Going Long(ish)

A look back on April

2011-05-09T08:39:00.000Z

A bit late with this post, but I have been a bit busy sorting the move to a new contract position which I start next week.

April turned out not to be as good as I planned, the aim was to up my cycling, do at least on cycling hill rep session per week and to stay consistent … that all went to the wall half way through the month when something in the right side of my back when twang during a hill rep session.

I was just finishing an 8 x 5min seated hill set and a felt a sharp pain, but it seem to ease so I finished off with a few sprints and then an hours run. The next morning I swam an it felt sore but OK and I went for e recovery MTB ride, but the first time I stood to apply pressure to the peddles for a sharp clime .. back came the pain but a lot more intense.

I ended up having to visit the physio for 2 x deep tissue massage session, 2 lots of acupuncture and 1 lot of manipulation ... plus my training was restricted to slow easy run/walks and swims …although a couple of dips in the icy North sea seamed to help a lot.

The month came in at Just under 44hr, way off target

The splits for my training

Training month on month

My aim for May is to get back into it, and finally get in some proper cycling!

Let there be BRICK!

2011-04-19T07:41:00.004Z

Last night i did one of the many Brick sessions that are in my trainng plan

Brick training session are sessions where you train for two of the disciplines back-to-back, traditionally a brick session is BIKE then RUN but can also be SWIM then BIKE or any other combination that you can think of, (but some people mat call them something else).

They all have there place in training some more than others, generically any training session made up of two discipline will help your body prepare for doing more than one thing in a race, so transitions from one discipline to another will not be a big shock to the system, as Triathlon is a sport in itself and not just a sum of its parts. Plus it is also a way of helping you get all those required sessions fitted into a weeks training

Swim to Run training is normally done as part of open water training (on my part) where I will have a long OW swim followed by a short tempo run to loosed up afterwards, this type of training can also be useful for Aquathalons.

Running then cycling, this is mores specific for those that take part in duathlons that are often Run-Bike-run

Swimming then Cycling gives us the chance to practice T1 (which can take some time), getting out of our wetsuit and off onto the bike, many people have problems with dizziness and nausea when moving from the prone position of the swim to the upright position and if you are like this, this is a very useful session

Cycling then running, this session is the most popular although (IMO) a lot of training plans do not introduce them early enough. Firstly the prepare you for the ‘jelly leg’ felling of moving from Bike to run, next they help you more quickly improve your generic endurance as Bike-run brick session can be longer earlier in the season as doing two different disciplines does not place the same stress on the body as would just a long bike or long run and I would do one of these Brick sessions most weeks These bricks and can be approached different ways

A steady/easy bike followed by steady/easy run, used to help build overall endurance and train the body for the transition

A hard structured bike followed by steady/easy run, this is a bike focussed brick session that will leave our legs feeling like they belong to someone else when you start the run, great fun, and great preparation due to the fact that you will be most likely giving it all on you bike before you start you run in a race

A steady/easy bike followed by hard (and/or) structured run, this one is run focussed and helps the body to adapt to getting up to speed on the run as quick as possible.

A hard Bike followed by a hard run, is simply what it say s on the tin and is race specific and lets you try out back to back in race simulated conditions, but (for me) this would probably normally be a shorter session so not to risk injury.

Bricks do not have to be the same every time, be creative and mix them up, for me last nite was a Bike focused brick and took the form of: -

BIKE (2:10 total)

20-30mins warm up, mixed HR
8 x 5 min seated climbs at VO2max
8 x 1 min hill sprints, flat out
Mixed cadence work to finish

RUN

1 hour trail run

So get out there and brick

Doubts and Fears

2011-04-11T08:20:00.000Z

From time to time as you work towards your Ironman goal, you mind will start working overtime and allsorts of doubts and fears will creep in, trying to derail you a knock you off stride, these doubt and fears can take many forms :-

What if I’m not training enough?
Am I training too much?
I’m carrying to much weight
I swim like a drowning rat?
Joe Blogs seems to be so much further on than me
I’m to slow on XXX discipline
Etc etc …

Well for me these doubt and fears are always focussed around one main area, yes I know I didn’t do even half the training I should have last year, but my doubt and fears are always focused around the BIKE.

I am a week cyclists and see it as my biggest limiter, I am poor on the climbs, I am slow, my knees ache, my back struggles with the time I’m on the bike and my muscles pump out to quickly and so on…

But when I look at it rationally, I am training and following a plan, my plan includes endurance, strength and skills elements, I have spent the off season focussing on improving my core and generic strength. So I know I am doing what is required of me to improve and there for I should not worry, I know my training plan is balanced in away to give enough focus to this weakness but not overly sacrifice my training else where.

But I do, I still worry: -

I’m to slow on the bike
I’m going to show myself up on the hill climbs
I’m not spending enough time in the saddle

But I need to squash these fears and doubts, focus on the positives and take strength and resolve in what I know I am doing.

So if you too, suffer doubt and fears on you path towards Ironman, take heart in the knowledge you are not alone.

Onwards and upwards

A look back on March

2011-04-05T07:32:00.000Z

March for me was always intended to be a breakthrough month, it was to have a focus on pushing myself and moving my training on to the level I believe is needed for me to better my Ironman PB time.

To do this I set myself the challenge of training every day of the month, I know that there is a need for rest and recovery, I know that this is not something that can be maintained due to the risk of overtraining an injury, BUT it can be done for a month, after all I have a desk job and spend most of the time sat down and I aimed to utilise active recovery instead of rest, such as sub 2k swims etc.

In total I managed to train almost 55hours in March

I thought training every day would see the weight fall off me but I actually put on 2lbs … I get hungry when I train a lot .. but I did see my body fat drop significantly to 17.5% the lowest since Ironman Germany 2006

March also saw a number of other personal barriers pushed through for me …

I manage to break 300pts in the training point league for the first time ever beating my form PB by about 60pts
I also did my longest swim since 2006 … 7000m

So all-in-all a good month onward and upward

The following pie chat shows how my training was split for the month

This graph shows my monthly training my time (hours) with a significant jump in March

Goals & Objectives

2011-03-28T11:58:00.000Z

… and activities

Firstly a bit on what I am talking about, a GOAL is a broad statement of what we want to accomplish, in my world this year my GOAL is to race an Ironman PB in Regensburg in Germany this summer and finish before the clock turns 13hours.

To get there I am setting a number of interim OBJECTIVES to achieve this GOAL (which I will come onto in a moment)

ACTIVITIES are the actual things I do in working towards the OBJECTIVES, but it also needs to be noted that OBJECTIVES are not just a bunch of ACTIVITIES, they actually need to challenge in a way that they will help achieve the overall GOAL.

So far I have had a couple interim OBJECTIVES each one month in duration …

THE FIRST was to loose weight, I was weighing in at over 210lbwhich is to heavy for me, so my first objective was to loose weigh, to get back to around 200lb and into a ‘teen’ body fat, this will aid my overall objective by being lighter and in better condition when I race, lighter for the hill climbs and hopefully faster on the bike, Activities for this task involved keeping a food diary, replacing various foods for healthier alternative and training in a way to aid fat loss but maintain muscle

THE SECOND and current, is to improve my consistency in training, and although this is contentious I decided to aim to train every day this month, to use active recovery instead of rest, ensure I slept correctly, maintain a health diet and monitor key indicators of training/overtraining within my body. In the past I have often been guilty of not being consistent enough in training and therefore this kick up the backside will help deliver a more solid base to this years training and therefore i'll be in a better place when i start the build.

NEXT month the objective will be run based, as my Ironman Marathons in the past have always been well below my actual marathon capabilities and I am looking to fix that, I am not sure on the nature of the objective(s) yet, but watch this space

To achieve the GOAL, we need both resolute and flexible. When difficulties and unexpected problems present we need to HTFU and JFDI (see post)and stick to our goals. But always stay flexible with your objectives and activities. If the way you do things now does not work, try another way. Keep trying until you find the one that works.

This approach is probably not for everyone …but I am giving it a go

HTFU & JFDI

2011-03-24T10:55:00.000Z

This post is based on a thread that I kicked off on one of the forums that I frequent and a thread that resulted in a wide range of feedback.

