My Training - January

 230km  420km  24km  5 hours

It was straight out of the blocks for 2015 with no let up in my training regime. As is customary in western society, it was also straight out of the blocks for many 'new year, new you' types. In the gym, in the pool, on the streets it all got a little cosy. Of course I was not riled at all by the lack of lockers or the choice that some made to learn to swim in the fast lane. Not at all. Anyway, February is here so that'll be that for another 11 months. 

The run commute

With one eye on the following month's festivities I still clocked up some decent mileage - I mean what is one to do - on the roads, mostly commuting home of an evening and training with el nuevo running club. Training on a Tuesday involving threshold sessions is a real god send for me, not something I would put myself through alone. Whilst 2015 is ultimately about joining the 100 mile thigh club, I am also intent on running fast at shorter distances. On a Thursday, a 10 mile run leaves the clubhouse with the more pace-gifted guys pushing me to keep up after the 10k run just to get there. I worry that they've not yet ramped-up for marathon season, but keep-up I must.

Tuesday night VPHTHAC crew

Tower Bridge at the 10 mile turn-a-round

Daria has made her way back up into the living room - must be all the ironing I'm doing - and I've logged some decent static distance this month. To think I only bought her 3 months before last year's Ironman, I should annihilate my bike leg time this year. Especially with a new set of 'are you seriously choosing to spend your money like that' carbon wheels. I still must get out on the tarmac, there's no substitute for that. 

T'was the month of multi discipline (and uber proactive) training, where on occasion I have been running to the pool and running on home from there. On the horizon are run-bike-run sessions as I pass three accessible gyms on the commute home. This will inevitably lead to run-bike-run-swim-run sessions. Ultimately leading to 'Craig we need to talk' sessions with the poor girlfriend! The logistics of this have not been easy but I'm learning fast. Leaving the pool in a sodden t-shirt when it's 2 degrees outside sure does shiver thy timbers. A feeling of 'oh jeez I'm going to feint' has also introduced itself on these second leg runs. The answer is simple, wrap a Snickers in a vest.

Running and swimming and running

Aside from the aforementioned (constantly mentioned) lane traffic and hijinx, I had a lovely swimming month. I adore London Fields lido and feel so fortunate to have an Olympic size (heated) outdoor pool on my running doorstep. In January I frequented it for the first time since the floodlights have been installed, swimming in a pool of steam late into the evening is just the perfect antidote to any shizer workday. To think this was only reopened in 2006 after 18 years of closure. God love the bourgeois Hackney movement.

Late night swimming

In the gymnasium I continued to pump away (as a bishop said to a nun) and take in the behavioural spectacle of Muscle Marys. Whilst I'm working out to become stronger for triathlon, I won't lie that I'm also there for conditioning, sorry vanity. Those that are there 100% for vanity are an interesting bunch indeed. Push eight reps, stand back, glance at mirror, tense muscle group worked, high-5 the gym instructor. Different strokes...

I discovered Fetch Everyone this month, to add to my social network of Strava, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Primarily for the recording of my RUYD data, but also as I work for the company that owns it. How did I luck out? My user name is RunNorrisRun. 

For now it's bye bye to cycling and to a lesser extent swimming, for what will be a month of epic running mileage. After a month of filing tax returns of an evening between training and work, if not easier, it will certainly be less mundane an effort.