Wye Valley Warrior Sportive May 2014

Ok, so as i recognise that my 2014 season is over before it started, i thought i'd at least share my experience of my first ever sportive, which was the 66 mile "standard" route in the Wye Valley Warrior, organised by Wiggle. My parents were away for this so i made my own way up to Chepstow Race course in early May, with the weather looking good - dry, sunny, and no wind :) As it happens, i'm glad my parents were away because they would have been utterly bored to death as there was no atmosphere, nothing to  see other than the last section where cyclists crested the hill and then turned back into the race course, very unlike a triathlon in that respect.

However, lets start at the beginning! I rolled up early, went to register with a huge throng of people around, and the best bit of it was there was no queue for the ladies' toilet, but a huge queue for the mens', how rare is that!! I knew there were a few others from the club taking part, but i didn't see anyone beforehand, nor out on the ride itself, and only briefly as i was leaving when i saw Tosh standing watching the cyclists coming to the finish - seemed he had had a puncture in his tubular tyre only a few miles in and didn't have a spare - gutting!

Whilst prepping my race bike (first outing of the year, having only fitted a new saddle to it yesterday), i got chatting to the woman who had parked next to me. A little older than I, and also a newbie at sportives, but i shared with her my understanding of what you needed to take out on the ride - water, food, phone for emergencies/strava, tools/inner tube, some money, and a map in case you got lost! She asked that i take a photo of her and i didn't see her again after we went our separate ways before the ride.

The ride times were very open, basically there were three distances, epic, standard, and short. The epic riders going off first in a certain time frame, which then overlapped for a while with the standard, before the standard then moved into overlapping with the short as start times. I knew i was early for the standard start time but i rolled over anyway and was surprised that i was being ushered into a starting group of about 15 riders. They called for standard plus epic riders so i was good to go, and then we had our ride briefing before we pushed off over the timing chip mat and off onto the course.

I was surrounded by men, mostly in groups, and i think all of them were epic riders. Only a couple of hundred yards down the line i had to stop as i could hear a noise, and i think i might have a slight buckle in my wheel as the noise went if i opened the brakes a little wider. Only a quick stop and away i went, not to stop again until the end! (no feed station stops for me, i had all i needed on the bike with me, and other than running out of water with 10 miles to go i was properly fed and watered all the way around!) You might be asking what i ate…well, soreen malt loaf is what i like best on the bike, easy to eat and digest, and i cut it up into little slices that i cram into my top tube bag. I'd have 2 slices per hour and i went through 2 bottles of water and that was my lot - no gels, no sports drinks, just good food and burning my own fat, of which i have plenty ;)

 This was going to be my hilliest ride to date, but you couldn't ask for a better location really than meandering through the Wye Valley, going flying past Tintern Abbey on the first big descent, climbing brutal hills only to have a stunning view across the whole valley below, heading into the Forest of Dean, going into Monmouth and behind the Boys' private school that i have passed many times and got to see the other side of…if it hadn't been for me wanting to get the "gold' standard time for the sportive, i might have stopped to take some photos, but no time for that. I have a good memory, and i use that to take snapshots of fantastic scenes in my head, rather than having to take a photo ;)

 

At least all the climbing meant lots of fast descending too :)

This was only a training ride, so i was very disciplined in sticking to my heart rate range as given to me by @bodybullet. This meant that on the hills i dropped down gears to try and keep my heart rate as even as possible, and then on the flats and descents, whilst the guys i kept tooing and froing with were taking it easy, i was putting metal to the pedal and keeping my heart rate up! However, when it came to the first steep hill my heart rate was impossible to keep down and i think it spiked at 174. My strategy really was just get up the damn thing as it was long, twisting and really quite steep (think it peaked at 18% at one point). This first one was the worst of the bunch in terms of steepness. I just remember getting part the way up, when my heart rate was already through the roof, and then it rose round again to the right. Some cyclists were already stopped on the side taking a breather and the demon inside was already saying "you can't do this, you should stop now". The reason i'm a psychologist is because of this inner demon which can easily convince you that you can't do something, but i used my psychology on myself to calm my breathing, focus my mind on each pedal stroke and just keep gritting away, keep moving forwards and upwards. As it was, when i got to the top i recovered far quicker than i used to, which was good given the hills had only just started!

Some of the hills went on forever, was just a case of keeping a steady rhythm! Can't beat that backdrop though ;)

I knew in my head that there was another big hill range at about 55 miles, everything before that, after after the initial steep one has just paled into the background, as it's the first and the last proper ones that stick out as the "highlights", lol. The hill at about 55 miles was the one where i could easily have stopped half way up to take a pic of the valley that had opened up before, it was quite breathtaking. The hill in itself wasn't nearly as steep as others that i had been up before this (we had the 18%, a few 16.5%s, a number of 11%s, and then many, many 4-10% climbs), but it did go on forever, lol! It must have been over a mile of climbing, turns, more climbing, stunning views, more climbing, lol, before eventually you reached the top and you knew it was only about another 10 miles and you were home :)

What i loved about this ride was the tranquility of it all, As i had set out so early on the standard route, once the epic riders turned off, for a good amount of time, before the quicker men doing the standard caught me, i was riding solo, just me, the farm land around me, and the sound of nothing but farm machinery, birds, and me! The roads were good in places and in other places were pretty brutal on the bones and would have been quite treacherous in the wet - i was concerned at one point that bits would start flying off my bike the pot holes were so bad!

