Is this a mad way to start?

You read Candy's IM Austria race report yes?  It's a case of making sure you pick a point on the shore, and swim towards it.  When you don't have a swimming pool bottom, or lanes, to guide you, you will find you start veering off to one side of the other, so it's handy to get used to swimming in a straight live when you have nothing around you to keep you going straight.  This means you need to be able to check where you are going, ideally with a quick glance during the course of a single breath to see if you're still heading the right way.

For me, I just follow the feet in front.

I guess if I go along to open water swim sessions, they can help me with that?

Yeah, a lot easier in a kayak.  Try this in the pool once you're used to front crawl.  Check how many strokes you take per length, and then do half that number from the side with your eyes shut!  Make sure there's no-one you're going to crash into, but if you find you're still going where you intended I'll be impressed.

Probably not a good idea to actually try it, but that's what it's like in OW.

That pool closure is going to be a pain in the arse for you - she imply's there's somewhere else nearby, is that an option for you?

Realistically, you cant actually start training untl the 2nd week of October, because I dont think you should do anything any sooner than a week after your ankle comes out of its cast. Apart from your physiotherapy of course. Do tell your physio what you intend to do, because its important you dont bugger up your ankle forevermore trying to do too much too quickly.

IMF is my first (that implies more than one!?) IM, but I trained myself up to the Little Woody from a VERY weak swim base and precious little more biking, but with a good run background, in 3 months and finished it in 6hrs 38mins. So I think its possible. But I was also writing my thesis in a very leisurely fashion, so had zero work committments, and we have no kids. So my time was my own to train.

You asked a few pages back what, if anything you should be doing now. I'm no expert, but honestly, I would say the best thing you can do for the next month is spend a lot of time with your children and husband, because you're not going to be seeing much of them after that. Oh, and save your money, because equipment is expensive. There's no point in panicking about things like Open Water swimming yet, because you have months and months ahead of you, and far more important (but not insurmountable) goals to attain waaaaay before you need to worry about that.

But, like I said, I'm a novice, so what do I know?

Did you buy the cancellation insurance?

Yes I did buy the cancellation insurance!

There are times when I just won't be able to train flyaway so what you said about time worries me. My youngest is in Preschool in the morning but at home in the afternoons. I can train on the weekends and evenings when Mr kk isn't working/on call.

I will train as much as is possible but it has to fit in with family as I won't let my kids or Mr kk suffer for my training. I am lucky that Mr kk is so supportive.....

I won't Nic - thanks.

fb - I am a bit worried about leaving Mr kk for hours with the kids on his own... however, he said that he will support me in every way. I'll try to get as much don in the mornings when both kids are out of the house. I never was a housework person anyway!

I suppose the weekends will suffer a bit but he was very good at not minding my long slow runs before I did my ankle.

I think he very much appreciates my need to have some stress relief and time off from the kids.....

Well, that said, we'll see!

at least on his time off in the week we can cycle together, he's into that.

Yeah, thats what I worry about FB....

For the Little Woody I peaked at 11 hours training a week - I had a lot of groundwork to do with the swim and the bike. But my husband came to swimming with me in the early evenings, I had Saturday's as a rest day to spend time with him, and I did the rest of my training during the day when he was at work. I needed a lot more sleep than normal every time I notched up my training again, so that impacts "family time" too.

And you cant really go on 3 hour cycles at 5am in the winter....

flyaway, maybe I'm mad to do this with a 3yr old and 5yr old.....

Although we have amazing neighbours and friends support where we live....

I had thought of getting one CD, where I live is very rural and hilly and quite treacherous in the winter, it's he kind of place where you can't get the kids to school on certain days every winter.

Will any old turbo trainer do? I have no idea......