2 days from the Outlaw that I’m not doing

Still in hospital

In the rehab unit at the Royal South Hants 

Been here since last Wednesday and my progress is amazing!!!

However.

As Suzanne did point out today while visiting me in hospital 

"You were going to be running 42km on Sunday and now you're doing chair exercises" 

Isn't it bonkers how one's life can change in a blink of an eye

My Outlaw 2023 journey is over.

Update - I wrote this Sunday morning (16/7/23) in hospital. 

(Accident happened 8:30pm ish Saturday evening 15/7/23 cycling home from work)  

Gang - a Lizzie update. A car pulled out on me as I cycled home from work yesterday evening and I've ended up in hospital with my pelvis fractured in 3 places. I'm fine apart from that 🥰 but sadly although Lizzie will def go long it just wont be this year 😢 My lovely dr in A&E says bones mend and reckons it'll be 8-12weeks recovery but the orthopaedic surgeon will check me out and figure out the best way to mend me. Will know today or Monday. Have had toast and marmite and tea for breakfast. Everyone looking after me has been fabulous. Just gutted about the outlaw ironman. But every cloud - will get Apple and Netflix subscription and binge watch a whole heap of shows I've made a note of. So you know, not all bad xxxx

Next update - a few hours later  

Just seen one of the orthopaedic surgeons - they reckon it's not too awful. They want to load me up on pain killers and see if I can walk with a walker. Yesterday I'm planning how I'm going to manage the marathon - today I'm wondering if I'll mange to walk with the walker. What a difference a day makes xxx

Next update 

So just had physio - lovely couple of woman and a walker. I managed to get to the side of the bed, stand up and take about 6 maybe 7 steps. They then pushed the bed over to me and I sat back down, swung my legs round and schooched back into bed (all super super slowly and in a fair bit of pain). They were very pleased with my progress. Although I may be here a couple more days - will be moved to an actual ward soon.

I feel as if I'm in some Hollywood blockbuster learning how to walk again 😂

View from my window bed on the ward F5 pink bay last Sunday evening 16/7/23

What a weekend! 

Started with me cycling off to work Saturday morning and finished with me admitted to Southampton General Hospital with a 'fractured in 3 places' pelvis 

16 days to go

Last few days of my last recovery week then I'm pretty much done

See below for the 2022 Outlaw highlights 

https://youtu.be/rlKtuJVXlbE

Have decided the swim looks okay 

I reckon the bike course will be really pretty 

And I think the marathon will be super sociable

Can't wait 

🥳

#LizzieGoesLong

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lizcartersibs

 

Race number!!!! #332

Eeeeep

I've now got my race number 332

It's all very real now xx

Plus had a lovely 7k run this morning 

18 days to go

Today has mainly been:

Swim

Indoor cycling 

A nap

TV

Chores

More swimming

Pub 

Day 2/4 of my current mini break 

This time in 18 days it'll be 4 minutes after the 17 hour cutoff - hopefully I'll be high as a kite wearing my medal as a necklace scoffing food in  the recovery tent 🤗

40k of cycling this evening 🤗

Fabulous fun

Cycled to Lyndhurst for Southampton Tri Club's 10mile TT

The forest looked amazing

Then got a lift home with jenny as it was starting to get chilly

Only noticed I hadn't paused the garmin when we got to Ashurst

Hilarious 

Needless to say best ignore the average km/h for def the last 2.42km and a fair bit of the last 5km time as well 😂😂😂😂

I'm saying 40km in 1:45 with the 10mile TT done in approx 38mins 

Happy with that xx

20 days to go

And just like that - it's less than 3 weeks till the Outlaw

Yes, I'm excited

Yes, I'm feeling confident 

But also yes I'm bricking myself 😂

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lizcartersibs

21 days to go

Smashed my training this week

Maybe my best ever week of training 

So pleased 

But still terrified 😂

23 days to go

Okay

I'm feeling like I can do this

🥳

24 days to go - an epic bike ride

That was fantastic 

150km 7hours

Plus I'm not going to change into cycling shorts so will cycle in my tri shorts - they were fine for 150k today 🤗

We did the Rattler bike course - picked it up at the Happy Cheese Ashurst. We loved the ride back in early June and loved it just as much today 

25 days to go

By 9:45am today I'd swum 2.5km and cycled on the stationary bike for 1.5hours

Needless to say I was pretty tired so had a shower and a snooze

Rest of the day I was on weather watch trying to decide if I was going to cycle to Manor Farm for the RR10

Decided too wet - I'm paranoid about injuring myself while running so no RR10 for me - instead some shopping, supper, TV and off to bed by 10pm

Big day of cycling tomorrow- going to do a 100miles just so I know I can do it xx

Running in zone2 is hard!! 26 days to go

Didn't cycle today as the weather forecast was for rain - a lot of rain

So instead I had a lie in and then inspired by a running channel YouTube video - the one when Anna ran a marathon in her small back garden over lockdown - I ran 8k in 1:20 while watching running channel podcasts.

My average pace for the 8k was 9:44 which would equate to a just under 7 hour marathon

I could have done that pace for hours 😂

I had a weird left knee pain about 1.5km into my jog up and down my flat but then I shortened my stride and lifted up my knees a tad more and the pain went

8k and 1:20 hours later it was time for lunch 

Finally I can say I've done a run in zone 2. 

And can I just say how hard it is to run in zone2!

 

Outside I'd struggle to run slower than 9minute kms

The having to stop and turn around at the front and back doors certainly helped to slow me down xx

I now intend to start watching Marvel's Secret Invasion while peddling on the stationary bike 

#LizzieGoesLong

27 days to go

This is my last hard week

Today I ran 18km in 2:40

Should have been 26km but I was running out of water and was getting hungry for my lunch 

Kept to my run a km walk for 30secs plan for the Outlaw and felt fine. My average pace over the 18km ended up being 8.47 per km which would give me a time of about 6:15 for the marathon 

There will be plenty of water / electrolytes plus some food and a lot of support so as long as I make the swim / bike cutoff I may well finish the race within the 17 hours!!!

However

Regarding the swim…

I am feeling very confident 

This evening at Ellingham I did 3.5km in 1:22 

I wasn't racing or trying to go quick

I felt relaxed and pretty blinking awesome

I reckon I may well finish the swim within 1:40 which'll be brilliant as I'll be able to gift myself a little bit more time for the 112mike / 180km bike leg 🥰

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lizcartersibs

 

It’s July the 1st - 29 days to go!

You know that excited sick to your stomach feeling I was describing last week? I'm thinking this will be my constant buddy until the 31st July 😂🥳🤢

Finished early today so I can attend Amanda and Jamie's civil partnership party - can't wait 🎉

My training today will therefore consist of a lot of dancing - well jumping up and down and flapping my arms about. #BestFunEver.

Tomorrow will be skins swimming at Shepperton Lake and a run when I get back to Southampton tomorrow evening.

Then it's full steam ahead for my last hard training week before my last pre race recovery week,  a couple of weeks of tapering and then it's The Outlaw (😬) xx

Eeeeeeep xx