My point is that we (including me) are all guilty of taking the easy path, and ditching the odd session, when we have a head cold, feeling a bit weary, jaded after a hard day at work. We loose sight of our ultimate goal we look for acknowledgement of our wish to drop a session by posting on forums or face book in the hope that someone comes along and says…

“It’s ok have the day off training. It'll do no harm”

But quite often it’s not ok, it can become a pattern in our training, missing session during base training it can weaken the foundation that we are seeking to build on, missing sessions in later phases could mean that we are not as fast, strong or as sharp as we could have been.

This is Ironman and it’s not meant to be easy!

Yes if you in bed ill with flu then don’t even think about training if you have gone beyond being tired and are truly on the verge of over training then you body will need to be rested but feeling a bit tired from time to time can be expected, afterall this is Ironman Training, the mental exhaustion from a hard day of work can often be replaced with a feeling of contentment when we get out there and train.

Where our forefathers had highly physical jobs down mines and in shipyards, we largely have it easy with a large proportion of the modern workforce working in offices and similar, we are not as physically exhausted at the end of the day as we think … it is indeed a mental exhaustion that we feel and misinterpret, get your kit on and get out there, give it a try, ease into it … if then you cant rise to it’ call it a day on the session at least you did HTFU &JFDI afte all a lot if ironman training needs to be in Zones 1 & 2 anyway

As I have said there are often times when we HAVE to miss a session but what I am saying is learn the differences between HAVE and WANT

A look back on February

2011-03-08T11:44:00.000Z

The second month of the year and the shortest at that now done and dusted and I’ve moved the game on from January with increases across all Tri-specific training, which I am pleased at : -

SWIM : up 40% by time and 64% by volume
BIKE : up 53% by time and 48% by volume
RUN : up 29% by time and 29% by volume

So a good second month of base training

I had a couple of bouts of cold through the month, it’s that time of year but managed to rearrange things so again, I can’t complain too much and I am beginning to feel fit again :)

I am looking at making March a big month training wise, with the aim of doing ‘something’ every day … well that’s the plan.

The following pie chat shows how my training was split for the month.

This graph shows my monthly training my time (hours)

Run, Run/Walk, Walk

2011-03-04T11:31:00.000Z

Whichever way you look at it the Ironman marathon is both a challenge and a joy, you will have the swim and the bike behind you and you will be thinking more of the finish line but you will also be hurting, you will be tired and aching and you insides may be doing summersaults (think portaloos).

Unless you are a one of the very speedy types walking will probably pay part of your race. You will see many posts on various forums from those macho types belittling those who walk, but in truth many find themselves walking at sometime during the marathon.

You may have a strategy of run 9 walk 1 or similar or walk the aid stations and ramps and run the rest or you may just be playing it by ear. In Switzerland I ran the first lap quite fast, then i switched to 9/1 and by the end it was more like 2/1 but I got round in a reasonable time.

The key to this is (IMHO) to know that walking in a race is not a stroll, you need to know how to pace you walk, In my first Ironman in Germany 2006 I walked most the marathon as I'd overcooked it on the bike, but I was passing others who were running and i finished strong. if you think about it, if you walk at 7kph you can cover a marathon in close to 6hrs

A good place to practice pace walking is on a treadmill, maybe as part as an indoor brick session, a typical session may look like ...

Spinning class
Then Treadmill set the incline to somewhere between 1% and 5% and start at 5kph
Each minute up the pace by 0.5 kph until you are at 7kph
then alternate 5min intervals at 7.0kph and 7.5kph for up to 1hour

The purpose of 7.5kph interval is to make the target pace of 7kph feel 'easier'

Also when you're out and about think walk not stroll

All this will hopefully help you not slow down too much in your Ironman marathon when you walk ... remember WALK DON'T STROLL

Running Drills

2011-02-23T15:24:00.001Z

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you will note that once per week I finish of my running with a session of drills / strides (I use the phrase interchangeable) , a number of runners I train with put them down other think they are good, I, basically just enjoy doing them, so if they help by running that will be a bonus

I believe running drills help build strength and flexibility in your legs and they help increase your stride length and frequency making you a faster runner.

When it comes down to it Running speed = Stride Length x Cadence so improving either (or both) can have a positive effect on your running

I normally finish my run with a 2 to 4 sets of the following

BUM KICK DRILL

Using a short stride, on your toes, raise your heels as high as possible behind your body, as if you were trying to bounce your heels off of your buttocks. Most of the movement should be with the lower leg. The upper leg should not move very much. Concentrate on raising your heels as high as possible. Repeat for 20 to 30 meters.

You will feel this in your hamstrings so it is good to stretch them slightly.

SIDEWAYS RUN (NO CROSS OVER)

Run sideways bringing your feet together, but not crossing over each other, almost like a sideways skip Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, then come back with the opposite leg leading.

HIGH KNEE DRILL

Using a short stride, on your toes again, raise your knees as high as possible on each stride, aiming to get your knees as high as possible. 20 to 30 meters

SIDEWAYS RUN (WITH CROSS OVER)

Like the previous sideways run but this time you cross over and rotate your hips/shoulders as the left leg moves in front and then behind the right leg. Think fast feet on this one. Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, then come back with the opposite leg leading.

MINISTRY OF THE FUNNY WALKS

(For those old enough to remember the sketch)

This one is done slowly. And is a walk in the half lunge position, aiming for a long stride, you should feel this one stretch like a set of lunges. Repeat for 20 to 30 meters, stretch out to loosen back up then repeat on the way back

Well for what it was worth … that is what I do when I say I finished with drills/Stride

A Word of Warning

2011-02-15T09:30:00.000Z

As I sit here, once again cursed with man-flu and about to miss my second training session of the week, a conversation I recently had with a friend and one time training partner comes to mind.

We had been talking about the long hall training plans that get us ready for Ironman, that may range from 17weeks to 30weeks in length and the relevant affect of dropping occasional sessions.

Quite often in a plan we will feel tired after work or lack motivation to get out the door when the weather is bad outside so may end up missing a session as there is ‘plenty of time to make it up’, this is especially so early in the plan, when in the UK it is normal the new year and the depths of winter.

But dropped sessions accumulate and early in the plan we are laying the foundation that need to be solid, without gaps, to support the build up of training as we progress towards our long distance goals. So missing sessions weakens that foundation and what is missed is missed, it has passed us by and we can’t go back to that missed opportunity.

For me last year and Ironman Germany was a case in point of this effect, it was my worst Ironman race ever, I went into it not fully ready, I had dropped sessions through moving away to work, ending up at the other end of the country, having to make the most of my weekends with my family … and so on … but these, when it comes down to it are just a bunch of excuses and If you want Ironman you have to work at it, it take time, commitment and consistency, training is hard and long but it’s not supposed to be easy, its Ironman. The above left me struggling, for the first time, to finish – It took me 14:45(ish) … the lack of training showed

It is normal to feel the accumulation of training, it is normal to feel the wariness of a hard day at work but you still need to train to follow the plan, to build the foundation of your race. Just get out there (HTFU, JFDI etc) and train, you may quite often find it will revitalise you after a hard day at work.

BUT remember do be organised, do be structured and build recovery weeks (for me 1 in 4) and rest days into your schedule, these are what serve to keep you fresh and ready to train and prevent over training.

