Thursday 18 October 2012

It's not about P!nk



I've been gently reminded by a kind friend that I haven't posted here in a while. He's quite right. So where have I been all this time? 

I've been pursuing my own Olympic ideals, bumping up my triathlon training in anticipation of competing and actually getting to the finishing line for the Noosa triathlon in just a few weeks. And on from that aiming at qualifying for the world championships next year in London. People who know me well would be surprised to note that this training has included some regular pre-work cycling training through the absolutely serene Royal National Park. The surprise being in the early morning starts rather than the course of the ride. Mind you I'm not elite and not anticipating competing in Rio, but I am loving the feeling of getting faster on my feet and on the bike and aiming for a competitive result. Last year in Noosa I had trained well, and was in form until a few days prior to the race when a mild cold set off a chain of events that ended in me taking an Ambulance past the finish line, and on to 4 litres of IV fluids in Emergency. A fun experience on its own but not one I'd like to repeat. And so any patient arriving in my surgery with a cold or flu at the moment is finding me a little more distant (physically) and rapid than I'd normally be. I'm taking no prisoners. 

Similarly over the past year I've been sporting varying amounts of facial hair, and today experienced an unexpectedly cold face as I shaved it all off, matching my newly slick short haircut. I have to keep cool, keep hydrated and keep fast. I even took the opportunity in Samoa on holidays recently to run in the heat and humidity to improve my climactic conditioning. I have monitors checking my running speed, heart rate, run and cycle cadence... Obsessed? Almost. 
Jumping out of my skin? Totally. Loving it.