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East Fife Sprint Triathlon

I woke up Sunday morning feeling tired, and with a sore tummy, not a great start for a race! After breakfast, I did feel a little better, I worked Friday night and I hadn’t quite caught up on sleep. My husband Sam wasn’t feeling great either but that could be down to race day nerves. It was his first ever triathlon!

We arrived in Cupar early, registered and racked up in transition. This was a pool based swim, unusually the swim heats were not in the traditional slowest swimmers first to the fastest in the final heat. They changed the format, the fastest two heats went first followed by the two slowest and then the two heats in between. Sadly, this meant I wouldn’t see Sam swim but I would see him finish the race.

Photo credit; Mac Images Active Lifestyle Photography

After race briefing, I went straight to the pool as I was in the first heat. Pool side nerves kicked in especially when everyone else about you is wearing Scotland and Great Britain age group team tri suits! Once I started I felt fine, the lanes were pretty crowded with 6 in each lane. The swim was a bit of a disaster, I was third in my lane it took a few lengths before I was in front. The swimmer behind me touching my leg and I moved over (as per race instructions) but then she would swim slower after that, basically kept swapping between 3-4 of us. Some of the athletes got a bit vicious with the leg pulling and I didn’t want to go all out on the swim so dropped to second or third in the lane and drafted. In hindsight, I should have gone a bit faster to begin with, then settled into the swim rather than swim at my long-distance pace in preparation for Celtman. Swim time 11mins 50secs but I was aiming for 11mins, but considering what happened I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t slower.

Photo credit: Chris Wallard Photography

Out of the pool and into transition when it got was a pretty heated between two athletes in my swim lane. I kept my cool and got out of transition as soon as I could. T1 time, 1min 35secs.

Photo credit; Mac Images Active Lifestyle Photography

I felt pretty fresh after the swim, and jumped on my bike out of Duffus park. The first part of the bike race was on a gravely path before getting onto the road and straight up a long steep hill. The course has a two loop around Moonzie and then back down the big hill at the start. I really enjoyed the course, mixture of hills and flat sections, apart from the strong head wind on the A92! I passed a couple of people cycling up the hill and kept my pace. No one overtook me, which is really unusual! I definitely feel I have made vast improvements on the bike and managed an 18.9mph average! My bike time 47mins 54secs- super pleased. Transition two was uneventful, T2 time 52secs.

Photo credit; Mac Images Active Lifestyle Photography

The run course was one lap, 4.7km. Out of the car park and up a long hill for the first couple of kilometres. Surprisingly, it was sunny in Scotland and I actually felt hot in just my tri suit! The run route took us through a farm and along a closed road back to Duffus park to the finish. My legs were pretty tired, one of my club members overtook me towards the end and I couldn’t keep up with him. Run time 20minutes 55secs.

Photo credit: Rose Campbell

After the race I got to see Sam finish his bike leg and cheer him on during the run and finish. He did really well and I’m super proud, however I don’t think I can convince him yet to compete in another triathlon anytime soon.

Overall my race went well… I was fifth female and second senior female! My first ever podium and most likely last, total surprise! My total time was 1 hour 23minutes 7secs. The race was well organised, the volunteers and marshals very friendly. I have a few areas for me to improve on but overall the race was a success. My next race is Edinburgh Great run on 23rd April.

Jenwaar

March Training Update

March Training update

Less than 3 months away from Celtman (OMG!!!). I’m starting to get excited but on the whole a nervous wreck! Race day is slowly creeping up, I keep wondering why I even entered? I do know why… I love a challenge and to push myself (maybe too much). I am really enjoying training (most days), but keep having moments of self doubt.

This month the volume of training has increased. In March I swam 16.2 miles, cycled 325.3miles (not including turbo sessions) and ran 82.8miles.

Run and bike sessions, especially, have been further and longer. Swimming is the same, one to three sessions a week. I have noticed I am swimming slightly slower and weaker in the pool but I will be cycling and running much longer during the race so need to concentrate on these disciplines more. I’ve been having a mixture of mainly good but a few bad or tired days/sessions. I am feeling a lot fitter, I’ve lost weight and my times in training are getting quicker.

My main problem is getting the right balance between, work, training, and sleeping. Shift work can work in my favour sometimes, such as having more days off from work. It can also work against it as 12.5 hour shifts, mean I can only do a short session that day. My shift pattern is irregular and I can work a mixture of nights and days in the same week, with interrupted and little sleep. Not so great with training. I am trying to get more sleep, with at least 6 hours but aiming for 8 hours most nights or days.

In March I have been starting brick sessions, doing back to back sessions to imitate the race. Brick training refers to the stacking of two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal to no interruption in between. It is really essential to practice this prior the race. The brick sessions so far have mainly consisted of long bike ride followed by a short brick run. Over the next few weeks, the bike and runs will be further distances and also adding in a swim session.

This week I bought some trail shoes, I will start running on trails and hills to mimic race conditions… two Munroes, I’m sweating just thinking about it! I’m quite excited about getting out and exploring hills and trails, rather than running on roads and urban areas.

In April training sessions are longer and more brick sessions. I have my next triathlon at East Fife and would like to improve from Tranent triathlon. Now the weather is starting to get warmer, I hope to start open water swimming sessions.

Jenwaar

Australia – Sydney

Australia- Sydney

Our Australian adventure started in Sydney. We arrived on Saturday evening, had a quick bite to eat and headed out to Newtown, King Street to stretch out our legs and have a few drinks.