Don’t look for excuses not to train instead look of ways you can train and build the foundation to your perfect race

(JUST MY THOUGHTS)

Indoor Training (Bricks)

2011-02-08T09:49:00.001Z

During the winter, a lot of training moves in doors through necessity imposed by bad weather and dangerous conditions. You do not want to end your season before it has even started because a care has knocked you off your bike in the dark or it has slipped away from you in the ice, so indoor it is…

Monday’s for me normally means a brick session, and these can be quite long, but long and indoors does not have to mean boring. The following are examples of the bike and run segments I may do as part of the indoor brick …

BIKE

This may be (for me from 1:00 to 2:30)

Session 1

Warm Up 10 – 15mins

Main set
# x (

- 3 mins seated climbs just below VO2max

- 2 mins standing climbs just above VO2max

- 1min lighter resistance speed spin trying to maintain VO2max

- 2min recovery

)

Warm down 10-20mins

Session 2

Warm Up 10 – 15mins

Main set

# x (

- 5-10 x (1min seated climb | 1 min recovery)
- 5-10 x (1min fast spin | 1 min recovery)
- 5-10 x (1min standing climb | 1 min recovery)

- 5-10 x (1min fast spin | 1 min recovery)

- 5 min Easy
)

Drills

- 5-10 x 1min (each) 1 legged drills
Warm down 5-15mins

RUN

When in the gym the run part I aim to keep to a maximum of 30mins or so and base my sets on my steady marathon pace of 10kph (the gym I use is in kph)

Session 3
5 mins building speed
Main set
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 10.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 11.0 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 11.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 12.0 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
- Intervals 5 mins of ‘ups’ @ 12.5 kph and downs fast walked @7.5kph
Warm down

Session 4
5 mins building speed
Main set
- 1 min 10.0kph | 1 min 9.5kph
- 1 min 10.5kph | 1 min 9.0kph
- 1 min 11.0kph | 1 min 8.5kph
- 1 min 11.5kph | 1 min 8.0kph
- 1 min 12.0kph | 1 min 7.5kph
- 1 min 12.5kph | 1 min 7.0kph
- 1 min 13.0kph | 1 min 6.5kph
- 1 min 13.5kph | 1 min 6.0kph
- 1 min 14.0kph | 1 min 5.5kph
Warm down

Have Fun

WW

A look back on January

2011-02-04T12:28:00.000Z

Well, that's the first month of the year out of the way already, and I've come out of this side of it feeling quite good, which I am pleased at, considering the man flu and chest infection I started the month at which meant no training at the front end of the month.

January also marked the start of my 10 week base plan (see post) but due to being ill, I decided to adapt week 1 and do the main over 2 weeks, to ease back into things, after all ... a plan is just a guide.

What this means is that I have now have completed the first 3 weeks of my plan which have slowly grown from 5hrs in the first week to just short of 9hrs in the 3rd week, next week will be a slightly down / recovery week as, for me, every 4th week is a recovery week.

I happy with my long bike, which is up to 2hrs and my swim which is at a nice 3.6k level, but i am a little bit behind on my long run which is still only at 6.6 mile and i wanted to be up to 9miles by now, but on the plus side i have been getting in more runs than I thought and introduced strides into my run program once per week (post on strides to follow)

Also i am continuing with a weekly non sports specific strength / power training to help try an repare / improve my damaged back

The following graph shows my stats from week 1 (twice) through to 3 ..

GEAR REVIEW : Speedo Aquabeat 1GB Waterproof MP3 Player

2011-01-20T14:50:00.000Z

I have been after swimming MP3 player for some time so spent a lot of opportune moments hinting for Father Christmas to bring me one and to my you he did, a Speedo Aquabeat, complete with arm strap.

The Speedo Aquabeat is a basic, but waterproof MP3 player for swimming (or in the bath or shower …) The Aquabeat can be safely used up to a depth of 3 metres in the water so you can enjoy your favourite tracks when you're swimming! - ideal to break up the monotony of training in the pool. (or so it says)

The Speedo Aquabeat comes with an extension for the headphones or you can keep them short if clipping the player to your goggles, which is what I did. I thought it would irritate me clipped to the back of my goggles but once in place you can not feel it so a thumbs up on that front.

The ear phones come with a variety of sizes of buds included so its easy to find ones that fit and that is one of the hardest parts clipping the clips around your ears and inserting the ear buds correctly so they are far enough in to keep out water but not so far in that sound is muted. It took me a few lengths to get this right but after a while I was happy.

The sound quality is quite good, not as good as your normal MP3 player but good enough considering you are in water. From time to time you loose sound in one ear or the other when you push off the wall and water gets in your ear but its still OK and soon clears.

One thing I would say is not to use the same tracks, like I did, as you use for a hard core spin or run ,,, something more relaxed may be better.

Loading tracks and charging the device and loading tracks is as simple as plugging the provided USB to 3.5 cable into the same sockets as used for the headphone and into the USB port on your PC. The PC sees the device as an external storage device and you simply drag the tracks onto it.

The controls are basic and easy to use, wit a skip back/forward button which doubles as a pause play button and another button for volume all easy to fid by touch, but once I started swimming I just left It alone until I finished my sets over an hour later

All in all I like the Speedo Aquabeat and award it 8.5 out of 10

8.5 out of 10

The Techy Bit

3.5 mm headphone socket
Battery Life: 9 hours
1GB waterproof MP3 player
Playtime up to 9 hours
Waterproof compact design (can be used safely down to 3 meters)
Waterproof earplugs
Floats for easy retrieval

Man Flu and Over Indulgence

2011-01-02T19:24:00.000Z

It started with a bit of a tight chest and a slight cough on the 16th December and by the 19th it was full blown man flu at its worst and for me that also meant a very poorly chest. My training came to an absolute stand still and I struggled to get out of bed and with Christmas coming not good.

Most of the symptoms have now lifted but I still have a tight chest and a bit of a cough but hope I can get back into even a bit of light training over the next few days as my base plan starts next week (see post) and my waistline has expanded somewhat over the festive period.

I am the sort of person that enjoys Christmas and New Year ... I like Food ... and I like drink, even when out of sorts, so I look like I have put on a few pounds.

I shall weigh in tomorrow to see what damage the over indulgence and lack of exercise has resulted in .. but I know it's going to be bad ...

Base Training, Training Programme

2010-12-17T11:48:00.000Z

It's getting close to the new year and close to time to start structured training, later next year i will be following a specific 17 week Ironman training plan , but to get me to that I have drafted a plan that gets me to the point.

The plan is in draft at the moment and I will probably refine it a bit further but you will get an idea of what I am looking to do. I have also categorised the training as key training and other represented by RED and BLACK.

I am the sort of person that needs a plan to help with motivation, I am more likely to do the required training if I know in advance what I need to do in advance.

This training plan only builds up to session of a maximum length of 3:30 but longer will come in the specific Ironman plan as i don't want to overtrain or burn out and it can be seen from the plan that every 4th week is a recovery week.

Some may find the program a little light on the swimming front, but in truth swim is possibly my best sport so there you have it...

For those that are interested here is my 10 week Ironman Base Training Plan

Interval Brick Session

2010-12-14T08:40:00.001Z

My off season is approaching the end and the New Year will see the start of structured training starting with an extensive Base period.

But at the moment it is still off season and training variety. Last night was an interval brick session that took the form of: -

SPINNING BIKE 10 mins warm up Z1/2

5 x (
- 3 min seated hill climbing (hard effort)
- 2 mins standing hill climbing (upping the effort)
- 1 min fast spin (lighter effort)
- 2 mins recovery Z1/2
)
5 mins recovery
8 x (
- 20secs vomit inducing effort
- 10secs easy spin
)

5 mins recover

TREADMILL FARTLEK SESSION

20 mins, efforts ranging from slow easy pace to my 5k pb pace with 2 x 1 min efforts at my 5k pb pace.

For the 20 sec bike efforts, these were done in similar style to Tabata style training, but at the end of my normal interval session rather than a session on its own. The whole session left me feeling quite good as I retired to the sauna.

Heat Rate Zones

2010-12-10T11:15:00.000Z

For both running and cycling a train by heart rate, some people train by pace, by power, by feel but I train by Heart rate.

The thing is that I use one system for cycling and another for running, the reason for this is that I have been lab tested on the bike (see earlier post) but not for my run. So for cycling a use a range of zones based on my VO2 max and for running a set of zones base on my Max and Min Heart rates.

