More of the same....

Well the training is going well. Looking back over my short-term goals:

1. Train in each discipline (swim, bike, run, strength) at least once a week
2. Update blog once a week
3. Take B-vitamins and Omega 3 oils daily

I have been doing well and have managed to train in each discipline at least once a week. My run today felt really good and I feel like I am progressing. Due to the bad weather (icy roads) I haven't been able to do my run on Saturday for the past couple of weeks but this is only a minor setback as I am making good progress in my sessions on the Treadmill. I am also getting in two days of strength training which I have been combining with my knee / ankle rehab.

The bike fund now stands at €225 and I have been debating whether to risk €50 playing online poker to try and double (or treble) my money. I've been playing a lot lately and have been doing resonably well in small stakes tournaments so it could be worth the risk to try and beef up the fund.

I also ordered a book on Triathlon Training from amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Triathletes-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1931382425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229447079&sr=1-1

This looks really good and is described as a "coach yourself" manual which is perfect for my needs right now.

I also made some enquiries to the Meath Triathlon Club about training but it appears as though they are not training during the winter so I will look to hook up with them in the spring once I've built up my base fitness.

http://www.trianmhi.com/

That's all for now.........

The Journey Continues....

Well a week has gone by and the training has continued. I was in the pool on Sunday and for the final 10 minutes of my swim I had the whole pool to myself!!! This was primarily due to the extreme weather (-4 degrees and icy roads - extreme for Ireland) but I braved the conditions and managed to get in an interval workout that consisted of a 50m warm-up and then 6 x 25m sprints. I then switched from freestyle to breaststroke and did 2 x 75m just to build up the distance. I've been swimming every Sunday for the last 3 weeks now so I feel like I'm finally getting into a rhythm.

As for the bike, due to the 'credit crunch' I am currently trying to come up with the €500 necessary to purchase a new road bike. Stage 1 was three weeks ago when I won €50 playing poker with a few mates. Today I sold my Sony PSP (which I bought for the commute from Kells to Dublin but wasn't using) for €150 so at the moment my 'bike fund' stands at €200. Hopefully Santa will be good to me and the remaining balance will be mine just in time for the sales.

Ah the run, this could be where I am undone. I have been (fairly) sporty all my life and have played soccer since I was a kid but when I got married and started a family my only sporting outlet was my irregular trips to the gym. In January 2007 I decided to train for and participate in the Bupa 10K Run in Dublin in April of that year.

http://entry.greatrun.org/EventInformation.aspx?StreamId=95

My training was haphazard at best and I only managed to run 5k before I had to start walking then running then walking again until I reached the finish in 1hr 20m. I was not happy with this time and resolved to train more and compete again the following year. To aid this I decided to go back playing soccer and signed for a local team in Meath. Things were going well and I was starting to get fit when disaster struck and I ruptured my anterior cruciate ligament (acl) in October. After a lot of Physio and keyhole surgery I'm finally back running but am really struggling with my Achilles tendons. The physio has given me wedges to wear in my runners as I am overpronating so hopefully these will help. Ran today and didn't feel to bad so here's hoping!!!

Until next time......

In the beginning...

Well I’ve decided that at the age of 33 and with a belly that won’t seem to leave town (despite spending 3 or 4 days a week in the gym) that I am finally going to commit to getting that illusive six-pack that is the barometer of fitness enthusiasts worldwide.

The purpose of the blog is to document my training, diet and lifestyle in order to make myself accountable to the outside world (a bit of worldwide peer pressure if you like!!).

The method that I have decided upon to complete my quest is by training for and participating in one of the fastest growing sports in the world – the triathlon.

The triathlon is a multisport event (swimming, cycling and running) run over various distances depending on the race. The more popular distances are:

Sprint – 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Olympic – 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Ironman – 3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run!!!!!

I intend doing a sprint triathlon in early summer 2009 so am looking at a six to seven month training plan. In order to gauge my progress over the coming months I intend to take part in a number of single sport races e.g. 5km run.

When starting out on any training plan it is important to set goals so here goes:

Long Term Goal – Summer 2009

1.Compete in (and finish!!) a Sprint Triathlon (possible Try-Athlone in June 2009)
2.Get body fat percentage to 12% to see abs

Short term goal – December 2008

1.Train in each discipline (swim, bike, run, strength) at least once a week
2.Update blog once a week
3.Take B-vitamins and Omega 3 oils daily

Here’s a link to a good article on goal setting over the Christmas period:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/weik37.htm

Equipment

Obviously to complete a triathlon you need some basic equipment – wetsuit for the swim (if in open water), goggles, swim hat, bike, helmet, runners. If you look at the web you could go to town buying equipment however I'm only going to buy a bike. I have looked at a few bikes on the web and have decided to wait until after christmas to buy (hopefully pick something up in the sales). This means that I have to train on the stationary bike in the gym rather than on the road but with the state of the roads where I live that's probably no bad thing. I plan on renting the wetsuit for the race and if I get the bug to do more (which I'm told I will!!!) then I will look to purchase one later in the year.

Well that's all for now but stay tuned as I attempt to tri and get a six pack!!!