We stayed at Meriton serviced apartments in Mascot, close to the airport, the train station was a 2 minute walk away from the apartment with regular trains into Sydney. Mascot is only two train stops into the city centre. The apartment was clean, spacious and had air conditioning (essential in summer!)

On Sunday we had a leisurely start to the day, with late Aussie breakfast (avocado and poached eggs) and headed to Bondi beach. To get around Sydney we chose public transport using Opal cards, similar to London’s Oyster card for trains, buses and ferries. The Opal card gives you cheaper travel and sets a limit of cost per day $15. The card itself is free, all you need to do is top it up to pay your fare. Bondi beach isn’t next to any train stations, so we travelled to Bondi Junction and got a bus to Bondi beach. We sunbathed all afternoon, and had a dip in the sea. Bondi beach has good waves, strong rifts and most of the beach is used for surfers, one section of the beach is flagged for swimming and the life savers and lifeguards monitor this area from 7am to 6pm every day. This beach is where the famous TV programme Bondi rescue is filmed; lucky we didn’t see any rescues whilst we were there.

In the evening we stayed in Bondi for a few drinks and nibbles at Mamasan, the cocktails were good and the Asia fusion tapas was delicious, we would highly recommend it. We went on for a few more drinks at Beach Road Hotel outdoor area and then Bondi Hotel.

I was still training whilst on holiday (less than normal but enough to not hinder the last few weeks of training). Monday morning, I headed over to North Sydney Olympic pool, it’s a very picturesque pool with amazing views of Sydney harbour bridge. The outdoor pool uses seawater, but is cleaned so the water is clear. Great facilities, big pool and sun loungers. Make sure you apply sun cream prior to swimming; I totally forgot and got a burnt back afterwards!

The rest of the day we fully embraced being a Sydney tourist. We walked over the Sydney harbour bridge, and walked to the Sydney Opera house. We had lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants at Sydney Opera house overlooking the harbour bridge, called Opera Kitchen. The Food was nice, a little more expensive but worth it for the views. I had chicken laksa and dumplings and the portion was massive, I couldn’t finish it!

In the afternoon we got a ferry to Manly beach from the harbour. The slow ferry takes 30 minutes and use can use your Opal card. There is a quicker ferry which takes 16 minutes but costs more and you cannot use the Opal card. We took the slower ferry, it operates every 30mins and you can take bikes with you at no extra cost.

Once you’re off the ferry it’s a short walk to the beach, Manly is a vibrant town with many shops and restaurants. Manly beach is much bigger than Bondi but personally I preferred Bondi. We spent the rest of the day on the beach, soaking up the sun. On the way, home we had a cheeky doughnut from Doughnut time, I had the salted caramel one. I found it quite doughy, the filling is put in the top of the doughnut (instead of the side) so it wasn’t evenly spread but still enjoyable. Maybe I just chose the wrong one.

Tuesday, we got up early, 4.45am and not for a flight! We got early tickets to climb Sydney harbour bridge at 6am. Prior to traveling to Australia I was contemplating whether or not to pay so much to climb the bridge (it was $565 for two adults). All my friends who have been before raved about it so I kind of thought-would I get this chance again? I chose the early slot as we had plans later in the day but it was also the cheapest time to go. When we arrived, we were put in groups, had a full safety briefing and changed into ‘jazzy’ boiler suits and caps. Our group had ten people in and we were guided up the bridge by Chris our climb leader. The climb isn’t too strenuous, it’s a slow pace and we stopped a few times during the climb for photos taken by Chris. There are even water fountains to have sips of water during the climb. We were given headphones prior to the climb and Chris describes the climb, bridge and local landmarks with a few jokes for good measure. The climb up and back down took about 2hr 30mins in total (about 3 hours from entering to leaving). I really enjoyed it, the views were amazing, going early meant it wasn’t too hot and we had the rest of the day to do other things. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, thanks to Fiona for encouraging me to book it!

After our climb, we went to FairPlay cafe by the harbour for breakfast, it did not disappoint. I had breakfast bruschetta, we shared corn fritters and Sam had a chicken sandwich, all very scrumptious, I particularly enjoyed the corn fritters.

For that day we hired road bikes from Livelo Sydney, good quality bikes with all the extras (bottles, puncture repair kit, helmet), all we needed was our bike shoes and they put on the appropriate pedals prior to our arrival. The staff were friendly and very accommodating. We headed north through Sydney and over the harbour bridge. Initially, we cycled on the A8 but the road was very busy, so we went along the coast line, stopping at most of the beaches to top up our water bottles. We ended up at Newport Beach and stopped there for lunch. Afterwards we cycled to Manly beach and got the ferry back to Sydney, 46miles in total. It was 34-36 degrees, very hot, so we took the ride easy and enjoyed the scenery. Ideally we should have cycled in the early morning when the temperatures are lower and less traffic on the roads. I’m at freshwater beach in this photo, sadly my phone battery died so didn’t take many photos that day.

Wednesday, we dropped the bikes off and I ran back to the apartment. We headed back to Bondi, I had a swim at Icebergs, outdoor Olympic pool by Bondi beach. The pool is filled with sea water and every Thursday they empty the pool to clean it. Swimming on Wednesday meant the water was quite murky, I couldn’t see the bottom of the pool and much in front. This was good practice for the open water conditions I require during open water swimming in triathlons. Being so close to the sea, occasionally you may feel the waves crashing over the sides into the pool as you swim. I was at Icebergs late morning, early afternoon and the pool lanes were not marked by ability but lucky the lanes are wide enough to overtake with ease. The swim was an experience in a beautiful setting.

