If I were to blog today it would be naval-gazing drivel so I won't.

6th vet at the North of England champs should cheer me up but I am flat.

Crazy work life and exhausted.

To bed to hope tomorrow comes quickly.

North of England cyclo cross championship 2015

I rather fancied making this event a good one. It's like the nationals but at least 1/4 the size. I did most thing right in the week except a few late nights and too much walking with heavy shit yesterday which meant I turned up with a sore ankle.

I brave faced it and warmed up regardless... as best I could in 4 degrees C and a 16mph wind. I ended up on the start line behind someone with really bad starting stance and it translated into a rubbish start for me. Lesson learned!

I had to ride right alongside someone who was heading ever nearer to the tape and rather than getting pushed off course I leaned in while she bounced off me a few times. Ah those extra 5kgs pay off, not to mention being nearly 6ft tall.

As we rounded the 5th corner I realised I had never even ridden this awkward corner and ended up running it while everyone with me rode it.

I settled into a group with two Derwentside riders and the girl I had interlocked with earlier.  I was gutted to see my team mate, Hannah disappear into the pits mid asthma attack.  We dropped one rider after 2 laps but I continued to ride with Derwentside for the third lap.

I finally gained some ground through the hurdles and, now unhindered, took the lower line through the awkward corner, finding out just how impossibly easy it was to ride it.

I put all of my lung capacity into staying ahead and most importantly maintaining a gap so that she couldn't get on my wheel. I was half way around the course and enjoying a tail wind by the time I was satisfied I had a gap.

There was the remotest chance that if I had carried on that way for another lap or two I could have caught the next rider but alarm bells started to chime as I tasted blood on my lungs and I decided to rest up a bit for Bradford National Trophy next week. Towards the end of 3 laps to go, Amira Mellor flew past, lapping me and I then noticed Hannah Saville a couple of turns behind me.

As I assumed she had quit after her asthma attack I was mostly surprised and thought she may just have had a bike change and slipped back into the race without me knowing it. I decided I wasn't going to get lapped by my team mate and started pegging it again. For that, I am pretty grateful because I could have slacked off pending next week which could have been the wrong choice.  That said, I was relieved there were not many more laps as unclipping for the hurdles was hurting my ankle more every time and I was starting to think I would just plough into it instead.

I just stayed ahead in a weird twist, mainly associated with the effectiveness of our respective prescription drugs.

It was absolute bliss to shower at the venue. Why we don't have more of that?

We ate on the way home like we'd been to a big national event but all the same were in by 6.30. I disappeared into the loft to stretch while Andrew went to bed.

Excitement, Unconstrained

I slept in again today. After going to bed filled with work exhaustion but without the satisfied fatigue that comes from exercise I had a light sleep which was frequently interrupted by scrabbling kittens

I settled down to read my fell runner magazine.

Two hours later having gorged my breakfast I was fuelled and ready for a run.

It had been my plan to fire my legs up for tomorrow's North of England cyclo cross championship with a run. Let's face it, sitting on my arse and easy walks have not given me an answer so far so I am trying the Smithy approach.

I started heading for the Rivelin Valley but regretted it as soon as I hit the ice and cold still air lingering at the bottom of the valleys. I gave it a chance as a little boy in the playground muttered to his dad, "jogging? Really?". I said I thought his bum must have been cold on the swings. Sure enough though, I headed up the first available hill over Stannington and dropped over into the much more open Loxley valley.

Faced with a gate tied shut with unfathomable string knots I gave up on a trail run and turned for home. By the time I got to my road I had done close to 10km so I ran on up the hill a moment longer to nudge the distance over.

I headed into the loft for stretching with the kindle to research some events. There, staring me in the face was the carshare league and a quick review of the numbers made me think, "I'll do that!" One sanity check later and I decide I am not going to get any better at running if I don't do some running races. And that is how I entered my first British counter fell race.

It's silly really but feels right and has set me back on a track of better discipline, healthy food and early nights.

Goodnight.

The kind of day when you get some really important stuff done then spend the evening remembering all the other really important stuff you should have done.

Day broken today by running around after the Vanu. Really want it to come back healthy this time.

Ended up working late to stay on top of things but now I will go to bed worrying anyway because I haven't had time to shut down.

Don't feel like riding to work tomorrow but I really don't want to go anywhere near Meadow He'll with the car so few Fridays before Christmas.

A Comedic Hospital Appointment

It's odd trying to explain ironman training problems to an NHS doctor.  I don't like to brag to any old one (I am usually selective) and I'm no good. I'm just an average person who has done an Ironman in (to be honest) a pretty over-average time.

On the other hand I wanted them to understand exactly what I had been through before any alarm bells sounded and just how fucking clueless I can be about my health.

The very geeky Germanic doctor had a friend along, a kiwi (nation not bird). One was haemotology, the other anti coagulation. They were the veritable double-act with the Germanic doc trying to be professional and at the same time being reduced to giggles by the kiwi doctor who teased him for breaking the test label-printer then reverting to writing out the test cards by hand so he didn't miss anything. Finally fading, "are you sure you want all those tests doctor? We've only just cured Mrs Trep of the anaemia".

So I am to stop taking the blood thinning tablets and let my body finish off what the drugs started. Even if I have some clot left, extra treatment won't make much difference now.

They explained the pain I sometimes get in my side after a hard race and it seems little to worry about. In short it is my swollen lung rubbing against the outside of my body.

I am to keep taking my iron tablets because while my red blood cells are back up in number they are still small. This pleases me because it means I still have improvements to make and I feel that in myself. Although I am back to training, it still takes it out of me and I still struggle to get up in the morning.

I am being tested for hereditary diseases but even if they find anything right now it's doubtful that they would treat me any different except to officially make my family aware.

In s way I am fearful, that the benefits will wear off and I will be back to being me, carp as ever. At worst I am worried that the PE or DVT will return and I will miss it again but at the same time I will be free from the fear that if I do have a major crash I could die! I can race like I used to.

Bloody Fu.

It was weird going to Jessops hospital not pregnant.  Not that I've ever been there pregnant but that is mostly what Jessops hospital is for.

There's no bike parking at Jessops, I suppose only a few women cycle to Jessops... like Jo Jebb for example.

"So" said the doctor, "Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, how long do you bleed like this for??" as he shone a torch up my fufu.

My thoughts exactly.  Any guesses why I am anaemic?

He did some stuff which was quite painful and I left in a tiz.  Getting on a bike was exactly what I wanted to do to take my mind off it... and eat food once I got to work as it was 12:00.

I had an unproductive day.  I think the most productive thing was making a cup of tea... and eating my iron tablet.

I cycled home and remembered that I meant to go to the pool.  So I happily stormed through 4+4+2+4+4+2+2+4+2+4=26 x 50m lengths with some resting and rode home easy via the polo court.  It wasn't bad for a day I've been dreading since I got the appointment two months ago.