The rest of the week at Playitas, Fuerteventura

Breakfast was indeed all one could have hoped for and more!

Athletes, especially triathletes happen to be the fussiest bunch of eaters I know. Well, this breakfast had something for EVERYONE. Every kind of bread you can imagine, gluten free, rye bread, white brown and everything in-between. A smoothie bar manned by a guy churning out smoothies like no-body’s business. An egg area, for whatever kind of egg you would like! Omelettes, that Spanish thing I have forgotten the name of, like quiche without the pastry. My fave is the ‘make your own museli’ station which has load of different dried fruits and nuts. All kinds of milk, soya, even no lactose milk! And of course cooked breakfast including fried courgette and all kinds of strange stuff along with all the faves. Basically everything!

The staff also seemed to have warmed up a bit and have been helpful and friendly. Someone even kindly showed me around the apartments as I think that might be nicer (and easier for food etc) when I come back for the Challenge race in April.
 

This is pretty much the landscape!

 My thoughts on the bike course (The Challenge Fuerteventura bike route) is it basically has 4 distinctive parts;

Undulating

HILLY/mountainous

Undulating

Flat and fast



Hydrating on the beach!
 Nearby café with great
coffee and free Wi-Fi!

I think that hydration and feeding are going to be critical on the bike, its very hot and humid even now in December. The wind ads anew problem to the equation too, since taking a bottle to drink from, at the same time as a strong gust nearly sent me tumbling into a ditch!

I have found there is a wild cat feeding area in the hotel! Some very friendly kitties seem to mooch about here. This provided a nice distraction from the pain in my legs for about 5 minutes!
 

Dinner was as good as breakfast, everything you could hope for and lots of it! My only criticism is that drinks are pretty pricey, and they don’t let you take your own bottles in, even just water.
 

Day 2 and the rest of the week

Went for a little dip in the sea which was lovely. The sea temp is about 19 degrees centigrade. There were a few little tropical fish floating about, but after they had gone the seabed was pretty barron! Just black and volcanic! It’s a really good beach for OW swimming as there are a number of bouys fairly near the beach so great for sighting practice.

Off on the bike again after breakfast and I went on a short-ish ride down to the south. It must have been hotter than yesterday, but the wind masked that. I only realised how strong the sun was when I got back and saw my lovely red arms and crazy tan legs in the mirror!

I ran off the bike today…cripes! Windy and hilly made for a fairly miserable run…however I got some new tan lines. Ehem….I mean burn lines!
 

I swam in the evening in one of the later sessions, and now I know why no one swims then…it gets freeing! I couldn’t finish the session since my head was pounding and I started getting black spots in my eyes! 10 mins in a hot shower and normality was restored.

The pool is an extra EUR2.70 for an hour. It was really clean and 8 lovely wide lanes in the sunshine :) Very nice for someone who hates swimming.

One day I decided to try out the small fishing village adjacent to the resort. I went to a lovely restraint and decided sea food would be the best option given the nature of the location. I had a delicious meal, and cheeky EUR2.00 glass of wine! The dinner was lovely and on the seafront. Perfect place and way to unwind after an intense day in the sun! And it was really reasonable. The dinner was also accompanied by the local kitties, fine for me as a cat lady, but others weren't so keen!
 

Last day

I had a late flight which meant after checking out at 1100, I had some time to kill. I did a swim and sesh in the gym (which is free to hotel guests). The gym is large and really well equipped. Lots of eights and machines, plus all the foam rollers and thera-bands you would expect in a top-class gym. The staff kindly stored my bike and luggage for me so I was free to swish about the resort as I pleased. A bit of trg and a lot of book reading, and then it was time to leave :'(

Concluding thoughts

The resort is really clean and well set up for runners, triathletes and generally active people. The weather in Demember was lovely, not too hot, but sunny enough to top up the vitamin D levels and get a bit of a pre-Christmas tan! The staff were actually very friendly and helpful, I think they were just having a bad day when I arrived. The food is good and plentiful! The cycling is as challenging as you want it to be, but beware, its not called the windy island for nothing.

