Life's calling has arrived!

Do you ever get experiences that make you sit up and listen? That make you instantly change your outlook or focus? That ultimately help you re-evaluate how you approach tasks, or even life? I think the past few days have changed me forever and I feel super pumped, so excited for the future it's amazing!

What am I smoking you might ask…well for the record I have just opened a bottle of cobra, but that's it, the rest is just good ole fashioned chance encounters, genuine human kindness, and reading a book that really resonates with you.

Lets rewind a few days…you might remember from my last blog that I was looking at fulfilling a lifelong ambition of doing an obstacle course race. Who knew these races were so huge across the world!! Well…my research on twitter led me to following the various companies that run these races and from that a guy by the name of Dan Tuffnell spotted me as a new follower of his twitter site @spartanraceuk, of which he is the Director of Spartan UK, the world's leading obstacle course racing series. Now, Dan was interested in speaking to me because of my psychology background and also my love for sport, and as he's keen to raise the profile of Spartan UK races and spread the word, he asked for me to interview him!! This was so that i could ask him questions that perhaps your generic journalist wouldn't ask, given that I am a psychologist. But that is a whole other blog, coming to you soon, with a full interview with Dan himself, a very inspiring chat and made me realise that the Spartan races are perhaps a bit different from the other obstacle course race brands out there by the philosophy that underpins them and what Dan himself believes in: empowerment and mental challenges. For now though check them out on http://uk.spartanrace.com

So, the result of this chance encounter is that I have had a free race entry to a spartan race, so i make my obstacle course race debut in Edinburgh next month! How excited am I for that?!?!?!?!?! I'm so enthused right now, more excited than i ever have been for a triathlon so perhaps OCR (obstacle course racing) is my new life calling?? it might play to my strengths…my love of running, my strength, my agile skills from my climbing days, plus my love of all things hard when it comes to fitness and challenges! What this has led me to do though is think about how i will prepare…so i bought the book "Spartan Up!" by the founder of Spartan races, Joe De Sena http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spartan-Take-No-Prisoners-Overcoming-Obstacles-Performance/dp/1471137686/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408902591&sr=8-1&keywords=spartan+up

Today alone i've read 60 pages of it and i'm enthralled by it! It's given me a whole different perspective on how I will approach the race, but not only that, I also feel that it will ultimately help me in triathlon in terms of no longer being spooked by open water swimming in races or rough swimming conditions. Instead, I will just focus completely on the task and approaching it as an obstacle to be overcome and that I have the mental and physical strength to overcome whatever challenge is placed in my way! AROO!! (the spartan psyching up call ;))

Now…back to all things triathlon…well last week I had to go have my baseline fitness re-tested, given my injuries meant I hadn't been able to train properly and consistently for about 3 months. To say I was not looking forward to it was an understatement, but at the same time I was excited as it'd mean a training plan in place, one that I am determined to follow properly, unlike before, where i would move things around to suit me, rather than committing to it and doing it no matter what (unless i needed extra rest). So off i went to @bodybullet in Aberdare to his top notch home gym facilities, and on his wattbike I had to complete a 3 minute FTP test and a 20 min MAE test. Prior to that, the thing i'd been dreading the most…the weighing scales!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say they shook under my weight…having added some winter insulation ready for this unseasonable change in weather! But…other than the scales highlighting that i need to shift some serious poundage, my results were all positive considering my lack of training! I guess the training i have done: heart rate consistent turbo and road bike sessions, aqua jogging, easy running, and swimming, along with all the hours i did of manual labour on the farm, paid dividends as my power output was the same from my initial testing in November 2013 (although my heavier weights means my FTP was slightly lower), but my aerobic efficiency has actually improved - GET IN!!!!! So…i'm very confident that within a month, when my Spartan race is, i'll have shed a few pounds, hopefully half a stone, as i'll be back on regular 10 hr+ training weeks and eating healthily. I've even started making my own snack bars!

This also meant that i sacrificed a night out tonight with mates on bank holiday sunday as my training hat is well and truly switched on, and yes, i may have a beer in front of me, but today i've done some yoga (another new passion) as well as cleaned thoroughly, so I'm carb loading before a triple sess tomoz with some OCR type training thrown in for good measure!

