FEELING THE PAIN

Well it has been another really hard week on the training front.

Monday I need to do a 2 1/4 hour run to finish off my endurance weekend. It was incredibly hard especially after the Steelman race. I messed up by not having enough breakfast and the whole run was just painful, but thanks to Laura I got around it. Don't think I would of had the will power to do that on my own, not that day!

Afterwards I hobbled (literally) off to see Jambo for him to attack my IT bands, which by now were just screaming at me, to stop all this torture on them. The man is a miracle worker, I hobbled in and walked out, what a difference he made. However I will confess it was a pretty painful experience again and with children in the room I  think I did really well keeping my words to owww and ouch!!!

ummm...........hello IT band.  OUCH!!!!!

 Tuesday I made tri club but on Wednesday I took a much needed day off, my body just felt totally fatigued.

Thursday I got a 2 hour bike ride. Then that evening it was a hill session in the dene with Laura, her husband Paul and a friend Jimmy. I think it must be a truly terrifying sight to see four adults trying to sprint flat out for 40 seconds up a hill. To put in mildly we were all in quite a state however what I love about these sessions is that they are over relatively quickly and you can feel that you have worked.

Under coach Woody's instructions I was to get out Saturday for a 5 hour easy ride. So it ended up a good group of us going out from tri club. Basically it is some of the people who I will be going to Germany with for the Ironman. I shall abbreviate this but OMG!!!! EASY RIDE, WHO WERE THEY KIDDING!!
a hilly 90 miles later I got off my bike in pieces. It just wasn't what I was expecting to do the day before a hilly Olympic distance triathlon.

Watch out for this lot they are animals....Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

 I actually woke up Sunday not feeling as bad as I thought I would, maybe that was because I was asleep by 9.30pm the night before, shattered.

The swim was in Derwent reservoir. This was by far the coldest swim I have done this year and the choppiest and overall the hardest. I just didn't enjoy it at all. I was having to breathe every stroke just to catch my breath.

The bike course was 2 two loops around the reservoir, it was hilly with one hard steep climb in it. I came out of the swim in 3rd place (I think) and finished my bike in second. ( manual timing so still haven't seen the full results yet).

Then the run, one word for this HIDEOUS. Up a hill and then another, on a very stony track. Just not pleasant. I had new trainers on they rubbed, my feet bled but I just battled on. I went into the run in 2nd place for the women and finished in 4th, however in my age category I came 2nd. So I am totally delighted especially considering to previous days session.

So my next race is the Ironman, 4 weeks today. I really just hope all this training will pay off and I will be able to finish what will be the longest and hardest race of my life!!

 Here once again is my just giving page. I have raised just over a third of the amount I am trying to reach. No amount is too small it all adds up. Thank you.

You really can help save a premature babies life.

Just Giving Page: http://www.justgiving.com/Joanna-Reed0