48 days and 12 hours till IM Nice

My promise to do a brief update every week, since my last post has gone by the wayside. I definitely under estimated how much stress starting a new job can bring and the tiredness that has accompanied this. In this first couple of weeks came home on Wednesdays needing a short midweek nap. Having just finished the third week I am now starting to feel that I’m getting into a routine and becoming more settled and relaxed. Starting a new job in the final phase of Ironman preparation is not ideal. But positions don’t come up often and as a full time worker and part time athlete, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. My training has had to change as a result. Adding a 20 mile journey to work has meant the loss of 2 hour Bodyworks swim sets. I can now only swim for the first hour and enjoy the pain of the main set only!! Good or bad thing, time will tell I guess. On the plus side I’ve been getting a lot of bike miles in the bank. The commute a couple of days a week from Eastbourne to Hastings has added some extra rolling bike miles. The rest of the time I’m lucky to car share; saving legs, fuel, money and the environment all in one go.

My life has also become a little brighter with the new arrival of a car. Living, working and training within a 2 mile radius has meant that I’ve had little use for a car. But a new job, miles away! Came with a pay rise and I needed a reliable car, my previous cars have all been run into the ground. The priorities were 1) fits me and my bike in it. 2) is as fuel efficient and environmentally friendly as cars can be. 3) is cute! After much internet searching and some test drives I settle on a Toyota Aygo Blue, which I collected last weekend. It’s lovely and shiny! And steeling a line from Simon “its so eco friendly that rather than giving out C02 it gives out flowers and you could drive 3 times round the world on a tablespoon of flax seed oil”.

Also good news is that the cross trainer and I are starting to wean ourselves from each other. My Achilles is definitely on the mend and I’ve started to build back into running. 7 weeks out from Ironman Nice this is not good, but I’m glad to be running at all. I just need to be sensible over the next two months. But honestly starting to really worry about the marathon. I keep trying to remind myself that I’ve done lots of long runs over the winter and an Ironman marathon is steady running not flat out. But that doesn’t really put me at ease, when I know the long runs and brick session that I could be doing. As I write this the Ironman France website reliable tells me that its 48 days and 12 hours to go and I’m honestly starting to panic inside.

11 weeks till IM Nice

I can’t really believe that I haven’t managed to write a blog for a couple of weeks - yet again!. Writing this post has been the only part of my life I’ve been slacking in. The end of the financial year I am sure is busy for every full time worker, wanna-be full time athlete! Working as a Physiotherapist within the NHS this is no different – budget cuts!! (There’s never any money anyway) and staff taking all their annual leave in the usual mad panic, has meant for a couple of very busy months. But excuses aside I’ve been pretty slack. Its now 11 weeks till Ironman Nice and my plan from here on in is to do a week by week short update. But before a quick rundown of last weeks training - I’ll just quickly run through the interesting things I’ve been up to.

The day after I returned home from training in spain i had an interview for a Band 7 team lead of Acute Rehabilitation. I got the post :-), not ideally timed with Ironman Nice on the Horizon. However, it does mean a promotion into a new post, which I can develop as mine, working in Acute Rehabilitation (i.e head injuries, spinal cord injuries and the likes). The only negative is that the post is within our sister hospital, almost 20 miles away so my 5 minute cycle to work will be no more. However, the commute across to Hastings from Eastbourne will add some great bike miles to my training, in the winter months.

Training on the whole has been going reasonably well. Swimming is still my love/hate sport. A couple of weeks back I was making some good progress and holding my stroke well in longer/ harder sets this past week however saw me exploding dreadfully in a 20 x 100m off 1:40 set. I’ve still to master the art of diving and keeping my goggles on! No matter how tight, they always come off during 25m sprints – well that’s my excuse for never going below 17 seconds.
Biking has also been going well; longer rides are becoming a lot easier now the suns coming out to play. I did my first Time trial event last Sunday – a solid effort on a cold windy day. A 2up with no partner as mine, Yvette Grice – preparing for Ironman South Africa, came down with a chest infection. A dreadful time, but having made the most of the Easter Weekend, being off work and getting in a couple of long bikes in the days preceding I was happy with my effort. Pushing through the pain from 5 minutes in, did remind me why I love 25 mile time trials. On the plus side – I can only go quicker next time! Yesterday I got in a solid 5 hour ride at 80% threshold, covering 93 miles. Then the easy spin home rounded it up to just over 100 miles. Yes I did have to ride a bit further up the seafront and did 5:34, rather than 5:30, but I couldn’t resist once I was that close.
Running has taken a back seat due to a bit of a calf niggle, which has seen me make friends with the cross trainer. But I have managed to finish listening to the entire Twilight saga, so it has had its positives. I have been able to start running again this week, which has been perfectly timed with the arrival of a nice big boxes from Zoot, containing new run shorts/ t shirts and Trainers – A pair of Advantages for training and Tempos for racing. The pair of Advantages had a test run this morning – very happy legs in new shoes!
Next week is my last week of 2 hour morning swims (good thing or bad thing?), as I start my new job the following week.

