Catriona Morrison

During the past 12 months I’ve been working with a variety of professionals to address ongoing Achilles problems. A recurring theme through these various assessments and treatments has been fascial tighness around my stomach.  This may or may not have a relationship to the achilles but is certainly an area which merits some further investigation. Over the past few years I’ve also begun to notice that I tend to suffer (albeit mildly) from an intolerance to lactose and I’ve had “troubles” of the “running” kind when running! 

Like the majority of athletes I have a balanced (and voluminous) diet. However, I do have a passion for convenience snacks such as pretzels,savoury rice cakes, pasta, bread and cake (homemade of course). I also tend to consume a lot of sugary foods have a little bit of a dependency (!) on carbonated diet drinks, coffee and sugar-free diluting juice. So, with guidance from a nutritionist I am altering my diet to see if I can alleviate some of the fascial tightness and get rid of those running runs!

It’s time to cut back on refined carbohydrates and sugars, take away as many artificial colourings and flavourings as possible and stop my intake of dairy products. For someone usually found with a whole packet of chewing gum in her mouth to be washed down with copius amounts of diet coke this is going to be a challenge.  In with home made bread (made with gluten free four), home made snacks and alternatives to pasta such as quinoa, rice, rice pasta and noodles…..One thing that may take a little longer to ditch is the coffee. I remain dependant.

So far, so good.  Meridian Foods have supplied me with a great range of natural products that are making my life easier. With some end of season  time on my hands I have been experimenting and making a lot of mess in the kitchen. One of my favourites is the raw oat snack bar.

Raw oat bars

The great thing about this recipe is that it needs no baking and you can experiment with different ingredients as you please. If you are after extra post-training protein you could add more nut butter to the mix or think about adding a couple of scoops of protein powder (I use powerbar vanilla protein shake). If you are after a lower fat bar reduce the amount of nut butter to one teaspoon (add more honey or orange juice to ensure moisture), take out the coconut and take out the whole nuts.

Ingredients

3 cups of rolled oats

1 handful dried fruit (apricots/dates work well)

1 handful of nuts (brasil/almonds work well)

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons meridian date syrup (or honey if you don’t have this)

2 teaspoons meridian pumpkin seed or almond butter

1 tablespoons desiccated coconut (optional)

Orange juice as required

Method

Place the oats (and any protein powder) in a food processor and blend until fine.

Add in the nuts and dried fruit (and coconut) and blend again – until the fruit is finely chopped through the oats.

Add the honey, date syrup and nut butter.

Blend again. The mix will start to come together. At this point it becomes a bit trial and error. You are looking for a mix that is moist, sticking together and can be pressed into a baking tray. To ensure even mixing, pulse the blender and scrape any mix off the sides of the blender back into the main mix. It should not be so sticky that it clings to your fingers nor so dry that it crumbles apart. For extra moisture I gradually add orange juice and blend until I get the right consistency. If you overdo it, just add some more oats! When you have the mix at the right consistency you can press it into a baking tray as is or if you prefer a little more texture you can consider adding some fruit or seeds at this point. Remember to taste as you go – some like a sweeter bar so may add additional date syrup or honey.

Put your try into the fridge and when the mix has firmed up a little you should be able to cut into bars.

Here is the breakdown per average 50g bar:

144kcal (if add protein powder goes up by about 27.5kcal to 171.5kcal)

24.2g Carbohydrate

3.8g protein (but if add powder this increases to 8g which is about the same as what is in an egg)

5g total fat

1.4g of saturated fat

3.1g fibre

I’m hiding. It’s winter. The days are short although so far pleasantly mild and sunny! My “off season” has taken a turn towards being truly “off”! Following a most excellent post-Kona gallivant around western Canada where I caught up with some old and very dear friends, I am now firmly rooted in the UK for a while. Although I would love to be getting some solid training underway I’m stepping off the perpetual exercise mill for a while to get my mind and body into a better place.

