Ok, so the blog may have been abandoned for the last couple of months
but thankfully the training hasn't.
The year got off to a slow start as the knee was buggered following the
bike fall at the end of December. For a few days, the knee was the size of a
small football and gave me a lot of pain. I got over it by eating copious
amounts of food, however this led to not just the knee swelling.
I started the New Year feeling unfit and like I could audition to
replace the Michelin man.
The New Year brought lots of change with finishing my job (and having
the customary night on the beer for leaving drinks), taking a week off and
starting a new job. It didn't impact the training too much, but
a few things had to be shifted around, swapped, dropped etc. I got back into
routine fairly quick though.
With the exception of 2 weeks in the USA, training has been consistent.
It got off to a good start when I was off work for the week. I had a strong
training week and even got to sample what the professionals do by coming home
and having a wee snooze after showering and eating. Wouldn't it be
great to do that every week, why does work have to get in the way?
The one thing that has really annoyed me for the last 2 months is the
wind. Is it ever going to stop? I've been out on a lot of long rides
over the 2 months and without fail the wind has been in my face. It’s not
too bad when in a group but soul destroying when out on my own. It has come
near to breaking me on a few occasions. On a few other occasions I have wimped
out and jumped on the turbo.
Running is normally my strongest discipline, but for some reason I don’t
feel it going right at present. I am not sure what it is and just can’t put my
finger on it. Average pace seems to be consistent but I feel a big dip in form
in the mid-section of a lot of runs. This then plays on my mind,
which doesn't help so, a vicious circle really.
Dare I say it, but I am happy with my swimming. I feel my stroke has
improved and I fell a lot more comfortable in the water because of it. I am
more consistent in the water also. Of course, there is the odd bad day too but
not as much as previous months.
What else has gone on? Not a whole lot except for the self doubt about
actually doing the IM.
I have all things going through the mind
- Why am I doing this?
- Am I able for it?
- What am I hoping to achieve?
- Will I survive the training?
- What will I do if …..? (Too many to list here)
Most of these doubts run through my head when out on the bike. While
these thoughts have occurred on numerous occasions I still haven’t found the
answer.
One thing for sure is that it is completely in my own control, so I
suppose how I answer them can drive me forwards or backwards. Which reminds me
of a saying one of my former bosses had,
If it is to be it is to be me
So, here’s to a successful few weeks and months of training. I’ll even
try to keep the blog up to date J
