Long Weekend Fun

The week ended reasonably well.. It  is the Queens Birthday holiday on Monday and so its a long weekend .Although not on the program I swam at the Cott on Sunday morning .It was a beautiful morning.The sea was flat and there were lots of swimmers around.clear skies and perfect for the beginning of swimming on a Sunday. Trevor (aka pieman for eating a pie at Baldivis on his 150km ride on Saturday ), Tony, Les and Hanna were back .We swam down to Blue duck cafe and back in about 45 mins .A slow but steady swim .I felt very comfortable even though my sense of direction meant I swam a lot more.I suspect we swam 1.5km or just a tad more.so it was really slow .There were a few stingers around but otherwise a good swim.


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We wanted to have coffee at Daisies but it was shut so it was off to John Street Cafe.

After the swim I had JJ for the afternoon as we drove around the Joondalup and Hillary's area looking at various Council grounds for potential club rooms and training grounds for the tri club.Not a lot out there but I took lots of pictures and notes .JJ had fun playing at several playgrounds .After a short rest I did my long run .Somehow I managed to lose the data in the download but did 18km in 1.39. averaged 5.30 pace but my running average would have been better with a few traffic stops.Didn't quite run the route to the program as I more  or less ran the entire route at the same pace accept for the last few kilometres .But it was a slight improvement from last week but still slow and about the half Ironman pace I ran earlier this year.I have dropped a bit of weight and weigh in at 72.5kg but still a high %body fat at 33%  .Lots to do to keep dropping the weight and hopefully the % fat..

Bike: 8.30hrs 148kmIt does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times  
Run: 3.10 hrs or 35km
Swim: 4.15 hrs or 10.2km
total: 15.55hrs

IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN BUT HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET UP


Vince Lombardi

It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up
-Vince Lombardi

AFL Finals

Other than the AFL Footy Finals between Collingwood and St Kildas ,Saturday is my Long Bike Ride.I remember my ride last year on Finals day.It was a eerily quiet morning.Not a lot of traffic about and a bright warm day.today ,there was more cyclist about but otherwise it was a great day .

I started off just after 6am and found that getting my heart rate up was very hard .For the first 63 km down the freeway bike course I was struggling with my HR at about  130-135.A good 10 beats lower than last week.I averaged 31.5kph down the freeway and I hung on to 4 cyclist for the last 5 km before I reached the 2 hour mark.

Had a  short break before the return ride. I was using my gels for the first time in 4 months and found that the orange cordial drink didn't really go down too well with the gels.I managed the whole ride on 2 Bidons or 1.5lt Will have to avoid that again.I had one bidon with Gatorade and for the first hour I had stomach cramps but they settled as the miles rolled by.It was reasonably windy but I did not have any real headwinds to contend with and was actually quite a nice ride.Probably had a few cross winds and definitely some helpful winds on the way back.

After the turn around I began to build a more consistent pace and managed to get my average up to 32kph by the end of the ride.By far my strongest result although I don't think i was firing on all cylinders with my low HR .

As I rode the freeway I saw a few familiar faces .Claudia Dohr was training on her own and heading back as I was riding south and on my ride back saw Trevor .I whizzed by screaming a hallo and again Tony was on the freeway course as well. I later learnt they both were trying to ask me a question ie where the other was on the course. Thought I had snubbed them but when I ride I am only focused on getting back as quickly as possible .No time to stop and chat.

I made it back just before the 4 hour mark .A distance of 126.5km in 3.58 hr.Unfortunately , I lost all my date on my Garmin when I changed to run mode and did not save it .The data would have been helpful but I did get to monitor my Hr and average pace throughout the ride so it was helpful...I just do not have a record.From the bike I went on to do my run .I did 28 minutes and ran just over 5km .It was a beautiful day with the Perth Skyline as I ran along the swan river in South Perth.Saw Claudia again as she was heading back from her run.

