Self Belief

Today was a busy day. I hate Tuesdays! I had NO time to think about the track session I had in store for me with my run coach. Perhaps this is best I wonder? I did my usual dash in dash out with 20 minutes to spare between work and the arranged meet time. As I whirled through the house, hubby asked what I was doing today... ‘I can’t remember’ I replied, ‘I don’t think he’s told me’ and rushed off out the door.

Then it dawned on me. I remember now. Mile reps. Hmmmmmmmmmm. All the way there I begin to ponder how boring that sounds – 4 laps of the track for each mile. Yawn. I hate the running track at the best of times!

Coach bounds out of his car, all wrapped up (it’s apparent he’s doing no running today!) grinning, springing on the spot and exclaims ‘hello! Are we ready for this then?’ I reply in monosyllables and off we go!

Task: 4 x 1 mile with short timed rests in between. Great. ‘I’m doing this for your own good’ he announces, still grinning at me!

Keith positions himself on the finish line with the stop watch, apparently planning to report to me each lap what the time is so far. Me being one for figures, he probably knows this strategy will either make or break me. We are about to find out which one it is!

Mile 1

Lap 1, I concentrate on NOT setting off too fast, checking my watch as I leave the start line ‘don’t you be looking at that watch!’ he barks at me! It feels easy, as I pass him he announced ‘oooooh that’s a bit fast. Ooops. The hurt will start in a minute I think to myself. Lap 2, 3, 4 still ok. Mile 1, 36 seconds faster than my target time. J excellent. But no time to celebrate, no no. Crack of the whip and off we go again.

Mile 2

Off I set, didn’t dare look at the watch, lap 1, ok. Lap 2, ok, lap 3, starting to be a little less than ok, and the times were slipping away. EEEEK. I have a mental wobble on the first bend of lap 4. I hear him shout ‘last lap... come on!’ so I dig in. I am DETERMINED not to give up so soon into the session. I GASP over the line in my exhaustive asthmatic way, to be told it was only 2 seconds slower than the first, and still 34 seconds faster that the target time. Excellent!

Mile 3

It took some recovering from that second one. Yes I do have asthma, but usually only stress / exercise related. Yes, I was pretty stressed! My legs felt the protest as soon as I set off from this one. I began to feel the lactic burn, I could hear Kim http://www.kimingleby.co.uk/ piping in my ear ‘did you do the best that you could, on the day, with the conditions?’ NO! I wasn’t. COME ON MEL!! With renewed enthusiasm I dragged my sorry ass round the last lap. I was damned if I was going to give any time away on this mile, that was the mistake I made on every race, so this WAS going to be as fast. Result? Exactly the same as mile 2! OH MY GOSH!!

Mile 4

Needed serious mental strength here. I was sure before I even started that I would not make it round. I was exhausted. After lap 2, the time reports suggested I was losing far too much time per lap to maintain the pace of the previous miles. I set off on the bend of lap 3 thinking this is a waste of time, why am I doing this, a triathlon is only 3 mile run, I don’t need this 4^th, its ok, 3 were alright weren’t they. Then that blooming Kim popped into my head again. No Kim, you just KNOW I wasn’t doing the best I could was I now, let’s face it! So the remainder of that mile, I had Kim mentally chasing me round, I had Keith going on at me in the other ear stand tall, relax, hips forward, drive... my head was spinning. I dug in. As I crossed the line I was SURE that I had run that one 30 seconds slower. Nope. I only lost 3 more seconds.

The moral of this session?

·        I am better than I think

·        I am making GOOD progress

·        This coached running IS working

·        I CAN push myself just that bit further than I thought I could

·        If I don’t look at the data, perhaps I run better than I thought possible

·        I DO feel pleased with myself and I am pleased that Coach is pleased.

·        The track IS NOT a scary place! :)

Autism and the Autistic Spectrum

As you may or may not know, I am by day, a special needs teacher. I have always been one for supporting the underdog. 7 years teaching permanently excluded students in a pupil referral unit taught me to see the finer details, and judge progress on a whole new parameter.

Autism has always fascinated me. When I started my current post I was lucky enough to attend a TEACCH course and now I work with ASD students (among others). The student themselves have taught me so much about the ambiguities of speech, things I have never even thought about or considered before.