When you are in the middle of a season it’s hard to take time out to effectively deal with “stuff”. I now have some time and the energy to effect change in a whole variety of areas. My present working motto is: “If you always do what you always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. With this in mind there are some changes afoot!  Improvements, alterations, additions and subtractions. It’s the time of year to step back and evaluate things when the raw emotion of racing has had time to settle. I can be more objective and more honest with myself and search for real solutions rather than mid-season sticking plasters. With emotions more contained I’m also more open and responsive to constructive “criticism”!  There do appear to be a lot of action points and I am probably busier and more motivated than I have ever been at this time of year! One of the main things that is getting time and attention is getting back to running pain free again. On Monday I had a high volume saline treatment on my left achilles. It’s day 3 of 3 days off and tomorrow I can start the rehab program .When that’s up to speed I get to repeat the process with the right achilles. Athletes never like taking time out and I am no different but after 3 years of pain and discomfort, what’s a few (more) days? I’ve got plenty to occupy me and I’m embracing the opportunity to address lots of athletic and non athletic challenges. After all, the season will roll around again all too soon….

Firstly let me thank everyone who helps me do this wonderful sport. It’s a team effort out there – athletes are but the tip of the iceberg. Friends, family, sponsors, coaches, fellow competitors and supporters:- it’s you guys and girls who make it possible for me to go out there and chase my goals and to fulfil my potential. Thank you each and every person who cheered from near and far; to those who gave their time and energy to fix and prep my body and mind and who took the time and effort to help motivate and inspire me in so many different ways. Special thanks to husband Richard and coach Phil who put up with a lot of angry, frustrated and upset Cat. And special thanks to my amazing homestay families without whom I would not have hoped to have the season that I have had: Lulu and Frank in Galveston; team Newman on St Croix; Fred in Austin, and the Trinkle family in Houston and John and Linda in Kona.

What can I say about Kona this year? My first reflection is that it was a privilege to see some fabulous performances out there by my fellow competitors. In particular by fellow Brits: Leanda whose race came together so perfectly; Rachel who should really be called “Little Miss Consistency”; and Chrissie who triumphed despite “sub-optimal” preparation as she would say!

 My personal race didn’t go 100% according to plan. I’d give it a score of 6.5-7 out of 10. At least this year I made it to the start line minus colds or flus. A sub-par swim is never the best way to start, however, it’s a long day out there and if I were to judge all my races on the quality of the swim I’d have quit this sport a long while ago. My bike ride was solid, the best ride that I’ve had in Kona, so I’m happy with that. My run was off par and to be honest this is what broke the race for me. Between around mile 7 and 12/13 I had a bad phase. I was going to call it a bad patch, but it was more prolonged that that!! The wheels fell off and I was into one foot in front of the other mode. I had to visit the portaloos on four occasions. Such a joy, especially when they’ve been sitting in 35 degree heat all afternoon. Then somebody flicked a switch. The lights came back on and I was off – out the gates and running again. The best thing was that I was also enjoying the race. I ran as hard as I could and I didn’t give up on the hope that I could catch some of the girls in front. I knew that top 5 was out of the window but I ran for top 10. It’s a disappointing result on paper but I can take away so many learning points and positives from this race. I can work on the swim. I can try to explore why I had some stomach issues and why I had the bad patch on the run. I worked through a lot of negativity and came away smiling. The heat didn’t bother me.

I raced as hard as I could and gave my best personal effort on the day. I’m proud of that but I’m not finished with Kona, that’s for sure.

I’ve had a few requests recently for some of my “baked goods” so here goes…. Disclaimer: they are yummy but not necessarily super healthy!! Good luck, even if they don’t work out you are sure to have some tasty times attempting the recipes.

Malt Loaf (breadmaker recipe)

11/4 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons molasses

3 tablespoons malt extract

2 cups plain flour

1 cup strong white flour

1 cup strong wholemeal flour

Nuts/seeds/dried fruit: a mix of what you fancy – I like almonds, sultanas, dates, pumpkin seeds, linseed and cranberries.

 Follow the speciality setting on your breadmaker.

Muesli Bars

 4 cups of large oats

1 cup of rye flour

Nuts/seeds/dried fruit: a mix of what you fancy – I like almonds, sultanas, dates, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

Optional; 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (powerbar of course!)

2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

 ½ large tin of golden syrup – warm in the microwave until runny. Coat the dry ingredients with the syrup until the mix is sticky. Press into an oiled baking tray – use the back of a wet spoon if it’s too sticky.

