Lost in transition

The past two weeks I've done virtually no exercise, except for taking part in another triathlon last Sunday. This one was a novice but I found it hard! I'm back to finishing in the bottom third, which could be for one of two reasons:

• inadequate training - given that I have no natural athletic ability at all, when my training isn't intense and specific I really struggle to make improvements 
• over-training - I worked really hard for the 10k and might have burned myself out a little bit - added to this I'm mentally drained from starting my new job, so maybe I just needed a rest.
  

Either way, I decided it would be a good idea to take a wee break and let my body and mind recover before I throw myself into marathon preparation.

I really enjoyed taking part in the triathlon. The first section was a 250m swim in the pool, which went much better than the one in March.  The difference here was that everyone was sent off at 15 second intervals, based on their predicted time, and we had to swim up and down the lanes in a snake-like formation. This meant that if you'd predicted your time wrong, you'd end up in a traffic jam.  I managed to overtake one person but found the whole 'tapping on the feet' thing very confusing so just slowed down and stayed behind the person in front for the last couple of lanes.  From here, we went straight out to the bikes.

I have a habit of taking ages to get ready. I don't wear loads of make up or blow dry my hair but I tend to faff and I like to be dry and comfy.  As a result, my first transition took over 3 minutes!  Heaps of people were overtaking me to head out onto the bike course, so I panicked and went for it without having a proper drink.

The bike section was good - just under 10k on undulating roads and the weather was lovely. I pushed as hard as I could but didn't make any significant progress. The run was the same but only 4k - I hadn't done any 'brick' sessions this time so my legs really did feel like jelly at the start, but I got round in 22 mins, even though by the time I finished my shins were starting to cramp.

My worst mistakes this time were not doing any swim or 'brick' training and hardly spending any time training on the bike, not practicing the swim transition, and not drinking enough.  Hmm, that's quite a few mistakes.  Why didn't I pay any attention to the idiots guides in Triathletes World. Ah well, I'll hopefully remember for next time.

The whole thing took me 55 minutes (87th overall out of 125; 16th female).  After a proper drink and some food I got my energy back, so I decided to go mountain biking in the afternoon.  My legs could only manage about an hour but I had to make the most of the nice weather.  After that, I was so shattered that I needed to take a few days off training.

This week I've concentrated on work stuff in the evenings but I wonder if my tiredness is as much mental, from the stress of changing jobs, than physical.  I know that exercise normally helps me to gather my thoughts and work through any worries.  Now I still feel tired, even though I've had a rest, so I'm off for a run to see if that sorts me out.

First triathlon - in the snow

Yay! I've completed my first triathlon and I wasn't last!

At least I've been better at training than I have been at writing on this blog. It looks like it's just going to be a weekly thing, until I get a new job anyway. I love writing but usually it's the last thing on my mind when I get home after a day at my computer.

Last week's training
I stuck religiously to my programme with just a few minor blips. I couldn't convince my hubby to go mountain biking last weekend so we went road biking instead, which resulted in me having a hissy fit and going home early. On Thursday, my training buddy cancelled on me so I did another session on the indoor bike trainer by myself. On Friday, I went for drinks after work. On Saturday, I suffered the consequences of 2 for 1 red wine and could barely manage to walk the dog without keeling over.

The wee triathlon
On Sunday morning, bright as a button and fully recovered from Friday's excesses, I tucked into the breakfast of champions - porridge with yoghurt, raisins and seeds, washed down with copious amounts of apple juice and coffee. Perhaps just a tad too much coffee - before long the excitement and nerves really kicked in and I'm sure the extra caffeine didn't help.

The Wee Triathlon is the first event of the season from No Fuss Events, whose main focus seems to be gruelling and epic mountain bike races. I'd travelled to the event with 3 fellow triathlon 'newbies' and over breakfast we fretted over exactly what a 'technical descent' might be. More on that shortly.

The swim
The event began with a series of 400m swim heats in the pool. I had no idea what to say whan I was asked to estimate my swim time. The last time I'd donned a bathing suit was on holiday in December, and that was to go snorkelling. "Hmm, the slowest?" I predicted. After much deliberating, I settled on 13 minutes, and was put in the slowest heat.

Looking quite the part in my swimming cap and goggles, I got into my allocated lane. On the shout of "Go!" I felt the adrenaline surge and pushed off with all my might. I can't really remember the first length but recall gasping for breath about halfway through the second and swallowing a gulp of water. By the end of the second length, I was experiencing what I can only describe as a minor panic attack. I think the excitement must have caused me to over-breathe really badly. I actually had to stop after the fourth length to regulate my breathing and went on to finish the last 12 lengths with my head out of the water, swimming breaststroke in the style of a drowning hippo. How I wish I'd done some swimming training.

Miraculously, I wasn't the slowest person out of the pool and finished with a time of 10 minutes and 32 seconds.

The bike
As I watched the faster heats from the warmth and comfort of the poolside, I looked out the window to see the snow blizzard getting steadily worse. By the time we got outside, it had turned into an eye-watering sleety hail.

As a result of my rubbish swim time, I had to wait 5 minutes at the start line before I could head off on the bike. By then, my two pairs of gloves were soaked through. I'd learnt my lesson in the pool and decided to set off at a comfortable pace. The first section was on road and we were splashed by more than a few cars. By the time I reached the trail I was completely drenched. I managed to overtake a few people (the turbo trainer sessions had paid off) and was doing really well until I reached the downhill section. It was really steep, with a mesh of tree roots, wooden steps and rocks, all mashed up into a muddy mess. I fell a couple of times and my chain came off so I decided the best strategy was to pick up my bike and run for it. I am not a technical mountain biker at all. I did get back on just in time to smile for the photographer though. I had to save face after the swimming spectacle!

