After a fairly encouraging first week’s training, this last week has been pretty rubbish as I have woken at 4:00am every day! As a result I have been too knackered to train properly. I have been to work on my bike a few times though I don’t count this as training. I feel good today as I generally sleep well at the weekends so I am going to go for a run this afternoon and bike ride tomorrow.
I have just received a book TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy) which is by leading experts in treatment of tinnitus and half of it is science. The tinnitus and perception of noise has virtually nothing to do with the ear itself, although slight hearing loss is the trigger for tinnitus.
It is all to do with the neurological pathways between the ear and the brain, and the auditory nervous system. Basically when the tinnitus started the nervous system sees it as an unwelcome threat and puts the body into ‘fight or flight’ mode. Which explains the difficulty in getting back to sleep, my body is literally ready to get up and go. Apparently these signals from the brain to the nervous system cannot be changed by conscious thought alone which explains why no matter how hard I try I cannot change my sleeping patterns with any amount of routine change. At least now I know this, it helps you to understand what is going on and I guess I am lucky that my tinnitus doesn’t drive me crazy even though the after effects are deep rooted into my auditory nervous system, and also my limbic system, which I had no idea existed until yesterday!
I said I wasn’t going to discuss tinnitus in here but after a week of being tired I’ve nowt else to report.
Is anybody actually reading this?
CLICK THE FOLLOW BUTTON IN THE TOP RIGHT!! OR LEAVE SOME COMMENTS!!!
Otherwise I’ll just keep it as a personal training log.

Just been on my first proper road ride for years, I was a bit apprehensive as I thought I might be really disappointed with my fitness as the last time I was into road riding I was really strong. Road riding is all about fitness where as mountain biking, although it keeps you fit, it's a bit stop start but good fun and more of a buzz.
Anyhow the ride went really well and has left me feeling very positive, just so long as I can keep some consistency in my training.

I am currently riding this old thing which I paid a tenner for!






Though I have my eye on one of these:-




Unfortunately I'm not allowed to buy it till we move house!

I've knocked 2.5 minutes off my four mile run already and have a swimming lesson booked for next Wednesday with Barracuda Triathlon club.

First hurdle...

Had about 1-2 hours kip last night so fit for nothing today. I'm not going to dwell on this bloody condition in this Blog though as it's just depressing, it likes to draw you in but it won't beat me. I'll mention it as little as possible as this should be about what I can acheive towards the Ironman. On days like this, it feels like an impossibilty!

I know, I'll do some Yoga, essential for the Ironman wannabe according to training legend Joe Freil.

First day of training

Though I don't like to call it training anymore. I'll have to think of another description, I haven't slept well for the past two nights, but you know what, it wasn't tinnitus. It was alcohol consumption! I should know better really as alcohol in amounts more than a couple of beers or glasses of wine makes tinnitus worse. I am going to see how long I can go without getting pissed, I'll still have the odd beer or glass of wine but no more than a couple. It will certainly be for the best.
Anyhow, I'm a little tire today but ok. So I will be doing a 4 mile run later this afternoon, I am only just getting back into running so have just been doing a couple of miles over the past month to ease myself into it.
I forgot to mention that my swimming will need the most work, I have terrible technique.

UPDATE: Just done my first 4 mile run in years, on schedule then, not long now.
;-)

Why!?

I have had tinnitus for ten years but two years ago it got much worse seemingly over night. Tinnitus is basically a noise in the ears that can be a ringing, buzzing, hissing or popping noise, it varies from person to person; it can also be pulsating, i.e. in time with your heart. It can drive people quite literally mad, even to the point of suicide. Imagine having noises in your head that you cannot stop, there is no medication or cure. It is left to the individual and how best they cope with it, thus it can lead to a massive sense of isolation, frustration, despair etc, etc.....
My tinnitus is a kind low toned ringing. When it first got bad, around January 2007, it hit me very hard. There were many sleepless nights, with what seemed a very loud constant ringing in my head, both ears. I have had to have weeks off work as I have been exhausted through lack of sleep. It is something that is also difficult to explain to people, how it effects your life can be incomprehensible to others. It has led to depression, not surprising really, as when it kicked in I had never been fitter. I had been racing mountain bikes, for a couple of years before and was so strong, yet I took it all for granted, never again. I have just come out a of a particularly bad phase, feeling very positive. I have always kept biking and running as and when I could over the past couple of years and do my best to keep fit. Before the tinnitus got bad I trained every day, sometimes twice a day. Now I manage a couple of times a week and generally feel tired and struggle when I'm training. But things are getting better, I have habituated to the tinnitus and luckily for me, it doesn't bother me anymore, yet the fear of not sleeping has become a subconscious thing, a side effect of a couple of years of having little sleep.
I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
I have been reading through some tinnitus forums lately and seeing how people's lives are being ruined by it, literally. People lose their jobs, their homes, their relationships as they struggle to cope with tinnitus. They feel lost and hopeless as there is little help available and no cures, and it takes so long to habituate, years and years, sometimes never.
I want to give people suffering from tinnitus some hope, I have always wanted to do the Ironman, which is a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112mile bike ride followed by running a marathon, all in one go. I have decided that I am going to do it before I am forty, it may take longer than that, or it could be quicker but that is the plan. I am often exhausted yet need to train my body to it's limits for this event.
I can visualise it, so I am already on the road to my goal. It's going to be more, much more mental than physical. I am in no doubt that my body is capable of it, but the tinnitus is affected by mood and stress.
Sorry for the long first post but people have to understand a few things first.