2015 Resolutions: Make them, Keep them!

So you how many times have you made a New Years Resolution, and then, by 5th January, forgotten all about it? Yup, we have all been there! So, 2015 is the year to stop the cycle of resolving to make changes to your lifestyle, weight, health and then not! Make 2015 your year by setting yourself up for success! Here are 10 fab ‘Turbo Top Tips’ to help you get started! 

1.  Be Realistic

Making your goal unattainable is a sure way to keep success at bay. The guaranteed way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to NEVER eat your favourite food again or  resolving to work out every day (especially if you are a non-exerciser to start with). Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable; small positive changes will create ‘good habits’ which can then be built on throughout the year. (I have a friend who went ‘sans alcohol’, for charity, throughout 2014 (and succeeded!) - an awesome feat but not something that most people could perhaps keep to!)  

Check out the links below for some inspiration on what kind of challenges you could set yourself

USA Running Events

USA Triathlon Events

UK Triathlon Events

Fancy something a bit different? Then check these links out!

USA Mud Run Guide

UK Adventure Racing

2.  Do it for a reason beyond ‘you’.

Making your goal for someone/something else will make you more likely to stick to your newly formed goal. Whilst I try and guide my clients to follow internal reasons to train, if you are raising money for a charity then it will give you an extra push to keep to your goal. Whilst out running on New Years day this year I came up with my most recent challenge; 2015 miles throughout 2015. Whilst I would probably push myself to achieve it; I thought I would be better off using my fitness to help others. So, I have set up a Just Giving page to raise money for HOPE For Children, a charity dedicated to helping children throughout the world; giving them a chance at experiencing a ‘proper’ childhood. Skipping that training run, especially if you are completing an event for a charity, will play on your mind!

Hope for Children - The charity I am completing my '2015 in 2015' for.

3.  Plan Ahead

After a few too many drinks on New Years Eve, people often find themselves entering into an event or challenge. Although its normally best to plan well ahead; if you woke up on 1st Jan and found that you have entered a challenge on a whim, don't worry! Sit down, the week after New Year, and plan your approach to the task and set yourself up to succeed. Look to point 1 as I refer to starting small and building on your goal. Who cares if you start your resolution on the 2nd or 3rd January? What matters is that you keep your goal in mind throughout the year. Using a Certified Personal Trainer is a fantastic way to get the professional, customised workout you require to keep you on track with your goal!

4.  Outline Your Plan

Decide, ahead of time, how you will deal with the temptation to skip that workout, exercise class or have that extra portion at dinner. This could include getting your sports clothing/equipment ready the night before so its sitting, waiting and looking at you when you wake up in the morning; or popping your gym bag in your car so you can go straight the gym after work or within your lunch hour. Calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your actions will affect your goal are all options you have available.

5.  Talk About It

Don’t keep your resolution a secret; get it out there and get people encouraging you on! Social media is a great method; update your family and friends via email or drop it into conversation over coffee. Drop by Turbo Fit Personal Training & Coaching’s Facebook page and let us know of your goal!  By telling friends and family members of your ambition for the year means they can be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. Why not find a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other towards your goal (this is great if you are training for a race). 

There's no slacking off when there is someone else training with you!

6.  Reward Yourself

A girl can never have too many shoes....!

Ok, I’m not talking about scoffing an entire packet of Chips Ahoy cookies at the end of the first week (especially if your resolution is to eat healthier!) or sinking a few bottles of red. However, you could celebrate your ongoing success by treating yourself to something you enjoy, something that doesn’t blow your resolution to pieces. If you have been sticking to your resolve to eat better, then reward yourself with some new fitness gear or by going out with a friend. If you have been religiously working out 4 times a week like you promised you would, since 1st Jan, then treat yourself to a new pair of gym shoes! (everyone needs new gym shoes!)

7.  Track Your Progress

Keep track of each and every small success. Break your main goal down into smaller chunks; after-all, short-term goals are easier to keep. Each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. For example: instead of focusing on losing 25 pounds, focus on losing the first five, then the first 10 and so on. If you have signed up for a half marathon but have never run before, then focus on getting that first mile under your belt; then work to the second and third. Log your accomplishments, daily or weekly, whichever you prefer, to help you stay on track; and, as mentioned in Point 6, reward yourself for each small goal accomplished. Check out these free fitness trackers you can use to help track your progress!