 Bake at gas mark 5 until golden brown on top. Take out and let rest for 5min before cutting into squares when the bars are still in the tin. Wait till cold and wrestle from the tin!

Lemon, poppy seed and cranberry loaf

 1 cup plain flour

1 ½ cups self raising flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

½ cup cranberries

Rind of 2 lemons

1 ½ cups sugar

 2 eggs

Juice of two lemons

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Mix dry ingredients.

Put wet ingredients into a bowl and whisk together.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.

Fold the ingredients together. Do not over-mix. The mix should be reasonably moist – so add milk or flour to adjust (this can be a bit of a trial and error moment). Put into an oiled loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf on gas mark 4/5 until firm to touch and a knife comes out clean.

Sometimes brain farts are good things (honest). Last week on the journey to Morzine, my summer training camp base, I remembered that the Long Distance Alpe D’Huez race was coming up. On a whim I emailed the race director Cyrille Neveu and asked if I could enter and he graciously obliged. This race has been on my bucket list for a while and being only a short road trip from Morzine it seemed silly not to enter. And there are them hills and I lurve the hills. So it was really a “no brainer” decision – a training race in a stunning part of the world over terrain that I love.

I’ll not often say this, but being Scottish proved to be a distinct advantage yesterday – it was bloody cold, bloody wet and really bloody miserable. Let’s just say that I have no shortage of training and racing experiences in similar (if not worse) environmental conditions. I’m not going to say that I was comfortable, far from it. I was just in familiar territory! The swim was a might chilly and we were held on the line for what seemed like an age which made everything sluggish. I had an OK swim, lost a pack, found one, settled in. Every race seems to get better so that’s encouraging. Then out onto the epic bike course. Which, despite the conditions was still stunning. I really can’t describe its beauty – you’ll have to come and try it yourself.  I had a pretty lonely ride as, after the first hour climb of the day I had either passed or been passed and positions had solidified. Most of the time I was happy to work hard and remind myself how fabulous a race it was to be competing in, regardless of the weather conditions. The Alpe D’Huez came almost too soon – I would climb that hill all day, every day and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. Such fun. For those contemplating doing the race, don’t be thinking that the fun is all over when you get to the top. There’s a twisty, turny, up and downy, muddy, rocky, 22km suffer-fest of a run to get out the way before you can relax. This was definitely the most challenging part of the race for me as, although I was just about holding a steady even pace, it got harder as the laps went on and I got colder. Still, it’s the same for everyone and I was telling myself that the training benefits were unrivalled! Add to that a bonus win in the bank too.

I may have ticked it off the bucket list, but this certainly doesn’t mean that I won’t be back, preferably in French rather than Scottish summer time!! Woke up this morning and realised that it was our 4th wedding anniversary yesterday too. So a double bonus day without realising :-)

Are you aged between 8 and 18yrs? Would you like to do some training in sunny Spain this summer, meet new friends and learn Spanish? Triathlon Murcia are organising triathlon training camps for young people based not far from Murcia airport. Log onto http://www.tricamp.mex.tl/intro.html for all the information you need.

Apparently that’s how the Basque pronounce “Zarautz” – the location of TriGrandPrix Basque Country. Definitely an apt name for a triathlon that is pretty darn challenging, especially after 3 weeks of down time! This year marked the 25^th anniversary of the race which is the oldest running triathlon in Spain. It’s a point to point swim along the coastline. Last year I remember thinking that I had embarked on a journey back to the UK. This year it was more like swimming on a treadmill. The tide was on its way out and I felt like we were doing little more than standing still. I’ll admit that I didn’t really have my full race head on and when Natalie pulled away from our group I should have found another gear and hopped on! Regardless, I tried to stay positive and not to throw my toys out of the pram. This was proving a challenge in itself as, every time I looked up I swear the same flipping headland was no closer. Like last year, when we finally beached ourselves in Zarautz I could have quite happily kissed the ground. I now have more of an understanding of what the cross-channel swimmers face when they are racing against the changing tide.

