Wotton Triathlon 2011

Well, it’s almost upon us again, this weekend sees the 2nd ever Wotton Triathlon, and once again I’m supposed to be ‘competing’.

I was talked into it last year by my sister, at which time it was my first triathlon for about 20 years. I did OK though coming first overall which can’t be bad. Trouble is, it meant that I couldn’t really get out of it this year as I have to go back to defend my title!

Training had been going well, I’d been putting in a bit more time on the bike and running a bit more and had seen some improvements. I’d been achieving PB’s on some of my bike and run courses, had lost a little bit of weight and was feeling good. What’s more, I put in a good time and placed well at the Brecon Triathlon last weekend which was supposed to be a bit of a warm-up for the Wotton Triathlon.

Since then though things have taken a turn for the worse. I’ve been having a few funny aches and pains. Nothing too bad but odd things such as pins and needles in my fingers on my left side, a numb face and sore arm. Such things always get us worried since my trips to the cardiac ward a couple of years ago. It doesn’t hurt when I’m training though and I even put in a PB on a bike course on Monday so I’m sure it can’t be anything too sinister. Since then though I’ve been feeling slow and sluggish. I felt this way at circuits and swimfit last night and my shins were killing me when running. This morning, the sore arm and pins and needles are still there and I have a REALLY stiff neck. I can barely move it.

I should be doing a hilly cycle and a 2km swim today but I think I’ll take the day off and rest. I had obviously planned to have a rest day or two before the Triathlon on Sunday, but I might even take most of the week off now. It won’t make much difference to my fitness or speed for the event on Sunday and hopefully the rest will sort out some of these aches and pains.

I hope so, if my neck doesn’t ease up then I won’t even be starting as I won’t be able to breathe in the pool. It would be a shame to miss it as the race should be good fun this year and it sounds as though it could be quite competitive. In fact from what I’ve been hearing, I’m a marked man with plenty of people out to beat me. The contenders have all been training hard with special triathlon training sessions having been held at the pool and on the actual course. They are all quite young as well so the extra year will have benefitted them, the extra year doesn’t necessarily help me as I’m twice their age but if I’m at full fitness I should also be a fair bit faster than I was last year.

I’m not really too bothered about my position, although it would of course be nice to win again. I would like to beat my time from last year of 1hr 30 minutes though. That should be fairly easy, but even that could be under threat because the weather is looking very wet and very windy for Sunday and that could play a bit part in in.

Time to take it easy and let my body heal as there will be no chance of glory of any kind with the way it feels at the moment.

Tags: FitnessTrainingTriathlon