health – Page 2

May Training update

_{May Training Update}

_{May has been a busy month! Big birthday, big training sessions and weekends away! I’ve been a very lucky and busy lady.}

_{Big Birthday….So a few days ago I turned the big 3 0! I’m excited to be in my thirties, just worried how quickly the last few years have gone! I’ve been spoiled rotten with a surprise trip to Copenhagen with one of my close friends Naomi, trip to Las Vegas, LA and San Francisco in June, meals out and my birthday party at Musselburgh races last week. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends, family and husband. Thank you for all your love and generosity!!

Big training sessions… less than two weeks to Celtman, I feel ready to race, I think training has gone well, my fitness has vastly improved over the last few months and I just want to complete it now!

Over the last few weeks, once a week I have a long brick session usually consists of a bike ride followed by a run. Progressively over the weeks the distance and time has got longer and longer. During the longer rides and runs I have been asking friends to come along with me for support. A few members of the triathlon club also have upcoming Ironman or long-distance events and have been keen to join me, thankfully! Although on the race day I will be by myself, during training it helps to have a friend to keep moral and make the training more fun. Thanks for the support everyone especially Sam, Zoe, Laura and Carrie!}

_{At the start of May, I finally got time trial (TT) bars on my bike and a bike fit with Edinburgh Bike Fitting. I don’t know why I was ever scared of getting TT bars, I find the position comfortable and not as unstable as I thought. I feel I am faster on the bike}_{especially with a head wind. I may even buy a TT bike in the future.}

_{In May,}_{I have been trying to focus on doing my long runs on trails and hills and at least one open water swim a week. I have been running mostly on the Pentland hills or up Arthur’s seat to try and mimic race conditions. I’ve also managed to keep up my open water swims every week, even on holiday in Copenhagen without a wetsuit in fourteen degrees sea dock water (it wasn’t a long swim)!}

_{Early May I went up to the north of Scotland to Sheildaig, to recce some of the Celtman course with my husband Sam. I met up with other competitors over the weekend, Robin, Kevin and Andrew. On the Saturday, we cycled the bike route (plus a little more), my longest bike ride to date 135miles! On race day, it will be 127miles. Sam joined us for the first hundred miles, and}_{Robin for the first forty due to work commitments.}

_{We were very lucky with the weather with only a sprinkle of rain but mostly a cloudy dry day. The first part of the route takes you along the west coast, it’s a beautiful coast, and we even spotted seals sunbathing on the beach! After mile 75-80mile the route takes you back inland, it is less hilly but we were hit with a brutal head wind for about 20-25miles. Kevin’s wife Louise was practising supporting Kevin driving the course and stopping at lay bays. We were fortunate to be able to give our drinks and food to Louise, and top up when we stopped. I was able to practice eating and drinking regularly on the bike. We stopped three times in total to refuel, it took us just over eight hours in total.

On Sunday early morning, I had a quick dip in the sea at Sheildaig with Andrew and Kevin. This is where we will be coming out of the water on race day. The water was cold but once I was fully submerged and swimming I warmed up. The water temperature was cold but living in Scotland I’m used to it, so not too shocking for me. I have been told about jellyfish during the race. That morning there were no jellyfish but I have been warned they come in June. I will definitely be wearing gloves, I really don’t want to touch their slimy bodies!

After breakfast, we headed over to transition two (T2) to complete part of the run course. The first section of the run is called Coulin Pass, its 18km. This section starts with a gradual hill for the first few kilometres, followed by a downhill and fairly flat to Transition 2A (T2A). From T2A the run starts climbing up Beinn Eighe. Unusually, there are two transitions on the run T2 and T2A. The second transition you are checked to see if you’re fit enough to go over the mountain and also a time limit cut off for the race. The first limit is 11 hours (blue t-shirt) from race start to completion of the full mountain course and 13 hours (white t-shirt) for the lower mountain course. After 13 hours, you have to stop the race. We took the run fairly leisurely, my legs were very tired from the ride the day before. After the run, we headed home. Ideally, I would have gone up Beinn Eighe to get an idea for race day but didn’t have enough time. Thankfully I have a support runner to help read the map and guide us up the mountain on race day.}

_{It was a successful weekend and it was great meeting fellow competitors, Celtman triathlon has a real family feel to it, supportive rather than competitive. It gave me a real confidence boost, I now know I can complete the bike course (my biggest worry). Being faced with Beinn Eighe Mountain however, looked very daunting! I am fully aware I will be walking some of the marathon on the climb up the mountain.}

