After a very successful year with Rich it was time to move on and take things to the next level in terms of my training programme. Terence Collins has agreed to coach me which is fabulous news.
Terry has a wealth of training and racing experience as well as MSc Sport Sciences, BTF Level 3 Coach, YMCA Fit Personal Trainer Level 3, ASA Level 2 so I think I will be in good hands. We spoke on the phone about 2 weeks ago for about 45 mins running through my targets for this year with everything building towards ironman Austria and Ironman Arizona, problems that I am currently having with my training, upcoming races and what he thought he could do for me. We then met up last week for a coffee, mind you I am lucky he didn't walkout on me. I was standing behind him in the queue at Nero's reading emails on my blackberry and had read a particularly bad one just as he turned to look at me and I gave him the filthiest look. Not directed at him at all, he just caught me at a bad moment! Anyway, we had a great chat and ran through my strengths and weaknesses and how to address them. I immediately felt at ease with him, he is very open which I like and already feel like I can trust him. The most important thing to me in a coach is someone I can talk to and I have a relationship with. It was part of the reason why Rich and I worked so well together as I knew I could call or email him at any time if I was having issues.
It was hard telling Rich I was leaving him, almost felt like a break-up! He took it pretty well and by his own admission his heart isn't in the sport any more. He is talking about cutting it back next year and focusing on some other things. I definitely need someone coaching me who is passionate about triathlon, so it was the right choice, no matter how hard it was. I will still see him every week for my 'Thumbs or Doom' session (sports massage!).
So Terry has sent me a brilliant schedule for week 1, its almost 17 hours so he is certainly cracking the whip. This morning I was on the track, it has been YEARS since doing any track work, in fact it would have been at school when I was running 5km cross country. I went down to Barn Elms to the track there which is out of the way and not busy at all. There were 2 other girls out and some geese :) It is going to be a challenge given my hectic work and travel schedule, but got to put in the hard yards. This week I am in Paris, Dublin next week. I do enjoy Paris but it is a tiring few days.
Things are going well with The Flying Dutchman (TFD), and doesn't he fly. We went out cycling in the beautiful sunshine on Saturday in Richmond Park, he was doing intervals and I was trying to save my legs for my 1/2 marathon the following day. He is like lightening when he gets going. He came along to the IronHead Racing drinks on Friday night so he got to meet some of my tri buddies. I remembered what I missed most about not drinking and it is the lovely cold beer standing outside a pub on a warm Friday night. A diet coke doesn't quite cut it. No one is more surprised than me that I am still totally into TFD, I think it is because he is as busy as me so he doesn't demand or dominate my time which is guaranteed to annoy me. I love the time we spend together, he totally cracks me up. What is even more funny is Corinna trying to rip off his accent. It is Sean Connery but she insists it is from the Grolsch ad. Very amusing.
On the 'no drinking' there is of course the champagne exception which my friends have cottoned onto pretty quickly. I had the TWAG's over for dinner last night, that being the Triathlon Wives and Girlfriends :) Leanne kindly bought over a bottle of champagne which simply had to be had! I do try and be good and limit myself to 1 glass though. I just keep telling myself how sweet it will taste when I cross that finish line at Ironman Austria! Leanne as always had us in stitches over her cycling and triathlon stories. One of my particular favourites is her 1st bike which had a stand and a bell, which she put to good use in the transition area and out on the course much to the humiliation of her husband Dan. I love the story of in one of her first races she managed to overtake someone and to show them courtesy she rang her bell as she went passed them and gave them a little wave. Very funny.
Sunday was the Ranelagh 1/2 marathon, I didn't hit my target of 1:35, I managed a 1:37:34 which got me a 16th place overall and a 9th in age category, that being 'senior women', that is not good for the ego!! Next race is 25 May for the For Goodness Shakes Legs of Steel Tri. Just easing into the season with an Olympic distance, not holding out much hope as to how I will do but ideally I will be home in around 2:20.
Take care!
Carolyn x
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The clock is ticking
The clock is ticking
Well...we are 10 weeks out form Ironman Austria. Am I fit enough to not only finish a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and then run a 42km marathon? I can definitely do it, if I can do it in the time I want...well thats a whole other kettle of fish. Time to get serious.
My aim is to finish in under 10.5 hours, hopefully in 1 piece with a smile on my face. My goal is to bag myself a top 3 place but given my current state of fitness that is not achievable. I have started looking around for some alternate ways to step up my training and this week it has involved being caught in the rain 4 days in a row! There are some great developments and I am talking to some different coaches about what I should focus on outside of my regular tri and swim coaches. If you have read any of my entries here you will know how competitive I am and how important it is that I achieve my goals.
