At the Double Brutal, I was aerobically fit enough to complete the race, but my body let me down. I was not biomechanically fit enough to reach the finish line. As I plan the next great adventure, I know that I have to address this issue, and that’s how I ended up talking to Alice Frewin of Sano Physiotherapy in Morley, with a notebook in my hand, reading out a laundry list of physical problems.

Today I want to talk about not taking your achievements for granted. It’s very easy for what used to be a big deal to quickly become the new normal. You need to look back at the road behind you and see how far you’ve come. 

Anxiety is a normal part of life – it’s a primeval human instinct that stops us casually walking off a cliff, or trying to stroke a cute looking sabre toothed tiger. Controlling that anxiety, managing it and mastering it – these are difficult skills, but ones that can be learned with practice. You learned how to swim. You learned how to run through transition holding your bike. You learned how to wee in a lake. You can learn this too.

A serious block of Double Brutal specific training last night, as I had my first experiment with overnight riding. On race weekend, I’ll be cycling all day and well into the night, probably finishing the bike leg around two o’clock in the morning. The big question with which I am wrestling is whether to stop and sleep at some point between the eight laps of the bike course, or to just press on and ride straight through.