The other exciting news is that I've been offered free advertising for my sole trader #youcanyouwill performance psychology "business" on the tri kit of a new tri club that's being created by a twitter friend #TeamBear_Tri. He's also focused on overcoming challenges and obstacles and never giving in so i'd be proud to put my name to his concept and help his athletes with discounted psychology sessions! Mutually beneficial deal in my book ;)

@TeamBear_Tri - Suffer but NEVER surrender!!

Everything is coming together

In my last post I spoke about my rehab and how things were starting to move in the right direction. Well, here I am, a few weeks on, looking forwards and feeling positive. I'm now back training in all areas, cycling, running, swimming, and back in the gym, and whilst I'm being good and building up slowly, I'm confident of soon getting back to where I was. I'm having a performance re-testing this Thursday with Simon (@bodybullet on twitter) which will show how much specific fitness I have lost in terms of my MAE and FTP. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but, it will mean Simon can devise a unique training plan based on these new figures to ensure I'm training right, not too hard, and not too easy! My goals now are for a couple of races end of season and then consider some races over the autumn and winter. I've got a super sprint lined up in Carmarthen in October, which should be fun to just be going full pelt again, and then the postponed Carmarthenshire duathlon comes later in October. October is usually when I unwind, take some time off, but given that it's felt like I have had too much time of not doing enough then I'm happy to be back training and getting back a training routine.

Another thing I'm giving serious thought to is an obstacle course challenge/race. I've always loved obstacle/assault courses, and used to love watching The Krypton Factor as a kid, wondering what I'd be like if I were doing the courses. I even considered joining the forces just so that I could do the training and obstacle courses!

Another thing I've signed up to, for a bit of fun, is the www.colormerad.co.uk fun 5k run at Margam Park in late September, where there's no timing, rather, it's all about paint and getting as colourful as possible whilst running! I've roped in some friends from work so chances are I won't be running my usual pace, but instead keeping with them so that we can paint bomb each other!

I'm back running and whilst my calf gets very stiff afterwards, I'm not really getting pain as such when I'm running. I've been told there is no damage in the calf or surrounding area so I've been given the go-ahead to run and build my training. I am however, being referred on for an assessment to see whether it's low level compartment syndrome, but I have no idea how long it will be before that comes through.

I'm back swimming pain free though which is amazing!!! Last week I did a 1.6k with some sprints and longer sets and felt OK, so this week I upped that to 2k, a full set for me, and again did sprints, pushing myself, and again I felt great, no pain, and my swim times are as they were before my injury lay off and I've even knocked 6-8 seconds per 100m off my times just by changing my breathing pattern to breathe less regularly, but I have to train myself now to try and keep that up for a full race distance.

Another major development is that I'm now finally fulfilling a long-time ambition of working privately, helping other sporting people enhance their performance through psychology. My moto is #youcanyouwill and you can find out more on Facebook with a page of that name, as well as my upcoming website @ www.youcanyouwill.co.uk. I'm also on twitter as @DrHPsych. I've even had my first taste of Skype, with my first client, a guy who lives abroad, and he has signed up to weekly sessions so I'm chuffed about that. I'm waiting for my business cards to arrive and then the last piece of the puzzle will be my website which the guys @ www.blossomassociates.co.uk are helping me with. I've also been approached on twitter about a potentially big project with a big company which came completely out of the blue, but at the same time is exciting and potentially huge! I'm having a conversation tomorrow with the PR man about an interview with me and then discuss possible ways forward so I'll keep you posted!

So right now things are moving in the right direction. I'm confident that when I come back I'll be better than ever, but I am under no illusions about coming back flying. My races this season will all be about enjoying them, enjoying the thrill of cycling and running at pace, and seeing how my newfound confidence in swimming serves me. Although, I will have to wait until next season before I test out my open water confidence again, saying that though, I might try and get in some open water swims before the temperature dips now that my arm is strong and hopefully the wetsuit won't aggravate the injury with the slightly restricted movement.

I wish you all success in whatever adventures you are currently pursuing, and remember, if you have a dream, an ambition, believe you can do it, plan what needs to be done, and then go put it into practice and become what you have always wanted to be!!

