Warming Up With Emma Edworthy
Meet Emma Edworthy - a 2XU athlete who proves that at no matter what level you start triathlon, you can chase your dreams and cross the finish line and achieve great things. Great kit helps, yes, but so does commitment, determination, discipline and above all else, never forgetting the reason why you started the journey in the first place.
Emma, a 47-year-old civil senior servant for the Welsh Government, didn’t really have a clue what she was doing when she entered Ironman Wales in 2015. But that hasn’t stopped her reaching the ultimate goal of two IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships since.
She won her first slot at the 2018 South Africa World Championship after finishing 10th at Lahiti, Finland. And on September 18, 2021, Emma raced her second 70.3 World Championship in St Georges, Utah after coming in the top 10 at Ironman Andorra in July. She’s balanced a demanding job with a rigorous training plan and early menopause to be the fittest she’s ever been in her life. And she’s done it with one of the biggest grins in Welsh triathlon plastered across her face at all times.
From someone who started out picking her training kit based on the colour (pink is Emma’s favourite colour) to someone who is now a well-known face on the Welsh circuit, this is her story.
I had been trying to get under two hours for a half marathon for six years during my thirties and early forties. I was getting closer and closer then one year I got in under the two-hour mark with a couple of minutes to spare maybe. Then I thought, what next? I’d seen Ironman Wales on the TV and thought that looked interesting.
I knew someone in Cardiff triathlon club who was coached by Mark Whittle from Whittlefit, so I sat down and had a chat with Mark. I think he was mildly impressed that I’d kept plugging away for six years to get my half-marathon time to two hours and he either took me on because he liked my determination or because he felt sorry for me. It was important to get a coach because I really didn’t know how to start training for an Ironman.
When I entered my first triathlon, which was Ironman Wales 2015, I’d never used cleats on a bike before and I hadn’t swum in 20 years. I’d played netball at school and at quite a high level when I was studying at the University of London. And I’d also done the London marathon with a friend for a laugh with minimal training, which was a whole painful experience. So I firstly had to get a new bike, and I would initially get off at all the hills because they were too steep. I really was a disaster when I started - Mark had to make the plan for IMW for a complete beginner.
I really needed to buy all the gear too so I just Googled what to wear and liked the 2XU stuff mainly because it was pink. There wasn’t as much choice out there as there is now but 2XU is so comfortable and I’ve practically lived in the compression leggings while working from home during the pandemic. The colour pink is like my trademark now, especially after I joined CrapTri, with all its pink kit.
A lot of the races I choose are based on places that I want to visit. Racing is a great way to see the world and keep the sense of adventure and to challenge yourself out of your comfort zone. I was planning on a trip to America with one of my friends and I saw there was an Ironman event in Chattanooga. I had always quite fancied visiting Tennessee so I asked Lucy if she minded if I just tacked an Ironman onto our travels. I wanted to try and improve on my time in Wales but it was so hot and humid out there, it was more a case of survival. (Emma did 12:29:32 at Ironman Chattanooga 2017). I did a few 70.3s in between - somehow managing to qualify for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in South Africa in 2018 after coming 10th in my age group at Lahti, Finland. I really wanted to do an Ironman in under 12 hours so I entered Tallinn in Estonia in 2019 and that was when I met Heather Williams, who’s a coach from Cardiff and had just set up her own club. I was ecstatic to finish Tallinn in 12:21:27 but Heather said I had plenty more potential to realise.
Considering when I started my triathlon journey I would have panic attacks in open water and even breast-stroked to the first marker buoy in LCW just before IMW – I have come a long way. It’s important to reflect sometimes I think -we can be guilty of being critical of ourselves.
The run part has always been my weakness - my head went in the run in Tallinn. But after meeting Heather in Estonia, we got chatting about my next goals. She thought I had never really pulled a complete race together and faffed around too much. I suppose I never really raced - I just turned up to enjoy myself. Up until that point, my training had been quite basic - I didn’t have a turbo trainer and had never even heard of an FTP test. A lot of my bike training had been incorporated into my commute between Barry and Cardiff for work. So it felt like the right time to try something new. It sounded really exciting. Plus, Heather was a woman who’d been there, done it and understood what was happening at my stage in life with dealing with menopause symptoms and how to get the balance right. Now, I turn up to races with my race face on and with goals on where I want to finish in my age category. For the first time I have the confidence to believe I can achieve and it’s exciting to set those kinds of goals. And high fives are now off limits!
