Anyway, whilst struggling around the park with the excruciating pain in my ankle Dan told me "do not try and be a hero. The pain will not get better by over-ruse". He constantly kept saying, if your injured we are stopping but I kept being 'a hero' (stubborn) and resisting saying it was bearable (I was in fact I was trying to hide my tears). I am not one to cry especially about my own injury pain so this did knock me back a little about how much it was hurting and could potentially be a real worry. Despite this I still went for a run the day after during my lunch break. I hated it and felt like it was a waste of time. I only had 20minutes so wanted to push myself as fast as a could for 10 minutes then turn around but I just couldn't go faster no matter how hard I seemed to try.
Moreover, when I showed Dan my plans he instantly questioned why I didn't include a rest day for the week. This was followed by personal trainer spiel about how rest is just as important as the training as it gives the body time to recover and improve, to which he ended, "WHEN you get an injury don't expect any sympathy from me". So I rested. I regretfully have to admit he may have been right as with just 2 days of no running my ankle pain has disappeared (for now at least).
Having a plan is a massive help to me as once I have made it I then don't have to think about what I'm doing before/after work. As well as this it is a good way to test and check my ability. I am averaging 12hours a week of training, which is a just above average for an amateur athlete. If I keep this stamina up throughout the winter and into next June ready for Ironman Austria I should be fitter, thinner and ultimately faster. The question which Dan posed is will my good form detoriate when the weather gets even worse and when the triathlon events I rely on for training stop for the winter? Time will tell on that note, but at the moment I am feeling motivated and strong about being able to keep it up. (Also as Dan has planted the seed that it will be tough to maintain, my competitive side has made me want to prove that I can stick to it).
After my run on Wednesday morning with Dan I got ready to go to Oxford to see my best friend Ele who I haven't seen in ages. I didn't realise how close I was to Oxford now, only a measley 35miles which took 40minutes. It would be a good training ride. One thing that was instantly noticable when arriving in Oxford was the amount of bikes there were. I felt as if I have arrived in Amsterdam! There were more bikes than cars and much better cycle lanes than I had seen in London. Admitedly the majority were commuter bikes with baskets on the front which you half expect to see a dog hanging out of. These were in sharp contrast to my type of cycling; a road bike in full lycra. However, despite being a little frustrating to drive around them all it was nice to see. I instantly loved the atmosphere of Oxford and was suprised when I realised I hadn't been there before. It did remind me of a more cycle infused Bristol (another city I recently visited and love).
Ele and I went for lunch and chatted endlessly. It was so lovely and confirmed that when you have a good friend, no matter what happens, where you move, they will always be there and things will click back into place. She asked the question I find hardest to answer about my Ironman, why? And I was stumped. I blatantly said why not? I want to see how far I can push my body and prove to myself and others I can do it. (Maybe I don't find it that hard, but I stumbled then, no one had asked me face-to-face before).
Ele's boyfriends' Dad was a professional cyclist, winning many events over the world including 'Giro d'Italia' (affectively the Tour de France but in Italy). He now owns his own bike shop and cafe as well as having his own bike brand, 'Zappi'. Under Zappi he also has his own professional cycle team (they are currently in Portugal competing). Narurally this means that Ele's boyfriend, Sam, knows a lot about cycling, being a keen and good cyclist. Ele told me he stopped competing as he didn't like getting too skinny which professional endurance cycling naturally makes you. It was the first time I had met him and we immediately began talking about bikes. It was mentioned that they may be able to get hold of an ex pro Zappi bike at a good price for me. A brand newone is around £3000-£4000! Yes I would probably look like I had all the gear and no idea but what the hell! When Ele mentioned me training for an Ironman Sam said "not even my dad would do that", a further indication of the fear and toughness of the event I was going to put myself through.
Ele and Sam had been living together for a while now and they looked happy. Seeing Ele looking so well after a tough few years was really humbling. We have known eachother since nursery and although we were never in eachothers pockets we both knew we would be friends for life. My mum will never forget when Ele told her that I was more like a sister to her and that is probably the best way to describe our friendship. I rushed off to go swimming with the tri club at 7pm after a really nice day. We vowed to see eachother more seeing as we are so close in distance now. I'm trying to get them both over for a meal one night in the very near future.
