Sunday 17 April 2011

Always need your Mum when you’re sick.

When I got back to Uni after Spain I was still feeling incredibly sick, I managed to get all my work sorted (just about), and immediately booked flights home.

All I wanted was my mummy, (ahh how soppy) but it’s true I felt so bad I just needed to be able to recover and get everything done for me. So that was the plan; home to recover with tonnes of TLC and plenty of good home cooked meals to build me back up to be ready for the start of the season.

The season is fast approaching with British Universities on the 1st May (my 1st race), the only problem being I still don’t have a new bike for this season; I am currently on a heavy aluminium bike which isn’t really doing me any favours. As I had said previously a Sponsor pulled out on me only a few weeks ago, so I used this opportunity at home to look around bike shops. It is starting to look likely that I will now have to try and scrape money together to buy a bike, but if anyone would like to sponsor me please do not hesitate to contact me on russellwhitetriathlete@yahoo.co.uk it would be much appreciated and a real help for the up and coming season.



Saturday 16 April 2011

2nd time in Spain and it is only April.


Back in Spain for 2 weeks with the Scottish Triathlon Squad, this time starting off in Benidorm. It wasn’t exactly ideal being situated in the centre of Benidorm due to the fact that it took 20mins to get out onto quiet roads on every cycle BUT once out it was cycling heaven!

The cycling in the hills behind Benidorm was amazing; climbs that went on forever with endless switch backs all ending with tiny villages and cafes at the top. If the people that lived here commuted to work on bikes they would be extremely strong.

It was always great to be rewarded for the effort put in on the climbs by being able to descend the other side; the fast technical descending was more than able to satisfy out need for speed.

With some solid days of hard cycling in our legs we travelled back to Alicante airport to pick up a group of younger Scottish triathletes and headed on round the coast to triathlon training Mecca that is Aguilas.

I love Aguilas it is my favourite place to train and I was hoping this 2nd week would be no different. This time staying in the famous Don Juan for the first time. This week was focused on swim-bike-run reps with a more specific focus on the technical side and especially transitions so that we can subconsciously do it when it comes to racing.

I was even running out of transition which was a good boost, my leg is now healed and I have started to get it used to absorbing a bit of shock before starting running on it again but it is now all clicking into place and I am now getting very excited for the fast approaching season.

By the end of the two weeks I was feeling that I was going to be carrying real good form into a solid block of training back at home. Unfortuanately that wasn’t to be as I managed to get food poisoning the day before I left which has left me zapped for a whole week I contracted ‘Campylobacter’ it is believed that I picked it up at the buffet at the Don Juan as I didn’t eat anywhere else.

A busy week at Uni welcomed me back with assignments that needed handed in, work to be caught up along with revising for a mid-term class exam. Oh the joys of being a full time Triathlete and Student!!