Map My Fitness

myfitnesspal

Run Keeper

8.  Don’t Beat Yourself Up

So, you have set yourself your goal and you have been going great guns for 2 weeks; then comes a slip up. A birthday party celebration or the Superbowl on 1st Feb has seen you overindulge and miss a workout or take on a few too many calories one evening. Arrrrrrggh! Panic Not. Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take one day at a time. If you feel you have ‘slipped up’ on one day, it wont have affected the rest of the year! Get up the next day with new resolve. You can’t change the past but your actions can affect the future (of your goal at least!).

9.  Stick to It

Experts report that it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. I’m not exactly renowned for my patience when it comes to my fitness, speed, strength goals; however, over the years I have learned (the hard way) that going out too hard and too fast, expecting quick results, just ends up in over-stress, illness , injury, and ultimately disappointment. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

10. Keep Trying

If you have completely run out of motivation by mid-February, don’t despair! Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours or even a weekend. Come-on, you can do anything for 24 hours! Build on these increments; tack on a few more 24 hours stints and, before you know it, you will be back on track to achieve your goal!

So, what are your 2015 goals? Share them in the comments section below, or on Turbo Fit Personal Training & Coaching’s Facebook and get going on your new plan. Want some help on deciding on a goal or some guidance on how to achieve your fitness or health goal? Then contact Turbo Fit’s ACSM Certified Personal Trainer who can help you on your way.

Happy New Year Everyone! Here’s to a fabulous 2015!

TF 

xx

It's all about the journey, not the destination.....

Sooo, alrighty then, its taken me over 2 weeks to get back on the computer to put ’pen to paper’ so to speak. It feels like I haven’t written for an age and to be honest unless you wanted to read ‘ate, slept, trained, worked’ (with most likely a spelling mistake every sentence) for the 4 weeks leading up to Ironman Florida, then its probably a good thing I didn’t update you with my day to day activity. Life was somewhat hectic; a far cry from my meticulously planned out, prepared taper that I had spent time perfecting for Ironman Tahoe!

Following the cancellation of IM Tahoe, I thought this was quite fitting....

After being stood on the sand at Kings Beach, Tahoe, sucked into my wetsuit and mere minutes before the race start and finding out I wasn’t actually going to hear the words ‘you are an Ironman’ that day, the wind was taken out of my sails. I mean blown completely sideways.  I knew I wouldn’t be happy until I had signed up for my next race and by the following Tuesday I knew I was to join 3200 other Iron-loonies on the sand at Panama City Beach Florida on 1st Nov. Unfortunately left brain and right brain weren’t really communicating that well and, although I was glad to be racing, something just wasn’t there. It wasn’t my plan. (and for those of you who know me, know I am a creature of habit and I like to have a proper ‘plan’!). I went through the training process, not really thinking about it, which is the worst type of training. I had previously trained through three seasons feeling motivated, focussed, leaving each session knowing I had put 100% effort it and now it had all changed. The sessions were completed but not really enjoyed and, for the remainder of September, I felt like a balloon, deflated rapidly, trying in earnest to regain its proud form - ‘ppffffft’! Come October, Fall was in full-swing and my head was screwed back on correctly; a couple of long sessions and some good run sets saw me back to my normal self and, despite life being busy with my husband away, my mojo was back. A bit of course research and visualisation during my training sessions saw me excited to race again. I was back to bouncing around like a springer spaniel on Skittles! Yay!

A moment of Déjà vu!

So to the race…..

We arrived in Panama City Beach on the Wednesday before Halloween. A long travel day from West to East Coast saw us finish 22 hours of travelling with a spritely 20 month old. Luckily, Turbo Toby is a bit of a legend and travels really well so Team Wilcox arrived, in one piece, and still talking to each other! The next day, we were up and raring to go with a bike build, practice swim and race registration. Then, on Halloween, it was time to rack the bike! 

'Merv' my trusty steed racked and ready to go!

Kit for an Ironman...it takes time!

The 'Team Wilcox' Boys preparing for the race

The weather was perfect; there was a slight breeze ruffling the palm trees but the air was warm with the waves gently lapping the shore. ‘Ahhhh, race conditions are going to be awesome in Paradise’…. or so I thought! 

Conditions right outside our condo, the day before the race....

We woke up on race morning to the wind howling around the condo; and, after making my way out onto the balcony to witness the waves crashing on the beach, I beat a hasty retreat back into the warm condo for a cup of tea (you can take the girl out of England..!) The temperature had dropped by over 25 degrees! Without planning on needing warm kit, I had only packed a pair of arm warmers and a thin, but quite holey, cycle jersey. Hastily shoving it in my bag, I was mentally preparing myself for an English-weather type race.

