The three most important decisions of our lives may be what to eat—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

One of the reasons for doing the Ironman 70.3 this year was because I wanted to put more focus on my health as I turned 40. Of course, there’s more to health than exercise and I have also had several health issues that cannot be resolved through exercise alone. For the last ten years or so, I have been suffering from chronic gut inflammation after meals, with no clear pattern, and no diagnosis despite having had multiple medical consultations and endoscopes, resulting in a recommendation to do my own experimentation with food to establish the causal factors.  I’ve also had psoriasis (an auto-immune disease resulting in inflammation of the skin), for just about my whole life, again, without any clear treatment path from the doctors I attended, aside from another recommendation to experiment with food.  And of course, more recently, I had Morton’s Neuroma in my foot, which is yet another case of inflammation (in this case a nerve), which I had resolved through surgery.

With all of this inflammation getting increasingly worse, all signs pointed to nutrition as an treatment avenue. However, while I’ve always been very interested in food and its ability to fuel my body, beyond knowing that fruit, vegetables and water are generally good for us, and that tumeric has anti-inflammatory properties, I really had no idea what each food did for my health. Nor did my doctors, it seemed. So during a period of injury when I had more time to read, I got stuck into researching nutrition and began experimenting with my food.

The Research
My approach to research is to search out the evidence - i.e. the current peer-reviewed medical literature (not a Times Magazine article), and even then, it really needs to be a body of evidence rather than a single article before I take any heed. So I have spent the last 6 months or so reading reams of eye-opening information, that came flooding towards me in quite a short timeframe, spanning much more than inflammation, and forcing me to make some big decisions on what to do about it. I’ve read about the blue zones a lot in recently years - those small populations across the world renowned for health and longevity, attributed to a plant-based diet among other things, such as exercise/activity and community. However, I never planned to adopt a plant-based diet myself…I loved my food and figured that a plant-based diet would be the most boring way to eat ever. But the more evidence I read, the more ready I was to explore this as a lifestyle. And I happily found out that eating plant-based can be a much more flavoursome and interesting way of eating and exploring with new foods than the standard meat and two veg!

So here’s the short summary of what I learned…I'll follow up with more posts on specific foods and their impacts.

Note: For any other skeptics out there, I have included references at the end of the post. You’ll also see links throughout the text to a not-for-profit organisation, nutritionfacts.org run by Dr. Michael Greger MD - each link brings you to a presentation of the science on the topic in short, easy to watch videos, without any of the commercially-driven views you might see in the media. Dr. Greger also shows the medical references in the videos and lists them in the transcripts for each of his videos. They're well worth a watch.

Why should I care about Nutrition? Does it really matter what we eat?
As it turns out, we have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity. The majority of premature death and disability is preventable, with a healthy enough diet. According to the most rigorous analysis of risk factors ever published—the Global Burden of Disease Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—the number one cause of death in the United States, and the number one cause of disability, is diet, ahead of tobacco smoking which is no. 2.

Taking responsibility for our health
If what we eat is the number one determinant of how long we live, whether we’ll die prematurely, whether or not we become disabled, you would expect nutrition to be the number one thing taught in medical school, and the number one thing GPs talk to patients about at every visit.  But most doctors are not taught about the impact healthy nutrition can have on the course of illness, and so, it doesn’t become a part of how they treat patients. It’s also not time-efficient for GPs to spend time counselling patients on how to eat, nor does it benefit the pharmaceutical companies who invest a lot of time and money into ensuring their drugs are prescribed.

It is likely that this system will change, just as it changed from saying tobacco was healthy to warning of its risks to health. However, that took over 30 years to happen and so, I feel that we should take personal responsibility for our own health, for our family’s health. We can’t wait until society catches up to the science, because it’s literally a matter of life and death.

A few years ago, Dr. Kim Williams became President of the American College of Cardiology. He was asked, in an interview, why he follows his own advice to eat a plant-based diet. “I don’t mind dying,” Dr. Williams replied, “I just don’t want it to be my [own] fault.”

