I have just moved house. I'm now living in a "sports house" with others who cycle and run marathons. I now have a much better bed, which will hopefully put an end to my back pain and allow me to stretch out at night. I have got a bigger room and my bike is in my room, which means my "pain cave" will become much less mentally demanding as I can train on the turbo trainer in my room in a comfortable temperature and watch videos or sport on my laptop while I'm at it. And importantly, I actually have people I can talk to on the same level as me, which is really great. The downside is a worse commute, which will crack me up for about 2-and-a-half-hours per day.
Anyway, one of the first conversations I had with my new housemates was about YouTube videos, two of which are below:
Ironman training...
Marathon injuries...
We had a good laugh over these. They are so true, and can only properly understood by people who are involved with training and racing, whether triathlon, cycling or running. There is a lot of sacrifice involved with training and competing at world championship level, but over time, the disciplined lifestyle becomes normality. These videos got me thinking of all the things I can't do, won't do, or shouldn't do, in an effort to be the best I can be athletically, and to avoid getting sick or injured. The outcome of every single decision I make is dependent on whether or not it will benefit my training. My attitude is either I put 100% into this and have no regrets, or I don't bother at all.
Avoiding illness is tough as this type of training puts the immune system on a knife-edge. I prefer to train in the evening so I can go to sleep and recover, rather than training in the morning and sitting in an office all day in a depleted state. I also eat a good diet and take a lot of dietary supplements. Avoiding injuries is tough, and for me, a key point here is to run "lightly", as described in an earlier post. However, due to being from a running background, I am used to running "fast", at something like 32 minutes for 10K pace, and training at a corresponding pace. To run an Ironman marathon, I don't need to be able to run so fast and I don't need to train to run so fast, but I find it difficult to tone down my running speed. I also find it difficult to take a few days off when I feel a niggle - I have continued train through my sore back, and so far I have gotten away with it. I hope my new bed will mean the back pain disappears.
Things I can't/won't do when in training:
- Go out
- Be around groups of people
- Eat anything other than very healthy and familiar food
- Drink alcohol
- Have a decent social life
- Have a proper holiday
- Go to bed late
- Take the tube (utterly disgusting, having black snot and lungs really bothers me)
- Cycle in London (utterly disgusting, having black snot and lungs really bothers me)
Things I shouldn't do (or rather, things I would ideally not do but have no choice except to do them. These are tough, because I put so much effort into controlling so much, and then something totally uncontrollable can throw everything off-track without warning):
- Stand for any length of time
- Walk anywhere
- Commute in a train to work - too many people coughing and spluttering
- Lift anything heavy
Taking this to the extreme, ideally I wouldn't have to go to work for the next 5 months, and I would relocate to Lanzarote to train full time. I have thought about possibly taking time out from work to do this, but I have come to the conclusion that this isn't really an option. I need to earn money and I also want to work, learn, progress, do my best, and become a chartered engineer. I understand that there is life after Ironman, and although I could afford 5 months with no pay, I would be spending a lot of money and not saving anything. I'm aware that I'm not longer 21 and I have developed something of an eye for the future, and on "serious real life things" like paying off my student loan, saving to buy a house, progressing up the career ladder, and so on. None of these would be helped by taking time out of work. Furthermore, I know that although it's stressful, I can do it, and I can fit it all in, as I proved to myself last year.
One issue that may crop up more frequently this year is that of business trips. Next week I am in Norway for a week. It looks like an Aberdeen trip is also pending, and an Italy trip won't be too far away either. Ordinarily, I love travelling and going to new places, but as a high-level Ironman, the picture changes somewhat. On these trips, it is difficult to maintain the same level of control with regards to diet and training, and it's also very easy to get sick, or if not quite "sick", to get depleted. Flying, airports, hotels, taxis, meetings and unusual food can all take their toll, as well as enforced training in a hotel gym where the air is usually stale. Hotel gym bikes are usually hazardous contraptions which are difficult to adjust. I like to ride my own bike which has been professionally fitted using computer sensors to match the bike geometry perfectly to my body geometry. Riding a properly-fitted bike reduces the risk of injury. But, after saying all this, work remains the priority and I will make the best of it and hope that there aren't too many overseas trips, particularly as I get closer and closer to race day.
Training this week was as follows:
Monday 10th Feb: Rest
Tuesday 11th Feb: 1 hour turbo (25 x 1 min v hard, 1 min easy)
Wed 12th Feb: 30 minute fartlek run
Thurs 13th Feb: Swim 3.4k
Friday 14th Feb: 1 hour turbo (25 x 1 min v hard, 1 min easy), 30 minute run
Saturday 15th Feb: Swim 3.4k
Sunday 16th Feb: Rest
Totals: Swim 3.4k, Bike 44 miles, Run 10 miles
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