2015 - spring has sprung...

It seems like yesterday that i was writing the same thing - spring has arrived !! Strange how the year seems to have past by quickly, although i must admit that when i was coming down the Col du Tourmalet in July it felt like a year itself, and the marathon at IM Barcelona felt like an eternity...Einstein has an explanation i'm sure.

But anyway, it's that time of year again - the birds have started waking us up as early as 6 again with their singing...the flowers have begum to bloom, a little later than last year, but the color is as refreshing a sight....the air is slightly  less chilly, and the sun hangs around a bit longer at the end of the day. Yes, it's springtime.

Yesterday i treated the Boardman Air 9.8 to a spin with the Aero 60 wheels for the first  time since October. The whipping wind blew me all over the place at times but gave me a real buzz and a real update on where a i am fitness-wise.
Winter hasn't treated me kindly - niggling injuries every few weeks have halted my running, although cycling and swimming have come along nicely.
With the swim i have spent the winter months working solely on technique, which has led to many hours spent slowly moving from one end of the pool to the other, with one arm, with arms under water, with a float, not moving at all and just repeating the gestures... It is slow and painful but I am finally feeling some progress in position and slide as i now know where my hands and arms need to go and move if i am to advance efficiently and smoothly. I never learned how to swim - i remember going to the pool as a seven year-old with my brother, i was pushed in and i swam. Simple as that. I think i've just been swimming in the same way ever since - as a reaction, so i don't sink and drown. But now i'm learning. One day i am determined to be able to say, "i can swim," rather than, "i know how to swim". Yes, as the Ironman slogan boldly states :anything is possible - or : You can teach an old dog new tricks!

For the bike, well a lot road has passed under the wheels, i was happy to be out on both December 25 and January 1 in the freezing cold, with the ice and the wind wearing my red Rapha rain jacket which allows no cold air or humidity inside. No holidays for me there....So i've managed to maintain a good level of form... I only wish i could say the same for my running !

I have no idea why my calfs constantly plague me. I've tried stretching, massaging - i even bought a foam roller to help recovery and preparation. Nothing doing. I am now trying strengthening the calfs and legs and back by using an elliptical machine - not the most interesting way to spend an hour, but at least i'm moving and hope to be back on the track very soon.
I will need to because coming up very soon - May 17 - Long Distance triathlon in Compiègne, followed by the cycling trip Genève to Nice, put off a few years ago, but now very much a reality, before taking on the toughest of all the cyclosportifs - La Marmotte.

No Ironman this year - i'm saving that for 2016. You have to wait for desert, so they say.