The Dark Side

Greetings from Ironman training. This week has been a lot of ups and downs. All of the team has experienced some form of The Dark Side. This is our way of explaining the significant fatigue in the form of tiredness that many Ironman trainees appear to experience. There has definitely been days this week where each of us has felt very tired. Normally, one would hope to avoid this feeling until much later in training. However, each of us has coincided the beginning of our official Ironamn training with some very busy work weeks.

Constitution made some fascinating decision making whilst on a work trip, which involved a combination of drinking and running. This was very much felt the very next morning. Napoleon was been "hard at work" with long days in the "kitchen" and also upping the length of our workouts. I myself had a trip last week with numerous 4am wakeups with a workout planned on each day.

It all seemed to catch us up, like the tortoise and the hare. At least one day this week we have all just been cranky and tired - how I would imagine a typical Clint Eastwood character training for such a feet! Normally, I would associate this with over training. However, I would lean to point the finger at under resting. Certainly where I am concerned.

It is said that an athlete training for Ironman races should sleep a full 8 hours a night, minimum. However, the guy who wrote that clearly was the CEO of the company. In the working man world, to combine a profession and training, it's just not realistic, although equally not impossible.

I have noticed that many of the posts on this blog have remarked upon the tired state of the body. 8 hours a night will have to be striven for and no longer ignored or dismissed. Undertaking this task was a simultaneous acknowledgment that I would not be as much fun and just that little bit more boring. And so it must be (although not all the time! That would make Jack a dull boy!!)

The irony of this post is found in the fact that as I type it is 8:17pm. My wakeup is at 4am. Thus, already ignoring my own advice! Perhaps that can start tomorrow, which is, thankfully, a day off.

Sleep well and good luck to us all!

I rarely proof read and publish as is, so please provide me some latitude for the odd error.