From Bondi we walked to Coogee beach with my little brother James and Sam’s friend Jordan. The coastal walk takes you along seven beaches before getting to Coogee. It took us all about an hour and a half to walk at a leisurely pace in the heat. At Coogee beach we stopped off at the Pavilion for a few drinks and food. The pavilion has spectacular rooftop bar, with views over Coogee beach. The pizzas were delicious and very good value, although you had to go downstairs to order and eat them.

James and I, with Bondi beach in the background.

Tamarama beach

Gordon’s Bay

Coogee Beach

In the evening we went to Sydney festival, a music, art and performance festival across Sydney. The festival is free and many of the acts you don’t require tickets in advance. We watched a few cabaret acts, pole dancing, singing and aerial hoop at Hyde park.

Thursday, we continued our holiday to Melbourne.

December and January update

December and January Update

I’ve not written a blog post in 2 months and quite simply it’s because I’ve been so busy with festivities, training, work and trying to see friends and family.

I’ve ended 2016 on a high, I completed my main goal for the year, to race my first middle distance triathlon at Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 and came 6th in my age group. I then went on to compete in Aberfeldy middle distance triathlon in August. I’ve also had a few ups and downs, particularly my ankle/calf injury, it’s on going but well managed (I can still exercise) and not getting worse! Overall I leave 2016 with a passion for triathlon (which I didn’t have last year) and as a stronger and more focused athlete.

For 2017 my two major races are Celtman in June, an extreme long distance triathlon (further than full Ironman) and Edinburgh Ironman 70.3, Scotland’s first Ironman event, I’m so excited!! I’ve always been a middle-distance runner and never completed long distances before my furthest run is about 18miles and 70miles on the bike. I’m really excited about the challenge and pushing my body!

In December, I decided to get an online coach, Barron (Endurance Worx)and it’s the best decision I’ve made! Not having to plan training each week is bliss, but also because I’m a novice and need guidance. We are using training peaks fitness app, which he uploads training sessions for me to complete. After each session, it connects with Garmin connect so we can analyse my progress, heart rate, power, pace etc. I found following set plans difficult to follow due to my shift patterns which differs every week. I can upload my work shifts on the app and Barron can develop a plan for me. He’s also really approachable and happy for me to contact him with any queries.

I started training for Celtman six weeks ago, I’m currently slowly increasing distances in cycling and running. I’m swimming less but I’m a strong swimmer and I need to work on the other disciplines. I’m cycling two to three times a week on my turbo trainer, three runs and two weight sessions. The run sessions mainly consist of slow paced runs increasing in distances each week and one speed interval track session a week. Cycling is a mixture of intervals and durance work, and if the weather is good and I have the time, an occasional ride outside.

I’m starting to feel stronger and fitter. My calf this week has been tight, since my long run on Saturday, but easing with my physiotherapy exercises, foam roller and spikey ball.

Tomorrow I’m off to Australia with Sam for a holiday and to visit my little brother who lives in Sydney. I hope to keep up training when I can, we are hiring road bikes for a couple of days and I look forward to trying at Sydney’s Olympic outdoor pool by the harbour bridge.

Jenwaar

Edinburgh Triathlete’s winter training weekend

Apologies for my lack of posts….A fortnight ago I went along to Edinburgh Triathletes winter training weekend. This is annual winter training weekend ET organise every year. I previously went two years ago. Friday evening, I headed over to Bridge of Earn in Perthshire. Friday night was spent catching up with everyone, eating pizza and have a cheeky glass of wine.

Saturday morning commenced with an early morning run, I’m currently not running at the moment, so spent an extra hour in bed! At 9.30am we went off for a group ride, two groups were formed based on ability.

Photo credit: Euan Batten

We headed off into the rain in the beautiful Perthshire countryside. After ten minutes we were all soaked but that didn’t dampen our spirits! After an hour of cycling we had a Pit stop at Loch level larder. I had my ‘go to’ cycling snack, a sausage bap and hot chocolate (this time I had a chai latte but basically a hot milk drink). Highly recommend this cafe, I have been many times before for lunch and afternoon tea.

Photo credit: Euan Batten

After our stop we continued the ride. A few minutes into the ride Paul had to stop for a puncture so a few of us in the group had a plank off competition. The girls won, sorry Pierre! Look how much mud we have on our bottoms! The ride was only 28miles but quite hilly and wet so I glad to get back to the lodges and put on dry clothes!

Photo credit: Euan Batten

In the afternoon Richard, one of the coaches, conducted a ‘Q&A’ type of talk answering all questions on everything triathlon. We submitted questions in advance of the weekend. Richard covered questions from kit, coaching, racing and training, giving tips and advice. I found this really interesting and useful. I particularly found his advice on improving my times on the bike helpful and will use this in my training and racing. It also made me really want to buy a time trial bike!

Late afternoon we had a swim session at Strathallan School swimming pool which was very cold! The focus was on technique and good form. We were practicing tumble turns, rotation, push offs, streamlining and posture. This was good session, breaking down our swimming technique to build on form to swim more efficiently and effectively. ‘Swim well before swimming fast’.

In the evening we all went out for a meal at a local restaurant, followed by a couple of drinks at the local pub.

Sunday morning, we were back in the pool for a 9am start. We warmed up with a few lengths and continuing good technique. We were then divided into four groups and started racing! Sadly, all my good form went out the window whilst racing (game face)! Individually, I came second in my heat but in our team relay we came last. I had lots of fun diving off the blocks, however need to practice sprinting, I’ve not raced competitively since I was a child.

