Well, I had a very interesting week last week. I fell victim to something I thought was just being a bit more tired than normal but turns out is a whole lot nastier... Over Training.
For those of you who have experienced this, I am sure are not keen to let it happen again. To those who have not...well be warned. It can strike, chew you up and spit you out before you even have a chance to work out what is going on.
Last week was my last hard week of training before I start my 3 week taper for Ironman Arizona. Everything over the last few weeks had been going well, excellent volume and intensity of training up around 17 - 20 hours and I was feeling like I was in the best shape of my life. I started out last week after doing a 5 hour ride and then run on Saturday to a 2.5 hour hilly run on Sunday. Felt tired as you would expect. Hit Monday with a 2 hour 15 min brick before work and a track session in the evening. I was feeling pretty shattered and noticed I wasn't as quick as I should be. Monday night was the first of the sleepless nights. Into Tuesday morning with a 2hr 10 session before work and a swim in the evening. The swim wasn't easy and I was a good 10 secs down and slipping on my normal 300m times. Very little sleep again Tuesday night.
Anyway, the week progressed with me continuing to push as hard as I could on all of my sessions, sleepless nights and the worst thing I started to doubt my ability to even get to the start line let alone actually complete the race. If you know me or have been reading this you will know that I am very confident (probably over confident ;) in my ability to perform and complete an Ironman race, after all this is IM number 4 for me.
I had to get the cranks and bottom bracket replaced on Matilda (my bike) and couldn't quite work out what the problem was with her when I picked her up from the bike shop Wednesday night other than the cranks were a different colour. The guy in the shop was saying how great these cranks were and I wouldn't have any problems with them and that he had them too. Anyway, I took her home and put her in her bag ready to go out to Nice for the weekend.
Thursday I ran an OK-ish flat 11km at lunch in 45min which is a little slower than normal but legs were very tired and I had this niggle above my left knee. I of course ignored it. As the afternoon wore on, the pain got worse but I figured it was just because I had been training loads during the week and it was just one of those aches and pains you sometimes get. I swam Thursday night and my arms were aching doing the warmup ... it went seriously down hill from there. I was barely hanging onto the back of the group I normally lead.
I headed out to Nice with TFD (The Flying Dutchman) Friday night and managed to get some sleep but it was more through being absolutly exhausted than anything else. Saturday we got up and I put Matilda together and I hear a shout from TFD wanting to know what the hell had happened to Matilda. Blank look from me which is the look he normally gets when he starts talking bike techie stuff, I tell him that is what they told me I needed in the shop. Turns out they fitted MOUNTAIN BIKE cranks and bracket to my beautiful baby. Not only do I now have less gears, the cranks are for people with much longer legs than me and they sit at an angle. Now all of that may sound minor but after 18 months of training with 1 set up, changing that 3 weeks before a major race is not a good idea. So this added to the already sinking feeling I was already experiencing.
Nothing we could do about Matilda so we headed out for a ride but by now I had managed to work myself into a complete state of self doubt and my legs were killing me. It was like trying to cycle through treacle and having to head straight up the side of a mountain 10 mins into the ride really didn't help. That is the only drawback of cycling in Nice, you have to go up to get out. TFD was trying to chat to me and I was being a complete pain and giving him one word answers and snapping at him. He was really noticing the drop in speed and was being very supportive and trying to push me along a little bit. It got so bad at one stage I almost started crying with sheer frustration that I couldn't get my legs to work without being in pain. Everything from the week was starting to take it's toll. I actually convinced myself that I wasn't good enough to race and that I should pull out rather than go out to Arizona.
I managed to struggle to the top of the 2nd climb and from there is was 40km down or flat to get home. Even flying along going down the mountain wasn't making me happy and thats one of my favourite things in the world! TFD could tell I was in trouble so took us on a short cut to get home. We got in and I went for a run for 30 min but kept it flat on the promenade rather than doing my 12km up and then back down run I normally do. I pulled the pin on any further training for the day and TFD started making noises that I was completely over trained and needed to take it easy.
Sunday we did a short but spectacular 90 min ride to Eze. I was feeling slightly better mentally after a lovely evening in and a fantastic nights sleep. The issue today was the incredible wind. So many times we would come around a corner and almost be blown off our bikes the wind was so strong. I really got the speed wobbles at one point doing around 55km hr went round a corner and got hit by a cross wind that pushed me across the road into the oncoming traffic. That slowed me down.
