The final countdown

  As I mentioned in my previous post I have had a positive few weeks with training events. However, what I did not mention was that my knee was still painful during the run at the Aquathlon. When running uphill my old injury was doing its usual sharp ache in the inside of my left knee and on the last 2 laps my ITB injury on the outside of the same knee was so painful it was debilitating. This was so frustrating for me as the downhill section was when I was making up my run time and my knee was buckling with pain. I had already emailed the sports physician who had fixed the ligament damage in my knee through the use of Prolotherapy the year before and he assured me I could get a further prolotherapy injection now. Prolotherapy is a medical treatment that stimulates your body to repair or regenerate itself to strengthen weakened connective tissue. It also deposits new additional fibres thereby repairing lax tendons or ligaments to promote the release of local growth factors. He also said he could give me a cortisone/steroid injection on the outer side of my knee to try and help the ITB pain. The body naturally produces cortisone and by injecting it into an area of pain it acts as an anti-inflammatory. I know that ITBS can be helped with strengthening exercises on the glutes as well as using a foam roller to ease tight muscles. However what I do not have is time, so the injection is a quick fix. Due to the evasiveness of Prolotherapy it was paramount that I got this done ASAP and not in the final week before the Ironman. The problem was that I was working all week until late. Thankfully I managed to get some time off work and went to an emergency appointment on the Wednesday afternoon. I travelled to my old home city, London, and went to London Bridge Hospital. I also had a physiotherapist at the appointment which was really helpful as he told me his findings on the biomechanical benefit of Kinesio tape and how to apply it correctly. I know that there is no scientific proof that Kinesio tape works but as no knee support does the job and many athletes swear by it why would I not try it? 

  When at my appointment my physician questioned why I and many of his other Ironman patients can't just stick to the shorter distance triathlons. My only answer was that they weren't a big enough challenge anymore and don't have the stigma attached to them. 

  The cortisone injection was relatively painless but my Prolotherapy injection was a lot more painful than I remember it being. When I left my knee was swollen to the size of a bowling ball! Although the cortisone is not guaranteed to work especially with just one shot it was worth a try. He did mention however that as the cortisone has a short healing process I could get another done in the final week leading up to the Ironman but again time is against me. 
 
  When I got back from London Dan was at the fire station on his drill night so I decided to go swimming with the Tri club. Mentally I need to keep up the training despite being on 'tapering' as otherwise I will feel like I'm going backwards. As mental attitude plays such an important part in Ironman it was vital I kept mine positive. I knew I should not and would not be able to run or cycle due to my knee injections a few hours previous, so therefore swimming was the obvious non-impact sport. I was however still pushing myself through the tough interval hour session and made it even harder for myself by putting a buoy between my legs so I was unable to kick (I didn't want to kick with my knee and anger it). I managed to keep up the timings that were asked of us even when I was at the front of the chain. This did make me think that if I managed to get my strong kick linked with my arms I could make myself a lot faster - something to consider when training for another Ironman? This was the second to last club swim I would be able to make before the Ironman.
 