The rest of the day I was just hanging around the house Did lunch for JJ and then fell asleep watching the finals .Needed that. As the AFL Finals ended in a draw ,the saints and Pies meet again next week and I will be on the freeway again...a bit like deja vu. Go the Saints.

Efforts

Thursday 23 September.

I had a 2 hour ride today with 5 x 10 minute efforts.As I had to drop my car in for a service I got to the city at 5.30am and parked in the city and then rode my bike to Nedlands . Caught up with Ross and group and then started my efforts on my own.Did 3.5 loops and then met up with the group after their run and bike session .

I rode back to the car and then drove to the service centre and rode to work.In the evening I rode back to get the car. rode a total of 70km.

Friday 24^th September

Warm up

400m (150 freestyle 50 breastroke x2)

Drill with pull bouy

25m fist 25m freestyle x 6 10sec rest

then 50 reduced stroke X4 lowest number possible

Main

4 X 150m freestyle 15 secs rest fast, medium, fast, firm then 45 secs rest

6 X 100 m  15 secs rest (100freestyle fast 100m easy X3)

8 x 50m freestyle all fast 10 secs rest

L1 X 4

Cool down

50m backstroke 50m freestyle 50m breastroke 50m freestyle

50m backstroke 50m freestyle
I just did 200m of the cooldown.

Getting into the Groove

As the week begins , I am slowly getting into the groove of training . I am glad I am able to do the long runs on Sunday and have a easy Monday with a swim session.This week was a reasonably  hard week of swimming.I  did my swim after work and it was  a longish session of over an hour.

Monday 20^th September

Warm up

500m freestyle with pull bouy easy

Drill

50m 6kick 1 stroke catchup on front 50m breastroke X 3 10 secs rest

Main

All at threshold or firm and all freestyle

300m 30 sec 250m 30 secs 200m 20 secs 150m 1 mins rest X 2

Cool down

With pull bouy 25 kick 50 freestyle X 4

It was a 2.9km session and I felt it particularly as the lane was crowded and I was having to speed up or slow down lots.

Tuesday Morning was the standard hard cycling session. Everyone was out and I felt good.Rode with the 3 girls ,Tenike , Michele and Juliana and Johnny  joined us soon after so we were working in a group of five>That suited me better than the previous week. I found it a lot more comfortable riding and I had a slightly longer recovery period between turns in the front. The weather and temperature was good and I had my thick jaggard jacket on so I actually had a good sweat from riding hard. I managed to keep up and Stuart joined us and everytime he was in the front he would surge forward and we would all be trying to catch up.i managed to hold onto his wheel and it was only in the last 5 minutes , Michelle called out that the hour was up and I slowed up but the rest kept going and I then just had to keep going.It was a good ride.I had an average of 34 kph and that was with the ride to Nedlands at easy pace. 

Overall did 52.5 km and I felt pretty good after the ride 

Wednesday 22 September.

I decided to do my run in the morning and my swim in the evening.Got up relatively early and headed of to the Light Street Park.I had a1.10 session with 8 x 800m sessions at threshold.It was fairly cold but at least it was light.got warm running to the park and then started >Managed to get my heart rate up to 145 and above 153 but it was mainly around 140-145.I felt the run was a little better than my first interval session last Wednesday. I did just under 12km and most of the efforts were under 5min pace.

After work I did my swim set which was the hardest session .I did a 3.3 km session and finished at 7.20pm .over an hour session and I was pretty tired at the end.

Wednesday 22^nd September

Warm up

10 x 50m 5sec rest free, free, back, breast, repeat

Main

700m  1 min rest medium pace

600m 1 min rest firm pace

500m  1 min rest medium  pace

400m  40 secs rest firm with pull bouy

300m  30 secs rest fast

200m 20 secs rest fast with pull bouy

100m medium

Cool down

3 x 100m (25 backstroke 75 freestyle) Easy

Bring on the rest of the week.

