The date has been set - training officially starts on 22nd December, that marks exactly 30 weeks to Ironman UK! IronPhil pointed out that most people would enjoy Christmas first, then start, but he knows me better than that...what a great start to the hols, say I! You see, the trouble with that volume of training is not the thought of the physical effort I'm about to put in, I can make my eyeballs bleed without losing too much sleep over it, but what does keep me awake at night is the stress of organising my life around it. Anxiety levels begin to rise when I'm trying to squeeze in two sessions a day as well as cooking dinner; taxiing my teenage sons around; getting my lessons planned; marking jotters; shopping, washing; cleaning....the list is endless and exhausting; so training in the school holidays is a piece of cake. Can't wait to get started.
For now, it's all about enjoying the relative freedom of life without a schedule on the fridge. That doesn't mean I'm slacking, I've been trying to keep up 6 sessions a week - 2 swims, 2 runs & 2 cycles. Although this week it all went to rats when I logged two 13-hour days at school for parent's night. The only way to squeeze in training with that workload is the 6am alarm call, I know there'll be lots more of those to come in the months ahead, but I will declare right now - I hate dragging myself out of bed in the deepest depths of winter to run, swim or turbo. Embrace the freezing, dawn darkness and make it your friend, is about to become my mantra.
I've also been busy trying to sort out old injury niggles too, after the cortisone injection failed to miraculously sort out my ITB. Cue Pamela at Sports Injury Scotland, who I am now trusting to do what no physio, GP or massage therapist has done before. She's given me a programme of exercises to strengthen bits of my body. This usually involves me side-stepping or squatting around the house with a big, green elastic band around my knees. I'm usually a bit lazy with core work, but I know it makes sense and now's the time to do it before my body really does feel like it's been hit with a sledgehammer.
Oh, I've also had a flu jab, stocked up on protein shakes, energy drinks and inner tubes, updated my i-pod playlist and downloaded a year's supply of turbo sessions. As American basketball coach, Bobby Knight, said: "The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare."
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