  Speaking of possibly doing another Ironman I have one in mind, the Outlaw in Nottingham. This is not an Ironman branded event but is the Ironman distance (which makes it about £100 cheaper). I had read about this event when reading Andy Holgate's 'Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run'. This is his autobiography from how he came from a common man to an Ironman in less than a year. After signing up for a sprint distance triathlon as a joke he then got hooked and has since completed the feared Ironman Lanzarote (although he says he would never try Wales due to its' stigma as the toughest Ironman). His first Ironman was the Outlaw and the events' popularity has grown throughout the years, as many Ironman events have. Almost all of the Ironman Europe locations have sold out, many doing so within the first 2 hours of registration opening. Even Ironman UK in Bolton sold out after 24 hours. I would've liked to do Challenge Henley, a local Ironman distance race next year, but the ignorant people of Henley have campaigned against the annual event so much as they can't play golf that this is the final year it is taking place (on the same day as Ironman Wales). Many of the Tri club are angered by the cancellation of such a great event as for us this is the only Ironman in the South of the UK. It adds massively to the economy of Henley every year so their distaste for an event that encourages sport and helps people achieve their dreams just seems cruel. Surely the residents of Henley can cope without golf for one day?! Anyway, this means that my only chance to do an Ironman next year is the Outlaw, unless I travel abroad which I cannot guarantee is financially possible. I wanted to wait until after Ironman Wales and until I got paid in September to sign up so I can assess my ability as well as be able to afford the high cost of the event - something I will struggle to do this month. However, due to the popularity of the event it is almost sold out with less than 200 places left. I'm now stuck as to what to do. I don't want to be in a situation where I don't have the option to compete next year but also don't have everything in place to register now. I know that I won't regret entering as it is one of the ones I want to tick of my list, the others are Austria,  Ironman UK in Bolton and Challenge Roth in Germany (obviously Wales is in there and Henley would've been too). I also know if I miss a slot I'll be devastated so part of me is just saying sign up. I'm sure the debate will continue in my head.

 
  Another dilemma I have had is whether to get a 2-piece suit or just stick to a trusty 1-piece tri-suit. I have mentioned before that I love doing events and training in my tri-suit. It is great not having to worry about my shorts digging into me or whether my top is going to ride up when running. I feel completely free and comfortable in a 1-piece suit. However, I decided that I needed to get a 2-piece suit as during an Ironman I am bound to need the toilet mid-race and obviously just pulling your shorts down is easier than getting a whole all in one suit off. My friend had recommended a brand that did a 2-piece suit that clipped onto one another meaning no riding up. I decided to get this in preparation for my Ironman. It arrived the day after I ordered it and the style looked great. However, my head kept saying that I shouldn't risk it. So after all that I have decided to get the same style but in the 1-piece tri-suit version as opposed to the 2-piece. Dan thought my flapping about this issue was silly and kept insisting that if I need to pee I should just pee myself as the professionals and many others do. I've come to the conclusion that an extra 2 minutes taking my suit off is not the be-all and end-all. Two minutes, or even 5 minutes, should not affect my ability to get in before cut off time. The other things I have bought in my final preparation for Ironman is some Selant spray. This is basically an ultra quick way of sorting a puncture out. You merely dispense the canister into your punctured tyre and it self-inflates the tyre and seals up the tear. This is great for me especially after the time I wasted during Wimbleball fixing my punctures. I hope I don't have to use them at all (especially given the price of them) but they are there if I have an emergency and that is another worry lifted. The final thing I bought was some Kinesio tape in order for me to strap my knee up and of course I got these colour coded to what I am wearing on the day; pink and blue. (I have also got nail varnish to match this theme as well). 
 
  My final event before the big one is an Olympic distance tomorrow. I feel compelled to compete in this as the event organisers kindly deferred my entry for no fee when I couldn't compete last year due to my bike accident where I broke my wrist. This is a good time for me to test my new tri-suit, my heart rate  strategy on the bike, the Kinesio tape and whether the injections have had any pain relieving effect. I want a sub 4hr time but my main aim is to test and take it carefully, I do not need any injuries now. Much like during the Oxford 100 miler, I have nothing to prove, I have to prove myself 7 days later. 
      

It happens in threes

  It is now 10 days until my debut Ironman. At the moment I am relatively calm and enjoying the lead up to the big day. It also feels slightly surreal. Dan however has however admitted he is starting to feel nervous for me! It seems only yesterday I was writing about my snap decision to sign up for Ironman Wales and now my name is officially on the start list. I am also in one of the smallest age categories; there are only 8 Female 18-24 competitors. Unfortunately I am not the youngest female as I previously thought, the youngest being 20 year old. My number is the first merely for alphabetical reasons.