Cycling

VO2max = 147bpm

Zone 1	Recovery	91 - 121
Zone 2	Extensive Endurance	122 - 130
Zone 3	Intensive Endurance	131 - 137
Zone 4	Sub Threshold	138 - 146
Zone 5a	Super Threshold	147 - 150
Zone 5b	Anerobic Endurance	151-155
Zone 5c	Power	156+

Running

Max HR = 175bpm
Min HR =47bpm

Zone 1	50% - 60%	111 - 124
Zone 2	60% - 70%	124 - 137
Zone 3	70% - 80%	137 - 149
Zone 4	80% - 90%	149 - 162
Zone 5	90% - 100%	162 - 175

Motivation, Motivation where for art thou

2010-12-06T08:49:00.003Z

Since my marathon a couple of weeks back (see post) I have been suffering a crises on the motivation front and have only managed to get a hand full of training sessions under my belt and none of them what I would call big session.

How can motivation levels swing from being full on to being in the trough of despair in such a short period of time? What triggers such major mood sings? … Where is my mojo? … if you have it pleas return as soon as possible.

I look back and can see some of the causes:

Being tiered after a marathon is a normal affect
Bad weather closing the gym can be helped
Transport disruptions causing me to be on the road for hours
Time digging snow
And so on …

But these are nothing but excuses …. Where is my motivation

Newcastle Town Moor Marathon

2010-11-23T21:50:00.001Z

It's been quite some time since I ran a marathon by itself, probably over 2 years so I spotted this one, the Newcastle Town Moor Marathon, a while back and since it's almost on my doorstep I thought I'd give it a go.

I haven't really done any marathon training as it's my 'off season' so my longer runs have only been between 10-13miles and only a couple of runs per week, but i am feeling quite fit at the moment so i hoped that would carry me round the 26.2 miles.

Also I didn't bother tapering either as i was going into the race as just a run out and still did my PT session on Thursday and tempo run on Friday ... but i did have a rest day on Saturday with nothing more than a walk on the beach with the dog.

The race was 5 laps of the town moor and ii RAINED ... in fact it rained so much that the paths were quickly turning into streams and the off road sections turned into mud bogs .. i quickly wished i had wore a pair of trail shoes rather than my normal runners

Things got off to a good start and I felt good in myself ... well apart from the DOMS from all the squats on Thursday but I quickly loosed up and into my stride running at about 9mm and maintaining that pace well into the race and to the half marathon.

On the third lap during a half mile off road section i slipped and pulled by right hamstring but i managed to run this off in the next couple of miles but it did slow me down.

On the last lap, my lack of marathon training showed and I slowed dramatically and had to introduce a 1min walk in each mile.

But I eventually finished in a not to shabby (for me) time of 4:26 getting me thinking that i may have to try and train properly for a marathon some time.

So I went home happy ... and wet and took Monday as a rest day

Endurance Swim Set

2010-11-17T21:03:00.002Z

Tonight was another structured swim set with the focus being on endurance. When I talk about endurance swimming the total metres quite high but most of the set is done at an aerobic level.

Today's workout totalled 5600m,

The warm up and cool downs were alternate kick drills and swims
The 100m intervals were don easy
The 400m intervals were down at IM intensity
All other intervals were steady

The set: =

WARM UP

10 x 40m

MAIN SET
2 x (

2 x 200m
1 x 100m
2 x 300m
1 x 100m
3 x 400m
1 x 100m

)
WARM DOWN

5 x 40m

W/E 12/11/2010

2010-11-14T13:54:00.000Z

Another, for me, solid week and quite well balanced. At the moment I am still in my off season / prep period which will continue to the new year when i will star 'official' base training and my campaign towards Regensburg 2010. After all if i was to try and focus on that race this far out i may burn out ... well that's my thinking

The Numbers:

SAT	AM	02:05	BIKE: MTB ride with my brother
SUN	__	__	REST DAY
MON	__	__	REST DAY (due to a 6hr drive before work)
TUE	AM	00:35	STRENGTH: Weights session basen on PT workouts
TUE	PM	01:45	SWIM: 4.2k structure
WED	AM	00:41	BIKE: Zone 1 spinning session
WED	PM	01:12	RUN: 8mile fartleck session
THU	AM	01:00	STRENGTH: PT session (Pt 1)
THU	AM	00:22	SWIM: Easy 800 to warm down, focusing on smooth (Pt 2)
FRI	AM	00:34	RUN: 3.2 miler in high winds
FRI	PM	01:05	RUN: 7mile trail run

SWIM :	02:07
BIKE :	02:46
RUN :	02:51
OTHER :	01:35
TOTAL :	09:19

Lunch Time Spinning

2010-11-10T16:53:00.000Z

A number of people ask me how I don’t get bored with sessions on the turbo or spinning bike and my answer is probably the fact that I break it down into short chunks and focus on the current time chunk rather than the whole 2-4 hours that I may be aiming for.

This also goes for when time is limited such as during my lunch break I have a limited time so I have to make the most of the time I have. I am quite lucky in that the gym is quite close to where I work, so I always have access to a spinning bike, not as good as a turbo but still capable of providing a good indoor training session.

Today’s session took the form of: -

5 mins spinning to warm up at the break bighting point
10mins of upping the resistance by quarter turn each min
10mins steady spinning at the end resistance from last set
10min of 1min stand 1min seated at the resistance from last set
5 mins of accelerations 20sec fast | 40sec easy
5 mins warm down

A short stretch, a quick shower and change then back to work feeling highly invigorated and looking forward to my evening run

W/E 05/11/2010 (Recovery Week)

2010-11-07T12:37:00.001Z

This week, for me, was a recovery week which meant no long hard bike session, no big brick sessions and no long runs. A long run was tempting though as I have a marathon later this month and have not really done any long running, but recovery weeks are there for a reason so I was a good boy and did what I was meant to do.

One plus side of it being a recovery week was the fact that I managed to fit proper swim into my week, which I really enjoyed and I have to ask myself, can I keep sacrificing my swimming and focusing on my weaker disciplines, this is something I am going to have to continue to ponder as base training continues, as i do not want my weekly volume to grow too much too soon ... well not till the new year at least

The Numbers ...

SAT	AM	02:01	BIKE: MTB ride with my brother
SUN	__	__	REST DAY
MON	PM	01:03	BIKE: Recovery session with a few intervals
TUE	PM	00:31	BIKE: Fast spin session to loosen up (Pt 1)
TUE	PM	01:35	SWIM: 3.6k structure (see post) aimed at endurance form (Pt 2)
WED	PM	01:25	RUN: 10miles of hard intervals
THU	AM	01:00	STRENGTH: Session with PT focusing on my back problems and core
FRI	PM	00:50	RUN: Trail Run

SWIM :	01:35
BIKE :	03:35
RUN :	02:15
OTHER :	01:00
TOTAL :	08:25

A Swim at Last

2010-11-03T07:59:00.000Z

Yes after weeks of not getting in a proper swim, I thought it was time I got in the pool again and as this week is a recovery week a swim instead of a hard brick session was a good option. I did a 30min spin to loosen up first, and then hit the pool.

The am was to focus on endurance form, including a few timed 400s for #winterswim and the set looked like: -

WARM UP

1 x 400m warm up (8:05)

BUILD

10 x 40m build (strange sized pool)

MAIN SET

1 x 400m hard (7:34)
2 x 200m hard
1 x 400m hard (7:35)
4 x 100m flat out
Rest

DRILLS

2 x 200m fist drills
2 x 200m catch up
1 x 200m kick
1 x 200m easy

I felt quite good after the session apart from one of my shoulders started to ache so I cut things short and ended up with 3.6k instead of 4k but considering I have not had a real swim for some time.