I would definitely go back for a week, or more of training. The long flight time (4h +) makes it a little too far for any time less than a week. Looking forward to being back for the Challenge event! And by looking forward....I mean totally terrified by the hills, the heat and the sheer enormity of 70.3 (for the Sprint and SD distance girl anyway!)



 

First Fuerteventura thoughts

I hopped on a plane this morning over to rather misty Fuerteventura. I only have a few days here due to work and other commitments, but a few days in the sun is definitely better than none!

In good holiday and triathlon tradition the flight was at 0715 (not too bad) but that did mean leaving home at 0330 (quite bad). However once at the airport Easy Jet were brilliant! You herd it here first kids. The bike was no hassle, staff were very kind and polite, and I witnessed my bike being handled carefully by easy jet and the Gatwick ground crew. Good start.

I also used the valet parking at Gatwick which I booked online with them, cheaper than the long stay car-park miles away and it was super easy! Drive in, give them a car, 2 mins and you are at check in! Deffo one for the future, so much less stress, and the less humping about of a bike box the better! 

 

Not so good start was that in my bleary eyed state, after feeling quite smug at buying some intellectual books for the jaunt, I left my debit card in the WHSmith card reader at the self check out!

The flight was pain free and I slept most of the way, my aircraft essentials are;

                The trusty neck pillow that looks a bit like a cushion for people with piles, but oh so worth it to not wake up and feel like you have been in a 10 car pile up!

                Sleeping eye mask – no daylight, and no one tries to talk to you

                Newly found fab item – the cape/coat come blanket, snuggly sleepy warm heaven!

                Of course some comfy trews and shoes you can slip off easily (preferably with socks underneath!)

                Wet wipes, mini mouth kit (toothbrush and mouthwash) and a mini perfume, all = freshness!

Meow - there is a cat feeding area in the hotel complex!

I arrived and at the moment I have mixed feelings about the hotel. The rooms are quite basic but comfortable, but EVERYTHING is an added extra. You have to hire a kettle! But there is a fridge in the room and you don’t have to feed it euros to keep it cool! The room I have is a good size for one, but with two it might be a bit cosy.

Wifi is an added extra and horrendously slow.

50m 8 lane pool - lush

Use of the pool is extra, and despite me trawling the Playitas website before coming I could find no mention of a fee.

There is even a charge for maps which I have found are normally given out freely.

However the bathroom is really well fitted out, with a fab shower, and a bath which I’m sure I will be soaking my legs in towards the end of the week, and decent complimentary toiletries (at least I think they are complementary!)

Christmas decorations in the local town

There are a couple of sports shops on site (quite expensive too) but useful if you have forgotten something essential. A gym which looks great. A spa, and even a fish pedi place. A couple of on-site restaurant and a few bars dotted about the place. There is also a really decent bike workshop, and I think most people who come here just hire a bike as they have the place packed out with Di2 Cervelos and alike.

I didn’t manage to do any training today due to being soooooooooooooooo tired! I decided to head into the nearby town instead since I probably won’t get a chance/will be too knackered to go later in the week. It is quite sweet, and the Christmas decs are all out which I find quite novel, being next to palm trees and the sea! There are a few shops and a couple of supermarkets, plenty enough to stock your fridge if you were staying in the self catering apartments.
 

So, I’m not overwhelmed as yet, the staff were not terribly helpful or accommodating…but its all about the phys, so we shall see what tomorrow brings. Oh and the buffet brekkie….that could change things! 

Learning is taking place - injury

Things I have learnt having an injury. 

There have been a few different phases of mood associated with the news that I couldn't run due to pain in my achillies.  

Stage 1 

Relief! This was probably an indicator of over-training too. I was honestly relieved to have the pressure of competing and relentless training removed from me.

Stage 2 

Jealousy. I love to race. So after I got over the initial feelings of exhaustion,  and had a bit of R&R I was then itching to get back out there.... But I couldn't :( I then had to stand on the side-lines and witness ever one else continuing with their amazing seasons!  Made worse my the constant information streams from Facebook and Twitter! 

