I was never very good when it came to filling up that page as I could never remember what I had done. Now, I'm sure those summers were chock full of activities, but with that blank sheet of paper in front of me - nothing would come to mind.
Regardless, I figure that now I'm writing again, I should give this task another go and, fortunately, things are different this time. I'm still staring blankly at the empty page but now it is backlit, but more importantly, this summer I spent a good portion of time with one possessing better memory than mine. It is this record I will use for this account.
So, according to my trusty companion (Mr Garmin), here's what I did during my period of rest and relaxation.
Between the 21st of December and the 14th of January I completed:
- 666.3 km riding
- 64.4 km running
- 3.4 km swimming
A lot of those km on the bike were actually covered in the garage on the windtrainer and, had I known at the time, I might have tried to add another 300 meters to round out that number. Spending so much time not going anywhere allowed me to start early, spend maximum time in the aero position, catch up on some of the movies I had yet to see and also spend a bit of time with the wife and kids.
Therefore, other things I did on my holiday included:
- overnight visits to Rosebud
- watched a movie in an actual cinema (it's been a while)
- took the kids to the Narnia exhibition (on that 40+ degree day!)
Along the way I:
- moved to a new age group (but, enough about that)
- Completed the third race of the Gatorade Triathlon series and
- saw a number on the scales below the Clydesdale's qualifying threshold (94.6 kg)
So, the holiday is now over and not just in relation to my break from the office. I actually returned to my desk a week ago and have been planning to write this entry since then. The delay in delivery has not been solely due to my aforementioned difficulty with this particular annual task either. No, it would seem that my build toward Ironman was also on holiday. With the new year has come an escalation in the number of hours I am dedicating to my training and have thus not found the time in the day to write more than a line or two. Each evening (and morning...) I generally just feel tired. Exhausted though I may be, I also feel a sense of satisfaction. I have been able to meet the new challenges and am seeing the results.
In the pool I've been able to hold a decent pace through long sets, whilst running at a mid pace effort I am seeing times on my Garmin that used to equate to running full tilt. Cycling has always been my preferred discipline of the triptych* and these days I have found I can spin at a higher cadence. My technique has largely been based on pushing high gearing as hard as possible (which worked well to a point) and struggled with the leg speed required for a more efficient pedal stroke.
I was recently asked, after a combo session at the beach on a very hot day, whether I was getting nervous yet. My goal event is now roughly two months away, it has been 10 months since I committed to it and, as I said in my last post, it is now getting very real. When the question was posed I thought a moment and responded honestly; "not really".
When I think about where I've come from and the work I've put in I feel confident that the finish line is well within reach. I'm also confident it will hurt, at times it might get messy, but also, it will get done. The remainder of the work I am applying is now to ensure I get the job done well as my main goal is not just to cross the line, but to enjoy the journey, to celebrate the achievement and to high five as many people along the way as possible.
*Triptych - According to OxfordDictionary.com, one of its definitions is "a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together"
Though not necessarily an accurate usage above, I believe it applies nicely to a triathlon.
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