September Newsletter

It’s been a while since my last communication, but things have been busy…  BUT finally I’ve managed to put fingers to keyboard and type up a little update…

Training has been difficult.  After a long program of physio I was diagnosed as having a very bad case of sciatica (which could have been worse, as we originally thought it might have been something more severe like compartments syndrome) and thanks to my physio and chiropractor they managed to patch me back together again.  It did mean a long period of no running, but in the last few weeks I been pounding the pavements once again.  Thanks to the patience of my coach continually readjusting my training program around my injuries I am relatively fit… Fit enough to run Ironman number five, only time will tell.  I am sure I will get across the finish line; it’s now a matter of how long I keep the wife waiting for me to stagger over.

 

Sally (the wife) is training hard for her first Marathon on November 2nd (Auckland) and I agreed to run it with her, what was I thinking?  This will be three weeks after pounding the heat in Hawaii. I just hope I can keep up with her!

 

My son (George) has started swim squads now.  Having a ten year old who can swim as fast as you can and does the same 3.5km squads three times a week, certainly keeps me on my toes.  He’s joining me for a week of squads whilst his coach is away next week, so I hope he doesn’t show up his old man!

Training this time around has been a family affair, Sally running more distance than myself per week, can share many a story about aching limbs, George (10) and Estafana (8) cycle alongside me when I do my 15-20km runs and my Monday evening short run (4km) is done with my little daughter Prudence (5) who runs alongside me maintaining a commendable pace and completing the run in less than 25 minutes.
 

Ironman is a funny think, its times like this, three weeks before the event that you start looking forward to tapering off.  Doing little exercise and not feeling bad about it great, not to mention looking forward to the rest afterwards.

 

For most diehard tri-atheletes it’s the pinnacle of their career getting to the World Championships.  Well for me it’s a nice swim in the sea admiring the coral reefs abundant in fish and turtles, followed by a nice bike ride along the rugged coastline of Hawaii, then  a gentle run along the seafront in front of the cheering crowds and when the sun starts to go down it’s a nice moonlit walk under the full moon before getting lei’d.

Thanks for all your Support

Jose, aka Lardman