Finally

feel well enough to train. Still wasn't an easy ride as feel slightly battered after the week but good to get the heart pumping again. Turboed inside though - snowing outside and garage f-f-f-freezing. Also couldn't miss Gavin and Stacey!

Mother Nature can be a determined bird!

OK so pushing through may not be the best thing. Feel dreadful today. Just scared of missing any training. Going back to the book this week so today is due to be rest day anyway. Praying for some miracles before tomorrow.

SO UNFAIR.

Pushing through

Well, the programme started on Sunday and the first cold started on Tuesday. By Friday I was slain but yet to drop a session. Good job Tesco have got a 3 for 2 on effervescent echinacea and Vit C! I know it breaks all the rules but it's not the worse cold ever.

Went out on the bike for an hour this morning and felt good and certainly better than when I fell off on Wednesday!

In need of a rest

so it's good that it's my rest day today. Despite the programme due to start on Monday, I actually realise I have trained every day since last Friday. So, it's good that it's a rest day.

Hard swim at Kingfisher last night. Was feeling slightly under the weather and tired after lots of sessions but hung in there. Get so much more out of group swims than going solo. Did not like the breathing on 6th stroke lengths though - serious lung bust.

Working half day today so off Christmas shopping with Dora. Can't wait. First stop: Costa for an enormous creme brulee latte and a babycino!!

Underestimation

Day 3/4 - I think I may have underestimated the task in hand. I mean, I know it's a long way and isn't called Ironman for nothing but I realised last night on the turbo that this is going to be such hard work. On paper, 30 min turbo and 15 min run sounded buckshee but keeping the heart rate over 145 in a freezing cold garage with only Eminem on the iPod to help me was no mean feat. But, I survived and I guess things can only get better.

Brought bike into work and cycled at lunchtime. Got off to a bad start when I fell off coming out the car park. Some a-hole in a car was driving towards me, slowed down and then sped up again. Didn't unclip in time and went splat. But, session 4 of the week cracked so all good.

Day 1 of 208

Today is the official start of my IM training programme. However, such is the busyness of my life that I had to start it a day early as childcare issues would have made me miss a swim on week 1 which isn't a good start.

All good except Virgin gym only just thought to tell me that the pool I thought was 20m is actually only 18. Good job I checked but not till after the session. Grr.

Got up in the dark to run this morning before Dora got up. That went well although it's now 1.30pm and ready for sleep already. uh oh.

Positive Mental Attitude

Shockingly horrible week so decided to blow away the cobwebs with a Park Run. Bill was able to babysit Dora while Harriet, Gregor and I did it. Was good to be able to see where I am although the result a tad disappointing as a few minutes off PB. 25.48 but a lovely morning and an unknown quantity in terms of the course so not going to beat myself up too much (apart from the embarrassing warm-kit-tied-round-waist photo - eek!).

Also managed 3 hours of cycling yesterday (turbo and road) which took weekly exercise total to 5.5 hours so starting the week feeling positive.

Hello Again

Been a strange old time - went away to Florida and loads of other stuff going on - but have maintained some base fitness.

Trying to structure my week similar to the way it will be structured from 7 Dec onwards. Doesn't always go to plan e.g. last night was supposed to go to club swim but had meltdown toddler for 1.5 hours so without question she was the priority (poor little poppet). Made up the deficit this morning though and was one of the early birds at the pool at Virgin Active. Not even 11am and already ready for lunch and a siesta!

Mixed bag

Been a mixed bag this week. Dora and I did Bushy Park again on Saturday and did it in 26.46 which was quite an improvement.

This week's been a bit patchy as been away at party conference. Did manage a run which was great as got to see quite a bit of Manchester and a technique swim (although in flippers that were size 'L' doh) but way too many off-days than I'd like this week.

Still, I need to just keep things ticking over for the next couple of weeks anyway as off to Florida on Monday so will be on enforced aquathlon experience anyway.

Hawaii Ironman tomorrow. Thinking of Jenny Budgett who has finally qualified. Go, Jenny!

Multi-tasking

So my lifestyle choice has made me realise that I need to be a pro at multi-tasking and Don Fink's book confirms that so Dora and I did the Bushy Park Time Trial this morning. Glorious sunshine, crisp air so off we went. Had a drama parking so just took a risk and parked illegally (shh!) and managed to sweet-talk a marshal into keeping an eye on it.

Started at the back with the other baby joggers, kids and people running with dogs but felt pretty good so managed to claw quite a few people back. Dora had the time of her life. She thought she was very pro zipping past people and spaniels!

Finish time: 27.10. OK so it's 4.5 mins adrift from my BPTT PB but not bad given the ballast (sorry Dora, darling - you know what I mean). Didn't hang around for the results so it won't count but great fun nonetheless. Take my hat off to the people that organise those events for scant reward.

Don Fink instils calm

Jona told me about a book Don Fink has written for would-be Ironmen with lots and lots in their lives other than triathlon. It's compelling reading. He mixes time management techniques with training and gets the net result that it is possible to be career person/parent/friend and Ironman. It's helped me chill so much on the enormity of it all so, thanks, Don (and Jona).

