Big Jo Training Jan 23 - Feb 5

SWIM

What to do about swimming... I have decided to ditch my super long swims since I have not made any kind of breakthrough and swimming for 6km+ could only be fun if it is guaranteed to make you faster.  So I am revisiting the technique side of things and trying hard to get a feel for the water as well as adding an extra swim or two in the week but it is more like more swimming practice rather than more volume.
Any secret/magical tips would be much appreciated.

BIKE

Took the first week after Wanaka pretty easy and became reaquainted with my Serottica.  I find it sad that every Ironman I do takes away some of the feeling of achievement of doing an Ironman and once the soreness disappears after a couple of days I feel like I can resume as normal, where as the first couple of Ironmans I did it was such a big deal and I reveled in my achievement for the next few weeks.  Having said that perhaps it would be different if I had a good performance which was worthy of reveling.

I dusted off RooRoo and joined Kezzle and J-Rad for a fun ride around the Coast on Sunday.  We were an hour and a half into it and almost at the top of the Hunua Gorge when BOOM! SNAP! What the hell?! I had basically come to a standstill and something was seriously wrong with my chain/derailleur/wheel.  Closer inspection revealed that the rear derailleur bolt had snapped and the derailleur was trying to wrap itself around my wheel which was less than ideal. 

Too much power?

 Luckily Mum and my step-Dad were not doing anything at 8am on a Sunday morning so they were able to come to my rescue.  And what does an emo person with a broken bike do when they are not about to ride their TT bike and are sad about missing out on a good ride? They jump on their road bike and intercept their riding party on their way home of course! So all was not lost.  Although now I have to deal with the problem of the munted hanger and half a bolt in my derailleur.  The last time I rode RooRoo was at Wanaka so I guess I was very lucky that it didn't happen then.

Surrendered gear from Kezzle in return for fancy BMW kit - the world will be a much better place without these in them

 RUN

I waited a week after Wanaka until I ran again and am in the process of switching to ASICS from my beloved adidas Supernova's which is turning into a pain in the bum.  Because of my midget feet I have to wear kids shoes which aren't as good as adult shoes and may be contributing to my string of injuries.  ASICS probably do the best kids shoe but we are just not really made for each other, I am in between sizes but they don't do half sizes so I am having a dilemma about how to overcome this as well dealing with some pretty nasty blisters I suspect as a result of them not fitting quite right. 
But we shall overcome.