Is it all worth it?

Looking back to the MK Sprint a couple of weeks ago, where I DNF’d, I was wondering this week if all this training is really worth it, when something completely outside your control can turn the tables so drastically.

After hours of lonely miles in the saddle. Up and down the swimming pool for countless lengths. Pounding the local streets at midnight. Then, on the start line and, POW, it’s all over because of a mechanical error. That’s it. Curtains.

But training isn’t just for racing. It’s fun. During many miles in the saddle I have ridden through beautiful countryside. I have run through stunning woodland and swum in beautiful clear waters around the world. There’s no better way to start the day than a refreshing run in the woods, then overlooking the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside from the top of Ivinghoe Beacon. And I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, too. That’s why I do it. Of course it’s worth it!

My son’s football team takes up a lot of my time, and I won’t deny that this season I have wondered whether or not it is all worth it. This weekend we had our end of season day out, and after that I remembered exactly why I do it.

Thanks to Anne Johnson (mum of Aarin, one of the players) for a magnificently well organised day, we went over to Willen Lake for a day out rafting, golf and archery (the kids, that is, not the parents!), then back to Dragon City (local Chinese buffet restaurant) for dinner – 50 of us! The kids absolutely loved the whole thing, and to see the look of joy on their faces, each and every one of them, from start to finish, was wonderful.





I originally took up coaching to take an active role with Adam - my dad did the same for me when I was Adam’s age and I will always remember his support which contributed enormously to my happy childhood. But, not just that - after four seasons I have also grown very close to all the kids. Seeing them develop, at football and as people generally, is a wonderfully satisfying experience. That’s why I do it – and, yes, it most definitely is all worth it.

Joe finished his GCSE’s this week, after an extremely intensive four weeks of exams. It is fair to say that he has had a chequered time at the boys-only Grammar School in Aylesbury, but he really did knuckle down these last few months and so, hopefully, his grades will reflect his hard efforts when they come out in August. Whatever happens, parents can’t ask more of their children other than to try their hardest, and so I am sure that all of Joe’s hard work will have been worth it.

As triathlon training takes a back seat after the Worlds in September, football training takes over. This will start with trials in a couple of week’s time. In the meantime, however, all efforts are on my race training. Here’s what I did this week:-

Monday – swim - club swim, run - hard hill session, bike - 10 mile time trial (23:55 - PB)
Tuesday – rest
Wednesday – run - intervals, bike - hard hill session
Thursday – swim - open water (Liquid Leisure)
Friday – run - intervals, bike - 10 mile time trial with triathlon club (24:37)
Saturday – run - hill and sprints session
Sunday – rest

Good luck to Jo, Russell and Musty from my tri club who are off out to the South of France this week to take part in next Sunday’s Nice Ironman. Whether it be training for a sprint or an ironman, the effort required to compete at one’s own individual best is enormous. Those boys have certainly been extremely focussed with their training and so I’m sure they’ll surpass all expectations.

Finally, well done to me this week for another PB on the bike, again on the 10 mile time trial. This time I squeezed a sub 24 minutes for the first ever time, at 23:55, and this was directly after a tough Ashridge 8 mile run where I also managed a near PB in 63 minutes’ish. Why do I do all this training? Well, apart from having a fantastic start to the day, the feeling of registering PB after PB is hard to match. To infinity and beyond (there's the link to the headline picture)!

Cheers

C