This past week has been far more relaxed to be fair, but I had really stiff and painful legs the beginning of the week.  Mon thru Weds was spent icing and then putting deep heat on my left calf, which was completely knotted.  To be honest it felt like a deep bruise.  On Thursday I went for a swim at Lavender Patch with Ashbourne Tri club.  This has now become a regular training plan, which I really enjoy.  During the swim I did 1.5 laps of the lake and felt really strong.  I was also practicing my bilateral breathing.

On Friday I had two appointments, the first one with a custom bike shoe fitter (more to come on this another day) to be fitted for some triathlon specific shoes.  I realised last week I was losing a lot of time putting my normal road shoes and socks on, so tri shoes are needed.  I’ve been fitted and should get a pair soon.  Then was back in with my bike fitter, Alex, who helped dial in a couple of issues I was having on my Bianchi.  I was getting pressure in my wrists and saddle issues.  A few tweaks later the problem appeared to be fixed.

How did you feel going into the event?

Going into the event I felt fairly relaxed compared to last week, I also was excited to try out my new elastic shoe laces (for quicker transitions).  I managed to get a fairly early night sleep but woke up at 4am again! I think its anxiety about missing the alarm clock and having to rush around for registration.  Getting to Locko Park was really easy and parking was straightforward.  Once I had registered and picked up my numbers and swim hat I went to scope out the swim course.  It looked further than I remembered and had to do 2 laps.  I got a bit nervous here for the first time.  

How did each leg go? (What went well? – to take with you for the next race, what could’ve you done better? – what did you learn?)

Swim.  The swim start line was in the middle of the lake and was in relatively shallow water.  The first thing I noticed was I was hitting my hands on the floor of the lake.  But after a couple of meters it got deeper.  The water was lovely and clean, but it was a lot more crowded than I was used to.  The start could be described as a washing machine.  So I look a wide line around the whole course, slightly longer – but I was not going to be kicked in the face.  Pretty soon I settled into a rhythm and started bashing the swim out.  I was quickly caught by a lot of the wave 3 swimmers who were a lot faster than me so I kept a wide berth.  I was also incredibly happy as this was the first time I had swam 750m without stopping to breaststroke.  I kept going solidly.  As I exited the water I was greeted by the sight of my swim coach, Chris and his daughter, cheering me on.  I was made up to have him there.

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The bike leg was next, we turned left out of the park and through Spondon.  At each turning there were marshals controlling the traffic, so I could focus on pushing the pedals as fast as I could.  The course was rolling hills and fast sections with good road surfaces.  I knew all of the roads well though so had no issues.  One of the things I struggle with getting used to on the bike is knowing how hard to push so I save something in my legs for the run.  Several times I backed off to save my legs and changed down my gears to spin uphill.  Pretty soon, as it seemed to me, we were back flying past Broomfield college and approaching the Kings Corner pub and back to the park.  When I got into transition 2 I had a chomp of a banana and changed my shoes rapidly.  The new laces made a big difference

The run leg was out and through the driveway following the outside of the lake.  I was really enjoying it and making a good pace.  The first Kilometer was 6:33 but then I hit the first hill.  This was energy sapping and seemed to go on for ever, my speed dropped massively and I kept going though.  One foot in front of the other I eventually hit the top of what I would call a ‘hill’ but in reality was just a moderate slope.  Last weeks run legs were showing.  Back to the water station and a turn right through the fields and up another rolling section.  My legs were shot.  I kept going though and saw Chris and his Daughter who gave me a ‘power-up’ high 5.  This was it, home stretch.  Within 5 minutes I was crossing the line where I saw another mate ‘Ash’ cheering me on.  I was so happy to finish.

Nutrition (pre, during and post-race)

Before the race I had breakfast of overnight oats and mixed berry’s with a side shake of Protein powder. 

During the race I had 1/2 Banana

Post-race I had a muffin 😊  

Hydration

What did I drink – during the bike leg I had 750ml Hydration sachet and during the run 1 sips of water from the water station. 

General feeling after the event

Feeling good generally, had a nap in the afternoon.  I have now cemented in my mind that I am going to focus on Sprint Triathlons for a couple of years.  I am going to withdraw from The Outlaw X in September.  I think this is the sensible thing to do.  It is not saying the ironman won’t happen – just putting it on the back-burner.  I’m not sure about Ironman Venice just yet.  I may still train for this.  But we’ll see.  September is all about the British Para Triathlon series.  I want to improve my T1 and T2 times and get quicker at my run and swim.  Lots to go at here.

