Eighteen year ago I completed a lot of sprint
triathlons; in those days triathlon clothing was not as advanced as it is today
and as a result cycling and running in “budgie smugglers” aka speedos was quite
common…..all I can say is thankfully digital cameras and smart phone were not
around.
After emigrating to New Zealand 3 years ago, I have
picked up the addiction of triathlon again which is probably due to the amount
of people that are involved in the sport. 2012 was my first season back into
the sport which consisted of a number of sprint and Olympic distance triathlons
and I managed to complete the Auckland Half Ironman. While the enthusiasm and
motivation is still there, my body is reminding me I am not in my 20’s….the
youtube clip provides a little insight.... 5 Mins after the Auckland Half Ironman finish line
So…now that I have recovered from the Auckland Half
Ironman I have decided to set my horizons further - to completing an Ironman
distance triathlon. Challenge Wanaka is reported to be one of the world’s most
scenic iron distance triathlon. The race consists of a 3.8km Swim, 180km Bike
followed by a 42.2km run and is stated to be an “honest” course …..a classic
kiwi understatement!
So the journey begins; I now have ahead of me 40
weeks of training, training and more training. The
plan looks fairly daunting with some stages looking at a 20-hour training week
and an “easy week” of 12 hours. A couple of races have been lined up along the
way just to keep me on track and motivated which I can report on as I progress
over the next 40 weeks.
The next 4-6 weeks the focus is apparently
“preparing to train” and building base endurance through work and recovery. Somehow
the 3 training sessions a day doesn’t feel like “preparing”. My food intake and sleep requirement have
definitely increased already ;o)
As the winter looms, the plan recommends outdoor
workouts in the best and worst weather possible in order to mentally prepare
for whatever the weather conditions are on the day. Let’s see how I progress
with that one ;o)
To help me through the training I have a fantastic
support crew, namely Theresa my wife and my little one-year old Mia. They will
also be adding their own perspective to the blog…with no editing from myself….mmm
this could be interesting.
Support
Crews View
How is Ian ever going to do this?! 40 weeks of hard
out training, as well as supporting me through my midwifery training…..it is
going to be one focused household! Mia
and I both think that it is only fair that we help Ian and give him some
company with the training – so we are doing a 10km running race in June round Wellington
waterfront. It would be silly if I
offered to push the buggy…..
