A year down, 2 weeks to go!

This time in two weeks I'll be... Well, it's 9:30am just now, so with a start time of 5am I will be four and a half hours into the Celtman Solo Point Five.  

If everything has gone to plan, that will put me somewhere on the coast road at the North end of the Applecross peninsula.  I will have swum round Eilean Shieldaig, biked over the Bealach na Ba, and done some of the 'Coast Road' hills.  I'll still have the rest of the bike route to go to T2 in Torridon, will have 90 minutes to make it to the bike cut-off, and then the small matter of a 24km run/walk around Liathach. 

How do I feel?  

Well, a heady mixture of excitement intertwined with terror, and a sprinkling of disbelief that I've made it this far. 

I've tried to train for big events in the past, and always ended up injured.  Whether that's just down to physiology, weight, or ramping up training in a way that didn't suit my body, it always ended with me not completing the event; not even making it to the start line.  

This time has been different though; yes, I've had injuries - I'm still carrying Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot, and my right shoulder isn't 100%.  But with the help of a good physio and some understanding & strength training - and a good measure of determination - I've learned to manage them and keep going.  

The mixture of disciplines: swim, bike, run, strength train - have meant my overweight, middle-aged and slightly wonky body has been able to recover between sessions.  And signing up to the Brownlee Fitness training program has meant I've Goldilocks-ed the training: not too little, not too much, just the right amount for me, my body, my shift pattern and my lifestyle. The Brownlee coaches have given great advice and support, and the sessions have been tough but achievable.   

The last few weeks have been a headlong dash to the end of Ambulance Service Portfolio & Solo Point Five training, with Mark picking up my slack where I haven't had time to do much else other than sleep and eat. 

Our house is full of piles of kit, ready and waiting to be packed into the van; I finished my Ambulance Technician qualifying portfolio and final assessment; and I have two night shifts remaining until we head west to Shieldaig for the Celtman fortnight.  

I just need to not get injured or sick, and taper well for the next two weeks... 

On Tuesday, van packed and shifts done, we'll head over to Shieldaig - Celtman HQ.   From the brilliant base of the Shieldaig Camping & Cabins site, I can do my Taper training sessions on the actual course I'll be covering on event day.  In a week's time, it is 'Celtman Day': the full distance event, and the original XTri.  I will be providing water safety for the swim as I have done before, and then lending a hand at T2 as athletes and support crews pass through in the afternoon.  Mark has agreed to be a replacement support runner for a Celtperson-in-need, so will be out onthe course, and hopefully helping his runner over the top of Beinn Eighe.  We'll be spending the day in the company of the Celtman family. 

How will I feel on race day?  I really don't know, I'll be in uncharted territory for a one-day event of this size: terrified and excited, I imagine.  Can I complete it?  Yes, I think I can.  My goal was always to get to the start in the belief that I could complete the event - and I think, I hope, I am two weeks away from achieving that.  Will I meet the cut-off times?  Some of that is in the 'lap of the gods', as it were - a puncture, an injury, some other mechanical might mean it doesn't happen.  But I've planned and trained as much as I can, prepared my kit, got to know the route, left no stone unturned. 

What I do know is this: I will give it 100%.  I will push myself like I've never pushed before in an event. If there is any way possible I can get to the end and finish this event, I will.  

This isn't just a triathlon; it's Celtman.