Family bonds

  With my promise to begin training again properly after my night shifts on Wednesday I just want to polish up and get completely up to date on my blog especially as the quiet night shifts are the easiest time to do a blog as well as a great way to pass the time! When I train and work 12 hour day shifts blogging sometimes goes on the back burner. So please excuse me if this update seems rather disjointed as it really is just tying everything up that is notable enough to be mentioned before the next one.

  Firstly I couldn't believe it yesterday when I came to the realisation I had not mentioned on my blog earlier that I am in fact going to Lanzarote for a training week in March. I wrote in my 'If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough' entry on the 20th October that from what I have read from and been told a training camp especially in Lanzarote, where I would be competing, would be an invaluable experience. I was becoming increasingly worried about the heat during Ironman Lanzarote and although I have the week before the event to acclimatise I really wanted to get an idea of how I would fair. Going abroad to a training camp solo gets expensive however as you have to have single room as opposed to shared accommodation (many come as a big group). As well as that even when looking at the dates there were scheduled training camps abroad I was struggling to work the dates given my lack of holiday allowance left (I had already booked the dates I need off for events until July 2014 when my holiday renews). So, with all this in mind I had put the idea of going to a training camp aside regardless of how beneficial I believed I would find it. It was however after swimming with the Tri Club that it made it a necessity for me. Some of the members hang around after training to have a chin wag (obviously all about triathlon) and this ultimately led on to talking about me doing Lanzarote. I knew that the club did a group Lanzarote training week in March and it was as Adrian (an Ironman obsessive) that began talking about the brutal winds he was faced with during their trip earlier in the year. He said that the cross winds were so bad that when on the flats he had to lean in the other direction in order to stay upright. I always knew that the islands winds are another element that made Lanzarote the feared Ironman it is. Hearing how concerned Adrian was when recalling this memory and given he is a very experienced Ironman was worrying to me. I can do well on the bike but it is the discipline I lack the most confidence in so after hearing this I really wanted to test out the steep volcanic downhills and fierce winds. I drove back home rather concerned.

Club La Santa and its vast sports facilites

  It was the next day at work that I thought of a plan. My Dad and I have been going on a 'Dad and Daughter trip' since I was three, never missing a year since. This started off when I was a child as a camping trip with a group of friends and has since developed into our own personal trip. When my Dad could no longer sleep on a camp bed due to his back and hip we began going to more adventurous places with proper beds. We began going places that were of particular interest i.e. places that we always wanted to go to or places that held attractions we wanted to learn from etc. For example we went to Oslo one year as I was doing my A-level art project on Edvard Munch ('The Scream' artist). We spent the whole time there retracing Munch's footsteps, walking around the city finding his museum, his old homes as well as his grave. I remember trip with great pleasure. Munch will continue to be my favourite artist not just for his notoriety for 'The Scream' but for many other reasons such as his personal life and his other work as well. However, more than that I fondly remember spending this time with my Dad - as I do all of our trips away together. This year as I have written about previously in my blog we went to Tenby together before the Ironman to do a recce of the course. I cannot express how beneficial this was to me as I mention in '19 days and counting - a long awaited update' on the 20th August. So with this in mind I posed the question to my Dad, "Dad and Daughter trip to Lanzarote to do a recce in March?". By the end of the day we had a week booked in Lanzarote staying at the well known sports training resort 'Club La Santa'. It is particularly popular with triathletes as it has a 50m pool and has scheduled training runs, rides, events and much more every day. I am not booked in to an actual scheduled training camp but as the resort includes all the sporting facilities and sessions I can do however many sessions I fancy as well as spend time with my Dad. I have already thought of what I want to do out there and will make this more solid nearer the time:

1. Drive the whole cycle route and then either complete the toughest sections or arrange to do the whole thing
2. Get some personal cycle coaching on the route - particularly downhill technique
3. Run varying distances around the area at different times of the day to get an idea of the climate and how I cope
4. Many arranged swim sessions in the 50m pool
5. Arrange a day to go to the swim start and swim in the sea (also make a day of this on the beach with Dad)
6. Do a recce of the golf course in preparation for Mum, Dad and their friends who are coming to support me, Peter and Bridget, all of whom who will spend much of the week prior to the Ironman playing golf together. Although I am rubbish at golf and find it a very frustrating sport it's a great way of spending more quality time with my Dad
7. Enjoy time with my Dad

Just writing about this is getting me so excited. I cannot wait to do some serious focused training in a new environment, get some sun but most importantly spend time with my Dad. With my love of Ironman and as I am currently chasing a Kona slot I wonder where else these special trips with my Dad will take us? Possibly the start of a new Dad and Daughter tradition - what do you think Dad?