I did in fact take the Autism spectrum test on facebook:

http://apps.facebook.com/autismspectrumtest/?ref=bookmarks&count=0

My score was 34. I poo pooed it, did really read the writing on the top before i started, you know, like we all do. I told the ASD co-ordinator about it in school and she looked at me astounded and told me that test is actually very accurate. 80% of people in the test sample that had an aautism related disease scored 32 or higher.

What does that mean for me? Nothing. It was nothing i didnt expect to be honest, and those I work with didnt look that surprised either.

are you going to get a diagnosis?

Why should I? i know how my mind works, my husband knows that i need to know BEFORE hand what is happening, and I he says he will do something then doesn't, that just might be a big curve ball for me. Why do I need a shrink to 'officially' give me the label?

Do YOU think I should?

What does sadden me is that not enough people understand or appreciate the difficulties surrounding Autism Spectrum Disease (ASD). There isn't a leg missing, nothing can be seen on the outside, yet, ASD makes the sufferer very different. They see the world in a very different way to other people.

One of the most charismatic speakers I have ever seen (only on DVD sadly) is Temple Grandin. http://www.templegrandin.com/ who is a doctor, and has autism herself. She explains in a fantastically easy way to understand, what it has been like for her.

Ultimately, I wanted to share this poem with you. I found it on this site:

http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-students-in-inclusive-classrooms.html and I think it puts things beautifully. I assume from the source, that it is written by Ethan's mother..

Autism Poem: I Am Ethan

I am Ethan.
You may not understand me, or the way I feel today.
You may not understand my reasoning for things I do or say.

The reasons why I'm so loud and say things over & over again,
Why I run so differently or lose my homework every now & then.

I write my letters backwards and sometimes numbers too,
and when in a conversation, I'll say "Guess what" 100 times to you.

Too much noise, light, or excitement can set me in a spin.
I don't like the way these pants feel rubbing against my skin.

I try to be good, but sometimes it's hard to control,
I have to do it, it's an impulse, I don't always do what I'm told.

Ketchup, Ranch and BBQ sauce on everything I eat,
sometimes I have days that I just can't sit still in my seat.

I like to talk a lot even when it's out of turn,
my mind plays tricks on me and interrupts what I'm trying to learn.

Sit up straight, wipe my face, and play ever so soft,
some of these things I have trouble with and I usually lose my train of thought.

I didn't mean to spill the milk mom, or slam the door so hard,
everyone else is done with their homework, I don't know where to start?

My heart's as big as gold, my feelings get hurt too,
I get sad, cry and have bad days just like you.

My brain works differently than other girls and boys,
but one thing always holds true, I can give your life so much joy.

I get frustrated so easily and my hand won't work that way,
I don't understand why those other kids won't let me come over and play.

Please don't think of me any differently or love of me any less,
I'm just like other kids and trying to do my best.

I am very special in my own unique way, and every moment with me
you'll never have a dull day.

By Kelly Graham

for more blogs about special needs teaching check out http://www.beingspecial.blogspot.com/

Energy Bars and training fuel... my reviews

I have tried MANY MANY different bars and things on the quest to find one i like. I struggle to take food on while cycling, and tend to opt therefore for gels and drinks in race situations. Whe i am training, and its not as urgent. i tend to vary what i take with me. It has cost a fortune in stuff i have bought then thrown away, so i thought i would share my verdict in the hope that I can save you a bit of money (and time!)

 Cliff bars are nice, they come in many many flavours, and taste good. They can be a bit dry though, and i struggle to chew them,

 

Guu have recently arrived in the UK. i found these in Australia when i was there and they are LOVELY!! they come in hundreds of delicious flavours, but are quite thick so you need to take them with a drink. They're like a meal in a gel!

 I'm not so keen on lucozade stuff, I dont think it does much for me performance wise, and i find it incredible sweet tasting.

I really dont like these, they tasted like sawdust to me!! I bought a box but disliked them so much i sold the rest of the box on EBAY!

