Trepidation

With just over a week to go before Ironaman Lanzarote my head is not yet in the right place. As you can see from the blue graph, I have diligently followed my training plan: the blue bars closely tracks the black line. The week I had norovirus stands out, but overall I have not missed much.

Total training hours

However the devil is in the detail. If you break it down, you can see that my swimming (dark blue) has been very consistent; I’ve only missed 1-2 planned sessions since October.  Likewise, I'm very happy with my biking. However, the green running graph tells a different story and especially in the last three weeks you can see it has not gone to plan.

Swim hours

I do have plenty of miles in the legs and my speed is fine but this year I never got over my winter calf niggles. And in the last 3 weeks my left calf has flared up. Despite the best efforts of my physios I just haven’t got on top of it, and all I have been able to do recently is the odd test run.

Running hours

Yesterday was the final “Hail Mary” – we zapped my leg quite hard again with acupuncture, ultrasound and massage. It certainly felt a lot looser and way better after. Rather than testing it, the plan is to not run again until race day, giving it as much time to recover as possible.

So who knows; maybe it will heal and I’ll be fine, maybe it will seize up 5k into the run. There’s not much I can do about it now. I’ll carry on with the planned taper, getting in a few more swim and bike sessions. But most importantly I have to just put it behind me and start planning my race strategy with the full expectation of finishing.

The physical training has been done, now it’s all about getting my head in the right place! Focus on the things I can control and don't worry about things I can't. In other words, it's as you were Taylor - calf niggle or not - just get on with it!