Headcase Ironman

With just a little under 4 weeks to go things seem to be going ok both physically and mentally. I think its fair to say we’ve both had our ups and downs and having now seemingly recovered from our niggling injuries combining a mixture of deep tissue massages, physio, foam rolling, stretching, ICE, rest and compression (sounds so technical doesn’t it!) we’ve managed to weather the storms reasonably well so far. I had a strong week of training last week which I intend to match again this week before starting the difficult and mental game of tapering! Although this is absolutely essential it brings with it feelings of guilt as you’re reducing the amount of training you’ve been used to for months, self doubt as you question if you’ve done enough and on top of all of that the fear of getting to the start line fighting fit and healthy. Having never done a full distance Ironman I have no idea what to expect but I intend to stick to the plan.

There are, like all good plans, a few curve balls that have been thrown my way. Firstly I’ve got a lot of travelling in the lead up to June which include trips to India and Bahrain. This is on top of the already planned trip to the UK for Blenheim, the last race before Nice, which will mean i’ll have 8 flights in the lead up to the start line on the 23rd. Sadly, these are unavoidable and part and parcel of being a part-time triathlete but to put a positive spin on it, they do come at a time where I can tie it in with the tapering and reduction in intensity.

It’s definitely starting to sink in what lies ahead particularly on these last big training sessions. Usually around the 3-4 hour mark of a bike ride or 1.5 hour mark of a run that nagging thought pops up where you begin to question how you can possibly add all these sessions together in one go. There are feelings of excitement, nervousness, nostalgia, fear, and these are only going to intensify over the next few weeks. Its now just about believing in what you’ve done, sticking to the plans that you’ve put in place and staying positive which, if I was ever struggling to find inspiration for I know I don’t have to look much further than the positivity shown by Colin, Helen and their family. Truly incredible!

Finally, I want to finish by thanking everyone again for their generosity and effort shown to the fund raising. While it was always a target we were determined to reach when we discussed the plan, deep down we knew it was always going to be very tough. Over the last week or so its become an achievable reality and with one last push I know we can get there!