It has been such a long time since I last posted a blog that I have forgotten what has happened in between. I know that it has been a busy and mixed few weeks. I would love to say it was mainly busy due to training but that is not the case. I have been trying to do the one thing that does not mix with triathlon, especially Ironman, and that is a social life. Whilst I was training itently I began to miss people, my friends, family and thought I craved some sort of life outside of triathlon. So in my days off I planned for people to come and visit me. In hindsight I underestimated how it takes to get the flat in a visitor clean state, go shopping and get ready before guests arrive, therefore my training plan fell through. It is also difficult to just get up and leave guests if I want to go for a run or swim. Most importantly it is hard to schedule training around friends and family visits. After not seeing them for so long there is much to catch up and laugh about and you just cannot plan to stop talking to loved ones when your having fun (as well as looking rude if you did). I have since found out I like my triathlon life and crave getting back to 'normality'.
I am not going to go into a day by day account of what I have been doing over the last 3 weeks as firstly I cannot remember and secondly it would be intensely boring to read. I do however admit I have found it difficult mentally and physically to train during this time. I still feel the low after an event and due to my busy schedule it has been difficult to get myself back into a structured plan again. I have also realised I am like many athletes who gets grumpy and sad through lack of exercise. It is my drug and fix. However, this does not mean I have done nothing as that is far from the truth, but I have just had to put training around my activities and work as opposed to the other way round. As well as having my parents and some friends round I have also done some overtime at work. Therefore I have been doing the thing I always wanted to do more of; incorporate working with training and going for a run during my lunch break and I have had some recent success with these runs. The first run I did since the London Marathon I went with Andy, my run partner at work. My parents and I had a few laughs about this trip when they came round a few days after. I apologise in advance for my swearing, but Andy is a fucking fast runner. His casual pace is almost my sprint. I know I am no natural runner, but if I have learnt anything about my running ability and confidence during all my events in comparison to others is that I am not awful. However, Andy is in another league. It was my suggestion that we go for a run and I was looking forward to getting out running again after the success of the marathon and asked him the day before about it. He had said he was going to have to take it easy as his achilles was playing up. That was definitely no problem with me...if he had meant it. I do really enjoy our little runs, it is nice once in a while to have some company. I do however have one issue. I struggle to keep up with Andy even when he slows down for me so you can imagine how hard I struggle when he keeps asking questions and I keep replying. As you all should know I do not stop talking and as the majority of the conversation is focussed on triathlon and sporting events, something I obviously love to discuss, by mile one I am quite literally blue in the face due to talking. I really enjoy the runs but I cannot handle the pace and the chat. My mum found this story very amusing. She also wanted me to mention Andy more in the blog as she thinks it is very nice how he slows down just so that we can run together. So from me and my mum thank you Andy! I do enjoy the runs but maybe next time I'll only reply in one word answers so I at least have a small chance of keeping up with him and surviving. The last mile of this run however I wasn't merely suffering with lack of breath, I was also struggling with the recurring ITB band pain in my knee. The sharp stabbing sensation meant that I was reduced to walking for a short while. It didn't last long however as I beat myself up for doing so. There was a another reason why I stopped and it was because I wanted Andy to run ahead as I knew I was holding him up far too much. A positive note on his behalf, his achilles had recovered as he was getting little to no pain. I didn't pay much attention to the time I got as I had to stop but it wasn't awful, around 35 minutes.
In the week following this session I went on a run on all of my lunch breaks. The postitive of this was that I every day I was getting my time down. The first time I did it I broke a PB for that route doing 3.5miles in 33minutes. This was the May bank holiday and the weather was lovely which meant the park I run around was heaving. It also brought some more runners out. I spotted one ahead of me and thought I could overtake him, he obviously didn't like it and within a minute he had sped up to take me again. This carried on until he stopped, previously planned or unintentional I don't know but I felt sick by the end of the battle for pushing it. It must've looked like a right spectacle for the sunbathers. At the end I did my compulsory sprint to the finish stopping the stopwatch at 33m20s. I went again the next day and was determined as I rounded the final 400m to get it to 32 minutes, I again made myself be on the brink of sickness when I sprinted for the time and clocked 31m59s. The next time I was at work I did it in 31m20s. They may not look like massive feats but it is improvement. Although there are only seconds between them this type of improvement so quick is quite high, especially for me, so I am not expecting such quick time shavings of my next but I would eventually like to get the route down to 25minutes. Throughout the 2 weeks I have kept up my spinning and swimming sessions but due to work, commitments and a bout of sickness I haven't made it to Chiltern Tri pre-marathon. I also had to cancel going to the 80mile bike ride Dan and I had planned to do in Cheddar due to costs, time and other plans (my parents came over that weekend).
Well despite the seemingly useless 2 weeks I have had some successes and look forward to getting my mojo back. I am going to Snowdonia on Thursday to compete in the Snowdonia Slateman, an Olympic distance triathlon ; 1000m:51km:11km. This will be my first open water triathlon of the season and I am so excited. I cannot wait to be in my wetsuit getting the pre-race nerves and anticipation. Dan is unable to come as he has a course. This is something I am really upset about as it was meant to be holiday of ours. I have booked a lovely 2-bed cottage in the middle of Snowdon for 5 days. We were also planning to walk to the top of Snowdon as although I did it on my dads back when I was a child, it is something we both haven't done officially despite Dan nearly doing it last year with his family. Instead I am climbing it with Dan's dad as some of his family is coming with me so I am not alone in a massive cottage and have some support during the triathlon. I also plan to, despite Dan saying it is too much to do 2 days before a triathlon, trail run down Snowdon. I will quick walk up in my walking boots and carry my trainers in my backpack then once I have admired the view at the top I shall swap the shoes round and run down. Although running down seems like more effort I actually find it has less impact on my knees and joints. Walking downhill hurts my ankles and the technique of trail running downhill hurts a lot less.
I go to Snowdon on Thursday morning and apart from work and some small exercise on the lead up to this date I have nothing planned so I shall write the next update after my triathlon next Sunday. I am expecting this one to be a tough one due to the location and the tempermental weather in Wales but am looking forward to a challenge (which is good as Exmoor half Ironman is only 34 days away now!). I will miss Dan's face during the race as although he hasn't been to many of my events this year this one is quite an important one for me and I want him there. So lets home Dan's parents and his two young sisters support is strong enough to get me round (I have no doubt it will be).
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