  My love for Ironman also must be addictive as I have made my first real convert. Dan and I went to a Halloween party on the Friday 1st November. (The photos of me as Catwoman and Dan as The Hulk are on show). Whilst at the party someone pointed out I was an Ironman (I'm sure Dan rolled his eyes when he heard this as he knows that it starts a conversation I love to continue. Not that Dan could talk that night as he relished being quizzed by Mario and Luigi about muscle gain and weights all night. He was a personal trainer dressed as The Hulk - what did he expect?). Anyway, the person who continued talking to me about Ironman was my future 'victim'. He has competed in an Olympic triathlon before and always had a dream of becoming and Ironman as I did. I explained he has an age to train for an Ironman with an Olympic already behind his back. Although I felt his attitude towards becoming an Ironman needed to change (wanting to be one of the fastest) since that night he has been to a swim session with Chiltern Tri and his entry to Ironman Wales is imminent. He is certainly heading in the right direction to become one.

  Another thing I have to mention I have been featured in '220 Triathlon' magazine, a magazine I subscribe to. There is a section in the magazine which includes readers letters about all things triathlon, (of course). I sent my story to them and when my magazine arrived in the post, sure enough as I was told my letter was in there as well as a picture of me. Despite not being the most flattering of pictures I was pleased it had been included. As many other triathlon lovers read the new addition of the magazine I began getting more recognition and support on Twitter. One who I am already following said, "Moved again reading about the tragic loss of Rosie in Tri 220 mag! You get training girl we're all behind you #Hollie4Kona". Another who had stumbled upon it wrote, "Saw your letter in 220 Triathlon magazine. I really hope you smash the course up in 2014 and make it to Kona!". I thanked him and he replied again, "I'm onboard for this journey now. YOU CAN DO IT!". Thank you all - I believe and know that one day I will make it!

  So, to finish I'll my explaining what I am doing when these dreaded night shifts are over…for another month. After I have recovered from my final night shift I am going back to my parents house for three days. I did a shift swap in order to make it down for these days - hence why I have done so many night shifts in a row (even though I do prefer doing them all at once). The main reason I am going back is so I can attend Rosie's memorial in Nottingham which has been arranged by two of her university friends. Hopefully the new found strength I mentioned in my previous blog will stay with me that day. Despite this being the main reason I am travelling back I am actually looking forward to being back in the village. Although my parents aren't going to be there as they are on a well deserved holiday in Portugal I can spend some time at my parents, see my sister, brother in law, brother, sister in law, nieces (Amber, Phoebe, Lexi) and nephew (Tom). Being a girl I naturally get along with my nieces and have always had a special bond with Amber because of our ages. When I was a teenager I used to love going with Amber and Rose to Basingstoke. We would shop, go to the cinema and eat pizza. As I got older I used to love taking Amber out myself, acting grown up and treating her to all these things. I was always so proud to show her off and loved it when many people commented on how alike we looked. Many people in my family always commented on how alike we are in personality and talent as well. She has since grown into a beautiful young teenager who is a head turner, strong willed, caring and very intelligent. Even at my age I am using the statement, "She has grown up so fast". Phoebe, 4, is Emma's youngest and full of life, personality and absolutely gorgeous. She will too grow into a stunner. My youngest niece is Lexi, 2, my brothers daughter. Her little smile is infectious and with her blue eyes and blonde hair will definitely attract the boys when she's older (not that my brother would allow it). The love I have for my young nieces is unconditional and our bond is only just starting to develop. In amongst all these beautiful girls there is Podge (Tom), my nephew. I am also Tom's godmother (as well as Phoebe's). I think with all the women in the family Tom naturally fled to my brother Brett, and vice versa. They are both fierce 'Loyal Royals', Reading football fans, and every week since Tom was little they have watched them play together. This has built up a very strong bond between them and the similarities in their personality and appearance means it is not surprising that 'mini Brett' is another, of the many, nicknames we have for Tom. Being the only boy however, Tom gets a lot of attention from the women in the family. I always bully him for a kiss and he is such a mummy's boy he once promised he would marry Emma and never leave home. The reason why I mention Tom so much is because recently he told me he wants to get into triathlon after seeing what I have done. Since then he has been treated to an early christmas present; a Giant road bike. I am taking my bike down with me for the coming days and am so looking forward to going out with him. It will be quality time I don't always get with my beautiful nephew and godson. Amber has also mentioned she has aspirations to get into triathlon as well, so when she gets her road bike in January for her birthday, I'll be there showing her the ropes. Maybe Phoebe and Lexi will follow too? :).
  I read a statement about aunts the other day that I want to finish on as every word is true. It is what I felt for Rosie throughout her life and is something I continue to strive for for Amber, Tom, Phoebe and Lexi. I only hope they all know that this is the case. If they agree, at any age, with just one sentence in this statement then I am honoured and know I have done something right; "Only Aunts can love you like a mother, keep secrets like a sister, behave like a true friend, and kick your butt if you need it!". I love you all.