We got back and I went out for a 2 hour run which I cut back to 90 mins because this leg thing was flaring up again. TFD met me at the beach and I pulled on my wetsuit and stood looking at the MASSIVE swell. As I said to TFD, you can't drown in a wetsuit and off I went. Interesting getting out past the breaking waves not made any easier by the fact they were coming in to the beach on a 45 degree angle. I swam against them for 12 mins or so and had to turn back because there was a pier making them break much earlier. I was being tossed around out there like a rag doll. I would swim 3 strokes and then be slammed from the side which was making me dizzy and feel a little sick.
I turned back and swam with the waves which should have been easier but I was now starting to get flipped over more often just by the sheer size of the swell and because it was really choppy. I swam further out which didn't make me happy because I was now feeling rather ill and it had started to rain. I wasn't far from where I went into the water and stopped and was treading water and noticed a crowd of people looking out into the water. After looking around me I realised they were all looking at me probably asking why some crazy person was out there :)
By this stage I was trying not to throw up I was feeling so sick so decided to go in. I had been fighting out there for 30 mins and couldn't do it any longer. I started to swim in and I could see TFD on the promenade and he started to come down. You so know where this is going. The big waves were coming in sets of 4 then 4 smaller ones so I tried to ride in the last big one of the set but lost my footing trying to get out of the water and got completely slammed from behind by the first in the big set. Now I'm sprawled on the beach trying to get up and bang! Slammed again. Very elegant. TFD had to come and held me get out of the water. If I knew how to speak French, I would have told the spectators 'I meant to do that!'.
So, we got back and I got in touch with Terry (my coach) http://www.triforfitness.co.uk/ and he diagnosed over training and pulled me from doing anything for 2 days. So I'm back on my feet with this lingering pain which I am seeing a physio about on Saturday. Bike is fixed with the correct cranks and a massive apology from the bike shop and life is once again great!
I leave on Tuesday to head out to Arizona and can't wait to just get going out there and see what I can do. I have never been in better shape, I feel strong and I feel even stronger mentally after last week. It gave me a brief insight into what it must be like to suffer from depression, that sinking feeling, closing everything off and not being able to ask for help. Lucky for me I am surrounded by people who recognise the symptoms and pulled me out of it quick smart.
So, bring on Arizona!
Cxx
For those of you who have experienced this, I am sure are not keen to let it happen again. To those who have not...well be warned. It can strike, chew you up and spit you out before you even have a chance to work out what is going on.
Last week was my last hard week of training before I start my 3 week taper for Ironman Arizona. Everything over the last few weeks had been going well, excellent volume and intensity of training up around 17 - 20 hours and I was feeling like I was in the best shape of my life. I started out last week after doing a 5 hour ride and then run on Saturday to a 2.5 hour hilly run on Sunday. Felt tired as you would expect. Hit Monday with a 2 hour 15 min brick before work and a track session in the evening. I was feeling pretty shattered and noticed I wasn't as quick as I should be. Monday night was the first of the sleepless nights. Into Tuesday morning with a 2hr 10 session before work and a swim in the evening. The swim wasn't easy and I was a good 10 secs down and slipping on my normal 300m times. Very little sleep again Tuesday night.
Anyway, the week progressed with me continuing to push as hard as I could on all of my sessions, sleepless nights and the worst thing I started to doubt my ability to even get to the start line let alone actually complete the race. If you know me or have been reading this you will know that I am very confident (probably over confident ;) in my ability to perform and complete an Ironman race, after all this is IM number 4 for me.
I had to get the cranks and bottom bracket replaced on Matilda (my bike) and couldn't quite work out what the problem was with her when I picked her up from the bike shop Wednesday night other than the cranks were a different colour. The guy in the shop was saying how great these cranks were and I wouldn't have any problems with them and that he had them too. Anyway, I took her home and put her in her bag ready to go out to Nice for the weekend.
Thursday I ran an OK-ish flat 11km at lunch in 45min which is a little slower than normal but legs were very tired and I had this niggle above my left knee. I of course ignored it. As the afternoon wore on, the pain got worse but I figured it was just because I had been training loads during the week and it was just one of those aches and pains you sometimes get. I swam Thursday night and my arms were aching doing the warmup ... it went seriously down hill from there. I was barely hanging onto the back of the group I normally lead.