Having somebody who understands what it feels like and who is flexible with my training has been really helpful. Heather was encouraging and when I wasn't feeling well, we wouldn’t stop but flex around it instead. I always struggled a bit with my mental health and getting in the right headspace and looking back to those days, I think the changes that were happening to my body were a big factor in that. But hard training helps me when things are bad. Knowing I could talk to Heather and have that support at the end of the phone when my hormones were all over the place meant we could adapt sessions.
One of the first things she made me do was keep a food diary for a week and that showed up some surprising things. I was eating about 1,000 calories fewer than ideal and was eating a lot of sugar and fat. It was quite a revelation. We introduced more protein into my diet - I’d snack on hummus and carrots in the afternoon or perhaps have a couple of boiled eggs in the morning. I eat more now than I ever did but I’m so much leaner. And I have no tummy issues now during my longer rides and races. I also started doing pilates and yoga, which has helped massively with my strength and staying injury free.
I started doing zone two training stuff- low intensity stuff which I’d never really thought about. I always thought you had to go hard all the time. Now I can just go out and run easy and it gives me so much head space. These days when I go for my long runs, I can sort so much out in my head and not feel too knackered that I don’t want to train the next day.
I have always been a creature of habit and if it’s in Training Peaks, then I’ll do the session. I like to get my training done in the morning, work all day and then collapse in the evening. Working from home during Covid has actually helped in that respect because I don’t have to do quite so many 5am sessions, especially when there’s a two-hour turbo in the plan. I’ve never been that person who just switches off their alarm and turns over to go back to sleep - I just get up. Perhaps it goes back to my early career when I worked on the trading floor in the City of London. I used to have to be in work by 5.30am so I just had to get up. I don’t really see it as mad - it’s just what I have to do to get the training done. And I think it's important, especially for me, to have an off season at the end of racing, to catch up on all those things you’ve missed out on with friends and family because of training and to get fat and enjoy life a bit. Then you’re ready to go again for the next season.
I booked a trip to Antigua after Copenhagen for some R and R, planning to work from my hotel room and then exploring the island in my downtime. It was an amazing opportunity afforded by the ability to do my job from anywhere but it did affect my training. One weekend I was out swimming with stingrays and the next I was having boat tours around the beautiful coastline. All I had was a basic gym in a shack in the heat without any air con so I had to make do with the cross trainer, a treadmill and some weights.
I think I actually arrived in the US well rested and good to go - and I really just wanted to enjoy the World Champs. It was my glory race; I was just there to experience it and try and have fun. There was no pressure on this one. My plan was to enjoy the swim, nail the bike and grovel on the run. In the end, it was one hell of a day - a storm hit while we were in the water and it turned into something like Armageddon. It was horrific - they actually pulled half of my age group out, but I refused to be pulled. There was another storm on the bike leg, which was tough hilly terrain so I had to contend with the hail and thunder as I descended. And then the sun came out for the run, which is typical, so it was boiling hot. I was delighted with my run - despite the hills and heat I just kept trucking. I really feel like I’ve turned a corner with my running this year.
(Emma finished in a time of 6:24:58, and 115th in her category)
I enjoy the bike, especially when you just head out for a nice long bike ride with the promise of cake. I’ve always enjoyed the swim, I’ve always raced with the intention of nailing the bike section, but running has always been a case of grovelling. By changing things up with Heather, I’ve seen a massive improvement in my running. But I am like a Duracell bunny with mainly just one speed. My half marathon time is basically half my marathon time. I don’t seem to speed up in half ironman races at all. I’m working on it in training but it’s about taking baby steps. You can’t fix everything in one go, you have to break it down.
It’s a toss up between Finland which features a finish under the spellbinding nordic midnight sun, which I just loved. And Copenhagen last month, which had been a dream for four years and to finally achieve a time under 12 hours was amazing. I’ve learned so much and gained so much confidence, especially on the bike, this past year so to race well was the ultimate reward. Although Heather still believes there’s more to come. And Ironman Wales was just awesome too - it was my first race in my home country and the support is just incredible.
I think it would have to be: “She who is brave is free.” I don’t know who said it but I have it on a picture with a woman cycling on my wall. I suppose it means to me that when things get tough, then just suck it up. If I’m on a long bike ride or when I was racing in Andorra this summer, which had long descents which I hate, I repeated that quote a lot in my head. It just keeps me focussed.