W/E 29/10/2010

2010-11-01T08:38:00.002Z

Another solid week close to the 10hr mark, but yet again very little swimming, 10hrs is my aim for early base training for at least 3 weeks out of 4, with the 4th week been an easier recovery week (if needed)

What I need to get out of this period is consistency as all to often at this time of year have a let my training drift which means early new year is spent getting back into it rather than capitalising on what I already have in place … the year hopefully will be different

The numbers: -

SAT	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	AM	00:30	BIKE: Spinning session (Pt1)
SUN	AM	00:30	STRENGTH: Kettlebells (Pt2)
SUN	AM	00:30	RUN: Trails (Pt3)
MON	PM	02:00	BIKE: Hard effort aiming at raising Vo2max (Brick Pt1)
MON	PM	00:40	RUN: Half mara paced run including 8x45sec sprints (Brick Pt2)
TUE	AM	00:45	STRENGTH: weights session based on PT routine
TUE	PM	02:15	BIKE: Focused on drills and spinning - lower HR, below LT
WED	__	__	REST DAY - I was feeling very run down (see previos post)
THU	PM	01:00	STRENGTH: PT session, focusing on helping me sort out my back and core problems - big limiters for me
THU	PM	00:10	SWIM: Just a short swim after PT, including settion my #winterswim base time
FRI	AM	00:51	RUN: Trail Run
FRI	PM	00:32	STRENGTH: Kettlebells

SWIM :	00:10
BIKE :	04:45
RUN :	02:01
OTHER :	02:47
TOTAL :	09:43

The Colours of Autumn

2010-10-29T14:51:00.000Z

This morning was one of those days that I am pleased that I partake in past times that take me outdoors, that I'm not the type of bloke that spends all of his time in a pub or in front of the little box in the corner that just eats away time, Yep it was a great morning to be outdoors.

I hit the local woodland trails, and ...

Yes it was a bit windy ...
Yes there was a bit of a nip in the air ...
and Yes there was a bit rain ...

BUT

The colours of the woodland more than made up for any negatives, the trails were covered with fallen leaves of red to gold and the canopy above me reflected those autumnal tones, i know this all sound a bit hippy and tree huggy but this morning was one of those mornings that mad me glad to be out for a run ... rather than still wrapped up in bed.

So Very Tiered ...ZZZZZZzzzzz!

2010-10-28T07:21:00.000Z

Yesterday (Wednesday) was supposed to be short swim and long run day, but over the last few nights I have been struggling to sleep, both getting to sleep and waking often during the night. This all culminated in me getting up and feeling paper thin washed out and tired.

I ended up missing my lunch time swim due to an over running meeting but as the day wore on I felt worst and worst and felt I could have nodded off at my desk.

So then came the decision I hate to make … to ditch a key session, I felt I could have probably trained but not as planned, so I had my evening meal and went to bed ... no TV ... no reading … just bed.

I was in bed by 8:30 but still, even though I was sop tired, struggled to get to sleep … I still woke several times during the night … and is I write this it is the crack of dawn. But I feel a bit better which is quite important as I have a 6hr drive after work today as I am heading home.

But the question is what can I do about it???

I am looking to drop the amount of caffeine I have been consuming, which has crept up to silly levels.
I may try reading instead of TV after training to help me come down fro a training high
I could try listening to some relaxing music as I bed down for the evening
But what else??

I do know I need to get this sorted as I can’t go dropping key session like this when I am looking for major improvements.

WW … a non happy … sleepy … triathlete

Winter Brick Sessions

2010-10-26T07:25:00.000Z

By the time I finished work last night it was already getting dark, and my breath stood heavy on the quickly chilling evening air … and I wanted to get in a brick session, I thought it may be a bit dangerous out on the bike in rush hour traffic in the dark so the plan was to hit the gym and the spin bike for the firs segment then outside for the run. After all the weather/conditions in the UK really fall to where you cant get outside and run and treadmills are the invention of the devil.

So since it was going to be the spin bike I decided to push a heavy load and work my HR aiming to sit just below my Vo2 max (85-90% of) with recoveries dropping to 75% (just above the point where my lactic levels start to rise). The work out looked like :-

10min warm up
10 x (
- 2min heavy standing
- 1min heavy seated
- 1min spinning seated (rec)
- 1min heavy seated
)
8 x (
- 40secs heavy standing
- 80secs heavy seated
- 40secs heavy standing
- 80secs heavy seated
- 1min spinning seated (rec)
)
5 x (
- 1min heavy standing
- 1min heavy seated
- 1min spinning seated (rec)
)
5mins spinning

So 2 hours in total on the bike, by now I was drenched in sweat so I had a quick towel down pulled on my jacket and out the door I was. The sky was clear and star filled (even amongst the light pollution) and I quickly started to feel the sweat in my hair start to freeze so I decided that I should go for a decent pace to keep mw warm, aiming for 80-85% MHR.

The first part of the run was flat allowing me to maintain my HR then as I approached the end of my loop it was time for hill reps … or hill sprints to be exact:

8 x 45sec hill sprints | walk back recoveries

The aim on these sprints is to really push myself and maintain a long stride length throughout, I time for first sprint and at my end point, so I always run the same distance for each sprint but by the last sprint it may be taking me longer than 45secs … but you get the point.

My session was finished off with a jog back to the gym, strides and stretching ….

Total run time 40mins

Not a bad midweek session … well for me

WW

W/E 22/10/2010

2010-10-25T08:45:00.000Z

Another sold base week for me this week with 9:30 training time, and even a little swimming, on the negative side I am suffering a thigh / hip flexor strain that has affected my strength / power training and give me slight problems during my long hard run. I still had a good run though completing the 14.5mile route in 2:07, when you compare it to the 2:21 I was covering the same route in the summer as build up to IMDE, I was well pleased.

Also this week I managed to get my gym set up at home so I can get in an extra session when I cant get out, its just basic but includes: -

Cross trainer
Rowing Machine
Spinning Bike
Bench
Dumbbells
Kettlebells
Etc …

On the negative side I didn’t complete week 3 of my 100 push up challenge, so I am going to have to repeat the week rather then move on …. must try harder!!

So the figures: -

SAT	__	__	Rest Day
SUN	AM	00:50	RUN: Easy drills session
SUN	PM	00:11	100 Pushups Week 2 Session 3
MON	AM	00:10	100 Pushups Week 3 Session 1
MON	PM	01:30	BIKE: LT Zone interval session (Brick Pt1)
MON	PM	00:35	RUN: Including 6x45sec Hill Sprints (Brick Pt2)
TUE	AM	00:48	Strength: Session from PT
TUE	PM	01:33	BIKE: Steady session stand / sit mix
WED	AM	00:32	SWIM: Including a 1k TT (18:59)
WED	PM	02:07	RUN: Long tempo run (14.5 mile)
THU	AM	01:03	StrengthSession with PT, Hard kettlebell session
THU	PM	00:11	100 Pushups Week 3 Session 2
FRI	__	__	Rest Day

SWIM	00:32
BIKE	03:03
RUN	03:32
OTHER	02:23
TOTAL	09:30

Power V Strength

2010-10-20T09:25:00.001Z

I t was pointed out by a friend that on an earlier post I was getting myself mixed up with STRENGTH and POWER and referring to my lack of strength in cycling, where what I was really discussing was my lack of power in cycling. So this has lead me to do a bit research on the subject, I am not saying that my finding are complete (or totally correct) but they are what I have discovered so far: -

Firstly a couple of definitions: -

STRENGTH : is the maximum force that an individual can apply to a resistance, quite often expressed as an individuals maximum lift for a single rep, I.E. an individual may be able to bench press 110kg for 1 rep then this world be the representation of his strength. In reality though if 111kg was attempted the individual would not be able to lift the weight but the force would be slightly high, as maximum strength has zero velocity, but most people use the maximum lift for 1 rep method.

POWER: this adds speed/velocity into the equation as power is the rate at which work is performed and can be represented as the equation: power = force x velocity or power = (force x distance)/time.

For some triathletes (runners or other athletes) , pure strength training well only have limited benefit and in the early stages of training as there is evidence that increments in absolute strength does translate to increments in power BUT as strength training progresses this effect becomes less and less.

Training to improve power on the other hand can improve a triathletes performance, if we examine the formula above it suggest this can be done in 1 or more of 3 ways : -

Increasing Force
Increasing Distance
Decreasing Time

FORCE: here I mean increasing force while keeping velocity and time constant this would in a cycling specific session involve intervals in a high gear, recruiting and building strength endurance capabilities while not sacrifice speed or the time of the overall ride.

