In the evening I went to swimming but somewhere between reception and poolside I decided I just didn’t want to be there. From out of nowhere my depression had arrived again. I moved down to lane 2 because I was in no mood to work hard but I figured at least getting through the session would limit my depression. When I did eventually get in and tried to swim it took only 2 kicks to realise that my quad might be fine on the bike but swimming was a different story. With a lot of fin work and kicking in the planned set I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do any of the structured session. I hopped out at the opposite end to grab a pull buoy and then paddled a few lengths trying to stay out of the way but after covering less than 800m in 40 mins of arms-only and careful touch-turns pushing-off with one leg I gave up and got out.
It was clear by the end of that first length that I wasn’t going to be able to swim well enough to take a competitive part in the Aquathon on Wednesday, and that in turn meant I had no real chance for a proper test swim (or a proper test run) to make a decision in time to register for either race on Sunday. At that point I was also in two minds about Tuesday’s TT. While my quad had been fine commuting on the mountain bike with short bursts of high intensity, that is a very different story from a sustained hour and a bit of high watts trying to stay in my TT position. I knew my decision making was being affected by my depression as I was watching the weather all afternoon and hoping it would rain enough for the race to be cancelled, even though it was my last chance to get my 25-mile TT target this year. The greyer, foggier and wetter it got, the more likely it was that the race would be cancelled and the decision would be out of my hands, the less depressed and stressed I got.
By the time I got to the start line the weather had cleared up but I was in a much better frame of mind. I at least felt like I could start and ride a bit and if my quad gave me trouble I would just bail out and easily pedal back. I went off at number 2 and spent the first 5 miles catching up the minute to number 1. I was pretty pleased with myself when I passed him, obviously too pleased as I backed off the pace and at the 7 mile mark he went back in front. I realised how much I had slowed and my heart rate had dropped from 165 to 150, so I pushed on a bit and by 7.5 I was in front again. I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable in the saddle though. I was having to adjust my position a lot and just before the 10 mile mark number 4 came past me having made up 2 minutes over the first 10 miles, and the number 1 rider went through again.
I realised at the 10-mile mark that I was at least going to finish and that helped me relax a bit. But by the turn I was fed up with the discomfort of my saddle. As I rounded the turn I took a moment to unzip my suit, make some comfort adjustments and then zip up again. That was soon much more comfortable and having been on the verge of having a strop and just sitting up and rolling in from the half way point I was suddenly back to actually treating it as a race. There was a long fast section, downhill and wind-assisted and I was enjoying it a bit more now that I wasn't in pain. And I was please at how few people had passed me. I expected pretty much everyone to about number 17 to catch me at some point but by the 19 mile mark it was still only 1 and 4 ahead of me. That started to change in a hurry as the serious boys started swooshing past with a challenge between whether their breathing or their full disc wheels were making the most noise. 8, 12, 14, 17, 3, all went past.
Hold on, number 3 has taken 22 miles to catch 1 minute on me. And he isn't going away much. There is an uphill coming so I am going to put myself back in front of him and work the last 5 minutes to stay ahead of him. Then as I closed on him there was a sudden huge downpour of rain and he just sat up and looked like he had had enough. I figured I was getting wet anyway and pushed past him knowing that there was a downhill finish so a couple of minutes of real hard work and then I can coast down the hill. And then the rain was off again. It can't have lasted more than 90 seconds but I was soaked through. But I was back up at 165bpm and my legs were burning from actually working hard for the first time in the entire race.
I finished in 1:14:16, just over 20mph average. I am happy enough with that given the lumpy course and coming off an injury last week. And it was a significant negative split with my fastest 5-mile blocks coming last and second last.
Wednesday I got up 5 minutes earlier and ran to work so that I could have the evening free to celebrate my 40th birthday. That was a pretty tough run. Anyone who tells you that turning 40 doesn't hurt hasn't celebrated by running nearly 7 miles to work the day after a 25-TT. In the afternoon I had a bit of free time so I had a look at planning the rest of my summer. I still haven't had a proper look at this since Strathclyde as I wait for the final race results and the official selections to filter through.
Instead I looked at just running races as I now qualify as an over-40. And the first one that came up was a chance to run 400 hurdles on the Thursday evening. I knew my quad wasn't going to like it but the chance to set a Moray Roadrunners M40 record in my main event was too big too pass up.
I rode in to work on Thursday and then round to the track afterwards. I did a bit of a warm-up and a few slow drills over hurdles. My quad really didn't like it so I strapped it up and tried again. It was still sore, but survivable. I lined up against two more-current hurdlers. I started well and to the first hurdle I was closing on the kid outside me. He stuttered into the first hurdle as I cleared mine cleanly, but that was the last of the good news. I was still up on him at hurdle 2 but the other kid inside me was already past and the drive into hurdle 2 upset my quad. From there it was a progression of slower hurdles, higher jumps and more pain at each one. I finished in a fairly disappointing 77.3 seconds after really struggling the second half of the race. But that was enough to set the MRR record, and give me (or anyone else who fancies it) a target for the future. I also then went and had a half-hearted attempt at the discus competition that followed but with no willingness to drive off my right leg that was also fairly poor. The discomfort in my quad was enough that I phoned for a lift rather than ride home from the track.
Friday I finally had a proper rest day. I was sorely in need of it.
Saturday was a trip to Loch Muick for a walk with my fiancee to celebrate a year since our engagement. An easy 8-mile hike around the loch shouldn't really warrant a mention here but I am looking to get plenty of excuses in here before Huntly on Sunday.
And on that note, Sunday will get a blog to itself.
An okay week considering I should still be sitting with my feet up. As well as my injury and about a dozen other niggles I really need to take a proper rest.
Target totals - Swim 2.4 miles. Bike 36.4 miles. Run 13.9 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute to work mtb 7.0 miles in 32 mins.
Commute from work mtb 6.8 miles in 32 mins.
Swim with TPT 850m in 40 mins.
Tuesday - DTCC 25-mile TT 1 hour 14 mins.
Warm up / Cool down 2.2 miles in 10 mins.
Wednesday - Run commute 6.8 miles in 61 mins.
Thursday - Commute to work mtb 7.0 miles in 35 mins.
Commute to ASV mtb 3.6 miles in 36 mins.
Warm-up run 1.1 miles in 12 mins.
400m Hurdles 77.3 seconds.
Discus Throw 16.28m.
Friday - Rest day.
Saturday - Lochnagar hiking 8 miles in 3 hours.
Rollering session.
Sunday - Rollering session.
Huntly Sprint Triathlon
Swim 750m in 14 mins.
Bike 15.6 miles in 47 mins.
Run 3.2 miles in 23 mins
Warm-up / cool down 1.0 mile in 9 mins.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 56.3 (54.2) [62.3],
B 1207.6 (1177.7) [1472.2],
R 423.1 (405.4) [458.1].
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