Got the bug!!

Well having succeeded on my first triathlon I have now decided I enjoyed it so much I have signed up for not just one more event, but two!!
The Beverley Triathlon is on 23rd August and since it is in my husband's home town it gives us chance to see his family and make sure I get some support.
The Eyemouth triathlon is on 20th September and is the last of the Border series. I have been warned that the cycle is a hard hill but think it could be good for the experience.
We have recently come back from holiday in Mallorca, and for the first time ever I swam in the sea, out of my depth, and felt really confident about it. That felt great and it is all thanks to Andrea who has been giving me great tips on technique and really building my confidence.
I must also congratulate Andrea who has just completed a cross channel swim in 11hrs 35mins, a fantastic achievement and I am really impressed at her dedication to the training and in completing the crossing.

Goal reached

I did it!! It's official - I am now a triathlete!!! I had a truly fantastic experience and really enjoyed myself and am so proud of what I have done.

Sunday morning started very early - so early in fact that Jerry had to take a picture to prove what time we left the house. He doesn't see this time on a Sunday usually unless there is a Grand Prix on.

Having got to Stirling I registered, and got my number painted on my arm and leg (it's still there despite a bath and two showers), set up my transition area, checked it, looked at everyone else's, moved everything, moved it all back again, checked it and so on for the next half hour. Then we had the pre-race briefing where they tell you all the important stuff, but I was so nervous I promptly forgot most of it.

The elite athletes went off first in the pool and I went along to see how it was done. Then all too soon it was my heat. I was last to go in my lane. There were five swimmers per lane with colour coded hats. Each colour set off at 5sec intervals. As I was planning on doing breaststroke for the whole thing I was fully expecting to be last out of the pool. I was amazed when I realised that not only was I holding my own, I was actually faster than some of the crawl swimmers. In fact, I passed two swimmers in my lane and was out of the pool in less than the 18mins I had planned for. It was a great feeling to know I was not the slowest. I quickly ran around to transition, got myself kitted up and ran out for the cycle.

The cycle was slightly surreal as I only saw three other cyclists on most of the route. One of them passed me and I passed two others, then overtook the first guy on the hill into the finish - which felt great, and he was impressed too. All that training up the West Lothian hills on my mountain bike paid off!

The transition from the bike to the run was much quicker, rack the bike, take off the helmet, grab the water and a gel and go - except my legs weren't too keen on the idea. I just focused on moving forward and ignored my pace, swallowing the gel and getting some water into my system, which really helped, as did all the shouts of support from the crew who came to cheer me on - Thanks a lot Kirsty, Andy and Finlay. What didn't help was the short, very steep hill after the first 300m, that was really tough, but I knew it would get easier and by the time I came back down I was really stretching out my legs, but that was only halfway as I had it all to do again on the second lap. All the way up the hill for the second time I was determined not to walk and kept saying to myself '£1300, £1300' just to keep going. The second loop was much easier after the hill and the final run in was great with everyone shouting me home.

The most amazing moment was realising that not only had I beaten my planned time of 1hr 50, or my admitted stretch goal of 1Hr 45, but even my private stretch goal of 1hr 40, I had a time of 1hr 37mins 24secs!!

I had a truly amazing experience and am already thinking about doing it all again. The other hard part to do now is to get the money in, but I am sure that will happen. I am so grateful to everyone who has sponsored me. The money will make so much difference to those in Africa who it will go to. Supporting the training of a prosthetist to learn how to make and fit prosthetics is such a constructive move, and will not only benefit the individuals but will also help all those around them as they are able to fulfil their potential.

Three days to go
Time is running out fast - I can't believe it is only three days to go now. All the hard training has happened and I am now tapering. Did a relaxing swim Monday, a slow 5 mile run on Tuesday and a slow 8 mile cycle tonight. It feels weird not to be training hard, and I can't believe how much spare time I have this week. I think I am just about ready. I have about £1300 pledged in sponsorship and with tax back that makes a great contribution. Loads of thanks to all those who have supported me financially and I know the cash will be the right incentive to make it up those hills on the run.

