Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before

With less than 8 weeks to go - I'm feeling pretty reflective about my Ironman journey.  It's been truly incredible,  There's been some epic highs, and yup, there's been a few lows, where I've seriously questioned my own sanity as well as ability to complete the whole mammoth 140.6 miles.

And.  That's. Just. Nonsense. I'm determined to cross that finishing line - but I have to bear in mind that in Ironman - anything is possible... something could throw a spanner in the works on the day which could potentially stop me from achieving my dream.

But I..Just. Can't.  Think. Like. This. After all, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.  Don't even get me started on the coulda/shoulda debate.

One thing I have learnt in my Ironman quest - is there is no room for self doubt! You HAVE to be strong in the body and even stronger in mind!

My IM mantra:.'Believe in yourself and know all that you are.  Know that there is something inside you greater than any obstacle!'

I do love a good quote, but no sh*t - when the going gets tough, these cliches and sayings alongside my showreel of treasured memories - keep me focused to finish. And that's exactly what got me crossing the line at Tri122 middle distance event last week.

It was a fecking tough day in the office - there were so many things I got wrong.  I didn't take on enough water on the bike and my nutritional choices on the bike were all wrong. Both massively impacted my run leg, which was a complete mess - a total mental and physical battle.

I felt, sick, exhausted and heavy - something I wish never to experience again. If it hadn't been for friends on the course #teampink and my 'happy memories and mantras' whirling through my head I may well have posted a DNF.

On the plus side - I had a hugely relaxed swim, so peaceful and calm (not going to be like the fracas of the big day I know) and had the time on my life on that bike course. I felt so strong climbing up Orzola, and even chick'd two guys on their TT bikes.  They soon zoomed past me on the descent.   Somehow I've managed to grow some balls throughout this training.  I have fallen in love with climbing and I've learned to truly let go whizzing down the hills. So the race was not all doom and gloom!

I did throw a bit of a pity party post-event beating myself up about the run.. but thankfully my awesome friends reigned me in and gave me a harsh REALITY check.  I'm now acknowledging that it was a great result - sub 6... wahooo - and that's on Lanza terrain.

So what. I f@cked up my nutrition and hydration - thank heavens it was now and not on the big day I'm currently working on nailing this - and have bagged some great training testing it out. This epic fail has made me more determined in all aspects of my training. 'To turn me into something better than I was before.'

Just one more thing before I sign off.  I have to mention my beautiful friends.  Thank you for ALWAYS being there and believing in me - when at times I've doubted myself. Not just you golden oldies - but all the lovely new people I have met along the way (you know who you are). Special thanks to Gillypops for being incredibly supportive throughout #teampink and the pink lady herself @holliecraddock, who is one strong Ironchick reminding me that this IM malarkey really IS fun!

What's next?! A long bike sportive in the New Forest - Another week in Lanza for training, a local triathlon and lots of happy days creating magical memories to keep my mind filled with amazingness on the big day (Cringe).  I have just made a pledge to myself to see more friends and family in the lead up. The people what matter..  And have prescribed myself  a huge dose of fun - at least three measures a week.  There is NO room for negativity in these late stages, Lanzarote #teampink are coming to get you! 53 Days!!!

Nutrition: If you don't eat according to your goals don't expect to reach them - Primal for power!

Food glorious food...

I have confession... My name's Sam and I'm a foodaholic. Like many women I've always had an unhealthy relationship with food. It's always been a kind of love/hate thing we have going on.  In my 20s' living the London lifestyle I survived on dust and Diet Coke and would probably have sold a kidney to be just 7lbs lighter.

And as for the latest quick-fix fads I've practically tried them all - everything from the Cabbage soup special to the Atkins death breath meat fest. Working for a so-called health magazine that promoted counting calories and losing weight probably didn't help either - I was always tempted to try something new. Typically up and down in weight I never achieved anything other than being tired and miserable.

Fast forward ten years and my approach to eating is now entirely different.  After all TRYalthetes eat and train, they don't diet and exercise! I no longer count calories and worry about my weight so much. However, I still struggle to maintain a balanced and healthy eating regime. That's partly down to my on-the-go lifestyle and my emotional connection with food. Tired, I eat, sad, I eat... you get the picture.

