It was always going to happen

After spending most of the Christmas period with two poorly children who spent most of their time coughing and sneezing all over me, I was always going to come down with it at some point. I am in fact, quite surprised that it had not happened sooner so I guess that my immune system is actually a bit more robust than usual. Anyway, I am making up for it now with plenty of coughing and snot and in a weird way it's helped me focus on doing some work and preparing to go back. Every cloud, and all that...
Before it came on though I had a lovely, relaxed 40 minute run that felt really smooth, pain free etc. That was a good day! On Friday, I got out for my first outdoor ride in over 5 weeks, meeting up with Simon and doing two Boxhill ballbuster loops at a very comfortable pace. Another good day.

Obviously with the end of the year, it's been a time to look back at the highs and low and all in all, it's actually been a pretty good one.

The Highs

A new half ironman pb at the Cowman Tri (5.15). Still some way off a sub-5, which is still a big future goal for me but my first triathlon in a very long time where I felt that I had done myself justice and also left me with a feeling that there is still a lot more to come.

Doing the Devizes to Westminster Canoe race. One of the best things I have ever done, ever. A truly fantastic, eccentric, typically British event that tested our endurance, almost, to breaking point. Spending a lot of time with my brother Jamie and doing something completely out of my comfort zone when there was a high chance of failure. It's the type of event that you end up wanting to do again and again and again........

Time trialling. I was meant to do this ages ago and never got around to it or it just seemed a bit intimidating, but it's such an accessible, cheap form of racing that really makes you push hard all the time and the crowd at Kingston Phoenix have been great. Just what I needed to get a bit stronger on the bike and one of the small building blocks that led to the Cowman race. This has also meant that I have done more events this year which has given me some great intermediate goals and I am really looking forward to knocking off some time off my 10 mile tt pb this season.

The lows.

Running. Just not being able to string together a decent amount of training. The fact I ran a 1.40 half marathon at the Cowman off very little training shows me what I could be capable of. The problem is I have to have the discipline to do the boring stuff, like stretching and strengthening to bring that about which historically I have not done well enough.

Swimming. I just have not done enough. End of.

Now at this point I should make a whole load of resolutions about what I am going to do so that I can then break them all by mid-January. So I am not going to do that. That said, I do need to be consistent in my training and overall, this year, I have improved, but I need to be more consistent, every week in order to get where I would like. Watch this space....