Sunday 24 August 2014

First run back

First run back by IronmanBarefoot at Garmin Connect - Details

Well it wasn't pretty but it has now been completed.

6.61km of non stop running after 4.5 months of nothing.  I already I know I am in trouble tomorrow as the quads are already tight.  I would also love to say that it was nice to be back running but it hurt and didn't seem to be comfortable until the last 400m.

It did feel weird putting all the gear on again.  First of all I had to find it all!

I also went to the pool today with Lachlan and swum some laps.  Felt even worse in the water so not looking forward to the first pool session.  Nothing is going to be as bad as that first bike ride though, I might save that for another week...

Saturday 23 August 2014

Make the first move

I am back.

It has been a while since my last blogging adventure when I transitioned from traditional running shoes to barefoot running.

I didn't think that I would be writing another blog but I felt it was time to based on how I am feeling.  I am sitting here with a slight hangover and what feels like my stomach hanging over my pyjamas and a sore back because I was sitting funny the other day.  It is time for a change in lifestyle...

If you are not already aware, for the last 12 months I have been opening a hotel.  It has been an interesting time for me coming from a busy operational hotel in Wellington, NZ to a basic desk job.  I  had visions of me not doing shift work and being able to commit more time to training and for a decent amount of time that happened.  I loved being able to train in the morning, be sitting down at my desk by 8:30am, plan a full day of work and then be on the bike home again by 5:30pm.  What made it even more sensational was the weather, beautiful and sunny.  I knew however that it would not last and that early into this year I would be doing ridiculous hours and probably would not have a chance to do any training at all.  What I predicted happened.

I find myself sitting here feeling like crap.  On the 6th April I competed in my last long distance triathlon at Silver Sands.  What a beautiful race it was.  I nearly did't compete because by that stage I was already flat out at work.  2 weeks prior not much training was achieved at all.  I enjoyed the swim, was flying on the bike but halfway through the run I was hurting.  I finished the race and I can honestly say that since then I have not done anything in the form of training.  That's like 4.5 months of nothing, nada, not even a run!  The closest I came to a run was last week when I was watching the Bledisloe at a pub but going to dinner beforehand.  I got dropped off at the pub and as I was running late decided to run to the restaurant, all of 1km.

The hotel has now opened and it is time to get back into it.  Mentally I have not been ready as I have been concentrating on different things but now it is time to start feeling good again.  The cold weather has not been very appealing either but in the last week it has suddenly warmed up.  I just weighed myself and have put on around 4 kilos but it will be worse than that as I feel like I have lost all my muscle strength.  So I have broken my road back into a few simple steps:

Step 1: Register as an active member of Triathlon Australia
Step 2: Re-register with the Adelaide Triathlon Club
Step 3: Go for a run
Step 4: Start training again

I can with confidence say that as of this morning I am up to Step 3 in my comeback.

It is nice to know mentally that you are ready to train.  From my perspective it means that I will train harder as I am more dedicated to the cause.  It is time for me to go and charge my Garmin watch, ready for the run this afternoon.  I am looking forward to it but dreading trying reach my toes for a stretch at the end of it.

Enjoy the journey...I know I will.