The temptation was strong to TT the last 10 miles after i passed the last feed station (again without wasting time by popping in), but i kept to the plan, even up the last hill i refused to sprint up, lol, instead cresting into the finish with a bit of an anti-climax really, as there were no supporters, no guy on the mic cheering us over the line, just a roll back over the timing chip, then stop, unclip, and get my medal & tshirt & i was on my way back to the car!

After a disassembled my bike and got a quick change into clean clothes, and the lovely new ride tshirt, i headed back over to the race course centre to see if anything was going on but it was all very dead. A quick look in the wiggle shop but again, nothing there worth forking out for, so a quick toilet stop and i was on my way! A huge anticlimax in that respect, but also very glad that my parents weren't bored to death for just over 4.25 hours with nothing to look at! Something i did check though when i got back to the car was my time…had i made that "gold standard time" and YES I HAD!! i clocked 4hrs17 for the 66 miles, giving me an average speed of about 15.4mph which given there was over 6000ft of climbing wasn't too shabby given i was keeping my heart rate in check on patches when i could have easily stretched my legs!

So, whilst the atmosphere is nothing like a triathlon, and given there were no overall standings to see how i fared against other women, i was still pleased with my efforts and happy that my body felt good on the ride, the new castelli donna tri shorts (which i had bought ready for half-ironman races) fitted like a glove and were super comfy, and my race bike (wheel buckle aside) went like a dream on her first outing of the year :)

I'd highly recommend the Wye Valley Warrior for anyone fancying a challenging but scenic sportive :) Happy cycling folks!

KwikSurveys: msc dissertation on imagery in triathlon

calling all triathletes…please spare 10 minutes to complete my msc sport psychology dissertation research on imagery…many thanks :)

https://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=brwyp9rosa07odm265843

The frustration continues…what will the season hold?

Right now i'm not sure if i'll ever run again as my injury is back with a vengeance and more! Let's rewind… I was slowly getting my run time up, even though i was still running at a very easy pace working at the right heart rate range to build my MAE. I had made it up to 2 hrs run time but i was still suffering with tight calf/achilles post run, and during the run i would still feel a slight dull sensation (?pain) each time i put pressure on the ball of my left foot. My ITB bands were slightly easier, but at times whenever i had to go up a step i'd be in pain with my right ITB band. However, i was managing it the best i could but i was finding that i wasn't confident of my calf/achilles so i'd skip the speed work due to how tight it was feeling and not wanting to make things worse when running at speed, which is when damage might be more likely to occur. I was starting to feel my calf felt like it had a build up of pressure in it, it was so tight to the touch, even though i was stretching regularly, using compression calf guards, rolling, and using ice. It got to the point where i decided to have a lay-off from running, again, and didn't run for 3 weeks. during this time my calf/achilles still felt tight though.

I had booked to have a recce weekend in Nottingham 3 weeks out from the Outlaw Half so had a sports massage where no tear was found in the calf but it was noted how tight the calf and achilles was. Still, knowing there was no damage there meant i went away looking forward to running and i managed a 25 min run on grass, as running on the treadmill brought the pain on, and then the next day i went for 50 mins, again mostly on grass as it was kinder on my calf/achilles. I was still feeling something in my achilles but it wasn't an acute pain.

The hotel i had booked in nottingham was beautiful, Eastwood Hall Hotel, a country manor type hotel set in its own large green grounds, and i'd ensured i booked somewhere with pool and gym facilities, so i was able to use the gym before my run on the friday, and then on the saturday and sunday had a nice swim in the tropical 18m pool! The recce of the bike course didn't quite go as planned…a) the winds were big and into the headwind i was being ground to a halt! b) i was cycling with @bigdaveakers and unfortunately he had a few mechanical issues so we only did 14k as i felt it was better safe than sorry with the winds, fast roads, and mechanical issues. However, i was able to suss out the swim and all i hoped was that the winds weren't as strong on race day as the return length was into a choppy headwind that would have been energy sapping!

