A Year On

A Year On
Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:41 pm LynneE


Apologies – it’s long. My hotch potch week started really well. Was at the gym bang on 7 Monday and did a taxing 40mins on the bike. Felt like I’d worked hard. Tuesday the treadmill. I’d forgotten how much I hate it. Started off ay 8.1 and struggled. Heart rate was all over the place spiking at 170 then dropping to 88. Decreased the speed. Held on to the rails and called it a day after half an hour. Wednesday cross trainer. I love it. Don’t feel like I’m working hard at all but love the amount of calories I’d burned. Because I didn’t feel I’d done much didn’t stretch properly and woke up on Thursday with problems with my left leg. Calf and hamstring. Couldn’t work out if it was a pull or just overdoing soreness so had a day off. Friday, still sore so just did a repeat of Monday on the static bike. Found it much easier. Booked an appointment for today for a massage. Morgan woke early this morning and as Mark had been ill last night I had to wait for him to get up to go for a run. Tight calf and hamstring so no real expectations but had planned to run/walk the Borders. Decided to go out really, really slow. If you knew how slow my normal is you’d realise just how slow this was. Got a lot of pain about half a mile out so decided when I got to the end of the road I’d head back . Of course when I got to the end of the road it was better so plodded on. Did a deal that once I got to the top of the first hill I’d head back. Felt great so carry on to where I got to last time and then turn back. Well it’s pretty much flat and downhill after there so I might as well carry on. The further I got the better I felt and absolutely loved the undulations. It’s a good 10k. Took me 82minutes. It’s by far the longest and furthest I’ve ever run. I’ve cracked 10k. I’ve cracked 10k with an injury and a cough and Mark is absolutely delighted I’ve lost my voice again. The job. Fantastic. SAP is a brilliant, user friendly system (and a great addition to my CV). The people are lovely. It’s great to have sensible adult conversation and to be able to discuss what was on telly last night but, I’m damned if I’m going to watch the X Factor or I’m a Celebrity just so I can join in. The only downside is the temperature in the office. It’s like a greenhouse. I was melting. Everyone there’s got coughs and colds so of course by yesterday mine was back with a vengeance. I’ve always said I’d never train with an illness but I’ve already lost 3 weeks and I felt so much better after running this morning and it’s cleared my chest. Weight wise I’ve lost another 4lb this week. No changes apart from upping the training. So now the long bit. Wednesday was my Birthday and apologies for the drivel I posted after a couple of glasses of wine. Amazing really how a couple of glasses affected me, the old Lynne would have needed a couple of bottles A year since I took on this triathlon malarkey and time to reflect just how much it’s changed my life. I’m about 17lb lighter than when I started. I couldn’t run the short sides of a football field. I hadn’t ridden a bike in 30 years and the only swimming I’d done was with the kids. I’ve completed 3 sprints. I have met the most amazing people who have been incredibly generous with their advice and their time. I feel I’ve got to know so many people off Tri Talk who I maybe will never meet but whose advice and inspiration have proved invaluable. I am well aware that my achievements are tiny compared to what others on here have and continue to do. It’s not what I’ve achieved in the last year that I’m looking at. It’s the basis that it’s given me for the rest of my life. I’ve always been a quitter. There is not one single thing I can say I’ve stuck at whether it be dieting, growing my hair, a marriage. When the going got tough Lynne always bailed. For the first time ever I feel as if I’ve got control of my life. I have a new job and today I ran the Borders. Last April the Chairman of Wrecsam Tri asked me to run it. Obviously I wasn’t ready but offered to marshal instead. I was totally intimidated by the standard of runners and decided after that I couldn’t possibly take part in Chirk. I was eventually talked around on the basis the only person I’d be competing against was myself. I vowed then that I would run that route and today I did. I no longer need to race it. I know I can do it. After the second training day of the Deva Diva’s I had a panic because I had seriously struggled to swim 500m in openwater there was no way I was going to be able to add 250m plus bike plus run. Sal, the race secretary made me promise that I’d turn up for the last training day and that she’s swim with me. I ordered a man’s XL £35 jobbie wetsuit from Tesco Direct. Sue twisted my arm to swim in Bala on the Saturday I did the training day on the Sunday – I absolutely loved openwater and had no problem with the distance. Consequently the following week I completed the Diva’s. Llanrwst was a strange one. I had stomach pains for 3 weeks before. Done no training withdrew. The day before hurt my neck so took Tramadol and Diclofenac all day. Then feeling mighty sorry for myself at not competing consumed vast quantities of wine and at 11pm decided sod it I’m going to do it anyway. And I did. Ok I was last but I did it. So triathlon has given me strength of body, strength of mind and a confidence in myself I could never have imagined. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have considered entering a half marathon but I have. Once I’ve run the half the 10k of Bala in September will be a doddle and then all that’s left to do is Bala Middle 2010. Bring It On!