Exposing an arm to the chilly air for number marking - bbbbbrrrrrrr!

Reaching the race site, everyone was huddled in fleece jumpers, tracksuit bottoms, sock under their flip-flops.. ok that was me; my inability to deal with the cold is not something I pride myself on, so yes, socks UNDER my flip flops is TOTALLY acceptable on a chilly morning! So, back to the beach, wetsuited up, making our way to the shore….. within minutes the announcer comes over to inform us that due to a strong rip-current the swim was cancelled. Whhaaaaaat?? The race would be a bike-run with a time trial bike start. I have to admit, I was a little upset but purely out of frustration. I had travelled all this way to complete an Ironman! As second time being disappointed on a start line within 6 weeks. However, I knew I needed regroup and refocus on the job at hand, there was still a 10 hour day ahead of me. To be honest, looking out at the crashing waves, and Coastguard boats pitching left to right desperately trying stay in control, there was slight relief. The swim would have been brutal.

The bike start began with the professional athletes starting off at 0800 followed by the age group athletes, in number order. Being number 3072 I knew I was in for a long wait. As many people have experienced, you plan your morning pre-race nutrition on the timings that you are given, so to start over 2.5 hours after you thought for, means you are going to require a slight tweak to your nutrition plan to make sure you don’t either: over-eat out of boredom whilst waiting, or don’t eat enough. I watched athletes being set off, marvelling at the lengths some people go to, to keep warm. People were riding extremely fabulous and aerodynamic bikes worth $$$$ but then wearing a huge overcoat, a balaclava and a pair of jogging bottoms! Completely bonkers! Anyway, I digress, athletes were being set of 4 at a time; and the cheer of the crowd as they took off on their 112 mile journey was fantastic! Cowbells ringing, whoops, hollering and whilstling - awesome stuff!

Excited to get going! 

Out on the bike and it was cold, but time to get my head down and legs into gear and see what the hours upon hours of riding in Nevada's desert and Tahoe's hills had prepared me for. Knowing it wasn't a 'proper' Ironman I made the decision to see how hard I could push on the bike. I don't think I have ever passed so many people on the bike and I loved it! As many of you know, I have worked hard on all three disciplines this year, but the one I have really put my mind to is the bike. I’ve always liked cycling but it wasn’t my favourite discipline. I had no concentration for cycling further than 2 hours and compared to the other 2 sports, it wasn’t my strongest discipline. However, 10+ hours per week of riding and spinning, as part of my training, put paid to that! It was a tough going for the first hour or so; really quite cold and a strong 20mph head wind until we turned right at the 30 mile point. We were then battling a cross -wind for company over the next 10 miles. A small section with a little bit of a tail wind, following another right turn, was a welcome break before heading back into the cross wind and the bumpiest road I could imagine in any race! On that section I lost most of my drink out of my aero bottle with it spilling all over me. It was a terrible road! So, it was a head and cross wind all the way back until the 80 mile point and then it was..... awesome! A left turn and boom! Such a good tail wind! There was a short out-and-back to add miles, which was again into the wind, but then it was back on the gas and heading home. I was pushing hard throughout, I think the hopping from person to person helped me focus. To be honest the first 2 hours passed by without me even thinking about the time! 

Quite possibly the most enjoyable bike split of any triathlon I have completed :)

It was at the half way point, under 3 hours, that I thought to myself that perhaps a sub 6:15 was possible, I didn't want to pile the pressure on and then be disappointed as I had no idea how my legs were going to hold up. So, at every 10 mile marker, I was amending my goal and that was driving me on. With 90 miles down I decide sub-6 was possible and decided to go for it. I felt so comfortable on my trusty Merv, only adjusting within the aero position to stretch out my shoulders every so often. My nutrition went well, I stuck to the plan most of the time but adjusted for what I felt like. For example I picked up some bananas segments a few times as I was completely fed up with Powerbar drink! I think that is important in any race; remaining flexible is the key! Coming in off the bike, my legs felt good. Transition was only 4 mins in total; I don't like to 'faff' about; I'm too impatient to get on the run! I decided against socks on the bike as I had toe covers but also I thought that I'd appreciate fresh socks on the run. So, shoes on, watch lapped and the longest wee ever! Haha! (I didn't stop on the bike at all) and then out in to the big cheering crowd, completely pumped that I had made it in not just under 6 hours, but in 5 hours and 50 minutes! Boom!

