Text Box: 24th November OK I get the hint! Its time for an update, I have put some pics in my photo gallery but it’s a bit difficult to get action shots down here, so I have put in some pics of my High School Prom and my room at Kelly. I am writing an update and it will be on here soon. 6th September Kelly College is going well.  Training and lessons are difficult but I am getting used to them.  I have made plenty of good mates and I am continuing to learn to play the guitar.  Going to start Physio on Monday so hopefully that will pay off.  My dorm is great and I have set up my desk, so I have perfect working conditions.  I have managed to take a couple of posters with me as well, including the starting speech of the film train spotting.  There are very strict timings to keep to but they have just become a part of my normal daily routine now.  I am hoping now that my injury goes away and that I can return to full fitness with no other hindrances. 4th September Travelled down to Devon and moved all my stuff into my dorm. Just meetings and introductions today. 2nd September Press article on my scholarship click here. 31st August Raced in the Swim Club Champs 1500m comp today. I was really pleased with my PB time of 19m 07secs, it was good enough to win my age group and it was good for me to have had some racing success cos it feels like I haven’t done anything this year, Video of Swim start in Photo Gallery ….but on another point it is now official I should not eat the biggest pasta meal of my life before a swim race, side effects include: feeling of being violently sick; stomach ache; wanting to fall asleep and looking pregnant in a pair of swim longs!!! I guess you should leave more than 30mins after you have eaten before you race! Three days to go before Kelly, I’m looking forward to it, pics of my new uniform in my Photo Gallery, thanks for your message Taz, hope to see you at Kelly. 10th to 29th August Finally I got to see a top sports consultant who has diagnosed my rib pain and its great news I can begin to get back to training and returning to fitness. I have severely strained the cartilage that attaches my ribs to my sternum. This is good news as I can get back into training but bad news because, it hurts a lot when I am breathing at max, and there is no real treatment except to finish growing! This has probably arisen because my chest is beginning to expand, and I am an upper body dominant swimmer, so all the strain is in the ribs at the minute. I have to do some specific exercises to help with my breathing and do more core work but it looks good for the future, even if I have to wait a while before I push myself to the max in a race. I am really looking forward to going to Kelly as I leave on Wednesday. So from now, it is just preparing myself mentally and physically and most importantly packing my bags. Everyone is telling me what an experience it is to go there and just how lucky I am, and I do think that it is finally sinking in. Wow can’t wait to go! Thurs 31st July to Sunday 10th August I had to miss London Tri this weekend, I thought I would go along to support my friends, even though I wasn’t competing, apart from the disappointment of not racing I really enjoyed the day. It was really hard not competing but because I got a bit of rib pain on Tues night while training with the Uni squad my coach told me I shouldn’t race. I don’t really understand what brought it on, we were doing swim/run sprint repeats and I just felt it a bit so I stopped before it got bad. I pulled out of the training, just in time, cos the other guys got soaked out on their bikes in the rain! I have been for MRI scans and to see a rheumatologist, all seems ok with my joints, so investigations continue but people are beginning to think it will get better with rest especially if I have just pulled something. Been to Pilates on Tues and Thurs, done some rowing, cycling and running all ok but I think I have probably lost my fast endurance pace. Wed 30th July 90mins Core conditioning in Gym at Uni with my Tri Coach. Went well felt good to get back into my core and flexibility work and I know there is a lot of work to do. I hate side planks! Travelled back to Woodbridge to go out with Deben Rowing Club, 2hours in a single scull training boat. I’m grasping more of the technique but still a million miles away from learning it all. Tues 29th July Cycled to Ipswich for Pilates class, took the bike steady, roads were clear of traffic. Pilates went well we repeated last Thursdays class and some of the work I do with Tri Coach Dave Parry. 