I headed home after swimming. The rest if the triathlon club completed a mini duathlon in the rain, followed by a short trail run.

The weekend was great, I loved the relaxed nature of the weekend and socialising with other club members. Big thanks to Mike for organising the weekend and Richard and Euan for coaching!

Jenwaar

Aberfeldy Middle Distance Triathlon

I’ve been lacking in blog posts recently apologies. Sadly, my Granddad suddenly passed away four weeks ago and my husband broke his wrist during a bike race (on the same day).

My Granddad has always been a big part of my (and my family’s) life especially over the last few years as we’ve lived so close by. I got my sportiness from my Granddad. He had always been into sports, competing when he was younger playing football, golf and badminton. He was a coach and umpired many matches. He also umpired the Badminton for the Edinburgh Commonwealth games in 1970. In his later years he took up the role of the spectator. He supported me during my first half marathon four years ago in Glasgow, and watched me in London at ITU triathlon last year. He always thought I was mad completing in triathlons! He will be so sadly missed!!

Sam is making a good recovery, is now back to work and now doing some light exercise.

As a result my training and blog writing two weeks prior to Aberfeldy was sporadic and somewhat lacking.

Saturday afternoon Sam and I drove up to Perthshire, checked into our beautiful AirBnB accommodation overlooking Loch Tay. I then went to register for the triathlon, go to race briefing and drop of my transition two bag. In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant with some friends from Edinburgh triathletes for a good carbohydrate load.

Sunday morning 4.45am alarm, triple checked my kit, ‘evacuated’ and had my usual race day breakfast porridge with blueberries, banana and cup of green tea. I was surprisingly relaxed; I hadn’t put any pressure on myself this race. I’ve had a lot of trouble with my ankle and not been running (maybe 5-6 times in the last two months) so all I wanted to do was complete the race and not worsen my injury.

I made it down to Loch Tay with just enough time to check my tyre pressures, rack up, get my wet suit on and also get bitten by a few midges! I saw a few friendly faces from Edinburgh Triathletes, managed a quick team photo and we were called to the start.

The start was in the water between two buoys, the water temperature was 13 degrees, pretty cold and clustered start! Once I got going the temperature was no longer a problem and I was able to swim away from the main group. The swim route was one lap and in a triangle. This race I felt my sighting was better, maybe because I was in the first group and there were less competitors in this race. My garmin statistics say otherwise, I swam an extra 200metres and my swim time wasn’t great for me (34minsmins 33secs) so I was a little disappointed.

I got out of the water feeling a little dizzy and ran up to transition one to my bike. I had to sit down to take off my wetsuit and put my cycling gear on. When I was ready the dizziness had passed and I ran out of transition, and started cycling. Transition time 4mins, 28secs.

The cycle route went ok; the weather was beautiful which helped. I felt alright going up Schiehallion, however I found cycling around the first side of Loch Rannoch quite hard. There was a strong head wind, my legs were pedalling but I felt like I was going slowly and lots of people were overtaking me. Once I got around the other side of the Loch and had the couple of gels and jelly babies I had kicked in. I felt stronger and my pace was better. Going back over Schiehallon wasn’t too bad either; I think I was just looking forward to the long dissent back down. I found the last 10miles after the dissent from Keltneyburn to Aberfeldy a struggle, lucky it was fairly flat and made it back to transition two in one piece. My bike time was 3hrs 15mins 7secs, pretty pleased with that as it was quite a hilly course.

Picture credit: live active sport

Transition two was fairly uneventful, apart from my dash to the toilet, I needed to go for an hour on the bike and there were no toilets at the feed stations. I didn’t want to expose myself to follow competitors on the bike route. Transition time 2mins, 35secs.

So the run was hard, very hard! My legs felt tired right away. Straight out of transition we ran up a small hill and I honestly thought ‘was I going to complete this?’ I ran past Sam after the hill, shouting and cheering, which spurred me on. The course was a there and back along a quiet road, with the occasional car passing. It was now 11am, the sun was shining and it was 18-20 degrees! Lucky I remembered to put my sunscreen on in the morning. My plan was just to make it to the end so I decided to walk at the feed stations (under a minute each time), take on a little water each time and have at least two gels during the run. My tactics worked quite well, I managed to run past a few runners. The course was quite undulating, I was aware of my ankle (not painful) between mile three and five which then subsided. At mile eight my legs felt like pure lead. At this point I started to see fellow ET’s going the other way, the friendly faces and a few high fives helped me continue on. I was really struggling the last three miles, I knew I would finish but I was so tired and frustrated that my legs were heavy and sore. At this point I was constantly looking at my watching checking the total distance. I made it to the finish and even managed a ‘sprint finish’ through the finishing tunnel. Run time 1hr 52mins 38secs. I knew my time wasn’t going to be any good due to the lack of run training however I finished and my ankle held up.

Overall it was a successful race, I finished uninjured and it was a beautiful course and day. Total time was 5hrs 49mins 22secs. I was 5th in my age group and 14th female overall. This race was never going to be my best due to the build-up, my recent training and my ankle injury. Taking the pressure off the race did make it more enjoyable. Not to have that constant stress of finishing in certain time or being disappointed at the finish if you didn’t. On reflection I need to still work on my open water swimming and sighting, be quicker in transition one and hopefully get back to regular running again.

Next challenge is the Scottish half marathon on 18th September. Since Aberfeldy my ankle has, so far, been ok and I have been running twice a week. It’s so frustrating that I’m not at my usual fitness but I’m so glad to be running again. This next race I will be doing with friends; my aim is to finish uninjured so I won’t be pushing for a personal best or a particular finishing time.

