Well this is becoming a regular pattern blogging on my rest day! Maybe I should get Chris to add this into my training plan J
So what I have been up to since I last blogged?
Well training has been very similar to the previous week in terms of the sessions I have done. We are still base training, so it is still all about building the engine and just plodding through it with the occasional conditioning and technique sets thrown in to keep me interested. That’s important for me and something Chris & I have discussed. He is really good at keeping my sessions varied enough to keep me interested, but at the same time getting the base training into me that I desperately need.
Before I began working with Chris 8 months ago, I never really did proper base training as it’s just not interesting enough for me and I am new to the sport. I find that because I am not working hard enough to demand full effort from me that my mind starts to drift and I lose focus on what I should be doing. As a footballer, the training we did was always short sharp efforts, so base training is something I have to adapt to. It is something I am getting better at now Chris has me training properly, but I still need to work on it. I would still rather have 12 x 400m at flat out pace though J
It has been a frustrating week for a number of reasons as I did not manage to complete all the sessions I had planned. As you will know by now, I don’t handle that very well! Sadly we had a family bereavement recently and the funeral was held last week so the end of the week was very emotional and took a lot out of me. This had an impact on my ability to train and meant I missed my hilly run session. At the time I was ok as having experienced the family funeral it puts life into perspective and what is really important……and missing trainings sessions is not really it.
Anyway, my plan was to do the run session after my swim on Saturday. Unfortunately I was decorating the bathroom, which took longer than anticipated and the run went by the wayside yet again. I felt very frustrated by that and it irritated me! Not a good combo for me………and I fell foul of my old tricks!
Chris had put my plan into our diary on Saturday and I logged on to have a look (whilst frustrated and agitated) and I noticed that I had 1 run session less to do for the coming week (not a problem). Until at the same time I also noticed that because I had missed a run session it meant that by the time I next run it will be a week since I’ve run….PANIC!!!!!!! DUH!!!!
I then did what I am trying to learn not to do and that is chase lost sessions!! I’m a lot better than I used to be, but I decided to email Chris and ask whether we could put another run session in! I knew as soon as I had sent it how stupid it was and that I was falling into my old habits! Chris’s response was great, very diplomatic and kind, but was really saying ‘don’t be so stupid and stop fretting’. He just reminded me that we are still base training and it’s not a problem. I did respond saying ‘just ignore me I had a moment of madness’. I knew all that, but still did it…..old habits die hard I guess.
I felt much better on the Sunday and on a positive side I did have my 2nd winter brick session and it went really well. It was also my birthday and I got a nice new waterproof cycling jacket to try out on my bike. I have also decided that I am now getting old (39) as birthdays just seem like any other day…….
The session was really tough as the wind was relentless. I went up onto the Wolds and it was sooooo windy. I had to ride in the middle of the road at times as the wind kept blowing me off to the side. I had to lean my bike slightly to the right as the wind kept coming at me from the side. It was like my race at Bala last year all over again, just without the rain. It doesn’t seem to matter what sport you do, wind always seems to spoil the enjoyment of it. It was the same with football and it is the same on the bike. I can tolerate any weather other than the wind. I guess it’s because it makes 10 times harder! It did however provide me with a good hard training session on the bike. I remember riding back into my village thinking ‘my quads are burning, this is gonna be a crap run’, but guess what………..it wasn’t! I had a great run of the bike and was holding a pace faster than any race last year. Although it was a short run at this time of year that bodes well and I am very happy with how training is going.
The last week has reminded me how difficult it can be at times being involved in this sport. At the level I am trying to get to as an amateur takes a lot of dedication and commitment and at times things do not go to plan. Things impact on you, both physically and mentally and at times life throws you a few curved balls that mean you have to drop one or two others in order to deal with it. I am learning that you just have to accept that the odd training session might go by the wayside and things will come along and knock you of course. Me as an individual can find that very frustrating and at times can make the problem worse for me. In the scheme of things after the week I have it is nothing really and life as an amateur Triathlete is definitely a ‘Balancing Act’…
Martin
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