 Torq make good nutrition, and it tastes great (specially the gels) but the bars are very dry and chewy, and the gels can be a bit sickly sweet. They are very thick too so need water with them

 High 5 gels are one of my favourites. the one on the left is the standard one, i use while cycling, the one on the right is new, thinner, easier to take, and i use it in races during the run section. All flavours are good!

Cliff SHOT BLOCK is very good, like a chewy jelly sweet, easy to take while cycling I found, but might get a bit stuck in your teeth! I liked them and I think i will use them again. ride shots -V easy to use: fab!

 This is my all time favourite pre race drink! its a shame they arent sold in these small sachets, i got this free in a race pack. i think i may have to invest in a big tub! It really helps, i have found. Highly recommended!

 Dont like the taste of the power bars, do like the chocolate one, but it melted all over the place when I went out with one!!

GO bar: Flavour of these is good, but in cold weather they turn to rock and are very hard to bite into without hurting your teeth!

Mule make great bars, but again, i find them a bit dry.



Sports Bars are my all time favourite bar is this one! Love the taste (even tho its covered in chocolate, it isnt too thick or sweet



Loving REGO, it really makes me feel human again, and i really mean that. If i forget rego at a race, i am in BIG trouble! GO eletrolyte, is another of the drinks i rely on, I use a few. That, HIgh5, and H3O

Herbalife make this one, H3O and its only available online. But, its the least sweet tasting, and a really relied on it when i was racing and training long, as i was getting sick of tasting sweet stuff!



The hilarious goings on on the track this week!

I did a run training session today with Kieth Molloy, my run coach. He was under orders from Steve Casson, my triathlon coach, to go easy on me because it is recovery week. I asked him last week what he had in mind, I was told 'agility'. this meant nothing at all to me!!

I turned up on friday, very foggy, dark, track lights are off. I thought, hmm, what on earth might he have in mind? He told me that we were going to do an easy 3 mile run, then some resistance work. Ok, harmless I think. So off we set. First mile all uphill. I had been told last week that my running posture was much better, and Kieth said the same today, told me i was running up hill much better too. I looked at the watch, average for me. I kept going. At the top, I thought, ok, rest is flat or down, I am going to now focus just on form. Easy pace, focus on form. SO I concentrated on hips forward, driving off the foot, arms in the right places, with Kieth chuntering at me  all the time as a reminder. I didnt look a the watch at all. I have been taught to know on feel. it still felt ok, so I carried on. Sometimes statistics are my downfall, and i see good numbers and think EEEK! and slow down.

At the end of mile 2, the watch vibrated. I took a glance, wow, I thought, this pace is good, for what feels 'ok'!! I had one more mile, along the flat. mile 3 is usually my undoing in a race, so I stayed very focussed, on form, still getting my timely reminders from Kieth, and aimed not to lose any of that pace on mile 3 (because I usually do!) It still felt ok, and I stayed focussed. Towards the end of mile 3 I knew it was no longer an easy HR, but there wasnt far to go, I was going good, i would stay focussed and see how I can do. The moment it vibrated for 3 miles, I slowed and looked at the split. The last mile was 1 minute 20 seconds faster than the first, and around 45 seconds faster than what I might expect to be my average pace on that run. I was rather impressed considering it was a steady run, not a hard effort (probably helped by the fact that it is recovery week!

Then the fun began!!

Kieth went to his car and got out a contraption rather like this.

What on earth is that i wondered. He then explained. I couldnt help but laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh!! I was very glad at this point that it was dark (and foggy) and there was no-one around...

because this is what you do with that... Oh yes!! It is like being taken for a walk!! I went first, and it was only 60 metres. 60 metres... I'm glad it was no further!! When i set off i felt like i was tied to a lamp post!! Then, as i got going, it felt like any moment now he would let go, and i would go cattapulting across the track like a rag doll! I didnt even get to the finish line before I was laughing!! He kept telling me it wasnt funny, this was good resistance training that would strengthen the drive on the foot. But I was still laughing!!

Then I got to have a go 'on the reins' so to speak! When he set off, I am quite sure it wasnt the same because I was suddenly lurched forwards and felt like I was taking a REALLY big dog that I cant quite control for a walk!!!