Jenwaar

Training update

Since the Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 in June I’ve entered myself into another middle distance triathlon in Aberfeldy on 21^st August. Last week I organised a recce of the bike course with some members of Edinburgh triathlon club. The course starts from Kenmore, over Schiehallion, around Loch Rannoch and back to Aberfeldy. The course is quite hilly especially climbing back over on Schiehallion road. I would always advocate doing the bike course prior so there aren’t any surprises on race day. This triathlon is not a closed road event due to the remote location so finding out about local traffic management such as when you have right of way etc, is really important. Sadly the weather wasn’t great (windy and drizzly) but the rain stayed away and we even management a short post run after the bike.

Generally training is going ok…. I’ve had trouble with my left foot, ankle and calf, again. I saw my physiotherapist post Staffordshire and he massaged my leg and gave me exercises which really helped. He advised just running once a week on the run up to Aberfeldy triathlon. The pains went away and I thought I could try running two or three times a week, BIG MISTAKE!! On Friday my leg was tight and over the weekend it’s been sore. I didn’t train at all this weekend. I’m such an idiot, I’m finding it hard not to run regularly as I’ve always been a runner it’s so frustrating! This week I’m not running at all and I will continue cycling, swimming and gym sessions. If it continues to hurt I will return to my physiotherapist for a telling off and massage. I’m not very good at being injured and also got to remember I’m lucky I can continue with the other disciplines!

On a positive note my cycling has vastly improved, I’m much quicker and really enjoying cycling. I’ve even managed a couple of Queen of the Mountains on Strava! I think I may enter a road race soon.

I‘ve also changed my hair again, it’s now silver lilac (grey). I much prefer this to the bottle blonde look but I only dyed it blonde so I could go this colour. Next time I’m at the hairdressers I will go more lilac as it fades quite quickly. This photo is me and Sam at our friends wedding a couple of weeks ago. The wedding had a festival / fete vibe and relaxed atmosphere with family and friends fully involved. I had a great time being master of ceremonies and danced and drank the night away. Congratulations Briony and Alex, thanks for inviting us to your wonderful day!!

It’s now only four weeks away till Aberfeldy triathlon! If you see me in between please remind me only to run once a week!!

Jenwaar

Staffordshire 2016 Ironman 70.3

Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 12th June 2016

I’m really sorry for my lack of blog posts recently, I’ve just been busy having fun and now I’m back at work. In the first week in June I was away with friends to Barcelona for Primavera sound music festival, followed by a trip to Wales, completing Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 and then down to Cornwall for a friend’s wedding.

In this blog post I will be about my Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 race.

The two weeks before my race weren’t really ideal… I think I enjoyed tapering too much. For friends who aren’t into fitness, tapering means reducing exercise before a race/competition so your performance peaks on race day. It doesn’t mean you should stop training altogether, just that you should cut back on the volume and intensity prior to race day. In Barcelona I ran once, had one gym session and drank lots of cocktails… Oops!

I arrived in Staffordshire Friday evening before the Ironman 70.3, my parents live locally to the race so I was able to relax at home and have Mum’s home cooked dinner. I read the race pack, double checked my kit, completed a full check on my bike and had an earlyish night. I noticed at this point I didn’t have any bike leavers in my puncture repair kit, panicked and then realised I would be going to a triathlon expo tomorrow morning so could buy some before dropping off my bike in transition. I ran three miles after all my preparations to calm my nerves and help me sleep.

On Saturday morning I went down to Shugborough Hall for the triathlon expo and race briefing with my Mum. I checked in and got my race pack. We arrived early on Saturday and the bike stall wasn’t open, a very kind man on the stall beside them for Staffordshire County council gave me some leavers for free, I was so relieved and thanks again Staffordshire County Council!

I had three ‘firsts for this race’; it was the first time I had to drop my kit off the day before a race, first Ironman event and also my first point to point race. This means there are two transitions, I had to sort my kit into two bags, drop them off in two different places and also rack up my bike. I think I felt more stressed about this than completing the actual race! I’m used to arriving race day with all my stuff and just laying everything out by my bike in transition about an hour before it starts.

I usually always forget something on race day, this time was my race belt with a pouch. Lucky I had my other race belt in my bag so no big problem. I was going to put my flapjack in the pouch but my tri suit has pockets, so placed my flapjack in my bike bag and hoped I would remember on race day (which I did).

I was given three bags, blue for the swim to bike transition, red for the bike to run transition and white for after the race. The bike to run transition (T2) was at Shugborough hall so headed back to the car, put my running shoes and extra gels in the bag. I checked the bag a few times and dropped it off in the transition tent, on a peg with my race number. The swim to bike transition (T1) was at Chasewater reservoir about 12 miles away, so after a 30 minute drive we arrive at the reservoir. In the car park, I labelled my bike and helmet and packed my blue bag. This bag had my bike shoes, helmet, socks, cycling gloves, towel, race belt, gels, and flapjack. I checked the bag a few times and then racked my bike and put the blue bag on my peg in the transition tent. I got my race chip and then went back to my bike to remember where it was racked in transition ready for the race the following day. I then realised the bike was being left in the elements overnight and it was forecast rain overnight, I did not bring a cover and just used a plastic bag to cover the chain. I walked around transition entrance and exits to familiarize myself ready for the race the following day.

We headed back to Shugborough hall for the race briefing and then headed home to relax. I finished packing and setting up my swim gear (tri suit, goggles, swimming cap, anti-chafing glide, wet suit) and also the white bag which contained my dry clothes for after the race. I then applied my race number tattoos to my arm and leg, it was beginning to very real. It was my older brother’s birthday so Mum cooked a curry in the evening and we all went to bed early.