After that, it was back down the road at a pace. I got up into my biggest gear and powered along as fast as I could. Just as I thought I was reaching the end, we were diverted back up a narrower, steeper trail. "Nooooo" cried my legs, but I dug deep and made it to the top. The faster, flowier (is that a word?) descent was much more fun and I felt totally elated as I flew into the transition, taking just over an hour for the 10 miles.

The run
All that was left was a relatively quick 3 mile blast. Again it was half on road and half on trail, but it wasn't quite as hilly as the bike section. Initially, despite being unable to feel my feet, I felt fine and focused on plodding along at a comfortable pace. After about 10 minutes though the pain really kicked in. My lower legs were bright red after being blasted by the icy cold water and my feet were truly sodden. I had visions of ending the day with frostbite, or even trench foot. A searing pain was rushing through the muscles in front of my shins, even though I've never experienced shin splints in the past. I stopped to stretch and walk a couple of times and eventually the pain subsided. After 38 minutes I reached the finish line!

Although it was a huge challenge, I absolutely loved it! I was expecting to be one of the last finishers but as it turned out I was faster than most of the other girls. I'll definitely be entering some more triathlons this year and I loved the off-road format. In the meantime, I'll definitely think about going for a few swimming lessons.

A spring in my step

Today I'm full of the joys of spring, even though it's still only February. I really enjoyed my long run this morning. It was sunny and fresh, which makes such a difference from the miserable, dark and cold evenings of winter.

I definitely prefer running in daylight. It's not long now until the clocks go forward and I for one can't wait. Take Thursday night, for example. I had the smart idea of doing some hill reps on a grassy slope in the dark. Big mistake. The running part, although challenging, was fun. The 'scraping hard-packed dog poo off my shoe with a toothbrush' part was not.

This morning the miles (6 and a half) flew past as I took the time to admire the early flowers and returning greenery in the sunshine. Mind you, I had to avert my eyes as I ran past the pond. It's clearly frog mating season. Ah, the wonders of nature!

Now, if only I could get my diet sorted out. A cup of tea with a Creme Egg is just too tempting.

Rocky style

I got my heart rate monitor back yesterday - it ran out of batteries about 6 months ago and I only just got round to getting it fixed. I had forgotten what a great motivator it is. I can tell if I'm slacking (or working too hard) because it beeps furiously at me and I can set a calorie-burning goal to work towards. But by the time it arrived, I'd already done my David Kirsch Ultimate Bootcamp DVD, which I LOVE, and been for a 3 mile run with the dog. I put it back in it's box and started planning this morning's training...Rocky style!

After a 15 minute yoga blast I fuelled up with some peanut butter on toast and gave it an hour to settle. I got the bike trainer set up and put on a race simulation DVD from CTS - it's like having a private spin class in your own living room, but even more challenging. I was just looking at their website now and see that they also do audio downloads for interval running, so I'll have to try some of those soon. After an hour on the bike, I practiced my triathlon 'transistion', which was laughable, and went straight out for a run. My legs were jelly for the first 10 minutes but I got into my stride and really enjoyed it. The best bit was getting home to see from my watch that I'd burned over 800 calories. Rocky would be proud.

Of course, this warranted a proper refuel, so I made my favourite recovery shake:

• 1 small banana
• 1 scoop protein powder
  
• 1 handful frozen berries
• Milk

Yum!

Bootcamp week

I'm on holiday by myself this week and on a serious fitness mission. For a brief moment in early January, I had considered booking myself on a bootcamp holiday for the week. But I wasn't sure about spending £1000+ of my hard-earned cash to run around the hills being shouted at by a scary-looking ex-army trainer. Ok, I'll admit it, that actually does sound like fun to me, but I really couldn't justify spending the money. So I decided to put together my own home-made bootcamp fitness regime. I started on Saturday with a 6 mile run and yesterday went for a big walk with the dog and another 5 mile run. I could really feel it in my legs this morning so I took it fairly easy today. Another big walk and a good stretch out with my Tracy Anderson DVD. I took the opportunity to set up a makeshift spa retreat and had a lovely long bath, did a body scrub and detox mud wrap. By the end of all that I was shattered and needed a sleep. What a lovely way to spend a Monday!

1,2,3...GO!

I'm not feeling particularly motivated today and I haven't done any exercise. Actually, I'm sitting in the warmth with a scarf and fluffy slippers on, drinking a glass of red wine. The weather is supposed to be awful this weekend but I'm definitely going to power through it. Only a few weeks to go 'til my first race of the year! This is what I've entered so far:

1. A triathlon. My first. In March. Am I insane?
2. An adventure run. In March. In the dark. Definitely!
3. A half marathon in April. A jog in the park in comparison.

I've constructed a very vague training plan, based around a few I downloaded from the excellent Runner's World Smart Coach, but I'm not going to take it too seriously. I've had too many injuries in the past and know to take it easy until my fitness is better. I'll just do these for fun and see how I go.

I started with a first training run with my team-mate for race number 2 last night. We jogged, we chatted and we tried not to slip on the ice. It took us about 40 minutes and was apparently only 3.67 miles. I refuelled with a skinny hot chocolate on my way home. The perfect mix of protein and carbohydrate!