4 lots of 60 metres like this and I thought I was going to collapse!! It still makes me laugh now! When he set off to go home, he put the harness in the boot, in case passers by thought he has some strange bondage fetish!!

I bet a man thought up that idea for run resistance training....!

What turbo trainer? The beginners guide

What is a turbo trainer?

 It’s a gadget that allows you to turn your road bike into a stationery training tool.

Why use a turbo trainer?

It will always be better to train on the bike you ride on, you are used to that position, the gym bikes are never quite right, huge seats, pedals in the wrong place, different handle bars, etc. A turbo allows you to train, away from the elements, making cycling accessible when the weather is too bad. If you have family / time constraints, it makes cycling easier to fit in. It also allows you to work on technique like pedalling, in a safe environment, and allows you to exactly control the resistance, etc, without being governed by the contours of the road. It allows you to push yourself more, perhaps, but you must then be prepared to go out and transfer all these new skills on the real open road!

There are many turbo training DVD's available to structure your training, and make the time pass quicker, as stationary riding can get boring! I use http://www.thesufferfest.com/ which I can download to iPod / iPhone, or DVD, and Robbie Ventura DVD's like this one;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CycleOps-realRides-Presents-Robbie-Ventura/dp/B001GB7OUQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1290028798&sr=8-4 There are, of course many more. These are just my favourites.

Which turbo trainer should I get?

That depends on where you will put it. Some can be very noisy, so does that matter? Will it be in the living room, spare room, or will it be in the garage?

WIND turbo trainers:

• This is good for entry level, indoor cyclists who want progressive resistance and don’t mind their turbo trainer being loud. The price tend to start here with this one. The one with the best reviews seems to be the Cycle Ops wind turbo trainer
• Wind resistance bike trainers are the cheapest of the turbo trainers and are always at the bottom of the range as far as price is concerned. With wind resistance bike trainers your pedalling drives a small fan attached to the unit. The fan is designed so that the harder you cycle the higher the wind resistance is that the fan generates. Because the fan is a fixed size it is not possible to change the resistance curve on your turbo trainer. However these turbo trainers do have a realistic feel to them as the resistance rises in direct proportion to the speed you pedal at.
• Wind resistance turbo trainers main downfalls are the fact that it is not possible to adapt the power curve and also that they are very loud. Due to the direct relation between the speed of the fan and the speed at which you cycle, when you get up to speed on a wind turbo trainer the noise can in some cases be extraordinary. This means that you cannot use a wind cycle trainer indoors or in any place where noise is a consideration.
• The flip side of the fan is that wind bike trainers can produce a bit of a breeze which can help counteract the lack of wind that comes with stationary cycling.
• Overall a wind turbo can be worth considering as a first turbo trainer if you can get your hands on a good brand cheaply. You will certainly get a good feel for what it is like to use a bike trainer, however for serious and regular cycle training you should opt for one of the other resistance types.

Pros: Good value, realistic feel, can provide cooling through the fan.
Cons: Loud, the resistance is limited.
Ideal if: You are new to indoor cycle turbo trainers or on a budget.

MAGNETIC turbo trainers

• magnetic resistance trainer, with progressive resistance,
• Magnetic resistance turbo trainers will usually have a number of single resistance settings.  These different settings achieve varying degrees of resistance by moving the magnets closer together or moving them further away from each other, therefore increasing or decreasing the force between the magnets.
• Changing these resistance settings is a matter of either changing a dial on the turbo trainer itself or using a supplied handlebar lever which you can use to change the resistance setting without getting off your bike.
• As far as noise levels are concerned, magnetic turbo trainers sit somewhere between loud wind trainers and almost silent fluid trainers. The noise produced by a magnetic turbo trainer is usually directly related to the price you pay for it, with top of the range models being as quiet as fluid trainers and some bottom of the range models being louder than wind trainers.
• Getting a magnetic turbo trainer is usually a really solid choice and there is a wide variety of models on the market. They are ideal for training in a consistent manner and can be great for training your strength during high power workouts. Watch out however, if you really need a quiet turbo trainer and don’t have a huge budget, you may be better off going for a cheap fluid trainer rather than a cheap magnetic trainer.
• recommended types seem to be Cyclops super magnetic pro, Elite Chrono mag elastogel, Tacx sirius soft gel

Pros: Large choice, resistance variable, high power training possible.
Cons: Can be fairly noisy, no natural resistance curve.
Ideal if: You are looking for a decent powerful turbo trainer and want variety in your indoor training.

