 Hello all,
Over the past weekend training has started to get into gear in preparation for the Barcelona Ironman Triathlon, and Charlotte is now coming to the end of her second week of recovery from her last round of laparoscopic surgery.
It’s safe to say that Charlotte’s new surgeon has had a really good go at getting rid of as much of her endometriosis as possible as she has felt really beaten up over the past couple of weeks. So far she has commented on feeling like the whole of her mid section has been used as a ‘human tombola’ and she also asked her surgeon the day after her surgery ‘why did you use a shovel to do my surgery!’ This is not a reflection on Charlotte’s surgeon as he is excellent and we are both really confident that the surgery is going to turn out well. What it does reflect is how much endometriosis and scarring (from previous surgery) that Charlotte had removed. Although it has been sore and uncomfortable for a couple of weeks for her, Charlotte says that she can move and bend much easier, something she hasn’t done for years. So, although she is still feeling rough we have both got our fingers crossed that it is all going to turn out well.
As for my Ironman preparation, it all started on Saturday. I did about 50 miles (approx. 3 hours) on the bike with a few mates. I found it fairly heavy going as I haven’t really done any consistent training for about six months and I was out with guys who are just starting to come into really good shape for a bike event/race in May across the Pyrenees.
I ran on Sunday. It was a really easy 45 minutes but during the whole thing I felt like a sack of rusty old spanners. Today (being Monday) I did a 40 minute swim. Nothing too hard as focused on doing drills - working on my technique. I’ve now just finished a hard strength session on my bike and my legs are feeling like jelly, in part it’s because I’m not in shape, but also because it was a hard session.
I have now also just about decided on the format of the programme that I am going to follow for the next three months. The next three months is all about just building basic fitness. This period is generally known as ‘base training phase’. My objective is to get myself in a position where I know I can cover the distance of each of the three disciplines. Once done, I can then start to focus on getting sharp in the final build up towards the big day. The next three months is going to look like this:
If I can broadly stick to this format I’ll be in a good position to take on the Ironman. But the challenge of the race is not so much in its execution but in its preparation. In many respects, getting to the start line is the achievement. The race, although tough, is the pay off. I get to actually do all the swimming, cycling and running that I have been training for, and to raise money for Endometriosis UK.
As I said in my personal story, although at times the training will be tough in-between now and the 4th October (race day), it will be not be the same as putting up with endometriosis, especially as I get a pay off – the race. I just hope that the money that I raise can do something to help my wife and that many other women get their big day, their pay off, the day when a surgical or medical procedure can be found when this condition can be more effectively treated, maybe, dare I say it, cured. Fingers crossed eh!
‘til next time.
Smile on, Dan 
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3.8km swim