Steve Judge - our latest nouriSH me now athlete
Age 38
Eckington, Sheffield, Derbyshire
Best result to date
Gold Medal at the ITU Paratriathlon Tri3 World Championships Final in Beijing 2011
//body focus//
My best asset for triathlon is my organisation and focus on the sport especially leading up to an important event. Being organised in triathlon with all of your gear is essential and can win or loose you the race. Also important is diet preparation, checking out your competition, checking out the course (it’s not meant to be a mystery tour). Being organised leaves you time to be focused on the job in hand and I always aim to line up at the start with no regrets.
My worst tri asset after taking into consideration my disability is probably my swimming as there is so much dependent on the technique which aids efficiency as well as speed.
After my car accident one of my goals was to be seen and treated as normal and not disabled and this could almost be done by wearing long trousers and grimacing through the pain of walking. Since I have got into triathlon and achieved so much I am now loud and proud of telling people that I am a Paratriathlete. You know what they say: “How do you know when there is a triathlete in the room...don’t worry, they’ll let you know!”
I am so proud wearing the GB kit that I don’t care what I look like because I feel like an icon. Training in my lycra kit around the streets of Eckington I’m sure I get some strange looks but locals are starting to accept me for who I am...one of them triathlete people!
To make a long story very short:
Since my car accident in 2002 I have continuously set myself goals which initial started as learning to stand again, grow my leg to the correct length and walk again without the aid of crutches. Through progression I started swimming again and after a couple of years with determination I managed to get on a bike again. With my mind set on more active goals eventually after seven years since the accident in 2009 I set myself the task of taking part in one triathlon with the goal to complete it even though I hadn’t been able to run for seven years...I was prepared to walk.
On checking out my local event on the internet there was a paratriathlon advertised for classified disabled persons. I enquired and with the help of British Triathlon Federation got classified and was catagorised as a TRI 3 paratriathlete.
With tailor made trainer inserts which aided my ability to run again, intense and painful training ensued due to the fact that my goal had changed to winning the race rather than just finishing it.
I won the race in my category and due to the enthusiasm of the other paratriathletes and the BTF staff that I had met and talked to I was persuaded into competing in the other three events of the year including the world Championships at Hyde Park...I was hooked. Every year since I have loved the participation of the sport and the people I have met both in the UK and Internationally and continue to encourage others to try it.
Since competing at this level I have trained six days a week and on the seventh day I feel guilty that I am not training. I have built up a team of coaches including Bob Pringle, Richard Richard Harland and Holywell Health who give me enough advice and guidance on technique that I always have multiple aspects to work on in my training sessions.
My training is fitted around my family, work and home life and I still managed to commit a good 14 hours. My social life has taken a bit of a beating though!
Training Schedule does not include family time or work time which training fits around.
Monday, Day off but may include Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi
Tuesday, 1 hour cycle to gym for a strengthening and conditioning session followed by a swim session at Ponds Forge followed by a NourishME now for recovery before a quick cycle to work. A sneaky run at lunchtime and then 40 minutes cycle home at the end of the day.
Wednesday, Strength and Conditioning, long cycle set in the evening or time trial with a NourishME now for recovery.
Thursday, Strength and Conditioning and Killamarsh Kestrels running club in the evening.
Friday, Strength and Conditioning, cycle to work with added detour and a NourishME now at my desk and then cycle home.
Saturday, Cycle to open water session held by Sheffield Tri Club, 45 min swim, a drink of NourishME now straight aftyer the swim and then a 5k run afterwards and then cycle home where I generally have another NourishME now.
Sunday, Strength and Conditioning, and a decent length cycle ride with a NourishME now during or after.
Since I started competing in Paratriathlon I have lost weight by becoming ever so lean to the point where a lot of my trousers fall down if I don’t wear a belt. I also feel the cold a lot in the winter and always wear three layers while in the office. My wife says ‘there is nothing of me’ but accepts the amount of energy that I burn off.
What do you include in your diet?
My diet is a very well balanced healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables as well as carbohydrate and some solid meat. My recovery includes a sports drink that I have found called ‘NourishME now’ which has a right natural mix of protein, carbohydrate and water to replenish my muscles and really hits the mark.
The day before a big race I eat as much as I can because I suspect that I will be too nervous to eat on race day. In the morning I will have a big breakfast of weetabix and fruit followed by toast. From then onwards I will attempt to nibble on some sandwiches or fruit but if I don’t feel like it then I won’t push it knowing that I have enough energy from the day before.