Next week is D-Day. That dreaded day each year that I cut booze and give my diet a complete shake down. 10 weeks out from a race I cut any processed foods where possible, alcohol, start weighing my food and focusing on the nutrients, vitamins and balance of carbs V protein that I need to optimise training all in preparation for the upcoming race. Sound boring? It is which is why 10 weeks is enough.
I also start to lose weight. I am sitting at 61kg at the moment having lost a kg over the last 2 weeks so I have another 3-4 to go which will fall off once I invoke diet hell. The only upside is that I do start to eat 4 meals a day following the smaller more frequent approach to eating. I have spoken to a couple of coaches and Dr's who believe that whilst my body fat % is below average for the female population I can safely drop it from the current 22% down to 16-18% which will make racing easier. I just don't want to look like a rake. I am very lucky in that I am toned but am very curvy in that classic hourglass shape.
So there is something VERY exciting going on in my life at the moment...a wonderful man....FINALLY!!! We shall call him The Flying Dutchman here. We got in touch with each other at the beginning of Feb but due to my crazy travelling schedule for the first 3 months of this year we didn't get to meet until the beginning of April. By that stage I was beginning to think he was just going to be a cycling buddy, the emails had gone on for more than 6 weeks! Lucky for me there was more to it. I am constantly amazed that I have met someone who not only do I find immensely attractive with his gorgeous blue eyes and towering height but can also make me laugh, engage with and have a decent conversation but can also ride a bike!! Not only just ride one, but ride well and takes his cycling training seriously. He used to be a pro cyclist :) That part is so important to me date 3 was a cycling date to put him through his paces and see what he was made of :)
I am not sure there are that many women who can say not only were they in lycra but so was the guy on the 3rd date. Maybe in some fetish circles that is the norm!
So, just a little quick update. Training not going so well but personal life is wonderful...pretty much the complete opposite of last year! Maybe I should make that my goal is to strike the balance between the 2. Isn't that a novel idea :)
Take care!
Carolyn x
Well...we are 10 weeks out form Ironman Austria. Am I fit enough to not only finish a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and then run a 42km marathon? I can definitely do it, if I can do it in the time I want...well thats a whole other kettle of fish. Time to get serious.
My aim is to finish in under 10.5 hours, hopefully in 1 piece with a smile on my face. My goal is to bag myself a top 3 place but given my current state of fitness that is not achievable. I have started looking around for some alternate ways to step up my training and this week it has involved being caught in the rain 4 days in a row! There are some great developments and I am talking to some different coaches about what I should focus on outside of my regular tri and swim coaches. If you have read any of my entries here you will know how competitive I am and how important it is that I achieve my goals.
Next week is D-Day. That dreaded day each year that I cut booze and give my diet a complete shake down. 10 weeks out from a race I cut any processed foods where possible, alcohol, start weighing my food and focusing on the nutrients, vitamins and balance of carbs V protein that I need to optimise training all in preparation for the upcoming race. Sound boring? It is which is why 10 weeks is enough.
I also start to lose weight. I am sitting at 61kg at the moment having lost a kg over the last 2 weeks so I have another 3-4 to go which will fall off once I invoke diet hell. The only upside is that I do start to eat 4 meals a day following the smaller more frequent approach to eating. I have spoken to a couple of coaches and Dr's who believe that whilst my body fat % is below average for the female population I can safely drop it from the current 22% down to 16-18% which will make racing easier. I just don't want to look like a rake. I am very lucky in that I am toned but am very curvy in that classic hourglass shape.
So there is something VERY exciting going on in my life at the moment...a wonderful man....FINALLY!!! We shall call him The Flying Dutchman here. We got in touch with each other at the beginning of Feb but due to my crazy travelling schedule for the first 3 months of this year we didn't get to meet until the beginning of April. By that stage I was beginning to think he was just going to be a cycling buddy, the emails had gone on for more than 6 weeks! Lucky for me there was more to it. I am constantly amazed that I have met someone who not only do I find immensely attractive with his gorgeous blue eyes and towering height but can also make me laugh, engage with and have a decent conversation but can also ride a bike!! Not only just ride one, but ride well and takes his cycling training seriously. He used to be a pro cyclist :) That part is so important to me date 3 was a cycling date to put him through his paces and see what he was made of :)
I am not sure there are that many women who can say not only were they in lycra but so was the guy on the 3rd date. Maybe in some fetish circles that is the norm!
So, just a little quick update. Training not going so well but personal life is wonderful...pretty much the complete opposite of last year! Maybe I should make that my goal is to strike the balance between the 2. Isn't that a novel idea :)
Take care!
Carolyn x
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