Sign off

You know what it's like when you are trying to go on holiday....you work so hard that you need a holiday to recover!  Finally finished everything that needed to be done and will now relax with a few glasses of.....orange juice (yeh right!).  Tomorrow I'll dismantle (and hopefully not break) my bike and pack it away.  3am rise on Sunday and by lunchtime I'll be enjoying smooth tarmac and 21 degrees!
Dropped off Neil's static bike today so he can start his bike training.  He is really motivated to prove all those that say he won't do it so I am looking forward to a progress report when I get back.
Where possible I will send in an update on Lanzarote.  Catch up when I get back.  Work to be done as the etape caledonian 81 mile bike race is at the end of May!

4 seasons in a day!

Woke up this morning to snow, followed by wind, rain and now bright sunshine - that's Scotland for you.  In preparation for my training in the sun, not sure if I mentioned I was going to Lanzarote where it's 21 degrees, I am taking it easy as I still have a tickly cough and gloopy throat.  Tomorrow night I am going swimming with Neil to see how he is progressing.  The latest report is he is increasing his distance in the pool and amazingly he has knocked 5 minutes of his power walking time - much to the annoyance of his wife who was puffing and panting to keep up - way to go Neil!
On Friday I am picking up an exercise bike for him so he can start his cycling training.  He is as keen as mustard and remember 1 month ago he did not take part in regular exercise.  What he doesn't realise is the impact his journey is having on total strangers.  Only yesterday a middle aged executive told me that Neil had inspired him to tackle a novice triathlon so I am pulling together another training plan.  If you're following Neil's progress then post a blog and give him the encouragement he deserves.

Positive mindset

School was an interesting time in life for me.  My favourite teachers were the PE teachers - I spent hours playing various sports with them.  Unfortunately for my eldest son he isn't having the same experience and the language used always seems to be negative.  The other day the "f" word was used which is unheard of these days in school....failure.  So in order to establish some balance in the discussion I quoted Michael Jordan, the best basketball player in the world.  "I've missed more than 9,000 shots.  I've lost almost 300 games.  26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.  I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."
If it's good enough for Michael Jordan, it's good enough for me.  If you haven't failed, you haven't tried.  Come on get yourself out there and have a go!

A&E on a Sunday!

Failing to plan is planning to fail but you can't plan for accidents.  My son Ali has always believed that playing friendly matches is a a waste of time because someone always gets injured.  He was right, this time he injured the ligaments in his ankle so we spent 2.5 hours in A&E watching how not to run a hospital.  He left on crutches so now his plan will revolve around recuperation.  Injuries are a set back but you need to respect the recovery period and not to be impatient.  He's my son so........it will be a challenge.  I'm off to start my turbo training which was meant to happen hours ago.

Back on the road

Went out cycling with the ATHelite crowd this morning.  It was a good session and fantastic to be out on the road.  However cycling in Scotland means potholes and lots of sh1t on the road from tractors so you need to be careful.  Good practicing bike handling skills before going over to Lanza where you need to ware sun glasses to shade your eyes not to protect them from flying debris such as lumps of mud.  More turbo sessions this week to continue getting my fitness back before packing the bike away.  I will be meeting up with Neil so will be able to report back on his progress.

Toe dipping

7am and I dipped my toe in the water for the first time in 3 weeks.  Managed just under half a session but the good news is that I didn't cough my guts up during (or after the swim).  Followed the training with a cappuccino, bacon, scrambled egg, cheese ciabatta and caramel shortcake - nothing wrong with the appetite!
I took my bike to the repair shop as the gears have been causing me problems even during Ironman.  I put this down to them needing an adjustment but it turns out the gear cables needed replaced so I don't feel so daft.  I am aiming to do a reasonable bike ride tomorrow assuming it's not raining but I really feel I am on my way back.

Double up

Tonight I increased the duration of my turbo training session to 1hr and took my heart rate up to the maximum to see how I coped.  I'm delighted to report I was fine which is encouraging but I am not rushing back in.  Tomorrow I am on the red eye to London so there won't be any training - it will be a 20 hour "rest day"!.  Turbo training isn't the same as being on the road but it is getting me back to fitness.  At least I have not dogs chasing me down the road!