As it was, i returned home to wales happy that i've managed 2 runs in 2 days and then went for my long run as scheduled, doing 11.5 miles, again at a very easy pace. Yes, i could feel my calf/achilles throughout, and afterwards i did my usual recovery routines. However, it was the following day that brought things to a head. I went to the gym for my weekly wattbike/gym sess and the wattbike power intervals were thankfully only 25 reps rather than the usual 40 as it was taper week prior to Llanelli Sprint, my first tri of the season. During the reps i was noticing that my calf was getting sore with the effort, increasing as the efforts wore on. Afterwards I felt quite broken, which was confirmed that night when i woke to go to the toilet and had to hobble across the floor because of the pain and constriction of my achilles/calf. Then, going downstairs, i knew this was worse than usual as i was in acute pain each step i descended. The pain was constant as i walked, although back to the dull pain rather than the sharp pain from going downstairs. I had no option but to rest and it was suggested that i might be suffering with posterior compartment syndrome. http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/calf_and_shin/compartment_syndrome_full.php 
this made sense as my calf had felt like it was ready to cramp at any time and i had complained of my calf feeling "tight, like it wanted to pop" for weeks. There was no quick way to diagnose if this was the problem, but i was advised that running on it could lead to serious damage so i had no other option than to decide not to race Llanelli Sprint, and to also concede that given the run training that i had missed over the months, and the fact i was still in pain, with the diagnosis unconfirmed that Outlaw Half was also unwise. The pre-race nerves that had been starting to form had now firmly been replaced with being gutted as having read the race information for Outlaw Half i was really looking forward to it!

However, if it wasn't compartment syndrome, and was just achilles tendinopathy then it is possible that i'll never get over it and can either choose to run on it and cause myself discomfort, or possibly have to stop running altogether. i'm not there yet, so i'm not jumping the gun, but i truly love running, the freedom of it, and if i can't run then i can't do triathlon. But, the other negative, is that currently it hurts to do any cardio workout that involves my legs meaning i can't just become a cyclist. I've been on the bike (spin bike/turbo) twice in the past week and have got up to 40 mins easy pace (still working my heart rate properly), but after this time my achilles is sore. I have been doing work on the cross trainer and managed 1/2hr today but then it was sore again. The other day i tried the rower, but again, after 10 mins i was aware of the pain/pressure building. Even when i was swimming open water in the week i was aware of the pain, but maybe that was because it was constricted in the wetsuit? it meant though that i couldn't trust it not to cramp so didn't swim as much as i had wanted (plus my troublesome arm was getting sore in the wetsuit also - broken hayley!).

the concern is that i'm not training as much as i would, so i'll be losing fitness, whilst also putting on weight if i carry on eating the way i am! but then i think, sod it, my season looks like it's over, why can't i drown my sorrows and enjoy what i can! but, don't get me wrong, i'm being very mindful about this. it's only an injury, only sport, i can still do more than many people would like to be able to do, and i remind myself of those people recently who have lost their lives too early and would have loved to have been able to live longer and do more so that's what i am focusing on.

What i am doing though is focusing on what i can do, so i'm stretching more, i'm icing it every day when i get home, i've bought an aqua jogging belt which i'm looking forward to using for the first time later today when i go swimming.

 



I've booked to go to Ace Feet podiatry service next week to have a look at computerised pads showing my feet when i run to see if there's anything there that can be tweaked. I'm looking into a specialist run assessment to see if my technique is causing it and whether that can be adapted to help. I'm also waiting for an appointment at the muscoskeletal clinical assessment service in my NHS Trust to try and get a firm diagnosis and any treatment that might help, given i have tried physio before and found it of no benefit.

So i'm exploring all options to try and overcome this once and for all as it's plagued me on and off since dec 2011, when i first started training for triathlon! I do intend though next week to get my early morning sessions back on track. I had some blood tests done recently to check out my excessive tiredness but they have come back all clear, so i know it's now down to me to sort out my sleep and get back into that habit that is so easy to break. The tiredness was probably a rollover from Manic March!

As for my season, well who knows…i missed Dambuster Duathlon because of it, i've missed Llanelli Sprint, i'm missing Outlaw Half…i've got Little Woody end of august and Bala olympic beginning on september, but the way i'm feeling now i can't see myself being ready for them, but i've yet to decide whether to withdraw and look to do something right at the end of season if i can, but until i get a prognosis and treatment options i don't know what the future holds. right now though, i can't do sportives, i can't run, i can't train aerobically for that long without pain coming on, so swimming it is!

So, i have a plan, i have options, i'm doing what i can, but i'm also not letting it define me. There are still plenty of things i can do to fill my time and enjoy myself :) i'm just hoping i work up a huge sweat later from swimming and then aqua jogging so i can enjoy a beer and some choc later ;)

From winter to spring…a long overdue catch up

So much has happened in the past 4 months that i'll forget a lot, but life has been manic, March in particular, was the busiest month of my life it felt like, it was hideous, and now here we are, Easter weekend, and i can finally write my thoughts of the past few months.