Out on the run: oh I felt so so good the first half marathon. I was holding a slightly quicker pace than planned but my lungs weren't working overly hard and my legs felt strong. At the 14 mile point however, my hips/pelvis started hurting. After evaluating the race since, I think it was due to being in the aggressive TT position the whole time. I experienced this pain in my last long run off of Merv, which I never did on my Cervelo. I think it just such a big change in the position, which I haven't trained with all year. Also, I knew I had pushed hard on the bike (I remember wondering about how my run performance would be affected as I felt my quads working hard whilst pedalling!). Despite my nutrition plan, I switched to just water on the run; my abdomen ended up so bloated and a little painful toward the end. I knew I had it in me to go faster but my pelvis was so painful. Seeing Chris, Toby and the lovely Nicky (who also travelled down from Pensacola to watch me race) at the 13 mile point was a great boost (much better than my honey sandwich which was rather disappointing and quite dry!)

Strangely I also found myself tired, as in proper eyes-drooping-shut tired, around mile 17. I'd never experienced that on training but then I supposed I was never 'that' fatigued! I found myself a little emotional at times. Not crying, but almost on the verge - very odd! I'm not a particularly 'teary' sort of person so it it was quite weird to be dealing with it. The last mile I picked up the pace. Adrenaline pumping, I ran past a girl that had been back and forth with me throughout the last 13 miles. She tried attack back with a burst of speed but I picked up the pace and dropped her (yay!). I then put on a bit of a sprint to get past other guys in front of me (I wanted to get a good photo on the finish line! Haha!). It's funny how you have that little extra gear boost when your body overrides all other sensible decision making emotions! 

My actual time was 9:59:47. A huge relief to get under 10 hours!

Crossing over the line, hearing the words ‘You are an Ironman’, it was a bitter-sweet experience as I’m ‘not quite an Ironman’ yet; more of a ‘Tin-man’ (as my husband likes to call me). There were some big lessons learnt from my race, especially on the run. On other hand, there were also some big positives from it too. For the most, my well structured, thought out plan worked; I felt completely calm and in control throughout and changes I made took into consideration how the race was proceeding. 

An emotional reunion with Chris

I found myself, half way through the run route, deciding never to do Ironman again, but I know I need to do a full race before I’m happy. But you all knew that, hey?! 

The smile says it all really....!

So now it is into recovery for a few weeks. Teaching my spin classes and going for a run, swim or cycle at a 'relaxed' pace. I'm taking the time to enjoy all three of my favourite sports again. Oh and getting some good stretching in! It's time for Team Wilcox to take a break both physically and mentally and get some time in as a family. Time to enjoy some lazy Sundays filled with hiking and pancake eating, rather than 4 hour bike rides and Power-bar eating! 

I owe a huge debt of gratitude for those of you who have joined me on this journey. My awesome coach Stefan Lawrence of tri-sl-training, my family (indeed, my grandparents who flew all the way from the UK to watch me race at Tahoe!), my friends who have followed my progress through the year and those of you who so kindly sat, glued to your computers, to follow me throughout the race and watch me cross that line and Nicky who drove all the way down to PCB and braved it through the long hours of spectating. However, not even one step of this fantastic journey could have been started if it weren't for my fabulous boys: my supportive, loving and generally fantastic husband (and in-house bike mechanic) Chris, my inspiration Turbo Toby and stepson Ross (who is renowned for asking me if I could 'just swim faster' whilst he was paddle-boarding next to me in Lake Tahoe). 

Its time to keep working towards the next goal; an exciting voyage though the next chapter, taking the high and lows of what dreams, tears, sweat and laughter give us. 

A small sign I found at the race expo summed it up really: 

'Only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go' - T.S. Eliot

Until next time friends,

TF

x

The race with the highest DNF rate ever.........

So there I was, the morning of Sunday 21st September, mentally checking off everything I had completed: aero bike bottle full - tick, tyres checked and pumped - tick, wetsuit on - tick, double hatted and goggles on - tick, goodbyes and good lucks from the family - tick. Team Turbo was good to go!

Ooooh, and the announcer is just coming over the loud speaker to let us know the race will be starting be starting any minute…..ooooh, the excitement……! Then there it was:

 ‘‘County officials have recommended the race be cancelled’’….. Say What??? 

