#Metal2Medal: July – Final Update

The Belron Triathlon takes place this Saturday and am I ready for it? I have no idea to be honest!

Over the past almost two weeks I’ve kept at my training and even attempted my first outdoor, open water swim. During the summer months, the Tri Centre in Edinburgh takes a bunch of gear out to the Threipmuir Reservoir where swimmers join in (free wetsuits provided) to swim the course, chat and eat some burgers (<– if I had known that earlier I would have gone more often!)

What I wasn’t anticipating, this being my first experience of this, was the fact that open water swimming means you’re technically swimming blind. When your head is in the water, you can see absolutely nothing.

Add this to the temperatures of the water in the Pentlands, well, needless to say, I went into a bit of a shock! But I shook it off and completed the course. This was also my first swim in a wetsuit – which is actually not too bad.

Learnings from this experience that I will take with me to the event this Saturday (and with some kind advice from Ex-Triathlon Champ Liv Williams (@iLivExtreme) are:

• Don’t forget to kick
• Look for 3 strokes for every 10
• Breath!
• Scoop water in in you suit as you leave the water (to enable quicker removal for handover to cyclist)
• I can swim the distance

See the last of my triathlon training workouts below:

Current weight (22nd July 2011): 9 Stone

10 July 2011
Bike L8
30 mins
9.5km
200cal
#4: 20×50

Notes: no food; inhaler

11 July 3011
Swim
750m 13.5mins
100m cool down

16 July 2011
Swim
750m 14mins

19 July 2011
Bike
Level 7 & 8
30 mins
12.15 km
239 cal
#4: 30 x 75 quick glutes
30 x 20 calves
#17: 5 3x10ea
#19: 4 3x10ea
#6: 10, 10, 10 x10

23 July 2011
850 meter swim – not timed

25 July 20ll
900 metre swim – last 100 sprint
~19 minutes

Possibly one more swim on Thursday…. we shall see.

*Notes for Gym workouts – machine definitions:
Upper:
#20 – lat pulldown (lays & biceps)
#23 – chest press (shoulders, pecks & triceps)
#14 – abs
#19: Seated Row (lats – upper & lower, biceps & shoulders)
#6: lower back: settings #2 on both

Lower:
#18: squat (glutes & hamstrings)
#22: seated leg curl (hamstrings)
#21: seated leg extension (quads)
#4: Lying down squat machine (glutes, Hamstrings, Quads)