Day 4 - Double Bubble

Another good day today, a lovely early morning swim (90 minutes - 2500m) followed by a 30 minute run, but then again... they are always good days in the holidays. I mean, when else do you have the luxury of when to fit in your training? When else can you say halfway through the day "You know what, I might just head out for a cheeky swim!" Today was a good example of just how good it is to train during the holidays.

Rosy had a couple of friends over the night before and so normally I think I would have been a little on the stressed side due to giggling girls and what-not. This morning though, I woke up to my alarm to everything I needed for the swim. It just made it easy to get out there and do the training. Being the holiday I don't actually have that much school work to do and therefore I wasn't limited to time. Normally I would've got out of the pool after an hour but I did the full set and almost 90 minutes there. I actually felt quite refreshed for it. If this had been in school term time I'm pretty sure that the run wouldn't have occurred due to the planning and/or marking that would need to get done. Realising and understanding this now is good though, it means I can start to plan ways to fit the training in... Maybe even cycling to work.

Well, that is Christmas eve coming to a close now. Tomorrow I want to go for a 60 minute bike ride so I can have a rest day at the weekend.

Wish me luck now.

Day 3 of 210 - Turbo bike

So, with it getting closer to Christmas, time is getting ever-so much more precious.

Today's training required a 30 minute bike but life commitments required me to stay at home till Rosy's friends had left the 'birthday sleepover' and then head to Chelmsford for some Christmas shopping with both Siân and Rosy. Even though it was dark when we got back I knew I needed to do the short ride. Thankfully, with space in the garage and a turbo hardly used, I still managed the 30 minutes. I must not let anything slip during these early days. Training is essential, this 'fatman' wants to be an 'ironman'.

Day 2 of 210 - brick

Today's training included the first brick session of many. Just a 30 minute bike, quickly followed by a 15 minute run.

The bike felt pretty good to start with, I hadn't actually been out on it in 3 months since the Ely Monster Middle, but as I kept trying to keep the cadence around the 100 mark with my speed around 15mph and my heartrate as low as possible, I soon felt the lack of miles... I soon begun to realise that I should have kept up with some cycling these past 12 weeks... I soon begun to panic just a little and I soon started to think about the future. I'm aiming towards a speed of 16mph over the 113 mile bike route and I know I'm definitely not there yet. That being said, I know I will be... well, as long as I keep up with the training.

Rosy has a sleepover tonight but I still managed to get a cheeky gym session in whilst they were swimming. Now I just need to sort out when I'll be swimming. I've got to get that started.

Day 1 of 210

... aaaaand the training begins with a 6:30am alarm call for a 30 minute run.

It felt good to be out there training again but I wonder if I should have done more than I have over these last couple of months. Have I lost lots of fitness (or any that I did have) as a result, will it make it harder on my achilles, has it made it impossible to complete the ironman next year? The simple answers to these questions are yes, yes and a resounding no. Of course it's going to be harder to do this without that little extra training but it most definitely is not impossible, as long as I keep to the program I will be absolutely fine and will survive the course.

The run today was a little hard on the knees but I'm hoping that will soon pass as my body gradually gets used to training again. It was only 30 minutes but I decided to head up the hills of Halstead to begin to try and get used to them as I'm sure Bolton will be far worse than I could imagine.

Anyway, Christmas is coming and I've just got back in from the gym so I should grab a shower and think about the rest of the week.

Right Intention - (15 days till training commences)

HELL YES!

I'm sitting here on a Sunday with a massive 224 days to go until IMUK but only 15 days till I officially start my training.

Previously during training for larger events, I have lacked motivation at certain times and have focussed too much on one aspect of my life too much (work life/family life/personal life). As a direct result of this I have lost sleep while trying to catch up, become lethargic and missed training days or important family times.

THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN THIS TIME AROUND.

Over the following few days I'll be setting up a routine that will help me become motivated, refreshed and ready. It starts now with creating the right intention for my training, a right feeling for my training. That feeling/intention is quite simply "HELL YES!" - I must remember what I'm doing this for and that I'm in it to become an Ironman, to be called an Ironman and to earn "bragging rights forever!"

22 days to go

Only 22 days to go now until I formally start my Ironman training. 21st December is the big day for starting my training but I'm thinking that I really need to get some form of pre-base training completed. I just need to get into the habit of training again so that it isn't so much of a shock.

Today was my first run outside since my half -ironman in August and I certainly felt it. It was a 5 mile run and was my slowest on that route since May of 2014 (almost 19 months ago).

This training should be fun.

Weekly Round Up - 233 days to go

Swim = 0
Bike = 0
Run = 0

So, not the best week for training or exercise but there have been some positives… There must be some… I’m sure I’ll think of one in a minute or two.

While Siân went into hospital for her nose operation, something to do with the sinuses, I made use of the time to take a proper look at my training schedule. There are now 24 days to go until my training starts properly and these past couple of weeks I’ve been getting free sports massages on my achilles. I’m sure that it will certainly help but I feel I must return to running soon, the more I think about it the more I know I cannot get injured during any of my training. Some time ago another sports therapist gave me a whole load of exercises to do on my achilles, I haven’t done any yet but I know I must start.