My swim session on Wednesday was great. I was beginning to feel the improvements of my training efforts in the swim. I was always right on the feet of the people infront and when I was at the front of the chain I could tell the person behind was struggling to keep up with me. I was now naturally breathing bilaterally which was allowing me to have more air and made my stroke more fluid. I was still desperate however, for a swim watch especially one with a heart rate (HR) monitor as well. For some reason though on the Thursday night open water swims I seem to fall apart. This week I was going strong and felt great to start. I was keeping to the times set which was 11x400m (8 lengths) in 4min10. The last five were a struggle. However our lane were having to put a lot of effort in as for the majority of the session as there were only three of us rotating each time. This means that there wasn't much rest to be had when normally at the back in the 'chain'. When at the front it is almost a sprint and with three to go there was only two of us meaning almost every set was a sprint. I was knackered by the end but knew I had pushed myself. Another reason I was desperate for a HR monitor.
Before the swim session on Thursday I went for a long bike ride with Dan. I didn't actually calculate how far we went, but there were some very cheeky climbs in there, all of which I got up without struggling too much. The Chilterns are a great place to train for Exmoor. Dan commented about my improvements on the bike which was a boost. He is a brilliant cyclist and can beast me around any terrain so it was nice to hear that my efforts in cycle fitness and my focus on technique was at least paying off a little. However, the area I need to improve on is standing up when going uphill. I don't know why, perhaps too many spin sessions at the gym, but when I stand up I hover which in spinning is meant to burn the legs as it is focussing on building and toning muscle in the quads. However, I don't want this when trying to get up a tough hill. I haven't got my position right when standing up so I am not getting the benefit of putting all of my weight through each pedal. Instead I have adopted the technique of slogging up a tough hill whilst sitting which is a skill in itself but draining, especially as I have made myself pretty quick at this method. At least I know if I am really struggling during a race I can always slog my way up. (I overtook everyone at the tough hill during the Winchester Duathlon with this method). Dan insists the way to get the right technique is to overdo it and get the confidence to rock the bike from either side, maybe no as much as you see Mark Cavendish do for the sprint to the finish of a stage in an event but that is the idea.
From now on, as the clocks have gone forward and it is staying lighter longer, I want to cycle to and from Chesham where the club swims take place. Training is all about incorporating it into your lifestyle and this is a great way increase my bike endurance and save some petrol money too! This means that I would have to negotiate the 14% incline everytime I went training and then tackle some horrendous hills on the way back, if anyone knows the area 'Gore Hill' is much to be desired. As well as that Chesham Leisure Centre where we train on a Wednesday and Friday is at the top of the steepest I have ever seen. Dan and I have estimated it is about 20-25% incline which is deemed impossible for amateurs by many scientists. (I have included some pictures which try to explain this theory, this links explains them properly http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/dotphysics/page/2/). Embarrassingly if and when I have to get off to walk up, which is the inevitable, I will have to face the shame that many of the members of the club may see me do so. I would love to think that the thought of them seeing me do this would get me up, but honestly it is hideous. I also want to start cycling to and from work when on the early shifts, but upping to this amount of cycling (over 50miles in total) isn't going to happen overnight.
All in all there have been more positives than negatives this week. The only other thing I have been struggling with is my nutrition. This is especially true when on my days off and I am doing the longer sessions. On Thursday for example when I did the 4hour bike ride I had some porridge and made it through till dinner where I had a big meal before going swimming. All in all I had just over 1800 calories when I probably burned over 2200. However I am just not hungry enough to eat more. I had wanted to again try my gels on the bike as I need to get used to doing this, but the roads were too busy for me to feel comfortable enough to do so. I am really interested in nutrition, if I could do a degree on anything else it would that. Therefore with the amount of books and amount I think I know about the subject I would have thought I would've found it easy to get right. How wrong I was, it seems that this may be the most difficult and yet it is probably the most important as without the fuel there is no physical or mental capacity and therefore definitely no Ironman. I have a lot to learn but I am enjoying every second. (Even more so now as Dan bought me a very sickly easter egg that I had requested as a treat - we all need a treat every now and then! HAPPY EASTER!).
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