So, the three most important decisions of our lives may be what to eat—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

So what is the optimum nutrition?
There’s only one diet that’s ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients—a diet centered around whole plant foods. In fact, if that’s all a plant-based diet could do—reverse the number one killer of men and women, that would be enough to convince me to adopt it. But there’s more…

A plant-based diet may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, certain forms of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, Crohn’s disease, gallstones, kidney stones, diverticulosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and vaginal infections.

Additionally, plant-based eating may have a beneficial effect on abdominal fat, acne, aging, allergies, asthma, body odor, cellulite, childhood IQ, cognition, dysmenorrhea, eczema, gut flora, fibromyalgia, kidney stones, metabolic syndrome, menstrual breast pain, mood, multiple sclerosis, oral health, rheumatoid arthritis, waist circumference and weight control. Even just small steps toward eating more fruit and vegetables may lengthen lifespan.

Eating meat and other animal products (e.g. dairy and eggs) has be associated with a shortened lifespans. Potential mechanisms for the relationship between certain animal products and disease include the saturated fat, trans fats, arachidonic acid, and heme iron. Meat, fish, dairy and eggs may also increase our exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, industrial pollutants including mercury and other toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, advanced glycation end-products (AGE), xenoestrogens in fish and estrogenic carcinogens that are formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures.

But what about nutrient deficiencies?
Contrary to popular myth, most vegans get more than enough protein. In one study, within a matter of weeks, participants placed on a plant-based diet experienced improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels, insulin resistance and C-reactive protein levels (a measure of inflammation).

Ironically, vegans may consume more nutrients than average omnivores while maintaining a lower body weight. Those eating plant-based diets appear to experience enhanced athletic recovery without affecting the benefits of exercise. The arteries of vegans appear healthier than even long-distance endurance athletes and those on low-carb diets.

There are two vitamins, however, that are not made by plants: vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin created by animals—such as ourselves when we are exposed to adequate sun exposure, and vitamin B12, which is made by microbes and can be consumed via supplement or yeast flakes. 

The Food
It wasn't an overnight switch. I started by crowding out the meat on my plate with veg and increasing the amount of fruit and veg juices I consumed, rather than cutting anything out. I noticed a massive and immediate increase in energy and mental clarity - I meant literally within a few days.

Eventually, I did cut out the meat, and realised that it really hadn't agreed with me at all, I always felt tired after eating a big meat dish, and would invariably be first to bed after a meaty meal with friends/family. My system was struggling to digest it.

However, even without the meat in my diet, I still had significant episodes of gut infammation after eating, so much so that I would be doubled over in pain. I then cut out dairy and have not had one episode since.

Later, I went on to cut out eggs and fish, not because they made me feel bad but because of the research that points to them being a causal factor of the most common chronic diseases.

When we talk about a plant-based or vegan diet we tend to focus on what we cut out, but the fun part for me was really more about what I introduced - we now have the most colourful, spicy, tasty dishes in our house at mealtimes, and we still have lots of treats but they're home-made free of refined sugar and dairy and are just delicious. I could never go back to boring old meat and two veg. I will post some recipes and photos later. Meanwhile, you can quickly find some great dishes in the Happy Pear books, or on the Deliciously Ella website, or other sites listed below.
 
All in all, I've never felt stronger, more energised or fitter in my life. I need all the energy I can get to maange the fulltime job, travel, two kids, a healthy relationship with my husband, keep up with family & friends and training....

Long may it last and I appreciate every day of it :-).