FLUID turbo trainers

• Fluid resistance turbo trainers work very similarly to wind turbo trainers. As with wind resistance bicycle trainers the roller is connected to a fan. The fan on a fluid resistance trainer is however not open to air as with the wind trainers. The fan on a fluid resistance turbo trainer is suspended in a thick fluid, hence the name fluid trainer.
• It is best to imagine the fan in these trainers like small cups like the ones on wind vanes. As with the wind trainers the faster you cycle, the faster the fan turns. This in turn increases the resistance which the fluid exerts on the fan. This is the same effect that you experience when cycling outdoors. The faster you move the higher the resistance you generate while pushing against the surrounding air.
• Because of this the resistance curves on fluid turbo trainers are as close to actually cycling as you can get and they feel very realistic to train on. In addition to this the fan is completely enclosed in the fluid which means it doesn’t generate any noise. This is a stark contrast to the noise generated by wind resistance trainers.
• The fluid inside these turbo trainers can be different from model to model meaning that you can have different densities, allowing for different resistance curves. This is something that wind trainers can’t provide as the density of the air they use is always the same.
• One of the downfalls of a purely fluid turbo trainer is that you can only have one single resistance curve. While you can adapt the resistance by using your bicycle gears the range is ultimately limited. A number of manufacturers have however created hybrid magnetic-fluid trainers which allow for the resistance curve of fluid trainers and the adjustable settings of a magnetic trainer allowing for a windier scope to your training.
• recommended makes seem to be Cycleops Jet fluid and Elite Chrono fluid (I have the Elite chrono fluid) This is the kind of turbo trainer I have. I chose it because it was meant to be closeish to the 'real ride'. I didn’t want dead cheap, but also didn’t want really expensive either! For resistance, I use my bikes gears.

Pros: Large choice, realistic resistance curve, good resistance levels.
Cons: Can be fairly expensive, not adjustable.
Ideal if: You are looking for a high quality turbo training experience with a realistic resistance curve

As you can see your choice will be largely driven by how noisy your turbo trainer can be, so decide this first!

There version of the turbo trainer (made my Tacx i think) that you can connect to your computer and ride virtual courses. Add the £££ though, so i havent mentioned this much, but if you have wonga to spare, do look it up!

3-2-1 Diet update – It’s been ten weeks...

Ok, I think I am getting to grips with this! I got this diet advice from nutritionist Becky White at http://www.onesixeightfitness.com It took a while and I have been speaking to some others on twitter who tried it too. I have been following it 10 weeks now. (If you have been reading my food diaries, http://www.melanieryding.co.uk/#/last-weeks-trainingdiet/4542843916 you will know I am better at it sometimes than others!) In 10 weeks, I have lost 10 pounds! This has not been a steady 1lb a week mind you, so do bear that in mind. This is without calculating, keeping a strict diary, nothing like I have been doing with weight watchers in the past.

This is what I concluded: the rules for my success seem to be thus:

1.      The first week, you will see BIG losses, 4.5lb for me, but this will be a one off!

2.      Avoid diet foods, low fat options, check labels, and avoid things with added sweetener (aspartame) go for full fat options. Sounds mad, I know, but I have been told that the body processes natural sugars much better, and tends to store artificial sugars as fat.

3.      I ALWAYS do a training session before breakfast, 1hr maximum, any intensity – yes, I have even managed track sprint repeats before breakfast! This is your main fat burning session, no other in the day will fat burn as well as this one.

4.      I ALWAYS have a black coffee and a piece of fruit when I get up, before a train. Black coffee staves off hunger pangs, the fruit kick starts the metabolism

5.      If my morning session is more than an hour, I take a snack with me.

6.      I always have porridge for breakfast afterwards (2 sachets of oats so simple) it seems big, but it needs to be your bulkiest meal of the day

7.      My lunch is medium sized, never bread, usually pasta salad, chicken, ham, etc and fruit.

8.      My tea is always light, maybe fish, chicken, stir fry, etc, bulked out with veg.

9.      This is the last meal of the day, I eat very little afterwards.

10.   When I’m hungry between meals, I snack on fruit, dates, apricots, and drink black coffee.

11.   Always do a training session BEFORE meals not after, this maximises fat burning.

12.   My training and meals are now focussed and balanced around each other. Eating is fuel for training. Training happens before meals, to help increase fat burning (except on race day!)