Rehab and the silver lining

I posted a few months back about my injury problems returning and how I had to miss at least the start of the season due to recurring calf/tibialis posterior tendinopathy and also a winged scapula that was causing pain when swimming along the deltoid area of my left arm. Well here we are, at the end of July and I thought I best let you all know what I've been up to and where I'm at. After pulling out of the Outlaw Half I didn't have anything else in my race calendar until the Little Woody which takes place on 23rd August, and then the Bala Standard which is on 7th September. As it is i have now withdrawn from Bala and deferred my entry to the Little Woody until next year. It's only been the past few weeks where I have returned to running and my swimming is a long way from where I would want it to be, although I'm not pain-free there for the time being.

So, that's where my race season is at present but what about my rehab, I've been absent from training, from races, and people might wonder whether I've dropped out of tri altogether but don't worry…I'll fill you in on all my various rehab exercises and the different lengths I have gone to to try and get over these recurring injuries and get back to doing what I love…especially now that I'm really enjoying swimming as well!!

Wales National Pool, Swansea - I bought a summer membership, 3 months for £40! #bargain

I mentioned in one of my last blog posts about a pending appointment with Ace Feet In Motion, a specialist podiatry service in Cardiff. 

http://www.feetinmotion.co.uk

What a professional set up! I met the lovely Tom and he conducted a thorough assessment which included me walking bare foot over a pressurised floor pad so see what my gait was like when walking - perfectly neutral! We then went into a larger room that had a larger space to run in so that the machine could take a reading of my foot strike when running. This showed that i am neutral-slightly overpronating, which is fine, my Saucony Kinvaras are fine for this, but what was interesting was that my left heel wasn't touching down whereas my right one was. This means that my tibialis posterior and calf in the left leg were being continually loaded and never getting any rest due to me not putting my foot completely down on the floor when running. It was suggested that rather than try and train myself to run differently an orthotic would enable me to carry on the way I naturally run but compensate by supporting the heel better and taking the load off. The first time I wore them the pain I had been experiencing in my leg instantly went away and I was very hopeful. As it turns out, it seems that having an orthotic in allowed the pressure to be taken off my tibialis posterior enough so that I could start to do some rehab work that was kindly sent to me by a complete stranger, Andrew Garwood,  @garwood3000, who is a fitness trainer and athlete in Australia! 

Unfortunately, however, after that initial progress, I was then finding my legs were getting very fatigued by the end of the working day from having the orthotics in and all I was able to do was get home, take them out and rest on the sofa! I persevered for a few weeks but ultimately I took them out and I haven't put them in since! In that time I have returned to see Tom who has made adjustments to the orthotic, reducing it slightly, should I need to put them in my shoe when training to ease things a little, but thankfully my leg has continued to heel (fingers crossed) and a lot of barefoot walking due to the wonderful weather we have been having has probably also been healthy for my feet to get stronger naturally. 

If it hadn't been for Andrew though I don't know where I'd be because I was struggling to find out the problem, and then stumped as to how to overcome it! A trip to the local Muscoskeletal Assessment Service also diagnosed the tibialis posterior tendinopathy but an ultrasound scan showed no damage of the tib-pos, nor the achilles, nor the calf area. However, through the rehab given to me for the tib-pos i have strengthened the tendon and the pain I had is no longer and I can bounce on the ball of my foot without any pain :) Unfortunately, that's not to say that it was problem solved because I then started to have pain in my calf in an almost identical position just the outer part of my leg rather than the inner. This felt like a massive balled knot under the skin but no amount of foam rolling or trigger point release work (also sent to me by Andrew) was shifting it. My calf was feeling tight again and when I did try a short run I stopped after two minutes because of the pain I was feeling in this new area, knowing that it wasn't right. 

I'd also learnt that my glute medius was probably weak so I have had rehab exercises for this too. I also learnt that the aqua jogging that I've been enjoying will help fire up my glute medius properly, as well as noticing that my running technique has benefitted from the focused time in the pool where you feel what your body is doing in great detail due to the water resistance you're experiencing. 

The final set of rehab exercises I've been working on is for my shoulder. I went along to a physio who did a very thorough assessment and told me that my left scapula/shoulder blade was winging meaning more pressure on my rotator cuff, hence the pain when swimming. He gave me a number of exercises to do designed to strengthen the scapula. I'm hoping they're working and my last few swims the pain has felt less, although it's still there to some degree. However, the last time I swam I managed 3 swims in a week, increasing my distance each time, and also throwing in my longer intervals, like 300m, as well as some speed work, so definitely progress. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get in the pool last week due to a sports massage making the shoulder/arm very sore, as well as life getting in the way and not having the time to go when my shoulder felt up to it. 