Training all good - legs a bit weary today after turbo sessions, runs and bike rides so looking forward to an easy day. Enjoying though at the moment.

Building Up

Well, can now report that training is becoming more regular, more consistent and it's paying dividend. The times are beginning to creep down on the run, the turbos are getting longer on the bike and I seem to have had a bit of an epiphany on my swim technique. Oh and did I mention the weight is finally back to pre-pregnancy stakes. Woo hoo!

Solid week

Started off with a leg of LEJOG with Alice and Paul. They'd got further than they thought so it meant I had to do less than expected! We started on a dual carriageway in Tiverton, Devon - which worried me slightly- but had a really nice ride in the sunshine to Burnham-on-Sea stopping for flapjacks at Taunton and Haribo at Bridgwater!! Clocked 39.5 miles before waving them on their way to Bristol and felt pretty pleased with myself as the longest ride since the Vitruvian Half Ironman in 2006.

The next day, Chris and I ran round Clatworthy reservoir while Dora was pushed round by her grandparents and have since cycled, done a long swim session and turboed last night. Night off tonight. Should have been going out with work but Chris working so instead of ruining all the good work, I shall have an early night and get up early for the lake. How very virtuous I am?!!!

Changed the Blog name

OK so the blog started out as a chronicle of Mr and Mrs Spink but it's dawned on me (and not escaped Chris's notice) that I'm beginning to monopolise it a bit. So, I will obviously update on general stuff but need this as an online log of where my training and head is at over the next 11 months.

Had a good week last week so am pleased about that and this week off to a good start. It's Tuesday and I have run, done a 1500 swim in 25 mins including rest (yee ha) and a bike effort session in Bushy Park. It's affecting the old appetite though. Starving and craving wine gums constantly. Still, I'm sure the LEJOG leg will see off a few cals!

Team Talk

Met up with Alice and Paul last night and Alice and I ran and talked Ironman strategy and times. The essence is on enjoyment of this crazy event and knowing our capabilities and limitations.

Alice and Paul are doing Lands' End to John O'Groats starting from next week and I'll be joining them for a leg down in Devon/Somerset. Alice and I are planning to load some concrete into Paul's trailer to give ourselves some prospect of not moaning and groaning all day when he drops us like a bad habit!

Otherwise, training been pretty solid this week:
Sat - ran with Dora
Sun - cycled 15m
Mon - RPM
Tues - Ran 5 m
Wed - Worked late
Thurs - ran with Alice (3.5m)

Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.

So fed up with being ill

It's been a week now. Streaming cold. Haven't felt like training very much apart from a bit of cycling. Had a nice family outing on Sunday. Chris tabbed with weight and in kit and with baby jogger and I cycled and we met up at Hampton Court for a coffee and a babycino!

Apart from that, have spent a fortune on the race and the accommodation but healthwise couldn't feel further away. *Moan* *moan*.

Results out

We weren't last!!

Total 2 hours 9 mins for 800m swim; 30k bike and 7.5k run. Top guys did 1.26 but they were Thames Turbos and had 6 mins on the next squad. Also worked out that the run I was about 8-min mile pace which I haven't been doing since before Dora so that makes life better!

Weakest Link

Well, managed to rally and do the Team Time Trial at the Bananman at Eton. Didn't feel particularly right or up for it when I got up but knew the team were relying on me.

Had an awful swim due to new goggles (schoolgirl error!) filling up with water every 2 mins. Still managed to post a 16 min swim for 800m however so clearly the swim training is paying off.

But and the big but, I was a total liability on the bike and the other two had to do all the work on the front on a very windy day while I just hung in there wishing the 6 laps would go by. Thought I'd be Ok on the run but I was totally spent from the bike so had a pretty slow and gruelling one there too and only found my running legs on the last lap. We did manage to overtake another female team so that was a small consolation to an otherwise levelling day. Chris was delighted at 4am when I woke him up to say "I think I've made a big mistake about IM Austria!". Suspect that won't be the only time he hears that.

Good start

to training. Hit by some mystery bug. Feel totally wiped out and dizzy all the time. Maybe it's the enormity of it all.

Have agreed to do a Time Trial with tri club on Sunday and they have no replacement so have to find some inner steel for that. Never done a time trial tri before but we all have to finish together somehow which is going to be odd. Just hope they're not fab cyclists!

What have I done?

It's 7 July 2009 and I have just woken up to the dawning reality that last night I entered the 2010 Austria Ironman on 4th July next year. In total, it's 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling and running.

I know I will never rest until I've got this out of my system and knowing that my good friends and training buddies Alice, Jona and Paul are doing it will keep me inspired.

So, for the next 362 I've got to pedal, pedal, pedal as I know 112 miles on the bike is going to destroy me! Am worried about the marathon too as running since Dora has felt like running through treacle but I know I can hopefully just plod and plod until that finishing gantry. But it's getting to start that run before the cut-off that will be the biggest challenge, not to mention working full-time and having a busy toddler who I adore spending time with.

I will need many mantras to get me through this but for now will settle for:

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful"........