All signed up!

Officially registered for Ironman Austria 2012

Well, we've just received our codes, paid the cash and are now signed up for June 30th next year… no going back now (if there ever was!)… Accommodation is booked, now we just need to book our flights - not something we can do until 6 months from the date of travel.  It's a long way off but it's starting to feel very real.

October training starts with a splash!

Rushed home from work today, managed to grab a coffee and a small bowl of Cheerios and then off to swim training with the ATHelite tri club from Hamilton. Swimming is not my strongest discipline, so I got comfortable in the slow lane and listened with trepidation to the schedule for the evening:

Technical Drills: 

100m trailing knuckles; 

100m trailing fingers; 

100m no contact 

repeat for 2 sets

Done to ensure good elbow lift from the water on each stroke.

8 x 100 m swimming at 85% - building speed endurance

100m then 30 secs rest; 100m then 20 secs rest; 100m then 10 secs rest 

repeat for 2 sets - speed endurance with minimal recovery

All in 2000m in just under an hour with rest.  I started off pretty slowly then started to remember what this swimming malarky is all about. Really need to work on getting my hips and legs to float higher so that I create minimal drag through the water which will result in either swimming faster for the same effort, or swimming at the same pace (around 1:50 - 2:00 per 100m) for less effort… something that will come in handy when attacking the 3800m open water course.

Nipped to Sainsburys for some food shopping, cooked 3 different dinners (great when your kids eat the same food as you isn't it?), fed the dogs, updated this blog and now it's time for some schoolwork! Chat later!