Click here to see the video of race morning cancellation....

Kissing Turbo goodbye and getting some race 'pep talk' from him, just 1 minute before the cancellation.

The silence of 3000+ athletes and spectators standing on the sand at Kings Beach was deafening. Disbelief and disappointment reigned; quietly and reluctantly 3000 athletes forlornly made their way back to transition to collect their carefully stowed bikes and belongings. Some still open mouthed, some with tears rolling and some just perfecting the 100 yard stare. Their careful, year-long, construction of the Ironman dream lying in tatters. 

Rule Britannia! Ready to Go! 

WTC and the race organisers made the absolute correct call to stop the race that day. They had waited until the very last second to make the decision; which I appreciate. If there was even an inkling of being able to race, I wanted to. Can you imagine an early cancellation based on a forecast, to then see winds shift to expose a beautiful smoke-free day? Ouch, i wouldn’t have wanted to be that race director either! As it happens, the smoke, which had us questioning whether there would be a race all week, rolled in late night Saturday and was quite stifling on race morning. Actually, it seemed like you could chew on it. It then proceeded to worsen throughout the day and when picking up the Run Gear bags from the Bike-Run transition (T2) at Squaw Valley, you could feel it lining your throat making breathing really quite uncomfortable. Running a marathon in that would definitely have been difficult!

These 2 photos were taken within 5 minutes of each other, at the Bike-Run transition and marathon area. Eeek!

I think the word ‘crushed’ probably comes to mind when i think about how I felt as I heard the announcer utter the word ‘cancelled’, although I completely understood the reason for it. All of us had worked so hard and dedicated so much time over the last year, that a cancelled race seemed like it was all for nothing. Training has crept into so much family time this year and despite the early morning sessions, many a time I have reluctantly left a happy giggly Turbo Toby playing contentedly with Chris, whilst I slipped out for yet another monster bike ride, run, and/or swim. Couple that with the mental preparation to take on what many tout as ‘The Hardest Race on the Ironman circuit’ and yes, ‘disappointed’ was a bit of an understatement.! Oh and not to mention that I had even braved the disgusting porta-loo in the swim-run transition (T1) only minutes before the ‘dreaded announcement’ Yuk! However, with the CA  ‘King Fire’ growing from 12,000 to 71,000 acres within the space of 48 hours, engulfing homes and livelihoods; how could I be angry? Putting everything into perspective, I’m at the fittest, cardio-vasular wise, I’ve ever been, have a happy and healthy family and, the journey to toe that start-line, had me pushing myself to my limit physically and mentally, dive;point me both personally and professionally. 

My grandparents had flown out to watch me race and we had rented a lovely little town-house in North Lake Tahoe. I had, what some might say was, the perfect taper. Swimming in the Lake, biking parts of the course and of course, eating like a shire-horse. My training through the year, bar a few colds and bugs, had been consistent, I had no injuries and was hitting paces and timing; ultimately I had trust in my training. It was ‘all in the legs’. So it was a bit like: ‘Bugger. What do I do now?’. Especially after a week of reduced training and eating enough carbs to feed a small African country! 

Clear skies the day before at T1 when racking the bikes!

Excited to feel the atmosphere and excited to race!

Sunday was a grotty day in the end and I was really glad it was. It matched the dullness of the deflated feeling I had; a stark contrast to what was supposed to be an epic day. Red wine and a game of scrabble was not what I had in mind for 6pm on Sunday evening! Saying that, it was a fantastic week to spend with family and I loved being there with them.

Half of my support team. Nan & Gramps. They flew half way around the world to come and support me.

Perhaps I should go into t-shirt design too......... ;)

Ironman for those who aren’t too aware is a pretty expensive and time consuming activity. Luckily this was a race that was fairly local to us, so travel cost was minimal We had a fantastic week with my Nan & Gramps, seeing Tahoe together and spending time with the boisterous, now 18month old, that roams the Wilcox household. So, from a cost perspective, we could take solace in the fact that all we had forked out for was race entry, coaching and a shed-load of GU carb gels (the salted caramel one is by far the best by the way). Luckily, on Monday we received an email saying that Ironman would extend a 3-option offer to all athletes that registered: we could race again this year for $100 (and they opened up some slots in other Ironman event which were previously sold out - bonza!), race Tahoe next year for $100, or race another Ironman in 2015 for 50% of registration fees. Straight away Chris and I identified which races were most suitable this year. Florida or Cozumel. Whilst Cozumel would have been paradise racing, financially Florida was the sensible option. 

