Sssshhhh don't tell Sags

Yesterday started before breakfast with a 1600m swim at the pool with some efforts included in the set. Before lunch i managed to get my half marathon in i'd planned for earlier in the week. I took my daughter with me on her bike, what a mistake that was as by the end of it my ears were bleeding. She never stopped moaning all the way round. Anyway got it done and that's what counts. At 5:20pm it was time to ride to work for my night shift, I thought it was going to be hard with the run in my legs from earlier but at least the wind was quite favourable. Felt it was going really well but did not do any time checks until arrival, oh yeah! that's a fast ride. Previously the fastest I had ridden to work was 10 minutes slower than the fastest I had ridden home from work. Due to the amount of climbing on the way it means that the home journey is always going to be quicker. Well its a new record not only to for the journey to work but ever!!! I'm not going to tell you how quick because I don't want Sags worrying too much as he seems to be getting worried about my times. I am pleased with the days work and this morning I just cruised home as the legs were quite tired. A quick swim tonight and rest day tomorrow.

Swim and Run - Change of Plan

Well Monday was busier than I thought so I didn't get the half marathon in I hoped to do but maybe it was for the best as I was quite tired from the weekend. I went to Billabong lake to do the swim with my trainers and planned to run straight after the swim. I did three laps of the lake giving me a 2700m swim and then did a quick transition and ran the club 4 mile course they use in club races. It was very cold after the swim with the gale force winds and the first mile was hard going but managed to do the run in 23 mins dead. Felt good and its the furthest I've swam this year non-stop. Feeling pleased with the nights work, can feel myself getting fitter, but I expect another few days of discomfort now as I've dropped by 1 tablet a day on the medication and every time I do that I have a few days of stomach cramps, which then settle down again afterwards. Getting my health back slowly which is good news.

40 Hours and 160 Miles of Biking

I decided to do my little challenge I like to do every now and then. It takes part over 40 hours. The challenge starts at 17:30hrs on Friday evening with a 40 mile bike ride to work. The ride to work starts in Bridlington and goes over the Wolds to the A64. The first 17 mile is rolling with continuous ups and downs. Then you have a nice stretch of flat roads across to Ebbertson where the roads begin to undulate again. On arrival at Thornton Dale the hard work really begins. Its roughly 10 miles of climbing onto the top of the North Yorkshire Moors. There are a few big climbs but generally just a constant drag all the way up to Fylingdales. On arrival its time to start a 12 hour night shift. Saturday Morning is 40 mile return journey with the wind in my face most of the way home. Saturday night and its time to get back on the bike for the next 40 mile journey back to the top of the North Yorkshire Wolds for another 12 hour night shift. I've now got 120 miles in the legs in the last 26 hours. 12 hours later and its Sunday Morning and yet another 40 miles to do and its even windier than Saturday. I finally arrive home having worked hard really pushing the last 5 miles at speed. A quick change of clothing and I manage to squeeze in a 10k run to finish off. That's all for today I think, this afternoon will involve some special recovery ingredients (beer and BBQ!!). Tomorrow is down for a half marathon in the morning and open water swimming in the evening.

The First Open Water Swim of the Year

On Monday I ventured out to Billabong Lake to join some members of the Hull Barracuda Tri club for my first open water swim of the year. The facility is great, only 10 miles from home and a bargain at just £2 per session. Its a 450m swim to the top bouy, giving a nice 900m lap. I took a couple of mates up who are novices and on their first ever open water session. The water was pleasantly warm at about 17 degrees so not quite as cold as the picture. I just did the two laps as we were slightly late having had trouble finding the place. Well worth it though, and as I said a great facility. You can swim on Saturday mornings 7-8am and Monday nights 6:30-7:30. There is also a nice 4 mile run course just outside the gates to the lake so you can do a quick run afterwards if time permits. I enjoyed myself but one of the lads on his first swim didn't take to it too well and got out after a couple of hundred meters. He is going to try again in a week. As for me now I know where it is and the timings I will use it much more often as I prefer it to pool swimming. I will hope to build up the stamina and be getting 4-5 laps in as time goes by in preparation for the 4k swim at the World Champs in Holland.

The First Triathlon of the Year

I'd finally got some training under my belt and ventured out for my first triathlon of the year (come to think of it my first tri since Ironman France in June 07). The weather was fantastic and Anthea and Bethany had come with me to watch and support. It was a sprint with a pool swim so as I arrived there was already people out racing on the course. I had put down for a 6 minute swim and was in the last group of the day to start. I watched a group come out of the swim and through transition before going to register. I racked the bike and set up my kit before changing into my race kit.