Race day

I got up at 4am! I had a little pre-race nerves and excitement, when the alarm went off followed by an elbow jab in the abdomen by my husband. I headed down to the kitchen for my usual breakfast prior to any race: green tea and porridge (made with water) with blueberries and honey. Examined my kit, put my tri-suit and clothes on and made sure I ‘evacuated’ before I left home (sorry for all non-runner/triathletes). We arrived at Shugborough hall with plenty of time to get the shuttle bus to Chasewater reservior. I bumped into a fellow Edinburgh Triathlete Ian Gillon and we sat together on bus, wondering why we signed up, my race nerves had well and truly commenced! The athletes got priority first buses, so my husband and parents waited for a later bus.

At Chasewater I got to the bike transition and checked my bike, removed the plastic bag over my chain and checked my tire pressures. After two minutes I was done and realised I was just staring at my bike and then race day nausea kicked in. I had a chat to the ladies next to me and left transition to get ready. I had an hour and half to kill before my swim heat, so I went to the start to watch the elite and earlier waves. Sadly I missed watching the elite athletes as I was in the toilet queue but I wanted to make sure I went again before the start. I donned my wetsuit and warmed up. We were unable to warm up in the water as the reservoir is a place of special scientific interest and you can only swim in for the Ironman event. I found my cheer squad (my husband Sam, Mum and Dad) and we all watched earlier heats start whilst I checked out the buoys locations and exit layout.

Swim (1900metres/ 1.2miles) 33 minutes 48 seconds

The swim course is one loop, with just two turns and in a reservoir so no choppy water which I prefer. This year they introduced a rolling swim start. We were divided into our predicted swim time groups and each group commenced a rolling start based on these times with the fastest athletes first. Each athlete’s race started once they crossed the swim timing mat. I was really pleased about this change because it can be really hectic and dangerous with everyone starting at once.

I lined up in my zone group 30-34minutes and put my swimming cap and googles on. I made a massive error when packing my kit, I only packed one pair of googles and they were broken so I had to buy new ones for race day. I bought the exact same googles but I hadn’t swum in them before.

We started on a jetty and after the horn sounded a few seconds later I jumped into the water and started swimming. The water temperature was twenty degrees which is fairly warm (compared to Scottish Lochs!) and the water clarity was good. No strange or funky taste and I could see my arms whilst swimming. The water was calm even with other swimmers around me. I always have a mini panic at the start of any open water swim, usually takes me about five minutes to relax properly and settle into my stroke and breathing pattern. This has improved with the more races I’ve done. I just have to keep telling myself to keep calm and then I’m fine. The rolling start definitely made it better I didn’t have to swim around (or over) other swimmers and settled into the swim much quicker.

My new googles back- fired on me, after ten minutes my googles had steamed up and I had really poor vision. I was swimming beside two swimmers with similar abilities so I used them for direction. The first buoy came quickly and I felt good and comfortable. One of the swimmers besides me went ahead so I latched on to her feet. I was drafting for at least five minutes but after a few mouthfuls of water I decided to go it alone, massive mistake! I couldn’t really see the buoy properly until I came close and kept swimming quite wide. In hindsight I should just stopped for a second and demisted my googles but in race situations you’re not always thinking logically. As I result I kept changing my swim pattern which I think slowed my swim time (as well as the extra distance). I got to the second buoy and knew it was a straight line to the finish and it easier to sight the activity centre by the swim exit. Towards the last 200-300metres I swam around some swimmers in the earlier heats including one man doing backstroke, crazy! Reviewing my Garmin stats after the race I swam an extra 160metres, I really need to work on my sighting and remember to bring all my kit, so annoying!

Swim to Bike transition (T1) 7 minutes 11 seconds

I got out the water no problem, I wasn’t dizzy and my legs felt good. I ran along a long the gravelly tarmac path to the transition tent. Surely they could have put a mat down? I saw Sam and Dad when running along the path to the transition tent, Sam even ran alongside me cheering me on, then I looked at my watch 34minutes I was really gutted. I am a strong swimmer and can easily swim faster than that but it was done now so I focused on getting to the tent. I arrived to the transition tent collected my blue bike bag, wet suit off, helmet on, towel dried my feet, socks, shoes, sunglasses, race belt and gloves on. I remembered my flapjack and put it in my pocket. I put my wetsuit, googles and cap into the blue bag, tied it up and threw it into the drop off point. I took my time in transition as I didn’t want to panic and forget anything. I ran to my bike, picked it up and ran to the out of transition to start cycling.

Bike (91kms /56miles) 3 hours and 7 minutes exactly

The first couple of kilometres started slow due to speedbumps and a gravelly road but after that I got into my stride. The first few kilometres the roads were narrow and twisty. I was in one of the last swim heats so the roads at this point were very congested with other athletes and hard to overtake. After 10 kilometres the roads opened up and I could easily overtake. I felt really good during the bike and pushed hard in the first hour.

The second and third hour consisted of torrential rain. I got cold at one point and this massively affected my nutrition. I find it really hard at the best of time to eat whilst exercising and with being cold as well made it even harder. I was managing to drink and have gels regularly but I pretty much forced myself to eat most of my flapjack. I know I didn’t drink enough as well again down to the cold factor.

