Lifting the Curse of the Hellrunner

On no less than my third entry to a Hellrunner race, I was very pleased to actually make it to the start line. Having had such bad luck in the past every time I have entered this race, I couldn't help thinking that maybe the universe was trying to warn me off somehow. I probably should have felt a bit edgy at the start line with the curse hanging over my head, but I didn't feel anything except for utter excitement, mostly due to the fact that the Clif Bar stand had samples galore and I had a perfect opportunity to ensure I was fully fed and energised before the race began.

Kettlebell Masochism

It's been a while since I've done kettlebells; I was a little bit tentative about getting back into it since being injured but last week, I thought it was about time I gave it a go again. Starting out with the little kettlebells I assessed my back situation. A whole load of encouragement and solid advice on good technique from the brilliantly enthusiastic instructor meant that throughout the session my confidence built and I got back up to throwing the bigguns around = happy Egg.

Bicycle Bliss

I have been noticeably grumpy for the last few months. On many an eve I have gazed mournfully at the bent-out-of-shape Bianca, remembering the adventures we had, personal bests we trashed together and all the good times we shared. I despaired as I thought life without her and her garish orange handlebars would  never be the same again.

Running Out of Time

It took me a long time to learn to love running; hours upon hours of struggling to keep up, blaming my trainers for my sore knees, aching limbs and breathing so forced it made me wheeze. I nearly gave up on a daily basis, but with such vital motivations as losing weight and getting fit enough to enter a race, I just about managed to hang in there. Joining a group made a big difference; pain is better shared and having a good natter (in between fighting for air) certainly helps take your mind off the trauma you're going through.

Finis Tempo Trainer

I bought this little gizmo a couple of months ago as a last ditch attempt to motivate me to get in the pool and do some training. You can set it so it beeps after so many seconds, allowing you to swim up and down whilst keeping to a certain pace. I was a convert the first time I used it as it suddenly dawned on me that regulating my erratic pace made the whole thing so much easier. Unfortunately it doesn't make you magically swim faster.. at least I didn't think it did until yesterday..

Having a Nice, Steady Stroke

I've been trying really hard recently to ignore the urge to try to swim quickly. I know the minute I try to power down that lane, all the good technique I've been learning will fly out the window. As coach Steve says, "get your technique right and the speed will come".


As a result, I've dropped my usual style of breathing every other stroke and gone exclusively bilateral; everything has slowed down and I plod up and down the lanes at a pace that allows me enough time to think about everything that has to happen to enable forward propulsion, and that is a lot of stuff.