Changing gears

A month or so has passed now since my Celtman DNF, and I’ve had plenty of time to digest the experience, reflect on the last year and make some decisions. I’m back at work too, with a real bump: straight into a set of busy shifts with big waits at hospital and some pretty brutal night shifts. Work always brings things into perspective...

I wanted to write a little round up of what I think happened on the day, and what followed in my decision making; of where I am now, and how I'm going to move forward.  This is for me - as all of my blog posts are - but if it helps anyone else... well that might just be a good thing too.  

So first, what happened on the day?  

Having completed the Celtman swim (3+km in 1hour 27 mins, calm conditions, 10 degree water temperature), gone through transition and got on my bike feeling ok, around 45-60 minutes into the bike I started to suffer.  My energy disappeared, legs felt heavy, chest felt tight (not heart attack tight before you wonder, just not right tight). 

A few people mused on whether I'd run out of fuel - hit the wall, bonked, whatever you want to call it.  But I'd eaten well the day before, had breakfast, eaten a little extra before getting in the water, and been grazing on the bike.  

Personally, on reflection I took a guess that it was something to do with the water temperature and my swim.  When I swim in cold water in the winter (5-7 degrees usually), I'm often coldest around 40 mins or so after I get out of the water.  I know that because one of the places I often swim - Dores on Loch Ness - is around 30-40 minutes drive from our house.  The feeling is similar, and I know that when I've pushed a wee bit too far in cold water, I've felt equally drained.  I've also felt a bit rough for the rest of the day - as I did on Celtman day.  Even after a meal and a hot shower, I still felt rubbish.  I didn't know any of this for sure, but it turned out to be a pretty good guess; more on that in a wee bit. 

However, I also knew, even before I stopped, that I would be coming back next year for another go.  Then seeing the inimitable Jenny Graham cross the finish line having had the swim and bike of her life, saying THAT WAS AMAAAAAZING! I knew that's how I wanted to feel.  Not a marginal finish, but a smiling, laughing, enjoying it with friends, gloriously wonderful FINISH.  

What was my decision making process after that?  

So if I wanted to come back, how would I approach it?  I decided I wanted to grab the momentum and keep training to move forward for next year.  I also considered whether I wanted to go it alone, or get some coaching.  There were a couple of options here, but the main two were either self-coaching (which I opted for in 2023-24) or go with a coach.  There were a couple of hybrid options too, but they seemed harder to work.  

Alan Cardwell of Triathlonworkx has something of a reputation in the Celtman community, having completed the event himself and coached many, many people through it.  He'd also given me some free advice earlier in the year, so he seemed an obvious choice to consider.  His reputation also includes the fact that he can be something of a 'hard ass' (his words!) though - so would his approach work for me? 

I decided to ask him...  So I sent an email with some pretty candid questions in it.  How would he cope with my shift pattern, and the unpredictable nature of how I can feel after them?  What about the fact that I'm not an 'average athlete' but a heavy 49 year old perimenopausal woman?  How about where we live in the Highlands and the limitations of weather & pool access?  

Happily, Alan's reply was pitched exactly right: honest and straight-up, but sensitive enough to make me feel like we would be able to work together.  For me, that's the most important aspect of a coach-athlete relationship, that you can relate to one another and communicate easily. Connection. 

Triathlonworkx

So what next? 

So, we had a deal.  A few more emails to talk about how and when to start... and we settled on an answer.  Why wait?  Let's get on with it!  

And while we're at it, Alan took a look back at Celtman day 2024: I had indeed got really cold during the swim, and never really recovered.  My heart rate and watts dropped to way below what they would normally be, and the damage was done.  My body was telling me the truth. 

The answer?  Get faster... make the swim time shorter: less time in cold water, faster onto the bike to warm up. 

And how does it feel so far?

I'm now a month in (where did that go?!) with Alan's training, and so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  Having someone who is attentive and incredibly knowledgeable watching over me is very motivating indeed: there is no room for excuses!  It's also spurred me on to improve my diet and sleep patterns, to get back in the gym, and to generally up my game.  So far, so good... 

 

Of course I know this is going to be far from easy. I'm going to have to learn to push myself in new ways, at different times of day, and when I might otherwise have chosen not to.  Especially in the winter when getting up at 0430 before a day shift to go for a run or do a bike workout will be cold and unappealing- it would be much easier to turn off the alarm and roll over for an hour's extra sleep - but the resulting consistency will make all the difference. 

An intelligent training programme that keeps my interest, a coach who understands both me and the event, the accountability of knowing he is watching, all topped off with humour and humanity.  That's what will keep me starting the sessions on the days when motivation is waning; because we can't be motivated all of the time : habits and lifestyle have to pick up the slack sometimes.  

Early morning run before day shift

And do you know what?  I think NOT finishing Celtman this year is the best outcome I could have had.  It has meant I've begun to discover more of what I might be capable of, with a little bit of help - and I can't wait to see where that might take me.