Hairy Haggis - successfully completed

As a warm up for the main event next Sunday I took part in the Hairy Haggis relay marathon this weekend. Four of us - see picture - completed the 26.2 miles, I did the first 8.1, then Suzanne did the next 5, Margit the next 8 and Angela brought us home with the final 5 mile stint. We all got round in under 4hrs, but not got the official time yet. It was very, very hot but as I had the first stint it was not too bad for me, but harder for the others. Those who made the entire 26.2 miles all on their own have enormous respect from me.

Now all I have to do is rest up this week, make sure I have all the stuff I need ready for Sunday and try not to panic too much!!

Speed cycling

This blog is a little belated as I have been travelling this week and am just back from Denmark. I borrowed a friends racing bike weekend before last (thanks Jamie) after some persuasion and promptly took 14 mins off my cycle time for 20K. He was right all along, and I have now splashed out on a new-to-me race bike which I'll use for the event. The picture is of me with Jamie's bike, mine is the same in blue.

With ten days to go I am reducing the training, but getting the time to panic about all the things that can go wrong. I'm sure I'll be fine, mild worrying is probably good for me.

The fund raising is going well, heading fast to £1,000 with all the various groups who are helping me out, and the local gym have said I can do some promo there on Monday night. If you are in the Livingston area come and say hello at Bannatynes between 5:30 and 7:30ish.

Running Strong

Well I've had a good couple of weekends recently. Last weekend, 3rd May I did the Edinburgh 10K and my official time was 51:49, faster than last previous times, but the route was different.

On Sunday 10th May I also ran the Glasgow Woman's 10k, in 50:45, which was my best time on this route and 8secs faster than last year. I also managed to come 555th out of over 10,500 runners, so there were 10,000 people that I beat. I have to say that feels pretty good. It was a great event with fantastic support, especially the unofficial water station at the 2km mark - I was really needing that water at that point. I felt really strong all the way through and am pleased with my fitness. In the afternoon Jerry and I cycled to a local pub (he needs an incentive to get exercising). It was the first time he has used that for several months as he has had so many problems with his leg, so it was great to see him using it so well.

I also did a longer, harder cycle tonight, taking the long route to the gym, then swam 30 lengths and cycled back again. I was trying out the trisuit I have borrowed and wore it for cycling and swimming, and I have to say I did get some funny looks in the pool. I was hoping it would be quiet, but not only were there several swimmers, there was an aquarobics class on as well!! Talk about bad timing. I also got a few funny looks as I left the gym dripping wet wearing the same clothes I had in the pool, but it is all in a good cause.

I am now believing that I can actually do the race and finish it. I am now starting to worry about logistics, making sure I can get to where I need to be at the right time with the right stuff. A pal at work has offered to lend me a serious road bike for the event and I'll get to try it out this weekend, to see if it will make a big difference. That should be fun.

I have also been working on the fund raising. The posters are up at work and in the local pub and support has been great. Still not sure if I will reach the full amount, but anything is fantastic and I am starting to think that I will get into 4 figures.

We have a trainee-in-waiting

I have some great news from the 500 miles charity. We have a trainee who is willing to go to Tanzania for training as a prosthetist. His name is Patrick Mwila and currently works in the workshop in Zambia.

It is really great to have a real person to be raising money for rather than just the theory of supporting someone. It has got me even more motivated than I have been.

The other good news is that I have got my posters made and will be really pushing the money raising side of things in the next few weeks. Many of my colleagues have already given me great support both financially and with help on my training which is going really well, despite a slight problem with my knee. I am making sure I don't push it too hard and am icing it regularly. I am getting loads of encouragement from work, several cyclists pals are giving me loads of tips and advice (thanks Phil and Jamie especially), and Andrea keeps going with making sure I will be okay in the swim. I am actually thinking I will finish it and not be last, which in addition to my goal of raising the £6,500 needed for Patrick to get his first year's training guaranteed.

