You can't always get what you want . . . . .

Sunday the 22nd of January 2012 - the Glentress short duathlon, what was I thinking......

After 8 months off training due to the dodgy knee I was hoping 2012 would see me return with a little more spring in my step. I cut out the alcohol . . . stopped eating a bus load of food and actually started to train. With 2 full weeks in the bag (you have no idea how good that feels) I decided it was time to test out the knee or lack of it. In hind sight I should have remembered the brutality of the GT duathlons, but why would I do anything sensible like that??

It all started so perfectly, I was late getting there, had no pedals on my bike, could still feel my breakfast rumbling around in my stomach and to top it all off when I ran about 100m down the road to the start line I got a stitch - doh! It was good to catch up with a lot of faces that I hadn't seen for a while and get the usual banter. As the race started it didn't take long for me to ask myself why I wasn't still lying in my bed (that's never a good sign). Running has never been my strong point so when you are unfit that feeling is multiplied by a zillion - so I was left with the feeling that I would have rather stuck needles in my eyes - it was brutal. The only positive for me to take away was that although my knee felt a bit unstable it held up.

As I launched my running shoes off, changed in to my bike shoes and put on my helmet I instantly felt more at home. Don't get me wrong my legs were knackered but I just felt so much better. It all started off pretty well, I got into a nice rhythm and manged to pick off a few riders on the ups and downs. As I was passing one weapon on the last section of the descent he managed to quite spectacularly wipe me out . . . . of course the only place I was going to land was on the knee. I jumped back up got on the bike and could instantly feel it- oh oh! I was pretty worried to be honest and instantly thought the worst. After finishing I got home pretty quick - got ice on it and tried to rest it as much as possible.

Today its much better - yeah its had an impact, is swollen and is bruised, but its still in one piece. So although my fitness may have left me, I feel pretty content with the knowledge that I will be able to ride my bike this week. For now that's all I need . . .

So as the rolling stones say . . . . if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need!

See you on the trails

Les