References

Not-for-Profit Organizations, Medical Experts on Nutrition, Nutritional Scientists, Epidemiologists

•  Pubmed
•  American Heart Association 
• American Medical Association 
• American College of Cardiology
•  NutritonFacts.org  on YouTube 
•  Nutritionstudies.org  
•  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM): Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube 
•  WHO: http://www.who.int/en/  
•  BreastCancer.org: Study Suggests Full-Fat Dairy Products May Be Linked to Worse Survival 
•  Pritikin Institute: pritikin.com  
•  McDougall's Health and Medical Centre 
•  Neal Barnard MD: Facebook | Twitter  
•  Dean Ornish MD
•  Garth Davis MD 
•  Robyn Chutkan MD
•  T. Colin Campbell

Books:

• The China Study - the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted - http://nutritionstudies.org/the-china-study/
• How Not to Die: Discover The Foods Scientifically Proven To prevent And Reverse Disease, by Michael Greger, MD
• Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America’s Low Carb Craze, by Michael Greger, MD
• The Microbiome Solution: A Radical New Way To Heal Your Body From The Inside Out, by Robynne Chutkan, M.D.
• Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure, by Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.
• Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession With Meat Is Killing Us And What We Can Do About It, by Garth Davis, MD
• The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy* by Neal Barnard, MD
• Gutbliss - Dr. Robyn Chutkan

Documentaries:

•  ForksOverKnives
•  What The Health
•  Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Podcasts:

• An interview with Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• An interview with Neal Barnard - How to Prevent & Reverse Disease
• Neal Barnard M.D. - Why You Need to Ditch Dairy
• Robyn Chutkan M.D. - Live Dirty, Eat Clean - The Microbiome
• Michael Greger M.D. - How Not to Die 
• Garth Davis M.D. - Our Misplaced Obsession with Protein

Articles:

• Global Burden of Disease Study: http://www.who.int/topics/global_burden_of_disease/en/
• TheLancet: Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse Coronary Heart Disease? by Dean Ornish, M.D.The Power of Food for Health: Food For Life

Courses:
Plant-based Nutrition Certification

Recipes: 
The Happy Pear
The Plant-Powered Way
Lighter
Deliciously Ella

 

“True self discovery begins where your comfort zone ends” - Adam Braun

Fast forward a few months from my last post (writing has not made it to the top of the priority list recently), and here I am on a plane to Copenhagen, about to test my body’s limits in my first ironman 70.3. Yesterday, my neighbour asked me why I was doing this to myself - she thinks it’s crazy or somehow not healthy. For me, there are several motivations...

Firstly, I firmly believe that in order to grow, you absolutely need to get out of your comfort zone. And I want to grow, I want to grow and learn and make the most of this very short life that I have.

Secondly, there’s something meditative about doing physically demanding tasks. It forces me to forget about work, about the various other stresses in life, and to live in the present moment. That benefits my mental state and consequently, everyone else in my life.

Thirdly, I feel a duty to my husband, to my kids and myself to take responsibility for my health - everything I do these days (outside of work, which is not at all healthy but does fund the healthy stuff I do) has that as a backdrop - at 40, I’m not taking good health for granted. And, it’s not a hardship….I actually feel good when I’m swimming, cycling or running, and even better afterwards- we know that exercise releases endorphins in our system and having done a lot of exercise and sport as a child, I got used to that and I miss it when I don’t get it…in fact, I sink into a lethargic cranky slump. Exercise makes me happy and gives me energy. And for me, there’s a direct correlation between the intensity of the exercise, and the amount of endorphins released. When I climbed Mont Blanc in my 20s, it was bloody hard work, intense and at times, hellish but I felt superhuman afterwards….that’s kind of an addictive feeling. Hence, the half-ironman over a walk around the block.

On the training front…while I would love to say that I’ve been religiously training and sticking to my plan, that everything has gone perfectly and I’m coming into this race fully prepared and ready for the day, unfortunately, it hasn’t been plain sailing. I did try to train every day and to use swimming as recovery for cycling and running, but my body doesn’t recover that well…from running in particular. Once my running distance got up to around 14km, my muscles got so tight that they started pulling on the tendons on the outside of my knees (IT bands) and I had to do a lot of stretching and massage, ice baths and just standing in the sea (for the anti-inflammatory effect) to recover. Eventually, every time I ran I caused myself pain, so for the last 4 weeks or so, I’ve had to stop running altogether, and focus on yoga and strengthening instead, to give myself a chance to recover properly before race day. No idea how the run will go on the day but I do have some anti-inflammatories with me and I’ll take them during the race if I feel the need ;-).

