and getting a family and social life back even better but I feel sluggish. A couple of pounds have gone on although while shopping yesterday I was still getting into a 30 waist! Today I watched as the rain was pouring down and the wind howling and decided I'd leave the bike for another day and go out for a run in between the showers. So I ran 10k slightly slower than my normal time but faster than my last run which is to be expected. However the feeling when I finished was terrific. It's what makes running so good. Today I have friends competing in the West Highland Way race, a 95 mile race which most of them will complete in under 24 hours. Now that serious ultra running and it shows what is possible when you put your mind to it. So onwards and upwards for me. I recon I should be back to full fitness in a month but will gradually increase the intensity while trying to avoid any set backs.

Busy night at Loch Lomond

You can tell it's summer in Scotland when so many people are "rubbered up" and standing on the shore of Loch Lomond ready to take the plunge. There must have been 30 swimmers in their wetsuits and even a couple of "hard core" swimmers only in speedos! The first 5 minutes was cold but you soon warm up as you swim towards the beech on the opposite side which means you track the shoreline before you turn up the loch and into the deeper, colder and darker water. There were 9 ATHelite members in my group and we do a regular headcount to make sure no one goes missing! Our brightly coloured swim caps are to help boats coming into the harbour spot us and last night a big boat did just that honking it's horn as it approached. Bit scary but they are used to us. Afterwards I was interviewed by an ITV producer who is planning a programme around the loch and people who are using it. There idea is for the presenter to go swimming on the loch with me or another swimmer Sounds like great fun and I'd love to get the opportunity of spreading the word of mission ironman to a national audience which would increase my fund raising for Maggie's. I'll let you know the outcome but they may go for someone more local to the loch.

Steep learning curve

This morning started with my swim.  My 1,000m warm up went well but my 100m's were a struggle after 5 so I did a warm down and accepted that I'm still in recovery.  I'll save myself for tomorrow night in Loch Lomond.
Then I met Dave who is an expert in all things desert - he is leading a party tomorrow into the Gobi Desert which is an annual challenge.  We had a good discussion around MdS and he explained the 2 most common reasons for failure was water discipline and foot maintenance.  I'm happy with regulating water following Lanzarote Ironman but the foot maintenance will require a lot of studying hence the reason I know have a book to read of feet.  We discussed various aspects, such as the venom pump that you have to carry but doesn't work (yikes!) that I have never considered before and it gave me a glimpse as to how much I need to learn, over and above the training.  I can't wait but in the meantime need to get back my stamina back.

Back to basics

I woke at 5.50am this morning and was due to start my training with a swim.  But the sun was shining and the sky was blue so I decided a run was in order.  Fortunately I checked the temperature, 2 degrees, so dressed like it was a winters day!  Unfortunately as I am out of practise I forgot to do "something" which resulted in clenched bum cheeks for half the run and the fastest ever last 50 metres!  I won't make that mistake again.
It's amazing how six weeks ago I was at the peak of my fitness and today was a struggle.  My heart rate was high and my pace was slow for 5.4 miles but I now have a benchmark and I aim to get back into shape for the half Ironman in Aberfoyle on August 18th.  It's fantastic to have a short-term goal to aim at as this will give me the motivation and focus to train hard.  Tomorrow I will be in the pool early morning and this will help loosen of any stiffness from today's run.  I did fancy going out for a spin on the bike but think I should ease my way into training.  It's back to basics and build up gradually but I did feel good after my run.

Social life

On returning from Lanzarote Ironman 4 weeks ago I have been catching up with my social life with my wife and family.  Eating is no problem as I try and put on some weight to get back to 11 stone but it isn't easy.  It's fair to say that my alcohol consumption has increased (liquid cards!) but I am still a relative light weight as I found out last night when out with a few of the "football Dads".  But this continues today as I attend "Hangerfest" music festival in Strathaven and it can compare to Glastonbury - wet, muddy and windy.  This will be followed by a 50th birthday party tonight of a good friend of mine so the alcohol theme will continue.
Tomorrow I will be resting / recovering and then on Monday back to training.  I need to get ready for the Aberfeldy half ironman in August.  I am looking forward to training again as I will begin to feel better as my body gets back to exercise.  It doesn't mean I won't be socialising in the future but getting the focus back on the goals is good for me.  It's how I work best. 
On Tuesday I am meeting with Dave from www.sand-baggers.com to discuss equipment and food requirements for MdS.  I have a lot to learn before I set foot in the Sahara Desert and I can't wait - it will be a whole new world and as a novice I need to gather an experienced team around me.