The Fun Begins

The training gets a little harder but the hours are the same. I have a full days rest on Saturday after my ride and sleep in on Sunday .Aside from some work and spending the day with JJ at the Park I did very little.I then do my long run on Sunday evening rather than rushing it on Monday . It was a 1.45 run and I did a run from home with a few short climbs along the way .I try and watch my heart rate and I had to do 45 mins at medium effort , whatever that means.

I got to 6km into the run and then did a 45 min effort at medium pace but most of the run felt the same. I ran to Mt Lawley and then did a turn around and ran back on the same course. Not alot of people about and it was quite warm in the beginning.It was a beautiful day and was a great spring day.Earlier I was at Kings Park and it was warm and crowded as Jonathan ran around and got hot.I did give him too much sweets and fizzy drinks so he had the energy to use up.I got told off by my wife for not being the adult especially as he has 3k worth of dental work despite his teeth still being mainly baby teeth.The joys of parenthood , it is easier to give them what they want and let the other half deal with it.

I finished up running just over 18km .I felt good and I hadn't gone out hard .I just have to keep getting the kms in and watching my weight. Got new runners today as well .Back to Gel Kayanos and they feel lots better as my shoes  have little support left so I can feel the difference now.

I had a really good nights rest and didn't have to do any training on Monday morning which is always a difficult day for me .I did my swim at Beatty Park in the evening.It was a late start at close to 6pm and finished up doing 2.9km .Jamie,Michael and Tineke were 2 lanes down doing the same set.It was pretty crowded and had to swim past lots of breaststrokers and slow swimmers in my lane so it was hard going.

Monday 20^th September
Warm up
500m freestyle with pull bouy easy
Drill
50m 6kick 1 stroke catchup on front 50m breastroke X 3 10 secs rest
Main
All at threshold or firm and all freestyle
300m 30 sec 250m 30 secs 200m 20 secs 150m 1 mins rest X 2
Cool down
With pull bouy 25 kick 50 freestyle X 4

I felt comfortable finishing the set so Iam not sure if I actually put in the required effort . I do feel the water a lot more even if I am not moving faster in the water . I certainly have the same stroke count per 50 metre.

The Hard Ride

Saturday's have always been a day for my long and usually hard ride .Just 4 years ago , I remember my first ride on my eBay purchased Raceline . I rode from home down the swan river cycle path and back , a huge 30 km .I then began solo rides round the river a huge adventure for me. I even had the embarrassment of stopping at traffic lights and not being able to unclip in time and just keeling over much to the amusement of passing motorist.

My early experiences are a distant memory .I have progressed. .On Saturday it was the start of harder rides with a 4hr session at sub threshold..I was on my own and I drove down to the Narrows Bridge for a 6am ride down the freeway.It was pretty cold or at least I felt it despite two layers with my Ironman Japan T shirt under my cycling long sleeve top.I felt the cold for most of the ride.

It was slow going and hard to stay focused.I did not have any gels but lots of jelly beans and dates and ate all of on the ride with 1.5l of water and electrolyte. I managed to getup to 32kph average on the way down .I turned round before the end at the 2 hr mark and then had a short break before riding back and straight into a headwind .That was hard going for 45 minutes and then it eased up and would come back every short while.It was a hard ride and I was hoping to be able to have got my average up but generally it was a good start. Mentally I just got my head down and did the miles (or kms ) .

It was good to be back at the narrows after that ride.Saw poor Bob Thomas changing a flat tyre by the cycle path to his racing wheelchair/bike.Poor start for him as he headed out on the freeway but what an attitude and determination.I didn't feel too bad about my ride then.thought about stopping but I would be no use to him as I have difficulty changing a normal road wheel let alone his wheelchair bike.

As I got to the car it was a quick change and a 20 minute run along the South Perth Foreshore .It was a nice Perth Day and the wind was up and howling.I got through a 18minute run and did over 3km at a pretty reasonable pace.The legs felt fine. I even managed a sub 5 min km along the way. I am feeling pretty good with the running although my shoes are getting worn down with the running I am doing and I am feeling it in the joints.