Last time i wrote i was having a layoff from running due to injury and i had just started my #smarterNOTlonger journey with @bodybullet. Well running took a long time to get back as i was going very cautiously in building up distance very very slowly. It was frustrating to only be going out for a 10 minute run at very slow pace, but at least i was finally back running without the pain of old. I was signed up to do Carmarthenshire Duathlon in February (5k/30k/5k), but the weather had been filthy for weeks and it was cancelled due to the weather having affected the course - sand covering the route in north dock, llanelli, and where transition should be. I wasn't sure whether i was glad or disappointed, probably both! It would have been nice to race and test out my bike, see where i was at before the Dambuster duathlon a few weeks later, but at the same time i felt far from ready run wise, and was only just up to distance. As it happened i then got a cold from work, one of those that does the rounds and you try to avoid it but just as you think you've got away with it so it strikes you down! it laid me low in terms of no energy whatsoever, and even though i was still in work throughout, i felt groggy, headachy, and didn't train for 6 days!!!!! This made up my mind that i best not race Dambuster duathlon, which was a 10k/40k/5k age-group qualifier race. I was far from race ready after illness and my run was nowhere near where i wanted it to be. Disappointed, as it meant i missed all the duathlon season, as come March, where the majority of them occur, i was tied up with golf all but one weekend. Duathlon is my best multi-sport event probably, given my run was always my strength and i'm decent on the bike, but i was starting to doubt whether my run would ever be what it was before.

What i was finding was that i was missing sessions or switching them around in the week and never managing to do a full week's training. I'm not sure whether this was due to my early morning training routine being affected over the past few years with training shifting more to after work meaning some lie ins and some 5am wake ups, and therefore my body clock being all to pot, or whether my work was having it's affect as i had been pretty hectic and having no time to stop and think, or whether it was because i was never properly resting on weekends with training and then having a day at golf for my voluntary sport psychology work, which often meant a 5hr day on a sunday, either standing on a golf course, or travelling up to Celtic Manor, to work for 3 hrs, before returning home again. But anyways, what it meant was when i was training it was going well, but i was also missing too much for my liking, and missing some swim sessions.

However, a conversation by chance on twitter got me talking with @bigdaveakers a swim coach and ex international swimmer who was running swim clinics across the UK wherever a group of people could get together and Dave would go to them, only for the cost of his petrol. He happened to be coming down to Swansea for a swim meet for his swimmers and he agreed to see me. I spent 2 hrs in the pool with Dave, having him swim behind me to watch my stroke, whilst also watching me swim head on etc. This session was also great practice for open water as we had leisurely breaststrokers, fast lane swimmers, and annoying egotistical hairy men that wouldn't give way when i was tapping on their toes, all in the same wide single lane! However, Dave was brilliant and by giving me just 3 tips to work on during that session i'd knocked my stroke count down by 8 strokes and knocked 20 seconds off my normal 100m swim speed!!!!! I then treated Dave to dinner and we've become firm friends since! So much so that he came down again just a couple of weeks ago, and i was able to arrange a few others from my tri club to see him too. This time we were in the Wales National 50m Pool in Swansea, my first time in a 50m pool. I wasn't sure how it'd be beforehand, whether it would feel big like an open water swim, but i actually thoroughly enjoyed it as you had far longer to focus on your stroke. This time Dave was more adventurous and seeing him lying on the bottom of a 2m pool as you swim above him was quite surreal! What i have found though, is that even though i haven't been swimming 3 times weekly as i wanted, the new techniques bits from Dave have helped my swim improve and i'm definitely faster in the pool with less effort. My arm still plays up every now and then, and my chest is often tight when i go swimming, so the first wetsuit swim in the pool of 2014 was a tight chested painful affair! Hope i can get some good open water swims in before Outlaw Half on 1st June as 1.9k feels a long way with a tight chest and sore arm in a wetsuit! We did a mass start practice in the pool the other week though and i felt comfortable doing it, which is a good sign for the season ahead, just got to make that first foray into the murky waters of North Dock in Llanelli of 2014 and away we go! I can't recommend Dave enough, so look him up on twitter & let him know i sent you ;) check out: coach-dave.co.uk

Back to my sport psychology work…from the last weekend in February, to the last but one weekend in March i was doing golf work, with 2 whole weekends in March being taken up with stays away in Prestatyn and then Aberdovey for squad matches with the girls and boys squads. I got to see some beautiful coastline, i got to give my brand new shiny go faster car a good run out on the windy twisty country roads through Mid Wales, and i got to see how my golfers were faring right before the season started. However, it meant 2 whole weekends out of training with no long rides or runs and it meant returning to work each Monday tired and unrested. So March was the worst month of my life in terms of being fatigued, stressed, wishing my time away. However, the golf work has been a fantastic experience and given me a good grounding to start doing a small amount of private sport psychology type work in my spare time in the very near future. The amount of time taken up though by the commitment to golf meant that i realised it wasn't sustainable beyond this season and i won't be returning in the season 2014-2015, not when i train for 12+ hours a week (or am meant to at least), as well as working full-time, running my house, and trying to have a life, as well as my uni work!