  Although the time is ticking by I had some busy weeks with events and training. On the Tuesday after returning from Wales I did another moonlight swim. We met at 9pm and this time we picked a location that had no trees so we were actually able to see the full moon! We weren't swimming at a great speed as we were enjoying the experience of being completely relaxed and to be cheesy, at one with nature. Stresses and worries fly away when you are in an environment and atmosphere as nice as that. One woman labeled the experience as surreal. The only stress I began to get was when we got onto the topic of sea creatures in particular my horrible experience with jellyfish in Tenby. Some of the group began trying to freak me out by touching me. As the water was pitch black you can only imagine what was really lurking beneath us. I began to swim faster on the way back as my imagination had conjured that alligators, giant spider crabs and jellyfish were following me (thank you Jane for helping to put those ideas in my head). In the end we swam for around an hour.

  We also tried out some LED balloons during the swim instead of our normal glow stick lights. The lights are so we can see each other but more importantly so others such as boats can see us (although this wasn't much of an issue on this night as we weren't in the Thames). So we each had a bright coloured balloon attached to us and bobbing along behind us. We must've looked like a funny sight to any passers by.

The moonlight swim group and our balloons

  When I returned home from the moonlight swim I had an email regarding the relay channel swim I am doing next August. Some people in the group would like to do it as a non-wetsuit swim. The team has to be united on whether we do it with or without a wetsuit as it cannot be a mix. I had never even considered doing it non-wetsuit. I have never swum open water with no wetsuit so doing the channel without one would be a whole new challenge. The water temperature was obviously my first concern when thinking about doing this. However, I know that adapting to the temperature is all about not being a woos (as I consider myself) and acclimatise yourself. My second worry was of course, jellyfish. I freaked out doing a 1mile swim around Tenby bay with jellyfish that are harmless, there are plenty more dangerous ones in the real open water and I wouldn't have a wetsuit to protect the majority of my body! Jane last year got stung on her hand wearing a wetsuit by a lions mane jelly and still has the scar to prove it. However, the benefit of doing it without a wetsuit and in 'skins' means that the swim is then a recognised by the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation and means we would have an observer on board.  It also means that the order in which we swim must be kept throughout the swim and no one can drop out after their first ‘one hour’ swim. Hence more dependence on all team members to be properly prepared and able, so as not to let the others down! This side of the wetsuit/non-wetsuit debate appeals to me. Obviously if I do a channel swim I want it to be recognised and I like the extra camaraderie it entails. So maybe the positives out way the negatives? Especially as the only real reservation I have is me being a woos. I'm always up for a challenge right?

  I continued my training that week up until my 100 mile bike ride in Oxford on Sunday 25th. This would be the longest ride I had ever done. I admitted to myself that I had not done as much cycling as I would've liked so this would be a true test of the training I had undertaken as well as my fitness and endurance ability. Dan went on an emergency fire shout at midnight and didn't return until 5.30am by which time I was due to get up. Due to my worrying mind I had also hardly slept. I completed my pre-race ritual with very bleary eyes. I was doing this event alone and was on my way to Oxford by 7am. As opposed to many events it was not a mass start. When I was ready and registered I lined up and was let off with a small group. I was on the road by 8.30.  

Fighting for top spot up the hill (first 30miles)

  I decided that I wasn't going to over assert myself, this was merely a training race and I had nothing to prove to anyone but myself. As soon as I started I began to break the bike leg up into 10-mile blocks. When I had done one 'block' I would say to myself just another nine to go as opposed to another 90miles. The weather was horrific, the wind and rain relentless. The route was also definitely not without hills. The first 50 miles, up to the first feed stop, can only be described as constant undulation; there was just hill followed by hill. Although this sounds bad and was exhausting the hills were not impossible and I managed to slog my way up them. On the route to the 50-mile mark I was normally not far off another competitor, however after that point things seemed to get very lonely. I didn't mind as I wasn't exactly talking to anyone and it meant I could concentrate on me and my bike. Around mile 60 the course was gradually getting flatter and I was hitting 23mph on the straights. I loved ride at this point and kept my energy up with Snickers, Haribo milk bottles and my High5 gels. Although I hadn't been focusing on my heart rate for the first half of the race I decided to do so around 65 miles. This was a great way of keeping tabs on my effort and I made sure from this point I was hitting 160-180. I made a strategy in my head that I shall take with me to Wales that I should not drop below 160.

