Seven weeks & counting…

It’s only just dawned on me recently how incredibly close I am to doing this triathlon. I’m mildly panicked to say the least, not only have I not lost anywhere near enough weight but I’m worried about my lack of cycling. Both of these things are going to imapct on the final day. So serious head on, this is what I must do in the next 7 weeks…
1) Stick to my nutrition plan, as someone once said to me no one ever died of starvation between lunch and dinner…
2) Stick to my training plan, consistency goes hand in hand with success
3) Do my long bike rides, miles in the legs will give me payback on the day
4) Absolutely no alcohol…at all…really!
5) Do another triathlon but don’t cut off half the route (I’ll explain another time, but safe to say I’m now officially my club numpty!)
6) Bite size chunks, one day at a time…that kinda thing

Well, that’s the idea.

 

 

Mentors & Influencers

I sometimes wonder where I get my motivation from to get up at stupid o’clock in the morning & exercise. What drives me? I think I’m actually a little bit addicted to feeling strong, healthy & alive but apart from this who do I turn to?

I have my family who will always motivate and influence me but I’m really lucky to belong to a fab triathlon club, Shires Triers, where there are some incredible people.  Between them all they inspire & motivate in equal measure.

As a time poor mum & now city worker I tend to do the majority of my training on my own. This means I need alot of motivation, determination and focus. I’d like to think that this is all down to me but actually it’s from my friends & family so I thought I’d do a List of Mentors & Influencers and what I get from each of them.

In no particular order…

1) Optimism: Triketty: Mrs Motivator. Her knowledge of how the body works is vast and how she manages to balance her business, 2 young lads her husband AND her training for Ironman is inspiring. Coupled with a healthy dose of enternal optimisim keeps me going on the darkest, wettest mornings. Read her blog on this link http://backontrack-physio.co.uk/blog .

2) Determination: Tracey: The Quiet One. Where she gets her determination from I have no idea, she battles with asthma but doesn’t let this get in the way of what she wants to achieve and still manages to complete full Ironman.

3) Tenatiousness: Iron Mitts: The Diplomat. Ever so slightly grumpy but still one of the lovliest people you could meet. She dislikes swimming, loves running and has improved on the bike in bucketloads. Like a dog with a bone she doesn’t give up.

3) Focus: Allie Park: The Puppy. Her boundless energy is always so infectious. Her brain never stops whirring which is good because she does all my technology thinking for me! She has been relentless in pursuit of achieving her goal in such a short time – 2 years ago she couldn’t swim and now she’s taking on her second Ironman and aiming for sub 12 hours – WOW! ! Follow Allie on http://azione-rider.com/park/

4) Tri Technique: Musty: Every time Musty does a swim set on club night I learn some nugget of information which, if practiced over time, improves my swim technique ever so slightly. It’s taken me a long time but I think I’ve finally got the hang of how, exactly, I should swim…I think.  I’m looking forward to being coached by him over the coming months but more of that to come.

So these people motivate and influence me through the trials of tiathlon training.  I’m never gonna be the fastest but this isn’t about speed, it’s about continuous improvement and belief in myself that I will get around.

Bring it on.