Otherwise, the training has been going pretty well - I could have done more swimming but I have managed to do a few long sea swims, several 90km bike rides and one 100km. Sea swimming is the most rewarding thing ever - I go in from Blackrock in Salthill and there’s a community of sea swimmers there who have created the most positive, encouraging and communal vibe I’ve ever experienced. They may take the mickey out of the wetsuit swimmers but it’s all very good-natured and there’s no competitive element to it at all. Everyone is there for the good of their health, both mental and physical, and we all have the same sense of exhilaration after swimming in the wild atlantic. It’s just amazing - and something you can do until you die really. Some people come along on crutches, struggling to get around on land, but as soon as they get into the sea, they’re free from the pain and off they glide.

I also really love cycling, even with the violent winds we have in the west of Ireland and the many inconsiderate drivers almost knocking me off the road (Connemara is a dangerous place!). There’s nothing like a 4 hour bike ride to clear the head and focus the mind! So I hope I’ll always have swimming and cycling in my life, even if the knee problem causes me to give up running (let’s hope it doesn’t come to that).

Really excited to get to Denmark and experience Copenhagen with my very supportive husband - David spent about two hours last night taking my bike apart to put it into a bike bag for the flight….(this was after the bike shop that was supposed to do it for me closed down last week). No doubt the nerves will hit me on Sunday morning, or maybe Saturday night but for now, I”m going to enjoy the experience - no work, quality time with my husband in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and the small matter of a half-ironman thrown into the mix :-).

One last thing. I have a friend called John. John is a true example of someone who goes beyond existing and living, and truly thrives.  He really loves and appreciates his life, his superhuman wife, Edel and his three beautiful kids. John spends a lot of time bringing positivity and inspiration to other people’s lives, through conversation (which he’s very good at), a book that he wrote last year (Headcase, buy it if you want a lesson in life appreciation), another one he wrote this year (6.4²)
and more recently through Facebook posts. John, at 40, has been living and thriving with cancer for about half of his life. He’s had many operations, been through excrutiating rehabilitation, chemotherapy, radiation and various other medical interventions to treat the tumors that he has on his brain and spine. He is currently waiting for a bed in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin to have yet another operation - he’s been in extreme pain while he’s been waiting for this surgery and despite all of that, he has been posting honest, vulnerable, and supportive Facebook posts to his many friends and followers, inspiring us all as usual.  He is a lesson to us all to live life to the fullest, let go of any feuds and appreciate how precious our time on earth is.

This race is for him.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all” - Oscar Wilde

p.s. - I haven’t set up a fundraising page but if you are feeling at all supportive, I would appreciate if you could buy John’s book from his website, or amazon , or alternatively, make a donation to the great people at Cancer Care West

A 40 year old bore

I've become the most boring person on the planet since I started training for this race. Every night I'm in bed not long after 9pm, up at 5.30-6 even on weekends, and one glass of wine after a long run or bike ride sends me to sleep on the couch. My 5 year old has been known to stay up later than me - not just the once. I turned 40 three weeks ago and didn't even get drunk...quite a different experience to turning 30.

The sad thing is, I've never been happier. I realise that race or no race, I need to have exercise in my life every day in order to feel my best, and to balance out the many hours I spend hunched over a desk every day.

View from a run on Sky Road Clifden

Training is going well generally. Lots of long day trips to Dublin caused me to go days without doing any training and that made me feel pretty rubbish, headachey, cranky etc...so now I go to the pool before hitting the road, in the pool by 6 and on the road by 7. As the race gets closer, I'm getting more focused on the training (fear of the race is the main motivator), so aiming to train every day from now on.