Nearing the finish, hence the smile

  Every so often I would be passed by a group or pair of cyclists within the Zappi cycle club. Flavio Zappi is an ex-pro cyclist who set up his own professional and leisure cycle team. This event was also organised by him so the Zappi team was in full support. If someone passed me I would give it my all to stick with them until they would pull away for good. From mile 70 to the final feed station at mile 85 I was playing cat and mouse with another lone competitor who I started with and had caught up over the course of the day. However, he was my only company in the second half of the race and I set off before him after a quick re-fuel of Haribo milk bottles at the last feed station.

  When I set off after stopping I was in high spirits much like the other competitors. In my head it was only 15miles to go and I still felt great so it was time to push it. I had overtaken everyone who set off before me as well as the people I set off with from the feed station within 10 minutes and didn't see another cyclist until I had crossed the line. I completed the 100miles in 5h57 (according to my speedometer - so not counting any stops I took). To get a sub 6hour bike on my first go at the distance to me was amazing. Everything had gone to plan and I still felt I had more to give (a good thing as I would have a further 12 miles on the bike and then have to run a marathon after that in 2 weeks). I met up with Ele afterwards for a coffee and then went home ready for the Aquathlon the day after. I found out later that night that my official time was 6h24 which made me 

6th woman out of 21 and 94th overall out of 182. As many of those were pro team riders as I mentioned before and I stopped more than usual I was bloody pleased with that. My confidence was definitely lifted. I now know I can physically do the bike leg and stop fretting to the extent I have been about missing the bike cut-off time.

  The day after the bike race I was competing in the local Aquathlon in which many Chiltern Tri members were either competing in or volunteering to help. I did this event as part of a team with Dan and as a solo race. It consisted of an 800m swim (31 lengths) and then a 10k run. I started the event with the swim and then tagged Dan to do the run. Dan hasn't done a 10k run for a long time and knew he hadn't trained enough/at all for it. I also knew that the course was a tough one. The course weaved throughout the woods, tackling a very tough hill for the first kilometere of the 2.5k loop of which he had to do four of. As soon as I had tagged Dan I ran back onto poolside to then compete in my solo event. I was out of the water a further 15minutes later and on my own 10k run. I ran past Dan as I was going uphill on my first loop and I have to admit he looked shattered. He shouted to me he had fallen over on his ankle, just his luck. I didn't see him for the rest of the race until I was going onto my last lap and he was sitting by the finish line waiting for me. As the course was a four lap run it was a great mental test as the marathon at Ironman Wales is 4x10k loops. This time a year ago I may have avoided events which were multi-lap but now I find them a good way of breaking a long distance down. If you focus on the lap in progress it is a great feeling to tick each lap off and then make a count down. I'm quite pleased that Ironman Wales is a lapped event now and I'm particularly pleased they are 10k in distance as they are my standard training distance so I know they are easily achievable for me. A 10k run at my maintainable pace takes just over an hour and this has been consistent when I did the London Marathon, the actual Ironman lap with Nicola and the eventual result of the Aquathlon. Both the Ironman and the Aquathlon lap consists of a tough slog uphill followed by a rewarding downhill and then a flat. With this in mind I am on track for a 4h40 marathon. So my strategy during the Ironman run is no matter what do not stop! Even if when slogging up the hill I feel I could walk faster just keep slowly jogging up. I know some have a strategy to quick walk up and run down but I fear this will affect me mentally. Just keep plodding is my motto.

