I'll worry about it tomorrow

It's not too late but I sit here exhausted. That lazy tiredness when you know you don't deserve to be tired and that just weighs you down even further.

I'm having a difficult time staying motivated for the triathlon. I find the life stuff has taken over and I just don't have enough time, energy or willpower to stick to my training schedule. It's hardly surprising I suppose but I know I need to kick the routine back into its stride. Easier said than done.

I hope a good night's sleep will help. There are nine weeks to go to race day. Lots of pride on the line but really all I want to do is sleep and worry about it tomorrow.

wetsuits, pride and lazy days

As I call a close on this Bank Holiday weekend I am forced to admit the weekend was pretty poor on the training front. While I did manage a run yesterday, today's intentions of swimming and a long cycle fell foul of other plans.

[reading newspapers, general tidy up, cinema etc]

I know that if I am to pull this off I need to be more focused. It's a simple as that. We told large groups of people we registered for the triathlon so pride is at stake as much as anything else - I guess we knew ourselves pretty well to do that in the first place.

All of that being said, I'm beginning to think I can do the Sports Relief mile without needing hospitalisation by the end of it. Every cloud and all that. The other weirdness that's going on is earlier today I half wanted to put my wet suit on. Fashion, you have another victim.

running solid

I went for a run this morning with some new running shoes and was amazed by the difference. I had only last week moved up to 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking yet this morning I ran three before deciding to walk. I was positively springing.

[as before I'm sure for the regular runner this is laughable stuff, for me it's big achivement territory]

The last few days I've been remiss in my training, life took over. It felt strange and physically I could feel my body almost soften. Weird stuff entirely.

On the fun side, I went with some friends to a massive sports store in the East End of London yesterday. The store had everything you could possibly think of sports related. The best thing for me was that I got a wetsuit. The last piece of equipment on my list. It fitted well, cosy, not claustrobic like the one on the training day. I'm surprisingly looking forward to getting into the water with it on.

Almost half way into this and the weirdness and adventure continues.

"come here, dodi"

I arranged to meet a friend tonight for a drink. When agreeing the time I found myself factoring in a cycle home, then a jog so I could go and meet her in the full knowledge that I had met my training obligations. And have a pint :)

This is such a new way of thinking for me I find it all simply fascinating.

The other thing from today is myself and another friend have decided to go to this big sports shop at the weekend. I went onto their website today and suffice to say my triathlon type II will be coming out in spades. They have soooo much stuff it's almost criminal. At least there's a safety net in that we're not going by car but by tube so anything I buy I have to be able to carry. My credit card says PHEW !

Finally, as I was running home this evening I passed a couple walking their dog. It was picture postcard stuff until they called their dog "come here, dodi".

I'm off to get that drink now.

are we there yet?

I went for a swim this evening but not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. I feel I exercised so that's good but not sure I stretched myself. I find the swimming difficult at the moment because of the breathing. I'm not comfortable doing it. The whole thing still feels laboured. I know I have to get passed this and get to a state of mind where it becomes second nature and not freak me out. If anyone watched me I probably look like a young driver, fearful that everytime I get behind the wheel I'll crash into something. There need to be many more miles under this belt before that fear goes.

On a positive note though, I discovered towards the end of my lengths that if I raise my head slightly so my foreheaed is level with the water line turning my head to breathe is slightly easier.

[for slightly easier read less like a gasping gawping idiot drowning in water]

I sometimes have moments of being 5 years old again in the back of my parents car asking "are we there yet?"

Tomorrow it's a run and a cycle. Bizarrely I'm looking forward to the run.

last few days

I've not posted for a few days as I took the weekend off. Not before having a swim on Friday evening though that restored my confidence in being able to do this. It was truly a lovely swim and I managed to do my breathing, do my requisite laps and still manage to make times that would put me in the range of the folks who did the same distance as me last year. That is important for me and is serving as a benchmark of sorts.

Today being my first day of training this week I went for a run and my regular cycle in and out of work. The rain poured down but as last week I went out in it to run and it was nice. I did more than the training schedule calls for (slightly, let's not get carried away) and in some ways feel that I could have continued. I am very conscious of my aches and ancient bones tho so stopped after twenty minutes - one minute walk, one minute run. The fact that I felt good at the end is encouraging and when I go for my next run (due on Wednesday) I will need that confidence to push up to two minutes running and one minute walking.

I know for proper runners this must seem cartoonish but to me being able to walk after I complete the triathlon is the end goal to beat all other end goals. With that in mind, slowly is fine with me.

training pairs

Had a nice training session this evening, I cycled (slowly) while a friend of mine ran alongside me. It wasn't quite the pushing myself session I probably would have done were I by myself but having company meant time went faster and we probably did a longer distance. Not sure how often we'll get to do it but it was fun.