Speaking of uni work, whilst this was all going on in March i also had my final assignment to write, a 5000 word piece on research methods! Not my strongest subject, lol, but at least with the lectures i had learnt more about statistics than i ever did during my undergraduate and doctorate degrees! I was trying to squeeze reading prep around all my commitments and training, and in the end used up my final 4 days of annual leave in March (on the weekend where i had been due to be racing away at Dambuster Duathlon) to churn out the essay and submit 2 weeks early so it was done and dusted! Yet to hear back my mark, but as long as it's a pass i don't really care. Next up is my dissertation, which is looking at imagery use amongst triathletes, and if you're interested then have a look at:

https://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=brwyp9rosa07odm265843 (you might need to copy and paste into a new address bar)

The survey is open for the 2014 season, and i'll have to collect some results data as the season goes along, before i shut it in October. But for now, i can't bear to think of doing anything like that, i'm just taking April to relax, unwind, and get back on track. As it happens i took a couple of days off at the start of April to try and relax, but i was still training and i reached a point this week where i just needed to rest completely. I took last Sunday off because all i wanted to do was sit and do nothing (although the housework always needs doing, damn it!), but this week, whilst i was still working, i just needed to come home each evening and sit, watch tv, and get an early night.

As it happens, so Simon from @bodybullet is very responsive to the training demands and life pressures of his athletes and has analysed how i've struggled to commit to a fuller training plan whilst also seeing how i perform when i'm better rested. So, he's hatching a plan where i get more rest, more "Hayley time" whilst still training 12+ hours and then hopefully being able to stick to the plan and start to make big gains :)

Off we trapse to the start line...

What was pleasing, was my first run out of the season for Celtic Tri in the last cross country fixture of the season. I'd missed the first few through injury or my slow rehab process, and the last but one fixture as i was away with golf. However, i turned up for my local race in the Gnoll in Neath, and was pleased that even though the course was pretty brutal my legs were strong on the hills, and i finished strongly for a good finish. Not a great race, as my pacing was probably a little out and i felt sluggish late in the first lap into the second, but then i found my next gear and finished the last kilometre strongly, making up lots of places and doing my mandatory sprint finish to pip people in the final stretch, this time up a nice hill too :)

Always gotta have a sprint finish ;)

So now my first race of the season is Llanelli Sprint on 18th May, with Outlaw Half only 2 weeks after that! I've entered my first sportive of the season too, the Wye Valley Warrior in 2 weeks, 4th May, for a 67 miler, which should be a nice change of scenery. A good group from the club going too which will be good to see our club colours in full flow :)

I'm not sure yet what the season will hold, as whilst i have been training as well as my body/time has allowed, i'm yet to go flat out to see what my pace is like over a sustained amount of time, and i'm also conscious of how much training i've missed and wondering the damage of that to my performance. However, what is vital, and what i keep reminding myself, is that triathlon is fun, it's about challenging yourself, it's about pushing yourself to see how far you can go, or how fast you can go, or whatever your goal is, but ultimately, it's about you, nobody else, and that's why i'm entering some sportives, and stepping up to the Half Ironman distance, to challenge myself, keep things fresh, see how i perform over longer distances…

I'm hoping my running is coming along, as my run time is now at 1:40 running very slowly at an easy heart rate, but distance still isn't beyond 10 miles yet due to this. I get problems with my achilles in terms of tightness and around the ankle, and i did have a flare up of my ITB bands which were having vice-like grip on my legs for a few weeks affecting my ability to run but thankfully that's eased now. I did my longest ever ride yesterday of 4:17 moving time and 66.4 miles which turned out to be my first 100+k ride on the bike too :) chose my hilliest ride to date so lots of first yesterdays. My knees didn't appreciate it, and it felt like an ironman ride was a long way off from where i was at, let along running a  marathon, but maybe if i can keep building from here. I'm wary my body has constant niggles and pains like my back, knees, achilles, shoulders, etc. and i know that triathlon is a demanding sport, but i question whether my body is cut out for long distances so i'll see how it all comes together when i do the Outlaw Half…I'm just thankful that i survived March and now i can get back to enjoying life, enjoying having some fun as well as training well…work/life balance is vital in order to get the best out of yourself :)

Sorry for the essay folks, but it is nearly 4 months work of catching up ;) Until next time...

Off-season 2013 - an opportunity too good to turn down

This post is long over-due but it seems that every November my commitments go through the roof and my spare time is minimal...what this creates is a very tired Hayley so thank goodness i'm now on holidays, visiting my brother in the US with my parents for Christmas!

After the end of the 2013 season i had quickly signed up to the majority of my 2014 races with my focus all set, and with the intention to go through the season solo, basing my training around recommended triathlon training programme books. However, the fact that i'm so busy means i have no time to read said books so when an opportunity arose to work with someone i have long followed on twitter it was too good an opportunity to turn down. Simon Vincent works under the business name Body Bullet Dynamics (@bodybullet on twitter) and he has a fantastic setup at his home with top quality equipment that i could only look on at with envy when i walked into a triathlete's dream one-man gym set up!

The thing that attracted me was the scientific approach as i'm a scientist in my outlook on situations in life, plus the emphasis on building strong muscles in the gym as there's nothing i like better than a ripped body and my guns looking fine ;) (not that i have a ripped body i should add, but it's definitely a goal now!)

