Kittenkat - I'm glad I found you on here.
I see you have made the transition for '07' newbie into a 5 year later tri/fitness fiend who loves a rant and a laugh. Well me too and I was lured by your first post about signing up for a full ironman. I didn't quite catch the some 50,000 posts, so guessing you made it. How did you go? Anyways, my brief story is I've been sporting growing up, played a few sports did alright at them and then mid 20's hit with beer boobs and travelling taking a front seat. I have my own Cat (Catja) afgter meeting her working in the French alps and that was back in 2009. Lived in Holland then Nz, then London and now Holland again, however I will be returning to London in a week for a months work and to watch the All Blacks take on the Scots and the English. Anyway focus Ollie, as I need your advice on the next steps.
in late 2009 I had a very bad break, dislocation, tendons, ligaments all ripping off the bone etc. I hadn't done anything since July 2012 and it dawned on me i cant drink 3 nights in a row and June 2013 is creeping up when I turn 30. I was like fuck (I notice you swear alot of, so please forgive me) I need to tick off the marathon goal of before I'm 30 idea. So I signed up to the amsterdam Marathon which gave me just under 3 months (seems like your 6 month training plan was it?). Got a mate involved to create the banter and waway we went. little did i know that my leg didnt like running once a week let along 3-5 times. I got my sub 50 min 10k time done, the sub 1:46min 21km done and had 2x runs of 26kms done before leg started to shit out. This is when 1 month out my mental side of things took over freaking out but also thinking ill be fine to get over the line. We signed up our GF's to do the 8kms and it was all fun and games. I crossed the line in 4hrs 35mins after looking good for a sub 4hr until I hit the 30km mark. Wy does it tell u in training not to run the full distance ever and then as i hit unchartered territory my legs started to feel heavy. the 10km bike at hte gym the wednesday prior wouldnt of helped as the quads frooze but i felt bad for the lack of running due to the pains in my left achillis...oh well, it was bloody great to have achieved it in such short time and blow me away my mate, also a 1st timer got 3hr 13mins. (he's already signed up for Paris and Berlin where i was always going to shift my focus to tri's, half ironman and then the full one.
The crisis i find myself in is that i can swim, bike and run but much like you have absolutely no cash to buy what is needed (bike, wetsuit, shoes, gimp shorts/tops) but super keen to get involved!!! If i had the equipment yeah sign me up to a full ironman and a years training, boom!! but sadly, I think I will have to do a couple of olympic distance tri's in 2013, a marathon, few half's and then hopefully in 2014 complete a half iron man and then give the iron man ago before my 35th dday - sounds all rather desressing doesnt it?
Well I will be keen to hear what you (or others) have up their sleeve for advice (gumtree maybe for gear?). I currently unemployed after working the rugby world cup and the London Olympics so would love to be sponsorsed to become a full time novice, regular joe ironman trainee - wouldn't that be the life! (well finding work in sports marketing is tough here in Holland, whilst the GF works in a knitting shop and building her own label).
take it easy and i best catch up to speed on the some 50,000 other posts
till next next
Ollie
