It has been quite a full on week in terms of training and organising, with only four weeks until I fly out to Abu Dhabi there still is plenty to do, but I feel I am really making some progress.
I managed to fit in three early morning swim sessions before work and found that my body actually is quite alert in the mornings, to my own surprise. I have never particularly enjoyed swimming and over the years progressively spent more time in the jacuzzi than the pool, which seemed like the right balance at the time!
The swim start at the Abu Dhabi triathlon
I had to really push myself and at the end of the week managed to reach race distance. This has been a real struggle as I am not a strong swimmer and getting my breathing technique right has taken some time - but it looks like it is finally falling into place. I still have a fair bit of work to do on my technique and also prepare myself for the open water swim which is totally different environment to a swimming pool.
I have swum open water before and it scared me senseless! I panicked and swam the distance with my whole head above the water as I feared not being able to breathe. As I am getting more comfortable with the swim and the distance I am hoping my confidence will also increase and the fear will lessen. Swimming open water is probably the most challenging element of the race for me but I am going to tackle the open water swim head on with a strong, positive and ‘can do’ approach.
I felt quite chuffed with my swimming progress but conscious that I didn’t want to neglect the bike and run so planned a weekend bike ride at nearby Dorney Lake, which has a flat circuit ideal for bike training. Unfortunately heavy snow on Sunday meant the bike ride was off and although the thought of staying inside and having a snow day in my warm cosy flat was such an inviting thought, I didn’t want to make an excuse. So wrapped up warm and plodded my way to the gym in my wellies.
I completed my race distance of 50km! That was a real boost for my confidence. It was tough and I found the last 10-15km particularly hard and struggled to find energy. I needed to know in my head I could complete the distance so mentally pushed myself through the pain barrier till I reached the 50km mark.
I think completing the race distance had gone to my head as I decided (foolishly) after completing the bike that I wanted to see if I could run straight after. After all, this is what I need to do on the day so hard can it be? I stretched out a bit, took in more fluid and started off slowly on the treadmill. I felt quite strong so sped up the pace into a slow jog and… buckled! My legs just couldn’t take it and it was such a shock to the system that I had to stop immediately. This is where brick training comes in and where I should know my limits and train safe. Buckling on a treadmill is not safe.
When you stop the bike leg and start running your legs feel heavy (this is why they call these workouts bricks!) as the body tries to switch the blood from flowing into the muscles used for biking to those used for running. I am going to introduce brick training into my plan this week by starting off with a lower distance and alternating between the bike and run to get my muscles used to the switch.
Despite having a lot on with training, arranging the logistics around the event and also preparing my race kit; I am still excited and enjoying the run up to race day. My ‘to do’ list for this week is to buy a new bike (quite important!), experiment with energy gels and brick training. Looks like I have a busy week ahead!
