I could not contain my excitement at the prospect of the Iron Man Triathlon study, run by my favourite lecturer, Justin. I've always been the kind of person that likes a challenge, I mean, I've been competing in numerous sports since I was 6.... 6! It all started with gymnastics, a slight form of ADD and a higher responsiveness to sugar (that the doctors said would pass by age 10, yet here I am on a constant sugar high all day every day), led my mother to ship me off to gymnastics, initially just to let me "wear myself out". Two years down the line, and I was competing for the country. Only in UK competitions, but still, to think I represented my country... it's always been a bragging point. Anyway, I'm being side tracked by my own train of thought.
Next came swimming, then athletics, then I found my new love, tennis. Being short, short-tempered, and (from gymnastics) having this relentless mental and physical toughness, put me in a strange position. I wasn't, and never have been, the best of players, but I've always managed to get the job done. It's not like I can't win free points off of the serve, hit through the court off both wings, come forwards etc... but generally, my go to play has always been percentage groundstrokes, with a bit of pace, cross-court over and over and over until my opponent has nothing left in his legs. I can run all day if I have to, and everyone I play knows it from the first point.
In a lecture, Justin states his plans of a mass study. He wants to take physically active people, but not those who compete in long distance events, and provide a training program - designed to get us ready to participate in next years Barcelona Iron Man Triathlon. Buzzing would not quite cover my excitement. Maybe I'm one of the odd few for this, but the thought of a 2.5 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle and a marathon, all in a 15 hour window, releases adrenalin like no tomorrow. I already know I'm mentally tough enough. That's what the torturous training of gymnastics does for you, as does tennis. Nothing can beat you, you simply won't stop. I'm a pretty good swimmer, but growth plate injuries and ongoing trouble in my knees and back have prevented me from being a top runner or cyclist. I don't have the muscle fibers or lung capacity to be a top performer in any of the 3, but I know I am fit enough to take part, and fit enough to finish in time. I looked at the first training program, a 3 month block of high volume, low intensity exercise. I can deal with that, not quite the dynamic, explosive interval performance I know and love, but I can handle the program... or can I?
I've always been injury prone since the gym days, and my sports choices haven't aided this. Over the last 2 years, I've competed in less than 15 singles matches, and less than 10 doubles matches. The reason? Injury. It's a barbaric thought to me, being side-lined. Not being able to run and burn off steam. The way my body responds to sugar, is like... perpetual motion, or like a wind up toy. I never stop, I can't stop! When I'm forced to stop, the pressure just builds, and builds. The screws get tighter and tighter and I just need to release! I think that's the reason why I didn't get three A's at A-level. Back injections among other things left me incapacitated for over 2 months, leaving me unable to jog up the stairs for three weeks. That was hell, and it was so close to exams. Imagine you've given a 5 year old a fridge full of sugar, whilst proceeding to try and get them to sit and read a book. It's not happening. I was the same, I couldn't focus, I couldn't release. I was grouchy. I was despondent. Three A's, that was my predicted outcome at college. I scraped three B's. Even by exam time I still wasn't fully fit. I don't think my leg stopped shaking in my Politics exam, just the sound of the continuous scratching of pencils was sending my mind into a hibernating cocoon. But... I digress.
I need the injections again, along with some other things. The supposed date, November.... didn't happen. Then, right next to exams, NOOO!!!! Now, it's looking more like right on the eve of my training start date. I can't commit, I don't know how long it will take to heal. The atrophy I'll suffer as a result of being (for me) in a vegetative state for up to two months, will be unrecoverable in time. I can't afford to pay the entrance fee and buy a bike if I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to train and commit fully. The thoughts of these recurring troubles is leaving me restless, and I'm suffering in class through it already. Revision? HA! Forget about it! Still, a 1sts on my assignment cheered me up a little.
CK
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