I survived the week but I knew I would . I now weigh in under 75 kgs although with a new weighing scale I have a fat composition of 30% .Not sure how accurate it is .

Total training:
Swimming ; 3 hrs 7.35kms
Bike: 8.45 hrs or 250km
Run : 3 hrs or 33kms
Total: 14.45 ( I missed one easy run session)

The Training Week

As I did not manage my run session on Wednesday , I decided to do the run on Thursday.It was going to be a long day.

I did my 2hour bike ride with 5 x 10 min efforts round the river ,riding from home. It was a cold 3.8C and the wind was pretty strong at points on the route. But i managed a good time .As I rode over the Narrows Bridge I ran into Ross and crew from Exceed after their training at Nedlands so I went to breakfast with them.I was pretty tired after the ride andat lunch did a run round the bridges approx 11.5km) I did 3x 1km,3 x 800m , 4 x 400m efforts with 1 min between each effort.despite the cool weather in the morning by lunchtime it was sweltering and I was really tired and thirsty after the run .i was happy with the effort but the legs were cooked and I still had to ride home.Managed the run and ride 68km on the bike .It was a long training session.

I did my swim on friday evening and skipped my easy run in the morning.

Friday 17th September

Warm up

200m freestyle

Drills with fins

50m chicken wings 50m finger drag 50m freestyle X 4 10 secs rest

50m 6 kicks 3 stroke on side X 5 sec rest

50m backstroke 50m freestyle x 2

Main Set

400 freestyle 100m medley firm 1 min rest

100m medley 300m freestyle medium 1 min rest

100m medley 200m freestyle fast 40 secs rest

100m freestyle 100 medley firm 20 secs rest

100m medley 100m freestyle fast

Cool

300m freestyle easy

Swam at Beatty Park and it was pretty busy in the public lane I took it slow and easy and managed the session in 70 mins.

Pressure is a Priviledge

The hard yards begin this week ....I had a good rest on Saturday and Sunday but did my long run on Sunday evening .It was a 1.41 run with 45 mins at medium pace which was about 145 to 150 HR .I maanged a 17.66 run and it was comfortable without any fluids and gels .I averaged a 5.39 pace and Iam happy with that for the moment.

On Monday I did my swim session in the evening and finished late so fortunately I did my run on Monday.Not quite to the programme but close enough . I have had tp space out the trainning with the workload and other commitments this week. The swim session wasn't too bad and I managed to do the full 2.8km session in an hour.

Warm up
100m freestyle 50m backstroke 50m breastroke
L3 x 3, L2 x 2, L1 x 1
Main Set
1200m with pull bouy medium pace 1 min rest
600m firm pace 1 min rest
2x 200m fast with 30 seconds rest
Cool down
400m with pull bouy easy
I was glad there was the Pull Buoy in the session somewhere .the lanes were crowded at beatty park and i did get kicked a few times .I ran into the rest of the guys swimming out of Beatty park doing the same set.
Tuesday was a hard session. ross was away and we set off as  instructed by Ross and communicated by Rod. I was with Michelle, Tenike ,and julianna . the only guy .Tenike dropped out after the first lap so it wa sjust the 3 of us and it got harder .I was struggling to keep up on the short climbs and had to miss quite a few turns at the front .I managed to stay with them for the ride and we did 3 laps of the nedlands circuit. The group is reasonably stable at approximately 12 or so atheletes and I have now been training with Exceed for over 3 years .
As I rode back with Jasmin last saturday , I told her I really train with the group for the support and camaraderie  rather than any information or technical support or a programme. Havong said that it is good to be able to follow a system and to swim in a squad even if I will not be taking a whole lot of time off my result.

I did feel the ride on tuesday a lot . I did average over 32kph for the 1.20 hr ride and then just rode back to the city.
I had a good rest for the remainder of the day and the chat at coffee was the results of the world championships at Budapest .A few friends from Exceed had good results and very fast bike times.
Today I did my swim at lunch time but did not manage the whole set ...just 2km.it was quite an easy set and I enjoyed it. I was averaging a 2.15 to 2.10 100 meter pace on my firm sets.

