168 hours

Four training sessions completed this week as I fight my way back to fitness.  The turbo sessions were uneventful, just a sweat fest!  The runs on the other hand were on muddy trails with puddles and sometimes pools of water to wade through - that was the fun part.
Chatelherault on Saturday saw me dropped by the group as they shot off at a pace I wasn't capable of staying with.  But fortunately I was accompanied by Matt who is training from some extreme ultras this season and this was his easy slow week.  I struggled most of the way round and eventually told him to run ahead as I wanted to walk more to get my breath back and heart rate down.  Over coffee afterwards everyone was complaining that they felt they weren't at full fitness but these were the same people who dropped me at the beginning.  Action was required.
Today I headed out with my coach Genevieve for a 10k trail run at a different and difficult trail with plenty of sharp inclines.  It wasn't fast but my breathing eventually got more under control and we agreed now was the time to implement the structured training plan because my training has been haphazard at best.  So tomorrow I will be back on  the Training Peaks app where she will set the sessions and monitor them online - just the kick up the arse I needed.
There are 168 hours in a week and if I work 60 hours (which I don't know) and sleep 56 then I have 52 spare hours in the week.  Even at the max training I was doing for Ironman last year that was 14 hours a week so I will be able to fit this in.  Built up properly I will come out of "hibernation" and feel the benefit of regular structured training.  It's good to have a plan and to be held accountable.  Normal business is being restored!

I get by with a little help with my friends

When you are training for an endurance event you start by building a base level of training and this takes several months.  With my training having been twice a week recently I've felt like getting to base training would be a good start!  So I'm pleased to report that this week involved two runs, one turbo session, one walk (I'll come back to that) and my second bike ride this year.
The runs have gone to plan and it will be a while before I am able to get my heart rate down.  I'm now up to 10k and if I can get 2-3 runs in a week for the next couple of weeks then this should allow me to build my distance. It's strange to think that in 216 days time I will be running with a rucksack carrying over 12 kilos in weight and doing 6 consecutive days running; 49.6k, 43.4k, 84.7k, 41.9k, 41.9k,12.3k.  The course starts at 5,334ft and the total ascent in the race will be 18,041 ft with total descent of 14,688 ft.  It's hard to imagine the distances while I am running 10k at the moment but with proper planning by my coach Genevieve, I'll get there.
On Friday I completed a 7k walk. This is an important part of my training a I will be walking for large sections of the event due to terrain and heat. Walking causes different pressures on the foot from running and is usually where the blisters come from so there will be much more of this planned, although it's more likely to be hill walking.
Having ran 10k yesterday I headed out with Genevieve and Colin for a "social" bike ride.  I set the route but had failed to realise that this was a regular route, when I was cycling and fit.  It involved a lot of hills and I misjudged the distance (49km) so only have myself to blame for that.  At one point I was really struggling to make one of the many hills and my heart was racing and I was feeling sick.  My pals were already over the hill and I knew I was in trouble.  A quick gel gave me a boost but towards the end Genevieve was upfront with me trying to hold on and Colin was pushing me to help me stay on Genevieve's wheel.  My triceps were so tired I was struggling to hold onto the handlebars.  The rain had started and all I wanted to do was stop and call a taxi - that wasn't going to happen.  I'm putting this detail in so that you can see where I am starting from and it's not a place of fitness, but I am determined.  It will also be a reminder to me when I look back at some of the black moments you have to go through on the journey.  But as the title says, I got by with a little help from my friends which was much appreciated.  It's much harder on your own.
The healthier diet starts tonight and there will be a lot less socialising and partying!  I want to get back to the shape I was in pre-ironman but this will take a lot of hard work.  216 days and counting!

