The work is done!

Well a lot has happened since my last post, training has been consistent but mentally tough however I've had a fair bit going on in my personal life.  We sold our house and as most people are aware this is usually a stressful process and when you add in to the equation going to France to see my Father for the first time in 10 years it gives you some idea of my recent stress levels!  It has undoubtedly been a bit draining on my energy levels but at the time you don't realise as you keep adding layers of pressure until your body says enough is enough.  Over the last two weeks I've backed my training off to the bare minimum to help recover and reduce the chance of picking up any viruses.  Touch wood this seems to have worked and I feel as if I'm almost back to full fitness.

With regard to training,  I am happy with how I have been progressing and when I look back, the sessions I felt at the time were difficult without any real reason were clearly influenced by the personal pressures going on at the time.  It's times like these where a coach earns his money as I would of been very tempted to keep pushing hard and digging myself into a deeper hole of fatigue.  When you're doing regular weeks of 20+ hours training it doesn't take much to tip the balance and you quickly become very tired and run down, this is just as relevant to mental stress as physical stress.

To give you an idea of a typical training week for me I have taken a snap shot out of my training plan.

Mon - 1hr swim 2hr Bike 1hr Run
Tues - 3.5hr Bike
Wed - 1.5hr Swim 1.5hr Run
Thurs - 1.5hr Bike 30min Run
Fri - 2hr Swim 45min Run
Sat - 5hr Bike
Sun - Rest Day

With under 3 days until my main race of the year Ironman Wales, it's all about recovering and ensuring I'm as fresh as possible going into the race on Sunday.  I intend to put a few updates on twitter @ChestersDan and if possible a mini blog while I'm in Tenby.  You can track the event live via the Ironman Website which gives live updates through out the day.  You simply enter my race No 719 and it will show my progress, use the below link.

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx#axzz2dvGZKjcQ