As an overal experience there was allot of positives to take away and a very valuable learning experience for me. To be part of the GB team meant so much more to me as an adult than it did as a child when I was skating. This was all my choice, my drive and part of my goals to represent the country again and to be included in such a talented team felt good!
Preparation in Alanya went well, I just stuck to the plan, short sessions with fast intervals just to acclimatise and allot of rest. It was good to get to know the rest of the team and the support team and got good advice from some of the more experienced team members, chatting in down times. In my build up to races I normally keep myself to myself for the week before the race so this was a very different environment to get used to. I was surprised I had no nerves but I do feel better racing like this when I feel like I have control of everything in my little world:)
The only nerves came in when we was sitting on the pontoon in a wet suits and I was getting very hot waiting to get in. There had been a back and forth for a couple of days on whether wet suits would be band as the water was to hot but on the day you had a choice so I along with most went for a wet suit. The swim went okay and I came out of the swim in about 4th or 5th place but lost places going up the ramp on my crutches and a few more going round into transition, so the transition still needs work. I went out on the bike knowing I had work to do but was confident on how much stronger my bike had gotten over the past few months. I was passing allot of people on the bike, the heat wasn't effecting me at all and was feeling very strong. I passed two BK amputees on the second lap so new they was in my category and passed Faulch, one of the guys I thought would be one to watch for the race, on I think the third lap. I managed to keep pulling away from him but then hit the sweeping corner just after transition for another lap and the bike slipped from under me! I was pushing hard but had taken a tiny bit of weight through my stump, which was the inside leg and of course this was probably just enough weight on the inside edge to make the bike slip from under me. I bounced hard on the hip and then stopped at the feet of the barriers and that was my race over. I got myself back on, did one lap but the hip was really painful so stopped for about four or five minutes and was going to pull out, the team mechanics where shouting to just finish the bike. When I got back on I just relied on the good leg to cycle and when I got back into t1 had to lay the bike flat to try and get my prosthetic leg out of the pedal, the hip was agony. I should have called it a day here but when I got to Chris, my handler I still think he wasn't sure what had gone on! I sat in the chair at t2 and said my hips buggered I can't do it but then put my leg on and trainer and tried to run but couldn't put any weight through the running blade so hoped/ran to the t2 exit. I stopped at the exit of t2 and was going to call it a day but again just went off again.
Pre Crash
I did finish but this is a lesson in what not to do! I limped and hoped round a course that should have taken about 20 minutes in 48 minutes in pain, a week later and my hip and elbow is still bleeding and the hip/ball and socket joint is very painful. I saw the physio Ben Sims at Podplus yesterday and he doesn't think anything is torn but cant rule it out so has requested an MRI. If anything it has just motivated me even more, I was really doing so well before the crash so will just concentrate on that and know that when I am back fit and well I will be tearing it up out there!!!
Post Crash
My first two internationals haven't gone to plan and feel like missed opportunities but I am relentless and I will be back with venom:);)
Thanks again for everyone's support:)
