Getting back into it

It's been now around 12 weeks that I am back training consistently. By training consistently I mean one session a day, nothing like it used to be. I do not have the time for that. Life changes, priorities change, commitments are more than they were 8 - 10 years ago, so when it comes to training things had to adapt... a bit.  

Consistency, like balance is key to improvement. There are various schools of thought when it comes to endurance training. Some choose to go for mega sessions which are followed by a number of easy days, others go for moderate sessions day in day out.  Although there are certain principles that need to be followed, there is no one size fits all formula. 

Currently am being followed by a top man, guiding me to progress slowly one step at a time. Getting back into it has not been easy since in the last what, five to eight years I've been training on and off, and all the base I had has been lost.  ... and please don't start with this thing of  'muscle memory', as if this ever existed!! If it did then by the looks of things my muscles are suffering from dementia!  

But all in all my progress has so far been consistent on one session a day, 6 to 7 days a week. Nothing much by the so called 'golden days' standards but this is an approach I always wished to try. How much one can improve on a limited amount of hours per week.  In the last five years I read a lot about this type of training approach but never managed to actually commit. Now I am in the position to commit, and see where it leads to.

To gauge progress I took part in three 5k races in the last 12 weeks.  My times dropped from 21:22 - 20:39 - 20:11! Yeah ok, fair enough,  no sensational splits, true, and with a PB of 16:10 done around the time when GPS was not considered a sport equipment, it surely isn't, but this progress got me motivated and slowly but surely the approach on less is better than more is working well.

One step at a time.

Balance

It has been a while since I wrote a blog post. So much so that I forgot the password and anything related to the old blog so I had to start a new one. :)

It has been a roller coaster from the sporting side of things in my life in the last eight years or so. Following my qualification for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2013 my motivation levels were never the same.  I tried getting back to training a number of times with short spells but no long term success.  I was not after any big results. I just wanted to keep doing what I love, Triathlon but managing to keep a BALANCE.  Yes BALANCE, that magic word that when you are at a certain again with certain commitments (like family & work) you need to practice.  Well, I didn't yet manage to master this skill but after going through certain experiences in life I'm at that stage that I'm committed to find my balance.

The journey, my journey started now.

Last Sunday I took part in the 5k Smart City Road Race. I enjoyed it, was good fun and the course was interested. Ok the time was 21:22, by my old standards ... it's no standard at all.  But its a start. The start of Balance. The start of getting back to full fitness both on a physical level but most importantly on a psychological level.

This blog is my commitment. Whether I will keep at it or not I'm not sure but it's worth a tri! 😎