‘From Fitness Fanatic to Iron Woman’ – Emma’s Triathlon Blog

February Update – Where to start…!

Well actually I started well.  The first two weeks I was on target with my training.

Getting the nutrition right

After the first week I was feeling a little lethargic which I knew was because I needed to eat more efficiently.

My body now craves a higher carbohydrate/protein diet and at first I wasn’t fuelling it correctly. As I’ve recently gained a Diploma in Fitness Nutrition I was annoyed I’d let myself down on that front.

The Swim

For my first swim in a pool in seven years, I took myself to the Olympic Aquatics Centre for some added inspiration.  This place is phenomenal and if you haven’t been I highly recommend it, as it’s also not expensive.

In the pool I swam 50m and managed to swallow enough water to fill a small paddling pool. My body had totally forgotten how to breathe, carry itself and pretty much function in water apart from treading.

So I took a break and then managed a solid 700m (with a few breaks) in 40 minutes. It wasn’t pretty – finding my inner dolphin DEFINITELY needs work.

The Cycle

This is the one area where everything is genuinely going wonderfully. I have consistently been able to sit on a Watt bike twice a week for 1-2 hours.

In the second week of February, I managed to cycle 26.2 miles in just under 1.5 hours.

I’m getting used to saddle pain and I felt I could have gone longer. In March I’ll move up to 2-3 hour rides.

The Run

Not so wonderful. I started the month well all fine no niggles just a bit achey.

Then it went wrong – the inner fitness fanatic in me came out and I kept up a lot of my (non-swim/cycle/run) classes and re-ignited an injury from my Burpee Challenge last year.

During that challenge I fractured my fourth metatarsal on my left foot and subsequently lost all strength in my lower leg and ankle.

Having reassessed my situation at the Profeet Run Lab with rehab specialist Dan, we decided a solid two weeks of nothing but stretching and strengthening on my leg was necessary. Additions were also made to my insoles to support my recovery.

After the rest I went for a very slow gentle 5 km trot and felt great no pain, no niggles – running was back on the cards!

The Flu

All went well for a single day, before I was taken down by this horrendous flu-like illness that has been going round.

I was bound to my bed for three days and even a tiny walk to the kitchen was a struggle. Only now – a whole week later – have I started running again, and very slowly too, as now it’s my lungs and chest that are recovering.

There it is: February was not ideal but it’s a learning curve and with 8 months still to go of training I know what I need to do to make March successful.