Anyway yesterday swimming was due so I set off and had my first session with increased distance, my shoulder still itching from Monday’s paddle training. Coach Ralf added loads of butterfly and that was… exhausting. A 2.5km swim with 600m leg kicks and almost 675m butterfly. Almost since in the end… I decided to be more cautious in butterfly to not hit others by mistake. Let’s assume it was 600m butterfly due to that.

Some things I learned in that session:

1. I am no longer a lame whale in the water in freestyle.
2. Some weaker swimmers on the sports lane were slower in freestyle than I was with my kickboard doing solely leg kicks – that was funny, considering how slow I was when I started with freestyle.
3. Doing leg kicks helps so much – more than I imagined. In my first few months I had moments, where I didn’t move forward at all or – even worse – went backward doing those kicks. *no kidding*
4. In butterfly I learned a lot in becoming faster and more “energy efficient” – that felt cool. Most of all I used my arms in the “pull”  before to get up – out of the water, where it is – of course – much better to push forward and only slightly up on the “pull”. That’s when I started to be faster than other swimmers, when I did butterfly yesterday.
5. A lot is one’s head when swimming freestyle. Picturing van Hazel’s smooth freestyle stroke made me swim faster and more relaxed – gonna stick to picturing it.
6. Increasing distance in swimming helps a lot. Four more weeks I will do this medium length and then I gonna try the long sessions of 4+ km.

I enjoyed the swim yesterday.

Yours truly

Martin

Driving to the bath was annoying since my mountain bike makes noises while driving. I confess I should have cleaned it after the last cross tour:

Yet I arrived and off I went for my swim.

I didn’t swim much but only with paddles – after all it’s a power session. Leaving the pool my shoulders felt like on fire and for the first time in a year my wrist bands felt too tight around my wrists. Actually so much blood pumped through my veins that my first guess was: I have swollen arms. Minutes later it felt ok again and downstairs I prepared to close my biking clothes, preparing for my cold ride through the night.

But I were not me if… well day of confession… I felt an urge to make me feel good and that piece of cake looked just fitting and so…

I ordered it and off with my “loot” – back home…

Hopefully I can soon again lift my arms easily – still feel empty and exhausted.

Yours

Martin

Still uphill coupled with that searing pain I lost all interest in going on. Still I went on. I almost could not sit on the saddle anymore – onward through the pain. I don’t know how often I wanted to turn around and return home – on I went. Passing Usingen I decided to stop and “rearrange” my clothes and suddenly, all felt good. No more uphill, but instead straight ahead or downward with no more pain. The sun came out and suddenly,… suddenly life felt grand. I started to look around and wondered how this area will look like in spring or summer:

I looked straight ahead and shot another photo…

Looking backward it looked like this – just imagine all green and blooming.

I was almost past the rolling hills called “Taunus” and just a few meters away to enter the open. Looking behind me I saw my bike.

So I climbed on my bike and onward into the open, when suddenly it became cold, frozen rain on my skin and without my scarf I started to feel cold *brrrrrr*. Stay focused I told myself and off we go. If not… there was the carnival, which forced me on an Odyssey through badly arranged redirections to avoid the carnival. Bet you can imagine how I cursed in the cold forced to guess where they wanted me to drive to get through that small village.

Finally after passing some…. weirdos, who wanted me to stop since my bike lacks a bell (somehow I managed to stay calm, since race bikes don’t need to),… finally I got out of the home of weirdos until I passed another man and his bike on the side. He had a flat tyre, yet I went on. Only to realize I am not allowed to drive on, forcing me to return. With no idea left on how to find my way  home I met the biker again and asked him for the way.

“No need to help me fix my tyre. Someone is on to pick me up home.” He explained to me an alternate way home (I should have shot a photo I know!!) and off we go – auntie Kate and I. Cold, soaked wet my mood approached another low until the sun came out and it suddenly felt warm. Just 20 minutes away the air felt like spring and the sun warmed me.

Life was grand and happily I went home, realizing the night was soon to come and it slowly became colder. Pedalling I heard a weird noise of my tyre on the road… Just about a mile from home I had a flat tyre. I didn’t know that flat tyres are a disease one can pick up from another biker. Yet here I stood on my bike shoes, unable to walk home on those with a flat tyre and with zero aka nadá interest to fix my tyre myself.

Called my neighbour, who was away and couldn’t help me so I plain called  a taxi to bring me home.

A 2 hour ride was planned, 2:43 it was until I had a flat tyre. Still life is grand. And auntie Kate? I believe she wants to be kicked for her stubbornness:

By now it’s after midnight, I am rested, had dinner and I feel grand except for my muscles aching from yesterday’s core stabilization training.

Still life is grand – I love what I do – just do it!

What do you do?

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

Today started with my… worst workout, something I try to avoid for days: core stabilization. It’s just…. *ugh* to me. Anyways I did and finished that workout, a lot of sweat and feeling exhausted.

