Sorry I have been a bit quiet since the end of last year (here are my results). Alastair and I were wrapped up in our Wedding in December and then it was Christmas. But, it’s time to now concentrate on the season ahead, and that means a lot of work.  

 

I have just finished a 10-day training camp in Cyrpus. I was hoping I’d get 10 days in the sun, but unfortunately there was a lack of it due to a strange dust storm most of the time but at least it was above 10degC.  

 

 

 

 

What’s new?  

I have made a few changes this year which are rather exciting:   

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  Part time: I have taken the step to go part-time employed rather than full-time. The aim of this is to try and restore my work life balance. I don’t think I quite realised how tired I was all the time whilst working full-time. I am now able to feel a bit more like myself again and I get to spend more time with my husband and family and friends which is quite refreshing. I am not necessarily doing any more exercise/training, but I feel I am getting more out of the sessions because I’m in better condition to do them to the best of my ability. Resting is an important part of the training process and I am now able to finish training by 6pm instead of 8 or 9pm. 

• Coach: I have had an amazing three years with ACS_Mitchell, and he has helped get me to where I am today. However, a rather unexpected opportunity arose to join Perry Agass’s TriSutto squad and after a lot of deliberation I decided to accept this challenge.  As part of this decision, I will now be spending quite a lot of time out in Cyprus as that is where his squad is based.  

Mindset: 

• My first trip to Cyprus this year has allowed me to reflect on where I am as a triathlete. It has given me a benchmark to measure my progress against throughout the year.  
• It has reminded me that I am a competitor, not a participant. It is easy to get on the turbo or in the pool during the winter and tick off your session, just going through the motions. I always work hard but when it is dark, freezing cold and you are tired it is easy to lose sight of why you are doing it. Some people train to keep fit or for the social side. They enjoy the challenge of racing but aren’t necessarily concerned over where they finish. There is nothing wrong with that and taking part and finishing any triathlon is an achievement which should never be underestimated. But that is not enough for me now. I want to be a contender and a competitor, not just a participant.  

Training in Cyprus:

Swimming like a frog (yes that is me in green)

• Swim: To be honest, I have a lot of work to do. My swimming has not improved to the level I hoped it would have, which is incredibly frustrating as I have put a lot of time and effort into it. But for those that have followed me over the years, you’ll know I have a love/hate relationship with swimming. My next step is to get my head back into the swimming game.
• Bike: I have a new best friend at the Paphos bike shop. Thank you so much Laurent for your emergency help. I had to dismantle my bike to transport it to Cyprus, but I somehow misplaced the correct screws for my handle bars.  This meant that when I re-assembled it, they were rather wobbly. Not only did I get it fixed but the bike shop happened to be right next door to the most incredible bakery. It would have been rude not to try the local produce!  

• Run: No matter what time of day you have a running session in Cyprus, it’s going to be hot. Even with some very strong winds on the last night when I was jogging along the promenade and getting splashed by the waves I realised I’d over layered. However, this isn’t the worst problem to have considering the weather in the UK currently. 
• The set up: Some of you might be wondering what the setup of the squad is like out there. Most people arrived a few weeks back at the same time as me. But they also are staying out there until the end of May which means I now have massive FOMO (fear of missing out). We all rented our own accommodation scattered around Paphos (which is currently populated with a lot of retired Brits playing Bowls!). When I wasn’t training, I was eating or resting which meant quite a bit of time on my own. Surprisingly, this went very quickly though. Sometimes I would get back from training at about 4.30pm and be exhausted. I had to work hard to stop myself from just eating dinner and going straight to bed after. Thank goodness for Netflix is all I can say!  Recommendations are welcome for my upcoming trips…!

Plans for 2018:  

• We have a few races planned but these are not set in stone. I need to crack on with training and see how I get on before I commit to any. 

• I am excited to become part of the ETE Blue Seventy racing team. I went on an ETE Training Camp last year and they are incredibly well run. I had always wondered how it works with people of varying abilities but they catered for everyone’s needs (including dietary requirements). I can highly recommend them as I also made some great friends on it. 
• I will be making two more trips out to Cyprus (in March and April). Whilst still juggling work, this is the best way forward I can see to becoming the triathlete I want to be. Keep an eye on my social media channels for updates on my training and trips.  

Thank you also to the continued support of Hireco, Everyone Active Sporting Champions, Fibr Health, Fenland Runner, Go Faster Food, TrueStartCoffee, Copper88, Funkita, Akasha Wellness, Threo, Lorna Moulton at I am Body Wise , Ed Kirby Physiotherapy and Takeley Chiropractic. Their continued support makes a huge difference to my training, racing and well-being.