Simon's approach is the most thorough i've ever experienced and it meant a 9hr assessment day spent with him, lucky he's a nice guy lol! This assessment day was to gauge my strengths and weaknesses throughout a number of different areas from hydration levels, body fat analysis, nutrition, to core stability and strength, my maximum power wattage on his beloved watt bike, and various other tests looking at my body strength and ability to sustain power during a few relatively short, but very hard tests. Simon also looked at my run technique, and given my long-standing achilles problem he was able to make some suggestions that might improve not only my run performance but also the injury over time.

http://www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk

Following this assessment day Simon provided a very comprehensive report which outlined the results and what they meant. Just from the assessment day alone i knew there were areas i needed to change and the big factor was the amount of aspartame i was consuming in various forms: pepsi max, sugar free chewing gum, and ribena light. the high levels of false sugar meant my liver was struggling to break it all down and it was leaving my body dehydrated, even though i was drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, along with pepsi max. From that date, back in mid november i have quit chewing gum and ribena light, low fat products have been binned and my diet has gone an overhaul. Pepsi max...well i cut right down to one a day, and then when i had gone through what i had in the fridge i went 12 days without having a single drop. I even lasted an entire 9hr+ flight to USA without drinking any of it but when i got to USA i finally cracked and i had half a can, and on the second day just a mouthful...i love pepsi max and i'm not sure i can ever do without it, but i've certainly cut it out as a regular thing in my diet. When we went out to a restaurant yesterday i replaced it with Stella Artois, lol, so that seems a good swap to me!!

I'm on a new diet now, which i'm still getting my head around in terms of the quantities i should be eating of proteins, fats, and carbs, but the main issue is increasing my veg intake through the roof, even though i thought i ate a lot of it, and thinking about what i'm eating in relation to the training done that day. However, i did warn Simon that being in the USA for a family xmas it would be impossible for me to remain super strict as the desserts out here are impossible to say 'No' to, especially when it's only once a year that i get to be seduced by them. What i have done though, is made wiser choices when i can, and earlier to walked to the supermarket to buy salad stuffs for lunch, rather than snack on the chocolates that are here...however, my 8 week progress session will not show the weight loss it might have otherwise, due to xmas falling smack bang in the middle of my first 8 week training block!

http://mariettadiner.net/pages.php?PID=desserts

The training i've been doing has been great, although initially the focus has been on improving my aerobic performance so there's been no hard interval sessions on the bike. I also haven't run for the whole of December, hoping that a month's layoff will heal the achilles/calf problem, but i've also been referred for a scan to check there's no damage, just in case. I've had fortnightly osteopath sessions with Batman aka Mike Griffiths (@MikeTheOsteopat) and this has kept me loose but i'm hoping that this enforced layoff will mean i can get back to what i love - running! The concern is that my first race is 16th Feb, with my first big race a GB qualifier duathlon on 8th March!! However, Simon is confident that with the work i have been doing so far will mean i can quickly get back to where i was running wise, and then quickly improve to a new level.

The focus has been on lots of bike work. What has been a revelation has been tweaking my bike set up so i'm now cycling pain free in terms of my knee and back, and that hasn't been the case for at least 18 months!! I've been trialling a new saddle also, to try and cure saddle pain on my sit bones, but so far that issue is still not resolved :( however, the fact that i was able to go 3.5hrs on the turbo without pain in my knees was breathtaking and i could have carried on!! that was the furthest i have ever cycled and i'm now very confident in building up distances and doing so with ease :) i've been working within a strict heart rate zone to train the heart to be more effective and i quickly noticed improvements in that i was having to pedal faster to get my heart rate up...that was until i got a blasted cold and then my heart rate was running high so i hardly had to put any effort in! What that meant though was an enforced few days of rest the week before my holidays started, the third build week before a recovery week, as i was exhausted and knew that with my heart rate running as it was that i wouldn't benefit from "manning up" as it might only lead to feeling even worse. I did feel bad about this, feeling that i was missing out on gains by not training, especially with the attitude amongst many triathletes out there that you just need to "man up" and get it done, however, Simon was very supportive and encouraged rest rather than pushing through. Thankfully the last few days i've trained well and today is a well earned rest day before my recovery week starts tomorrow where i get back swimming after a week off. 

So where am I at? Well...i've been super busy with my sport psychology golf work and i've also started back at uni meaning i'll have a 5000 word assignment to hand in in March. On top of this i've created my dissertation survey which is in its final tweaks before i can pilot it ready to collect my data when the new triathlon season starts. Work has been busy with many new complex clients and on my flight out to the USA i read 5 academic articles to try and make the most of the time and educate myself to be a better psychologist in 2014.

However, i'm also thankful for this opportunity to work with Simon and i'm very excited to see the gains play out when things all start coming together and i start putting some speed work into my training. I'm cautious about returning to running however, hoping that that first very short run is pain free with no after-effects either...For now, i'm on holidays and i will enjoy, and within moderation i'll have my xmas indulgence. I'm thankful for having a fantastic family, and i'm grateful for the friends i have, and also to the readers of this blog. This time last year i never expected to have raced in a GB trisuit, nor did i expect to have set up a blog and for people to actually read it, and enjoy it!