Reporting to poolside 15 mins before my race start I watched the other swimmers doing their bit and the nerves started to kick in. A quick brief and it was time to get in the water. I knew from the colour of my swim hat I was one of the slowest swimmers in the wave (but that's to be expected from a crap swimmer!). The whistle went and I was off, I tried to work hard but keep a steady controlled pace, but by the time I exited the water there was only 3 people of the 16 that I started with still in the water.

A quick exit and a good transition and I was on the bike (my favourite bit) and I had made 3 places up within 500 meters. I worked the bike split really hard and pushed myself to make up the time lost in the pool. It was a good sporting course with a decent climb and generally rolling all the way round. I had passed loads of people but with the waves from the swim it was hard to tell who you were racing against by the end of the bike course.

Another great transition and it was on to the run course over 2 and a half laps. By this time there was people all over the run course and it was proving difficult to work out who you were racing against which was annoying as I thought I must be up there with a chance as I felt it had gone well so far. I finally crossed the line in 57:31 although I wasn't to find out for another 2 days. The distances were 400m swim/23km bike/5km run.

There was a timing fault and all the results had to be worked out manually and checked with the video footage of the finish line and finish clock. How close could it of been, I was gutted to find I'd finished 4th missing out on 3rd by 1 second, 2nd by 2 seconds and the winner was only 13 seconds clear of my time. Although slightly disappointed on missing a podium I was over the moon with my performance given the severity of my illness and how ill I had been for some 6 weeks or so. Lets hope its the start of a good season and things continue to go smoothly and I manage to keep my illness under control!!

The Dark Place

2 Weeks since the Marathon and the specialist has told me I will be able to do my sport at the level I'm used to once the "flare up" is under control. I believe him as I had felt better for 2 days. Unfortunately things were about to get worse. Part of my medication is immune suppressants and my wife decided to bring home the worst cold of the year so far!! With a severely depleted immune system it hit me really hard, and unfortunately my body couldn't cope with the cold and my Colitis.

The four days that followed were possibly the worst I had felt in my life. I could of curled up and died. I was convinced that my sporting career was over. As the cold started to get better so did my frame of mind. I started to get out and do a bit of training again and the weather picked up which always makes you feel better. I began to believe I would be able to race at the Driffield Triathlon on the 11th May. A few more days went by and I had come on in leaps and bounds and was confident enough to do some proper miles again on the bike and start running again.

The runs were the hardest to get back into as the bounding and bouncing your body goes through really put strain on by bowel and caused some severe discomfort but I persevered regardless to try and complete some runs.

Living with Colitis

So it's two weeks to go before the London marathon and I get the first signs (from past experience) that my stomach and bowel are going to be poorly. I'd done all the training and p.b'd at the Fleet half marathon indicating that all my training had gone to plan and that I was on schedule for a 2hr 45 marathon. I was both excited and nervous but looking forward to the race. I went to the doctors with a week to go as things had gone from bad to worse and I was feeling very unwell. The doc advised that it would not be a good idea to race but me being ignorant and stupid thought I would do it anyway. I would rather know I failed than sit at home wondering what if? I spent most of the day before on the toilet with a bottom that wouldn't stop bleeding and stomach cramps that had me almost doubled up in pain. Why was I doing this to myself?

Sunday morning arrived and I couldn't believe I felt so much better and set off to the start with a confident feeling. The race started and I set off feeling good, I got to 9 miles and started thinking that I will have to stop at the next toilet I see. I went through 10 miles in a little over 58 mins but by now the cramps were starting in my stomach. I found the toilets at 12 miles and dived in, instant relief. I quickly re-joined the race and crossed Tower Bridge, but couldn't believe that within half a mile or so I needed to stop again. I got to 14 miles and stopped again, this was the begining of the end of my fast time. It was a case of stop start at virtually every toilet all the way to the finish. By 20 miles and after 6 stops my race was over, I struggled to get back into a running pace and cramp in the legs had started to set in due to the continuous stops I had made. I ended up run/walking the last 6 miles and dragged my extremely ill and battered body over the line in a dissapointing 3hrs 14mins.

So Monday morning I am beating myself up over the performance and doubting my future in any sort of endurance sport. But by Wednesday I was in hospital for tests and internal examinations to find the cause of my illness that had wrote off the second half of the 2006 and 2007 season. It was at this point I was made aware of exactly how ill I was, and the doctors were amazed that I had even finished the Marathon.

2 Weeks later I was informed by the specialist that I had Iflamatory Bowel Disease (Colitis) and that I needed to be put on a massive dose of medication to get on top of it as soon as possible. I was initially taking 19 tablets a day but have now dropped to 14. The medication took some time to kick in and is now working (touch wood) quite well. I will be on some form of medication for life, but this will be trial and error until the medication that works best for me is found and the correct dose to keep on top of things is worked out.

Hope to bring you up to date over the next few days with training updates etc to get me up to the 19th May as I have only just created the blog.

Daz