Well, where do I start? I suppose this entry starts at the beginning of lockdown 2.  I read with interest about an athlete called Alfie Hewitt, who also had Perthes disease. He competes in wheelchair tennis. It got me thinking about my Perthes journey and whether I could classify as a Para Triathlete. It led me to contacting British Triathlon and told them my circumstances and history, which started off this journey. 

Para sport is different in that you need to be assessed as a particular classification of disability based on medical history and assessment. Only then can you enter a classified race. I didn’t have a clue whether my hip history would suffice for a Para classification, and after all Ironman was the final destination. However I was intrigued; ‘what if’! So before Christmas I applied for a para classification. This needed to go through a rigorous process, which culminated in a physical assessment at the Eton Dorney offices the day before the race. So, until Friday afternoon (the day before) I was not 100% certain I would be racing. 

The process involved my medical specialist from the hospital filling a report on my physical limitations and then providing power data taken off a bike. Fortunately during lockdown 3.0 a friend, Luke – offered to let me use his sensors. The data was downloaded and then sent to British Triathlon for interpretation and assessment.  The final stage was an assessment with the classification officers which included a run assessment with data analysis and bike with data analysis. 

When they called me into the room for the conclusion and feedback I was so nervous, because I knew here this represents a crossroads in my triathlon journey.  See, Para triathlon is in the sprint distance, ie. shorter but faster. Whereas, Iron Distance is about going long and slow.  I knew the next 5 minutes could potentially effect my next 5 years of training and goals. So, they called me in….. “you meet the criteria for PTS5 classification and as such would be eligible for the British Championship race”, the assessors said. I was beyond happy!

How did you feel going into the event?

To be honest stressed was the only word I could describe it as. I was not sure if I would receive classification, whether this would effect my Ironman journey and whether or not I could swim that far without a pull buoy. The week before was stressful too as I needed a new wetsuit – and the country is experiencing a wetsuit shortage (big thanks go to Deano and Rich at Huub) for pulling out the stops for a suit for me to wear. The swim was my main concern generally, I know I could run 5k and bike 20k but had big questions on my swim. The week before I swam open water twice and one of the time I received some 121 coaching from Hilary Johnson who is the Team Huub head coach. This really helped me out and gave me more confidence. 

The day of my classification I met up with a friend and para-triathlete Jonty who helped ease some nerves over a cuppa. We were both going to be entering our first para event. 

On the eve of the race I went to bed early, but woke up at 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep. The pre-race nerves were raising their head. In fact the anxiety lasted until I lowered myself off the pontoon and into the lake. 

How did each leg go? (What went well? – to take with you for the next race, what could’ve you done better? – what did you learn?)

Swim. The first part of the swim leg was to lower myself off the pontoon and into the water. The lake was clear and had a lot of pond greenery. The lake was also lovely and warm. I split the race mentally into a buoy-to-buoy race. I told myself I would allow 10 seconds of breaststroke with every buoy reached.  The rest of the PTS5 competitors went off so fast, I could not believe the pace. I always knew for me the swim was an exercise for survival. 

I have been training recently with one sided breathing as bi-lateral breathing was causing me a few issues. This was a huge help for me physically and psychologically. An opportunity for improvement would be to become confident in bi-lateral breathing in the open water. 

The bike leg was next and took us around the roads of the Dorney Lake. Traffic free and pan flat. It could only be described as thoroughly enjoyable. I averaged a respectable 27.7kph for the 20km. I know I have potential to improve here. I am losing weight again coupled with a TT bike would naturally improve my speed. 

One of the biggest problems I had though was my quadriceps were really burning and hurting through pushing myself hard. I am sure I can do some focussed training on these. 

The run leg was very hot. It tipped 29 deg C in London and I felt every degree. Fortunately I had remembered to pack a hat into my transition kit. There were 2 water stations on the run and I used the opportunity to pour water down my back each time. I completed the run in 32 minutes, though a lot slower than some of the field – I was still thoroughly proud. 

Nutrition (pre, during and post-race)

Before the race I had breakfast of overnight oats and mixed berry’s with a side shake of Protein powder. 

During the race I had 2 Bananas

Post-race I had a packet of Colin the Caterpillar sweets 🙂 

Hydration

What did I drink – during the bike leg I had 750ml Hydration sachet and during the run 2 sips of water with the rest going over my back. 

General feeling after the event

It still feels surreal. I cannot believe what I have managed to achieve in the last 18 months. However, I now have a decision to make. Do I train for Ironman or Para-Tri? I’m thinking the latter…..