This weekend will be a big test for me as I will be travelling out of London for but I still have exercising to fit in.

There's no bloody rest here at all, it's relentless.

But it feels good.

the rainy season

This evening as I was cycling home the heavens opened and I got to test the bike in wet conditions. The thing I learned (thankfully without incident) is that the brakes take quite a bit of working when wet. Important to know these things.

[mental note: buy mud guards, an arse that looks like I've shat my insides is not an attractive look]

Once I was home, as I was already wet, I decided to go for a quick run. Day 2 of my training schedule (i.e today) suggests (strongly) that a run and cycle are the order of the day. So, replacing my wet clothes with dry clothes I headed back out into the storm and ran.

Home now and back in other dry clothes I'm feeling quietly pleased. The run was shorter than I would normally do but I felt ok by the time I stopped. I'm not naive and clearly had I continued to my normal distance I'm sure I would have been knackered but given the run was directly after a 3k 7 minute dash in wet conditions it was pleasing.

Still a long way to go but day 2 of serious training (and week 6 in total) has been ticked off the list and I'm still hanging in there.

splashing fish drowning me

I realised much to my friends chagrin the other day that I've been breathing the wrong way in the swimming pool. Instead of a smooth out and in action I had been doing a head up, mouth open breathe out and then in before holding my breathe and sticking my much abused head back under the water again. It felt weird but then everything about this triathlon exercise is weird so I didn't feel it was out of place.

When in the pub a few nights back (last Friday) and I mentioned this they exchanged glances and smirks until they gently took me aside and explained what I was doing was, well, wrong.

I went back to the pool this evening - to practice my new technique for the second time. On Saturday when I had tried it out first I think I got there, certainly didn't come out of the pool screaming, panic filled or despairing. This evening however I'm more on the despairing side.

[everytime you think you've turned a corner, something happens ... hard to take]

On Saturday I had been breathing out through my nose, this evening I tried my mouth instead and I think it was easier. On the whole though I'm just not comfortable. Think I will try to organise some lessons. I can't afford to go on like this for weeks on end, and then having put all that effort in not be gaining the benefits because my technique is crap.

On a positive note though, I discovered that the training plan I've chosen to follow has a much longer cycle and run distance that the one I will be doing in London.

Today is day one of the 12 week plan. Checking in.

the alien made me do it

I can't explain why, I can't even pretend to explain why but all of a sudden I found myself (once again) falling prey to the online entry form monster. I'm now entered into the London Mile - a one mile run under the banner of Sport Relief which is in turn part of Comic Relief. It takes place on July 15th.

Earlier this morning I was bemoaning the fact that I can't run and don't enjoy it. A few measley hours later I've signed myself up for even more of it. I don't understand, where will this end !

lop sided cycling

Went for a cycle this afternoon and was reminded how funny I must look on my bike. It's a hybrid bike which means the saddle is lower down than the handle bars. As I am not a tall person it looks quite lop-sided.

Hardly a candidate for the Tour de France.

running but getting nowhere

There's no doubt about it but I just don't enjoy the running. I woke up this morning, early, and decided that I should go for a run. It's a week since I ran last and that's simply not often enough to get me through this.

Have I mentioned that the proper 12 week training plan kicks in tomorrow. Yip, I'm finishing up week 5 of 17. Hard to believe.

So I went on my run and initially felt ok it has to be said, the first lap went fine and I was thinking to myself hey this break has been good. Then it all started to go pear shaped as my heart rate started to go through the roof. I eased back to a jogging pace akin to walking and finished my minutes, stretched and took a bow.

So as not to end on a disconcerting note I will be going for a decent cycle in a while. At least that's something I know I can do and will feel better.

back again

It's a few days now since the back pain kicked in and I'm feeling better. The pain hasn't gone away but it has definitely subsided and I feel well enough to do some gentle exerises - swimming and cycling being my choices.

The thing that has really struck me over the last few days is how quickly I have fallen back into bad habits. This morning I felt like some greasy food - as I've noted here that was one of the first things I lost interest in while training. I also feel a sluggishness, all very odd indeed.

Anyway, fingers crossed the swimming helps.

pain

It was bound to happen at some stage. I have a history of back pain and yesterday afternoon having sat in meetings for most of the day I rediscovered its veracity. For the first time in about 3 years my back decided to say hello.

I sit here now, firstly in pain, but primarily disappointed that I can't do anything. It's incredibly frustrating but the years have taught me all I can do it sit it out and rest. It will right itself in time.