Stage 3 

Boredom and loss of interest. After a couple of months of swimming and cycling only,  I definitely lost my mojo. I find the threat of a competition looming on the horizon a good motivator, and there was no option of doing this. So another week off was in order.  

Stage 4 

Realisation that sport isn't everything!  I began to remember that I have some other interests!!!  And I have a family and friends who have suffered between mild and significant neglect at the hands of my obsession with triathlon and running.  I started to draw and paint again,  saw friends and family I hadn't seen in ages and tried out a few new things too.  

I think that one of the best was to approach an injury is to think of it as an extended off season. Focus on your form and weaknesses in the things you can do. I am lucky I can still swim, cycle and do S&C. Do all the things you don't have time for when you Adele training, working, looking after the kids etc.  

Yes it sucks. And no one wants to have an I jury, be in pain,  and generally not do what they want, but you really do have to look for the silver lining, else you will go mad!

Racing again...all hope is not lost

Unfortunately I had to make the trip up to Leeds on my own, without mule support. However it gave me a chance to crack on with some Open University work and generally do girl things (a.k.a walk around Leeds shopping and trying a bazillion things on).

I stayed at the Radisson Blu, which is in a perfect location for the Leeds-Abbey dash. You are right by the finish area, and the service teams always congregate on the steps of the town hall. I would definitely recommend staying here. Plus you can use the Virgin Active for a small fee. Which I dutifully did on Saturday afternoon, having a little swim and a long sauna/steam room.

Refreshed I popped out to do some xmas shopping and get some pre-race dinner, another advantage of being on my own meant I could go for sushi! (I have a fish hating boyfriend)

Feeling very chilled out after my pleasant day by myself, chatting to strangers and eating nice things, I got my kit ready for the next day. This felt VERY strange and I had to remind myself what to do! I was sure I had some pre-race rituals, but I wasnt sure what!

Having NO pressure to perform well definitely helped me, and I sort of breezed through the next morning, before I knew it i was on the start line!

Of course the first few km's were waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to fast which I payed for at the end of the race. If it wasn't my lack of run fitness, it definitely was the suicidal starting pace!

Anyway, I finished, much quicker than I had expected. All is not lost! The runner is still lurking inside me somewhere!

Bikram yoga-thon

Hurray! I did it. 
6 classes of Bikram yoga - done! 

Now i know there are some of my friends who are thinking yoga? Big deal? As someone know for doing triathlon (seen in the eyes of many to be truly ridiculous), doing yoga, something relaxing and restorative seems to be like congratulating someone for watching an entire season of Breaking Bad in one day?

Yes it is relaxing, but it is also about challenging your body, and pushing it as far and as hard as you can, whilst being truly connected to what you are doing, without distraction or hesitation. As someone who loves training for swim/bike/running, I'm sure you can draw a lot of parallels. Plus it being so hot does add an extra level of challenge. 

The fist 3 classes flew by, then we had a couple of hours break before this next one, this allowed some time for bits to start aching, and the fatigue to set in. However class no 4 whizzed by and no 5 was right behind. This was my yoga wall! I really struggled in this class, it was particularly hot, and I thought I was going to throw up at one point, A few breaths to compose myself, and taking a few postures easy and I was back in the game! The last class whizzed by and we had done it!

I got home, had a quick bite to eat, drank some more water and green tea, and off to bed! 

This morning my shoulders are feeling a little sore, but other than that im feeling very good. Definitely a feeling of cleansing (that was either all the sweating or the 6 showers I had!?) 

there were a number of us who managed the 6 classes. Please have a look at the Children in Need page :) 
HBY Fundraising Page

Challenge - 8 hours of Bikram Yoga

Since not being able to run, and therefore compete in triathlon and obviously running, there is a big competition and challenge shaped hole in my life. I have really missed the mental and of course physical challenge which racing brings, but also the immense feeling of satisfaction which comes with completing a triathlon, or getting a PB, or generally having a really good race. 