A friend of mine, Paula, is doing the Dublin 70.3 in August as well and has offered to come on the long bike rides with me every Sunday afternoon. That's been a real joy...long rides on your own are no fun and we've had great chats, and a few too many cups of tea along the way. Training is therapeutic in its own right but even more so when you have good company.

Had the bike fitted yesterday at Velocity Bike Store, very enjoyable experience with Mark there, coupled with some great coffee from the coffee shop downstairs. I realised that I should have had the bike fit done ages ago, I was over-stretched with the original stem, not overly comfortable on long rides with pain in my shoulders and neck. The bike is a perfect fit for me now so looking forward to taking it out today....now need to build a business case to convince my husband that I need to spend 1400-1600 euro on new wheels that I saw in the shop....

Here are some tips from Lucy Gossage - a British pro triathlete who also manages to fit in being an oncologist 3 days a week. She's won 6 ironmans and got two top ten places at Kona and her life outside of being an oncologist and racing is pretty boring too. Something you have to accept if you want to be good I guess.

• Training
• consistency is key, running 25-30 miles a week slowly every week is much better than doing a big distance one week and being wiped out for a few weeks afterwards 
• planning and time management is key. Plan training at the start of the week, plan meals the day before, prepare lunches the night before
• Listen to your body, push it but we aware of when too much is too much. If work is ridiculous, and you need to forego the evening sessions, that's ok. Write down the key sessions and make sure you do those.
• develop the ability to push yourself in training, the most important days are the ones where you really don't feel like it, you just can't be bothered...if you do it anyway, that's another little mental achievement in the bank. That will set you up for the race, and if you feel like quitting then, remember all that you did to get there.
• Work without training is dull, training without work is also dull - doing both provides some balance
• Don't limit yourself by setting low goals (e.g. just finish) - be the very best that you can, aim higher! 
• When training is hard, remember those who can't. Life is short and you have to make the most of it!

• Nutrition
• Training: eat a lot of healthy food (e.g. nut butters - calorie dense, fairly healthy and delicious), but also use food as treats in training - e.g. after a long ride.
• Racing: 
• pre-race: white diet for two days before, no fibre
• marsbars/snickers at the start and 150 calories on the bike, High5 gels and electrolyte drinks, gels on the run and electrolyte drinks at the aid stations
• Start drinking straight after the swim - if you get dehydrated you won't be able to play catch up

• Bike (time trial or road) 
• while there's no doubt that a time trial bike is faster, you can do well on a roadbike, especially if you get a good bike fit, have aero bars fitted etc. (Velocity Bike Store in Galway are great.)

Gratitude
Always grateful that I'm not injured - that's a constant. Although the amount of foam-rolling I'm doing doesn't reflect that!


Training Update

This week's training:
Monday 1km swim
Tuesday - 45min turbo
Wed - 6km run
Thurs - 45min turbo
Fri - 30min Tabata, recovery swim, 30min turbo
Sat (planned) - 70km bike
Sun (planned) - 14km run, 2km swim

Last weeks' training:
Monday - Dublin (no training)
Tuesday - 6km run at 5.39km/hr (fast for me!)
Wed - Dublin (no training :-()
Thurs - Bike 60km in 2.35min (heaven)
Fri - 2km swim
Sat - Yoga, Strength & Flexibility (a slight twinge in the knee forced this to the top of the priority list)
Sun - 12km run followed by 2km swim (planned)

Previous weeks' training on Strava.

Training on the Go

Writing about training appears to be more difficult than the training itself!

I've been travelling a bit for work recently - something I was a bit nervous about when I signed up for the ironman...how would I fit training in around flights, jetlag, eating out and drinking wine every night? Realistically, I am not going to avoid any of those things, much and all as I like to think I could go without the meals out and wine....it's just too hard and doesn't really make any sense not to catch up with work colleagues when I get the chance. So, off to Boston I went last week with my running gear in my case....

