Today is the 13th - I am not normally superstitious but...... Remember I said Ironman is all about planning?  Thanks to a bike shop with the same name as a muesli, my rear wheel still isn't repaired as promised (over 5 weeks) & my sports massage appointment some how wasn't in his diary.  My replacement Garmin watch that I picked up today isn't linking to my computer so back to the shop tomorrow.  Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
So the plan has to change.  Tomorrow morning at 7pm I will have a relaxing swim for an hour, pick up my rear wheel which hopefully will be repaired, pick up my bike from a real bike repair shop (thanks Willie Bain) after its service, get my Garmin sorted and take my bike out for a spin to make sure its working. Oh and fit in a days work.

Tollcross was quite this morning at 7am which is unusual, and my hard session wasn't as hard as I expected.  To give you an idea, 3 x 400m warm up, 9 x 100m timed with every 3rd length faster and a 4 x 50 m cool down.  Due to this being an easy week I came out feeling strong - however the open water training will start next week and I will have to increase the intensity and distance of my swimming.  This is all easy when compared to people battling with cancer and as you know I am raising money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres.  If you can spare some cash for a fantastic charity then go to my just giving site via this blog.  Have a great day.

Ironman training is all about planning.  With the next event on Sunday this is a relatively easy week.  Today was a 40 minute run which gives my legs plenty of rest time.  If I can juggle my family commitments then I will have a hard swimming session tomorrow at 7am and a sport massage on Thursday (not a pleasant experience but the after affects are worth it).  On Friday when my bike is back from its service I will have a 1 hr spin with Saturday being a rest day.  There are no short cuts but with proper planning you stand a chance!

Sunday started with a battle.  Ali's dynamos are top of the league and were playing their nearest rivals.  They came back from 3 - 0 down at half time to draw 4-4.  After that I relaxed over the next 3 hours on a 71km bike ride without my buddies - a lot of the training needs to be done on your own to get the mental side right ( I know you think it's all mental!).  My focus is getting enough protein and carbohydrate in me during the ride so I will be able to complete the marathon as after 112 miles I may have dipped into my reserves.  Getting the wrapper off the protein bars can be fun while dodging the pot holes and the car drivers.  After that the kids wanted to play golf so off we went for 9 holes - don't ask who won!  Next week will see the training reduce to get ready for the Etape on Sunday.

Inspiration comes in many forms.  While cycling a quick 60km with my two pals Jacques and Andre (French nick names as they are real cyclists) I was inspired to a personal best over 400 yards by two dogs that mistook me for a bone - cycling can be dangerous!  On my way home a lady in the bakers told me she was walking the women's 10k in Glasgow next week but her 1st attempt at the distance had left her very stiff and sore for a few days.  Well done her for pushing the boundaries and competing in her own "personal ironman" - what's your personal ironman this year?  Remember the journey getting to the start line is every bit as important as crossing the finishing line.

After the agony of my sports massage yesterday, a 2,200m swim at 7am was just what my legs needed.  Some think swimming is boring but you'd be amazed at what you can think about while trying not to take in too much water - hung parliament, Greek debts crisis, how far will I cycle over the weekend and will my son win his vital possible league decider football match on Sunday?  You should try it some time as life is too busy and we don't get time out to reflect - just remember not to breathe when you are under the water!

Thursday 6 May
Today was a real adventure - for the first time ever (and last) I biked from Hamilton to Glasgow and back combining work with a work out.  What I hadn't banked on was the bus's trying to wipe me out!  I'd have been safer on the M8.  Racing between the lights was fun but I think I will stick to the country roads.  I then went for my sports massage - if you heard any high pitched screaming today around 3.30, it was me.  Grant, who I am sure doesn't mean me harm, has brought forward my next session by 2 weeks to help me survive the 83 mile etape caledonian in 9 days.