Monday, May 30, 2011

Iron journey

Lava fields on Lanzarote

Finishing Ironman Lanzarote

I made it home on Saturday evening after an epic flight first to Singapore and then connecting  from Singapore to Perth . It was a long flight and great to be home.

I was feeling a little lethargic and tired on Sunday and slept a fair bit. Its always somewhat difficult getting back into the swing of daily life and there is always a slow period of adjustment. I did have the Triathlete Magazine waiting for me at home although I did not put in a recent subscription.

The editorial was on Rest , Rehab and Recovery ...so very apt for me.There are several; pieces in the magazine on recovery by various professionals as well..I haven't read all the articles but Andy Potts had  FIVE suggestions:

  1. Sleep ...a lot of it like 11 hours but even 8 for a triathlete would be a good start.
  2. Balanced Nutrition. A balanced diet trumps any dietary supplements.
  3. Fresh running shoes .Change the shoes when the wear is noticeable as it prevents shin splints or worse stress fractures
  4. Compression gear ...using compression socks when doing a long ride or run but the benefits are wearing them post work-out for recovery,
  5. Real rest . Real rest takes place when you are not consumed by the exertions of work or the physical toll of training.
At the last page of the magazine on page 192 is the column by Bob Babbitt titled Iron Journey.Bob is a co founder of the Competitor magazine , CAF and a legend in Ironman having competed the 2nd Ironman Hawaii race in 1980. His piece was on the pictures and the programmes and other items from races he has kept over the past 30 years. In the first ironman race he did he was expecting it to take 2 days but as we all know the race is now limited by a cut off of 17 hours.Bob states in his piece :"I had no idea I could complete this unbelievable event all in one day.So when I did , I felt like I now had this business card in my pocket for the rest of my life that let me know I could accomplish anything I set my mind to - whether it was in business , sport or life".

It is back to a routine be it a relaxing and easy one. I ran for 30 minutes and swam for 30 minutes. It is the gradual start back to training and my next journey.

I hope to update the donations made soon and again wish to thank all those who have supported EDAC and the cause .

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