Warm up
400m freestyle 2x 100m medley 10 sec rest
Main Set (all freestyle)
300m firm 40 seconds rest
200m easy 30 sec rest
2x 150m fast 30 secs rest
2x 100m easy 20 secs rest
6x 50m fast 10 secs rest ( did not do)
200m easy 20 secs rest
Cool down
100m freestyle 25m backstroke 25m breastroke X2
100 freestyle easy
I had to skip my run as I had a meeting that lasted past 7pm . On the way home I heard an interview on the radio of cathy freeman , the 400m Olympic gold medalist at the 200 Olympic games on her thoughts on this day the 10th anniversary of the 2000 games. She quoted Billie Jean King ,the Tennis great ,who said "pressure is a privilege ". 

It really is how we look at a crisis , a problem or an obstacle. Its like hills , they are hard but you can grow to climb them proficiently. In the microcosm of sports there are many parallels to life and how we should face them . Each day I intereact with many individuals , I see the best and the worse in people and I am full of admiration for many who care and give of their time to others both as carers of loved ones and as volunteers.I think of the many who struggle with a disability. I often wonder how would I cope in such a situation .You just do not know. 

It is a privilege to be able to help and despite the selfish element of my sport , I enjoy the pressure and the privilege I am afforded in being able to enjoy my sport.

Riding with the Girls

I was going to ride with the CRT / Exceed Group but got an email from Michelle on Friday that she was riding with Jasmin and if I wanted to come along. As we were all doing Busso it was probably the more suitable ride, especially as Michelle's programme is about the same as mine .

The ride was also more accurate and true to my programme than a hard short paced CRT ride around the river.

I rode down from home to the Narrows and got there early as I was passed by a cyclist at 5.45am and I hung onto his wheel and then rode through the city ( my usual ride to work) then onto the narrows bridge . Met up with Michelle and Jas.Both excellent and fast triathletes so it was enjoyable to ride with them.  We rode down to Mt Henry Bridge and then onto the freeway cycle path before  , a new detour for me , we turned off onto the cycle path going down Roe Hwy and rode for an hour down the cycle path before turning back to the freeway cycle path and a short ride up the path and then  turning round and heading back to make the 3 hour ride.

I rode behind the girls throughout and it was enjoyable .Jas is recovering from injuries and so the ride was not taxing. Both of them managed to keep up a constant conversation for the whole ride. I was feeling tired in the legs towards the end but I think it was more my lack of eating .It did improve after I took a gel and some lollies. I was feeling sick in the morning as I took a salt tablet and I hadn't had anything to eat prior to leaving the house .That was a little dumb. But I felt fine after getting in some water and a few sweets.

After the narrows , I rode with Jasmin back through Bayswater where she turned off at railway parade and I headed home. We had a chat about all things tri and her recent race at Yempoon which didn't go well. She is thinking of racing Lanzarote or China as well. I had clocked 4 hours and 120km and that took my total mileage for the week to 210km . Which was the first time time in a while that I had clocked above 200km . I had also run more than 4 hours this week.

Total mileage
Run :4 hrs
cycle ; 8.20
swim: 3 hrs

total: 15 hrs

Not too bad for an easy week .

the hard part starts next week as the sessions get harder.

Easy Week

Despite the Flu and the lack of any training the past 2 weeks , I kept to the programme for this week which was my easy week.

It just doesn't feel easy. I am doing about the same hours and building.Thursday was a 2 hour easy ride and I rode to work and around Kings Park with a  short climb on each round. Then after work it was a ride back via Bayswater and making the 2 hour ride. Its my easiest day of training.I had planned on a longer ride but the weather conspired against that as i didn't want to get sick again going out in the rain.



I didn't map all the route on my garmin as I switched on my garmin about 12 km into the ride.