I headed out to Nice with TFD (The Flying Dutchman) Friday night and managed to get some sleep but it was more through being absolutly exhausted than anything else. Saturday we got up and I put Matilda together and I hear a shout from TFD wanting to know what the hell had happened to Matilda. Blank look from me which is the look he normally gets when he starts talking bike techie stuff, I tell him that is what they told me I needed in the shop. Turns out they fitted MOUNTAIN BIKE cranks and bracket to my beautiful baby. Not only do I now have less gears, the cranks are for people with much longer legs than me and they sit at an angle. Now all of that may sound minor but after 18 months of training with 1 set up, changing that 3 weeks before a major race is not a good idea. So this added to the already sinking feeling I was already experiencing.
Nothing we could do about Matilda so we headed out for a ride but by now I had managed to work myself into a complete state of self doubt and my legs were killing me. It was like trying to cycle through treacle and having to head straight up the side of a mountain 10 mins into the ride really didn't help. That is the only drawback of cycling in Nice, you have to go up to get out. TFD was trying to chat to me and I was being a complete pain and giving him one word answers and snapping at him. He was really noticing the drop in speed and was being very supportive and trying to push me along a little bit. It got so bad at one stage I almost started crying with sheer frustration that I couldn't get my legs to work without being in pain. Everything from the week was starting to take it's toll. I actually convinced myself that I wasn't good enough to race and that I should pull out rather than go out to Arizona.
I managed to struggle to the top of the 2nd climb and from there is was 40km down or flat to get home. Even flying along going down the mountain wasn't making me happy and thats one of my favourite things in the world! TFD could tell I was in trouble so took us on a short cut to get home. We got in and I went for a run for 30 min but kept it flat on the promenade rather than doing my 12km up and then back down run I normally do. I pulled the pin on any further training for the day and TFD started making noises that I was completely over trained and needed to take it easy.
Sunday we did a short but spectacular 90 min ride to Eze. I was feeling slightly better mentally after a lovely evening in and a fantastic nights sleep. The issue today was the incredible wind. So many times we would come around a corner and almost be blown off our bikes the wind was so strong. I really got the speed wobbles at one point doing around 55km hr went round a corner and got hit by a cross wind that pushed me across the road into the oncoming traffic. That slowed me down.
We got back and I went out for a 2 hour run which I cut back to 90 mins because this leg thing was flaring up again. TFD met me at the beach and I pulled on my wetsuit and stood looking at the MASSIVE swell. As I said to TFD, you can't drown in a wetsuit and off I went. Interesting getting out past the breaking waves not made any easier by the fact they were coming in to the beach on a 45 degree angle. I swam against them for 12 mins or so and had to turn back because there was a pier making them break much earlier. I was being tossed around out there like a rag doll. I would swim 3 strokes and then be slammed from the side which was making me dizzy and feel a little sick.
I turned back and swam with the waves which should have been easier but I was now starting to get flipped over more often just by the sheer size of the swell and because it was really choppy. I swam further out which didn't make me happy because I was now feeling rather ill and it had started to rain. I wasn't far from where I went into the water and stopped and was treading water and noticed a crowd of people looking out into the water. After looking around me I realised they were all looking at me probably asking why some crazy person was out there :)
By this stage I was trying not to throw up I was feeling so sick so decided to go in. I had been fighting out there for 30 mins and couldn't do it any longer. I started to swim in and I could see TFD on the promenade and he started to come down. You so know where this is going. The big waves were coming in sets of 4 then 4 smaller ones so I tried to ride in the last big one of the set but lost my footing trying to get out of the water and got completely slammed from behind by the first in the big set. Now I'm sprawled on the beach trying to get up and bang! Slammed again. Very elegant. TFD had to come and held me get out of the water. If I knew how to speak French, I would have told the spectators 'I meant to do that!'.
So, we got back and I got in touch with Terry (my coach) http://www.triforfitness.co.uk/ and he diagnosed over training and pulled me from doing anything for 2 days. So I'm back on my feet with this lingering pain which I am seeing a physio about on Saturday. Bike is fixed with the correct cranks and a massive apology from the bike shop and life is once again great!
I leave on Tuesday to head out to Arizona and can't wait to just get going out there and see what I can do. I have never been in better shape, I feel strong and I feel even stronger mentally after last week. It gave me a brief insight into what it must be like to suffer from depression, that sinking feeling, closing everything off and not being able to ask for help. Lucky for me I am surrounded by people who recognise the symptoms and pulled me out of it quick smart.
So, bring on Arizona!
Cxx
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