Back on track. I think.

My first full week of training here in California is done. It’s been a busy week. But I think I have got back on track in terms of swim, bike and crucially, run. I have been struggling with a niggly pain in my lower leg for a few weeks now – ‘I am running, I’m not running’, and so the cycle sort of continued. However tonight I got a nice run (not jog) tucked away, and it is hopefully the start of ‘proper’ running again. Fingers crossed.

Trusty old diary, laptop, Garmin and GENR8 grape flavour

I raced 2 weekends ago in Miami, and had been jogging along that week, but very limited. The race didn’t ‘flare’ the leg up, but I also didn’t fel like I was progressing so I stopped having any time on my feet last week, and actively searched for a good physio to start some treatment when I got here. I have been having ‘ART’ – Active Release Techniques, which is basically another way of saying ‘deep tissue massage’ in American-speak…. and seem to be responding well to it after a couple of sessions (yet to receive a bill though…yikes!).

So, otherwise, I have ridden the bike a fair bit. 17 hours or 485k. Approx 300 miles in old money? And I have swum a fair bit too – 33k in yards, which I think is just shy of 30k in meters. Mostly on my own, BUT not all. Aha – I joined in with a squad. The North County Masters in fact. They swim in Enchinitas down at the coast in the YMCA (I had never been in a YMCA building before). There are a few triathletes drop in – Michelie Jones was there one of my swims before heading off to race at IM Oz, and Luke Bell was in the other day ready to race in Oceanside next w/e too. And then I did a sesh with Olly Freeman, and the past 2 days I have had Will Clarke to train with. Both of those guys are making their 70.3 debut at the w/e.

So it’s been a good week’s work. Fingers crossed the leg holds up, I get a few more run miles under my belt, and I’ll race at the weekend, just like planned.