I saw this t-shirt in a local sports shop on Wednesday. Coincidence or not, I think perhaps I should go and buy it......  

So, come Tuesday morning, my finger was hovering over the mouse, ready to click like a demon to get one of the 50 slots that were made available in Ironman Florida. Bearing in mind that the 50 slots made available for Ironman Arizona earlier in the morning were gone within 30 seconds of the registration website opening! Ooh, i love a bit of competition! Heart racing ever so slightly, I was ready. 12:56 - click refresh, 12:57 - click refresh, 12:58 - click refresh (for anyone who doesn’t know me well, i missed the line for patience). 12:59 - click refresh, 13:00:01 - click refre….boom! Frantic entry of credit card details and ticking all the boxes followed: ‘yes I agree to all the liability stuff’, blah, blah blah. Just let me race! And there is was in black, red and white: ‘Thank for registering for Ironman Florida (IMFL) on 1st November 2014. Waaaahoooo! Slightly different to what I have trained for mind you. Sea level with NO hills compared to Tahoe with its 6250’+ and elevation gain of over 6000’. Yep, this will be a completely different day in the office. This race will call for Merv, my trusty Time Trial steed to break loose from the garage and Sid Cervelo to remain at home. A choppy sea swim to start will give me the full washing machine experience to boot. Watch this you-tube vid to get insight into the crazy start. ‘People Soup’ as my mum called it! Luckily I have raced in similar conditions in France and Lanzarote, so know exactly what to expect.

Turbo Toby's new T-Shirt.....

Luckily, my awesome coach Stefan from Tri SL Training & Coaching has space to keep me on for another training block or two and my long-suffering and ever-supportive hubby Chris is right there alongside me, as he always is. Oh, and of course, my inspiration in the form of Turbo will be there keeping me on my toes.  So here I am, ready to extend my training for another 5 weeks; the fact I arranged to start a Nutrition Course, booked my Lifeguard Qual and undertake the USA Level 1 Swim Coaching Cert in this particular time period makes for one busy Mama but hey, this is the Wilcox family; we kinda thrive on it! 

Tahoe was my goal, everything I have trained for this year, I trained there, I adore the area and I would have loved loved loved to cross that finish line with friends and family around me; however, it obviously wasn’t meant to be. So, now I’ve had a really good practice at tapering it’s time to get the machine going again; a cheeky 1:10 run before teaching TRX tonight should do it.  This has been a little (and fairly expensive) blip on the journey map of the road to Ironman. I have to take the opportunity to thank every single one of my friends, family and colleagues who sent messages and notes of encouragement and good luck. I was truly touched and boosted by the massive amount of support behind me.

As Dory says… ‘just keep swimming, ‘just keep swimming’…..

Until next time friends, Happy Training! 


TF x

Top Left to Right: 

My fabulous goody bag from my friends / my office decorated by the fabulous Anytime Fitness.

Bottom Left to Right: 

A postcard from Katherine in the UK / My beautiful niece 'Pea' (Sophia) providing UK support!

Tick tock....tick tock!

Wowsers! A busy time in the Wilcox household the past few weeks! I bought a book a couple of weeks ago, in the vain hope that I may even be able to read a few snippets but alas, it sits, unloved, untouched and very much unread on my nightstand waiting for some attention. I fear it may be waiting there a little while…

It’s been a fun few weeks in terms of family time, as Ross (The most Senior, Junior Wilcox), arrived for two weeks of his Summer hols. With ‘Team W’ reunited, we all leapt into action with some camping, paddleboarding, kayaking, movies, water parks, go-karting, bowling and all the other uber-fun stuff that a 13 year old (and a 31 year old) boy could enjoy! Toby absolutely loved having his big brother around and the sounds of giggles and screeches emanating through the house, as each brother made the other laugh, was fantastic. The house was extremely quiet after Ross disappeared back to the UK and it was a sad sight seeing a forlorn little Turbo, toddling around the house calling ’Rooooooosss’; hoping that his big brother would come out and play ‘choo choos’ with him! 

Celebrating a win against Ross - wooohoo..... or perhaps not!

Another big family event, from over the other side of the Pond this time, was that Finley James, our brand-spanking-new-ultra cute nephew was born on 31 August. A little cracker! It’s just such a shame I’m not going to get to see him until the New Year; although FaceTime is a wonderful invention.  Not to worry Dan & Zita; we will be sure to extend the multi-sport influence from this side of the Atlantic!

