I was up at 4:30am today. It was a lot dark, a lot wet and a little cold. It didn’t feel so bad the past two nights have seen me up at 5:00am and this time I managed a good nights sleep. I switched off the computer earlier, had a read and then went to bed a lot earlier than usual. Since I’ve woke I’ve had breakfast, browsed the internet then taken an hours nap! So why did I bother? All part of my race prep plan. For the next week I’ll be getting up around 4:00am so come race day they’ll be no shock to the system. Ideally I would have liked to have set off on a run at 6:30 to give myself the full race day experience, but it was pissing it down and I didn’t fancy it! I may not get that choice on Sunday.
It’s all very close now. I’m getting those little moments of nerves fortunately brief and easily dismissed. Concerns pop into my mind from time to time during training. As I swam yesterday afternoon I started to wonder if I felt fresh enough. Have I rested enough? How did I feel at this point prior to Busselton? I’ve got so used to feeling fatigued I’m not sure how feeling rested really feels! I continued through my swim until there was a twinge hinting at a cramp when I pushed off the wall. I decided better to end the swim early (only 500m short) than have a cramp at this point. I downed some Gatorade on the way home too – my electrolytes were clearly off.
My left ankle is stiff too! In fact it clicks when I rotate it which hasn’t happened for a while. It hasn’t posed a problem though and according to my masseur it’s the right leg that’s really tight. For some reason I always feel more pain, tightness and discomfort in my leg left, but the right is more likely to be in the worse state. Too much compensation from the left side I guess. What can be done now though? Nothing so I just get on with what little training I have to do.
I’ve three days left here on the Coast before I drive South. I’m a little disappointed that it looks like cloud and rain will dominate that. Can’t really complain when the last couple of weeks have thrown so many sunny days my way. In these last few days I only really have 6 hours of training to do. I plan my days around this and fitting in trips to my favourite coffee shops. This morning after I post this I head off for a swim then breakfast at Barchino on the way back. A run midday and I’ll try and fit in a trip to Vintage Espresso for the best coffee on the Coast. It’s hard to tell whether the training or the coffee is more important!
There’s been a sense of finality to each training session the past week or two. With time and distance increasingly limited I was aware I wouldn’t be visiting these places again. I’m not sure if I came to appreciate them anymore, but at the least I enjoyed them. On my Sunday ride, the last long ride before the race, a mate commented how it’s good I get to change things every so often. I’m avoiding some of the boredom and staleness that comes with familiarity. I can honestly say when I left the UK I was sick of some of my local rides! Funnily I feel the same thing about some of the rides round here now. Doesn’t matter how warm and sunny a place might be there’s only so many times you find excitement riding down a road.
A race in 6 days, home in 10. The time has gone so quickly. Take another 6 months though and I’ll be back here, probably on the Coast again and probably excited to get back on the roads here. Sunday I get to see what 6 months of work has done. I’m excited, I think (hope) it could be good. When the doubts not there I believe I can perform my best yet. Then I think about things to come and wonder if 6 months gets me here where does the next 6 months take me?