During the Aquathlon in Chesham

  Anyway, back to the Aquathlon. We completed the relay in a total time of 1h21 and my solo effort was 1h22. My first 800m swim was 14m20 and my second was 16m11 (including my own transition). This is the bit I shall now relish forever; Dan's run was 1h06 and mine was 1h05. I know that Dan hadn't trained for this and he continues to remind me of that but this to me was an achievement I could not let slip! To think my solo effort was 1 minute off beating our relay attempt felt good and comparing my achievement to Dan, who being in the Para’s was fitter than I could have ever thought I could be was a good moment for me (maybe not for Dan though). I have never been a runner and this was another clear sign of how far I have come in training. I even got a medal for fastest age group competitor (so what if I was the only one!). Overall despite the mishaps I have had in the last few weeks with crashing in Wimbleball 70.3 and not completing, sickness during the marathon and traffic stopping me competing in the Midnight Man I have restored my confidence back. (They say bad luck happens in threes so lets hope my stint is well and truly over). We all face knocks in life it's about getting back up. I wrote on my Facebook that night, "This time in 13 days I will be an Ironman!".    

19 days and counting - a long awaited update

  So after what seems like no time at all I am back at work on night shifts. I have been kept busy for the 3 weeks with no update so I'll try and fill you in.  Firstly, my last blog finished stating that I was doing the Midnight Man triathlon on the 27th July. However, there was no race report after this event as I did not make it. I was looking forward to this event as mentally I needed it. In my head I had to tick off a half Ironman distance event so I could gain confidence for Ironman Wales. However, I got stuck in over 2hours worth of traffic on the M25 meaning I got to Dartford 20 minutes late. As the event had a closed off bike course on the dual carriageway the road blocks were already in place and I could not get into the event start despite emailing the organiser. Apparently he held off the start time until he could no more and I know I wasn't the only competitor to suffer the same fate due to the traffic. So I had to rather upsettingly get back in the car and drive the hour and a half drive home with no medal. Although it had lost me about £150 I was more upset and angry by what it cost me mentally. I felt so deflated. Would I be able to do a full Ironman with no promise I can even complete a half? This worrying thought kept circulating around my head.  The only positive about not competing was that the weather was absolutely foul that night. The gail force winds and torrential rain must've caused a few incidents, which I definitely did not want to be involved in. My Dad text, "Looking at the weather that's coming through it may be a blessing that you aren't competing tonight". Although the weather would not have stopped me, when driving home I couldn't help think of the many slips, crashes and near misses there would've been on the bike course. Despite seeking some respite that I wasn't potentially getting an injury or hypothermia my spirits and confidence were at an all-time low. It was a very quiet car journey home. Dan was trying to cheer me up by saying it wasn't the end of the world and I could do my own the day after. However it was my Mum's text that helped put things into perspective, "Sorry to hear you did not get there in time, but please keep your spirits up. Third time lucky in September!". I HAD to stay strong for September. I had my setbacks and just had to push through them and get stronger. I had to accept I would not be able to complete a half Ironman before the full and keep my training up.  A further bummer to not being able to compete in the Midnight Man is that is was the day I was going to use my new all singing all dancing Garmin Watch. My Dad claims this has more technology in it than a rocket and Dan as a personal trainer now loves looking at all my data. I haven't done much swimming or cycling on it as since getting it I have been away but have racked up 43 running miles on it in the 2 weeks. It is great to see my heart rate peaks and averages; even Dan was happy with my results. In his words I haven't been slacking (your heart rate being the best way to find this out). I now don't like wearing a normal watch as I miss not being able to play with all the options and assess my data some more. I'm looking forward to racking up many more miles on my new electronic best friend.  

Larry sunbathing while I enjoy the view

  On Monday 5th August Dan, Larry (my pug) and I went on our annual holiday to Devon. This consisted of some cycling, early morning runs along the Jurassic coast, lots of walking and lots of BBQ food.

