swimming
Make mine a half - my debut half ironman race
At 7.35am yesterday morning, I waded into a lake on the outskirts of Ashford, Kent, to embark on my first ever half ironman distance triathlon, The Owler. Five hours, 58 minutes, 9 energy gels, 2 litres of sports drink and 70.3 miles later, I crossed the finish line, exhausted in a way I’ve only previously […]
Different stroke
I have had a lot of input into my swimming stroke over the last few years - I’ve improved my body position, my timing, my catch and recovery to the extent that I often get compliments on how graceful my stroke is. The only trouble is, it isn’t very fast. Even after more than two years […]
Measuring up: the allure of time trials
I arrived at the pool feeling a little uninspired this morning. I did my 20-lap warm-up, threw in a few drills and found myself gazing (already!) at the clock. It was exactly 8.30am and I had a lane to myself. I know, I thought: I’ll do a time trial! My old triathlon club, East London Triathletes, […]
The swim fast plan
I know how to swim. I mean, I can do the Olympic triathlon distance (1500m) in a lake or in the sea, and I regularly thrash out 50-70 lengths. But annoyingly, I can’t seem to get any faster. In fact, my husband, who swims approximately three times a year, has a habit of donning his […]
Back on the start line
Sunday saw my first race in more than six months - the inaugural Sussex Triathlon at the stunning Ashburnham Place, near Battle. I took on the Sprint Distance, thinking to myself ‘how hard can it be to do a 5km after a quick swim and bike ride?’ But let me tell you, it was pretty […]