 My hotel on the Charles River in Cambridge

I have travelled with my running gear many many times in the past, always with great intentions of working out while away, and almost always returned home with the gear unused. In the end, it became a choice of - if i take my gear I'll need to check a bag and wait around at the other end to pick it up, or...if I give in and leave my gear at home, i can fly through check in and arrivals...in my younger days, and without a scary goal ahead, I took the easy option. 

This time, older, wiser and more scared, I set my morning training up the day before, went for dinner with my colleagues at 6.30pm, was in bed by 9pm and up at 5am in time for half an hour of yoga in my room and a 5km run on the treadmill in the hotel gym...exciting i know but it did serve me well for the rest of the day, jetlag never hit, either while there or after I got home! I didn't stick rigidly to my training plan but I got the sessions in where I could...

 My early morning yoga allowed me this view of the Charles River.  

All that aside, and having had a great week at work and catching up with colleagues, I was so happy to get back to the somewhat remote part of the world I live in. Saturday training was all about a run with nature, not a car or human in sight for the first 6km, and I did a 10km comfortably which made my week. It's the little milestones along the way that I celebrate 😀.

My local running route 

  

I have been over-focusing on running in recent weeks (there's always one...) and got a bit obsessed with learning to run from scratch again - I figured the best way to avoid injury is to re-learn. So I found a few good videos on running technique (like this one by Meb Keflezighi) and I've been working to shorten my stride and increase my cadence, using my Garmin to tell me how I'm doing (it measures vertical oscillation, cadence, balance between my left and right foot etc). But as I got caught up in all of that, and in technique for swimming and cycling, I remembered a tip my swimming coach mentioned to me - it's a basic but key principle, applicable to all three disciplines, behind which is a promise of being a better triathlete. It's down to consistently propelling yourself forward, every movement should be focused on doing that. No bouncing up or down, no upward or downward movement in the pool, no side to side movement on the bike....all forward. If you focus on that one thing alone, so many other things just fall into place naturally. Triathletes tend to over-think things so it's nice to have a simple basic principle to fall back on...obvious really!  

As usual, you can track my training on Garmin or Strava.

Gratitude

Grateful to have the opportunity to travel, but also to come home to such a peaceful, beautiful part of the world. Also very happy to finally be able to comfortably run a 10km, albeit slowly!  

Balance

Good man Gavan! 5000km of rowing in 49 days, blissfully alone and connected to the ocean. Just shows what the body is really capable of...with sheer determination and a bit of madness. 

What I admire even more about Gavan though, is his open, transparent nature, including his eagerness to speak out about his experiences during his younger years. It's hard to do that in Ireland, there's always someone ready to say something negative, to search for the weakness in a person instead of focusing on the strengths. There's an innate tendency in Irish culture to pull people down a peg or two if they do well (or god forbid talk about doing well). The worst thing that could possibly happen to someone (and we must all do our bit to ensure it doesn't), is that they would 'get notions about themselves'. This makes it all the more admirable that Gavan speaks out about both his past and his present, and I'm delighted to see that this time, people are all 'rowing' in behind him, wishing him well and being inspired to go on their own great adventures, however small. I can safely say, I won't ever be rowing the Atlantic but I am openly blaming Gavan and a couple of glasses of wine for my latest half-ironman entry - Dublin 70.3 in August (bear in mind, I haven't even come close to doing the first one yet).

This week I struggled to balance everything - work, kids, swimming, cycling, running, strength & flexibility...on Wed and Thurs I got consumed by work and didn't fit any exercise in, and as a result felt like a complete zombie by Friday and although they recommend not cramming lots in at the end of a week to make up for lost time, that's exactly what I did. 

On the plus side, I got a great strength plan from Ronan Graham at Ocean Fitness - it's all about the legs, glutes and core, and a lot more of it than i had been doing. It's more efficient to do this than to go to a generic class (which may work muscles I don't need, and not strengthen the ones I do to the right level) and I crave efficiency in all areas of my life so this works for me.