This year the bike course was altered in order to have fully closed roads. It made for more traffic on the 4 loop course and nifty manoeuvres and concentration to avoid close encounters of the other biker kind. Although the course was not perhaps as difficult as last year, it still involved a fair climb on every lap, and a long leg-zapping mountain (!) on the final loop. The view from the top was truly spectacular and worth every hard-fought pedal stroke. I felt way stronger than I had anticipated and with one lap to go I had moved into the lead. The triathlon in Zarautz is part of the local calendar. The town really gets behind the event and the crowds are amazing. The run course really takes advantage of this by winding its way through the narrow streets on a three lap course. You can’t fail to get wind in your sails as hundreds yell you on. I loved it last year and I think that the support was bigger and better this year. My run was solid and I was happy to tick along quite comfortably thinking about my running biomechanics which I’ve been trying to chance this season. My aim for this race was to kick start myself again after a good post-ironman break and I certainly feel as if I have done this. Some cobwebs have now been blown away and I am ready to get back into a good block of training for the next few months. I’ll be doing some smaller domestic training races and focussing on getting some miles back in. I’ve had a great streak so far this season. 5 races, 5 podiums – of which 4 have been victories. It’s time to step back in order to go forward. I’m not a greedy person (unless it concerns food) and, as with many things in life, you have to bear in mind that often it is good to quit while you are ahead. I must be getting sensible in my old age!

It’s a great story – a beginning in Galveston, a middle in St Croix and an end in the Woodlands. Yesterday was the inaugural Texas Ironman, the last of my three competitions Stateside. In truth, this race was the main reason for my 6 week stay in the US. With the new Kona qualifying points system in operation I had to get me some of those babies on the board. I was calmly nervous. In my heart and in my head I knew that I was capable of a solid performance, I just needed to stay in control and focus on each moment in the present. My last 6 weeks of training in Austin had prepared me for the heat and humidity insofar as I knew how horrendous I was going to feel. But it is an Ironman and regardless of the environmental conditions it’s an undertaking not to be underestimated. I still classify myself as a bit of a rookie ironman athlete. That’s a grand total of 3 completed races under my belt, but I continue to learn and experience new things with every race. Yesterday I learnt not to be phased. I dropped feet in the swim, but kept determined and pushed the limits alone. Despite fearing the worst when I got into transition I was happy to find that I was only 3mins down on the lead. My chip fell off before the start, nothing much I could do there except ask nicely in T2 for the volunteers to take the replacement one out of the plastic bag and put it onto a band as I collected my bike gear. I stayed with the bike plan, riding to my power protocol and not getting anxious when others were biking by. And I took my bike position penalty on the chin, even thanking the volunteers in the penalty tent as I left. On the run I tried to relax and enjoy as best I could the wonderful support that the Woodlands spectators and volunteers provided throughout the entire day. The result was a relaxed Cat and that, I feel, allowed me to gain interest from all my training rather than go into the red in the race and sabotage myself. It’s a running theme to my race days and on race build-ups: Richard constantly tells me not to sabotage myself and yesterday I think that I finally came to terms with what this really means in practice. It’s been a fruitful, eventful and memorable 5 week stint in Texas. There’s a lot to be said for “keepin’ the heed”.

It’s been a 3 race, 3 win trip. Y’all gotta be satisfied with that! I want to thank Phil my coach (www.physfarm.com) for putting up with me and also dealing very well with my blonde incidents (2 inch left foot blister 2 weeks before the ironman). As always, my wonderful and long suffering husband Richard has been at my beck and call, albeit on Skype and on the phone. Without his support and that of all my friends and family the magic would not happen. My sponsors have been amazing and have made sure that I make it through training and racing in the best form possible. Texas truly is the friendliest place and I was blessed and honoured to interact with so many fantastic people.  Most of all I want to say special THANK YOUs to: Lulu and Frank my homestay in Galveston; Fred in Austin who let me have the run of his house for 4 weeks; the amazing Trinkle clan in the Woodlands; triathlete chums Michael, Desiree, Kelzie, Dede, Kelly and Derick for helping me find my feet in Austin and to Laurie, Sabine and Alex for being my personal Austin guides and buddies. Thank you also to Kendal, Terra and Karen for keeping my body on the road. Extra special mention for Alex for coming to the Woodlands yesterday armed with a Saltire to make sure that I got to the finish line properly attired for the occasion.

