Each year it is around February when things really feel like they are starting to take off towards the impending triathlon season. Despite this, I enjoyed a relatively slow start to the month, continuing with strong swim and bike training, and beginning to build back to full run training after a couple of months of dealing with a niggling injury. The second half of February had much more in store for me, however.
Training Camp - Monte Gordo
I was lucky enough to be able to spend 10 days training with the South East and North West triathlon academies in a small town on the Algarve. Despite not being all too well known, Monte Gordo is often used as a regular training base for top triathletes such as Vincent Luis, which serves as a testament to the excellent environment for training we enjoyed. Most days consisted solely of time spent on the bike in the sun (a very welcome change), swim sessions in the pool or the deceptively cold sea, and runs on the beautiful trails right on our doorstep. Despite the majority of the time spent training, the great group of people made it a very enjoyable experience as well as a hugely productive one in building towards the start of the 2019 season.
Perhaps a little less welcome, however, was the intense week of mock exams directly following the training camp in preparation for my A-Level exams in summer. Ideally after a training camp, the next day should be relaxed and focused on mental and physical recovery. Unfortunately I spent nearly 5 hours in the exam hall the next morning, which, after getting back very late the night before, meant I spent only a small amount more time in my bed than in an exam. The rest of the week continued to challenge and stretch me, emotionally as well as mentally. Despite being very hard and unpleasant, this well serve as excellent preparation for the summer, where I will be balancing racing and exams. In light of this, February has undeniably been a very productive month, despite not racing once, with a lot of lessons learnt and gains made in lots of the right places, making the start of the season at the end of March all the more exciting for me.