The bike course was well supported by locals and beautifully scenic. The volunteers at the feed stations were great, smiling and cheering even in the pouring rain. The rain definitely slowed me down, I was much more cautious around corners and going down hills. I had a toilet stop at the 37 mile feed station, which added about 2.5minutes onto my bike time (now I understand why people wear two piece suits for longer distances). The last 30mins on my bike the rain eased and I got warm again ready for my run.

Bike to run transition 3 minutes 4 seconds

I jumped off my bike, ran with it to the racks, racked my bike and ran to the transition tent. I saw a long queue for the toilet, I was so relieved I went to the toilet during the bike course. I threw my bike gear into the red run gear bag, changed shoes, had a sip of water, tied my bag, passed it to a marshal and ran off. No dramas and a fairly quick transition.

Run (Half marathon 21kms/ 13.1miles) 1 hour 49minutes 5 seconds

I came off the bike feeling pretty pleased with my bike time, out of transition I felt pretty good and the weather improved. In my head all I was thinking this was the last leg, not long now. I wanted to finish the race in one piece and also enjoy it, checked my Garmin and saw I was going a little quick and slowed my pace. My ankle had been playing up again a few days before the race so I continued steady for the first lap and would see what my legs felt like in the other two laps. At the first feed station I saw my parents and Sam cheering me on, just what I needed.

The run course consisted of three laps around Shugborough hall grounds and through two villages, Great Haywood and Little Haywood. The run had mixed terrain of tarmac, trail, mud, gravel and grass which included one big hill, which we had to run up 3 times!! In parts it was really muddy and only one runner could pass so got a little busy in places and slowed my pace. I steadily went past other people, and generally felt pretty good in the first lap. I didn’t take any nutrition or drinks in the first lap.

The support from the spectators on the run was amazing, spectators pretty much the lined whole run. The locals in Great Haywood and Little Haywood were in good spirits and recognised you each lap, which really spurred me on.

Second lap didn’t feel too dissimilar from the last. At mile 6 I had a sip of water, just after the hill. A mile later I started to feel tired. The next feed station I took my own gel and had some water, I walked through the feed station as I haven’t mastered the art of eating a gel, drinking and running at the same time.

The third lap was tough, ‘only 4 miles to go’ I kept telling myself. My legs were starting to get heavy. I decided to take on a sip of water or electrolytes at each feed station. My cheer squad were by the first feed station on the lap, I remember staring at Sam with my tired eyes, feeling awful and he started yelling and cheering, it was just the boost I needed. Strangely after that I felt like I was on a high, smiling and even chatting to other athletes along the way. I think hysteria kicked in,’ I can do this’, and ‘I’m going to make it to the finish’. I was slowly picking off people one by one, no one passed me on my last lap. After I got over the big hill the last time I just let my legs go, and picked up speed. I saw the 12 mile sign and that last mile felt like forever.

I turned towards the finishing chute and sprinted down to finish and crossed the line. I looked up at my time 5 hours 40minutes 8seconds! I was so shocked by my time I had to look back and check it twice! My goal was to finish, enjoy the race and try and get under 6 hours which I did. I collected my medal and was beaming.

5 hours 40mins 8secs 70.3miles

In conclusion it was a great race, apart from the weather (typical Midland’s weather). Overall I was disappointed with my swim, happy with my bike and satisfied with my run. It was my first Ironman and middle distance triathlon and I did it! Prior to the race I read a few negative reviews about last year’s race, this year’s was well organised and I had no issues. I had a great time and would highly recommend Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 to anyone.

Thanks again to my cheer squad Mum, Dad and Sam for helping all weekend and standing in the rain waiting for me!

My next challenge is Aberfeldy middle distance triathlon in August.

Jenwaar

Training weeks 15-17

The last couple of weeks of training has gone well. The weather has been improving and I’ve managed to get out on the bike more, slowly getting more miles in, with both running and swimming going well.

My ankle and calf are both doing well, I’ve not had any pains for two weeks. I’ve continued the physiotherapy exercises daily and they seem to be working!

Last Friday was my birthday, my last year in my twenties! I finished nights in the morning and after a short nap, Sam treated me to a shopping spree in Glasgow. We met up with some friends for a Mexican meal and we all went to a gig to see Marissa Nadler. I had the day off training, had a few cheeky Margaritas and was treated like a princess.! Thanks Sam!! ️

Edinburgh has had amazing weather over the last couple of weeks and I’ve managed a few open water swimming sessions at Threipmuir reservoir. I was pleasely surprised that the water wasn’t that cold (once I got swimming). I’ve been trying to open water swim at least once a week in the run up to the race. I really don’t like swimming with a wetsuit, I find it quite restrictive. It usually takes me a couple of sessions each season to feel comfortable in swimming in my wetsuit. I would highly recommend and or insist on practicing before a race! During my first open water race I panicked and felt I couldn’t breath even after a couple of training sessions in my wetsuit.

On Sunday I competed in a triathlon relay race with Edinburgh triathletes. The race consists four team members completing a mini triathlon after each other. The distances are quite short; a 300metres swim, 7km bike and 1.5km run. The team consists of two ladies and two men, the order for the race is girl, boy, girl boy. The relay was at Knockburn, Aberdeenshire at a purpose built triathlon venue. We had a glorious day resulting in sunburn on my back and forehead (I never learn!) I started the race, my swim was quick, I got kicked in the head and I couldn’t get my wetsuit off my right leg after the swim but that’s racing! My bike ride was alright and I felt my run was slow but the time wasn’t too bad. I found sprinting each discipline really hard as I’ve been training for long distance (steady pace) so after 23minutes my lungs felt like they were going to explode! The race was well organised and I really enjoyed the post race food (fancy sandwich and ginger cake). Overall we were tenth out of 24 teams so pretty pleased with the result and we all had a fun day out.

