Season over for Kate

Well on the injury front things have improved slightly, although not as much as I’d like. My knee is still irritable and I’ve had to make the decision to pull out of all the remaining races of the season. After a long winter of training it was really disappointing. But in the end I didn’t have much of a choice. My knee just wouldn’t take any training load and I was fighting a losing battle.

Despite the setback, the break has given me a chance to reflect on the season (or lack of!). Firstly, I need to train smarter. My first year in triathlon produced some good results on very little training volume. I should’ve increased my training load more gradually and just stuck to quality sessions.

Bill Black has been great at setting up all four Academy members with programmes that are full of quality sessions and I plan to follow this structure once my injury clears.

Secondly, I need to get better at organising my nutrition. I’m guilty (as I’m sure a lot of people who work long hours are) of a lack of quality dinners at the end of my workday and training. This must contribute in some way to poor tissue healing and stress reactions. Perhaps a cooking course over winter will help me with this!

Finally, I’ve resolved that when I do get back to racing I’m going to work harder and race with more determination than ever. Time off racing has given me a new drive to get back out there and I already can’t wait for next season!

With enthusiastic optimism I’ve booked myself into some races for next year already – the London Marathon, Ironman Austria 70.3 and, of course, I’ll be back to have another crack at Blenheim and the London Triathlon. In the meantime I’ll have to be content cheering Caspar, Paul and Flo from the sidelines, I know they’ve been working hard and I’m looking forward to seeing them put it all on the line.