4 am and the alarm goes off, it’s the theme tune from Vikings, mournful yet deliberate, not all bouncy and sunny, I don’t do that. I’m not one of those people who bounces out of bed grabs a protein shake and takes a selfie, #superblessed, I dislike those people, a lot. They are about as pointless as windscreen wipers on a submarine. Then they happily bounce off to crossfit to do some push ups and burpees and a jog around the gym. No....... I am an Iron Man…… I am training for Iron Man. Awesome. 4:01…. I can still smell the chlorine on my skin..... What day is it….. Intervals on the Watt bike and track tonight… OK so it’s Tuesday, my shoulders are still sore from last night’s swim…. A million one hundreds of underwater butterfly on 60 seconds…… hmm…. A bit like my session now…. Five ten minutes intervals at a million watts. Shelley is still fast asleep next to me, I should be home around 7:30ish…. So…. If today’s Tuesday then I should see her at about 7:35… Monday 8 April. Nice!
Seriously move now, Price is probably training, Robert’s is making a comeback and probably doing secret training (MSTD My Secret Training Day) and Craig is so fast I’m going to need drugs just to hang on….. Sigh…. Fear Based training….. If you don’t train you will come last and people will laugh and point. Wow it’s 4:05 I’m starving time for first breakfast…. First breakfast happens before training and is followed by second breakfast, and a nap, then some work, midmorning snack, work then lunch and a power nap, it more work and then a snack before evening session and dinner. My food bill is massive, all I seem to do is eat and sleep. On the plus side my daughter is making huge points at school from recycling all the ensure nutivigoir tins I plough through. They are so gonna make her head my girl. My wife stirrs….. So lucky to be married, could not imagine trying to start a relationship while training for Iron man, where would one find the time….. At 8am during second breakfast perhaps... although to be honest watching one download food like an industrial processing plant is not that sexy really. Hmm….. Hope she remembers what I look like….. I mean I do stick regular updates of my picture on the fridge… just in case, oh well only 8 weeks left it’ll be fine she just mustn’t change her hair color or something
Seriously Duncan move, everything you need is downstairs in a bag, packed and ready to go. Remember, you chose this. It’s not easy, it’s not supposed be easy, if it you wanted easy then you should have chosen competitive flower arranging. At least I downloaded new music… that will help, Wedneaday13, a new band, almost like Taylor Swift except with more drums and guitar a bit angrier and they wear more black…. Otherwise almost the same.
4:07 finally downstairs and eating, the laundry fairies have been, there is a nice neat pile of fresh kit next to the world's most overworked tumble dryer. The laundry fairies are the bravest things I know as to be honest my training kit can be pretty manky. I glance through an email from a friend, I actually still have those.... friends. I actually have 7 friends….. Well 6 if I’m honest…. One passed away last year, I’m waiting for CV’s but alas none so far. Training for Iron man and a social life don’t work….. I mean here I am being invited to a braai…. On Saturday…. Like seriously… has he not read my training scheduled, I know I sent it to him. I’ll decline this one and I won’t tell Shelly…. Why you ask…. That is an excellent question…… you see the longer you “do” this the more blasé your significance life partner becomes. Let me illustrate
“what are you doing this weekend”
“um I have a 160km bike and an 8km run on Saturday and then on Sunday I have Peninsula Marathon….. Why? “
“OK so nothing on Sunday afternoon.... good... Geoff our neighbor has a warehouse full of anvils that need moving….. I said you were doing nothing…. Said you’d love to help…. He does crossfit “ she says laughing…
I must go see Izzy, my GP, my throat is a bit scratchy at least he has done iron man and understands how we all work. I chuckle…. It’s so funny seeing a health care professional, last year I had one of those health check things from my medical aid provider….. After taking my height and weight and calculating my BMI I was nervously told that I was obese. I nodded and stared at him.. This led to him hastily putting on a BP cuff to measure blood pressure and heart rate….. Both were low…. Too low for him…. I told him to carry on talking about how obese I am…. That should elevate things…… he suggested that I should get some regular exercise.... 3 times a week…. I asked what…. Crossfit he said… I left.
Right.... Finally in the car and off to train.... This morning is gonna hurt.... Actually tonight at track will hurt but in some odd way I kinda look forward to it..... It's a good kind of hurt.... There are times when you push yourself so hard that you think that it's simply impossible to go a step further..... Yet you do.... You always do, you just go with the group. They are all suffering just as much as you are regardless of how fast they are..... It's all relative. Everyone is tired and sore and hungery and grumpy.... Except for Price and Sam.... They are more grumpy..... Most people will tell you that you are insane and I like that, a lot, because there is always a touch of awe in thier voice, and then they will quickly tell you about thier Argus time or about thier Park run or how many push ups they did at Crossfit.
OH well here I am time to Train #nosignofweakness