6.30pm Open water swim in Gosfield Lake, water temp basically the same as a swimming pool, boiled in wet suit but managed to complete a 1500m loop and 2 short dive in swims with the last one practising transition. Followed this with a Group Bike Ride, this was good fast pace interlaced with some hills and short sprints. Mon 28th July Took a rest day today to recover from my training and triathlon. Spent sometime planning my return to training and preparing for Kelly College. Sun 27th July I had pre-entered Culford Triathlon so I thought I would give it a go today even though I am not race fit and my rib pain has not been fully investigated. My race plan was to go fast in the swim, fast but not max out the bike and take the run really steady. I achieved this race plan but in the run I still got my rib pain. I took the run as slowly as I could but I still took home a 2nd place medal so it was not a bad days training. Official photos at by Mark Cozens at http://mphotography.smugmug.com/Triathlon contact me if you need the youth password. In the evening I went to swim club. We swam for 1hr then had some relay races and played water polo, I think its good to fit fun into my training. Sat 26th July 9am Went to Deben Rowing Club again. Its great trying to master the unforgiving technique of rowing there is so much to learn and I am so inexperienced. I thought my arms ached yesterday after swimming but now they are really bad and I have blisters on my hands, but I really like rowing. Fri 25th July 2hr Swim Club, it really made my arms ache but I managed to keep up and settle into the hard work. We did 100’s, 50m fast 50m slow then 25m slow 50m fast 25m slow, then 50m slow 50m fast. Thurs 24th July 5.45am Swim Club still finding the pace fast and the work hard but it’s a bit easier than last week and I am starting to enjoy it. This evening I cycled to Ipswich for Pilates and cycled home. It was a great class and just what I need for my core work and its great to be back on the bike again. Wed 23rd July Biomechanics testing and analysis to have bespoke orthotics made to help prevent shin pain. I am really looking forward to getting back into regular training and getting everything sorted. I am putting a lot of hope in these being right for me now as I know my legs will get a lot of work at Kelly College and the last thing I want is another injury while I am there. Tues 22nd July I went to my Pilates class but it was cancelled ! It seemed like it was a wasted journey but I went into Ipswich and brought posters for my room at Kelly so all in all it was not a wasted trip. In the evening I went to swim club and that was cancelled too, I am trying to get fit but the classes are against me today. Mon 21st July Time for an update. I have been on an enforced rest due to my running pain and been unsure what to write in my blog, but I have now got the all clear from the Cardiologist and the Respiratory consultants so I can now get back into training, even though my rib pain is still being investigated. Since my last blog I have been to Latitude festival and enjoyed a four day camping weekend with my friends watching loads of bands. I have taken this opportunity to take up the art of rowing and to improve my core and flexibility and cardiovascular and muscular endurance and also the best part this sport it is fun. I decided to go back to swimming club to begin the return to fitness, I was surprised that I have kept my muscular strength in the pool but I am not surprised I have lost my endurance. It felt tough getting back into the pool for a full session. I took a few lengths out but pretty much completed the set I hope I can get back to fitness soon. Its been tough to miss my favourite races that I have been looking forward to and training for all winter. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Wed 18th June 1500m open water swim with Tri Anglia easy (23mins) then a slow transition (2-3mins) and went out on a 3.5km run (easy 17mins).  45mins rest/travel to Lotus League for a 1hour training ride.  Approx 30mins in the ride on a long straight into a head wind I got some pain and breathing difficulties again. Another night in A&E all checked out fine but I am now on an enforced 10 day rest. The good news is now I have got time to learn my guitar. Tues 17th June 3km run with hills, took it steady following Saturdays race. Swim 1hr 15mins, including sprint sets to finish with racing dives from the blocks, felt great and good to be back in the pool again. Mon 16th June 5am Up for an early morning swim with 21C Swimmers at Deben Pool, 400m sets. Home for breakfast and to fully recover before heading out on a 6km run later in the day. Fast even pace all ok no pain, so back to recovery and return to working on being super fit. I have another run assessment on Wed. Sun 15th June Rest and recovery, thought a lot about what happened yesterday, I hope it was just a blip due to my lack of run fitness. Sat 14th June North Norfolk Tri, out in the lead on the run I was brought to a halt with severe lower chest pain, I just hit the deck, after some time recovering I did get up and have another go but had to stop again. Spent most of the evening in A&E wired up to machines etc. but all is ok, so I’ll take a rest day then back to training tomorrow and see how it goes. Friday 13th June Rest Day, brought myself an electric guitar and chilled out all day. Race day tomorrow. Blenheim photos now in my photo gallery. Thursday 12th June First day with no school, wasn’t sure what to do all day, finally made up my mind to go out for a 6km run (2 x 3km loops), I didn’t take a watch but I was fast and kept the pace up on the second loop. I am really starting to enjoy my running now. After this I went into my home gym and did 15min stretching. Wednesday 11th June Final GCSE and left school today. Science was a bit better than Blenheim but it didn’t go as well as my Tech exam, still I feel positive about my overall Science GCSE result, if you include my coursework and other exams it was a modular course. A great nights training, 1500m