Training progress

It's been a mixed week or so for training. A business trip to Prague last week broke into my training and I only managed to get a few swims and one weights session in while I was away. I then threw myself into training over the weekend and did a short fast run on Friday, a long cycle and weights on Saturday and a run and swim on Sunday. The run on Sunday was supposed to be 10 miles but I was not really on it, and only managed to do 6.5, and had to walk some of that. Probably over did after a slow week. However, on Monday (I was off work) I did put in two hours gardening (counted it as weights work, especially as I dug the veg patch over) and did a good swim session. I then did a good 5 mile run tonight with the jogscotland group, and followed this with one of my best swim sessions ever. I have found a new training program for beginner triathletes and intend to follow this and it includes several work sessions in the pool so I tried this for the first time tonight and it went really well. I managed to only work on my crawl and between float work (on my legs) and flipper work (focuses on the hand technique) as well as several straight forward swim lengths I managed to do 40 lengths. The first time I have ever managed this and it really felt good. My breathing and arm movements seem to be coming together, so while I am still not sure I will be good enough to use this in the race I certainly feel like I have made a lot of progress in this area. I can certainly manage a pool length without drowning now.

Next post I should have the promo stuff in place and I'll post more info about the charity.

'Brick'ing it!!

Well, I did my first brick session today - just to show I may not be a triathlete but I do know the terminology!! This is a back to back session of two of the sports - in this case cycling and running. I did my 20k route cycle followed immediately by a 2 mile run. The idea is to get used to the feeling of moving from the bike to running and I have to say it did feel odd for the first half mile. It was good to experience it. I was not too happy with my cycle. I was even slower than last week, and that was snail's pace. I need to find out what I am doing wrong, it was very windy and my route is very hilly so maybe I need to get a flatter route and try the same distance to see just how rubbish I really am.
Keep watching for the next exciting instalment of my progress!!

Achilles update

Well the achilles is just about right and I've been running again. 2 miles on Monday to test it out then 5 on Tuesday night and another 5 tonight. With all this wind and rain about I can't help but think this is like double training for the summer. I am sure it was sleeting at one point today and the face first wind doesn't help, but I felt so virtuous afterwards, I even felt I had earnt the eclair I had in the afternoon!!
I alos did my firstw eights sesion for a week last night and am feeling it in the arms today. Vicky, my pT lady, will work me even harder on Saturday so I needed to break myself in yesterday. I am hoping to get in a swim and a cycle tomorrow. So far, I am managing the distance but am in danger of still being on the road whiole everyone les has showered and gone home, so may need to get the pace up a bit.
Still (mainly) enjoying it and do certainly need to get the promtion stuff done ASAP, I think that is harder than the training.

Tri-training update

Well, good news and bad news this week. The bad news is that I have managed to get an inflamed achilles heel so my training over the past couple of days has been much curtailed.I have been swimming and cycling, but the running and weights are not happening. I am really hoping it will be better by tommorow. I have been resting it and getting the ice pack out regularly so here's hoping. On the plus side I did a speed swim session last week and did the 800m (40 lengths of a 20m pool) in 19mins 4 secs, which was my first ever under 20 mins so I was really pleased with that.

Jerry has taken some pictures of me cycling, well with my bike, to try to prove that I have used it. I was wondering about my slow speed so asked him about it (he knows about cycling) and after he realised I never stand up while cycling, and he stopped laughing, I have been recommended to stand and really put some effort into it!!! I'll try it next time.

First race of the season

Well I survived the first race of the season. The Inverness half marathon, which was held in snow and wind (what else should I expect in Inverness in March). Despite the weather it was a really good run and I managed my best time for this distance for ages - 1 hr 56mins 46 secs according to my watch, but we'll see if the chip time agrees.
The snow came on hard as we lined up, but miraculously stopped as soon as the gun went off. It is a good route, although the first few miles were into the wind and although it promises no testing hills there is a steady rise for the first few miles and a couple of sneaky slopes. The snow re-appeared a couple of times but by the time we turned for home the wind was behind us and it became a lot more fun. In places the scenery was terrific and I even took time to look around me and remind myself why I run - it was fantastic to be in the Highlands.
This will be my last half marathon for a while. The distance is too long to help me with my triathlon training and I will take the stamina training to date and now start with the cycling in more earnest. Too many races means too much time off resting for the event and this takes out too much training time. I will do a couple of 10K's as they are a bit easier, and I'm also signed up for the Hairy haggis - a relay team for the Edinburgh Marathon, and I'm doing the first leg of 8.1 miles.
Off to have a well deserved glass of wine now.