I have been plodding along with my rehab program and generally drifting about in the wilderness of training without racing. Those of you who know me will know just how much I love racing all all which that brings.

I found out about this challenge for Children in Need at Hot Bikram Yoga in London. It is 6 Bikram yoga classes back to back in one day.

That's Back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back bikram.

Now, I am sure some of you are thinking "pffft, that doesn't sound too challenging to me? Sitting about saying 'OM'". I am sorry to say, this was my view of yoga until a friend of mine introduced me to Bikram yoga. I have been a huge advocate of it ever since, and the benefits for mind and body are huge. Especially for those of us who abuse our bodies through mile on the road, in the pool or hunched over TT bars on the bike.

For those of you who don't know, here is a bit about Bikram...

Bikram Yoga has been developed from traditional hatha yoga. It became popular in the 1970s but is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Generally Bikram Yoga classes run for 90 minutes and consist of the same series of 26 postures, including two breathing exercises. Now here comes the part which sets it apart, it is practiced in a room heated to 40 °C and with a humidity of 40%. I promise you will be dripping with sweat at the end of it! 

I am doing this for the personal challenge, but also trying to raise a few pennies for a good cause. I have never done anything more than one class in a day, and they are tough at the best of times.

13 November, Balham HBY Studio

Some links;
Check out HBY...you wont regret it :) 
My fundraising page

Buying a bike

I was lucky to be able to loan
this steel bike from
RAF Triathlon to learn what
features I did and didn't like.

A number of people have asked me for my top tips on buying a bike, so here they are…

It took me almost 12 months to finally decide on the first bike I bought. I had the added dilemma of TT or not since I was an aspiring triathlete at the time. However whether it be road bike, or TT bike, the essential points are the same. After buying my TT bike (a Quintana Roo) and riding that only for about 12 months, I am now the proud owner of a Moda road bike too.

• Set a budget. Bikes are expensive, and there are thousands of them! Working out what you can afford initially narrows down the search.

• What are your needs? Commuting, racing, training, training and racing? Knowing what you wan your bike for will enable you to make sure it is fit for purpose.

• Do your initial research. Have a look on online forums and have a look around some shops too. Be prepared to put a bit of work in, otherwise you will end up with something you don’t love to pieces, and may not be a pleasure to ride.

I LOVE this bike, these wheels were a later addition

• One for the ladies. Yes female specific bikes exist, but if your body geometry doesn’t fit well with a female bike, then don’t feel you have to go down that road just because you are a woman! Why? – Women typically have a shorter torso and arms for the height so the top tube length is shorter. Also the arrangement of the break levers can be slightly different to accommodate out lady like small hands. The length of the head tube is normally longer to accommodate for the longer leg women have compared to men, in order to keep the rest of the geometry tip top! Handle bars can be a bit narrower too to accommodate a narrower shoulder, and often the crank length is smaller to. However, after all that, both my bikes road and TT are male or unisex.

• Learn about the components and what they actually do. If you are in the same position I was, and have no idea about derailleurs, or down/top tubes, invest a bit of time learning all the bike jargon. If nothing else you will have some credentials when a salesman starts spewing technical mumbo-jumbo at you. I watched a lot of the videos by GCN (Global Cycling Network) on YouTube.

• Find a retailer who will let you borrow a bike for a few days. They do exist, or failing that find somewhere you can rent a bike similar to what you want for a few days. This is the best way to work out what you like and what you don’t. One of the big things is the shifting type, eg. Shimano (two different buttons) or SRAM (double tap system).

• FIT!!! This is THE most important thing! No matter how good your bike is, if it doesn’t fit properly, you won’t be any good on it. Plus you could injure yourself, back and knee pain are the most common in bikes which don’t fit well. See post on bike fitting and DrJ here :)

• Material. This will be partly guided by budget.