Getting into triathlon has almost sent me into a detox. My fridge still contains a few bottles of beer but they are all non alcoholic. This is so after a long day a cold bottle can still hit the mark but still leaves me fresh for getting up the next morning at 5.30am ready to start the day training.
Significant scars:
My left leg has nerve damage from the knee down but the biggest visible appearance of my disability is my right leg as this was partially amputated and I lost my calf muscle and 4 inches of my bone with a noticeable leg length deficient. Lengthening my own leg by turning bolts everyday for over 3 months was very painful but the excruciating pain came from the period I went through twisting the set of bolts to stretch the tendons in my leg to result in a straight leg. Just thinking about this part of my rehabilitation still sends shivers through me.
I have an ongoing shoulder injury at present which I have had for over a year. At present I am only able to see a physio once I have an injury as this is down to cost issues. If I was able to get some sponsorship then I would definitely visit the physio for preventative reasons rather than just reactive as I know how important this is.
My main goal in triathlon is to bring home the Gold medal from the 2016 Paralymics in Rio. I have many other goals that I will have to work hard to achieve before I have a good chance of completing this task and these are set out for each year leading upto the event. The path to Rio is going to be a long journey but well worth all the effort.
After an event and after the adrenaline has worn off my body is exhausted both mentally and physically. The main problem I have is with my right ankle which gives me extreme pain for the week after a tough event and I will be limping on it until recovery takes place so I do light training on the bike and swim through this period. For me I always have to balance the pain I get preceding an event or tough training session with the joy I get from taking part...at the moment the balance is right.
Race report for Beijing World Championship final
I have a great pre race preparation which starts with an hour of meditation through a mix of Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi. This session is so relaxing and I don’t think about the for coming race at all, I just concentrate on the movements. From this relaxed state I then sit down and visualize the event from start to finish in extreme detail. This session is awesome as in the visualisation everything goes right and smooth and perfect and coming out of this I am confident and ready for action. This is how it was in Beijing although getting to the race start and final registration can bring the stress back again. Eventually the starting horn sounded and I shot off like a rocket. Breathing each side as I was powering away I could see that there was no immediate threat from any of my competition which was good. As the swim came to an end I was still pulling hard with my arms trying to get the last bit of effort out of them before the bike. (I was about 50 seconds ahead of my field) Transition one (T1)went fine and onto the bike which after the initial flat section had a fast downhill section with a corner at the end. As I turned my handle bars my front wheel didn't move and with my heart in my mouth I looked down at my misaligned front wheel and I knew I had to get off my bike and sort it. I screeched to a halt, off, straighten, allen keys, tighten and then back on the bike with other athletes whizzing past me but hopefully none of my competition! I pushed very hard on the undulated and technical course expelling the anger that had built up and making up time on the hill climbs and keeping it together on the descents.(Even with the mechanical problems I was now about two and a half minutes ahead of the field) Off the bike and into transition two (T2). Sprinting off and onto the flat (there and back) four lap course where you could see and calculate where your opposition were. The first three laps were hard and fast with full concentration on counting the laps and keeping an eye on opposition. The last lap came and I knew now that all the hard work was nearly over. Still fast but with smiles and acknowledgements to supporters I came round the final corner and down to the finish line to throw my arms in the air in recognition to becoming the new World Champion of Tri 3 paratriathlon.
Crossing the finish line as World Champion is exhilarating and I think a lot of the pleasure comes from the satisfaction of concluding that all those hours days and months of training have paid off at that precise moment.
2011 was an exceptional year for me in all of the events winning four golds. I have done well on my individual goals as well but there is always room for improvement especially in triathlon so I have a lot of work to do to prepare myself for the next season.
In training I would like to feel comfortable with the schedule and enjoy the progress of perfecting my technique. It’s a great feeling when it all comes together and this will also be evident when I compete to retain my Paratriathlon titles next year.
Being nominated by the BTF is a great recognition for a good year and then being voted for by fellow triathletes and paratriathletes gives me enormous pride. The athletes that I get to know year by year are all amazing people who I greatly admire, understand and relate to.
I am pleased with the way Paratriathlon is progressing and I feel we have come a long way in such a short time but with these kind of things we need more. BTF and the ITU are constantly working for more publicity, more media coverage and more television time as these things make a big difference.
Steve