Some of our yummy BBQ food

As always the time flew by and our perfect getaway was over. I cannot express how relaxed, happy and at ease I feel when I am down there. It is my happy place. There was however two physical issues that began to plague me that week. One was a dodgy stomach which meant I had diarrhoea all week. But more worryingly when finishing my 10k run along the coast on the Thursday I began to feel the sharp but dull ache of an old knee injury when running downhill. The pain got so bad I had to stop and hobble down. I could only pray it would go away with rest and hope it wouldn't affect the marathon I was doing on the Sunday let alone the Ironman.

My two boys

  We left Devon on the Saturday and headed to Salisbury where I was taking part in an off-road marathon the following day. Although I knew I could complete a marathon following the London Marathon a few months before I needed to see how I would fare on a tougher course (ie. hilly) as well as regain some confidence in my physical ability ready for IM Wales. We stayed overnight in a pub a few miles out of the city centre. I still had a bad stomach before sleeping and despite being exhausted I hardly slept and woke up feeling pretty rough. I ate a croissant and some cereal that was in the room and got ready for the marathon. Just as we were getting ready to leave I had to run back to the room due to sickness and all I had eaten came up. When we arrived at the race start I said to Dan I had never wanted to not do an event as much as now. My Dad and Dan both said that if I was ill don't compete but I was adamant in my head that I would feel sicker with myself mentally if I did not do it. I briefly considered shortening the distance but after another toilet trip I decided to go ahead with the full marathon distance. I vowed to Dan that if I felt that bad I would call him and he could collect me. I also decided to make sure I stopped at all the feed stations so I could get more than enough water in my system seeing as I had no other substances in my stomach. With this in mind I was still aiming for a 5hour time but with the attitude that I wouldn't be disappointed if I went over due to the said precautions. Mum text saying I was doomed when entering competitions! Lets hope my unlucky stint is over now.

  We set off at 9.30am and it didn't take long for the trail run route to become a frustrating walk as many in front were walking uphill within the first mile! Things did eventually spread out about a mile on however and for me that’s when the event began. The whole route was off-road bar the last 3 miles and I had no music to listen to as I have lost my earphones. This meant that the event was in sharp contrast to London where the accessible streets and popularity meant there was always the noise of cheers of encouragement. Although this sounds dull it was the best thing mentally I could've done. I didn't see a familiar face throughout the course, not even Dan, and I had no music to occupy me (which I won't during the Ironman either) so I have taught myself to cope with boredom. Although the course was obviously full of beautiful scenery doing a marathon with no company is lonely and boring, but I did surprise myself with how much I enjoyed it. Another great thing about running with no music is that I got into a consistent pace set by my own rhythm as opposed to the beat of music.   However, as with any marathon, I did hit a low point (the wall - although my wall never considers failure). It was mile 14-15 that I found mentally tough as you think you've done so well getting to 13 miles at half way and then come to the realisation you still have 12 to go. However, it was at mile 16 when the constant pain and pressure of my knee injury got to me. I remember calling Dan on the brink of tears talking about the agony I was in. I managed to get myself through it by counting down the miles I had left one by one. When I got to the 10k mark (6miles) I began to perk up again, and ate my first bit of solid food, a snack bar Snickers. To me a 10k run is a distance I do before work so I just saw it as a small training run and I knew by this point I would do it. As I rounded into the last kilometre on my watch I said to a fellow competitor just another 7 minutes (as I know that is how long 1km takes me). His reply was I think it's longer than that and explained where we had to run. I have a knowledge of Salisbury from when I went to school there so was shocked that is wasn't a mere 1km left, it was about 1.5miles more (I still think it's cruel to add that amount of mileage on after 26miles). We had to run through the cathedral grounds and through the centre of town. As nice as the cathedral is to many I have been in it many times and did not appreciate having to run around it for what seemed like added scenery. My angry mood at the added mileage soon vanished when I saw Dan and Larry waiting for me on the corner of the finishing straight. I grabbed Larry and we sprinted to the finish in 5h37. I managed to complete with a sickness bug and a re-emerged knee injury and I was SO glad it was all over! No matter how many you do marathons are never easy!  I hope that even after 2.4miles of swimming and 112miles of cycling my marathon time won't be longer than that time. The hills on the course were relentless - undulating my arse - it was pure dulating and the heat was also exhausting. Time was added when dealing with the congestion and for the planned stops I took to drink. As it was a local event they were just cups of water and juice which cannot be taken on the move. I knew without these hold-ups I would've knocked off at least 20 minutes which brings me a lot closer to my 5hour target time. The most important realisation I found after completing was that I needed that marathon for a confidence boost. Gill from the Tri club wrote "Well done, just think what you will be able to do when properly fuelled up". Let's hope my nerves don't force another bout of a stomach illness in 3 weeks time!  