Yet riding my bike was due for today and so I set off in the afternoon. Close to dawn I had to attach my bike lights with a cool view down the road, which looked like this:

I was curious if I can add a run afterwards too. Yet, when I arrived home both training units from today already had me exhausted. So I save that run for *hopefully* tomorrow after tomorrow’s bike ride.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

Even worse I have a running session for today. Let’s see what my doctor tells me.

Yet I will do the running, even if it means to crawl the distance.

This annoys the hell out of me.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

What I didn’t count on: part of those trails were quite difficult – over some slippery wooden roots, always at risk to fall downhill into the water. Yet I got through safely. Still some of the harder parts made me realize how much work cross courses are (not the trail you see here, this one was more like a paved road than a trail). I realized how much the harder parts shook my body and how much work it was especially in my arms and back.

Later on it happened: I got lost! No kidding! I wanted to slowly return, the night approached and I wanted back along the river. Along a trail, which suddenly ended in a huge field with extremely difficult terrain. No city light could be seen, no houses, nothing. So I pushed on, only to realize that I was in a huge curve around the field with no way out.

On I went in a bee line through the field and felt my back and arms being exhausted and shaken by the difficult terrain. In the end I got home but… running was not an option. In fact I am happy if I can walk straight again soon since my back is just that: exhausted, no power left.

A 2 hour ride but it was cool and enjoyable. Off to my next endeavors.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

Yesterday some swimming was due – still I took the time to use the bus to the bike shop to have auntie Kate repaired and off to the swim. Again with paddles and only 1.4 km. Today – the day after – no itch and no pain in my rotator cuff. It is safe to tell that my shoulder is up to par again with swim training. I aim to increase swim training distances over the next few weeks to 2.5km each session to 4+km in the end.

I want to know how far I can get in swimming and feel a lot more comfortable with my technique and my power in my stroke. Consider this: I started as the worst freestyle swimmer around here (in regards to speed) and by now am already average. I want to push that further.

For Rothsee Olympic I am still somehow in panic – will I achieve my goal? Luckily my pounds drop even faster now – almost a kg (~2lbs.) a day. All that only by sports, while eating normal and healthy. Nonetheless I intend to have a present for myself in case I can do it: buying me my dream TT bike (incl. a disc wheel) from Fritz Buchstaller in Hilpoltstein as well as a normal road bike – Fritz already has an idea on which bike he considers fitting for me.

Looking forward for the days to come until Rothsee Triathlon. Damn I want to finish the “fat” part in fatsmoker2ironman already.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

What did I do?

I went out for a planned bike ride into the cold. Yet somehow auntie Kate (my tt bike) didn’t like that at all. And so… at the point furthest away from home out in nowhere… I went on my bike at some traffic lights and… auntie Kate’s chain ripped.

Way to tell me: “It is too cold for me out here.” *nods* I understand.

Lucky me no car tried to crash into me and people around were helpful. Of course I am ok, yet it became an issue: how do I get home? Lucky me some postal service package driver picked me up and drove me home.

Now I lack 40 more minutes of my training for today. What will I do? Now off to swimming and then a run.

It’s cold out here.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

Still some impressions for you from the region, where Challenge Roth is:

Whenever I went for sports or specific units in the fitness studio Positiv I met Tobias Ullmann either in weight training or endurance on the bike.

“Tobi” is a former MTB pro (and soon to be again?). Also he is the one, who does everything in regards to my MTB. Feels good to have him take care of my stuff and knowing he does it perfect. Apart from that he prepares for next season, where he wants to win the Bavarian cup again with his team.

Totally different: Gerhard. He is retired, far beyond 60 and you better don’t start a wager on fitness vs. him since it’s most likely that you gonna lose. Where other people of age have their beer in a pub, he is out training. Watch him chin the bar and you are surprised.

Did I mention food? Well, I shall. Anyway yesterday I went for a training session. 1:30 hours base endurance on the bike was due. Since I lack my bike here for now, I switched to a spinning class. Afterwards I added another hour totalling for 2 hours spinning in base endurance. Truth be told, I was way too rough to myself, which made me look like this… (don’ laugh ).

The white around my mouth are the rests of a Latte Macchiato. Yet coupled with the cold outside, I didn’t feel good in the evening and woke up with a headache. Then again training was cool and so I went for a real breakfast:

Grrrr loved it. Still it is cold outside and so I shot some photos to show you, how one can feel good with those temperatures around, when having breakfast:

Another view:

I had a good time here. Also in training it now feels as if my excess pounds fall off me like water in a shower. Still I am somehow “afraid” of my first Triathlon this season: will I reach my goals finally? How will I fare?

The overall good news I am back into full training, which is just that: good.

Yours

fatsmoker2ironman

It’s a good bath but tonight there were quite a lot of weirdos in there.

Yet swimming on schedule so what did I do? I went swimming of course.

It was no superb training session and I am glad it is over. Still I am content I did. Back home I prepared the new page on Triathlon tips and tricks and suddenly… Suddenly I stumbled upon this video:

I am still stunned and impressed watching this video.

How do you do?

Yours

Martin