It’s almost like going home. No hassle. I know where to go and what to do. It makes me relaxed, it makes me happy and it obviously makes a killer winning combination. It was back to homestay heaven with chez Newman – thank you Todd and Kathy. It was wonderful to see you both again. I was welcomed with open arms and by familiar faces. Richard flew over from Scotland for the weekend to watch and to share in my St Croix adventures. It’s always hard to describe to someone how great a place is and what a great time I’ve had and this year we had a shared experience and that was very very special. Not only did he cope with the time change, the climate change and the travel but he was as always a wonderful support. He was asked by my no.1 St Croix fan (Roger) at dinner how he copes with having a wife that everyone loves. I don’t know what the answer was….  I was in the bathroom when that particular question arose!

It was a packed weekend - I’m pooped! This year Rinny and I gave the kids competing in the “Jump Up” run a warm up session to prepare them for their annual dash through town. Hopefully some of our enthusiasm will rub off on some athletes of the future.

As usual the competition organisers, volunteers and spectators made sure that it was an event to remember. The weather, although windy, was cool(er) and less sunny than usual – but still harsh for pale skinned Morrison! I thought that some time in Austin prior to the race had given me some colour but standing next to Angela and Rinny on the start line I was sadly still the transparent one. The race itself was pretty straightforward. I skinned my knees in the swim – never a good idea to dive in water less than knee height! I came out the ocean and set out on the ride and felt fab. My heart and lungs and legs seemed to be in synch and before I knew it I was up and over the Beast in first place and nobody was gaining. I knew that Angela would be hot on my heels with Rinny and I worked hard to come around the East end loop strongly and to have a decent cushion for the run. Let me tell you that it is never a fun feeling to know that Rinny is running behind you ( I know that from past experiences). As it turned out, I probably was a bit too exuberant on the bike and really did pay for it with a less than auspicious run. I was feeling the heat and had to play safe taking as much fluids on at the aid stations as possible.  I missed a course record by 8s! Still, I’d rather have payed safe than risk being caught by Angela and Rinny. I was however very very relieved to cross the line in first place. Not only that, it was just fantastic to share the victory with all my friends on the island and with Richard.

I is a very happy, tired and slightly hungover Cat today! Buy hey, no trip to the Caribbean would be complete without some rum eh?!

Quote of the weekend from homestay Frank!

Last night was a long drive (by Scottish) standards from Galveston to Austin but made more than bearable by my chauffeur Desiree Ficker who stepped in to transport me across Texas –thanks Des! Car cramp + post race body = tired bunny. I am now trying to get myself oriented in Austin where I will be based until the Texas Ironman on May 21^st. So far I have only managed to deliver myself from the bedroom to the kitchen, bathroom and garage of Fred’s place (Texas homestay # 2 – thanks Fred). I’ve also spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet trying to arrange some travel to St Croix (scene of next adventure) without success. My eyeballs are dry and I have lost the will to be a travel agent and I am giving up on that one for now. I really need to get outside and stretch my legs after yesterday’s race.

I arrived in Galveston on Thursday evening from cool, breezy and damp conditions in Edinburgh to face hot, humid and positively windy conditions in Texas. Still, regardless of the environment, you still have to compete! I stayed with wonderful hosts Lulu and Frank. They now have homestay bragging rights as their “charge” won the race. I can’t thank them enough for all the help and support over the weekend which really makes racing and training in an unfamiliar place that much easier.

I blew away some of the post Abu Dhabi blues and also got over my race rusty feeling from the start of the year. I had a much more solid swim and bike than in Abu Dhabi and I really did have a much better run than I had anticipated. So I am a content camper today. I exited the water with Samantha Warriner and Hillary Biscay – apologies to both girls for my inability to swim in a straight line. On the bike it was a long, hard slog with Karen Thurig and Angela Naeth showing us all a fresh pair of biking heels and making us play catch up. I came out of T2 with 90s deficit on Karen and 45s on Angela and worked hard on the first lap to go into the lead. This was all well and good, but a four lap twisty, turny run course made it seem like an eternity and the 4^th lap seemed to go on for ever. I had a great run, although not as evenly paced as I would like, but then there is always something to work and to improve upon – otherwise why would we train and race so hard?

 Thanks for all the support – especially the sidelined Leanda cave and ChuckyV. You guys were great. PPS extra special thanks to the Specialized mechanic Joe for some last minute bike tech work.