On a plus side it got me out of washing up!! Training wise it was a week of no swimming and biking (as this kept taking the tops of my heeling wounds). Certainly glad I eased back on the run during the race – so at least had run legs to be able to do some training.The weeks in between had been putting the icing on the cake in terms of Ironman Nice build – Long brick sessions and the last long runs. Last Sunday’s 2 ½ hour run was a tough one. Coach wanted me to do it off road and flat. Anyone that knows Eastbourne would know that this would be a struggle – as the south downs are not flat! So I asked Sarah for a suggestion. As soon as I sent the email I regretted it, knowing that she would reply with a tedious multi lap route. The reply was 1 mile loops around a local rugby field, a training session she had done in preparation for Nice in her racing days! I started out early as my parents were down for the weekend and wanted to spend time with them, not just training. By 9:30am I was done, I had done just under 19 laps of the park. I surprised myself with my pacing and mental focus. My reward a great big gourmet burger and chips at a great pub! Training been consistent during the week, still struggling occasionally with feeling tired with training, commuting, working, commuting and training every day. I know lots of people do this all the time, but it’s new to me. Just glad it’s summer and days are long. Not looking forward to the winter.
Today has been my last big brick session – a hilly 4hour hard bike followed by a 2 hour run, which went really well. My preparation may not have gone over the start of the year with calf strain niggling away March to April, preventing me from running, but everything has seemed to come together. I’ve got a couple of key sessions left now before tapering.
