This week I’ve been in Leeds for my university graduation! I’ll talk about this later but first how was my training?

It was tough without a bike and no competitive swimmers to chase. Also I got the flu and the weather was very cold, dropping to -4°on one occasion. But the week wasn’t a total disaster. I got plenty of rest. I caught up with friends and spent time with my boyfriend. I also closed a chapter of my life: I graduated from university and I’m proud.

I started the week with a good swim, despite still recovering from a head cold I’d had the week before. I swam consistently under 1.20 for lots of 100s, so I was happy. The following day I got up early and went for a jog with my sister. It was a beautifully fresh morning and we went for a full English breakfast after. Yum!

That afternoon, my coach took an underwater video of my swimming, so we could analyse my swim technique and highlight areas for improvement. It was great seeing the footage, although I was a little surprised at how messy my stroke looked underwater. That being said, it meant it wasn’t too tricky to find areas for improvement. Four key areas were identified, which I have prioritised and started to work on.

On Wednesday I had my graduation ceremony. I graduated with a 1^st class degree in Sports Science and Physiology. It was a lovely day, although extremely cold – I definitely needed my dry robe! Unfortunately, that evening I felt very rough, so we didn’t go for a celebratory meal, we sat on the sofa and got ‘take out’ instead.

I felt the same on Thursday, where I spent six hours travelling home. I then started to feel better on Friday and Saturday, where I even managed some low intensity training.

On Sunday, I took the time to reflect on my progress in triathlon since the start of university since that chapter of my life has come to an end. When I began in 2018, I joined the Athletic Union squad or AU squad for short (we called ourselves the AU specials but that another story). I swam three times a week; only rode my bike on the Brownlee circuit, as I was too scared to ride on the roads; and I barley ran as I suffered with shin splints. By my final year, I had moved up three squads, become National Aquathlon Champion and was training 20 + hours a week.

I’m very grateful for my time in Leeds. The memories made and the lessons learnt will be with me for life.