Sunday 22 November 2015

Ice station zebra

Its bloody baltic out there, hense the title.  But more of that later.  This week was going to be unusual.  My training schedule has been beefed up and I had a busy week at work.  As a result I needed to amend the schedule and train 7 days in a row.  Not something that will happen very often but needs must.  Running mid-week led me to believe I might end up with webbed feet which would be handy for swimming but in the last week I have twice been running in floods which meant the water was over my ankles.  I did return to Chatelherault again which is just a joy and the fact it was with a group of triathlete pals made it extra special.  We're all at different stages in our training which showed but I'm happy that I've started my Ironman training early and am building slowly under the watchful eye of my coach Genevieve.  Every stroke in the pool, revolution of the wheel on the bike and step in the run is measured, analysed and worked on.  The results are instantly sent to her and she lets me know if any adjustments are required.
Due to the icy conditions on Saturday I switched the training so I ran rather than going out on the bike.  Anticipating the same conditions on Sunday I was going to arrange an indoor turbo session after my swim.  I did a 3k swim and worked on my technique - this needs to improve for next year.  Then at mid-day I went out for a bike ride in the beautiful sunshine.  The sun may have been shining but it was bloody freezing.  I had to take it easy and pick my way through the potentially icy patches and by the time I got into the shower I had no feeling in my toes or fingers.  I think cycling is going to be moving indoors for the winter with the odd outdoor ride.  It's been a great week's training.  I've also lost 6 pounds which was required.  I don't carry much weight, skinny is a phrase often used, but I don't want to carry unnecessary excess.  What is obvious though is that my food intake needs to increase as I need more fuel.  Nutrition is an essential part of training and I love the fact that my body tells me what I require" - seriously it does.  So a new week approaches but tomorrow's my day off training and I am looking forward to the rest.