I've moved!

I have decided to move my blogspot in order to expand on the things I can write about and post on the website. Each blog here has been receiving about 500 views so I feel its time for the next step! You can find me now at http://katiejsynge.weebly.com/ with all the blogs I have written since New Year 2013. The rest will remain here until I have had a chance to transfer them. You can also keep up to date with me via my twitter @KatieJSynge.

Katie X
http://katiejsynge.weebly.com/

It just got uglier...

Following my blog post from race day two days ago titled "The good, the bad and the ugly", I thought my cut and blistered feet were as ugly as it got. Until Tuesday, on Tuesday it got a whole lot uglier. I crashed on the A4 from Bath to Bristol, loosing grip of both handlebars after hitting something in the road, I flew straight over the handlebars landing on my head before my bike came over the top of me smashing down on the road.

Road rash down my entire left side. 

Members of the public stopped at helped, covered me in a blanket and calling an ambulance while I led where I had fallen on the road, unable to open my eyes from the searing pain that was rushing through my head. The paramedic arrived and after prodding my neck decided I needed a brace and board - so called an ambulance to take me to the BRI Hospital in Bristol (and police traffic control due to the traffic I was holding up from being selfishly sprawled across both lanes of traffic trying to get into Bristol). 

Mum and Dad arrived at the hospital soon after the ambulance brought me in and after checking on the bike (!) came to see me. After X-rays on my neck and pelvis (my hip was causing a lot of pain - later found it was raw and spread road rash) I was discharged from hospital and headed home with no more than a headache, bruising, cuts, torn clothes (warggh my Castelli! ) a sorry looking two week old bike and a destroyed helmet. 

The doctors couldn't believe I came off as lightly as I did from the fall. It seems my helmet took the full impact of my fall. It scares me to think the state I would be in right now if I had not been wearing one. I, as I know many others do, will frequently pop to the shop down the road, or pedal to a friends house with as little as a bobble hat on. Why do we make the effort to put a helmet on for long training rides or races and not these little commutes that in our minds seem insignificant?

Helmets may not be the outfit-topping accessory but it may well be the thing that saves your life.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

For me personally, this was a very mixed race of positives and negatives despite having posted my first DNF in my elite career of Pentathlon and Triathlon combined. The conditions were perfect, sunshine (even had a cheeky tan when I got in the pool this morning!) but cool temperatures with as ever at Castle Coombe race the circuit – the wind picked up with every lap.

Men and women all set off at 10.30am, three and a half laps of the track would complete the first run leg of 10km, before we entered T1 to grab our bikes and set out on the 40km 13 lap bike course. I led the first 5km of the run feeling strong and together before realising my fatal error. I wasn’t wearing socks.  The trainers I was wearing I knew gave me blisters without, the last race (London) of the 2012 season they had torn my feet apart over the 10km run but as it was the last race of the year and I was about to take two weeks off  – I had pushed through.  Once I hit 5km I could feel my feet falling apart, the arches of my feet were sore and I could feel blood on my heels  so I began running on the outside of my feet – needless to say not the most efficient nor stylish running technique.  I pushed hard, determined to reach my bike and give the 40km a stab. Two girls overtook me which was frustrating, as my feet would simply not let me run despite my form feeling fantastic.

I posted a 38.44 for the 10km which considering the issue was average. I am adamant I could have run a mid 37 without this problem. I had felt fantastic when we started.  I entered T1 in third, left in second and within the first two laps of the bike had retrieved my lead which I held for the 40km putting just over two minutes into the girls behind me. I entered T2 and tried to put my trainers back on, thirty seconds later when I exited I ran 50m and stopped, pulled my orthotics out and carried them, ran another 50m before realising how stupid I was being. This was a minor race for me, categorised as a competitive training session. The season hadn't even started and I knew I would already be taking best part of a week off to let my feet heal; I didn't want it to be more than that. I retired and hobbled back to transition trainers in hand, feeling frustrated and upset.  

Another new change for me was the new bike, I have moved from a 48cm to a 51cm and although today I was riding my training bike (f85) as the new one (f4) hasn't arrived, it felt noticeably more comfortable and the power return seemed a little more on my side. I was therefore very happy to post the fastest female lap of the race in 5:09!

I was racing for the The Triathlon Shop – Bristol today, who had a mixed day of results! Owner and director Jon Burrage is preparing for Majorca 70.3 currently so this duathlon was a good warm up distance wise. After a good 10km, he retired during the 40km due to an injured hamstring. Get well soon boss! Matt Fisher had a great day finishing 2^nd in his category, our relay team combination of Rich Shirley (bike) and Jules Richards (run) took the win in a time of 2:01, Chris Newman decided to join me 7 laps into the bike (better late than never) before going on to finish 13^th overall.  A great team effort all round, as always. Even better perhaps was the support team on the side who kept us all going through the laps…you know who you are!

Dad also had a great race, after celebrating his 50^th birthday the day before (this involved a four hour hike in the Brecon Beacons) he experienced his mid-life crises the eve of the race when he found out he was now classified as a supervet, but beat  his target of sub 2hr45 by 5 minutes and 7 seconds!

Last five weeks of solid training to finish the winter ‘stint’ now before race reason gets underway. Next race is BUCS sprint Championships in Calne, Wiltshire. Between now and then you can keep up to date with my training and news via my twitter feed @katiejsynge. xxx