Eight
weeks into my forty-week programme and the going is fairly good. I have now
completed the preparation phase of my programme that felt like a baptism of
fire. A quote I liked was the “This period is preparing to train”…. which is a
slight understatement as it required two training sessions a day with variable
times from 30 minutes through to 2 hours and averaging 9 hours a week. The first
couple of weeks were hard work getting into a routine with all the logistics……how
many pairs of shorts and tops to take to work; food and nutrition
planning; what days to go swimming
either on the way to work or leaving work; Every Sunday night seemed to be a
pattern of reviewing the training plan, packing and unpacking my bags for the
week.
As
for the training, that is going well and a 2 hour bike ride or a 90 minute run
followed by an easy 45 swim is no longer as frightening as it was in the first
couple of weeks. All being said I still look forward to my rest day.
As
the New Zealand winter has started some of the 2-hour cycle rides with a strong
headwind that has come from the Antarctic quite easily turns into a ride of
survival. I am fairly comfortable with the tuck position on my aero bars but
there have been quite a few occasions where I have tried to curl into a ball
still on the bike to be as aerodynamic as possible to hide from the wind.
When
the wind is too bad my cycle training moves from the road onto the cycle
trainer; otherwise known as the machine of pain. The monotony of constant
cycling and feeling like a hamster in a wheel and no excuses of stopping for
traffic lights means a quality training session that hurts all the way…..at
least there is some light entertainment.
My
running, being my strongest discipline, has been really enjoyable, amongst the
sunsets and sunrises, there have been some “challenging” days when the weather
has not been good and I have been soaked within the first 10 seconds of
stepping out of the door…those kind of days are put down as “mental toughness
days” rather than the “what’s that idiot doing in that rain”
As
for other races, there are various half marathons, marathons, long swims, and
half ironmans now lined up over the next 7 months as part of the race
preparation. My support crew have entered the Armstrong 10km road race this
month as team effort so we can have some fun along the way….. Guess who is
pushing the buggy all the way around? ;o)
The
fundraising campaign has had a good start with some fantastic donations and
words of support which I am hope will continue to gather momentum as I have a
big target to achieve to support the children.
The
next phase of my training is “Base” where the endurance building phase really
starts and a marked increase in training hours peaking at around 16 hours a week…more
opportunities for eating and sleeping as much as I can…..
Support Crews View
Ian
hasn’t mentioned who does the piles of his stinky washing after the said
training sessions!!!
We
did the Powerade Challenge last weekend which is an 8km run round the
waterfront and you get timed and rewarded with a free bottle of powerade at the
end. I now have an excuse that Ian has
to push Mia all the way – she loves going fast and puts her hands in the air as
if she is on a rollercoaster ride. It
was the first run I have done in about 2 months and I managed to run most of
it.
I
have to say this training take some discipline – early starts in the winter and
running extra fast home so he gets to Mia’s nursery in time when I get called
out just adds to the challenge for Ian…..
