Building the village.

When you are in the decision making phase of this process, coaches, athletes, magazines, training literature and the internet will tell you many things, but the most interesting thing is something you’ll find in all five information sources. This is the idea that the one of the most important aspects of a successful Ironman campaign is having the support of your closest friends and family as you go through your training, your mental preparation and the all important “what am I going to wear on race day” anxiety. OK, so maybe the fashion problem is a stretch, but the point I’m trying to make is that whoever “they” are, they’re right. It takes a village. Yes, I know there was an article in one of the tri magazines recently that describes this is great detail, and I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment and ideas therein.

A supportive spouse/significant other is necessary to keep you on track, make sure that you’re well fed, that you don’t leave the dog outside when it’s -40 and most importantly, to kick your tail out of bed when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m – if you’re lucky enough they will continue to love you even when you head to bed at 10:30 every night.

If you’re like me, your Mom will miss the impromptu visits and shopping dates, and instead will give you really great hugs when you see her, and your Dad will ensure that when you come over, there will be enough food to keep your engine going. Regardless of if you’re hungry or not

Your friends will need to be understanding when you tell them that you can’t see them because you haven’t been home in 14 hours and you’re really just looking forward to some downtime on the couch with the PVR, the hubby and the dog. But, you will also count on them for laughs and support throughout the season, squeezing in weekday lunches, or planning for beer and barbecues following events on summer weekends. You might even convince some of them to swim, bike or run with you…. Just not at 4:45 in the morning, that’s simply insane – keep that to yourself.

From my perspective, having been working on this campaign consistently for almost four weeks (actual Ironman directed training, workouts previous to this are deemed pre-IM), I find that the biggest challenge is getting through the first half of the work week, having trained through the weekend. By Wednesday evening, I’m pretty much sapped. To counter this, I’ve put together an alternative work schedule with my boss, which will afford me a three day weekend every second week. I count myself lucky that I’m able to do this, and I’m already relishing the idea of Monday mid-day swims where I don’t have to squeeze my workout into an hour, coupled with some extra relaxation to add a little bit more juice to my batteries.

Training this week has been interesting, I’m trying out different pools, and it turns out that I favour one over the others, my workouts there seem more consistent, and I’m able to find my pace very easily. It’s worth the commute through Little Italy to get there at least twice a week. I’m anxiously awaiting the reopening of the city pool near our humble abode though. It will feel like I’m swimming in my own back garden, it’s so close.

The weather in Ottawa last weekend made for some chilly outdoor workouts. I ran with a group prior to our spin session last Saturday and within 8 minutes my sunnies had fogged up and frozen over – this was compounded with a slight tear in the leg of my tights, discovered only as I was getting out of the car at the studio. I opted for the treadmill for Sunday’s long run, and in some ways, the mental challenge of running in place for that duration made the workout that much more fulfilling to finish. The deep freeze seems to have broken in the last couple of days though, so I’m hoping to be back on the road both Saturday and Sunday.

Week five starts on Saturday, let's go!