Me and the Moda on one of our first rides

• Aluminium is commonly found in bikes around and under the £1000 mark. It is cheap, stiff and light. Higher grade alu frames use a technique where the thickness of the tube varies along the length (called butting). This means less weight and more comfort, but of course comes at financial cost.
• Steel is heavier than aluminium but is very comfortable. There are some modern steel bikes on the market which are pretty light and very durable.
• Titanium. It is light and strong but difficult to work with making it expensive, however as techniques are developing it is becoming more reasonable.
• Carbon fibre. Some is available very cheaply, however beware, cheap can mean poorly manufactured and more likely to fail. It is easily manipulated and can me made into very light stiff and responsive frames. Some alu bikes are just as light as carbon, but have a higher spec on the rest of the components, so be careful. Carbon is not the panacea of bike awesomeness.

Happy with my ride at the top of
 the Kitzbuhele-horn

Lastly, you have to love it. If on paper it is the perfect bike for you, but it just doesn’t get you pulse racing like a different bike you have seen does, then don’t buy it because you feel you should. Your bike should be something you want, and something you want to ride.

I love my bike, (now bikes) I keep them inside ontop of a desk or on my turbo trainer, and every day I look at them and smile, even when I'm not riding them.

GOOD LUCK!
















Some good guides to buying are here:

Evans Cycles Bike RADAR

Off on a tangent

I have decided after 2 weeks off work, and generally remembering what its like to be me, not some work crazed triathlon crazed work and train-o-holic, that I have been neglecting a lot of my other interests, therefore this blog is soon to contain lots of other stuff that interests me.

Firstly...
I like triathlon - yes, and I am of the female variety. However there seems to be a lack of female friendly tri stuff (although this is getting better). I like to try (try is an understatement) to retain a bit of my femininity when part-taking in sport. So I will be sharing some tips on things such as swim proof nail varnish, how to remove the ever present smell of chlorine from yourself and other useful stuff for us ladies. Plus I am also a lover of exciting colourful tri clothing, swim and gym wear, which I shall share with y'all too. 

Second
Art, photography and generally making stuff. I do it, some of it is going to be coming your way!

Third
Baking!!! This seems to be something shared by my fellow triathletes. Some recipes, good and bad to follow.








Fourth
Cocktails and eating out.









Fifth
Make-up, clothes and beauty.

Sixth
Yoga. ahhhh yoga. I have neglected thee recently. However a new routine and focus means I am back on the namaste-bandwagon and feeling good :) 

Oh yes....and cats. I really like cats :) 

Shift Work & Training

I have been asked by a few people to share my methods/tips/coping strategies for training while doing night shifts and shift work in general...

The Background

Currently I am in a full time job where I work 12 hr shifts in an underground bunker. These are both day and night shifts. There are a lot of problems relating to shift work and lack of exposure to natural light. The first being sleeping and how that effects recovery for an athlete, but also other things like mood, motivation and willingness to train. 

Sleep

There are 3 main functions of sleep. 1 is to repair the body. 2 is to process food and restoration/recovery of the nervous system and 3 is the cognitive function of learning and memory.  Many now argue that sleep is mainly for the brain rather than the body.

"Sleep affects recovery, metabolism, hormonal balance, mood, and athletic performance. During sleep, the body secretes growth hormone, which aids in strength building and recovery from injury by stimulating the healing and growth of muscle and bone as well as the burning of fat. Sleep helps keep athletes mentally sharp, too, and is important for memory, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination as well as for learning and acquiring new skills."

So, all the good advice says get between 8 and 10 hours a night, which just aint gonna happen if your are on the night shift!

 

There is loads and LOADS of stuff on the internet about how bad not getting enough sleep is for you, disturbances in circadian rhythm (your body's natural rhythm)  etc. etc. so I wont go into all that, I am just going to share my tips about getting through it, and especially getting through it while still trying to achieve your athletic goals.

Training

Unfortunately you are going to have to adapt your training, and this might mean having more easy or light training days than you would ideally like. However this is better than trying to train at a really high intensity when you are exhausted, resulting in becoming frustrated and angry because you have had a bad session, or worse becoming injured. 