What the sports massage was good for though, with Vicki @vickiSMT was working the knot in my calf and my shoulder as my own trigger point work wasn't touching them. Since last Thursday my calf has felt a lot easier and I've managed a very short run of about 5 mins, as well as a longer 22 minute run tonight, with only a slight hint of the niggling knot in the calf. I've also been back cycling this past month, pain free, and loving being back on the open road! What I've been impressed with is that my average speed whilst keeping HR to my usual range has remained, and I even got some new PBs on strava which given I had been out for 2 months from cycling is pretty cool! It just shows that strength work does really make a difference so I can't recommend enough @bodybullet's #smarterNOTlonger approach as whilst my aerobic capacity will have been affected due to my injury layoff my strength work will mean it won't take me long to get back to where I was and quickly progress again! Nothing beats putting a bit of welly into the pedals and your bike responding by slicing through the air as if I were in the Tour de France!

So, what does a triathlete do with oneself when their season and training plans are scuppered?? Have some fun is what!! Back in June I went glamping for the first time, down to a truly beautiful site www.trellyn.co.uk in Abercastle, Pembrokeshire, with a group of mates from work. We stayed for 2 nights in an idyllic location in a dome, chilling out, drinking beer, walking along the stunning coastal path, and generally just having a good time with great food and lots of laughs.

Our dome!

I have also been able to spend the majority of my weekends in July doing manual labour, helping my best mate and her fiancé, the lovely Si of Blossom Associates, prepare a farm ready for a naming ceremony they are having this coming weekend. It's been a lot of fun, as well as a great workout, so even though my training hasn't been what it would be normally, I've certainly been getting a cross-fit type workout hauling sand, stones, carrying heavy rocks, moving laden wheelbarrows, etc. It's also been lovely to catch up with Chris, my best mate, and her two beautiful children. I don't typically get to see them very often, but when I do it's always so fulfilling and grounding, as well as inspiring. 

Walking the coastal path

The final topic of interest, to top off all the silver linings that have appeared by having all this extra free time on my hands, is that 2014 is the year that I committed myself to finally starting private work. This has always been my intention, right from the start of my psychology career, but I decided this year to pursue my first love, sports psychology, to put into practice the MSc in Sports Psychology that I am in the final stages of (my dissertation is active, and next year I will spend writing it up). 

I came across a few stumbling blocks in getting things together, but these past couple of days have been very productive with the purchase of my website domain www.youcanyouwill.co.uk where my services as a Clinical and Performance Psychologist will be advertised. I have also created a Facebook page: Youcanyouwill, as well as a new twitter account @DrHPsych . I'm in the process of acquiring a logo and business cards, and Blossom Associates +Blossom Associates @BlossomAssoc are working wonders on helping me design my website. It's an exciting time and who knows what the future will hold. I'll still be working full-time in my day job in mental health as a Clinical Psychologist, but I'm looking to help others maximise their performance, which might predominantly be in the sport/exercise setting, but there's no reason why this can't be applied to workplaces, businesses, etc. if they feel they need something extra to enhance performance. I'm looking to fit it around my training, e.g. meet someone over coffee after I've had a swim, and then it'll be informal, friendly, and maximises time all around. I will also look into getting Skype and chatting online is possible too. I'm intending to be as flexible as possible to meet the needs of those who want my help to achieve what they might not achieve without training their minds, alongside the physical training they are no doubt doing!

That's the thing…it's common place for athletes to have a training plan for getting fitter, faster, etc. but what about the mental side, the side that helps you overcome those dark moments when the body wants to give up rather than push through the pain of exertion, or the doubts that creep in when you're faced with a challenge that seems too much to bear. What about those people who have lost their mojo, or perhaps are stressed because of life issues like work, family, etc. and are finding that those things are weighing on their minds which has a detrimental impact on their training, their performance. Those are the people I want to reach, that I know I can help...

Meadow fields and more

I will finish with this wonderful passage that I stumbled across. Life isn't easy, but overcoming the obstacles put in our paths are what make us warriors. We're not perfect, but we persevere, and whatever you set your mind to you can achieve! #youcanyouwill

An inspiring quote!

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...