Week 3 - Getting into a Routine

That’s week two completed and I now feel confident enough to say ‘I’m in training for the Ironman’. Until now I have questioned my own ability to develop the level of commitment needed to train for a challenge of this magnitude, but now I feel I am in a daily routine and much more confident. To start the day I get up at 6am and drag myself to the local Leisure & Spa Hotel for session one of my training plan, which usually lasts about an hour. Then in the evening after work I pop back to the Hotel for session two and another hour, which comprises of a different discipline to the morning session. I usually finish the day off with a sauna and Jacuzzi. This past week I have completed:

Cycle Ride – 32 miles

Exercise Bike – 80 minutes

Run – 60 minutes

Treadmill – 20 minutes

Cross Trainer – 60 minutes

Light Weights – 60 minutes

Swim – 2,000m

Swim Drills - 70 minutes

Sauna – 60 minutes

Jacuzzi – as much as possible

As I stated last week, I intend to weigh myself every two weeks and on the 25/10/10 the scales recorded me as being 16st 9lb. This means I’m still classified as being ‘obese’ in the medical world, but showing a loss of 8lb in the past two weeks is good progress. I’m happy with this weight loss and feel healthier for it. It is definitely an incentive to feel the benefits my hard work at such an early stage of my training.

Over the next couple of weeks I’m intending to analyse my dietary needs, and take a few swimming lessons at a local club to improve my stroke. I know there’s over 10 months to go before the big day but already I’m watching the calendar and counting down. Is this paranoia?      

Week 2 - The First Week Behind Me

Hi Again

Well that’s the first week behind me and a productive one it’s been too, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve been posting regular Twitters on my daily progress but for those of you who have a life and haven’t the time to followed them, here’s a summary of my weeks training for next years Ironman in Wales. In total I have completed:

Exercise Bike – 110 minutes

Treadmill – 75 minutes

Swimming – 4,200 metres

Cross-trainer – 45 minutes

Abdominal Exercises – 30minutes

Turkish Sauna – 30 minutes

Jacuzzi – 30 minutes

I am planning to complete 2 disciplines (swim, cycle, or run) daily and incorporate rest days (I have a long bike ride planned for this weekend and Monday, so the fresh air will do me good). I must admit so far I’m finding the Turkish Sauna and Jacuzzi the most enjoyable.  

To those of you who exercise regularly the amount of training I’ve done so far may not seem much, but in my present condition I’m very pleased with it. On the 11/10/10 I weighed 17st 3lb, and for someone of my height that is ‘very obese’ (not a word I’d usually use but that would be the view of the medical world). I will be weighing myself again on the 25/10/10 so we’ll see how much I’ve lost, if any.    

I know giving my self only 11 months to prepare for a challenge of this magnitude is a ‘tall order’, especially in my present physical condition. As long as I can remain positive and follow through with the training program, achieving my goal will continue to be a realistic possibility. I have had a mixed response from people when they have found out about my plans. The athletes among them see it as a foolish and impossible task, while others that know me have been more positive. As usual my mother’s advice is ‘don’t over do it’, and I’m sure she feels I’m too old to be doing this, an opinion she voiced when I completed the Lands End to John-O-Groats (LEJOG) cycle last year.  

Week 1

Hi All
Last year a colleague and I planned and completed a cycle ride from Lands End to John-O-Groats (LEJOG), and beyond, travelling through Orkney and up to Shetland. It was an experience that took us over a 1,000 miles through 3 countries, and many counties. We met many characters on routes, and with the ride being unsupported it created a feeling of vulnerability and excitement at the same time. As a bonus we made over £4,000 for two local charities on Shetland. Details of the Lands End to John-O-Groats can be found on my website.  

                                                                 

By completing the ride my body weight took a welcome drop, but over the past 12 months it’s slowly crept back on and now I’m back at the stage of needing another challenge. This time I may have ‘overdone it’.

I have registered myself into an Ironman competition to be held in Wales on the 11^th September 2011. That gives me around 11 months to prepare for a race that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile cycle, and then a 26.2 mile run. I’ve been give 17 hours to complete the challenge, so watch this space.

I will be posting weekly up-dates on how my progress is going, and would welcome any advice and comments, besides the obvious, that at my age I must be crazy.