13.   Always look at the bigger picture. This is a lifestyle change, don’t focus on this day, this weight, this week. Look at the wider story. Like I said, the 10lb didn’t come off in a steady 1lb a week fashion!

       Working on my diet this way I have found I have much more energy for training than trying to count the weight watchers points. I am happier and less hung up on weight loss.

I can’t recommend it enough, I honestly can’t, specially for athletes who are trying to lose weight, I know how hard that balance is, believe me!

Cross Country always hurts, I’ve decided!

This second race of the season was never going to be pretty! I was scheduled for a run metabolic assessment (Vo2Max) on the Saturday morning, the only time Coach could fit me in. Oh well, cross country is only a bit of fun, she says!

After a great result on the met assessment, I almost forgot I had a race on the Sunday! This one was notoriously tough, although my tiny mind had blocked out exactly how much so! Yes, I had done this course before, but it was 2 years ago, for goodness sake!!

Big fat pee queue stresses (500 odd women, 3 toilets, you do the maths!) meant that the Northants Tri cross country team floundered in the organisational and administrational area, while I was busy queuing, step in Mr Mel, who ventured out of the opposition camp to help out with admin (aaaaaw!) How kind, the least he could do, considering he was running for the opposition today! We had no spectators today, so a new challenge was launched – how do we collate results, and will all the runners manage to not lose their ticket number between the finish line and the school hall, ¼ mile away?!

The conditions were, well I’d like to say perfect, but a perfect cross country would be raining wouldn’t it? It was wet underfoot, but dry. It was such a dash to get to the start that I was barely stood there a moment when the race was started!! Oh gosh!! So I spent the first mile floundering, and trying to find my rhythm. I had done almost a mile before I managed to get the focus under control. I stopped focussing on Alex my mate, Vicky (who I have never raced so I had no idea what to expect) and many others, and began to concentrate on how I was feeling! Sorry Kim, (www.kimingleby.com) but I got there eventually!! I was just starting to enjoy it, misty morning, muddy route, nice claggy wet paths, people dancing round the puddles, when the first hill was in front of me, it was like a man made mound – straight up, straight down, I remember now... heartbreak hill! I adopted the slow but sure snail approach and plodded up the hill, I was not giving in, shorten the steps, stand tall, drive from the hip... bla bla bla (coach orders ringing in my ears!) when at the top of the hill the woman in front of me threw open her arms and shouted  I and the guy beside me looked at each other with the knowing ‘FFS I’m dying here do you mind!?’ look and glanced up briefly before firmly concentrating once more on which rut the next footstep would land in!

‘look at the vieeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!’

I plodded on for a while more, the next stretch very memorable... this is the spot last time I did this course where I suddenly realised that putting elastic lock laces in the cross country shoes was a BIG BIG mistake!! Yup, shoes stuck in mud scenario! Glad I learned from that one, because today was just the same! Nothing much happened for a while, at one stage I felt like I was the only one out there, still silent morning, I could almost say it was nice! (if it wasn’t a race, and I didn’t have VO2max legs!) Up through the woods, steady does it, a few more caught on the hill... when the proper hill arrived – almost a clamber!! I was passed at the foot of it by an Ampthill runner... who then started walking just ahead. I shouted to her ‘I’m coming don’t let me catch you’ by way of encouragement... she replied ‘what? Are you a coach or something?!’ I said ‘no, should I be?’ she said 'yes!’ and started running again!!

