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Roz's Blog - June '15

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It was non-stop for Roz as she prepared for the Motala ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. Unfortunately it wasn't without a few hurdles along the way...

My training was pretty much back on track following my neck injury, with my back and neck feeling stronger each month, so I was really looking forward to the Tour of Wessex at the end of May.  This is one of the biggest multi-day sportives in the world, set in the beautiful South West of England and is very hilly! 

I was hoping to complete all three days and having ridden it several times before, I knew what I was letting myself in for.  I was prepared that I may have to have a rest day but didn’t ever dream I would be cutting it short for any other reason other than my neck.  Sadly, we had a family bereavement in Ireland. So after day 2, I had to leave the event.  Still, two fast paced hilly days, 226 miles of cycling and 12,254 feet of climbing was not a bad training weekend! 

Unfortunately two days after the event, I was struck down with a severe cold which saw me take my first day off work due to illness in 15 years and it completely wiped me out for two and a half weeks.  The timing could not be worse. I had been planning my last big build prior to the ITU World Long Distance Championships which at the time were only two weeks away. Last week I decided rest hadn’t cured me so perhaps training would.  I was feeling loads better but not 100%, so I started some gentle training and as I felt no worse for doing it. I raced at the Cotswold 113 middle distance triathlon yesterday. 

Needless to say, this event was not my best performance but at least I thought it could be my last decent solid training session before starting my taper for the Worlds.  Having not swum for three weeks it is no great surprise that my swim time was slow. However I felt great on the bike so I decided to work hard and was pleased to finish in a PB time.

The run was not pleasant at all. With a few lurgies still lurking in my chest and having worked hard on the bike, it was all a bit of a struggle so I decided to turn it into an easy plod. In spite of this I still managed to finish 3rd in my age group which I was both surprised and extremely happy about!

I am feeling pretty anxious about the Worlds now, especially the long 4k swim with so little training firstly due to my neck and now this virus.  Never mind! I race triathlons because I love the sport and I am extremely lucky to just be a part of Team GB, so if I can make the start line and the finish then whatever the outcome I will be happy.

Alison my blind friend continues to make great progress with her running and has now started swimming too.  We ran on Saturday and were only 2 seconds off our personal best at the local park run.  Once I am back from Sweden it is time to get serious with cycling on the tandem – that could be interesting!

Roz's next blog post will be on Wednesday 22nd July. Read her previous post here.

 

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