DISTANCE: in running terms this world be doing increasingly longer session keeping intensity (force) and the duration of run constant, it is suggested that flexibility and efficiency improvements can contribute to improving distance, as is shown by the countess studies on stride length and running style

TIME: Decreasing the time it takes to cover a distance at a set force is another way of improving power, improving skill levels have shown to have helped decrease time, if you look at swimming a large proportion of gains are maid through becoming a better swimmer, through drills etc

NON-SPORTS-SPECIFIC

When I talk about non sports specific training to increase power I am referring to time in the gym, this is a highly contentious subject amongst most triathletes where some swear by it, others yes but only in the off season and other no way kept to sports specific. A recent poll I ran on the beginnertrieatlete website produce the following opinions: -

Yes,I weight train all year round	48%
Yes, but only in the off season	21%
Nope, only sports specific	9%
Would like to but have not	17%
Yes and no	5%

But for those that do believe in gym work to compliment the sports consider training to increase power rather than strength, don’t worry about that one rep maximum an instead look to increase the weights you use in more explosive exercises such as cleans, jump squats, kettle bell work etc. This will help build and recruit the appropriate muscle fibres for power in you sport and help you burn calories, thus helping out in another formula which is the power to weight ratio.

POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO

If increasing you power is your aim then you need to consider you power to weight ratio (power(in watts)/ weight (in KG)) if an increase in power is matched (or superseded) by an increase in body weight then the gains may not be translated into improved performance, alternately a drop in weight while maintaining current power could again see an improvement in athletic performance, this is due to the power to weight ratio.

Ideally those undertaking specific power training should also consider their ability to reduce the amount of body fat they carry thus improving both sides of the power to weight ratio equation and helping further capitalise on any power gains…

There we having it … my ramblings for the day … I am not saying any of this is gospel … but it is my current understanding

Feel free to correct me, add your comments, or argue your own point …

One Hundred Push Ups

2010-10-18T12:17:00.001Z

You may have noticed in my training updates that I quite often refer to the 100 push up challenge, and a number of people have asked me what its about so here is a brief explanation: -

The 100 push up challenge is all about getting to a point where you can do 100 non-stop good form push ups from whatever your staring point (try googling 100 pushups). It is a six week program and comprises of a number of workouts each week based on test results. With test carried out at the start and at set periods during the program.

Although it is meant to be a 6 week program, you also have the option to repeat a week if you feel you have not reached the required level to move on.

I am now just starting week 3 and the reason I am doing this is northing more than it’s a good challenge to do in the off season … I am currently crap at pushups …

Go on … have a go!

W/E 15/10/2010

2010-10-17T12:54:00.003Z

A solid weeks training, for me this week with 11 hours of training, this week saw me pick up a thigh injury that meant some changing of plans then come down with a cold .. so no swimming at all this week, I am not overly worried about my lack of swimming at the moment but need to keep an eye on things.

SAT	__	__	Rest Day
SUN	AM	01:40	RUN: Easy multi terrain run
MON	AM	00:10	100 push up challenge 2:1
MON	PM	01:30	BIKE: Structured session (Brick Pt1)
MON	PM	00:22	RUN: including 6x45sec hill sprints (Brick Pt2)
TUE	AM	00:55	STRENGTH: Session from PT
TUE	PM	02:21	BIKE: Lower end LT session
WED	PM	01:35	RUN: Hard Intervals
THU	AM	01:00	STRENGTH: PT Session
FRI	AM	01:07	BIKE: MTB (Brick Pt1)
FRI	AM	00:10	RUN: (Brick Pt2)
FRI	PM	00:10	100 push up challenge 2:2

SWIM	00:00
BIKE	04:58
RUN	03:47
STRENGTH	02:15
TOTAL	11:00

GEAR REVIEW: Petzl MYO XP

2010-10-14T16:38:00.003Z

The winter, as the nights draw in, normally pushes evening onto the roads and more well lit routes that are normally suffer from being boring, choked with fumes from traffic or clogged with pedestrians, Well this year I wanted it to be different .. I wanted to embrace winter wild running, to be able to continue to enjoy runs along the river banks and through woods and parks, so to this end I decided to look at head touches as a means of lighting my way.

After quite a bit research, I new what I wanted, something light that took regular batteries, had a good burn time and most importantly was bright. There were a couple in the running a model from Lennser and another from Petzl … and, by default, since I could not find anyone with the Lenser in stock I ended up by the Petzl.

The model I purchased was the Petzl MYO XP and off I went for an evening run on the heath.

I originally had reservations about the battery pack on the rear of the strap, but once I had but the Petzl on I found it adjusted easily and was comfortable to wear; I used it on maximum power for about the last hour of a hard interval run, during which the light stayed in place and did not irritate.

The light was bright enough for me to see comfortable, meaning I was able to push myself during the session without fear of tripping over an unseen obstruction and its adjustability meant it shone exactly where needed.

I will definitely be using the Petzl MYO XP to allow me to continue running off road this winter and as a supplemental light while out on my bike … you can never be too safe out there

RATING 9/10

Features

Shines up to 97metres (boost mode)
86 lumens (maximum level)
150 lumens (boost mode)
3 lighting levels (maximum, optimum, economic)
Wide angle lens allows to quickly switch from flood beam proximity lighting to focused long distance lighting in a single movement
Boost mode increases power if needed while optimizing energy consumption and weight (175g with batteries)
180 hour light duration at economic level (80h on maximum)
Battery charge indicator light warns when batteries are 70% and then 90% discharged
Head Band includes top strap.
3 year warranty

Specification

Dark grey, black headband with grey graphics
Water resistant for all weather use
Polycarbonate wide angle lens
Operates on 3 AA/LR6 batteries (included)

Intervals on the Heath

2010-10-13T20:28:00.003Z

I had planned to do cycling hill reps tonight but I have a slight niggle still in my upper thigh so thought I better not put it under the stress of hill work.

So instead I thought I'd run, intervals to be specific on the local heath its flat and off road (on grass) so easier on the injury. I totalled just over 10.5 mile in the 1:35, which looked like : -

Warm up
10 x 2mins @ 87%+mhr | 2min active recovery
10min steady
10 x 1min @ 90%+mhr | 90secs active recovery
Warm Down

AHR = 76% MHR
MHR = 95% MHR

It was a good session and I got to try out my new head torch, which I will be providing a review of later.

Cycling Physiological Assessment (Part 2)

2010-10-12T14:54:00.008Z

Interpreting the results …

Having all that data is one thing but understanding what it means and how to make use of it is another, the output from the assessment was a personalised 13 page report, which took a few days to prepare, that combined my results with my sporting aims (endurance as opposed to sprint) but briefly here are some points that came form the report …

Firstly my training zones: -

ZONE	HR	GUIDELINES
1	to 112bpm	Used for recovery purposes. Early winter training, or as a training zone if you build up extensive miles (6 hours/day)
2	114bpm -147bpm	Foundation of endurance training. Develops lactate removal capabilities and extensive overload on the mechanisms of aerobic respiration. The level where training induces performance improvements.
3	148bpm -162bpm	This is intensive training. This will bring your form forward to a peak. It is probably easier to do this type of training in an interval format, as it is simply difficult to maintain this intensity for long periods without the ‘racing’ motivation. The level three training sessions will be quite short.
4	162bpm +	Intensive intervals to top your form off. Monitoring of heart rate is usually not needed. Can be developed to enhance sprinting and time trialling.

Next my weight, as can be seen I an quite a bit heavier than the elite or age grouper (although taller) so I could do with dropping some weight, this will not improve my cycling but will help improve my power to weight ratio (currently 3.06W/kg) my aim is to drop about 6kg which by itself will help me realise a .25W/kg improvement and help with my climbing (which has always a problem)

Improving maximum power and oxygen consumption (and helping push up my VO2max) will be a case of training mid to longer training sessions in Zone 2 with mid (upper mid) zone having the most benefit and save most of the Zone 3+ work until after base training. To ensure control over this factor the use of turbo / spinning bike will be adopted in the off season

My strength is not very good (283w max power) so that is another area I need to work on during the off season and this needs to be both cycling specific and generic. The cycling specific work will be taking the form of hill reps and be complicated with some off season gym work focusing on strength endurance this will help me push up my wattage and therefore improve my cycling weight to strength ratio.

So that is what my plan is based on at the moment and I will be going back to get retested in the new year to see what effect my training is having and this will co-inside with me commencing a specific Ironman training program.

