Rising above the hurt, in more ways than one

This week was truly shocking news with the bombings at Boston Marathon. I hate hearing about any deaths, whether they are war related, murders, or accidents, and i cannot fathom what drives people to think it's OK to kill others to prove a point, or for some cause. However, it really hurt to see a sport targeted that brings so many people together, young, old, elite, fit, those wanting to lose weight, or achieve a goal, or even just for the love of running, the sense of freedom it gives. I feel for all those affected and also hope that it doesn't put them off running, or taking part in other events, as unfortunately, we don't know what the future holds. we cannot live our lives in fear of what might happen, when what we fear might never actually happen. we have to make the most of our lives, because we don't know what is around the corner, for us, or for those we love. That's not to say that i don't moan, because believe me i have been ranting today about things, but we must live our lives to their fullest.

How is my training going i hear you ask...well the past 2 weeks have been quieter weeks. Last week was a recovery week, although i still put in about 11.5hours, and this week is the week building up to sunday's Glamorgan Duathlon so Rose has kindly given me a week to keep me rested and sharp for the race, although i had expected to train hard through some races, and taper just for key ones. But...coach knows best...

What i have been focusing on is keeping a high cadence on the bike, and trying to spin faster in a higher gear, meaning faster speed. I joined the North Dock Dredgers for a ride last Saturday, a nice 42 miles in wet, wind and filthy conditions, yuck! At least after the ride i finally relented and HAD to clean the bike as i couldn't touch it without getting dirty and gritty. I felt really good on the ride, keeping in the bunch with the blokes, even doing some breakaways on some inclines, and was pleased with how the legs felt spinning fast.

I've always focused on building my legs up in the gym with lots of squats, single leg squats, lunges, etc. This has also meant that my bum has been big but toned. Now though, following Rose's plan i haven't done a squat in 6 weeks, and the strength and conditioning routine i do is repetitive body weight based leg exercises, rather than heavy weight sets. I'm watching my body shape, and the muscle mass, and seeing if things are changing as a result of a change of focus to more triathlon specific training. if you look at the top cyclists they have the strength to climb, and the power to keep high speeds up for long durations but no bulky muscle. So we will see. I'm trying to lose a few kilograms ready for race season proper, but i love my food and have a horrible habit of getting hungry in an evening even after eating a good meal. However, i'm also aware that this might just be my bodyshape now for my age and whilst i can tweak a few things i can't expect to become like bradley wiggins.

What i am aware of though is that i'm recovering far better, probably as a result of doing less heavy weight based exercises, and also Rose's plan means i have regular rest periods, even though total hours are as much as, if not more, than i was doing before. I also love my compressport full legs (and R2 calf guards). I can't tolerate compression for longer than about an hour, but using them regular is definitely helping with recovery, and also helping my calf stay healed :) Another recovery product i make use of is For Goodness Shakes 3:1 recovery drink. The vanilla shake is just dreamy to drink and after a hard sess i have one of those, or if i know i won't be able to eat for a little while after finishing a session i will make sure i have one to tide me over and start the recovery process.

Another thing that i have noticed training wise is that the 2nd heart rate training zone that Rose has set me is pretty tough for running, but...whilst it feels hard i can also sustain it. so whilst it's not pretty viewing, with sweat and hair flying everywhere, and my chubby cheeks doing overtime on the bouncy castle, it has taught me that i can run harder in a race than i have been doing, even if it feels like a lot of hard work at the time. Happy Days!! This has made me super excited to test it out in sunday's race. Not every race is an 'A' race, and all 3 duathlons have been geared as training for the tri season, So this last duathlon is a chance for me to test out this theory, that i can push harder on the bike and run and even though it feels hard, use positive self-talk, and the knowledge that in training i can sustain that pace, to see if it plays out on the day. Then i can reflect on my performance, and adjust future race strategies accordingly. It's all trial and error and getting to know your body and what your limits are, but also whether those limits can be pushed harder.

Next time i will share with you whether my race plan materialised, and if it did, how it went ;)