Yesterday I completed a long brick session – I cycled 50miles and ran 10miles. I now feel confident enough I can complete the race. My aim in this session was just to complete it, I kept a good pace whilst cycling and ran relatively slowly. My run time was pretty rubbish but I didn’t want to push it, plus it was 21 degrees in Edinburgh! On the bike I mimicked my nutrition for the race with two gels and a porridge bar. For hydration I had one energy drink and half a bottle of water. On the run I had one gel but had to stop to buy water as it was so hot! On race day I will probably just have a sip of water every 3-4miles. When I run a half marathon I don’t usually take anything on board as it usually comes back up, so my aim is to try and take as much fluid and nutrition as I can on the bike.

I’m currently writing this blog on a flight to Barcelona. I’m away with friends for a week, we are going to Primavera Sound music festival followed by a few days in Barcelona, can’t wait!

I’ve now only two weeks away from Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 (well actually 11 days), I strangely feel ok about it. I’m now going to start tapering, in preparation for the race. Perfect time for holiday (not), I intent to stop drinking from Sunday, continue running and cycling at the hotel gym. I also intend to fully enjoy my holiday!

I’m about to two weeks behind on my blog, I wrote this on Wednesday 1st June. I’ve now completed Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 on Sunday, yippee! Blog post to follow soon.

Jenwaar x

Training Weeks 12-14

Training Weeks 12 to 14

My lack of blog posts for the last two to three weeks is due to a few reasons; firstly after the Edinburgh race I developed an ankle injury which was causing really sore calf pains in my left leg. Due to my injury I haven’t been training as much as I would have liked and felt pretty low about it. Secondly I’ve been very busy with work and social engagements and thirdly life just sometimes gets in the way!

During the Edinburgh Great Run I was aware of some calf pain and had a few niggles on a run a couple of days before the race. I put the pain down to pushing myself during the race, walked it off and stretched after the race. I went for a run two days later and my calf was in agony after 3-4 miles. I slowly made it home and used my foam roller which helped slightly. When I got up for swimming the next day and it was still sore I knew something was wrong and more than a pulled muscle.

I booked an appointment at pro-active sports physiotherapy on Dublin Street. Del the physiotherapist confirmed my calf pain was due to my weak ankle, my foot is overcompensating by running on the side (of my foot) which is causing my calf pain when running. He strapped up my ankle, gave me exercises, massaged my leg and told me not to run that week. I returned a week later and it did feel better. I was told to continue resting but I felt able to compete on Sunday at the Selkirk triathlon. I’ve started running again doing short distances and continued my exercises so hopefully will be fine for June!

Luckily I was able to swim and cycle so I was able to continue my overall training. One positive out of my injury is that I’ve had to cycle much more. I faced my fear of going out cycling solo and now found a new love of cycling. The improved weather has helped but I have really enjoyed going out cycling myself, getting lost in the Scottish countryside and having time to clear my head. As a result my cycling times and bike handling have massively improved!

Cycling is my weakest sport out of the three disciplines. I didn’t go out enough because I couldn’t really repair a puncture. On Wednesday afternoon I completed a bike maintenance course at Grease Monkeys Cycles. I choose Grease monkeys because the course was one to one, I could pick a time convenient to me (most courses in other bike shops are in groups and on set days) and I could also choose what to focus on. My main focus was puncture repair, removing the rear wheel and tightening my breaks. It is particularly important I am able to repair a puncture, during triathlon races only I can repair my bike. Bike mechanic Grant was very patient with me, he went through everything step by step and on the second attempt I was able to successfully remove the rear wheel and repair the puncture myself. Grant also showed me how to adjust gears and break blocks. I would highly recommend doing the course. I am more confident and feel much safer cycling. It also includes a cuppa and a chocolate biscuit!

I’ve also been a little social bee. As my little brother James is moving to Sydney Australia to start his new job. We had a little family get to together at Oregano restaurant on Leith walk; the antipasti and Pizza are amazing!! The food is reasonably priced and you get good portions. I am so sad to see James because we are close but I don’t mind going to visit him, ha!

Two weekends ago I organised one of my closest friends Naomi’s Hen do! We all had fun in Edinburgh, having Afternoon tea, hula hooping, cocktail making, drinking, Karaoke singing and dancing the night away. It was a great distraction whilst being injured and also nice to have a break.

Last week it was Sam and I’s first wedding anniversary! I cannot believe it’s been a whole year since we wed, crazy! We treated ourselves to meal and stay at Hotel du Vin on our anniversary followed by a spa day with treatments at One spa. We had a lovely couple of days hanging out and relaxing which was amazing!

On Sunday I competed in Selkirk triathlon in the Scottish Borders. It was a beautiful day and I even managed to get sunburnt in Scotland! It was a standard distance triathlon; the swim was in a pool (which I prefer) followed by a very hilly cycle with wonderful views and fairly flat run along the less inspiring A7. I was pretty happy with my swim time, the cycle was slow but I put that down to the course and the run was ok. It was the first time I ran in three weeks and my calf and ankle were fine. Ideally my run time should have been better but I was happy just to complete it.

I’ve also recently dyed my hair blonde and got a new tattoo on my arm (Sorry Mum, Dad and Graddad).

Only 4 weeks now till Staffordshire Ironman (eek) my aim for the race is to enjoy it and complete it rather than aiming on a time. These next few weeks I’m focusing on distance, building up my running distance, and keeping injury free.

Jenwaar