Mon morning kicked the week off just how you would expect, a swim set to die for! When I say to die for it’s not quite in the same vain as a pair of shoes or bag I would die for. Although my fins have become my new best friend in the pool and fit like a pair of Louboutins!!! The painful / to die for part of the swim was the main set of 2k, 20 x 100m’s with 5-10 secs rest holding your fastest pace throughout. Not forgetting the warm up includes a set close to 1k with pull and paddles, those not offay with paddles, just take it from me it makes your arms hurt even more than without them!
Breakfast with the crew afterwards, then some jobs then home, the next session is never too far away! Mon evening when it starts to cool so about 5pm we head out for our long run, duration is increasing each week, tonight was 1hour 20 mins on runner’s road.
The first 10 mins of the run I was really questioning if I was living the dream, it felt as though I was running on wooden pegs! I got the I pod pumping and told my legs they must get pumping too. Even after less than 10 mins Ben is just a mere dot on the horizon! (Bless him he does circle to keep a check on slow coach!!) Nearing half way of my run I felt those familiar drops, rain was on its way. There is no hiding or running from Phuket rain, its monsoon stylee. Down it came, within about 5 seconds we were drowned running rats!
Just in case I had not mentioned it before the road (Runners Rd) is not flat, on a downhill section I caught sight of Ben waving his arms in the air. It did not look as though he was waving “hello”, lost in my tunes I kept trotting! The arm waving of Ben continued, at this point I turned around to see a herd of cows, maybe bulls picking up a canter and charging across the road in the direction we were running! I did a 180 and turned around but Ben carried on running in the same direction as the charging 4 legged animals. I have never seen him pick up the pace so quickly! Fortunately the cows darted into a drive way and we were safe from this encounter.
At this point I was half way through my run, soaking wet, it was still pouring, just missed a heard of charging beasts and nature called! Let’s just say I was not just caught out by the rain that day! The off road I chose was also the destination for a truck of workers, doh!!! “Holiday” then came on my I pod which made me chuckle! We made it home just as night time was falling, do not worry parent’s team BenBen were together at this point!
So that was Monday, what could happen Tuesday, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! In a nutshell we got locked out of the flat and could not open the gate. It was 6.15am car packed for our bike / run brick session, we both thought I had the keys for the house and gate but no, they were inside having taken them off the main bunch of keys for our run Monday night. The front door slams shut as I realize the keys we require are missing! Silence, trying to break in, texting our Thai friend and so on followed for the next few mins. The Thai family who have been looking after us so well and who own the house live just a few k up the road. Ben realized he had the mum’s number, it was now 7am so “you ring, no you ring, no you” followed! I drew the short straw and had to make the, ….. “I am really sorry to ring so early but”… .call! Within about 15 mins we were back on track, spare key had arrived we got our set from my fuel running belt and we were off for our session.
Our bike ride took us up and down the hills we will be racing on in a few weeks’ time, although this session we go over them twice there and back in the race we just do it once, phew! We jumped off our bikes, trainers on and a 2km gallop as fast as you can on the track followed, easy jog to cool down then done.
You of course know the drill now food then rest. As mentioned in a previous blog Kev a mate from the UK was arriving so it was a big family dinner (and a lot of we are so sorry to have troubled you this morning from Ben and I ) at a fish restaurant on Coconut Island with Gift, her family, Kev, Ben and I. As you walk round the restaurant there are pools of fish, now you see it now you see it on your plate!!! What a fish (protein) feast!!
Wednesday is our open water swim session in the sea, well today we should have said the session is in a washing machine! I might as well have jumped in a “Bosch or Whirlpool” the waves were crashing on to the beach! We were given the choice not to swim, no one took up the offer and I confidently piped up “it might be like this on race day so good practice”. That is about where the confidence started and ended! Entering the water the boys seem to cruise through the wave’s dolphining I was one step forward two steps back as the waves kept punishing me!
Before I add anything else about the spin cycle swim session, I must mention what we witnessed on route to our swim. Most of our amusing sights have been involving mopeds and this was no different! The journey to Naithon Beach,( swim session destination) takes in the ups and downs of the course we will be cycling race day. Picture ascents and descents of 15 - 18% with a few hair pin bends thrown in for good measure. On approaching the climbs we saw 2 guys on a moped with the passenger carrying a bicycle. I squawked “checked out those nutters”, on closer inspection we realized we knew them it was Chris and Zimmer from the tri club. I did the polite and what I thought sensible thing, stop and offer to take the bike and a passenger. Fully focused on not letting the hills defeat them, Chris shouted “no thanks we are fine!” Zimmer will not mind me saying this but Chris, (the driver of the moped) did not just have your average Jo on the back he had Zimmer aka the “hulk”!!! Outside of tri training team benben sleep and drink coffee, Zimmer must be in the gym pumping iron, ladies he has muscles “Popeye” would be proud of!!! I followed cautiously behind them a safe distance in case a body and bike or bodies and bikes needed scraping off the tarmac. All credit to drives, he, the hulk and the bike made it to their destination, phew!!!!
Just a final note on the swim I made it one length, 1k of the beach before I hung myself out to dry. Pls pls pls, pretty pls no BIG waves on race day!!!
With love Team BenBen x
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