Rescued!

Yesterday long bike turned into a bit of a disaster. 35 mins into 4 hour ride, my I haven't puncture in 3 years phase was no more. Replaced inner tube, First canister of CO2 did nothing. I'm not a Chrissy Wellington when it comes to changing tyres/tubes. So i was a bit confused. 2nd canister the same. In between canister 1 and 2 i should have checked the inner tube. because after wasting my 2nd and last canister i discovered the reason no air went in was that the cold from the CO2 had cracked the brittle rubber around the value. I guess not having to use my spares in my saddle bag for 3 years is not such a good thing!

I started the 1 mile walk towards train station, where i was rescued by a group of Cycle tour-ers never been so glad to see them. I think i managed to save face, by whipping my tyre off and rolling in back on, without a single tyre lever. Anyway new inner tube, and pump borrowed i was back on my way. I decided to return to Eastbourne to pick up supplies, good job too as puncture again later. The worse part is my lovely new sticky tyres have little thorn holes in them :-(

Lessons to take from this:
Check and replace inner tubes in saddle bag regularly
Carry pump on long rides just in case!!

On a different thought - Friend Guy Crawford has a new blog - should make for some interesting reading!


Just put my power tap Head unit in the washing machine. 5 minute of panic waiting for it to drain! bloody lucky it's working :-)

Sarah x

Where did February GO!

February has flown by in a daze. I promised a blog at the beginning of the month and never got to finish it. The weekdays in February were filled as normal with work and training, eating and sleeping - nothing new there! But the weekend were are equally packed full, which was unusual for me as i normally like my sat and sun afternoons to chill out a bit. The first weekend was filled with a 70th birthday lunch and catch up with Simon's side of the family, up in Godalming. The next weekend was the TCR Show. I went up and worked for Zoot/ DJM Products for the weekend. Which was surprisingly fun! I love the Zoot products and could talk for England. I manage to take myself away a brand new - full of storage and pockets over sized rucksack. Which made me very happy indeed!!

Simon came up on the Saturday night and we stayed at his Aunts in Esher, who he hasn't seen in years and years. So that was lovely! Catching up over 3 Pizza express takeaway pizzas, 2 Garlic breads and some wine, between 3 of us - very greedy and a weekend of minimal training which would not balance food intake, with energy expenditure!!!

Then Kris from the Tri Store left on his epic around the world bike ride! His blog http://www.riding-east.blogspot.com/

I then blame the close proximity to other athletes with air con, with the fact that i then came down with a chest infection. This time the doctor gave in to my pleas a prescribed antibiotics to knock it on the head quickly, as i was due to go out to Spain the following week.

Then for the last week of February we were training out in Spain, staying at Simon's Aunt and Uncles just outside Calpe. We got to enjoy some lovely weather, while the UK was underwater! we had shorts, jersey and arm warmers riding weather! We got in some great rides, including a couple of epic all day-ers. The first not so successful, requiring a coke (sugar and caffeine) and crisps (salt and calories) stop and hour from home. We got some funny looks with me sitting outside a petrol station on the kerb!! But the second was more successful and better fueled. Although Calpe has been the base for some of the pro teams this February, we didn't see many. The only one we did see was 2 x Tour de france winner Alberto Contador. At the time i had a bag of power bar ride shot hanging out my mouth, as I was reaching into my jersey pocket, and probably had snot and saliva all over my cheek nice!!

Caterpillar snake!

Insect bit from hell. That's my leg with a massive lump on the side. The photo does not do it justice!

Unfortunately the week had to come to an end and we returned back to the UK and the cold. I've had an interview on the Monday for a Band 7 Physiotherapist position, which I got despite severe interview nerves. I was more nervous than before an Ironman!! The post is in Hastings so means a commute each way. Hopefully be able to ride a couple of days (or more). Meeting with coach next week to discuss. Only sad bit is I'll missed Bodyworks early am swim sessions and the banter :-(. Its okay I've got 6 weeks until I start.

16 weeks till Ironman France!

Sarah x

Blog on the way!

It's been two weeks since my last post. One is on the way shortly - just need to make some finishing touches!