Form is temporary, talent is permanent!

Well the first race of the year has been and gone, the Fleet Half Marathon. Lets say it didn't go exactly how I had imagined! The truth is it was a disaster. After just one mile I was struggling to get my breath, I slowed down to try and get things under control but it made no difference. At about 2.5 miles I walked off the course and tried to get my breath, I couldn't inflate my lungs fully as I had a huge amount of pressure built under the diaphragm. After a minute or two I tried to run again but it was no better. I had some serious thoughts of jacking it in for the day but knew I hadn't done any long runs for 4 weeks due to injury and then illness, in fact I'd only been running just over a week after the physio appointment. I decided I would have to finish no matter how slow I was. At about 4 miles I burped loads of times and felt the pressure release. I then tried to settle into a decent pace to get round. I felt OK up to 11 miles but by then the lack of running was starting to show. I could feel my legs trying to cramp but managed to run all the way to the finish. I ended up with a 1:23:01. I suppose lots of people would be happy with that time, but I'm a perfectionist and I am not happy. I am worried how the Ironman marathon will go? only time will tell I guess. Still to keep positive the main thing is my ankle held up for the distance and seems to be healing well.

Tough times ahead

Well its been an eventful week with mixed emotions. Last week was an uncomfortable week with the Colitis. The week ended with a visit to the gastric specialist to see what he suggests as the "flare ups" seem to be getting more frequent, in fact it seems to be every 2 months now. I have been put back on some extra medication on top of the normal stuff to settle things down again. After South Africa I am to start a new form of medication called Azathioprine used in conjunction with my current medication. This stuff is a bit nasty and will wipe out my immune system by reducing the number of white blood cells in my body. The result is I will be highly likely to catch every cold/flu/virus that's going around this year. I have to do a 3 month trial on the drug to see how it affects me, I also will have to have weekly blood tests to monitor my health at the same time. If it goes OK then I will go onto a 3 year course of the drug and then try to come off it at the end. There are lots of side affects that I will have to watch out for but the doctor says as an athlete I am more in tune with my body than the average Joe and will know quicker if things are not right. I also had a shock when he suggested that another alternative is surgery to remove the bowel completely and spend the rest of my days on a colostomy bag or an internal sack connected to the large intestine to replace the bowel but its not as efficient and I would have to make much more regular toilet visits. I have to say I'm not keen on this idea and think I will try out all the medication options before it gets to that stage. It has come as a shock and made me realise how serious my illness is. Lets hope for an improvement on the new medication next month.

On a lighter note, I got the all clear to try some running from the physio on Thursday last week. I have ran a three mile, 4 mile, 5 mile, and a 10k since then. My ankle is still stiff but seems to be holding out so I hope things are on the mend. I had a big day on Sunday, 1500m swim and a 10k run in the morning and then I did the big one again, another 112 mile turbo session. I did it in 4 hours 52 this time but used a bit more resistance than last time. Today I did an 18 mile ride, 5 mile run and then down the pool this afternoon for a 3.8k time trial. I managed a 1hr 5min 08 secs for the swim which I am pleased with.

I must at this point thank Sags for all the motivational texts I have received over the last week or so, they have helped me out when I have been feeling rather down. Thanks mate.

From bad to worse

Just when it seems things are going to be OK I take another knock back. The ankle injury seems to be on the mend and I managed a steady test run of 3 miles on it today. I will see how it feels tomorrow but I think it might be ready to build up slowly over the next few weeks. The bad news is I've had a major colitis flare up and my insides are in pieces. I've been back at the doctors today and I have to go into hospital on Friday to see the specialist for an emergency sigmoidoscopy. It looks like the medication might not be working out as the flare ups are becoming more frequent. I may have to try a different type of medication but will know more on Friday after the tests. Its not the best timing and I am worried as its only 4 weeks this Sunday until race day. Not feeling too good and definitely loosing motivation and confidence as each day goes by. The target time for IM South Africa is not looking good and just a finish is becoming the new target.

Got some new tyres today for the race wheels, Michelin pro 3 race with white sidewalls to match the white saddle and bar tape on the race bike. What do you think of them?