Outlawed... and Counting Down.

"42 minutes?!  Holy crap!" 

That was my thought when I looked at my watch as I hauled myself up the ramp (I'm not joking, it really is a steep ramp!) out of the water after the Outlaw Half Nottingham 1900m swim. I was delighted.  Until recently I've been averaging around 2:40/100m swimming outdoors, but just recently that has improved markedly, and I'm now consistently swimming at around 2:20-2:30-100m - and the faster end of that range was what I'd just accomplished. A great start to the day.

Onwards into T1, and the HUGE distance to run - or walk- in my wetsuit socks to reach my bike before I could change out of my wetsuit.  I'd chosen specifically to wear socks for that reason.  I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot (and have had for some months), and arthritis in the toes of the same foot, so running barefoot would not have ended well.  I'll also be wearing socks for the swim on Celtman day - and as today was mainly intended as a rehearsal, I kept them.  

Onto the bike, and I was aiming to ride the 90km course in around 3-3.5 hours.  That's an average pace of 26-30kph, tough but achievable.  So on a  gently undulating course with plenty of junctions and 90 degree corners, that was very doable in places, challenging in others.  It's not a type of riding that I'm very used to, living in the Highlands, so I was very pleased indeed to manage just under 3 hours 10 minutes for the bike. 

And then... well, the run.  Or mostly run with a little bit of walk.  Probably the less said about that the better if I'm honest: a half marathon on flat tarmac is very different to how the Celtman run will be, and not my favourite kind of running.  But I made it round. 

It doesn't really matter what my overall time for the Outlaw Half was (a bit over 7 hours); the fact is, it was a 'tester' day, entered to allow me to test some of my training, try out nutrition, and use some of the logistics & kit I'll put to use on Celtman race day. I was pleased with my first 'road' half distance tri, and it was a success as a test day too. 

So, how did it go? What did I learn? 

• My swim is on target- I need to keep the faith, relax and swim well.  I've recently found the kind of 'swing' and flow in my swim stroke that works so well in my paddle stroke.  I need to focus on finding that on race day. 
• On the bike, my strategy of 'smoothing the effort' has been working.  Hold back a little on the climbs, don't push too hard too soon- I only have a small number of matches available to burn.  Push on the descents and the flats, where I'm strongest and can make the biggest gains.  Keep the head, pace it well. 
• Stick to the nutrition plan.  Eat and drink regularly; set alarms on my bike head unit and watch to remind me to do so, and make sure my crew know they will sometimes need to force me to eat. 
• It's ok to walk occasionally on the run, if it allows me to get nutrition inside me . I'll be walking plenty of the uphill sections anyway, and if I can time eating & drinking with those, even better.  I know I'll struggle to eat enough on the day, so anything I can do to make that happen will be beneficial over the course of the day. 

And one final lesson... BODILY FUNCTIONS ALERT! 

• On Outlaw day, I had to go to the toilet - and go for a poo - twice!  In Alan's inimitable words... "Nae poos on race day.  It's a rule!" 😆💩.  So, planning my nutrition not just for race day itself but for the few days leading into it will be crucial, both for fuelling my race and for helping my body to function in every sense.  

And now, the countdown is on.  Two weeks from tomorrow we'll be driving over to Shieldaig to set up at the campsite, meet my crew, sort kit, get registered... and then set the alarm for 2:15am on race day. 

"You've done the work, you've been really committed to this.  You can 100% do it".

"Are you sure you can do this?  Sure you're good enough?  Sure you belong?" 

Those are just two of the extremes of feelings & thought processes my brain is throwing at me just now, in the final weeks leading up to something I've worked so incredibly hard for.  So my focus for the next 18 days, as well as getting the last bits of training done, and getting organised so that the logistics run like clockwork on the day, is looking after my mind. In the same way as I supported lots of sea kayakers to grow in confidence as a coach, I need to make sure my actions support me feeling confident, and that my brain remembers the process I've been through over the last year.  

How will I do that?  Well, the first step is this post.  It helps me think back over some recent achievements and improvements.  The next is those final training sessions: seeing where I am at the moment, and comparing to where I have been in the past.  Where I was a year ago, and how far I've come.  And the final piece of the jigsaw is the planning.  Mark and Kate and I are on the same page, we know the plan for the day, and they understand my goals and how to help me get through the dark moments- because there will be some.  

And I have a tiny little trick that will help me with that.  A sticker on my bike to help me keep track of where I am on the bike course, so I know where the end of the bit I'm finding hard will fall... and to keep me in the here and now.  And just for a little bit of extra motivation: a reminder, a picture of someone who has become something of an icon to me recently:

Beryl Burton: arguably the greatest athlete in history, and a master of hard work & determination. Just keep moving. 

How do you eat a Celtman course?  One swim stroke, one pedal stroke, one step at a time.