There I was this morning, ready to post to this blog about how I still hurt and can’t train properly, how hard it’s been, how unlucky I am not to be born a natural athlete etc, a full on whinge combined with a side order of excuses… however before I could press send I got distracted, and ended up taking a shower, putting on my suit and tie and heading out the door to a meeting.

During the 30 minute train journey, I looked around at all the people in the carriage, some looking happy and relaxed but others obviously suffering – rushed salarymen already tired, stressed Mums with babies, old people with huge bags, day workers looking rough …. and started thinking that actually I am damn lucky in many ways and that yes, sometimes it feels like I am constantly having to swim upstream and yes, I’ve had to work hard to get where I am, but things really could be a lot worse and if I change my attitude, I can find positives in just about everything.

So, I’ve listed my biggest whinges this week, with an alternative positive view directly underneath. It was quite fun to write, which is another positive that I wouldn’t have had if it had been all negative!

Whinge One Having downloaded TrainerRoad training software, it highlighted that after 10 years of Ironman racing, my FTP is still so low I am classed as “Untrained/non-racer”
Positive My current low FTP level combined with proper training means I have great opportunity to make massive early gains and huge leaps in both speed and endurance

Whinge Two I could only just complete two 2000m swims last week, the first one was intervals that I struggled to finish due to shoulder pain, the second a straight 2k which took about 5 minutes longer than pre-accident.
Positive. It’s amazing I managed to swim 2000m twice in a week, only one month after having my shoulder and collarbone separated by the asphalt of Spain.

Whinge Three Only did 3 runs last week but felt so tired by end of week that the long run was uncomfortable and a real struggle.
Positive A great tempo run mid-week and a really tough weekend 17.5k grind-fest when exhausted, perfect mental and physical training for an Ironman!

Whinge Four I’m not a natural athlete and I have always had to struggle so hard compared with others who athletic ability comes naturally.
Positive It’s so motivating that over last 10 years I have moved from the bottom 25% to the top half of my age group, and I know I can keep on improving and eventually beat many of those athletes who started at the top.

Yep, such a simple thing to do and instantly has helped improve my mood and motivation. The mind really is as critical when it comes to racing as heart, lungs or muscles!

Training Log 12-18^th March

Monday – Swim – 2000m, 60 mins. Started with 600m effort but ended up stringing together 50m at a time with big rests in between, due to painful shoulder.
Gym –  60 min strength and condition

Tuesday – Bike – 60mins on indoor trainer, random intervals
Gym –  60 min strength and condition.

Wednesday – Run – 7km 37mins. Really enjoyable tempo effort, that got faster and faster as I went along
Bike – 60 min on indoor trainer. Playing with my new Kickr trainer, pushing power.

Thursday –  Run – 6.2km 33mins. Slower and less enjoyable than day before. This was classic “junk miles” to be honest
Bike – 60 min on indoor trainer. Keeping at 90rpm for an hour.

Friday –  Swim 2000m 57 mins. Straight 2km with no breaks, just to see if I could still manage it post-accident. I completed, but much slower than pre-accident.
Gym – 60 minutes. Still painful for shoulders and back.

Saturday –  Run – 17.5km 1:40mins. Long run that felt hard the whole way, body ached before, during and after. Slower than expected pace.

Sunday – Bike – 2:40 all indoors. Downloaded TrainerRoad to use with my Kickr, and had fun trying out a few workouts. Also did the supplied 2 X 8 min FTP test, with power @ 176 average.