Cycling Physiological Assessment (Part 1)

2010-10-11T13:49:00.000Z

I have always said that the bike is my weakest discipline and no mater what I have tried I have always struggled to make improvements, well lately I have decided to have a scientific look at my weakness and have it quantified and develop a training plan based on this.

To this end I took part in a Cycling Physiological Assessment at Canterbury Christ Church Universities sports science department. This involved cycling on a bike that measured my power output, while my heart rate, oxygen consumption were recoded along with taking regular blood samples to measure my blood lactic saturations.

The aim of the assessment was primarily to: -

Highlight specific strengths and weaknesses of your fitness profile in relation to your sport,
Provide a scientific basis for any training guidance we may offer, and
Enable regular monitoring of any changes in the components assessed

The tests last between 60 and 90mins and take the form of riding up a couple of hills that just keep getting steeper and steeper

So the following table is the output from the tests and show how poor I actually am on the bike: -

NAME	XXXXXXXX	Hogarth	XXXXXXXX
CATEGORY	Local Age Grouper	Triathlete	Elite Triathlete
AGE	38 years	44 years	25 years
HEIGHT	1.79 m	1.86 m	1.78 m
MASS	75.9 kg	92.4 kg	70.2 kg
BODY FAT %	-	-	10.40%
FAT MASS	-	-	7.3 kg
LEAN MASS	-	-	62.9 kg
HAEMATOCRIT	-	-	-
HAEMOGLOBIN	-	-	-
MAXIMUM HEART RATE	170 beats.min-1	174 beats.min-1	188 beats.min-1
MAXIMUM MINUTE POWER	338 W	283 W	385 W
POWER:WEIGHT RATIO	4.45 W.kg-1	3.06 W.kg-1	5.47 W.kg-1
POWER:WEIGHT (0.32)	84.6 W.kg -(0.32)	66.5 W.kg -(0.32)	98.8 W.kg -(0.32)
POWER:WEIGHT (0.67)	18.6 W.kg- (0.67)	13.6 W.kg- (0.67)	22.3 W.kg- (0.67)
MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (Absolute)	3.95 L.min-1	3.89 L.min-1	5.21 L.min-1
MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (Relative)	52.0 mL.kg-1.min-1	42.1 mL.kg-1.min-1	74.3 mL.kg-1.min-1
GROSS EFFICIENCY (POWER)	21.2 % (250 watts)	19.5 % (200 watts)	20.9 % (310 watts)
LACTATE THRESHOLD (LT) POWER (Absolute)	175 W	125 W	230 W
LACTATE THRESHOLD (LT) POWER (kg)	2.31 W.kg-1	1.35 W.kg-1	3.28 W.kg-1
LACTATE THRESHOLD (LT) VAO2 (Absolute)	2.50 L.min-1	1.98 L.min-1	3.36 L.min-1
LACTATE THRESHOLD (LT) VAO2 (kg)	32.9 mL.kg-1.min-1	21.4 mL.kg-1.min-1	47.9 mL.kg-1.min-1
THRESHOLD HEART RATE (LT)	120 beats.min-1	112 beats.min-1	-
LACTATE THRESHOLD (OBLA) POWER (Absolute)	236 W	202 W	323 W
LACTATE THRESHOLD (OBLA) POWER (kg)	3.11 W.kg-1	2.19 W.kg-1	4.60 W.kg-1
LACTATE THRESHOLD (OBLA) VAO2 (Absolute)	3.19 L.min-1	2.99 L.min-1	4.37 L.min-1
LACTATE THRESHOLD (OBLA) VAO2 (kg)	42.0 mL.kg-1.min-1	32.3 mL.kg-1.min-1	62.3 mL.kg-1.min-1
THRESHOLD HEART RATE (OBLA)	140 beats.min-1	147 beats.min-1	-
ISOCAPNIC BUFFERING PHASE (W)	65 W	65 W	93 W
ISOCAPNIC BUFFERING PHASE (VAO2 kg)	8.9 mL.kg-1.min-1	8.1 mL.kg-1.min-1	14.3 mL.kg-1.min-1
HYPOCAPNIC HYPERVENTILATION (W)	60 W	54 W	62 W
HPOCAPNIC HYPERVENTILATION (VAO2 kg)	7.1 mL.kg-1.min-1	7.2 mL.kg-1.min-1	12.0 mL.kg-1.min-1
RELATIVE BUFFERING (W)	23.30%	28.40%	28.80%
PREDICTED 40km PERFORMANCE TIME (HH:MM:SS)	01:02:27	01:05:03	54:49:00

W/E 08/10/2001

2010-10-09T18:28:00.001Z

A good solid week of 10hrs but very little swimming

SAT	AM	00:25	RUN: Easy 2miles
SUN	PM	00:10	100 push up challenge 1:1
MON	PM	01:45	BIKE: 35miles at 90% OBLA
MON	PM	00:38	RUN: 4.5miles tempo (in 5c45sec hill sprints)
TUE	AM	00:35	SWIM: 1600m as 4x400m
TUE	PM	00:10	100 push up challenge 1:2
TUE	PM	01:45	BIKE: 33miles intervals
WED	PM	01:30	BIKE: 22miles hill reps
THU	PM	01:12	Strength: PT Session
FRI	AM	01:01	RUN: 6.8mile Trails
FRI	AM	00:11	100 push up challenge 1:3
FRI	PM	00:37	RUN:3.1Mile Trails and paths

Back Again ... Again ... Again

2010-10-08T10:50:00.001Z

Hi all

I am going to have another go at Blogging my progress towards an Ironman, this year Ironman Regensburg. The reason last years blogging came to an end was fact i have gone self employed and my life has been chaos.

Last year turned out o be a complete shambles as far as my training progressed, working away from home and not being able to get my head focused resulted in the worst IM time so far IM Germany 2010 = 14:51

Training was all over the place with a lot of weeks only being 3 sessions and only 2 long rides all together

This year I will again try and get my backside into gear and go for another Ironman with a target of under 13hrs ... Ironman Regensburg here I come ...

Life, Flu and the lack of training

2010-02-18T20:42:00.000Z

Just a quick update as I haven’t done much training over the last 3 weeks ... spending a couple of the weeks running round the country trying to win a new contract so I can pay my bills ... followed by a week of man flu .. so All i’ve done is a total of 4 runs of about 7 mile average ... hopefully i’ll get back into things next week

W/E : 31/01/2009 (Week 4)

2010-02-01T12:01:00.000Z

The end of another week and the end of my first month back in training, and its been both a good week and a good month as I look back, with last week going to plan, it was aimed to be a bit of a recovery week and that’s how it panned out with just short of 9hrs training.

The month ended up with just short of 41hrs training, which for me is a good month and I’ve lost 13lbs since the new year.

Last weeks stats look like this: -

MON	__	__	REST DAY
TUE	AM	01:12:00	BIKE: 21Mile - Spinning (RPM39)
TUE	PM	00:20:00	RUN: 2Mile - Easy run to the pool
TUE	PM	01:12:00	SWIM: 2800m - 7 x 400 : RI 60secs
TUE	PM	00:15:00	RUN: 2Mile - Tempo run back from pool
WED	AM	01:08:00	RUN: 8Mile - Farlek sesson with Dog
WED	PM	01:07:00	SWIM: 2500m - Sructured set
THU	AM	01:20:00	BIKE: 27Mile - Brick session
THU	AM	00:40:00	RUN: 4Mile - Brick session
FRI	AM	01:00:00	BIKE: 15.5Mile - Spinning (RPM36)
FRI	PM	00:40:00	RUN: 4Mile - hilly run
SAT	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	__	__	REST DAY

SWIM:	02:19
BIKE:	03:32
RUN:	03:03
TOTAL	08:54

Swims, Bricks and Aerobic Threshold

2010-01-28T18:01:00.018Z

Last nights structured swim was a good work out with a focus on improving speed endurance as I would like to get my Ironman swim down to under 1:10. The set looked like: -

250m warm Up
500m Drills ( 2 x (50m Catch up, 100m 1-arm, 100m finger drag))
1000m hard (4 x 250m : RI 15sec)
500m Flat out (10 x 50m :RI 10 secs)
250m warm down focusing on swimming long and smooth

And the above set left my shoulders and upper back feeling suitably drained.