Day shifts 

These are long and tiring. I normally try and do a light training session before work (horrendously early) or after work. Anything more than that and I would be wasted and unable to do much in the following days.

Night Shifts & The Tips

1. Don't try and skimp on sleep in the day in order to maximise your daylight hours. It is really frustrating to spend the best bits of the day asleep and miss all the sunshine, but you NEED the rest. It is said you need an hour of sleep for every 2 hours awake, therefore after a night shift you have a 'sleep debt' which needs to be repaid. Set an alarm if you need too, but try and wake up naturally so your body had banked the sleep it needs. I have found moderate to hard training sessions achievable on these days in the afternoon.

2. Go to bed as soon as you can after your shift. Try not get distracted by other jobs which need to be done, this will likely wake you up and you will find it hard to sleep.

3. Get some decent black-out curtains, blinds or sleep with an eye mask. Personally I have thick curtains AND use an eye mask which make it really easy to get back to sleep again.

4. If where you are sleeping is noisy, and living communally is I can assure you. You can try ear plugs (the type motorcyclists use, or if you don't like putting things in your ears (I don't) try ear defenders.

5. Put a sign on your door if you can, explaining 'Shift worker sleeping' or something similar. This should dissuade people knocking on your door trying to sell you something, or something else equally unhelpful.

6. Keep your room cool, this makes it easier to get to sleep.

7. Don't get stressed if you cant sleep. Try reading a book, listening to calming music. I like to write a list of what I need to do when I get up, then I can see my goals for the day and allocate my time appropriately.

8. If you are hungry, eat something. It can be hard to not over-eat while on the night shift, but if you are starving when trying to get to sleep, you wont. I sometimes have a small bowl of porridge or a handful of nuts. Walnuts, almonds, cheese, rice, cherry juice and chamomile tea are all know to help stimulate sleeping.

9. Don't under-estimate the power of the afternoon nap! Although you should try to nap for 90 or 45 minutes (or factors of, e.g. 3 hrs). This is one full, or half of a sleep cycle. This will stop you waking up in the 'deep sleep' part of the sleep cycle. That is when you wake up and feel totally awful!

10. After nights I find I am extremely irritable, my mood is very unstable and I can find myself being easily distracted. I am aware of this and that alone has helped to enable me to re-focus on what I need to get accomplished on that day. However I have also learned to LET GO, if I miss a session, it is not the end of the world! This is my hobby, I'm not a professional and it should be enjoyable.

Days off

These might be in the week rather than the weekend, and depending on your family situation this will dictate how much time you can give up to training, but generally I make the most of my days off and get in some big sessions with long periods of rest. I also try to do as much prep as possible for my days at work. Doing things like food prep, washing and getting bags of kit prepared so I don't have to waste time in what can be busy and very long days.

 

Run - walk - shame

Well, it is an improvement at least. I am now doing a progressive run-walk programme but OHEMGEE am I slow?

I know that I can't rush the recovery though, and as a friend put it, I would waste all those hard months of resting, and then be back to square one again.

The injury and lack of racing had lead to a huge decrease in mojo and general willingness to train. Also exacerbated by people (trying to be nice and friendly) saying things like, oh it will be OK, don't worry, you will be back to normal in no time, etc.etc.etc. which seemed to make it worse somehow!? Illogical I know, but they would reel off all these little dits about how it was going to get better, and then jog off into the sunset themselves.

So, what to do?

Well I came up with the ultimate tri to-do list for 2015. But I also used the time to look back on the season past, and it has been pretty incredible. Whatever your situation im sure there have been good and bad bits which have lead you to where you are now. Worrying, or being miserable wont change anything, so reminisce in the good bits, and build on the bad. Acknowledge their presence, and move on! Yes...GET OVER IT!

That's where I am now, slow on 2 feet but getting over it.

Bring on
winter training and feeling smug when you have got out there and trained, while your friends have stayed inside in the warm.

