Brothers in Arms

I have never realised that a clock can tick so slowly but race a Million Miles an Hour at the same time.

That'll be the count-down to the start of my race.

This weekend I've pretty much failed to reach my training target for the first time through my legs being absolutely exhausted on the bike.

It's the last training session of the three-week rotation, so it is to be expected, and I'm due an easy week ahead, so I'm not surprised or panicking, but hell, the clock is ticking FAST.

I'm not alone. The Club mates that are racing the same event are experiencing similar emotions. I hope you guys don't mind my talking about our experiences (indirectly), but in my case there are no massive HI's or LOW's - only disbelief that its coming round so quick now and I don't feel that I'm ready yet.

Having others to bounce off is absolutely invaluable. We get together about once a month and talk about anything related. We seem to be talking a bit more recently given the varying panic levels. Talk about a self-help group! What a great group of people! I can't tell you how much its helping me to believe.

I hope that this filters down to other Club members doing extraordinary events - You can't pay for this, order it on Wiggle or use an App. The support and encouragement from friend is unique ..... personal. They know you and your 'methods'. They listen. They support regardless. There is only positivity and it shows.

Further to this, the time spent perched on the saddle or running the country lanes is time away from the Family. Without the support from my Wife and Daughter, I'd have gone mad months ago. Incredibly supportive and positive. They have never once moaned about the time training (She's even kicked me out the door once or twice). Again .... priceless.

My worries vary every day depending on the direction of the wind! One day it is nutrition. The next is the distance. Then sleeping patterns, then will I remember everything, then the weather on the day, then what if I get more punctures than I can repair, the next, will my trainers match the colour of my Calf Guards..... only kidding!

Each discipline is OK. I've swam >3Km without a problem. Yes, I know its almost 4Km to do, but I have 4 more big swims left and it'll be fine.  Having said that, will I panick  Mass-start mayhem!  Wet-suit splitting as I pull it on!  Where are my bloody Goggles? ..... Step back.  Deep breaths.  Relax.  You can do this.  You love Open Water.  You love the wet-suit (personal choice!!).  No-one wants to beat you up.  Everyone is there for the same reason.  Water is gooood.  It ain't gonna get you.  Boom.  looking forward to it already.

The Bike - Ahhhhh panicking about getting used to the TT bike, the wind, the nutrition, over-pedalling (going too fast too soon), mechanicals.
I do feel that my biking has gotten much stronger over the months, but even so, not enough 'bum on seat' Need more miles but legs are shot.  But ..... you love your bike.  It works.  You know it.  You know how it works.  You love it.  It is a long way, but you have ages to do it.  Everyone else will do it.  You can too.  You'll have friends supporting you (even absent ones).  You'll have time to relax into it.  You'll love the countryside.  You can go as well as you can go, no more.  It will get you there.

The Run - Given the past issues, happy that I can plod. I have a couple more mid-distance runs and have not planned to do any real long distance runs - my old Pins just take too long to recover!  After this is all over and have fully recovered, I may try a Marathon.  We'll see.

Sod the Osteopath - get me a Psychiatrist!

That said ...... I am bloody lov'in it!

W.

 

Creating a splash

For what-ever reason, since the very start of this Long Distance training madness I have not once had any concerns over the swimming leg, not one negative thought. Strange!

The duration of training is sooooo long for Long Distance stuff. You can't just go do it (unless your name is Stan!) so you get ample time to go through various peaks and troughs of confidence, paranoia (lots of that), panic, pleasure, PAIN, great weather, pissing rain ... you get the picture. So to not worry about the swimming is an odd one.

I consider the wet bit to be the most un-natural discipline for me. When I first starting this Tri stuff I literally couldn't string two lengths of the local pool together without needing an inhaler (and I don’t even use an inhaler!!). Imagine Chew-Bacca gasping for breath why don't you!

To think back then that I'd be even considering a 2.4 mile paddle is bonkers. That would have sent me panicking (nearly spelt picnicking).

Over the last couple of years I've considered the swim in a similar form to a golf swing - lots of small stroke components that together form the full stroke. I'm pretty much self-taught (except for the early Tri Club evening sessions some years ago and the Video analysis that I did last Oct). In the same vain as all of the other disciplines, I struggle to 'up the pace' when swimming, so really try and concentrate on efficiency of stroke, so hopefully that'll put me in a good place for long distance.

Winter training has only ever been concentrating on Technique right up to about a month ago. Early morning pool swims would be relatively short in duration - about 30 minutes each time, with other regulars in the pool lapping me nicely. I would wave (pardon the pun).

Not too much speed work, then straight into strength work using the Paddles almost all of the time (keep forgetting the Canoe though).

A couple of weeks ago saw the start of the Open Water season for me (early May - water temp about 14 degrees C). I still do the pool a couple of time a week, but O/W is where it's at now.

Given the earlier mentioned 'weakest link', from the first time going Open Water a couple of years ago, there is very little interest in the pool for me. It's just a means to an end. O/W is absolutely fantastic. Try it! The sort if feeling of freedom is pretty cool.


I go to an O/W centre in Snodland, Kent (http://www.nda-scuba.com/) once a week at the moment. I’m treating it very similar to the previous training - a gradual build-up in distance. The Lake is marked out in a square course of 100m lengths so it’s pretty easy to judge how far you have done. I generally do twice the distance during the first lap - must work on the navigation!! I did think of getting one of those GPS things to map the swim, but I'd probably die of embarrassment with the snake shape trail!.

I do always find it amazing how, when in a pool I get bored senseless and can't concentrate to count more than 10 laps (refer back to my comments on the EGT swim stage), but in the lake where there are no 'sides' (except for the Bull Rushes that I head towards every now and then) and I can keep going for ages.

Now to buiild to the full race distance by early July giving me a few weeks of long stuff. The only change then will be actually seeing the lake on race day which will be long and straight ....... Yep, then length of that!

OK.  Starting to crap myself now.

Throughout the entire time I've not once measured my pace at swimming, so it will really be an unknown as to how I stand-up (or swim) on race day.  Average will be fine.  Dizzy is a certainty!

Off to get wet again now.

W.