Life gets in the way

Following my run a week ago I had the best of intentions to have 2 more runs during the week to help build up my base fitness.  Sadly this didn't materialise as "life got in the way".. you know what I mean.  The important things such as work, I had a week full of very early starts and 2 days in London.  Many demands on the domestic front but you've got to make sure that everything is kept on a even balance at home.
My first training session of the week was yesterday!  8.30am at the gym with my Athelite Tri club pal Graeme who made sure I don't put too much weight on the machine, highly unlikely, and that I keep the correct form. Then I headed out for a 10km run.  The forecast hadn't predicted snow but this accompanied me in the first half of the run.  It was very cold and it brought back memories of training for the Marathon des Sables in when it was -5 degrees and the expected temperature in the desert was 45 degrees.  An experienced runner said it didn't matter if it was hot or cold what we were doing was preparing for extremes.  I kept reminding myself of this message as I pulled the sleeves of my jacket down to cover my fingers which had lost all sensation.  It was a slower run that my last one which is fine, especially as my heart rate had dropped to a more acceptable level.  Apparently the way to get faster is to train slower and I'm happy with that concept!
In the afternoon I went for a sports massage to ease the muscles in my legs and to loosen off my back.  This is never a pleasant experience but I know it's necessary.  I'm sure Grant secretly enjoys seeing me suffer but without his expert hands I'd don't think I'd make it through the season.
I'd been invited out for a social ride this morning.  Slow pace was guaranteed and the target was for  30 kms followed by cake and coffee!  I be lucky if I'd been on my bike more that 4 times since Ironman - I'm a fair weather cyclist.  So when I heard the wind battering against the window I wasn't for going outside.  However the group were determined so I made the effort.  Climbing up the hill to the meeting point left me out of breath and I was dreading what coming especially when I found out the route - over one of the largest climbs in the area (after a few months it won't seem like a climb)! And of course the wind howled making the conditions tricky especially when it was a cross wind, and the snow which felt like hail smacked us in the face.  Fortunately I had dressed for the occasion and it protected me from the elements.  This is the start of my cycling and afterwards as I sipped my hot chocolate and ate my bakewell tart I began to feel human again.  That was only dampened by the very short downhill cycle home followed by washing my bike which left me frozen again before I  headed for the shower.  This weekend has been bitterly cold but the training must go on.

It's a start

Hopefully this recently medically orientated blog is now going to get back to what is is there for.  To show how an ordinary guy with a goal to raise money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre, can take on extra ordinary challenges - hopefully this will inspire others to extend their comfort zone and go for it. When the doubters, and there have been a few, thought I'd "bitten off more than I could chew" that just spurred me on.  I've even been accused of "showing off" by some - believe me there are a lot easier ways to show off than busting a gut 6 days a week in all weather conditions.
The last three weeks have seen my laid up with a chest infection.  Climbing the stairs had my gasping for breath.  But on Friday I started to feel better so I headed off to the gym with my pals for a light workout.  I started with the bike then weights then boxing - yes boxing, that's where this crazy journey started in 2008.  It also reminded me how fit you have to be to do some simple bag work.  I finished off on the bike and my heart rate had got to 148 and I hadn't started coughing so that was a positive sign.
Today I was so excited to pull on my running shoes and head out into the countryside for a 7.5km run.   I plugged my music in and off I went.  I could immediately feel my legs protesting after the gym but it was my lungs I was concerned with.  My heart rate was too high but that was to be expected.  It was a cold but dry day and it made me realise how much I had taken for granted the privilege of being able to run.  It's such a good feeling to get cleaned up afterwards and fed so I can now relax and recover.  My chest is now letting me know that this was an effort with a niggly cough starting but I think it will settle down.  I'm taking tomorrow off training but will be back on Tuesday as I build up the base level of my fitness.  With 230 days to go I need to maximise the benefit from every training session to be ready to complete my goal in the Grand Canyon while raising money for Maggies.  I launched my just giving page last week and someone I met while running the Highland Fling in 2014 was the first to donate with £500 - incredible generosity which has got me off to a flying start as I am aiming to raise £10,000.  I will be paying my own costs so everything raised is going to Maggies.  To donate go to www.justgiving.com/Derek-Stewart6.
Today is just a start of my return to fitness, but it feels good so bring it on.