Potholes and puddles

The forecast was for a cloudy morning and wet afternoon. So I headed out for 3 steady hours on the bike in the morning. It wasn't a time trial so I wasn't flat out but I wanted a decent average speed. 40 minutes in the heavens opened and not only was I drenched but the rivers flowing down the streets meant you couldn't tell if it was a pothole or puddle approaching. Add to that the mud from the farmers tractor and it was becoming very dangerous.I decided for safety reasons to head home. That was until I met up with a friends son who is a good cyclist and was also heading in the same direction. Cycling with someone else makes you faster even if you are not drafting which we weren't. I didn't want to hold him back so I worked very hard. By the time we got home we were dry so decided to continue with some hill climbing. Graciously he didn't leave me behind but when we finished, as the rain came pouring down again, I realised I had record my best average time this year. I smiled as I thawed out in the shower with my toes tingling as they started to get their circulation back. Thanks Craig for subtly pushing me and chatting and texting your wife at the same time!

Time pressed training

Weekends are busy times. Getting the training / family life right is a constant battle. Let me explain. 7.30 am get up and have breakfast before taking daughter to horse riding followed by taking son to team building event which is a 45 minute journey. Arrive back and pick up fresh bread, butcher meat and news papers. Second breakfast with my wife and then out on the bike. Due to time constraints I elected for a time trial. Basically flat out for 29 miles and I knocked 10 minutes off my time a week ago - that's a result. Back home and then off to the supermarket for lunch. Make lunch and enjoy time with my wife. 45 minutes watching the Olympics (how fantasic is this event?) then off to pick up my son from his team building event, take him home and then go out and pick up my daughter. Drop my other son at his pals, cook dinner and reeeeeelllllllax! It's now 7.40pm and it will start all over again tomorrow. Getting the balance right isn't easy but it's vital.

Feeling guilty

I intended to get uo early and go out on the bike this morning but I didn't. I listened to my body and it wanted the extra hour in bed. I justified it to myself on the basis that I am taking it easy with my stained glute as I don't want to aggravate it and another day shouldn't make a difference to my fitness. However as I sit here and watch the Olympics and listen to the training regime these athletes have put in to achieve their medals (or even just qualifying) I'm feeling guilty. In 16 days I'll be taking part in a half ironman and I should be training. I have never had a DNS (did not start) or even worse a DNF (did not finish) and I don't intend to to start that now. So from tomorrow each training session will have to count, even though I won't be running till Monday to give the injury a chance to repair. So good night from a lazy b@@@@@d!

Good news

The pain in my hip has eased slightly and I visited the physio this afternoon. After a number of tests the prognosis is a strained / torn muscle under the main glute. If I don't run for a week, keep stretching, icing and taking anti-inflamitory pills then I should be fine for 18th Aug. I can still swim and should be able to cycle so I can keep my fitness up although my running will suffer. In the training immediately prior to the event and the event itself I will not be able to push it. I don't want to aggrivate the injury turning it into a longer-term injury and while the race is important, it's only there to motivate me to keep up a high level of training. So I am relieved and tonight will relax and watch the Olympics. It is such an inspiring event which involves dedicated athletes who have sacrificed 10 years plus to get to this level. I salute them all.

Setback

Last night as I went to bed the pain started in my hip. You don't realise how much you move in bed at night until you have an injury. Any movement caused a sharp pain and when I got up in the morning it wasn't any better. So tomorrow I will see my Physio but it looks like I have torn my glute muscle. This will mean no running but I am hoping to be able to cycle and I can certainly swim if I use a pool buoy to take my legs out of the equation. This means I can keep training, hopefully, as I have a half ironman on 18th August and I don't want to miss it - but not if it means aggravating the injury which will then have a knock on effect on my Marathon des Sables training which will start on 20 Aug. I've been lucky with injuries in the last 4 years but it's important to take the rest whether I like it or not. So I'm chilled as I type this blog as I am sitting on a bag of ice to reduce the inflammation. Let's hope I have good news to report tomorrow night.

Fisty cuffs in the pool!

Inspired by Rebecca Adlington I decided that although the sun was shining I had some hard work to do in the pool rather than cycle.  After all, she makes it look so easy!  However Rebecca gets a whole lane to herself whereas us mere mortals have 6 people in the lane which from time to time can cause problems if someone strays across the middle line.
Today was one of those days and the first I knew my elbow clattered into someones hand.  I immediately checked my position in the pool and realised it wasn't me who had strayed across the line.  I then thought how sore it must have been for the other swimmer but all sympathy for them was lost when they kicked me on the next lap.  Now that is either terrible swimming technique or someone not appreciating why they have a sore hand.  Fortunately there were no recurrences of the contact and I finished my set.
It was a hard set but if I am to have a good swim on 18th August then I need to work on my technique to maximise efficiency and do interval training as well to improve my speed and fitness.  There are no short cuts although perhaps an upper cut if someone doesn't behave in the pool next time!

British Summer Time?

The best weeks weather we have had in Scotland was in March! This weekend I swapped my training round to suit the weather conditions. On Saturday I went out for a 10 mile run as there was a high chance of heavy showers and I'd rather run in the heavy rain than cycle. I wasn't disappointed as the showers were frequent and heavy! I was soaked right through with squelchy shoes. However I managed to improve on my pace which was my aim. This morning required a very early start on the bike as I had to get back in time to take my son to an athletics competition. It was dry and windy but I completed my 30 mile bike ride and then went for a run off the bike. This is called a brick session and it's important to get your legs and mind used to this transition. In 3 weeks time after a 1.9km swim, 90km bike I'll be running a half marathon so I'll need more of those sessions. Ali did well in his athletics with a sub 5 min mile which considering he's a 800m runner and hasn't been training much was a good result that he can build on. I think however that anyone training outdoors this year is hoping for a break in the weather before we start wearing our winter gear again!