Paul Arden | Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Recently I’ve been fishing less than usual. I need to get that back into balance! There are basically two reasons for this, the first is that my online Zoom coaching has really taken off. I’m currently coaching 25 fly fishermen from around the globe. New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, UK, Sweden and the Philippines. Most are in the US. As a consequence of this, I do usually about ten 1-1 coaching sessions/week. Some weeks are busier. Over the course of this year I expect to give around 600 lessons to 50 students. OK that’s not a huge amount of work for any normal person, but I see it as more than a full-time job!! :))) I usually bring in one new student/week, so if that sounds like you then let me know.
The *other* reason is that I’m about two months out from the Malaysian Ironman. A few years ago, when I was about to turn 50, I thought to myself “Christ, Paul, you are not fit any more, is this as fit as you are going to be?” And the other me said, “Ha!! Just watch!” And so I set myself a 50yr old challenge to do 5 Ironman races in one year. And then COVID struck.
Last year I did two 70.3s (half Ironman) and struggled in both of them! And so I took stock of the situation, realised that I wasn’t training either enough or the right stuff, and decided to do something about both.
It’s not so much the training hours that is so time-consuming (it’s currently about 15hrs/week) but it’s also the recovery time. When I first started doing 4.5-5hr indoor bike rides in the Battleship, I was completely shot the next day. Running for 2-2.5hrs, here in the tropics, really floored me too. I can do both those things back to back now, so I guess I’m fitter.
I’ve also been learning to swim more efficiently. I’ve never been a very good swimmer. I’m still not! But I would like to be. I’ve had a bike fit… I’m having my metabolic efficiency tested later this month…. I’ve been training myself (and my body) to fuel (eat) while exercising. And I’m all over the understanding of how my heart rate zones affect endurance. It’s been truly quite fascinating actually.
I don’t know what’s going to happen on October 7th, but I have a plan to thoroughly enjoy myself. I’d love to beat my fastest time from 10-12 years ago. That’s going to be hard here in the tropics. I might have to get the finishing time out of my head and have a race plan than involves really enjoying myself and to be happy at the end whatever. This is certainly is not going to be the last one I do!
I don’t mind getting old. But I do mind not being fit!! It’s not age that slows us down… well maybe it is at some point but at 50 for me it would just be an excuse.
Anyway, that’s all certainly taken a fair chunk of my time this year. The trick afterwards, will be to maintain a high level of fitness. For me that means continuing to set hard-to-achieve (and interesting) goals. Hopefully my life can be a bit more balanced afterwards… Yeah right!
It’s interesting how fly fishing, fly casting and Ironman are all obsessions. They are all-consuming. Maybe it’s not surprising that I know quite a few fly fishers who do Ironman. I don’t know anyone who does these any of things who is not totally obsessed. I think you have to be.
Ok I have a few days off. I was supposed to be guiding this week but my guest unfortunately tested positive for Covid a few days before he was to arrive (mild symptoms fortunately). I think I shall go fishing!!
Oh, one more thing; I have two new rods coming my way soon! A 9’ 9WT prototype Hot Torpedo and a Double Handed Dildo.
Have a great week!
Cheers, Paul