Listening to your body is very important when it comes to training, especially when training for an Ironman with the large amount of training that goes with it. But it is a surprisingly difficult thing to do even though you should know your body more than anything else in this world. The more you train, the more you experience training in different physical states and the more you learn about reading your body's signs. The hussle and bussle of modern-day life can quickly get you out of tune with your body; so whenever picking up a new training program you should bear in mind that you might not be as 'in-tune' as you might have been when at your previous peak state of fitness.
I had a long ride planned for today(Sunday) and at the beginning I felt really tired, sore and a little unmotivated about the session. One might have forgiven me for turning round right there and going back to bed. But I knew that, although I was tired from the week's training efforts; I would start feeling better the longer the ride went on. And that is exactly what happened and I went on to have a good session. You get to know when it is a 'tired and I should rest' and a 'tired and time to hang tough'. I think it also comes down to a good training program that can push you to your limits but not beyond. Knowing this program in advance can help you anticipate the fatigue and this can help you judge when it is time to push through or time to rest up.
In other news, the weather has been awful this past week with so much rain and I had to adjust my program slightly accordingly (flexibility in your training program is another subject I will expand upon in later posts) but all in all a good week's work. I did a couple of mtb sessions in place of my road bike sessions aswell as an indoor training workout. Riding through the local forest on some of the trails, you do have to take care as it is like riding on marbles. The stones seem to grind down to ball-shapes (pictured above) and it does make it rather tricky, especially in the wet!
With all the bad weather around, I have also unfortunately learn't a bit more about Australia's fauna and flora, well, actually spiders to be precise. Funnel-web spiders to be even more precise. The Sydney Funnel-web is one of world's most dangerous spider and they don't like water. So what do these little buggers do when it rains a lot? They seek shelter in your home! I stomped on this one (see below) as it made its way across the lounge floor this last week. So I now have my eyes peeled and checking your shoes before sticking your feet in them is sound advice!
Laters,
Simon
