Tough Guy to Ironman

When I downloaded the training programme from the Ironman website it was a very clear document. 26 weeks, each day of each week run 1 hour, cycle two hours, swim 4k etc. I have been following it pretty well. But it is a physical training programme, legs, arms and core. Building muscle and endurance. But nowhere is there any thing about the mental exhaustion that such an endeavour imparts on you. And I admit that this week it has been tough. Really tough. There have been moments during the last months where I have questioned whether I would be physically able to complete this - a bad training run, another long ride that destroyed me, and then you realise you have to double it, and add a swim and a run. But this week has just sapped all motivation and desire. Monday I got caught out in the sun so when I was supposed to do a two hour ride and hour run on Tuesday I had nothing (the wife thinks I got sun stroke). Trying to be sensible I had a bath with some Epsom salts and thoug...

This week has been mostly training, eating, sleeping and working and not much else.   But I had a good couple of click moments….where it is all slowly clicking into place. Following on from the Worcester triathlon last week I went back to Chasewater on Saturday morning to see if my new found open water prowess would pay off. It was a perfect day for it, glorious sunshine, calm still lake.   Previously they had only set up a 400m circuit. For some reason, and I don’t know why, I had struggled to get round even a single 400m lap without having to stop, reset my breathing, do a bit of breast stroke and generally flounder about.  I could do decent distances but not continuously (circa 2k)   So I was a little bit apprehensive when they had said that the 750m circuit was set up. Well in for a penny in for a pound, and off I set.  Those that were paying attention at the start will guess what happened next but yep it clicked. I found a nice rhyt...

Race Report Well I didn’t drown, which is a positive all round! Training for the week was normal so I will concentrate this report on the first of the main events. I, sensibly, had packed all my bags the night before so getting up early on the morning I had to only eat some food and go. Which I duly did, but still managed to leave 10 minutes later than planned. Then the highways agency decided to shut the M54, so I had to do a swift U-turn and drive a different way, then google took me to the wrong address! After all that palaver I arrived at the event half an hour later than I wanted to, but still with loads of time to spare such was my keenest. Registered, equipment racked, and clutching my red hat ready to go I stood on the lake side nervously awaiting our briefing. At which point the marshal told us the lake was a barmy 16°C as they had put the heating on all night for us – yes people you read that right ‘heating’. Apparently this lake has a heating system. However ...

Money link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christopher-dawson5 Right I have been particularly slack with my blog updates, being that I have written one and then nothing. Its not fair on you the reader, and for that I apologise! Also it show on how much money I haven’t raised yet, you don’t get anything for free these days – not even sponsorship. My intention between now and then is to post every Monday. That way it will give everyone to look forward to after that first day back at work, and as all my events are on Sundays I can report back on them. And that then leads me onto todays topic -the schedule. The actual event that I am leading up to is the UK Ironman, which is on 15 th July. Now I was particularly aware that not haven’t done any real triathlons going into this green was a bit ambitious. I mean it’s a bit ambitious as it is but I wanted to have some experience, particularly open water swimming and the transitions. So I have signed my self up for various...