Mental toughness

In training for an endurance event there are some key sessions that put "a marker" down against your progress.  Today was that day.  A major session which involved a 92 mile bike ride (was meant to be 80 but there was a diversion!) which involved a 50 mile time trial in the middle.  This was all to be done in certain heart rate zones as we are now getting closer to Lanzarote Ironman and managing your heart rate is essential.  So after 5 hours and 49 minutes I got off the bike and pulled on my running shoes so I could run for 40 minutes.  I had to break the ride down into 4 sections to allow my mind to cope with the full session, including the fact I was running off the bike when knackered.
This is a called a brick session and you need to practise these as your legs don't feel like they belong to you at the beginning of the run and you just have to get used to it.  I managed the run in a good time and part of that success is due to having continually fed myself and hydrated on the bike.  I also had to convince my mind that everything was fine and forget that I'd just spent almost 6 hours non-stop on my bike.  At least 50% of Ironman is won or lost in the mind!
So after getting cleaned up and washing the bike, I got the full compression gear on which will help me recover quicker.  This was followed by as much food as I could find.  Tomorrow is a rest day and next week is a recovery week when I will only train once a day and half the amount of training.  So tonight I will treat myself to a curry and a couple of beers with loads of water to keep me hydrated.  This is a treat I won't be having in the run up to the Ironman but today, I think I've earned it!

Friday feeling

Aren't Fridays great?  I love them but then again if I was working the weekend I might not be so keen!  So today it was a tough interval session in the pool.  This was good for my legs which were feeling a bit stiff from yesterdays 15 mile run.  The  swim distance was the same as Tuesday i.e. 3,000m but a very different session.  300m warm up, 4 x 50m drills, 2 x 500m, 3 x 300m, 2 x 200m (all timed) and a 200m warm down.  It's funny when you break a session up like that as these shorter targets make you swim faster rather than the more consistent pace over the long distance.  The objective is that being faster over shorter distances will make you quicker over the long distance.
I have found this to be the same in projects in the corporate environment.  Certain people tend to lose interest if the goal is too far away or don't realise that if they slacken off say in the middle it will have an impact further down the line.
So if you are struggling with a project see if you can break the milestones up to create greater focus and re-energise the project.  Everyone will win out of it as I did this morning with my swimming.  Have a good weekend.

Energised!

What a start to the day.  I gave my Mission Ironman talk to the Institute of Directors meeting in Glasgow at breakfast and the energy in the room was buzzing.  When you are talking to successful people there is generally a high level of energy but once they understood the secret to "achieving results beyond your wildest dreams", a five step process, the energy was tangible.
That set me up for a great day and in my 2 hour run later on I ran the fastest I have for a long time over that time period.  I covered just over 15 miles with a pace of 7mins 54 sec per mile.  Considering the hilly course this was a good time.  I was also trying out the clothing I hope to be using in Lanza.  It gave me a bit of chaffing but as long as you know this you can take precautions and after a wash the fabric should be more forgiving.  As I've said before you leave nothing to chance and NEVER wear new gear on race day.
So hopefully after today's IOD meeting there will be individuals setting themselves some stretching goals and using the five step plan to help achieve them.  Good luck and enjoy the journey.

Back in the pool

It's been over a week since I was in the pool as I was sea swimming in Lanza last week so I was slightly apprehensive about how I'd get on with my 3k timed swim.  The target was 1hr and 2 min and I was bang on!  I think I could have been slightly faster as I "went to sleep" in the middle but I'll get faster in the coming weeks as I get back to swimming 3 times a week.
Tonight I will either be out on my bike or running for a couple of hours.  It just depends on when my meetings finish today.
Tomorrow morning Mission Ironman will be talking at an Institute of Directors meeting in Glasgow so I am looking forward to spreading the work on how you can achieve things beyond your wildest dreams.  It really isn't as difficult as you think and certainly my experience in Lanzarote last week reinforced that message.  Remember every journey starts with a small step.  Why not make one today?

Chaos

At the end of a 12 hour day I was looking forward to my swim.  But due to a chemical problem (probably someone did a number 2 in the pool) it was cancelled.  So I adapted my training plan and went for a run.  However my Garmin computer decided to play up and for the first 12 minutes it didn't record any data.  And as I type this blog it is refusing to transfer any data to my website.  So that's one more task for tomorrow as this is such an important time in my training that I cannot afford to have no Management Information / feedback.
The run however releaved the stress of the day and it made me think how difficult it is for weekend warriors to train and work.  Last week in Lanza had been easy by comparison as I had a full week of training and rest without having to think about work or domestic duties.  Things don't always move smoothly in daily life and you have to continually adapt.  It would have been easy tonight not to have trained but it had to be done because there is a lot riding on Lanzarote Ironman in 65 days and I mustn't lose sight of the money I will be raising for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres.  Having a goal that means something makes it easier to be focused. 

More work to be done

After a hard week in Lanza training, yesterday was a day off.  However it still involved a sports massage with my new smooth baldy legs - what a difference that made.  Almost worth the ridicule from my wife of having "chicken legs" - I'm sure she means tasty!  So the bald legs will remain till the Ironman on 19th May which is only 66 days away.
I then had a meeting with my coach to review last weeks performance and structure this week based on the feedback.  Starting today I have an exceptionally tough week ahead as we continue to increase my fitness, endurance and strength.  Long swim sessions, mind (and bum) numbing bike rides and longer distance runs are all planned with particular attention to my heart rate.  This is vital as in the race I will be pacing myself with my heart rate as a key performance indicator as if you get that wrong on any one discipline you are risking the unspeakable - I can't even bring myself to write it but I'm sure you know what I mean.  I've also entered a 100 mile bike race around the Trossachs in April as it has an ideal profile for my preparation - you guessed it, very hilly.  So more work to be done but I am really feeling the benefits of it and mentally am starting to look forward to the event.

Home sweet home

Travelling home from a week abroad is always a drag. But today the flight took off early and landed early. Everything went to plan. But stepping off the plane in Glasgow in a damp grey day having left blue skies in Lanza. But I got off the plane fitter and more confident of my bike ride in Lanza Ironman. There is 9 weeks to go and I am now completely focused on the race.
I am also reading Chrissie Wellington's autobiography (4 times Ironman world champion) and it is so inspirational to see how she approaches races. Even world champions go through the same process as us "weekend warriors". Their fears / doubts are the same.
So tomorrow I am meeting with my coach as we start to fine tune the training for the final 9 weeks. I will also be getting my recovery sports massage which will be the first with my new shaved legs! Yes I gave in to the pressure and tomorrow will confirm whether or not it was worthwhile! It's so good to be home.