Friday was a relaxing run and swim ,both of which I  did after work.I finished early and got to the pool before 5pm and did my hour set of 2.3km

Warm up
150 freestyle 150 medley no butterfly X 2 Easy
Drill with pull bouy
50m 3X3X3 50 m freestyle x4 10 secs
Then
6x 50 m 15 sec 8 strokes per breath peer 50m, 7 then 6 then 5 then 6 then 7 then.
Main
12 x 100m freestyle on 15 secs
Order fast, easy, firm, firm, med, repeat
Cool down
300 easy with pull bouy

It was not so easy as there were 3 fast 100m spots which really were tough.I now do know what my fast is ...for the 100m it is 1.58 and my firm is about 2.15 and my easy 2.30. Something to aim to improve on..The garmin doesn't work as well in the water and I think there is software I can download to clean up the statistics as far as distance I covered. I ran from Beatty Park around the area .It was dark but at least there was no rain. It was an easy run and I felt good although the legs were a little tired after the swim and run.





Iam enjoying the flexibility of swimming at different times of the day.

Starting a new week

I am getting over the flu.Today I skipped the morning swim and did my swim after work before the monthly North Coast Tri Club  committee meeting.It was a full day of work although I did get in a run at lunchtime for 45 mins and then rushing after work to Beatty park pool as the Inglewood pool was closed for a 3 weeks . I swam in the public lane reserved for slowish swimmers.

The set was :

MONDAY 6^TH
Warm up
400 m freestyle easy
Drill
50m 6 kick 1 stroke catch up on front, 50m freestyle x 4 10secs rest
Main
Threshold Set all freestyle
300m firm, 20 secs 100m easy 20 secs
250m firm 20 secs 150m easy 20 secs
200m firm 20 secs 100m easy 20 secs
100m firm 10 secs 50m easy 10 sec
100m firm 10 secs 50m easy 10 sec
100m firm 10 secs 50m easy 10 sec
100m firm 10 secs 50m easy 10 sec
1700 total
Cool down
50m backstroke 150m freestyle
50m breastroke 150m freestyle

I did everything accept the cool down as I had to get to the meeting by 7pm We had a longish meeting as it was the first meeting for the new committee . Finished at 10pm and rushed back and got my gear ready for the next day's ride.

I was up by 4.45am . Got to Nedlands and we did a series of short but hard efforts , Going flat out for 5km .I managed 5 sets in the hour. It was hard but I felt alot better than last week.


Managed to get the speed up to 35- 45 kph and then cruise back to the start point for repeats. It was a 2 hour session with the ride to Nedlands and back.

Wednesday 8 September
Slept in this morning as  I decided to swim later in the day and do my run as well. I managed to do my swim set at lunch time at Beatty park pool .There were a few swimmers around so it was  perfect for training. It was a really nice and sunny day and then midway the rain fell for a short while.

The set was :
WEDNESDAY 8^TH
Warm up
200m freestyle 100m medley 100m freestyle
Main
100m medley 600m freestyle 1 min
100m medley 500m freestyle 1 min
100m medley 400m freestyle 1 min
100m medley 300m freestyle 1min
L3 100m medley 200m freestyle
L2 100m medley 100 freestyle
L1 2200 L2 2400 L3 2500
Cool down
300m easy with pull bouy
I did the 2200 and a 400 m cool down with the pull buoy

It was a good session.


In the evening I did my run with 20 minutes at medium pace which was about 145 to 150 HR .
It was dark and miserable .You know you are a triathlete when there isn't anyone else running in this weather.

Fathers Day

Fathers day was on Sunday , a rest day for me but I decided to do an easy 1.20 run around the neighbourhood . It felt better . I was slow but I managed to run and finish . It was then off to church service with my kids and presents.  

I got a T shirt, chocolates and a triathlon Magazine and some interesting cards from the two of them. No breakfast in bed but i did get to sleep in till 7 am . the cards were real cute  and when not fighting with each other , shows the competitive nature between the two. Well at least they know what I like .

