Train hard but train smart

My first week of the IM programme is over and it was pretty tough tho not impossible. During the week, I clocked up a total of 8.6km in the pool, 213km on the bike and ran 34km. They’re pretty big distances but the encouraging thing is that, as I ramp up for Ironman Wales in September, those distances don’t increase hugely – in fact, the swimming will stay around the same, while my weekly run and ride totals will increase by around 30% max.

So, I was feeling pretty confident about it all until the weekend, but the weekend was tough and a 4hr15min ride, the end of which was done in 40°C, along with the consistently early mornings (5.30 is my weekly lie-in), wiped me out and left me exhausted by the end of it. If I’m honest, I’m still recovering a couple of days later.

I’ve learned a couple of things. Firstly, I need to move my easy recovery day to Sunday to help me cope with the weekends and feel strong for the week ahead. Secondly, I need to get rid of all the superfluous stuff and concentrate on the necessary.

With this in mind, yesterday I went for a consultation with Dr Charles Jones of the California Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Centre here in Dubai. I’ve been suffering pain and discomfort in my back for a few years now and it is starting to make the end of long bike rides almost unbearably sore. Dr Charles is a bit of a genius when it comes to sports injuries, having put many of a famous sportsman’s rame back together, so I felt like I was in safe hands.

After just a few minutes of stretches and exercises, Dr Charles spotted some serious imbalances. A few tests later, and I was handed a set of print outs that showed just how offset my posture is – as I slump left and forward. The ECGs demonstrated the extra force that this was placing on my body. It was scary stuff but helped to explain a lot of problems I’ve been having, as well as the discomfort on the bike. After a spot of ‘manipulation’ (clicking my back into place), we headed into the gym, where Dr Charles demonstrated a series of exercises that I need to incorporate into my routine. Two are daily, two I do every other day.

The problem with that, of course, is where exactly do I place them in my routine? A full time job and 16+ hours of IM training per week don’t leave much free time. For that reason, I’ve decided to drop the weight training, until IM at least. I’ve always really enjoyed lifting weights but I have to ask myself how beneficial hitting the gym will be for IM. A weekly yoga class, as well as a few Pilates core holds and sticking strictly to these exercises (most of which I can do at home) will be sufficient, I think, to keep me strong.

I’m looking forward to this new phase in my development and sticking to Dr Charles’ exercise plan for a few weeks to see if I can feel the benefits. When you’re facing six hours or more on the bike, straight into a marathon, anything you can do to get more comfortable will be welcome! And with several of the exercises aimed at opening out my glutes and lower legs, I may even get a little faster!