Riding the waves

Early morning swim was busy.  Plenty of waves and turbulence as too many people squeezed into the fast lane so my 1st 600 m was done in a record time.  This might sound good but it made the other two more difficult as you are meant to start off slower.
Swimming isn't that sociable however during the short breathers between laps it's great listening to, and joining in with, the group of 70 year olds that are there every day doing between 800m and 1,500m - good on them, what an example to the couch potatoes.  To these guys it's a way of life and a great way of staying fit and keeping in touch - I am full of admiration for them and hope if I reach that age I can swim as well as they do. I will miss them when I go back to the 50m pool at Tollcross which is better for my swimming.

Day off

As you know Monday is my recovery day.  Many people training for Ironman never make the start line because they get injured as they don't let their body recover.  So what do I do on a day off - eat, eat and eat.  I'm just back from a lovely Italian restaurant with my wife, who is sacrificing a social life with me during the 11 months of training.  So when possible we try and take advantage but we don't go over the top as I will be in the pool tomorrow at 7am - another 2,600 metres concentrating on my technique to allow me to exit the water in Copenhagen after 2.4 miles fit to cycle 112 miles and run a marathon.

Hottest day of the year!

Today was always going to be tough following the 5 hours on the bike yesterday, but add to that the heat and it was always going to be challenging.  A brick session was in store today which is a one hour bike followed by a 75 minute run - strong winds added to the challenge but kept the temperature down.  My legs felt great on the bike and I practiced my feeding on the bike which is so important.  During the run I was staying hydrated and feeling good but towards the end my legs could feel the effort from the weekend.  This doesn't concern me as it is all about your mindset - mine today was set for the task which was completed in the appropriate time and on 15 August the mindset will be on the three aspects of the event.
Plenty food to follow and even a couple of pints of Guinness (which contains iron!) as tomorrow is a day off.

Pot holes & punctures

Today was my 5 hr solo ride (120km) and I was all geared up for it - 4 drinks (fitted a rear mounted holder last night as I need to carry more refreshments as the distance increases), 3 protein bars, 2 gels, 2 turkey rolls and a banana).  It didn't get off to a good start when I had to bunny hop over a pothole which resulted in 2 drinks crashing to the ground and one container smashing - I'd regret that later.  Travelled through fabulous countryside and was enjoying the ride when I hit 5 small pot holes in a cluster resulting in my first on road puncture.  Being utterly useless with my hands I always carry a special canister of foam that is meant to sort punctures without having to strip the tyre.  It worked, for a full 5 minutes and then I had to pull over and replace the inner tube - new personal best it only took 15 minutes and great practice for Copenhagen as it could finish your race.
Finished all my food on the bike which is necessary as I am practicing eating without stopping however in the last 30 minutes I could have done with my water as 3 bottles of carbohydrate drinks leave you wanting more refreshing.  Got home and refueled with salmon and lots of salad - I haven't deliberately changed my diet but my body has started craving salad and vegetables and the volume of food intake has increased.  Washed that down with coke, coffee and chocolate while I watch Wimbledon and no doubt will probably end up having a wee snooze!
Tomorrow will be the tough day as my tired legs will be facing a 60 minutes bike (warm up) followed by a 75 minute run - 1 step closer to Ironman.

Beware swimming love birds

It may be news to you but there is an etiquette to swimming in lanes so I was a bit frustrated this morning when two love birds almost swam breast stroke hand in hand up the lane - there is a sign at the end of the lane saying "fast lane"!  I was under instructions to time certain parts of my swim so had to take the risk in overtaking them which knocks your rhythm out and can be dangerous if someone is swimming in the opposite direction.  The couple probably were annoyed with me creating a few waves on the way past but if the pool attendants had done their job it would have been a lot easier.  At one stage I was about to give up and get out the pool when I realised that I was wasting energy focusing on the negative.  How often do we do that in life I wonder?
So I ignored the swimming love birds and got on with the task that I'd been set.  The frustration and negativity disappeared and I felt better for accomplishing my goal.

Anyone for tennis?

If you didn't see the tennis last night I am sure you will hear about it this morning.  Two gladiators slugging it out, 59 all in the final set and it's still not finished.  Every record smashed but there a couple of points I'd like to mention.  Nicolas Mahut (who was bouncing around like a spring lamb) served to stay in the match 54 times - what does that say about his mental toughness?  On the other hand John Isner couldn't move for his cramping legs yet boomed out his serve and some how held on when his body would be telling him to give up!  Despite all of that they still played some amazing tennis.  Great motivation for me and I am sure when I am digging into my reserves during training or in the ironman event I will replay those images in my head with the message "keep going".
It made my 12 km in 49 mins this morning seem extremely easy as my running legs are really coming on.  I am getting faster within the heart rate limits set by my coach.  Still have an issue with my toes but I will get this sorted.  Just keeping the legs going until the heavy duty training at the weekend.

Real heroes

Yesterday I received an email from a friend referring to my "heroic efforts" which was appreciated as 10 months of training isn't easy.  However the real heroes are people like my pal Baldie who is going through intensive chemo at the moment - just checked in today for his 3rd bout.  His pals have gone "Kojak" to raise money for the hospital which I think is a shining example but not one I am going to follow.  The local pub, whose profits have plummeted recently, are also collecting for him.  I know Baldie checks the blog daily so if you want to give him some encouragement then feel free to post a comment - "come on baldie" will do fine.
This afternoon he will be getting pampered and watching the tennis followed by the footie followed by the tennis then a massage - no more than he deserves.
Almost forgot, started at 5.30am with a 90 minute cycle which will prepare me for the weekends efforts and Baldies progress will keep me going!