Gulp.

There’s only about 20 days left until my 3rd attempt at the Deca and I am definitely becoming Deca-Brained again…

Some of you will know already that my recce of the Bedford venue showed that the bike route was a serious no go. It was a small lap (similar to Deca UK – Dorney) but not on closed roads or flat. Recumbents and hills are not a great combo and as I was going round and round, the climb amounted to 3,300ft!! Driving it in a car, you would barely notice the hills but I certainly did on Saturday! I need all the hours I can get on the Deca, so pan-flat courses are a must!

So a quick decision was made to move the challenge to Allerthrope in York, which is where Mark Yates is doing his 30 Ironman in 30 days challenge this August (https://theinspire30challenge.wordpress.com). We mapped out a bike route really easily as the roads around there are super flat, wide and perfect for cycling. The run route will be laps up and down a lane running parallel to the venue and the lake is within the campsite grounds. The swim will be a degree or so colder than Bedford, which is the downside to this change.

HQ – http://www.allerthorpelakelandpark.co.uk

Swim route – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20592074

Bike route – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20591997

Run route – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20592031

Apart from completely changing the location at the last minute, I am also busy trying to acclimatise to cold water, the swim temperature will be around 13 degrees (we hope) in May. This is not ideal for someone like me who massively struggles with the cold at the best of times. I have been lying about in a 10 degree paddling pool for a few months and also now the lakes are open, going swimming twice a week there. This weekend I managed x2 1 mile in 11 degrees (and a LOT of neoprene) and could have done more. This has helped with my confidence but as the cold water was one of the main reasons why I failed last October, I am still very worried about it.

So with that in mind I have made the decision to put on some weight. This is quite a big deal for me as I struggled with an eating disorder when I was younger and it never really leaves you to be honest… Also, as an active / fit person, putting on weight goes against what you feel you should be doing. You don’t hear people saying ‘Wow, that 7lbs I put on over Xmas has made me feel GREAT’  But I went into the Dorney Deca underweight and look what happened there… So bring on the CAKES!! (I will be eating healthy fat stuff, honest I will).

McBender training has been tough, as I really haven’t had a lot of time to get confident on a recumbent, but I do love a good challenge (you may have noticed that) and I have been putting the hours in and surprisingly, not falling off too much! I have even been enjoying it…  https://youtu.be/9K1El7Mm7bM  I had planned on doing the x1 a day double at Enduroman, but it is too close to the Deca and the bike course is definitely not recumbent-friendly! So I will be just taking part in the swims (4.8m on Saturday / 2.4 miles on Sunday) It’s hard because I love the Enduroman triathlons and really wanted to test out McBender, but it will have to wait till next year.

Right, I need to get back to stressing over things that I can’t change…