Everything from Injuries to Ironman Entry

Hello and welcome back to Triathlot! 

The past 2 months have been plagued with injury, but thankfully recuperation prevails and I run on, much to my parent's delight as I was going slightly crazy to say the least! 

Top tip folks, don't try and run 7 days a week, your body needs a rest! I was forced to rest after training for weeks on end with little to no rest... Lesson learnt! It is very easy to get carried away when you are running well and feeling strong, however that strength quickly disappears and before you know it previous niggles become more serious. After a week or two of rest my Piriformis pain eased and I established a more sustainable and effective running plan. With no racing in the immediate future, I simply need to keep ticking over, I definitely don't want to risk getting injured again! 

On the bike, I have finally conquered my cleats and most importantly gained some speed. Dad and I ventured out to Yoxall one Friday night to ride a 40K section of the Ironman course. Greeted by rolling hills and country lanes the ride was one of my favourites to date, until we got home that is. I had experienced sharp pain in the top of my back whilst riding and struggled to take deep breaths. Initially I thought this pain was due to the tense position that I hold myself in whilst cycling - safe to say it's not easy to relax when riding into a headwind over Blithfield Reservoir on a Friday during rush hour! However the pain didn't ease once we had returned home and continued to bother me for the rest of the evening. Culminating in a 5am trip to A+E, thanks Dad, we found out that I have a winged left scapula. This was most likely caused by many years of swimming day in, day out, combined with the aero position I attempted to adopt whilst cycling, together this triggered my scapula to move out of place. After several sports massages, the pain has eased and my breathing has returned to normal. I am yet to head back out on my bike, but I hope that when I do my scapula will remain in place! 

After recovering from this injury, I was delighted to be able to get back into the pool. Despite many open water sessions over lockdown, I have really missed my time in the pool. As much as I love open water swimming, the pool feels like a second home to me, probably because I've spent countless hours following the same black line along the floor. Over the next few weeks I plan to make the most of the space time that I have, ensuring I swim at least twice a week, getting some decent miles banked. I find my stamina in the pool can only be improved through putting the hours in, in the water. No matter how far I'm running and cycling, even a short period of time out of the water takes its toll on my endurance. 

Now for the most exciting update!! As I am sure many of you already know, I have entered my first 70.3 race and where better for it to be than on home turf. With the start of the race 10 minutes from home, Staffs Ironman is the perfect race for me! I cannot wait for next June and the chance to finally race over this middle distance. I have always preferred longer distance and endurance events, whether it was the 800m when swimming or a 10 mile race when running - I cannot sprint for the life of me. Hopefully I will be able to hold my own over the 70.3 miles. As I have mentioned previously I still have a long way to go on the bike, in both distance and confidence, but slowly and surely I am making progress. I have a huge challenge ahead, to swim 1.2 mile, bike 56 mile, then run a half marathon to cross the finish line. Let's start as we mean to go on - PMA! So far I've definitely struggled to channel this positivity 30 miles out on the bike, in the wind and pouring rain on a Sunday morning, but as cliche as it is, what doesn't kill you... With 9 months until race day I have time to practice being positive. I think my Dad would definitely appreciate me complaining less whilst cycling too :) 

So, what is my plan for the next month or so? After spending nearly 6 months at home, I am heading back up to Edinburgh in early September ahead of the start of my 3rd year of university. Although things are sure to be different, I cannot wait to get back to uni life! Training wise, I plan to maintain my weekly running distance, which is around 25 miles, as well as continuing on with a couple of swim sessions, with at least one ride a week. I am conscious not to start pushing my training too early and become injured, so from now up until January I am aiming to just maintain my fitness levels, whilst trying to gain some speed and confidence on my bike. Meanwhile, the search continues for a new bike, they are currently like gold dust!! With any luck the next time I post I will at least have one on order...

On the whole, I'm FINALLY injury free and feeling strong! Let's see what the next few months have to offer. 

Stay safe! 

Speak soon, 
Lot x