After developing an addiction to triathlon last year and competing in a Sprint and Olympic distance events (still haven’t quite been brave enough to click the enter button on the Half Iron distance) I decided it was time to set a goal time to hit this year. So the next logical question was how do I actually achieve this time?

Do I spend hours reading through training books? Which guides are best? Or which is best for me? What if I get it wrong? Do I then have to go through it all again in 2013 to try and hit the goal time? Will it kill my motivation levels if I don’t hit the goal time this year? And most importantly of all, when do I find all the time to do the research the right training plan, train, work full time, complete a distance learning course in sports nutrition, and still have a social life?

Currently the answers to these questions for me are:
• Train after work and at weekends.
• Negotiate different start and finish time at work to make the...Read on..>

I don’t know about you, but my attitude to training seems to operate in upward or downward spirals. It’s easy to stay motivated in between races during the season but, once September comes along, it’s just too easy to get lazy, miss the odd session and go out for dinner and drinks instead. The evenings draw in, it gets cold and dark and I know the next session will hurt more because I missed the last one… I miss that one too… and so the downward spiral begins. Before I know it it’s the New Year and I’ve had a three month break.

It’s tough to break the cycle and to get the feeling of improvement again. I’m glad to say that after just a few weeks in 2012 I’m back on track. I’m surprised how quickly my fitness and weight are back to reasonable levels. The first few weeks in January were hard but the start to this year has seemed easier than before. A few things have helped get my mind in gear and motivated me to get off the sofa or out of bed even when it is cold and dark:Read on..>

 Challenge Vichy - Sunday 21st August 2011          

Geography

The inaugural Challenge Vichy is situated in the thermal spa town of Vichy, on the banks of Lac d'Alier. It's well located in terms of getting flights from the UK to either Lyon (2.5h drive) or Clermont Ferrand (30 min drive), train or comfortable 6 hour dr...Read on..>

Africa. The sting of sweat in my eyes. The searing heat on my neck and shoulders. Ofori. Disciplinarian, teaching me what was best, with structure. May she rest in peace. Ghenwa. Expecting her first child. Food. Frozen pina coladas covered in cotton candy, pillows filled with the scent of rosemary and strips of moss that stick to the top of your mouth. Imperial. Leaving home and discovering who I am. Dancing. Till the cows come home, drunk on endorphins; on stools and tables in Beirut. Brothers. Their everlasting support, making me laugh and giving me something to worry about. London. For all it has afforded me to do. To exciting new beginnings and happy endings. Cambridge. My first marathon, my closest friends. Fiona. Allowing me to achieve goals I thought were impossible. Diana. Making me realise that everything IS possible. Falling in love with New York and for the hundreds of people who can now wed after riots and tears over the last few decades. Parents. For never doubting m...Read on..>

The conditions at Austria last weekend were perfect for this Epic Ironman Race. I had my sister and husband there and a friend from London, it was great to see them on the course as it can get lonely when you’re racing on your own.

I headed down to transition at 6.00am, put my fuel on the bike, checked everything 10 times and then left for the swim start, I was on my way. 6.45 at the beach start, 2500 people getting ready and then U2 playing its a beautiful day, I was completely wired for this and ready to go. Bang - the Canon went off and my time had arrived, time to put my 6 months of training to the test!

The first part of the swim was good, held back when the canon went and just got into water and swam to the first buoy. A little bit of BIFF on the turn but all of ok. Second Buoy, all ok but now swimming into the sun rise and could not see the next marker. I finally got to the canal, ‘sh*t… cramp in the right calf’. Recovered and then bang, cramp in the left calf...Read on..>

I woke up to my alarm going off at 4am, I initially wondered why on earth I had set my alarm for that ungodly hour, hit snooze and rolled over, then it dawned on me – I had an important date with Ironman France!

I’d managed to take with me the same breakfast I’d eaten on many of my long training days so it felt comforting to know I wasn’t trying anything new – after a bowl of bircher muesli, a bagel and banana, and two espressos I was good to go.