Meanwhile a Dunstable girl that had been playing catch with me... running past me up the hills, I ran past her on the flats...started walking... so I got past her too. She then caught me up and struck up a conversation about triathlon! I began to think, I shouldn’t have time for this! Its a race!! I recognised the final hill, and the sneaky bit around the corner. I knew it was all downhill to the finish from here. My legs were shot though. But little did I know it was about to happen again. Around 20-30m from the finish I could see my husband, shouting encouragement and beaming at me, while others were informing me that there were three coming in hot from behind me. Now, usually I have some kind of sprint finish, but not today! There was just NOTHING left at all. Guess who It was who came past me in the last few meters? That blooming Laura from WDAC!! I was Laura’d again for the second time in a row!!

Well, at least I had a valid excuse this time!! However, I collected a ticket 14 places better than last time, and was 2 mins quicker than the last time I ran it, (granted, it was a while ago, but I don’t care!) so I cant complain! Imagine what would be possible with fresh legs...

The next one... will hurt just as bad... it’s the day after a bike VO2 max test! (I think coach is trying to kill me!)

1st Cross Country of 2010

For some reason, I seem to find it acceptable to take a casual stance to cross country. I enter the races knowing I will not do too well against ‘proper’ runners, (compared to triathlon that is!) yet I love them!! I take a lot of time organising for my club to be part of the Cross Country League. We only joined last year for the first time, and it went rather well, we finished further up the league than anyone expected (including us!)

So this year, the target was to beat the club directly above us (my old club WDAC as it happens!) and to exacerbate matters, hubby has decided to renew his membership with the opposition! Due to injury, he was unable to do the first one so agreed to come along and help with admin. He made it very clear it was a one off! WDAC instructed him to come over to the Northants Tri camp and kick me in the leg!! I was proud to see that the club members were keener this time round, discovering that cross country can actually be fun! We had a full team out (minimum requirements to not incur penalties is 7 men, 3 women). We actually managed to exceed that! Woohoo! My friend (and triathlon enemy – Alex) was there – back from a triathlon induced injury (she broke her wrist last year trying to bunny hop the kerb in order to beat me in a local triathlon!) I was readily accepting I would not be in our team’s top 3; therefore my race didn’t matter in terms of scores. The pressure was off; I could just focus on me.

I got the flyrocs out of the depths of the garage and chip the concreted mud off the soles with a screw driver and a wire brush! Ooops!! It was a bitterly cold day. The new leaner me doesn’t cope with this well, not helped by a race start delay! I opted for the trusty skins top – flipping freezing at first – but like a thermal blanket once I get off and running! The course was actually a little softer than the concrete I remember from last year, but still very hard!! It started off with a brutally sharp downhill, a bit of flat, then the hills started! I had a myriad of advice flowing through my little brain – Kim Ingleby telling me to focus on my own race, just do the best I can, think forward, ignore the other people... then my run coach telling me to run tall, push the hips forward, use the WHOLE stride... blablablablabla! I really thought hard, so much so I didn’t have time to notice the other people - apart from the guy who was behind me for Aaaaaages grunting and panting in a specific rhythm! I kept thinking just pass will you... nothing... and the amazing thing happened – his grunting got fainter!! I must be doing ok I thought!!

At the top of the last hill, I had to look for a moment – there was a huge crowd of people staring – cameras, TV cameras, the works... across the empty field... ? hmmmm? Sorry – no time for that – I have a race to finish!!

I was downing the last hill, I knew the finish was soon. I felt ok, had deliberately NOT looked at the watch (sometimes, I think its the undoing of me!) I thought I had bags of time, I couldn’t hear anyone behind.. when the crowds indicated someone was coming in hot!! Oh sh1T!! So I set off for the sprint. The finish was within grasp. Over my shoulder I saw it was a WDAC vest – noooooooooo! I pulled out all the stops... she sprinted past... and past... and past!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! Nothing left in the legs! I was beat – my first sprint loss – and to a WDAC!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! No matter, I was faster overall, and could still walk afterwards! Last year – I collapsed onto the grass and couldn’t get up for ages for the asthmatic gasping!! So, yes, it was a good race, I did the best I could, and that’s all I can ask of my legs (which as it happens went faster than last year, so that’s a bonus!)

As for Alex, isn’t it interesting. EVERY running race I have ever done with her, she’s beaten me by minutes. Every triathlon we have ever raced together, I have beaten her by minutes! Interesting eh?

Roll on the next one! (I will try and clean the shoes before then!)