Was that the last dose of LSD?

Again this week rollo had us following a program of long everything, everything slow, and racking up the miles keeping well within the heart rate zones. I mentioned last week I struggled with this concept, but I must also say, I thoroughly enjoy it. Apart from the long hours on the bikes (and seriously, its only because I spent enough time away from my family, so spending half of Sunday away as well is hard), I enjoy doing these long sets. To be out, early in the morning, watching the sun rise most days, most of the time hardly anyone else out there, no traffic, just yourself and your thoughts....pretty good I must say! Jase asked me what I think about when I do the long runs.....I think about and in no order, work, family and the Iron Man race. I try and put my daily tasks together for work, i think about the sacrifices I and my family have made to enable me to take this journey (not just money, but time, sleep etc) and of course, trying to picture myself at various points on the run during the race. What will I feel like, how will I feel when I am 2, 3 or 5km from the end.....how will I feel at 21km (this I think will be a hard moment as its only half way, yet I would most likely have already been running / shuffling / walking for over 2hours!!). I do however, always picture going down the chute at the end....very important for me to believe I will do it, and I do....because I will be prepared...Rollo's programs will definately make that a sure thing, its really down to nutrition and other things out of my control. I am at the moment even starting to put together a list of things I need to take to port Macquaire for the race...I know its a long way away, but I dont want to stress about those simple things I can control. Ithappens, today I left all my nutrition at home for my ride.....WTF! I spent an hour last preparing it all..so how do I then forget it???? Lucky I had other stuff at work to make up for it otherwise I would have been stuffed!

Whilst on the subject of sessions, this week was again sensational! I ran 21km on Tuesday, it was an early start (4.45am from Turramurra), rode long on Wednesday (4.30am start), with Matt and finished with 105km, and then ran 25km with Matt on Thursday! 25km.....bloody hell! Jase and I ran another 21km on Saturday in the hills, we met up with the NUTSAC guys halfway along, then did some open water swimmming in the afternoon, practicing race starts. Rollo organised this and he got a good turn out. Its incredible how hard it is to go balls to wall for 150m odd in choppy water, and then to try swim the rest of the set at a controlled race pace....I reckon it took me 3 sets before I understood how to get it slightly right...makes me concerned for the tough Iron Man start, the jossling and nbashing that goes on in the swim in any triathlon is full on, but I reckon the Iron Man will be something special...like a waterpolo match between Zim and Natal I once played in...brutal and very physical! Hopefully I wont come out 2nd best this time round!

onto the ride today, I had to be at work for a power outage at 6am so I left my bike there on Wednesday, the plan was to ride home from the office, meeting Jase along the way. I think I got going a touch after 8.15am, its a pretty tough ride for the first 50km as its up hill all the way, met Jase at about the 55km mark or so at the famous Pie in the Sky and homeward bound from there, with a number of hill repeats. There was some violent electrical storm brewing, i must admit I dropped a log or 2 halfway up one of the hill repeats because of the sheer anger and volume of the thunder...jesus!! We had it all in the ride today, heat (I am pretty burnt), it was real real hot mid morning, head winds and then 4km from home we got drenched in the rain....race prep cannot get better than that surely!!! Jase had 2 punctures, one of which I changed so we really did get some good practice in.

This week coming is a light week in comparison to the past 2, and Rollo has given another day off ( I had to double check this as I am not used to seeing no training...I get fidgety). I have a feeling the LSD might be finished and we move into strenghtening agian, which I hazard a guess means back to threshold stuff, hills and the like....Love it, and bring it on!! I notice my long mid week ride includes hills this week....back into bobbin head for me again, this time without Vlad :-(, its a pity from my selfish perspective he is taking his running seriously this year, it would be good to have him doing Port with us so we could share the pain, but he has done his time and should focus on running, hes bloody good at it! One day Vlad and I will do an Iron Man together, 2010 is just not the one!

So, to summerise another fantastic week of training :

Swim : aprox 8km (3hours)
Run : 68km (6hours)
Ride : 220km (7.5hours)
Total : 16.5hours (ish)

Another big week down, and as I said, I loved it. I think anyone who reads this blog regularly knows how much I love the training programs I get each week. I look forward to the variation, the friendships you make, the crazy conversations you have and make during a 2 hour run, or a 5hour ride, the things you see (I saw a motorbike which was automatic today...what the hell is that!!), and best of all, the support the guys around give you....sensational! I love it....

Until next week, spare a thought for those poor Haitian people who must be suffering unimaginably both physically and emotionally...and remember how lucky we all are to be here, on the internet, reading my blog, looking at porn if you are the ALM / ALS, having a beer or 5, and appreciating the good life we lead!



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