I’m coming to the end of a big block of training and moving into the final 12 weeks before I get to my priority race of the year – Ironman UK.
I thought I would write about how training has gone up until now.
Having a coach in Keith Sanders from Performance Fitness has been the best move I feel I’ve made since moving across into Ironman. It has given me a structured program which has helped me to see through more of the red mist when running or cycling when others are trying to beat people. So now if I have a seven hour ride or a long run at a certain wattage or pace I stick to it – even if people are blasting past me – I now know it’s all part of a bigger picture and it feels like I’m also accountable to someone else.
This is not something that has changed overnight – I have learnt the hard way and last years performance at Ironman UK was the start of my journey of redemption. It was hard to change the way I approached training at first as I enjoy smashing it up, pushing my limits and to a certain degree it had worked for me – but this could sometimes be my Achilles heel. However, over the past 4 months I’ve seen massive improvements in all aspects of my training. And I have learnt many lessons from the past, which is all part of own personal development. I’m doing much more volume now than when I cooked myself up last year but it’s all at the correct intensity so I’m able to recovery properly.
It’s not all been plain sailing with the training but when is it ever?
I’ve had a leg injury since the end of last year. At first it was shin splints, but then like most running injuries, if you keep pushing, it develops into something else. I had to take a break off running and paid for a private MRI to rule out a stress fracture or compartment syndrome and thankfully it came back clear. So I slowly resumed running once again.
This injury has had an impact on my preparation as I have decided to pull out of the Manchester marathon. I love running and would enjoy the opportunity to do a fresh legged marathon but the reward isn’t worth the risk of wrecking my leg 12 weeks away from Ironman UK. And this is my main goal. The old me would have ran it irrespective of the situation but I’ve changed…..
In fact the leg injury could be a blessing in disguise. It has forced me into the pool much more and I’m making sure I get every last drop out of every session and stay switched on. I’m no world beating swimmer but I’ve improved massively from last year which is another positive.
Last week I did a Metric Ironman in training which I couldn’t wait for as it’s the nearest I’ve come to actually racing so far this year – and it would be a great indication of where I am at physically.
I came away from it fairly happy as I did it at the end of a big block of training. There are still elements to work on, areas to improve and edges to polish and I still have a training camp to the French Alps in 5 weeks time.
This will hopefully aid me in peaking physically, especially with the quality of athletes I’m going with. And a change is as good as a rest. I am sure the fresh scenery and crisp mountain air will help J
So now I’m focused on getting to the start line on July 19th July at 6am as fit and healthy as I possibly can. I know there will be more obstacles to over come along the way but it’s all part of the journey of achieving your goals in life.
I would like to thank my sponsors Craft UK and Serco who have both helped and supported me over the past year.
Thanks for reading.
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