Mission Ironman delivered

Today was another milestone in that I delivered my first Mission Ironman presentation to an audience at The Belfry in Birmingham. The audience were great and understood the key messages about the journey to ironman from non-athlete, non-swimmer and how this relates to challenges in life and business.  They completed my 5 step plan to goal setting and posted it to themselves so that when they get back to their office there is a reminder of what they want to change and a structure to support the change.
Achieving unbelievable challenges is usually won or lost in the head and we tend to limit ourselves by our thinking.  Mission Ironman is all about overcoming this type of thinking and making the most out of our lives while helping those less fortunate along the way.  Enjoy the journey.

Targets create focus

As I am getting back into my running and with only 99 days to go before I complete a marathon (after the swim and bike) I need to step the mileage up.  So yesterday I ran 12 miles.  I watched my time carefully as this indicates how "run fit" I am and was delighted to average 8 mins per mile on a hilly course.  If I didn't measure it I wouldn't have anything else to go on other than feel which isn't good enough.  After my glutes problem I wasn't surprised that I had some discomfort in the last mile but this went away afterwards.  In the build up I will improve my speed slightly but it's not about getting a fast time on the marathon, it's about putting three hard disciplines together and crossing the line in a respectable time (and in one piece!).
Due to the length of the run I took out a drink and some energy jelly.  Unfortunately at -2 degrees the jelly was not easy to chew so I spent 20 minutes trying to pick it out of my teeth as I ran - another lesson learned!  However in Lanza I will have a different problem with the heat.  That's why I will be testing everything when I am out at the training camp in March as I can't afford that type of problem on race day.

Elbows to the rescue!

My lower back still felt stiff when I got up this morning having tried every sleeping position to get comfortable during the night.  I decided to do my 1 hour early morning turbo but technical glitches with my Garmin meant it was done on "feel" rather than actual data.  It's difficult to tell how I performed without that feedback but if sweat was anything to go by I worked hard as it was still pouring off me despite it being -3 outside my non-insulated, non-heated training room.  I still prefer to have the data so I can see how I am performing against targets.
This afternoon I went to Grant for a sports massage to ease my lower back pain.  He's identified my glutes were the problem so set about them with his elbows - ouch, ouch, ouch!  Feeling better and will be at swimming training tonight and am sure I will sleep well tonight!
Before sun rise tomorrow I am doing the long run I should have done last night then I won't be training till Saturday so it will give my muscles a rest.

Taking no chances

I've had some discomfort in my lower back for a week or so and it felt as though it was worse this morning.  The 2.9k swim didn't hurt but all day I've been aware it's getting slightly worse.  So I've binned the 1hr 40 min run which is disappointing as I was looking forward to it and my running is slightly behind target.  I've booked a sports massage tomorrow to see if that will sort it and if not it's off to the chiropractor.
Over the years I have had various back problems but since my core and gym sessions started I haven't had as much as a twinge, until now.
So erring on the side of caution is my plan as I can't afford to aggravate my back - the consequences of missing a couple of sessions over hurting my back isn't a hard decision to make, although annoying as I feel great otherwise.

Cold weather training

Choosing an endurance event in the first half of the year has one major drawback - a large part of your training is done in winter conditions.  This morning was too icy to be safe on the bike so I did 1.5 hours indoor on the turbo trainer which was tough.
I then travelled to Loch Lomond to complete my Mission Ironman promotion video.  This involved cycling (there was no ice as it was later in the day) and running up and down Glen Luss while being filmed from the back of a car - a good workout.  It was cold with snow on the hills and the run was wet.  Once again I was attacked by a Jack Russell (what is it with those dogs?) but managed to fend it off with my shoe otherwise it would have been "road kill" and I'd be in A&E as I was travelling at speed.  Then I finished off with a swim in Loch Lomond which was freezing cold despite the sun coming out.  I was only in for a short while but my head felt like it would explode with the cold.  I didn't see anyone else swimming funnily enough.  So it's now over to the editor to make it look good.  I will have it on my website www.missionironman.co.uk by the 19th Feb.
These conditions will offer an interesting contrast to the conditions I will face in Lanzarote in 4 weeks time at my training camp.  I think it will take a few days to get used to the heat but hey there's got to be some payoff for the hard work in these conditions!

Learn something new every day

I always try and learn something new every day and today was no exception.  I was at a professional development workshop and the first thing I learned was that, despite not being the oldest, I had been in the financial services sector the longest - 33 years.  At first I thought I may have the arithmetic wrong and then realised I didn't.  What was throwing me out however was the amount of totally grey haired gentlemen (I have my share) in the room with expanded waistlines, if you get my drift.  It made me realise how lucky I am to have triathlon to keep in shape.
It also made me think how fast time passes and therefore we must make the most of it.  We always put off doing certain things in life and if, for whatever reason, that window of opportunity was reduced we'd end up cramming it in hoping we'd get there before it's too late.  So why wait?  If you've got something you've always wanted to do, start working out how to do it rather than focusing on what's stopping you.  As the phrase goes, you're a long time dead!  Dare to dream.  Start this weekend and enjoy the journey.

It's the apostrophe that makes all the difference

Recently I was speaking to a triathlete during a training session and they said "I can't...." We've all been there but if we say we can't then it's true and the more we say it the more we affirm it in our minds.  However if we skip the apostrophe (and miss out the t) then we can.  Having a can do approach increases the chances from 100% certain that you won't to a high probability you will. 
We all have strengths and weaknesses and I struggle with kick drills at swimming - basically I suck at it.  So although I dislike the drills I give it 100% as I know it will only get better if I think I can rather than think I can't.
So for the next month pause before you say you can't and switch the emphasis to you can and watch the difference.  Just remember can't lives in won't street!  Have fun, I know you can!