Daily I have to remind myself that I am not a dog - and must not reward my hard training efforts with food! But it's tough love- as it tastes so good! Sugar is my biggest enemy - the minute it touches my lips I'm like a woman possessed! I can laugh and joke about it now, but in the past it has been an unwelcomed issue . Thankfully triathlon has taught me the importance as food for fuel.  You don't put enough gas in - you don't get enough power out, same as if you overload it with the wrong fuel (junk) you're only going to stall or conk out.

Rewind back to February last year -  I literally went cold Turkey for lent and gave up on the sugar with the little help from my friend Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution (he's not really my bosom buddy friend BTW - but he's been kind to me with all his written advice).

So what is this Paleo malarky? (Hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs) But in a nutshell this primal approach to eating is about getting optimal health to us busy and fast paced folk by going back to eating real whole unprocessed foods. Like those skin wearing caveman did!

The way I like to look at it is this; If the cavemen couldn't source the foods themselves from the land e.g. foraging and hunting then I probably shouldn't be eating it. If it comes from a packet, it's not Paleo.  I was strict in my approach being the all-or-nothing girl that I am - but the results were amazing.  I was eating more, not craving sugar and feeling full of energy. Typical meals would be high in protein, low in carbs and full of goodness. I felt shiny and new, Sadly my old habits crept back over time, life took over and my unhealthy eating patterns emerged again. It's hard to be on top of it all!

Back to the here and now again...These first three months of my Ironman journey have been incredible in terms of becoming stronger in body and mind. Nutrition has been my downfall, lets face it ice cream for breakfast after a long run really isn't the choice of champions .  Anyway with less than 12 weeks until the big day I've decided to nail the nutrition.  A great friend of mine recommended The Wild Diet by Abel James.   Essentially it's the same principle as Paelo and primal - offering new recipe ideas and food plans.  The book is not currently released, however you can pick up a lot of stuff from the interweb! I'm on week two of being protein powered and I'm already feeling positive changes to my performance! I'm feeding my body with a bountiful selection of fresh, locally sourced delicious food and enjoying batch cooking and boy it feels great to be healthy. The only thing missing is fuel-on-the-go.  Paleo snacks are very few and far between - unless you have a home bake off.  Well that's what I thought..

In my pursuit to remain a primal princess I contacted Mr @totallyfuelled to see if he stocked any Paleo type bars to help power me through my Ironman event. I'd already considered a few other options but was hugely dissatisfied with the amount of sugar and carbohydrates I'd be consuming throughout the day - seemed like a recipe for a sickly stomach on the run. He came up trumps with a selection of Primal Pantry Bars. Never.  Even. Heard of them. This was an exciting revelation and being a real foodie I couldn't wait try them out this week on a long training ride.

Being a coconut lover - I knew instantly this was going to be my favourite 20km in to the ride I was tearing the stylish coconut and macadamia packet quicker than you could say love at first bite. Admittedly I wasn't expecting it to taste so good, yummy and moist and not at all sickly like many of the other energy bars on the market. I set an alarm on my Garmin 910 to remind me to eat every 45 mins on the bike, because I forget.  I certainly didn't on this ride.  I was clock watching and counting down the minutes til my next primal pig-out! The Almond and Cashew and Hazelnut and Cocoa were both were delicious too and all three bars and powered me through a 100km bike ride with three reps of Sculpture Hill in Goodwood. When I got home I was still brimming with energy I was almost  tempted to don the trainers for a transition run after, but I ran out of time.

I know going completely Paleo may not completely sustainable for all aspects of my training, but I love the fact that I am able to get my hands on a fantastically natural snack.  Question is can I be a Primal Ironchick? Watch this space ...this is research in progress... as I adapt the Primal blueprint to suit my training and fuelling/refuelling needs.

Get your hands on these tasty treats and all your other iron fuel at www.totallyfuelled.co.uk or @totallyfuelled