I had to travel with work on Monday to Geneva. I couldn’t get a direct flight from Birmingham so I took a connection flight from Paris. We boarded the plane from Birmingham on time, but for some reason we sat on the tarmac for forty minutes before we took off. Wouldn’t be a problem normally but Paris airport is massive and the connection time was pretty tight. Cue frantic running from the arrival terminal to the departure gate, with a typically slow passport control in between. In a nutshell, I made the flight but my luggage didn’t.
After filling lots of forms in and being reliably informed that my suitcase would arrive on the next flight I made my way to the hotel. I had plans on going for a run in the evening, but that went out of the window. My luggage didn’t turn up until late the following day, by that time I’d had to buy some new clothes to stop from looking like a tramp. Being Switzerland, I had to sell my kidneys to afford it. The place is extortionate.
I did some strength and conditioning exercises on Tuesday and then went for a 10k run on Wednesday morning around the lake (not all the way around, that would be ridiculous). It was a pretty nice change of scenery. On my way round I spotted a small beach area with a cordoned off swimming area. Not one to miss an opportunity I turned around, headed back to the hotel and grabbed my goggles. It was so nice to jump in a lake without a wetsuit (it was a mini heatwave pretty much everywhere, but Switzerland seemed particularly hot), and not have to contend with weeds or rusty bikes. I managed to get thirty minutes in before heading back. Quality.
I got home on Wednesday evening so Thursday morning was a ninety minute interval ride followed by a short brick run. Friday was my longest run yet, twenty miles. Bit of a mental barrier broken on that one. My legs felt good, and no issues with nutrition so I was chuffed it went well.
Saturday was a rest day (apart from getting drained from watching the Lions lose the first test to the All Blacks. Balls). Sunday was a four hour ride followed by a forty five minute brick run. I took my TT bike out this time to see if I should use it for the race itself. I’m still undecided. It’s faster, but it got uncomfortable quicker than my normal road bike. It’s also got tubs, and I’m getting a bit worried about picking up a puncture. That would be pretty fatal. TT or not TT, that’s the question…