Summer’s here, and for us in medical education it’s a surprisingly busy time. The academic year is too long, and the gap in between is too short to run all the re-sit exam papers, prepare properly for the next year and take a holiday. I managed a week away in Pembrokeshire last week with lots of steep hill training, which seems to have dulled my legs this week but was a good period of strengthening and whatnot. It’s always nice to train somewhere different and I spent a fair bit of time in the sea with the kids, and seeing how my stroke changes transfer to open water (very well, and I see/feel the advantages now). I rode and ran on parts of the Ironman Wales course. I know the course pretty well, but every time I get back on those roads I fancy that race less and less. What a tough bugger it must be.
It has been almost 3 weeks since my last race, and that’s about the biggest gap in the race season. Do us age groupers race too much? There are so many to do. On Saturday morning we have the local Gower triathlon in Port Eynon, which is always fun. I think it was the last race I did last year before breaking my clavicle. It’s a quick 750m swim in a usually sheltered bay with jellyfish followed by a steep climb on the bike up to the main Gower roads and a blast over Cefn Bryn, round and back. The run is a couple of laps on the beach, boardwalk, grassy paths in the sand dunes and potholed tarmac. It’s usually fast and frantic. And early. Very early. Gareth’s been working on my legs so we’ll see if they freshen up a little for Saturday. I’ve still got a bit of work to do before our club championships at Tuska and then the Worlds in London.
I’m getting tired. Worn out. Sore mentally as much as physically. I think it’s normal at this point in the year after a long period of preparation, hope, racing and results. Is it just me? Is anyone else feeling like this? Swim changes are slow to implement and develop. I’m waiting for muscles to strengthen and become fitter. Run mileage is high but the effects of this are weeks and months away. It’s wearing. Four more triathlons and then a bunch of run races and other things for fun. I enjoy the summer but I look forward to the autumn when I can ease off a bit, sleep in and fatten up. I think a big part of my love of that time of year is from years of seasonal training and preparation in different sports. It’s a season of change. Sometimes the promise is better than the getting, and autumn is a period to begin looking towards the next season. Anticipation.