Age & attitude

I am constantly talking to people about goal setting, what they want to achieve out of life and explaning why I am doing these various challenges (because they think I'm mad!).  The other day I was speaking to a friend in his early 50's and he had effectively given up on any type of fitness and was having difficulty coming to terms with how he is now compared to in his youth when he regularly played sport to a good level.   This is something we all face and my view is that we must get over it and set realistic goals - we don't stay 18 forever.
My advice, if you're interested, is if you want to lose weight or get fitter or reinvigurate yourself then you need to make a real commitment, create a plan and deliver it - it helps if you set the goal based round an event and link it to raising money for a good cause.  But that requires the attitude of can do rather than thinking in your 50's your active days are over.  When I was in Lanzarote cycling there were some exceptionally fit cyclists in their 50's and the best part was they loved getting out on their bike.  Spring has spung and if your feeling you need to do something give the old bike a clean up and get out into the countryside.  Have fun and remember your age is determined by your attitude.

Puffed out

7am in the pool and joined by 2 ATHelite's.  Fortunately as one of them was preparing for a duathlon this weekend and I was meant to be on a rest week we opted for drills which helped me improve my swimming technique which I had seemed to have lost.  Then we did 100m efforts but I had to bail out after 5 as I am not fully swim fit and still recovering from Lanza.
When you're fit it is easier to shut down the negative voice telling you to stop but when you are puffing and panting it is more difficult.  Perhaps that was what Neil was trying to say to me last night if he had been able to speak!  Normal service will be resumed next week.

Real progress

Tonight I went out with Neil to take his power walking to a new level by introducing some jogging.  When he fist started training he had done the 1.75 mile course in 40 minutes.  Last time he managed 30 minutes which was a great improvement but tonight he got it down to 27 minutes!  When I left him he was breathing rather heavily so I couldn't hear what he was saying but I am sure it was "thanks we'll need to do that again real soon! He can now manage 16 lengths of the pool without stopping so this is real progress.  It just shows what can be done with the right determination and mind set.  Well done Neil - not bad for a man who was fighting cancer last year!

Back in the pool

I couldn't make the coached session tonight so I had an early morning session instead.  A 5 week lay off is not to be recommended.  I had to use a pull bhoy, board and fins to get back into a resemblance of a swimming technique and managed 1,900 m before getting out feeling light headed and sick!  But it's a start and I intend to get back to the fitness level I was at before.
Beautiful day today and if I wasn't so busy I'd go out on the bike tonight. 
Tomorrow I am going to start Neil on a walk / jog routine and see how he is doing on his static bike.  His training is building up nicely but it's his determination to prove to people that he CAN complete a novice triathlon that impresses me.

Preparation & planning

Although a rest day it hasn't stopped me preparing for my next event.  The Ayr Duathlon will be the first time I have taken part in this type of event.  I have only run once in the last three months due to injury and weather.  The Duathlon involves a 5km run, 20 km bike and finishes with a 5km run.  Different muscle groups mean I will have to do some "brick" training i.e. cycle then run to get used to the unusual effect it has on the muscles.  That will be my main focus until the end of April then I will work on all three disciplines as although I have a 81 mile bike race in May I have to be prepared for the UK 70.3 Ironman in June and then the prep starts for Lanza IM in May 2012.
A main part of this will be the 90 mile bike race in September and I knew there was a lot of climbing but it turns out to be 9,600 of ascent - that is 200 feet more than Lanza IM and over a shorter distance!  That will give me plenty to focus on in the summer but emphasises the importance of preparation and planning.

Finished on a high

Today was the best day of the week.  Great weather, wind was slightly less and we covered 75 miles.  The mad roadies (the cyclists) went off to beat each other up over the hills but my strategy was to go out in a small group of 4 that were more interested in an easy ride as their legs had covered more miles than mine during the week.
At the first coffee stop we met the roadies who were puffing and panting - they would have left me for dust if I'd tried to tag along.  We didn't maage the original target of 90 miles but all the statistics on the 75 miles made good reading for me - right on Ironman pace and considering we climbed 4,200 feet and still averaged 15 mph I was happy with that.
I came to Lanza wanting to get through the week without creating a problem following the flu.  I feel so much fitter and also more able to tackle the hills which are always a challenge.  So in May I have the etape caledonian, in June the 70.3 IM and in September a 90 mile race with huge hills.  This will all help prepare me for Lanza IM 2012 and I now feel I can do it!  Back to the rain and snow tomorrow.  In the meantime a few well earned beers and pizza are the treat tonight - tomorrow's a day off!

Mechanical failure

Set off this morning on an easy pace with a group.  7km into a steady climb and right before the massively steep climb I have a wee accident at 3mph!  All my accidents have happened at this speed and long may that continue.  Unfortunately it involves breaking 2 spokes which means I'm heading home to get the bike repaired - no cycling today.  But that's where triathlon is good because I put my running shoes on and did 5.5km in the heat of the day, and boy was it hot!  A certain amount of acclimitisation will be required before May 2012.  This was followed by a pasta and king prawn lunch with a banana split (one of my 5 a day) and a few glasses of wine to help the digestion and keep the calarie count up.
Tomorrow is the final day so I am hoping to ride to the top of the island, now my bike is fixed, to see the last part of the IM course.  This will result in a 90 mile ride which will take up most of the day to allow for coffee/cake stops and lunch.  My next post will be when I'm home shivering in the cold and swimming as I can't get my bike through the snow.  Catch up soon.