_{With only two weeks left, I’ve now started my taper before the race. Tapering is basically when you reduce your training load over a period of time leading up to a race. Aiming to recover from training fatigue and maximise race day freshness.The key is to cut back your mileage, but to maintain training intensity (not to}_{stop or relax). I am actually finding it strange reducing training but enjoying the extra time. However, that is being filled with race preparation, ha!}

_{Overall, I am excited about the race and looking forward to putting the last seven months of training to good use!}

_{My next blog post should hopefully be me celebrating finishing the race. Not long now, eeeeekkkkkkk!!!}

Jenwaar

Great Edinburgh Run Race Report 2017

Great Edinburgh Run Report 2017

The Great Edinburgh Run is one of my favourite races. It’s my fourth consecutive year completing the run. I may be a little biased, as I live in Edinburgh, but the route is a scenic hilly run through the heart of this wonderful city.

Sunday, I woke up feeling fresh after a good night’s sleep. I had my usual pre-race breakfast (porridge, blueberries and golden syrup / honey) and left the house. I’m fortunate to live close to the race and walked to the start line, meeting my friend Tiffany along the way. The sun was shining and I then realised I forgot my sunglasses. It was too late to go home to retrieve them, the same error I made last year!

We managed to get to the start line with a few minutes to spare and joined in the group warm up. We were in separate waves and parted ways. This year the run had a shorter five-mile route as well as the usual ten-miler. The short run had an earlier start at 9.30am and 10.10am for the longer route. We were penned in our waves on the grass and when the start was ready, moved onto the road. I found this difficult to work out how to get near to the front and ended up nearly at the back.

I had no plan or time in mind for this race… my training has been focused towards long distance, keeping heart rate low and slower pace for Celtman (think Duracell bunny). I decided I would just run how I felt on the day, practice pacing and try and get close to last years’ time.

My start wasn’t great, the first couple of miles I was running around other competitors. The roads and paths in this section are quite narrow and it was hard to pass. Once I got to the first hill up the royal mile from the Scottish Parliament building, many runners started to space out and slow pace so I was able to get pass and settle into my own race.

After the first hill, I was so relieved that I decided to wear shorts instead of tights, the sun was shining and I was already feeling hot. The course no longer goes along Princes Street up the mound. Instead you go up Market Street, a steep hill by the mound. To make up the extra distance, the race now has loop through the meadows. My friend Eilidh was cheering me on at this stage, it was great to see a friendly face.

The half way point mile five goes through Grassmarket, lots of supporters and bemused tourist were cheering and clapping everyone on. I felt really good at this point, I looked down at my watch and I was keeping 7min 15secs pace I decided to try and keep this pace. I knew the next hill would be tough, it’s a steep start followed by a long incline up The Pleasance to the Royal Commonwealth pool. I got to the mile six sign and looked at my watch 44minutes.

After the long incline of mile six, you are rewarded with couple of miles downhill along the railway path to Duddingston village. I kept my pace steady, ready for the last hill of the course. From Duddingston village, the hill commences with wonderful views across South Edinburgh. At this point a few fellow runners around me started flagging and I encouraged them to keep going.

The last mile is downhill with a short flat dash to the finish. I just let my legs go and ran my fastest mile on my Strava! I finished strong with a sprint finish to the line.

My time; 1 hour 12minutes 5seconds, a personal best, 1min 35secs quicker than last year. Not much difference but last year I really pushed it and felt it! This year I finished feeling fresh, comfortable and I felt I could have run further after the race. I was pleasantly surprised I was 11^th Female overall and 8^th in my female age group.

Tiffany also did really well, with a personal best. We celebrated after by having a roast dinner and a catch up!

The Great Edinburgh run again this year was well organised, with a good atmosphere and well supported along most of the course. This year I noticed they stopped the iconic bagpipers at each mile, I missed them and also the finisher’s bag didn’t have any solid food just water and a yoghurt breakfast drink. I need some sort of substance after a race. Overall I would definitely recommend this race, hopefully next year I can get below 1 hour 10mins.

Jenwaar

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

February Training update

Training is going well, I’m pretty much managing to complete all my sessions with the occasional tweak due to work or tiredness.

