Thrilled to have a personal trainer

As mentioned previously, it became increasingly clear to me that not only would I need to make a significant personal commitment to training over the next year, I would also need some help. The internet is a marvellous resource, and whilst there is much advice to be found about training plans and tips, none of it is specific to you. Moreover, much of it can be conflicting. One theme that did resonate was the importance of spending the winter months on strength and conditioning. A second was that many others recommended getting a personal trainer. This seemed like an excellent idea on so many levels – proper advice and a training plan tailored specifically to me (I work much better with a plan to follow), monitoring of progress, setting of goals, motivation etc etc.

So imagine my delight a couple of weeks ago, when I was on the verge of taking the plunge and finding myself a trainer, when I received a phonecall from my sister Catriona to ask if I fancied being the subject of a project for her friend Fiona who is a personal trainer. To say I jumped at the chance would be an understatement.

To tell you a little about Fiona. We have met a few times through GTC where she is also a member. I know quite a lot of ‘performance information’ about club members because I have only just recently given up writing the club newsletter which closely followed all member achievements, which let me know that Fiona is an exceptional triathlete in her own right, having, for example, completed the Aberfeldy Middle Distance Triathlon (see Triathlons Explained) earlier this year in a fabulous time of 6 hours (smiling throughout I might add) (and for that matter with immaculate nail varnish). She was also a very well deserved ‘ GTC triathlete of the month’ this year, and has inspired many who have learned of her achievements despite being a working mother with two children, both of whom have disabilities. And I know from mutual friends that she is one of the most positive and inspiring individuals they have ever met. She also happens to be a highly qualified personal trainer, founder of Fit and Fabulous and luckily for me, as part of work towards a further qualification, needs a subject to build a strength and conditioning plan for, which we are going to tailor towards my Ironman training.

We met for the first time last Wednesday and for the first time since signing up, I already feel like, just maybe, it might be OK. Yes it’s going to be a huge amount of work but I’m going to have a proper plan to follow, with goal setting and a focus on actually making it to the start line!