Clip on shoes

When I changed from a mountain bike to a road bike I decided the time had come to have the "proper" gear. This meant time to wear clip on shoes. I found a pair that looked pretty neat and they flt ok, but not the most comfy things I've worn.

The problems started when I tried to release my left foot. I struggled for about a minute until my foot was freed. Luckily I didn't make a fool of myself and fall to a helpless heap on the ground. But as a consequence of the struggle I injured my lateral, dorsal aspect  and I couldn't weight bear for about a week on this foot.

I blamed this injury on the shoe as not tightened enough around the foot so there was a lack of resistance to work against. This problem went away and I was fully healed and able to train for the Hever Tri back in September. 

This week saw the return of the injury. However the shoes were snug enough and there wasn't any one particular mode of action that I can say was directly linked. How frustrating. 

I was not about to take time off sick from work. The family of the patient I was looking after seemed rather distracted with my hobbling around the bed space of their brother, who had suffered an aortic dissection, and haemorrhaged his whole body load of blood. My hobbling didn't hold me back. I cracked on and after a few ibuprofen felt ok. 

I have returned to trainers on my bike for the rest of my commutes this week, and my clip on shoes have be thrown into the corner of my bedroom probably never to be worn again .

My foot has returned to normal in only 3 days  - YAY. 

Now what to do about clip ons? I think In will pop down to my local bike shop and see what they say. It could well be the shoes (they were pretty cheap ). More expense I imagine. Being sporty certainly doesn't come cheap. 

With my fixed foot I'm going for a sunny autumnal bike ride in trainers (back to basics)  followed by a run. 

Lets see how the foot copes....

Eight hours training????

The beach was awesome today. I had a gentle run on the wet sands with a pal from work and a very quick deep in the freezing channel. It is hilarious to think here am I writing this blog about my attempt to take part in the most difficult physical challenge of my life. And yet I stood gingerly at the edge of the shore, holding my pals hand as we step inch by inch into the freezing water. I am fully aware of my inner contradictions and foibles and this was a classic. With enough squeals with every splash from the rolling surf and grimace as the propelled stones hit our feet and ankles we eventually made it in neck deep. It felt like about 10 minutes of entertainment for the onlookers. It really doesn't help when a 50+ chap dives straight in from the edge. What a poser :)

Now at home and back to thinking how to put together a serious training package and my mind remembers what the Doc down the pub said.  Her enthusiasm and energy for the event was inspiring and I feel that maybe this can be accomplished with the right amount of training.

But what is the right amount of training? I flippantly asked her what she thought the minimum amount of training for an IM would be. She replied by saying eight hours per week. 

EIGHT !! This was the moment of realisation that I felt that we were in different leagues. I have been doing about 10 hours a week for an Olympic triathlon. I only just made that event .. Crikes!

I would only just make the swim if I did eight hours. I was thinking more 12-14 hours a week. She continued to say that she managed it on about 12 hours a week. Ok, that's more realistic and the eight hours was indicative her alcohol induced mind blurring her grasp on reality.
So tomorrow will see me try to focus on a serious run. I've got to get up early as tomorrow promises to be another scorcher so I'll be out by 07:30 to do some interval training within a 10km circular route. Well that's the plan.
  I better try to get some sleep. 

Time to rest

It has been a few days of relative inactivity. I have continued to cycle to work and take my daughter for a run around our estate but that is it. It feel like a have rested well. A little too well. However a message I received from a pal gave me some welcomed advice. It is as follows
"for every week rest a day, for every month rest a week and for every year rest a month". Rest doesn't mean sitting on my bum , feet up stuffing on chocolate and ice cream (last nights dinner) whilst singing along to X Factor. NOOOOO rest is not to be working at a huge intensity where the muscles, tendons, ligaments etc never get a full chance to recover. So in this context rest is to lower the tone and not work at such a high heart rate.
So the last week has seen me having a  week of rest. According to the message I received October is a good month to use as the month in the year to "rest". The triathlon season has ended and now is the time to let the body recover. The word rest though is, for myself  and many others wanna be triathletes,  not easy to employ. Especially with the IM 9 months away. I feel every day needs an injection of high intensity work out.
Friday night ended with a unexpected   session down the pub near work. A collection of doctors and nurses were letting their hair down after a busy week in ITU. I arrived at the pub about 20:30 to find one Doc sprawled on the grass in the beer garden with a stupid grin on his face. I feel happy this was the case for three hours later I was in a sorry state. I have not drunk excessively for many months and It all came as a bit of a tsunami of inebriation . As I sat on the grass drinking deadly white wine I chatted to one of the sober Docs about her IM experience a few years back.
And following her comments I feel I cant slack up on the  training .. I will discuss further , but I'm going to sign off for now as an unexpected day at the beach is waiting. I'm loving this October Heat wave.

Maximus is in!

My madness is infectious for my brother Del has said he'll do the Iron Man too. YAY! This is brilliant news, I wont be training and competing on my lonesome. He is the perfect training companion. He is motivated, a fighter, endures the toughest pain and will kick my arse when I am feeling lazy. He knows how to see the positive in all things incomprehensible,and this will be invaluable when I feel I cant go on any more.
This also means that I now HAVE to apply and that I will be attempting this muscle tearing event. If he'd not been so enthusiastic I would have a reason to run from the click here to register button as fast as possible. But now we are both in agreement It will be worth a shot. Both of us will be in the "veterans are us" category, but hey.. If we don't try we'll never know just what we are truly capable of. And  If  I can train long and hard enough to compete and complete someone has to come last and I'll happily take that role.

July the 22nd 2012. I've got the date firmly into my mind, exactly 9 months and 24 days to go. 

Monday 3rd October I'm visiting Del to cycle some miles and to click the IronMan register button. It will be the scariest click ever. 

Ciao for now 

two days post first olympic triathlon

I have done it. My first Olympic. The Hever castle triathlon last Sunday (25th Sept 2011).
My pre night sleep extended to about 2.5 hours so needless to say I was tired before I'd even put my wetsuit on.
I completed the London Tri sprint back in July (2011) so I had a small idea about what certain aspects felt like, but I was unprepared for how battered my legs felt once I started my run. I have practised running off the bike but this was something else. If I had moved any slower I'd be walking.  I don't know how much of this was contributed to lack of sleep or maybe working too hard on the bike. My end result time for this Tri was 3 hours and 2 mins. I had hoped for sub 3 but I am happy with this time. I know what to do next time to ensure a better time.  Don't camp the night before, get a decent bed, some peace and quiet and maybe a large brandy. Maybe more training too.

So now I am tapping my fingers in an anxious kind of way, wondering what to do next. This is triathlon for you. It is utterly addictive and life consuming. Juggling work and family life is an all to familiar constraint many triathletes have to manage. I am ever so slightly envious of the blogs and books I've read that talks about partner support making all the difference.
Lets move on from that for now .
I will be 40 next July. I have been thinking for the last 18  months about how to celebrate this marking of ancientdome . A big party perhaps, or a lovely holiday somewhere pretty and warm.
However (this is indicative of my level of madness) the one thought that now stays firmly in the front of my mind is the ultimate challenge for any wanna be triathlete ,in the shape of yours truly, is An Iron Man. Crikes, just writing those two words makes me shudder with fear. My stomach churns and the back of my throat closes over at the very thought of the level of training and pain to push myself through to make this the slightest bit possible. I need a drink. I'll be back later.................