Training
Monday - strength session with Ronan @ Ocean Fitness
Tuesday - 4km run
Wed - nothing
Thurs - nothing
Friday - strength session @ Ocean Fitness
Sat - 5km run
Sun - strength session @ Ocean Fitness & 18km bike
Mon (yes it's next week but still cramming stuff in that I missed last week!) - 1km swim and 5km run

Gratitude
David and I are at the lovely stage in life where both our parents and our kids are all alive, safe, healthy and (for the most part) happy. My kids still love me and are overjoyed to see me at the end of the working day - that definitely won't last but I'll enjoy it while it does! 

A Welcome Relief

There's an incredible amount of craziness in the world right now, more than even the writers of Homeland could have dreamed up. It all brings with it an increased level of stress, at least it does for me, as among other things, I worry about the future of the Syrian refugees, and the people from the seven countries that Trump has banned from the US, who incidentally, do not represent countries from where terrorist attacks on the US have originated. All of this is just exactly the kind of chaos that breeds further terrorism. ISIS specializes in recruiting young men and women who feel alienated or at odds with their government or local leadership, and that is exactly what Trump is creating - a massive amount of people at odds with their leader. ISIS don't give a damn about borders, they recruit from inside the border, and it really doesn't matter what country you're from. If you're vulnerable, you're a good target. I believe in using our voice via social media and other tools to make a positive difference in the world, protesting where possible and ensuring our leaders speak out on our behalf. So that's my focus at the moment, and I'll do what I can to make a difference in my own small way. I'm also researching charities with the intention of using my personal 70.3 challenge as a way to raise funds for those who need it most - will confirm charities soon, but likely to center around those whose lives Trump is making most difficult.

So for me personally, it's a stressful time, and no doubt it is for many many others directly, or indirectly affected by recent events. However, I have found that the world of sport, and triathlon in particular, has been a very positive influence. The people involved tend to be can-do, good people, all encouraging each other to do well and be healthy. I've found the story of Mike Wardian and Sinead Kane , both of whom have just completed 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days, to be truly inspirational. Mike is an ultra-running ship-broker from Washington DC and you can read his story here. Sinead Kane is a blind Irish woman who refused to let her disability define her and has now done what most would deem impossible and is the first ever blind person to complete world marathon challenge. 

Here's another inspirational story - Gavan Hennigan is a Galway lad who went to school with my brother. He had a troubled youth, went off the rails for a while and really struggled with mental health issues, but overcame all of these challenges and has now become an extreme adventurer, and a role model for kids everywhere. He's done lots of extreme stuff which you can read about on his site, and most impressive of all, he is currently relentlessly rowing across the Atlantic! In an interview via satellite phone last week, he said that he's happily removed from all that's going on in the world, enjoying spending the time at one with nature, watching the stars and the sea life, and that it's all doing him the world of good. Nature is good like that, and it reminded me that I need to spend more time closer to nature to counter the effects of the current world events. It doesn't have to be a row across the Atlantic, it can be as simple as a leisurely bike ride, or a walk by the sea with the dog.

Stress can be triggered by world events, but it also comes with daily life, possibly more than we realise. On the face of it, my job is not stressful. I get to work from home as a product manager for a multi-national IT company (IBM) and only need to travel outside of Ireland about once a quarter. But I do get consumed by my job, our team is under pressure, and I take a lot of the burden of responsibility on myself. I worry about the future of the product I'm responsible for and it does keep me awake at night. This shouldn't be the case - at the end of the day, it's just a job and health and family are of course, much more important. I saw this very clearly when I was on maternity leave, removed from the daily pressures of work, but it didn't take me long after I went back, to get consumed by stress again. So, I find that the training for this half-ironman is doing me the world of good - in fact, it's almost a necessary coping mechanism and forces me to have some work life balance. I have prioritised training on my lunchbreak over stewing on a work problem, and have come back after lunch with a fresh and clear mind, and a totally different attitude, one which is invariably more positive, with the result that I achieve more faster. Nothing is insurmountable after a good hard workout! 

