This is a fairly typical week - not a recovery week nor a peak week. The training time adds up to about 22 and a half hours (funny how only a couple of weeks ago that seemed like an insane amount). So here's how I fit it in:
Monday
- early morning swim before work
- half an hour run at lunchtime followed by 3 weights circuits and another half an hour run
- swimming lesson after work
Tuesday
- 50 minute commute to work on the bike
- spinning class at lunchtime where I ignore the instructor (sorry) and do 10 minutes warmup, 10 series of 4 minutes at high intensity and a 10 minute cooldown
- 50 minute commute back home on the bike
Wednesday
I'm supposed to do two and a half hours on the bike but as its an easy workout and I have the important long bike sessions at the weekend to build endurance, its OK to split
- 50 minute commute to work on the bike
- 1 hour "spinning" at lunchtime
- 50 minute commute back home on the bike
Thursday
- run to work in a roundabout way so that it takes 1 hour and 50 minutes to get there
- swim at lunchtime
- run / metro back home
Friday
- 60 minute extended commute to work on the bike
- swim at lunchtime
- 60 minute extended commute back home on the bike
Saturday
- 3 hours on the bike followed by progressively harder run of 1 hour and 20 minutes
Sunday
- 5 and a half hour ride with some medium intensity permitted
At the weekend, a friend asked me a very strange question: "how did I keep going?". At first I didn't understand him but then I realized, that this is a very good question that most people probably consider to be quite a normal one. The answer is that, most of the time, I don't think about it and the fact that I do most of my runs and rides as an out-and-back course or on the way to and from work means that the main motivation is simply to get back home or not be late for work. There are times when I think about my friend, Neil, and how I am doing this for his memory but, thankfully, those times are very few and I will save them for the competition itself. There are other times when I think of my family and the price they are paying for me to be doing all this training away from them, so I think that I should make the most of all that time and not waste a single minute. Funnily enough, I haven't yet resorted to thinking the obvious "I am doing this so that I can be an Ironman!" but I expect that will come as I get nearer to the date.
Whenever someone tells me that he doesn't have time for sport or anything I'll refer him to this post. It proves that if you want it badly enough you find the time.
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