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!
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!!!!!!!
