02.10.24

I am delighted to introduce this blog post written by Chris Cox, my client of almost 5 years.

“With the arrival of a new year, it’s common for us to think about what we wish to do and achieve in the next year. As 2023 became 2024 I thought ahead to triathlon things that I would like to give a go. Throughout my life I’ve been more a plodder than sprinter, but a plodder that can keep going. This has drawn me to endurance sports. Usually the longer, the better though advancing age and sports injuries have sometimes got in the way.  For 2024 I planned a middle-distance triathlon in Nice including a 28km hill climb, Challenge Cagnes Sur Mer, Aberfeldy middle distance race, and a middle-distance Swim-Run event in Coniston in the Lake District. A mix of new and familiar challenges but all, for me, involving challenging, but achievable distances.

Picture credits: Chris Cox

With Vicky’s support I had a good training plan in place for the year. Training started well, though I was not able to do everything planned due to work pressures. By April, however, plans were torpedoed with a diagnosis of rapid onset cataracts in both eyes. Getting on the bike again in March after the winter indoors, I became aware that my eyesight was compromised, and it wasn’t my varifocals that were the problem!  The diagnosis and rapidness of the problem temporarily floored me.  Fortunately, I was able to have surgery for one eye early, but medical advice stipulates no strenuous activity and no swimming for 8 weeks following. This was going to be a problem.

With Vicky’s advice and support I re-thought my plans: I switched from middle-distance to the standard event in Nice and middle-distance to sprint for the Swim-Run, Coniston. I needed to adapt to what was manageable with work, with the time windows I had, and modify my plans and expectations. Not involving my default distances in my planning at the start of 2024, I would never have thought of entering these events. Completing both I can reflect that I’ve not had so much fun for years. 

Picture credits: https://ridgeflowmedia.smugmug.com/Gritty-Rascals-Events/Swimrun-Coniston-2024/Swimrun-Coniston-2024-Teaser-Album

Nice still involved a significant hill on a beautiful course and with high humidity this made for a challenging event. A mass start swim that turned into a rammy, nearly losing my hat and goggles, and then being stung in the neck by the nippiest jelly fish all added to the experience.

Coniston was just like being a kid again. Ridiculous hill scramble and my tow-float filling up with Lake Grasmere didn’t take away from a day that felt like an adventure in a wetsuit. It was also the friendliest event I’ve ever done. The only competitiveness I experienced was everyone earnestly saying, “I’m definitely going to be last.”  

What made these events so much fun? I think it was a combination of simply being able to do the events, less pressure and expectation from myself, and finishing them feeling challenged but not wiped out by halfway.   When I started working with Vicky I was very much in the school of, “If the Garmin didn’t record it, it didn’t happen,” reviewing every bit of data available. Over this time, I’ve become less obsessed (but still quite focussed) on the data. For Nice, I did record it on Garmin, and I think I looked at the data once, but not since. For Coniston I didn’t record any data. For me at those times, when I am physically and mentally challenged, I realise the data didn’t matter at all.  

There’s a lot I had to learn to adapt to in 2024. With Vicky’s wisdom, advice and support, I think I adapted and completed both events with satisfaction and a renewed feeling of simple fun in what I do.”

Chris Cox