Triathlon Europe

One Month to go...

So, one month to go until the big one. In theory I should have some monster miles under my belt following 6 months of focussed and un-interupted training...

In reality things have progressed a little differently. Like pretty much every other first time ironman my training has been interupted by a series of niggling little illnesses and injuries. Nothing serious enough to stop me dead but enough to take the edge off the training and get the little anxiety gremlins chattering. Having said that I have still logged 2300 miles cycling, 440 miles running and 52 miles swimming this year which seems reasonable.

The training programme has certainly really helped to keep me honest, although Fi has had to issue a few more edits than ideal thanks to my fragility. I think that if I had been left to my own devices the numbers listed above would be a lot smaller.

I think the biggest surprise for me in all of this is how mentally wearing some of the training gets. I signed up for the Ironman because I enjoy running and cycling (and was reasonably sure I could learn to tolerate swimming). Because of this I thought the training would be (psychologically) a breeze. As it turns out getting up every saturday to face the prospect of an increasingly familiar 4-6 hour meander through the Surrey Hills is a bit of a drag (although I have always enjoyed the training once I have got going). I think that if I do this again I will enter a lot more sportives and running races - the extra time spent travelling would be more than paid back by the benefits of keeping things fresh.

This is supported by my most ridiculous training session to date - a 2am alarm call followed by an hours drive to swim the Henley Regatta course (2.2km) at sunrise. On the face of it this is kind of stupid - a lot of sleep lost and the distance swum is all wrong but this was easily the most fun I have ever had in a wetsuit and has really got me fired up for the remaining open water sessions in my programme.

Overall I would say that the training has not gone as well as it could but I am still fitter now than I have ever been and I can't say fairer than that. It has been all too easy to get wrapped up in the numbers and forget that I am doing this for fun and for the experience (thanks to the Henley Swim for that timely reminder). As ever the proof will be on the day but looking back I have some awesome moments in the last few months and met some extremely nice people (including several physios unfortunately).

fingers crossed...

Winter Base Training

In common with a lot of men of a certain demographic I am rapidly approaching the mid-life crisis sweet spot. It is pretty clear that I can't afford a convertible and I already have a guitar, so I entered an Ironman...
In my defence I have a small amount of form with regards to the longer distance events, having done a marathon, an etape du tour and a half ironman in the last five years. Unfortunately this prior form includes a history of abysmal preparation followed by dog-like suffering (my longest training run prior to the marathon was a majestic 80 minutes with the result that I got overtaken by a womble on the Embankment and couldn't walk for about a week after the event).
I can’t face the thought of another marathon as painful as the last one (especially not after 115 miles of swimming and cycling) – and this is where Fi and her coaching programme come into the picture.
In terms of the IM training it is still pretty early days but it is already very clear that having an actual training plan is making a big difference to the quality and quantity of my training. The fact that I still expect to get given lines if I don't do my homework also seems to be helping with the motivation.
The base phase has always been my favourite part of training - I enjoy the long slow stuff (because it doesn’t hurt, obviously) so the majority of the last couple of months has been almost fun. I am still not feeling the love in the swimming pool but I remain hopeful that this will come once I learn to stop dragging my feet along the bottom.

Ironman Switzerland 2010