Turbo Fit Personal Training & Coaching is doing well, with some new clients and some more interested in the packages we can offer; and business is also picking up at Anytime Fitness too. You might have seen from my Facebook page that three separate clients reported a 34lb, 20lb, and 9lb respective weight loss last week after weeks/months of hard work; seeing the look on their faces and being privy to such a personal achievement is inspiring. I love what I do and the opportunity I’m afforded to help others improve and test themselves everyday; seeing clients’ confidence change as their bodies change in both ability and shape, witnessing them reaching their goals and being proud of what they have accomplished!  So it’s probably no surprise that I’m excited about adding the next ‘tool’ to my repertoire in the form of a nutrition course through Precision Nutrition in a couple of weeks! I’ve been asked quite a bit about courses I have taken and what I’d recommend. Standby for more info on this in a later blog!

So we are now on the countdown and into the taper. 11 days, 10 hours, 16 minutes and 46 seconds to be exact. Not that I’m counting or anything…… It seems that everyone in Fallon is aware of my itty bitty race coming up at Tahoe. It really is fantastic to have people (some that I have never even met) come on up and ask me how training is going or ‘am i ready’ or ‘are you really going to do an Ironman?’ Mind you, it’s normally followed by a raising of an eyebrow and a ‘look’ as if to say ‘you are one crazy Brit!’

Training, up until around 10 days ago, was going well. Hitting pacing, set by my long suffering coach Stef, in the pool and out on the roads. I felt strong, I felt good but then…. 10 days ago Toby came home with a sniffle. As soon as I heard his first tickly cough and sneeze I knew that, as the current household ‘bug filter’, I would get it. Sure enough, 48 hours later my training had lost all ‘oomph’ and I felt it hit. Pah! Despite my urge to train through it, I decided I would try and stay on the ‘healthier’ side of the bug; only getting on a bike when I needed to teach my spin classes and stocking up on the vitamins and minerals and generally hydrating well. I didn’t get myself riled up that I was missing training; in fact I was completely (ahem) calm about the fact that my training kit remained neatly folded in my drawer. 

The heat of Nevada is sometime a little bit too much for a 2hour run set outside...
although the treadmill offers a bit more of a mental challenge!

My approach seemed to have worked (who knew rest and recovery were so effective eh?!) and on Saturday we headed up to Tahoe for the day and I took my chance to take on a wet-suited swim. If you have never swum in an Alpine lake then you are truly missing a treat. Crystal clear waters that originate only from glacial run off; a completely different experience to swimming in the often muddy puddles I have come across in the UK! 

'Lead-Dog' at the front of the swim pack......

Riding into the Nevada sun-rise. Just beautiful

Saturday evening came and went and there was still no sign of my ‘bug’ developing further post-swim, so I decided to to go for it. My final long training session on Sunday morning. Important to get in; not really from a fitness perspective but from building my confidence before the taper to race day begins. Back on the bike I felt strong and it continued during the following 1:30 marathon pace brick run, even in the 97 degree Nevada heat. 

Due to the intense dry heat out here, it's essential I stick with shorter run loops, using our house as a base. To prevent the urge to stop and collapse on the sofa, I leave a cool box at the end of the driveway with a few ice packs, some bottles of water and gels. Each loop, I return, fill my running bottle, pick up a gel and head back out. I know the pacing for each loop and, as long as there are no huge dogs trying to chase me off course, it’s a tried and tested formula that I have got ‘down cold’. Only in the last 10 minutes of the run I felt my form dropping off; however, I knew that was due to slight dehydration. Chris appeared on his mountain bike with Toby in tow and they rode alongside for a little while. His attempts at conversation were met, more often than not, with grunts from me as I was concentrating on not stopping but he comes in handy for pointing out when I’m looking good with running form and most importantly, when I’m not. Throughout the year I have been working on my form, specifically during longer run sets learning to recognize when my gait changes slightly or my chin and shoulders drop; so a quick few ‘efforts’ saw my form return and I finished strong, albeit rather thirsty! Back at home and a dunk in the paddling pool to cool off (it’s handy having a resident toddler!) and then it was on with the compression gear and a recovery blend up of chia, banana, almond milk and yoghurt to help the recovery process. And so the taper begins…..

Until next time friends. Happy Training! Now where’s that book…..?

TF

xx