Stretching the limits

As you know the area that will make the biggest difference to my next Ironman is the bike.  My coach is pushing me hard on the turbo trainer (static bike) as the weather is too bad for outdoor training and the goal is to get my heart rate higher than the current level when I am hard.  This involves going into an area of huge discomfort as my lungs are screaming for air while my legs are crying in pain and my brain is telling me to slow down or I'll explode.  That more or less describes last nights training session and I did get my heart rate above the functional threshold of 157 to 161 - but it wasn't easy.
This isn't the way I will be riding in Ironman but it is about conditioning my body and mind to a higher level.  When I am riding in Ironman I will be at a lower heart rate as I will be in the saddle for 6 - 7 hours but because I have stretched my limits before the event I should perform better.
Sometimes however you have to know when not push the limits and when I was doing an impersonation of Bambi on ice this morning I had to slow down and change my route for the run otherwise I'd have injured myself.  This has also convinced me that until the temperature rises I won't be doing any more early morning runs as one accident could wipe out all the training.

Dark mornings

It's 6am, the wind is howling outside my bedroom window with the rain battering against the window.  It's pitch black and I know I've got to do a weights session as a carry over from yesterday which went pair shaped.  I'm not a fan of weights but understand why I need to do two sessions a week as my body needs to be strong to get me through Ironman and Marathon Des Sables.  However understanding this is not enough - you need have a real reason to drag yourself out of bed on mornings like this, especially when it's dark.
My reason is that during Mission Ironman I am raising lots of money for good causes which desperately need the funds to help people in need.  I also have you to think of as you have followed my blog and I have publicly stated my goals between now and April 2013 so I can't go back on my word.  It's when I have a "wobble" like this morning, when all I want to do is pull the cover over my head, that I think about the real reasons for doing it and the benefit it will bring to others (other than the physical and mental benefits to myself) then I swing my legs out of bed and get on with it. 
10 minutes into the weights session and I am pleased I am working out.  I believe as long as we have a good reason for doing something then we will do whatever it takes.  Give that some thought while enjoying your day.  Won't be long till we turn the corner after the shortest day (22nd December)!

...and life goes on

Despite the sad news of Neil's passing, life must go on.  He won't be forgotten and on Thursday we will celebrate his life.  More storms are predicted for tonight and today it has been snowing a little and everyone who is out seems to be wrapped up with their head down just trying to get to their destination. I think we are all trying to get to Xmas so we can have a break and recharge the batteries ready to face another year.
So today I hauled myself out of be feeling slightly less tired than I had been of late and headed off to a pool that I used to swim at a couple of years ago.  Some of the "old fellas" (in their late 60's and 70's) were there as they are most days putting in a good training session in the pool.  They also take time out at the end of the lane to socialise and support each other during their illnesses and hard times.  I caught the odd conversation when I stopped to get my breath and I just love the fact they are so active at that age.  It just shows that, if we're lucky enough, there is a life to be enjoyed if you are fit and have interests in retirement - I aim to be one of them in years to come!

Sad day

Last night we lost a good friend Neil Sutherland, AKA Mr Baldy for those of you who have followed the blog.  This was his third battle with cancer and unfortunately the odds were stacked against him.  He was a fighter and when he was in round 2 of the cancer I suggested he prepare for a triathlon when he came out - it's fair to say Neil wasn't an athlete.  Little did we know that while he was training for the event and competing in the event, his cancer had returned.  As he crossed the finishing line into his wife's arms he was completely exhaused - what an achievement.
We'll all be there to support Maz and we will always remember Neil and how he touched all of our lives.  Out of respect I'll be taking a break from the blog for a few days.

Hurricane bawbag

The Scots have a great sense of humour. As a hurricane rips across Scotland at 160 mph we don't wait for the met office to name it, we call it hurricane bawbag and have teeshirts and other merchandise for sale by lunchtime. You've got to admire the cheek of it!
As for me the morning started with taking my resting heart rate - 52 as normal. However with the hurricane and closing the office it was decided I've have a rest day. It wasn't helped by loosing all power in the house for over 4 hours. Perhaps "bawbag" was a message for me to take a rest. Can't wait to see if the BBC use the name that is going worldwide in tweets!
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Taking stock

It's been a busy week since Sunday on the training front and my coach and I are studying the data on my heart rate as I may be tired and need an extra days rest.  The benefit of monitoring the Key Performance Indicators, to use business jargon, is that if anything isn't performing at the optimal level then it shows up and action needs to be taken.
So tonight I came back from a group turbo session having worked very hard, I couldn't get my heart rate high enough.  Tomorrow is meant to be an easy day with only a weights session and a core session but it may be skipped if my coach instructs me to rest.  One of the problems triathletes suffer from is being forced to rest when you're not injured but you always have to consider the goal and take the right action so that it isn't endangered.  I'll let you know what is decided.

Stretching the limits

I learned a very valuable lesson today in the pool, but that was after a run in the snow and ice.  The pool session was based on breathing.  We started by swimming 200m but every 25m we changed the frequency of breathing from 3/5/7/5 strokes which took up 100m and then repeated - then you had a 15 sec break before repeating the set twice.  Normally I'd breath every 3 strokes but when I get tired it drops to every 2.  5 was a push and 7 almost impossible.
We repeated the exercise on 6 x 100m and again I struggled with 7 and sometimes with 5.  And again on 8 x 50m and except this time it was breathing only every 5 or 7 strokes - I managed it.  The final set was 6 x 25 but the breathing changed to every 7 & 9 - yes 9 strokes.  Guess what?  I managed it.  To top things off I then swan 25 m without taking a breath which for me was incredible, especially when I repeated it.  In total I swam 3,000m which isn't bad considering I had run before it.
So the moral of the story is with an incremental plan you can achieve greater results.