Blog
Sometimes plans don't go to plan!
17th Feb 2016
I have just finished reading Elo's blog about our last week's training camp together - there are so many echoes with my own experience I felt inspired to write a blog as well!
I have never been on a training camp before, and was looking forward so much to this trip to Lanzarote with new coach Mark, plus the chance to meet and train with other IntelliTri athletes! It's safe to say that December 2015 had been my worst month on record, and I needed something to cheer me up! Sun, training, being surrounded by like-minded athletes and escaping from the real world would be the perfect solution.
But sometimes the best made plans just don't go to plan! I was literally counting down the days - with about 8 to go - when I started coming down with a cold. I wasn't too worried as there were lots of bugs going round the office, and everyone seemed to recover within a week or less. Plenty of time, but I went all out on vitamin C, Echinacea, ginger, herbal teas, vicks first defence, antibacterial strepsils just in case... Anything I could think of to speed up the recovery. But it turned into much more than a cold - tonsillitis or chest infection seemed more accurate - meaning I had to take 3 days off work and the whole week off training. I was getting a bit concerned, but the day before flying I was starting to feel much better - well enough to go for a lunchtime jog. Phew! I may still have to take the first few days easy, but I should still be flying by the end of camp.
But it was not to be. I woke up on the morning of my flight feeling the worst I had all week - how am I even going to get through the journey and dragging my bike bag around? Normally I hate flying but I was feeling too ill to care, I just tried to sleep and forget the feeling of shards of glass in my throat. Thankfully the villa we were staying at makes it easy by picking us up at the airport (thanks Trisports Lanzarote!) and on arrival, it was all I could manage to build my bike then go to bed while everyone else went out for dinner. TrainingPeaks tells me I did a technique swim, but I don't really remember! The pool was amazing though - hopefully I would wake up feeling better and be able to use it properly tomorrow.
Alas, that would be the same hope I went to bed with every night of the 8-day camp, and every morning I would wake up disappointed (while probably having a coughing fit). They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... but it doesn't make it much easier to deal with at the time!
A year ago, this would have probably turned into a complete disaster, I would probably have thrown all my toys out the pram, or just run off and done something stupid to take out my frustration. Then at best regretted it, at worst made myself even more ill. I would have been unable to see any positives and probably considered the whole trip wasted.
Thankfully due to the year's work I have been doing with my sport psychologist Andy, I surprised myself by being much better able to handle the situation. Yes, it was far from ideal, and yes, I had been dealt a pretty shit hand of cards at a time I could really have done with some good luck. But you can only play the hand you have been dealt.
The main concept that I have worked on with Andy, is dealing with things outside my control. If there is nothing I can do, why waste energy worrying about it? Easier said than done, and yes there were still a few tears when everyone else was heading out on a long bike ride that I really wanted to join... Plus it was not much fun feeling ill and having to keep leaving the breakfast or dinner table to have a coughing fit! But there was none of the usual anger and frustration, and instead I chose to focus on the things I could actually do something about. Because we can't change the situation, but we can choose how we react (something that has been a very long and hard lesson for me to learn!) I decided I didn't want to be the miserable person that no-one wants to be around!
Although run intervals, hill reps on the bike (my favourite!) and threshold swim sets were all out of the question, what *could* I do instead?
The #1 aim of this camp for me was to work on swim technique. This we could still do (after the first couple of days where I was finding the pool too cold) And I was genuinely surprised by how much progress I made in a few days thanks to Mark's ideas, and managed to set 3 new 25m PB's without even going all-out (which was not advised!)
The #2 aim was to sort out my position on the road bike. Previously I have experienced too much pain in the saddle to do really long rides or cumulative mileage. Again this was achieved much easier than I thought - a few small but significant adjustments to saddle and handlebar height and I was much more comfortable straight away. I didn't even need to change the saddle (although we did try a few different ones - thanks Mountain Trax for all the demo loans!) I actually managed to get more miles ridden than I realised, just by doing a little bit every day. Getting out in the sun for some vitamin D was doing me much more good than lying in bed, I just had to be careful to keep the heart rate down.
Other positives to come out of the camp were spending more time with Mark for him to get to know me better as an athlete (we have only previously met once for a weekend camp so far!) and also to meet the other IntelliTri athletes. I really enjoyed hanging out with Elo, Kim, Amy and Drew - we are all quite different personalities but maybe that's why everyone got on so well! I think our coach was surprised but I love this post on Instagram which sums it up!
It was also a lovely place to stay at TriSports Lanzarote - thanks to Daz and Debs for hosting us, feeding us, and yes, a few hugs when needed!!
Also thanks to Mark / Intelligent Triathlon for the awesome photos!
Now I have even more reason to come back next year when hopefully I will get to do all the things we had planned this time ;)
I flew home on 14th February - after one final swim in the villa pool and a slightly delayed flight. I was met by Simon at the airport to drive straight to the NHS out-of-hours service (on Sunday night!) Who says romance is dead? Spending our Valentine's evening in a doctors' waiting room, then the late night pharmacy to collect a prescription! But it was getting worrying that I still had not shifted this illness, I didn't even want to wait till Monday morning. I was prescribed antibiotics which thankfully seem to be taking effect!
Now I'm just looking forward to building up again after almost 3 weeks off(!) and although I didn't get the physical training on camp, I have definitely seen results from all the work I have put in this year on psychology. Lessons for life, not just sport!
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