It had been getting warmer and warmer since arriving in Nice, with the previous day being at least 30oC. As I walked down Promenade Des Anglais to the transition area, I could tell that we were all going to be in for a hot race day.

I had racked the night before, so just needed to make some last minute checks and place all my nutrition on my bike. Whilst racking the night before I had noticed that my front tyre was slightly flat, after pumping it up and monitoring the tyre pressure it looked like it was ok – however in...Read on..>

It doesn’t seem like 6 months since my first meeting with Coach Fi to discuss my training programme for my first Ironman. I remember us both sheltering from the cold on a dreary January evening, and me bombarding Fiona with hundreds of questions over a couple of cups of coffee, I just couldn’t wait to start my programme and now in the blink of an eye and several hundreds, if not thousand of km’s of swimming, cycling and running – IM France is imminent, I will be on the start line two weeks today!

A lot has happened in that blink of an eye, hilly sportives, a sprained ankle that took forever to heal, team road trips, V02 max testing, broken bike :-(, new bike :-), a love/hate relationship with aqua-running, physio sessions, a bike course recce weekend, team rides with bacon sandwich stops :-), team rides without bacon sandwich stops :-(, team swims followed by team talking nonsense at The White Horse, tentative runs along the towpath willing my ankle to heal … being part of...Read on..>

My non-triathlete friends and family that is. The reason is, I'm planning on doing some races this summer. Which means I need to start training pretty soon after Little One's arrival. The non-triathletes think I'll be doing well if I manage to get out of my pjs in the first few weeks!

I'm ignoring them and have pulled together a tentative programme:

• 31 Jul, Quayside Sprint Triathlon
• 05 Aug, Phoenix Tri Aquathlon
• 11 Sep, Team Sprint Champs
• 02 Oct, Malta Championships Olympic Distance

Plus I need to get some 5 and 10km runs under my belt too as that was my weakest point last year (and I haven’t run now for months!)

Is it too much? Is it too soon? Will I even want to train once baby is here? Not sure I can answer any of these definitively but here’s my current thinking:

• I’ve had a lovely, easy pregnancy and have trained consistently pretty much throughout;
• I’m really curious to see what effects training and pregn...Read on..>

Morning Prep

As you can imagine there was so much on my mind that I only slept about 3 hours before my 4:30 alarm sounded. I had the same breakfast I’d been having for the last week which was Porridge and Coffee. Jamie and I, Sara and Zoe got our things together and headed out the door at 05:50 to the transition area.

It was buzzing, a mix of pro’s, Elites and age grouper's. I loaded my bike up with energy drink bottles and bars and then it hit me. I needed a #2 and queues were big. I managed to find a porter loo with a small queue but it was bad! I think I now know what they mean when I hear talk about Glastonbury toilets.

With the wetsuit on and ready to go I made my way to the start where I saw Jamie, he seemed pleased to see me. We looked around and exchanged words of support, this was it. After 6 long months of focused training here we were. Then I saw Zoe and Jamie’s family, they were all wearing t-shirts with supporting slogans and his picture – Brilliant...Read on..>

It’s been a hard couple of weeks. Much as I’d like to say I’ve been training consistently, the truth is pregnancy has finally gotten in the way.

My weight has ballooned to nearly 70kg – up from a race weight of about 55kgs, with consequent effects on energy levels and mobility. And a pregnancy-related skin rash has kept me out of the pool and away from anything that involves getting hot and sweaty. So bye bye turbo too… However I still walk, do yoga and weights about 5 times per week so it’s not all lost. And I’m hoping that the rash will clear up soon so that I can get back in the pool. I’m actually missing that loads…

It’s all OK though. When I look at my Training Peaks log I’m really very happy with what I’ve achieved during this pregnancy.

- I've averaged about 6-7 hours training per week, which compares well to my 8-9 hours when in full flow last year.
- I think I've made some major headway in the swim - my typical session now is 2km plus, where...Read on..>