Blister care

I have spent the last 2 days in London and due to my schedule no training took place so these will count as rest days - hardly a rest! But walking round town yesterday resulted in a nasty blister on top of my big toe. So I limped around until I found a chemist and got hold of a blister pad. As was in a rush and managed to stick it to on to two toes and when removing it from one I ripped all the hair off my toe - ouch. I realise I'm a wimp and will reflect on this when in the Sahara Desert treating the odd (I hope) blister - I'll probably laugh at how my pain threshold will have increased! So tomorrow back to training with a run in the morning and some cycling and running over the weekend. I've missed my training over the last 2 days and am looking forward to getting back to my normal routine.

Oh the pain!

I'll come back to the pain later but this morning I was easing off my legs following two days running by training in the pool. 4 x 500m timed was a good session and my legs always feel better after it. Swimming is so precise in that every stroke counts. I know that seems obvious but if the balance is out on my left arm stroke it affects the kick on the right side which creates additional drag and therefore requires more effort. Not only can I feel the ineffeciency but when I download the results from my watch it confirms it - no hiding place. As for the pain, this was financial. Today I received the 2nd invoice from MDS. The initial payment was £500 just to confirm you had money as well as being mental. Now they want £1,575 and before the event they will want another £1,575. I am also setting up my insurance which will cost £100 and that's before I start buying the specialised equipment! Ouch! Well it will be the trip of a lifetime and one I intend to enjoy and raise lots of money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres.

On your marks, get set.........

I stated yesterday that today was the official start of my MDS training. So as I looked out the window on the bank holiday Monday, the trees were swaying in a way that told me it was very windy. I was surprised I could see them for the rain was chucking it down. Only an idiot would go out in that I thought, so I delayed my run. By 4pm I was starting to get worried as I had made a commitment on this blog yesterday and didn't want to wimp out at the first step. I made an executive decision to run when my son was at training and that way wouldn't eat into family time. I dressed for the worst and the sun came out, the rain stopped and the wind died down. I managed to convince myself that the heat I was experiencing was good but it would be a lot hotter in the Sahara Desert! I was also trying out some new shorts - compression shorts. This was to help my hamstring and I can report that at this stage they feel fine. But tomorrow I will loosen them off in the pool. My heart rate in the last 2 runs is higher than average signifying my fitness has a bit to go to get back to where I was in May but I need to be patient. I'm building this up gradually and my objective is to be Marathon fit by November before the more specific MDS training starts with the weighted rucksack - that should be fun! But my yoga and weights will start in the next 2 weeks as I build my strength and flexibility. This transformation will take the full 7 months I have available to me.

Motivation

This was going to be my last weekend off before starting 7 months of consentrated training to get me ready for the Marathon des Sables in April 2013. Since Lanzarote Ironman in May my training has been half hearted and not focused but starting tomorrow it becomes serious. However yesterday I was watching the James Cracknell dvd where he tackles the MDS and becomes the highest ranked UK athlete ever by finshing 12th. It had been a while since I had watched it but it reminded me of how hard a challenge this will be. A friend of mine also watched it and by the end was convinced I'm nuts to attempt anything so difficult. But other than give me a reality check, it motivated me to go out running today and put in a hard session to see how my hamstring was. The run was fast and I had no difficulty on the run although am now beginning to stiffen up. To be expected really. Motivation can be generated in many different ways but this morning my son was playing football in an extremenly competitive match. He was feeling good because he had new football boots and also a friend had gone to watch him. He scored a hatrick! So I'm now motivated to get back to serious training and I want to feel the way I did prior to Ironman but this will take at least a month as I build back my fitness. Can't wait!

Time to Plan

After my hamstring strain on Saturday I decided to do no exercise or stretching until today. This was only after my sports massage yesterday which as expected HURT! When Grant hit "the spot" he almost got a kick in the face but he took this as a positive and kepy going - he loves his work! My legs felt tired and tender after that session so that dictated this morning I would return to the pool. Although I do not kick much when swimming, typical triathlete who came late to swimming, it seems to ease any tension in my legs. So at 7.30am I was in the pool for a quick 1000m warm up followed by 10 x 100m against the clock. I could tell from my times that I need to spend more time in the pool. However with my MDS training starting I will only be using the pool for fitness during the winter and keeping my legs loose. I'm not concentrating on it as a main discipline, not much requirement for it in the desert, but wouldn't like to lose 4 years of hard work getting to this level. I was surprised how "empty" I felt after the swim so headed off for my second breakfast of the day; a roll and bacon, egg & black pudding with a large cappuccino! That's the great thing about training, you can enjoy your food!

Time management

I am officially recovering from the almost half ironman on Saturday and resting my hamstrings and quads. Tomorrow I will face the "inflictor of pain" who will give me a sports massage and hopefully confirm I should be able to start light training this weekend. So you'd think with no training I'd have plenty of spare time on my hands - think again. The time just seems to be absorbed through family, work and the odd extra 30 minutes in bed. This happens to everyone in that we allow our routine to take up the available time when what we should be doing is scheduling our activities better so we can make better use of the time. Do you get my point? This is simple time management and when my training commences next week the focus will return and I will be better organised and make the most of the time available. Until then, I'm going to eat chocolate, drink beer, have big meals out, enjoy extra time with my family and take a long lie. But unfortunately none of that will prepare me for Marathon des Sables so normal service will be resumed next week.

Harsh realities

In my journey from non-athlete to ironman and beyond, I have always talked about a 5 stage goal planning process. The 5th stage is the review / reflection and an uncomfortable one. Where you sit down and examine the result against the expectations. It's vital as you can't move forward until you have. So since Saturday when I had my first DNF result (did not finish) I have been looking at all aspects in the lead up to the event and then the event itself. I've concluded that I was under prepared which was partially down to motivation following ironman and also a late injury. I had set myself a PB target and that led to a fast swim and bike but not being prepared meant the run was always going to be a problem. I didn't hydrate enough in the 2 days leading up to the event and on the day itself. Finally my flexibility has always been an issue but with the list of other failings above it was the final "straw". The one thing I am certain of is that I made the right decision to withdraw on the run. My fellow athletes have all backed me up on that decision and if I had gone ahead I would have ended up with an injury that would have et me back 2 months. I have already booked my sports massage and my 1st hot yoga session to see how that can help my flexibility. I intend to make yoga a main part of my preparation for the Marathon des Sables in April next year. I can't afford to have a repeat of the severe cramp in my legs again. Now I will progress from stage 5 review to stage 1 objectives as I reset them for the coming 8 months. This bad experience will make me stronger, more determined and more focused. Look out Sahara desert mission ironman is coming to get you!