I notice that many large IT companies, such as Apple, Google and Microsoft, prioritize the health of their staff by building gyms on premises, hiring nutritionists to define healthy canteen lunch options and subsidising classes such as yoga, tabata etc. It's completely logical - a healthy staff is a productive staff. I can't understand why more companies don't prioritise exercise and health (physical and mental) at work. I am lucky - I work from home in a beautiful part of the world. I'm less than 5 mins away from a sea swim at any time, and my neigbours are the kindest, friendliest people you could meet. It's a lovely place to be, far removed from Trump and his cronies. I resolve for 2017 to take my head out of my work more often to notice and enjoy this. 70.3 training certainly helps! 

So...training. Last week I mentioned I would limit my running to 3km, 4km and 3km runs this week. I did that, and to be extra sure I wouldn't get injured, I did those runs on the treadmill at the gym. All went very well and I have finished the week running comfortably with no pain whatsoever, so looking forward to upping the distance this week, just by 1-2km.

I also took the approach this week of training every day, using my swim training as recovery and weaving in lots of strength and flexibility. I did a 3km run on Monday, 20km bike on Tuesday (at lunchtime, by the coast - it was heaven!), 4km run on Wed, 1.5km swim on Thurs night (followed by a tasty thai takeaway and a glass of wine - otherwise, what's the point?!), tabata class at the gym on Friday, 3km run on sat, 1.6km swim and a 45min turbo trainer session on sunday....I also did a few mornings of a 20min yoga sequence, did the 10-min strength workout whenever I got the opportunity, and used my 10-min foam roller recovery about three evenings. So nothing long distance but a lot of short sessions. It has worked out well and I feel strong and healthy going into this week. As usual, you can track my training on Garmin or Strava.

All in all, training is becoming less of a challenge and more of a welcome relief - my sanctuary from the madness in the world. That's what I'm grateful for this week.


 

70.3 Training Update Week 3 - Every day's a schoolday!

Three weeks in and I'm finally starting to feel power in my legs. This was preceded by a lot of creaking, tightness, and general pain. After a successful week 1, my knees started to hurt when I ran, both on the outside and directly under the patella. After some googling and conversations with my local gym instructor, I quickly realised that I had lots of weakness in my lower back, glutes, and quads, which led to bad tracking of the knee and two well-known conditions amongst runners - Runner's Knee and IT Band issues. I found a really good series of videos on Runner's World by Dr. Jordan Metzl, here's the one on runner's knee. So, nothing serious and certainly not something that would prevent me from continuing, but definitely a lot of strengthening work to be done before I could run again. 

So, I spent a lot of the last two weeks focusing on both strength and flexibility. These two videos have been key to those two weeks and I plan to continue to use them througout the next five months:

10-minute strength workout 
10-minute foam roller recovery  

Those two, combined with lots of jump squats (3x15) and 3 mins of planks have made up my home strength and flexibility work, and I have combined that with my regular friday Tabata class at the gym. 

So, having improved my strength and flexibility, I eventually got back on the bike and did a 20km ride over the weekend, as well as a 3km run this morning.

My plan has always been to use the first six weeks of my training to get to week 1 of the 16-week plan  which brings me up to the race. By then, I need to be doing a 10km run on the weekend as well as a 30km bike and a 1km swim. To get from where I am to the 10km run, I plan to run 3 times a week, doing 3km 4km and 3km in week one, and gradually increasing the distance each week by 10%. I am terrified of injury so hopeful that this will get me there!

Gratitude
It's not easy fitting training in when kids and life get in the way...this week my husband was away for the weekend at his friend's 40th. So, I'm grateful that my 5-year-old is actually interested in exercise and doesn't mind me hijacking our playtime together with a trip to the garage to work out together while the toddler napped. She patiently skips and does her yoga, while I do jump squats and sweat ;-). 
Also grateful that my husband doesn't mind me ditching him and the kids as soon as he walks in the door with a hangover, so that i can get a bike ride in before the sun goes down!