So i thank you, thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and i wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and know that anything is possible, both good and bad!! Never assume, and never take things for granted, and if you get an opportunity to do what you want, then grasp it with both hands as who knows whether that opportunity will arise again :) Bring on 2014!!!!!!!

October 2013 - rest, new opportunities, and some frustrations...

The start of October for the past 2 years has meant my end of season annual leave and time off from training :) I was ready for some time off, as the only extended leave i had had was my trip to turkey, an emotional rollercoaster of a trip, and then i had a few days off in july to watch wimbledon, so definitely in need of a recharge of batteries and some sleep. This October was also significant as it was my mother's 60th birthday so the two of us went off to London for a few days to do what we love to do, watch theatre shows, shop, and eat good food :) Tea at the Ritz was simply amazing, and Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables were truly wonderful. We also got to do a little sightseeing but because we were so busy and i wasn't getting up at an ungodly hour on my time off i didn't make use of the 5 star fitness facilities are our lovely hotel. They even had a 25m pool!!!!!

Tower Bridge 

Even though October was my month of no real formalised training, other than 4 days off straight at the start of my leave i have been ticking over. I have had some days where i've taken an extra rest day because of circumstance but my swimming has been twice a week and i've seen great improvements there with regards my feel for the water, my breathing capacity, and my power with my pull. I'm also spending a lot of time on the turbo and it helps that i have a sky+ backlog to keep me going on my low heart rate zone rides with the odd sufferfest video thrown in to spice things up every now and then. I've also started going to a pilates class and i think this has possibly helped with my breathing. What has happened though is that asthma has been diagnosed now after i returned to the nurse. My blood tests were all clear but the peak flow rate over a month showed enough of a pattern for me to be started on a steroid pump as a preventative measure and then a ventolin pump as and when i need it. If it will finally allow my lung capacity to feel more like it should given my fitness then i'll be one happy bunny! I'm back doing strength work and have been building up slowly, yet to get back to the gym, but instead doing body weight work, trx exercises, and basic kettlebell work. I've finally ditched my obsession with protein bars and did lose the weight i put on during my "eat what i like week" but these past few days where i've made a hearty lentil based soup i've found myself feeling bloated so that obviously wasn't the right choice for me. I know it's the off season, and i'm allowing myself beer when i fancy it, i'm also trying to make positive changes to my diet to get to the weight i want to be, whereas the past 2 years i've been carrying just a little bit too much in my opinion, even though those who know me would cry out that i didn't need to lose any. On the negative side my running is still hampered by my long standing calf/achilles problem. This flared up again without an apparent cause early september and whilst i reduced running volume and intensity right down it wasn't helping, not even with regular stretching and osteopath treatments, This week i haven't run at all and it's killing me as i love running the trails in autumn and i've also missed the first west glamorgan cross country fixture for Celtic Tri, with the second race also likely to be missed too as crosscountry isn't exactly forgiving when you have a calf/achilles problem. Another thing i did, given that's it's a month of doing different things, is a 2hr charity zumbathon, and i went on a date! The date itself went well, or so i thought, but it wasn't meant to be, so it's back to me, myself, and I! What i haven't yet managed to do though is get on the golf range or throw my climbing shoes back on!

Meandering through Chinatown, London

Speaking of golf...what i have started this month is sport psychology support work with young golfers who are in the south wales regional squad of Golf Union Wales. This opportunity came unexpectedly, through my MSc in Sport Psychology at Cardiff Met (UWIC) and whilst it'll mean a big time commitment with often 2 weekends of every month having a commitment, it also means i get to put my sport psychology into practice and will help me gain experience ready for any private work i pursue in the future. I'm also back on the dissertation wagon, having met with my tutors this evening, so i'm hoping to get my data collection sorted soon, ready to start data collection when the tri season starts next spring. So i'll have a fine balance ahead of me with full-time work, sport psychology golf work, my dissertation, a MSc module after xmas, and then the usual things like training, running a house, and making time for family and friends!!

As i enter November so there's an exciting development occurring which i'm super excited about. More of that next blog no doubt...As for now, well i'm enjoying my turbo time as the weather and free time hasn't been in favour for outside rides for a while, and i'm actually really enjoying swimming, although my bad that i missed this morning as my body just said 'No!' I really hope to get back running in time that i can still enjoy the trails without them becoming too muddy and also in enough time for my races which i'm already signed up for! I've paid up for 6 already and that's all my A races sorted, with only one or two others to fit in, but even if i didn't add anymore in then i've got one exciting season ahead and i'm conscious to have enough time between each race to build and to also use some races as training races rather than tapering for every race as i did this year.