The weather is finally getting better (above freezing) so I’ve been out on the bike at least once a week getting a long ride in, less time on the turbo which is amazing! I usually have one social ride a week with either friends or with the triathlon or cycling club, making training much more fun.

I have slowly increased the amount and the distance for running, my calf coping well as long I continue to stretch and do my physiotherapy exercises. I feel much lighter on my feet, stronger and faster on my track training days.

Swimming has taken a little bit of a back seat but mainly that’s my doing……getting more ink. My tattoo is finally finished so I can regularly swim again, but this isn’t too much of a problem as it is my strongest discipline.

Towards the end of February I had a trip up to the Isle of Skye for a long weekend with family and friends. Sadly, the weather wasn’t in our favour, it was either very windy or very windy with torrential rain. I didn’t really have high exceptions of the weather as it was February and it’s also the West coast of Scotland! I bought my bike with me thought I may have one good day to cycle however that day did not arrive but I brought my turbo trainer so training wasn’t missed. The views from the house were amazing even in the rain. I managed to either use the turbo trainer or run or both whilst away. One day I drove an 80mile trip to the only pool in Skye to get kicked out 30 minutes later as the timetable changed for the half term for family fun time (damn those inflatables!) The trip was lovely: to get away; to catch up with family and friends; and still manage to train.

I am rather anti-social at the moment, I feel I am constantly apologising for missing group social gatherings, turning up late (no change), leaving to go home early or not drinking when I do socialise. I am trying to juggle work, training and trying to see friends and family. Maybe the latter I’m not doing too well at. I also know this will only get worse as my volume in training increases as I get closer to the race. I would just like to apologise to friends and family as ultimately I’m doing this race for me and it is affecting your lives too, especially my poor husband. I should be back by July once Celtman and Ironman training has finished. I would like to thank you all for your patience, support and love, it is really appreciated.

On a more positive note, this week race season has commenced. I will be competing in the Tranent Sprint Triathlon on Saturday. I am really excited as so many other Edinburgh Triathlete club members are competing, it will be well supported and it’s my first time competing in this triathlon. I’m unsure how it will go as all my training is geared towards long distance rather than sprinting but super excited to be competing again!

Jenwaar

January training update

January Training Update

I’ve been back from Australia for over a week (booo). Whilst away I did train but it wasn’t planned-more leisurely and when I could. I’m back to work and full time training, which was a shock to the system!

In Sydney, I managed to use some of the amazing outdoor pools the city has to offer, I don’t think the Scottish weather would really suit outdoor pools! I swam at Sydney harbour bridge pool with amazing views of the bridge and Icebergs by Bondi Beach, again cracking views! Both 50metres pools and use seawater with some chlorine. At Icebergs you may feel the waves crashing over the sides as you swim! When I was at Whitsunday Islands I swam in the sea a couple of times, on one of my swims I got a bit spooked by seeing a large sea turtle and stingray swimming near me!

I hired road bikes, with my husband, and cycled up to Newport beach, North from Sydney and back. Both of us were not used to the heat-36 degrees- so we took it easy, visiting the beaches along the east coast. I would also not recommend cycling through Sydney in the day, it’s pretty much like cycling through London!

I did run a couple of times, however I couldn’t handle the heat too well, so I ended up doing short runs and long walks or hikes. Ideally I should have got up earlier when it was cooler but I was on holiday and enjoying myself. This me looking like sweaty mess after a short run.

Now I’m back in Edinburgh, the holiday bubble has popped and my tan is fading. Last week my coach got me back on an easy week which felt tough. I was a little worried I hadn’t done enough training over my holidays, losing the fitness levels I’ve started to build over the last 2 months. After a few days, I got back into it and the holiday fluff/ heaviness lifted.

On Sunday, was my first outdoor ride this year (in Scotland), I started out with Portovelo cycling club but after 20miles, my friend and I peeled off to do a different route. We stopped off at Bass rock for a quick photo. We completed over 60miles and I felt pretty good, so much better being outdoors than on the turbo trainer!

This week I’m continuing to build on distance and trying to get out on the bike once a week.

Jenwaar

Scottish half marathon race report

I entered the race a few weeks before when my left calf and ankle felt fine. The 5 days before my race my calf was really tight, the foam rolled it out and stretched but it didn’t budge! It didn’t help that I worked three 12 and half hour shifts on the run up to the race.