Good training week

Well this last week or so has gone really well for training. Last week I was training most days in accordance with my plan. I do have to admit that I took a few days off last weekend as my sister was visiting and we went and had a fantastic pamper day in Edinburgh on Saturday. After that I couldn't bring myself to train on Sunday either. Just as well, as the weather was not great with really strong winds and my running pals did a crazy 14.5miles which they all said was really hard.

To redeem myself I have pushed hard this week, Two swim sessions, full weights workout and strong 6.5mile run and 20k cycle in gym with 1k on treadmill to get used to the idea of cycling then running. I know the gym bikes are much easier and once I get some daylight I will be out on those West Lothian hills for the real thing.

The training is feeling good right now - something to be said for a massage and pamper I think, so I am striking while the iron is hot and getting those sessions going well. I am well aware that it can all change if the weather gets bad again, and we are still in February so I have no doubt it can and will, so am getting those miles in my legs while I can.

I have offers of help for the promotion stuff so this weekend I will get some piccies of me in training and also with Jerry so we can get this side of things moving. I have even been reading books on triathlon training and can't decide if I am now more motivated or terrified. Some of them seem to require a PhD in physiology to work out what you are supposed to do. I think I'll stick with my mix and match approach for now, although I have one other secret weapon. Vicky, my lovely PT lady (although that is NOT what I call her when we are in the gym at Ratho!) has experience here so I will be calling on her for advice I am sure.

Off to have a low fat hot choccie and relax now....

Running progress

Well, I have been running well over the past two weeks, despite the weather. We have been fairly lucky as we have not had too much snow, but the ice does make running tricky. At present I am working on my stamina and increasing my running distances. I am now back up to half marathon distance, first time since last September, although my times are not great. I have been telling myself that this is not a problem as these are the hard winter miles and I'll reap the rewards in the summer.
I have also been swimming a bit, I think I could manage the distance with breaststroke but if I was able to do it using crawl I would be so happy. I have learnt to tumble turn with the help of a colleague, Andrea, who is a fantastic outdoors swimmer. She is very patient with me as I really am not a strong swimmer and am not very confident in the water, although she is helping me to quickly feel much better.
The cycling has been non existent so far, the snow and ice is not good but the salt on the roads is a real problem for the bike as it can cause rust to form so fast, I have been advised to wait a bit for the weather to improve.
I have been travelling a bit for work, this last week to Munich, and it means I can get my running in but swimming and cycling are more tricky. If I can find a pool near Putzbrunn, where the office is, this will help.
Promotion of my triathlon is a bit slow, but I do have quite a bit of time. I intend to puch this side of things soon so watch this space.

First posting

Well, it seems I now have a blog. Since the point of this is to record my progress in a triathlon I have promised to do for charity I guess I'll have to do it now!! As you can see from the picture I have run before, but as my swimming can best be described as 'failing to drown' and as for the cycling... well, how hard can it be, all you have to do is get on a bike and point in the right direction... don't you?



I am taking this more seriously though as I have a very serious reason for doing this. Following my husband's motorcycle accident in 2007, and his subsequent lower leg amputation, I have become involved with a charity called 500 Miles. This charity raises funds to supply equipment and trained people for prosthetic and orthotic work in Zambia and Malawi. The facilities these people have are very low level compared to the support here in the UK so I wanted to do something to help others in a similar situation to myself.

I will be posting my training progress on this site up until the event in June. I'll also be putting on more info about the charity as well as information on ways to give me money for this very worthy cause. My goal is to raise £6,500 to provide for the training and support costs for a prosthetist for one year. It seems very ambitious right now, but I hope I can get there.