open water swim, straight out into a 4.5km run and then off to Lotus League for a 1hr bike race. I stuck in there and think I probably got a top ten place in the final sprint but I am not sure it was a tight bunch, results will be at Lotus Cars Cycle Race League and photos at Mark Cozens Photographer. I forgot my Ipswich Kit so I am racing in white TRI UK kit. Tuesday 10th June Science revision session, final GCSE tomorrow. Went for two x 3km fast runs to prove to myself I could still do it! Did the first one in 9mins and the second in 9min 30sec and I ran them back to back, so perhaps Blenheim was just ‘a bad day at the office’ quote from my tri coach. Followed this with some stretching. Monday 9th June Rest Day and two GCSE’s, Tech went well everything I had revised was in it and I got a boost from completing it as I knew everything. Leisure and Tourism GCSE went as well as my race at Blenheim. Sunday 8th June Blenheim Triathlon, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Results will be at Blenheim Triathlon Youth Super Sprint. The good news is after leading all the way I won the swim, it all went wrong from here onwards beginning with me taking my wet suit off before the swim out timing mat so I wasn’t even recorded 1st. My finish video says it all click here to see me jog in, for official photos click here. Saturday 7th June Sorry I have not been able to update my blog, BT dug the road up and cut off our internet access and phone. This morning I did a short 30 min swim with sprints as part of my taper to loosen up for Blenheim. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow. On Friday 6th June I had a rest from training and I sat another English GCSE paper and it went really really well, I enjoyed doing this exam. On Thursday 5th June I did a Run set followed by core and stretch in the gym, not too much this week now as I am tapering for Blenheim. Wednesday 4th June 5.30pm 1500m Open Water Swim with Tri-Anglia in Norwich, followed by a 4.5km run then straight on to a 1hr cycle race at Lotus League. The swim went well, I got another new wet suit today from TRI UK it’s a FoorX it’s a top of the range wet suit, I tried it out and I like it a lot. The run went well, I kept on pace which I was pleased with and I got back before the last person had finished their swim. I took the bike race easy because of my upcoming race at Blenheim, I played it safe so not to injure myself, but I pushed hard and enjoyed it, I put some work in but not too much, I didn’t want to overdo it, I avoided the sprints and kept out of trouble. Also in my goody bag from TRI UK were some top of the range cycling glasses from Sundog, they are so cool, so I tried those out too. Its great being sponsored, TRI UK are so kind to me Tuesday 3rd June English GCSE exam today, this went well, I understood what I had to do and did it but I ran out of time again. 7pm Core and flexibility, worked on my hamstrings, calves, inner thighs, knees. I am much more flexible since I begun doing this programme, I can now touch my toes and the floor and that’s the first time I have done that in my life, it should help my run stride and help keep me injury free. Monday 2nd June Tech and Maths GCSE exams today, they were both tough and I didn’t have time to answer all the questions which is annoying when you know how to do them, still the ones I did do went ok I think. 7pm Gym and Run Train at Essex Uni but it became a 1 to 1 session as nobody else turned up so it was brilliant but seriously hard work. Did flexibility and stretches followed by run on treadmill at 15kph with 17kph sprints and then a hard abdominal work out. I know I have done this one. Sunday 1st June—Training 7pm To Gym, treadmill, ran 3km at 15kph this is the pace that I must work at following my HPU tests, I have to get efficient, I focused on my posture and keeping my head still, I had an image of Kris Gemmel in my mind, I ran beside him at Corus and saw him again on TV this morning, he is a great technical runner and I am going to use this image of him running to help me focus. I followed the run with core and flexibility stretches focus on legs and inner thigh muscles then straight into 1hr 30min Swim with Deben Club. Warm up was 2 x 100m Free, 2 x 100m Kick, 2 x 100m Back then IM Work 8 x 50m fly/back back/breast, breast/free, 8 x 50ms in IM order followed by 100m Free style after each 50m IM Stroke. Then anaerobic maintenance and cool down. Sunday 1st June Got up to watch the Corus Elite and might as well have stayed in bed, you are probably thinking the same thing! Thanks for your comments on my guest book its great to know I am talking to somebody! I was disappointed I didn’t see me, although I was in that swim start. The mass start washing machine looked a lot easier than it was to be in it, you couldn’t see all the kicking and dunking going on. I was pleased to view the triathlon though from a different perspective, from the public view, it looks much more professional and has more ‘wow’ factor than it feels when you are doing it. Its so much more exciting watching it on the TV and it looks a lot easier than it really is. Keeping Pace with Will in May 08 Keeping Pace with Will in April 08 Keeping Pace with Will in March 08 Text Box:  Text Box:  Text Box: 

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