Sleep
I sleep brilliantly – not enough, but brilliantly. I rarely get eight hours; my Fitbit says it’s somewhere between six and seven a night. I avoid looking at my phone; I’m always telling my children about the impact of blue light, so I can’t nag them and do it myself.
Eat
I couldn’t survive without breakfast. I have scrambled or boiled eggs (sometimes with smoked salmon) and toast with honey or peanut butter after an hour’s turbo training at 6.45am. I don’t feel hungry straight after a workout, but I know it’s important to have protein after exercising. In terms of nutrition, the rest of the day can be more chaotic. Lunch is a chicken sandwich and yoghurt, while dinner is a tuna salad. After many years cooking for my family, I think: “I’m quite keen on Marks & Spencer!” I eat the same way year-round; it’s better to keep doing what you regularly do rather than something different before a race.
Work
I founded Silverfit (a charity that promotes lifelong fitness) in 2013 after 50 years in social work. I only started running at the age of 52, when my husband died, an experience that remains a profound influence. We have had 53,000 attendees, which is incredible but time-consuming. We run events from cheerleading to Nordic walking.
Family
I have two sons, a daughter and four grandchildren aged 12 to 19. We get together frequently; they are fantastically supportive. For the past few years, my sons and son-in-law have joined me on the New York triathlon, jumping into the Hudson river together. One of my grandchildren said my book should be called Madgran instead of Irongran. It is a bit mad, isn’t it, being an old woman who does triathlons?
Fun
I don’t see triathlons as work – it’s not a chore and there is always a feelgood factor. I’m training for three events, including Ironman in November. As I get closer, I will need to do 20 hours of exercise a week. As well as turbo training on my Zwift indoor bike, I go on a bike ride twice a week and swim with Swim For Tri; I’m supposed to do 8-12km a week. When I go to Mexico for Ironman, I’ll take a longer trip and swim with the manta rays. I like fairly active holidays.
•Irongran by Edwina Brocklesby is published by Sphere, at £14.99.
