Tuesday 24th November

One hour good tough session on the turbo this morning - very sweaty :-) Off to Italy now until Sunday so probably no training but I'll take my swimming stuff with me just in case I find a pool somewhere nearby to use.

Sunday 22nd November

One hour steady on turbo this morning in middle gear of big ring. Legs still fatigued after Friday's strength training so I couldn't push it much more. Back still feeling a lot better - just a minor twinge at the end of the cycle today.

Just wish I could run again - having a battle trying to keep my weight down - have put on about half a stone since the end of August when I last ran - really want to get it off again!

Saturday 21st November

1000m swim today - working alternatively on arms and legs only. Fatigued after yesterday still.

Friday 20th November

Half hour turbo session this morning on tired legs after last night! Physio and PT later on today.

PT session this afternoon - very, very tough but good. Core and leg strength improving and physio surpervised the session. One hour physio afterwards and she is delighted with the improvement in my back - as am I - and she should know as she was part of the physio team for GB Rowing for the Bejing Olympics! Still no running allowed for a week or two until my back settles a bit more. Here's to core training!!!!

Thursday 19th November

Double training session again tonight with the tri club:

50 mins turbo session - pyramids and one legged sets, then

2000m swim sets

I really enjoy this double session now, despite it being quite tough

Tuesday 17th November

Happy Birthday blog!!! One year ago today I wrote my first blog entry - must do a review of the year.

Half hour turbo session this morning - took the resistance down and worked on high cadence for 25 mins in big ring - 5 mins warm up and cool down on small ring. Very good!

2200m swim sets tonight with the club - either we are doing more or getting quicker!

Back is feeling a lot better this week - no pain or stiffness which is great.

Monday 16th November

Still walking around with stiff legs after Friday's session! No training over the weekend unfortunately - too much socialising again... Pilates class tonight again which I found quite fatiguing due to my sore legs!

Friday 13th November

One hour of strength and core training with the PT tonight. My legs were knackered after it but my abs felt ok this week.

Thursday 12th November

Not too much training so far this week - I have had a bad cold and the cough is bothering me a bit.

Double training session with the tri club tonight:

One hour turbo training with 50mins in the main set - tough but very good, then

1900m swim drills in the pool afterwards.

Very good session - I need to try to get to as many of these as possible.

Monday 9th November

I was away for the weekend so no training done - half an hour on the turbo this morning to get myself going again. My back goes from feeling a lot better to sore again - hopefully the next lot of treatment this week will help me a bit more.

Pilates class again tonight - still tough! Tired now so racing to bed :-)

Friday 6th November

Interesting training tonight - started off with 45 mins with the personal trainer who assessed my running stance and noticed straight off that my hips are totally out of alignment. He had also liaised with the physio so knew which areas were of concern to her. He then went through various core and strength exercises to determine my core fitness and how I hold my body in the various stances - very tough and very much favouring my right hand side - one of the exercises involved holding the plank position using hanging rings - very good but very difficult! He is going to develop a programme for me for next week and I have booked in for 4 sessions with him.

After that I did a 30/30 class - 30 mins spin followed by 30 mins of circuit training including shuttle runs and again a lot of core work. All very good but I think I am going to be sore tomorrow after discovering muscles I hadn't used for a long time - and not just my back!

Thursday 5th November

1200m swim this morning with 2 sets of arms only in it. Water felt like treacle and my technique was all over the place. Just shows what a late night does to you (no alcohol involved though)!!

Wednesday 4th November

Half hour very tough spin class this morning followed by a little core work and stretching.

Physio session after it - still working on my pelvis and hip flexors and into my back. Sore now after it. I am too work now in tandem with the physio and a personal trainer to work on my core to stabilise my pelvis. First session with him on Friday....

Tuesday 3rd November

Good 2000m swim session with the tri club tonight. My swimming is definately getting better again - stronger and faster.

Back to the physio again in the morning....

Monday 2nd November

Half an hour cardio in the gym this morning (spin instructor didn't show) at high intensity to keep my heart rate in a high zone. On wobble board with eyes closed - very difficult! - and a good stretch afterwards.

Pilates class again tonight - back all stretched out but abs aching :-)

Sunday 1st November

2hr session on the turbo trainer this morning - another good film stopped me from getting bored. My back was sore after it but I stretched out the pain and did the stretches that the physio gave me. Still in a bit of pain from her working on me on Friday. Training coming together again a bit now. I am not allowed to run so am going to spend the next while sorting out my cycling and swimming.

Saturday 31st October

1200m swim this afternoon - working on arms and legs seperately using a float. Good session.

I went to the physio yesterday and it seems that I have various things wrong (apart from the two dodgy discs) but the main issue is that I have a twisted pelvis and too tight hip flexor muscles. The pelvis is causing problems with cross muscles into my hip and back. I also have too much tightness in my thoracic spine which is also putting pressure on my lower back. She has started doing manipulation on me to straighten my pelvis up. She says it is fixable but will take a bit of time and then I will need to sort out my core to keep my pelvis stable again. I am quite sore today from er working at me but let's hope that this is going to sort me out.