Thought it might be interesting to detail a typical (well perhaps not so typical ) day for an age group Triathlete that has all they time they want to train. Today was my first day back training after illness and a race. I’d planned to train through the Mid Wales Ultra but I got ill in the week before the race and thus did no training what so ever in the 5 days ahead of the race. Believe it or not whatever was wrong with me seemed to improve following the race however I followed the race with 4 days of complete rest.

This week is a recovery week. For me that means I have very few formal plans for training and like an easy week I will always err on the side of less rather than more. Ie if I am undecided what to do I will do less. This is in contrast to my big weeks where I always err on the side of more !

So today … the first day of training in a recovery week. It started last night when Jo and I both treating ourselves to skipping swimming and going for a pint instead. A rare occurrence but all the more pleasurable for it. The plan in my mind was to get up and do some Regents Park laps just to spin the legs for just a couple of hours or so. Then in the morning go to the pool and get in the gym. Then run with Stephen before running over to Jane to run with her. Great plan.

What a pleasure the alarm only going off at 5.15am and even more pleasurable being able to decide to reset it for 5.25am and get an extra 10 minutes. Up and out by 5.45 and bump into Sparky on the way to Regents Park. Natter on the way. First lap of the park see Gabriel race by, down on the tri bars doing some Ironman pace efforts with Tim and Damien hanging on his wheel. I spin out my fixed to catch him and try and casually strike up a conversation, all like it’s so easy. Last a couple of minutes before deciding that’s enough of the joking and leave them to it. Meet up with Mel and do just over an hour or so of more steady laps and have a good chat about race plans and the like. Find out she can kayak and mention the Hebridean Challenge – perhaps I won’t have to learn to sea kayak to compete in it !

Gabriel finishes just as I’m ready to go. We head off for breakie (abit of a Thursday tradition). Without Jo, we can head to Central Café guilt free (Gabriel and I  like it but Jo’s not so keen). I tell Gabriel all about my weekend and we discuss Lanzarote – he’s doing the Ironman in a few weeks and has been there on a training trip. Hopefuly persuading him to go next year again, worked on Mel earlier … we’re trying to get a good club turnout next year.  Also find out he’s thinking of doing the OMM. This is great news. Jo and I are planning to do it and we were saying how it’ll be ashame if this is the first time I do one and not know other people competing.

Back home I get a text from Jane – she can only run in the morning. This is a recovery week so I can rejig stuff. Unfortunately, it means canceling my lunchtime run with Stephen and trying to get my swim and gym in this afternoon, which I always find more difficult.

Meeting Jane at 10.30am, means I must leave by 9.30, ideally 9.29 to ensure my 60+ minute run. Leaves about 60 minutes to spare. Check emails, some club website work and enter Ironman New Zealand (hurrah!!). Then bang on 9.29 I head off running to meet Jane.

Gorgeous day. All this rest means I feel good running. I hold myself back and just enjoy keeping the pace down. Arrive at Battersea Park bang on 10.30am. Jane turns up but with both Jude and Isaiah. Jude is ill and can’t go to ‘pre school’. We try and run together with Jude on his scooter but it doesn’t last long so I let Jane continue and look after the boys. End up having to run whilst carrying Jude which is a rather interesting training session.

Back at Janes we chill out in the garden. Fill the paddling pool, blow up the pirate ship ! and prepare a delicious salad for lunch. It’s really nice hanging out with my family and decide this is more important than the training planned so I stay 90 minutes longer than I intended. Swim and gym canned (no surprise really). Manage a good 80 minute run on the way home and drop in to the supermarket to get salad for dinner.

Nice to be back home by 4pm and can get back online and respond to emails, work on website and the like. All that’s left is to prepare dinner and watch Heroes.

May repeat this again during a big week.