Great hot showers only come after long cold runs! 

Holiday - Part un

 Well it wasn’t what most people would think of as a holiday.

I spent a glorious week in the Peak District, based at a lovely hotel/B&B in Chinley, near Chapel-en-le-frith, and more importantly near a very small village (more like settlement) called Bagshaw! We stayed at the ‘Old Hall Inn’ which I would recommend. They very kindly locked out bikes in a garage overnight (however if there had been many more cyclists it may have been a bit of a squeeze!). The Landlord is a triathlete himself so was extremely helpful in advising some decent routes, and a little bit of local know how really helped, since the Garmin route planning software seemed determined to turn us into cyclocross riders! The food was good, breakfast was plentiful, comfy beds and if you are into beer and ale they had hundreds!!

We racked up some quality and hilly bile miles. There are LOADS of national trust places, cafes and scenic stops, but a little bit of research goes a long way, since one of the days we went rogue one day and didn't plan, ending up in a café that despite having ‘cappuccino’ on the menu, they weren't so sure how to make it. :/

The peak district is a really great area for cycling, with lots of bike friendly cafes and on the whole car drivers seem pretty receptive to cyclists when passing and overtaking. When out in the heart of the peak district there are hardly any cars about anyway! We managed to tick off some of the must ride climbs and routes. The first being the one that gave me the idea that it would be a really good idea to come cycling in the peak district. A huge great climb out of hope valley which is on the 100 climbs to do in Britain, find more pain here.

The second which I did on a solo mission was mow cop. 25% gradient and removed from strava as a segment for being too dangerous!! :O The weather can be a bit hit and miss so make sure you take all manner of cycling gear. I didit take my overbooties off once (although I have the coldest feet in the world!) 

Liverpool Triathlon

Beginning a race knowing your not going to finish is a pretty strange feeling.

However being no closer to a solution to my achillies problem, no refund on the hotel I booked, and no refund on my race entry, meant that I thought I would go for the swim-bike practice nonetheless.

It was more like swim - swim practice though with the horrendous weather!




I have never been more terrified on a bike ride in my life, kudos to those people who managed to get onto their aero bars, I was hanging on for dear life on the bull-horns and STILL got blown 3 feet across the road laterally in the wind!






However - sucess came in the form of a not too terrible swim, which felt pretty comfortable til the end which is a first for me.  Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

Ticking off the to-do list - Bike fitting

Being injured and unable to run has made me re-assess my bike, swim and S&C training, as well as ticking off some long overdue jobs on my ‘Triathlon to-do list’

One of those jobs was a bike fit. I made the journey up to Newark to see Judith Brand of Dr J coaching and bike fitting.

 

Aero wheels clearly giving me the advantage on the turbo

After some biomechanical testing and functional movement checks we tackled my beloved TT bike. It had been fit with all the best intentions by friends with ‘good eyes’ and some bits of string. Before all the adjustments the power output from my left and right leg was quite un-even, mainly due to the seat being too high and too far back. After the tweaking and adjustments made from looking at the data produced from the black sensors stuck on various bits of my body, my pedal efficiency was much better and power output from right and left leg was much more even. Not to mention being in the aero TT position was much more comfortable - happy customer!

 

The Muve



After the TT came the fitting on the muve for my first ever road bike! I’m currently riding a bike which is borrowed from RAF Triathlon, I am really grateful for it since it has enabled me to get in lots of miles over the summer and more importantly enabled me to attend our overseas training camp in Mallorca early in the season, but it is really heavy and not quite the right size. The fitting happened on the ‘muve’ a bike-like machine where all the components can be moved via little handles, so the rider doesn’t need to get off, and the fitter isn’t drowning in a sea of different sized Allen keys! This means lots of changes can be made and data captured quickly and more frequently. After less than half the time on the TT the muve was in the perfect position, and all the angles between hips, legs, ankles etc. were perfect! Now the measurements have just got to be made into a bike! J Moda here I come! :D

Thanks Judith :)

Check out her website here.