Happy November everyone!! xx

Fantastic contrast of bleak black clouds against the backdrop of sun overlooking Celtic Manor golf course

Last race of 2013 season - Forest of Dean Autumn Trails Half Marathon

Following my DNF at Bala my frustration was ripe for thrashing out a few hard training sessions to work off the energy i didn't expel at Bala. However, unfortunately, my chest continued to be tight and therefore training was affected. I was able to run but chest would be tight throughout so only managed to clock a 9 miler in the build up to the half marathon, meaning i hadn't ran the full distance since the last time i ran a half marathon - March 2012! i had run 11.5 miles about 2 weeks before Bala but not the prep i had wanted as i'd hoped to do a lot of beach/off road work and more speed work. As for the turbo, even if i only did 1/2hr easy spin i still felt almost sick afterwards so i was feeling quite demoralised. I got back swimming but chest still felt tight for a couple of weeks so felt out of breathe a lot of the time even doing just technique drills.

Rest and cold/flu tablets weren't working so i went to the GP and saw the practise nurse who specialises in asthma. Doing a peak flow test twice with the use of an inhaler in between showed my peak flow rate improved so she prescribed me an inhaler and asked me to monitor my peak flow rate for a month and then return for more tests. I also had to go and have bloods taken to test if i am anaemic. At least this meant i could train as the inhaler definitely helped, although sometimes my chest felt tight but the peak flow rate didn't reflect this, so i'm awaiting to go back and see what the outcome is. In a way though i'm glad there is something the matter, as it justifies my DNF rather than me not being able to 'man up' on the day.

Ready for the off :)

 However, i was determined the do the half marathon and the weather on the day was perfect, blue skies, sun shining, and a good temperature. I had decided to wear my vivobarefoot trail shoes as i thought with recent rain and it being autumn that there might be a lot of leaves on the forest bed floor that might make it slippery with potentially some mud. How wrong i was!!

No, i am not leading, lol!

My barefoot trail shoes have lugs on the bottom to help with grip but the sole is barefoot so i feel every stone, tree root, etc. One or two is fine but when it's constant it's not long before your feet start screaming at you in pain. The majority of the run was on forest trails with plenty of chippings, or large stones pushing up through the earth, or tree roots that you couldn't avoid. There was only a very short section (i'm talking only a few hundred metres) which was earth bed floor or grass :( not quite what i had in mind when i decided upon wearing them over my normal trainers. i had more like gnoll park in mind, lovely earth bed floors, endless leaves, etc. The plus side was my calf & hamstring were absolutely fine (these had both been bothering me quite a lot when running which i was conscious of), the downside was my feet were in absolutely agony and i'm pretty sure this affected how fast i could run.

Nevertheless, the course is beautiful, the support in the forest is great and i saw the same guy who cheered on "celtic tri" three times and i couldn't work out how he was getting everywhere in the forest. That was until i learnt that the course switches back on itself a lot, sometimes cutting across the same trails, so he was probably standing still in the same spot and i just kept passing him without realising! There were plenty of water stops although no energy drinks as in the spring version of the race. There were also loads of marshals so this race is definitely highly recommended, as there is plenty of parking and it's easy to get to. The route is different from the spring one but it wasn't as hilly as i had presumed. The climbs are more long drags than short sharp climbs which you get a few of in the spring version. However, there were plenty of steep downhills which when your feet are in agony was quite tough going. I had come into the race with a strategy but that went out the window as for the first half of the race my chest was quite tight and then the pain in my feet prevented me from pushing on. Boy was i glad when we got to 10 miles and i knew there was't too far to go. However, those last few miles seemed endless and i had to keep talking to myself to focus on technique, focus on what i could control and just keep pushing forwards. As we got to mile 10/11 i did try increasing pace at each mile marker from there on it but whether i did or not i had no idea as i ran without a watch or garmin (au natural). When i approached the last kilometre i sped up again and then the last couple of hundred metres put my usual kick in and must have overtaken at least 20-30 people just in those final two minutes.

Completely shattered, in so much pain :(

Crossing the line was the best feeling because the pain was over, i'm not sure i've ever hurt as much from a race. I had no idea of my time as there was no finish line clock but i found out i did it in 1:48:45. So my slowest half marathon of the three i have done, but the hardest also, not helped by my affected training & poor shoe choice. Afterwards i was completely shattered and just trying to jog to the toilet about 20 mins later my calf went into spasm, OWWWWWWW!!!!!!, so i then hobbled and waited in the 'free massage' queue for another 20 mins or so & then the girls doing the massage asked when i was limping!!!!!!! It helped anyway and i drove home without problems but when i got in i was so stiff i even resorted to a cold bath!!!!!! Can't say if it helped as my legs were in bits the next day but might they have been worse if i hadn't have had the cold bath?

I would like to come back to do this race next year though, with the right trainers on, and the right training, as it's a great route, and the drop down opening up onto the little lake was idyllic :)

As it was following the half i then had a week off work so i was able to rest properly and not have to worry about when i trained again as i didn't do anything for 4 days!!!!! not sure i could have even if i had wanted to! For now it's rest time, re-group, indulge a little, and then crack on for smashing 2014 as 2013 was definitely not what i had hoped for. It started off so promisingly with good duathlon results, then the unexpected trip to Turkey for the Euros in GB colours, but i still didn't race to what i think i am capable of with the right training under my belt, and the right head on when it comes to open water swims...