 

Our hotel on the esplanade next to the IM finish

  After the marathon success I went to the Ironman Wales location in Tenby with my Dad to get a feel for the area but most importantly do a recce of the dreaded cycle course. This is where the course gets its reputation for being the hardest Ironman as the hills are unforgiving and never ending. Tenby is a small town on the Welsh Pembrokeshire coast and is picture perfect. It was evident to me that the atmosphere of such a big event in such a small town must make the area amazing. This thought was only re-iterated by the locals who said that Ironman has added to the area massively increasing the popularity of cycling as well as boosting the support in the area around Ironman time. As the run route weaves around the small streets in the town centre I can only get excited about the encouragement such a mass of cheering people will give me. The finish is also on the busy esplanade. 

  

My first sign of IM Wales support
in Saundersfoot

 On our second day in Tenby we decided to drive the cycle route. This included, as expected, many hills, one at a particularly leg crunching 17% incline (I'm sure I read somewhere that 18% is verging the impossible for the average cyclist ie. non pro. Even Tour de France professionals have to walk at 20%). We stopped for lunch in small town on the cycle course called Saundersfoot. This also happens to be the home of the feared Heartbreak Hill ie. St. Brides Hill. It was here that I saw my first bit of Ironman support as there were flags of the logo around the town centre. After some prawns that we worried were going to make us ill we continued on the bike course.

  Once we had returned to the hotel Dad and I then decided to go on a quick 10mile bike ride and try out the beginning of the cycle route. This looked relentless in the car as it was constant uphill slog however we both didn't find it too bad. I managed to clock up some great speed on the way back as well, 27mph on the straights. I've decided to aim for an average of 16mph on the bike during the Ironman which will get my bike time to 7hours. Although I know it will be hard to maintain with the hills and is a faster speed than I may be able to achieve it is just a benchmark for me to assess my performance and therefore not do my biggest fear and miss the bike cut off (10h30 after the start of race). 

  After our ride I met the hotels receptionist, Nicola, who happened to have completed Ironman Wales the year previous. We spoke about all things Ironman and then she kindly agreed to take me on one lap of the 10k run route the day after. (I would have to complete 4 of these laps on the day). She also invited me to go open water sea swimming from North Beach, where the swim takes place, at 6pm the following day. I did an 8k run around the area after our chat and ran along the beach for the final 3k which was leg shattering, before going to dinner. In comparison to the London Marathon where I was walking sideways downstairs for nearly a week I had recovered enough from my marathon to do all this just a day after, a sure sign of the physical fitness I have achieved. 

South Beach - where I finished my run on the Tuesday

   I again slept rubbish but was up and ready for my 10k run at 10am with Nicola. She was great explaining where transition was and walking me through everything. The weather was really wet but I don't mind running in the rain. The route admittedly is pretty boring, you run out of then town uphill then back into town before weaving around the small cobbled streets of Tenby. Although my knee and pulled groin that I did the day before were giving me grief, it was great to see the course and it wasn't as bad as I had envisioned. I could imagine the buzz of running through the town and given the camaraderie within triathlon there would be plenty of competitor encouragement throughout the whole course too. Being a local in small Welsh town Nicola was saying hello to everyone we ran past whether that be in shops, walking or driving and that is no exaggeration! I wasn't pushing the pace so was chatting the whole way to Nicola, admittedly mainly about Ironman, and our pace was identical. I finally realised what a joy it is to have a run partner, I just need to find who is my speed and not 5hours away!