I woke up on the day, fully aware of my tight calf but I decided to race. I stretched, used the foam roller and was quite optimistic about the race. I was willing to see how my leg would hold up and if at the start line or during race it felt bad, really sore or I was concerned I wouldn’t start or stop running. I met up with some friends at the train station to travel to Prestonpans.

We walked to the start and my leg didn’t feel too bad. My aim for the race was to complete it and not push for a personal best (PB). I had a time /pace I wanted to complete it in but also didn’t want to injure myself anymore. I warmed up and felt quite positive, not too sore. The race has a split start/finish. The race commenced at Meadowmill sport centre in Prestonpans. I entered my pen for the start and a few minutes later the gun went off and we started, I eased into the race.

The Scottish half marathon is a fairly new race; this was its third year. I read in advance this was quite a flat and fast race, great for PB’s. Last year I supported my husband and wished I had completed the race myself.

For the first few miles the course felt like we were just descending through East Lothian. I was running way too quickly, I had to slow myself down a couple of times as I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this pace up. Once I got to the coastal road the course flattened with a few undulating sections. I was able to keep my pace much better at this point.

The course had a short out and back section on the coastal road, then it was a long run to the finish at Musselburgh. At this point around the 5 mile point I saw Gemma Hockett in her trade mark running briefs. I follow Gemma on Instagram, I plucked up the courage to say Hello (I’m such an instastalker). Gemma and I got chatting, Gemma had recently returned to running after an injury so pacing her race rather than racing. We ended up running the rest of the race together.

The race takes you through Port Seton, Cockenzie, Seton Sands and ending up at the finish at Musselburgh race course. The eight miles along the coastal road had a strong head wind and I really felt it during the last two to three miles. I was really struggling at this point due to my lack of run training over the last six months. My calf was also really sore from mile eleven but manageable, I was nearly at the finish so I wasn’t going to stop (I do not advocate this). I have to thank Gemma for keeping me going!

I was pretty pleased with my time overall 1hr 41mins 21secs. I was aiming for 1hr 45mins so better than I thought, but that was likely due to the quick start. I would definitely say if you wanted a PB this was the course to do it in as long as the head wind isn’t too strong.

Overall it was well organised, marshalled and the race didn’t feel over crowded. I would compete in this race again. Cons would be that the coastal route was lovely in some places, but quite a boring course with long periods of no support because there are no footpaths. This year the medals were not ready, even now two weeks later we still haven’t received our medals. I run regularly and not too fussed about this but for some runners this may be their big event of the year! This is pretty poor organisation by the event team.

Now race season is over my giving my calf a rest. I’m not running for 6-8weeks and focusing on cycling and swimming. I have also started back at the gym regularly aiming to do 2-3 sessions a week. Hopefully my calf will get sorted after some rest!

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

Beachbarre – BarreConcept by the beach

Beachbarre

I never really enjoyed ballet as a child. I wasn’t very graceful, partly because I was the tallest in my class and always got the male parts in the show as there were no boys in our class. My ballet career ended age six, grade one (or two?) with a slight complex.

I was invited to try a BarreConcept fitness class on the beach by Veronika from Edinbarre. Luckily you don’t need any ballet experience and they don’t require you to do a recital during the class, phew!

Created by Pilates master Emma Newman, BarreConcept is a challenging workout which combines strength conditioning, Pilates, yoga and ballet.

On Saturday afternoon I headed down to Cramond beach and luckily the weather was sunny. We warmed up on the beach, facing the beautiful Firth of Forth. It seemed my pirouetting days would come flooding back as Veronika eased us into the class.

We went onto the ramp and used the railings as ballet bars. I was constantly working on posture, balance and body positioning. The class consisted of basic movements, lunges, plies and leg raises. During some movements we pulsed and held static holds, by the end of the class my legs were shaking like a leaf.

To finish off we stretched to ‘elongate the muscles’. As a runner and triathlete, I have the flexibility of a brick so struggled with this part of the class. I was however pretty pleased I could touch my toes by the end.

Overall I really enjoyed the class and found it quite challenging. It was a good leg workout, my legs were achy afterwards! The setting was beautiful at the beach and Veronika is a lovely enthusiastic teacher. I would highly recommend and would definitely go again (no complex this time).

For more information email Veronika at info@edinbarre.co.uk, she has classes across Edinburgh.

Jenwaar

Photo credits Rob Tesh.

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