Moving again

Back to it, into training again. Actually I was into training yesterday too but just didn't get around to mentioning it.

The sessions for the last couple of days have been spins on the bike. Just getting things moving again. Training straight after a race tends to be fairly low intensity, whether you want it to or not. It doesn't really matter how many long triathlons you have done, it doesn't make your body get over them any quicker. In the end a half Ironman is still 4 and a bit hours of physical abuse and it takes time for all your muscles etc to forgive you for that.

Still the outings on the bike have been very pleasant over the last couple of days. Perth is in proper Summer now. Even if the day isn't going to be stinking hot, you still have the dry summer winds blowing out of the East in the mornings, drying out your mouth and making sure your ride is a struggle in one direction and downhill in the other.

Despite the racing, the body has felt okay on the bike. Yesterday morning the ride was a little bit lower on the intensity scale and the body felt a little bit better. Today the ride ended up being a bit more intense (it wasn't deliberate, just happened that way, honest) but the legs took a long time to get into it. When I first headed out my legs were pretty convinced that they couldn't be bothered. They took a long time to change their minds.

I have been nicely surprised at how quickly my body has started feeling okay post Albany. It is amazing what a good massage and a bunch of stretching can do for you. I think it will take a bit longer for the energy levels to return to normal, but in terms of muscle soreness etc I am feeling okay.

One of those little things that you don't think of, but I suspect has made a big difference to my recovery, has been a lack of blisters. For the last few races I have done (about four I would say) I have ended up with some pretty vicious blisters. These blisters have meant that walking is more pain than it is worth and so I have tended to stay stationary straight after the races. Albany was my first race in my new race shoes (Mizuno Sayonara 2s) and they were brilliant. No blisters here. Straight after the race it didn't strike me as a big deal. But I have realised in the days since the race that it has meant that I have been able to walk around more freely. Which in turn has meant I have stayed much more active since the race. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that keeping my muscles mobile has helped at least a little in post race recovery.

Down the pool in the morning. That will be a real test of just how well the muscles are recovering.