 

The view from Cafe Vista in Tenby - overlooking North Beach (IM swim start)

  After my run Dad and I explored Tenby some more. We had some lunch and then I decided to get a nap before open water sea swimming. I met up with everyone on North Beach around 6pm. We all made our introductions and as expected everyone was lovely and friendly and all bound by either having completed an Ironman or doing Ironman Wales. When we were all wet-suited up we waded into the cold water. Two children in wetsuits who were playing catch on the shore said there were lots of jellyfish out there to which I nervously laughed off - they can't be serious right? We planned a meet point which was a yacht about 800m ahead and we set off. Everything was going great I got into a rhythm until I looked to my side and saw a massive jellyfish bobbing right next to me. I'm no woos but I do not like sea creatures (I freak out when I feel weeds in the lakes at home for fear of what is within them and I'm not ashamed to admit I have a huge phobia of whales). I hoped that this would be the last I would see and carried on for the yacht in the distance. However, I kept seeing more and more jellyfish which was really off-putting. Every time I saw one I would let out a scream which was obviously muffled by the water. When we all reached the yacht the topic of conversation was the mass amount of jellyfish. One guy exclaimed that he was attracting dolphins with the screams he was making underwater. They did try and reassure me by saying that they had never seen that many before and very much doubt I would see them during the event. Although I was loving being out in the water my mind was preoccupied by the fear of jellyfish. Whilst wriggling to avoid one from stinging me I stopped to regain myself and when I put my head back in the water I got a faceful of a huge jellyfish in my face. After that experience I was pretty pleased when the 2km of swimming came to an end and I got back on safe ground. Even the regular sea swimmers were still wriggling at the thought of the creatures even once we had finished. One exclaimed "I have never swum so fast to get back in my life". We all wished each other well and went our separate ways. On the walk back I was so content.

The view of North Beach and the jellyfish infested sea

 The Thursday was our last day in Tenby and it was decided that on the route home I would cycle part of the course so I could get a feel for the hills. I wanted to do the part up to Narbeth that I would have to do twice on the day. It is no lie that the route is just hill after hill but I didn't struggle too much and had much more to give when I finished after 1h30 and having completed 20miles. My dad who had been leading the way and waiting for me said that I must've taken some confidence in how well I did and I have to say I needed that confidence on the bike. On the drive home I was more excited than ever about my challenge. It was a great two weeks holidaying and great spending some quality time with my Dad. I had the added bonus of building confidence in my physical ability.

  Now that I am back to reality and back at work the latest update is that it is only 20 days until Ironman Wales! Today I received my race instructions and number; 60. The low number means I am the first of age-group competitors (ie. first non-professional) indicating I could well be the youngest out of the 1000+ athletes (maybe I'll get a shout out when I come down the finishing shute?). Although I am feeling nervous about my first Ironman I am also extremely excited. After completing another marathon and doing a recce of the bike and run routes when visiting the location of IM Wales in Tenby I have some much needed confidence. One of my closest friends, Yuliya, who is coming to support and stay with me in Tenby has booked her 5h30 train to Wales, my pre and post-race meals are booked, as is my much needed recovery massage the day after. I have even highlighted the timings of registration and other necessities I need to attend over the weekend. The final preparations are slotting into place. As for my final few weeks of training I am doing a 100mile bike ride in Oxford on the 25th, a solo and relay Aquathlon on the 26th and then my final race before Wales is an Olympic triathlon in Reading a week before the event on the 1st September. Bring it on Ironman Wales - I'm ready to call myself an Ironman!