Rest and time.

I remember early in this adventure joking about thinking myself fit. It doesn't seem such a far fetched notion now.

dangerous cravings

Today I'm struggling with taking a rest day. It's understandable I guess that with a new bike in the hallway I have to fight the urge to not use it. I can feel my bones telling me to take a break. I've had one rest day this week, no more.

God I would so like to do something tho, perhaps a swim to give my legs a break. Tuesday was my last day in the pool, a leisurely swim and soak in the jacuzzi could be good.

This stuff is addictive, never thought I would have cravings.

saturday morning beat

First thing this morning I went for a run and it was painful. Last week I said I needed to push my running up to about 4 times a week. Well needless to say it hasn't happened and this morning I could really feel it. Not in the oh poor me I'll never do this kinda way, more like I've got a long way to go to get to the level I will need to.

Running will be my nemisis, no doubt about it.

On the positive front I went to collect my new bike after my run. The people at Putney Cycles are fantastic and they sorted me right out. I felt so inspired I did a 15k cycle on the way home and barely even noticed. The difference in weight between my old and new bike is pretty staggering. I'm really pleased I bought it and look forward to getting out and about on it more often.

If nothing else comes from this adventure than a renewed interest and enthusiasm for cycling then that's still a good deal.

freaky foodie notice

Having come across a free lunch today I thought I was on to a winner. The lunch was an assortment of deep fried cheeses and fish and chicken etc. Thinking this was all good I loaded up my plate, got the tzatziki and sweet chilli sauces to go and settled down for a nice munch.

Not so it turns out. I just couldn't stomach it. The food was too fatty and tasteless. That combined with I'm turning into a light weight on the alcohol front is very alarming.

The social health warning level needs to be increased.

think I may have cracked it

Having had a few good training days in a row I decided today should be about taking things easy. I had actually noticed a bit of muscle fatigue (who knew) so decided an easy bike ride to work was as far as things should go on the exercise front.

Hours later the fact that I ended up in the pub, having cycled longer getting there than ever anticipated and still having gotten home safely afterwards is a bloody beautiful thing.

Maybe, just maybe, there's a market for drunken cycle tours of London by night? A new training schedule to confound the experts yet still get you passed the finish line. There could be something in this.

a good day

Today was a good day. I cycled to and from work, generally with ease. I also went to the pool and did about 1,000 metres. I decided to vary the swim between freestyle and breast stroke to make sure I was spreading the muscle load but also that I would be comfortable on race day itself if I needed to switch between the two.

[not exactly sure that makes sense to anyone else but it works for me so hey]

Anyway, the interesting thing about today is that now I'm in the last two weeks of "base training". That means from this day fortnight it's proper five days a week full on training with times and accels and limits to push etc. The hard stuff basically that will either kill me or thin me.

So far, three weeks in I'm still up for it. Other than the occasional why the fuck did I ever agree to this scream to the heavens I'm good to go. I'm surprising myself and enjoying it.

If I'm ending a day with that kind of positive (and wholly unsought) thinking, it's got to be classed as a very good day indeed.

think I might be enjoying this

Hold the presses. This morning I woke up craving a run and this afternoon I did a (for me) big long cycle. I've just used the gmap-pedometer site to track how long and it was over 9k. While that may only be baby cycles for many, for me that was not far off the triathlon cycle distance.

The best bit? I did it in about 30 mins (including traffic and it being pretty windy out there) and really didn't feel pushed. I would go so far as to say I enjoyed it.

I think I may just be getting fit, hold the presses indeed !

aliens and loos

When I woke up this morning I had a nervous energy in the pit of my stomach. I've no idea why but when the idea of running popped into my head it seemed to respond.

The aliens are back. Why else would I wake up early almost craving a run. Bring back the days when I would wake up early just to go to the loo.

The saddest piece of all you ask? I did go for a run and I sit here now dripping like a wet fish, stinking like an old fish and with an "oh my" on my face that is most definitely not of this world.

running in circles

I did a run today, my first since the day after novice training - aka two weeks ago. I'd been putting it off until I got the right running shoes but given my lack of progress and that I've just shelled out for a new bike, time is ticking away.

I'm thinking at this stage if I can run at least 4 times a week for the next two weeks it would help. The one minute walking, one minute running routine that is.

Basically, my "base" training ends in two weeks. From there I move onto the full on 12 week training schedule. I'm now beginning to cack myself about it. The way my life will change, the amount of time needed to do the training, the pain and sweat that will go into it and for something (i.e. triahtlon) that I still can't quite believe I'm doing.

Exactly how did I get to be here again?