Whilst  Church has not been a real priority with the training I am doing it was a  familiar and a welcoming change. The Priest spoke about being a disciple of God and how before making such a commitment  you have to weigh  up the price .What does it costs ?

Like anything in life , there is a price and he spoke about the help given by God to his disciples. He used Fathers Day and what it was that symbolized a father everywhere to symbolise what help God gives us and to support us .

The symbols he suggested God had given us to help in our daily lives were :
A Manchester City scarf =passion
A TV remote control =being able to choose
Car wash products /car =a means of moving forward
A power tool=power
A can of beer=quenching our thirst

All symbolic and guidepost to turn to for that important support in times of need .That is what Faith is about . Belief in the unknown.

The rest of the day was spent resting and then it was off to Kings park with JJ as he ran round the Children's Playground  in the Park. I read my Fathers Day pressie.

Round the River

I have started back slowly.i went down to the pool on Friday evening .It was the last session for 3 weeks as the Inglewood Pool is closed for maintenance.So the next few eeks I will be swimming on my own at Bayswater.

I was still hacking away but managed the session ...barely.Did a 800m warm up with 300m of drills.Then the main set was a set of 300m free, with 100 fast and 200 cruise, 200m free with 100m fast and finally 100m fast .Did two sets and then a 200 m warm down .I was let off by Ross as I was struggling a bit at the end .

The next morning ,I managed to ride to Subiaco and then followed the CRT/Exceed group round the river.Lost them at Point Walter as they passed a peloton of cyclist and I just had to tuck in behind the group passed. By the time I got to Applecross I ran into Tony and his group and rode with them through Shelley and back to Subiaco. We had coffee and then I rode home , about 91km , mostly easy. It was hard going at times especially trying to keep up with the pack. But I felt good and was able to keep up mostly despite my wheezing .

The challenge is next week as I have a full but light week .

The Sweet Spot

As I take an enforced break from training with my latest bout of the flu  , I have
had time to reflect on the training or the lack of it so far.But I feel a lot more comfortable .I have had time to reflect about where my training fits in and why  I train.

In the end it boils down to a self centred desire to improve and to find that sweet spot in sports.It doesn't happen often and reading Sally Edwards book on Triathlons ,it is when everything comes together ,that feeling like an electric shock through the body .It touches every cell and every nerve.

The answer is simple because it is fun.I was thinking about the training and why I train and how I have changed so much in 3 short years.In the first year I was absolutely compulsive in keeping to me regime of training which was good but quite dangerous as well.My body didn't have enough time to recover and I was literally not getting enough sleep. Trying to cram as much into 24 hours a day can be detrimental. I fell asleep on my bike and in my car .Both could have had very serious consequences and fortunately for me they didn't . These thoughts flooded back as I started preparation for the Clubs Information night in October. How everyone who gets involved in triathlons will go through a similar experience. Sometimes it is good to make the mistakes and on other occasions it is better to learn from other's mistakes. I relish the opportunity to share and encourage those starting out despite my competitive bent ,it is always so inspiring to see others around me in the club reach or surpass their goals.

I have also learnt not to sweat the small stuff. Missing training sessions while not good isn't going to make or break my race. Life is not set out on a straight road.I have my work and its stresses and family.balancing all of that and commitments to my volunteer group all make training and recovery quite tough at times.

I did try to go for a run this evening but did not manage to go far before my coughing and wheezing got the better of me and I headed home. I hope I will be able to shake the flu off by the weekend and at least start next week feeling better and able to put in a solid week of training.It is now 96 days to Busso and hopefully I have had all my sick days now.

I did manage to surf the web more and enjoyed Mitch Throwers graduation speech in 1990 .

http://www.youtube.com/user/mitchthrower#p/a/u/0/y3n0CHHLDVg

Whats the message in all this . Not alot. Live life , enjoy life , don't sweat the small stuff and find that sweet spot. For me its crossing a line at the end of a long day called Ironman.