A whole new world

Tonight I met with Tony, a Marathon des Sables veteran who gave me a quick introduction on how I should prepare myself, the equipment I would need (including the venom pump!), the food and the place where I can buy it all.  It's a whole new world and I was at a complete loss when he was talking about the equipment and the brands.  But he reassured me that my tri training can continue as mixing swimming & cycling with my running will keep me fit and reduce my risk of injury.  Tony's description of sleeping under a carpet of stars sounder amazing although the camel spiders and snakes didn't go down so well!
I came away with a copy of a book, "Fixing your feet", which I think gives me a big clue in what to expect.  In Lanza I suffered a few blisters and that was sore so I will study this carefully.  I will also start learning French which is the 1st language of most of the Marshall's and volunteers - at the moment I might be able to order 2 beers but it may be more important to explain I am suffering from dehydration!
So the next chapter in Mission Ironman begins.  I'm excited and looking forward to it and on route I'll have a couple of other challenges to keep my short term focus.  I hope you can follow my journey and please take the opportunity to post a message - I'll always respond.  I can't wait to enter this "new world".

Motivation

I find myself in a strange place. I am keen to start training but am uncertain that my body is ready. At the same time having no plan in place leaves me unfocused. 2 years ago after my first Ironman I felt like I'd fallen off a cliff. I don't feel like that now but getting motivated to start with no plan isn't easy. The other difference this time is I have three goals in place. 18th August is a half ironman, in January I have the Tough Guy Challenge and in April the Marathon des Sables (just under 300 days away). But I have just booked a meeting on Wednesday night with an MDS veteran and am hoping he will help me with my training - I'm excited already as this is new territory to me. Can't wait - lots to learn!

Marathon des Sables training

I got my first taste of MDS training today as I ran a couple of miles with a rucksack on my back. It wasn't really a training session as such but it gave me a feel for what lies ahead. Today is Strathaven Gala day, probably the biggest day of the year in our town. There will be a procession with lots of floats with kids in fancy dress and the town grinds to a halt for a few hours. So the reason for the run with a rucksack was having dropped my car off at a house where we will be at for the 2nd party of the day, I had to run home with some wine! The training will get more serious shortly - honest!

Loch Lomond

Today I collected my bike from "hospital".  A new "bottom bracket" was required and this was the noise I had heard when I was last out on it.  The result was that my pedals were not easy to turn.  Can you imagine what would have happened if this had occurred in Lanzarote Ironman which was the last time I had ridden the bike!  Obviously it was close to failure but luck was on my side.
Tonight I went to Loch Lomond for an open water swim with team ATHelite.  Initially the water was cold and it took your breath away.  But after 100m swim I started to feel ok and could enjoy swimming in such a stunning location with the mountains in the background.  I only stayed in for one lap of the course as I am still recovering so I watched on as the other triathletes went on for a second lap - they are preparing for a half ironman in 2 weeks time.  There is no point rushing my recovery as I will end up exhausted and not able to train.  As I have a half Ironman on 18 August I want to make sure I am fit to take part.  But what a way to end a week - not may people get that opportunity.

Back training

I have been easing my way through the "recovery period" after Lanzarote Ironman.  My recovery seems to be quicker that after Copenhagen 2 years ago but I'm not daft enough to think it's complete yet.  In the last week I have played 4 games of golf and that was just to do something completely different and also to exercise the legs - they feel great.  Yesterday I had entered a team into the Strathaven Pro Am and it was a privilege to play with Stephen Gray from Hayston Golf Club.  I think triathletes could learn a lot watching the "mental" approach of players at this level as it only takes one shot to ruin their day so they need to be mentally tough and weigh up the risk versus reward in every shot.
But time to get back to some light training and this morning I got back in the pool. Before arriving at the pool I realised I had no schedule to follow.  This would have meant I would have had no focus and it would have been a mere splash in the pool.  But I wanted to know what shape I was in so I set myself the target of 3 x 500m which by pre-ironman standards was a short session.  Well I am sure you will have guessed, it was long enough with the third 500 being quiet slow but I needed to know where I was in fitness terms.  So it's a start and I will build from here to my next race on 18 August.  it's good to be back!

Breakdown

On Friday night I ventured out for my first exercise since Lanzarote Ironman.  It was meant to be a slow bike ride with no big hills and as the day before 3 flights of stairs had left me breathless.  Getting my recovery right will pay dividends in the months to come.
I had unpacked my bike from its "suitcase" and after a mile stopped to make some adjustments.  4 miles later my chain had come off twice and strange noises were coming from the pedals.  I had to turn back and nurse the bike home. 
I was gutted as it was a beautiful night and I enjoyed being out on the bike without working to tough targets.  But it's a start and next Friday I am hoping to be swimming in Loch Lomond with the ATHelite club.  Open water swimming is so energising and Loch Lomond has to be the most beautiful place to swim with the amazing colours and surrounding mountains.  So slowly I will work my way back to training so I am ready for Aberfoyle Half Ironman on August 18th and be well into my MDS training.