Today I decided to do a brick session, that is a bike ride immediately followed by a run, and the focus of this brick session was on my base aerobic fitness and my run to bike transition, I am quite a good runner off the bike but there is always room for improvement.

The session was made up of a 27mile ride followed by a 4mile run and what became immediately evident was the difference in my Aerobic Threshold on my bike to my Aerobic Threshold on the run, with the bike being way .. way under that of my run (about 20+bpm). This could be what is at the route of why I am crap on a bike ... so over the next few weeks In need to improve this .

Les Mills RPM

2010-01-26T11:45:00.001Z

I have discussed spinnervals on here before, they are DVDs to do your turbo training to, well a few weeks back some gave me a few workout DVDs, a couple were Les Mills RPM ‘s.

Les Mills RPM is a spinning work out to be done on a spinning bike; well I have my own spinning bike so i’ve been giving these a try out. Today I did RMP 39 which is a 1hr spinning class to a range of music (much better music than spinnervals) and this DVD fairly gets the hear racing, leaving puddles of sweat on the floor.

For me the DVD is not quiet long enough so I normally repeat a number of the working tracks but that isn’t a problem a quick flick of the remote and I continue uninterrupted, all-in-all a great alternative when looking for options for indoor cycling.

W/E : 24/01/2009 (Week 3)

2010-01-25T09:16:00.004Z

This week saw a big week for me, probably to big considering its only week 3 and after having so long out of training, but i may as well capitalize on having the time due to being in between contracts - almost 14hrs, this is what it looked like: -

MON	AM	03:05:00	BIKE: Spinnervals 13 - Tough Love
TUE	AM	00:20:00	RUN: Run to pool
TUE	AM	00:45:00	SWIM: 5 x 400m
TUE	AM	00:20:00	RUN: Ran back from pool
TUE	PM	00:42:00	RUN: Hilly run with Mrs
WED	AM	00:48:00	BIKE: Spinervals 8: Recovery and Technique
WED	PM	01:20:00	SWIM: Structured session
THU	AM	01:15:00	RUN: Run with dog
THU	PM	00:55:00	BIKE: Spinning (RPM 26)
FRI	AM	02:17:00	BIKE: MTB'ing
FRI	PM	00:43:00	RUN: Hilly run with Mrs and Lynne
SAT	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	AM	01:22:00	RUN: Long easy paced run with Mrs

SWIM:	02:05
BIKE:	07:05
RUN:	04:42
TOTAL	13:52

So looking back at how my progression looks, i think this graph best illustrates quite a steep ramp up, On reflection I may have a slightly easier week this week coming, as i don't want to end up ill through over training, which is always a worry when you get carried away:

Wind, Rain, Fog and a MTB

2010-01-22T15:13:00.001Z

Today saw my first ‘real’ bike ride since August, Scotty (my occasional training partner and a trainee for IMDE) and myself ventured out on our Mountain Bikes and it was hard work, although we were on MTBs we road on the road for about 30-35miles, the weather was rather bad, it rained (cold rain) on and off for most the ride, it was windy for the whole ride with half of it being head on and it was foggy, half of the ride very foggy ... BUT I enjoyed it, it made a change from sitting on the turbo staring at coach Troy or some other such DVD coach.

I struggled, I’ll not deny that I am crap on a bike and think that i always will be but i enjoy my cycling and want to spend more time in the saddle ... just because you are not very good at something doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it ... so have fun out there

Structured Sessions

2010-01-21T09:50:00.002Z

Yesterday saw me do a couple of training sessions, as seems to be the norm at the moment.

In the morning I did a short (45min) turbo session as means of recovery as my left hamstring is a bit on the tight side, probably from the long turbo session earlier in the week. For this session I worked out to Spinervals 8 (recovery & technique) this is made up mainly of drills and high speed spinning ... a good way to flush my legs.

In the evening I went for a longish swim, which consisted of : -

Warm up
- 200m as 200 Swim
- 400m as (50 Catch up, 100 1-armed, 50 Finger Drag) x 2
Main Set
- 1000m as 400,300,200,100 Pace: RI 20secs
- 400m as 2 x 200 fast
Endurance Set
- 1000m as 1000 easy swim

3k in total it was scheduled to be 4k (another main set and a warm down) but my training partner didn’t feel too well so we cut it short

History and Targets

2010-01-20T13:40:00.004Z

I’ m sitting here considering my targets for this years Ironman and want to keep it realistic but on the other hand I really feel I can get close to 12:30 so I thought id. Look at IMDE in 2006 and IMCH in 2009, my first Ironman and last year where i had next to no training, this gives me this: -

	SWIM	BIKE	RUN	T1+T2	TOTAL
IMDE 2006	01:28	06:26	05:23	00:15	13:33
IMCH 2009	01:14	07:11	05:07	00:10	13:42
BEST OF BOTH	01:14	06:26	05:07	00:10	12:58

As you can see if I match the best for each element of the race from the to IM’s it would give me a sub 13hr Ironman .... but as I said I feel I can get close to 12:30 ... so this is what I will aim for: -

TARGET	01:12	06:12	04:55	00:10	12:29
AVERAGES	1:54/100m	18.1mph	11.25m/m

So that’s my targets for Ironman Germany 2010

Swim with a bit of running

2010-01-19T16:01:00.000Z

Today I did something I have never done before ... I ran to the pool and back for my swim, its only 2 miles either way but I enjoyed it.

At the pool I decided to do 5 x 400m intervals ... and is it me being over competitive, but for the first 2 intervals there was a good swimmer in the next lane which caused me to swim my first 2 400s in under 7:30s then i settled into a steadier couple of intervals focusing on my style, then someone else go in next to me so another hard effort for the last 400m

... so all in all a good swim ... tomorrow should be my long swim (about 2hrs)

... and I’m running with my wife later

Tough Love

2010-01-18T16:28:00.007Z

Well today saw my first big bike session of the year an my IMDE training campaign, indoor cycling this time for over 3hours and for a total of 57miles.

To keep things going I did a Turbo Trainer DVD called Spinervals 13 – Tough Love .... and TOUGH is an understatement to say the least.

The cover shows it to be a 3hour Interval Session with a difficulty rating of 9.9 out of 10, it s specifically intended to improve your endurance and aerobic capacity, which you'll certainly need if you're going to do an Ironman. As it's all one long s

ession, the workout in is more balanced than what you'd get by playing a shorter Spinervals workout several times or doing a number of other Spinerval sessions back-to-back. Coach Troy Jacobson specifically addresses the different conditions of a really lengthy workout by pointing out your requirements for calorie and water consumption

during the ride well as cautioning participants to pace themselves. He also points out, quite correctly, that Tough Love is not a workout for beginners: in order to tackle this program, you should be at a good condition already.

One thing i will say is though ... I wished i'd wore cycling shorts.

W/E : 17/01/2009 (Week 2)

2010-01-17T19:19:00.003Z

A steady week this week, no big or impressive sessions but a good solid base week, still only one swim but it was a good effort for 2nd week of training (Almost 9hrs).

Here are the Stats: -

MON	AM	01:10:00	BIKE: 24Mile - Spinervals 21 (Aero Base)
TUE	AM	00:43:00	RUN: 4.1Mile Off Road
TUE	PM	00:47:00	BIKE: 15Mile Spinning (RPM 33)
WED	AM	01:05:00	SWIM: 3000m easy non stop
WED	PM	00:48:00	RUN: 4.5mile Easy
THU	AM	01:07:00	RUN: 6.5mile Easy
THU	PM	01:15:00	BIKE: 21Mile Spinning (RPM 39)
FRI	PM	00:36:00	RUN: 3.5Mile With Dog
SAT	AM	00:35:00	RUN: 3Mile easey with Mrs
SUN	AM	00:48:00	RUN: 4.5Mile in Icy condition

SWIM:	01:05
BIKE:	03:12
RUN:	04:37
TOTAL	08:54

Averages

2010-01-15T15:22:00.002Z

Looking at my training log last night and I noticed I have trained 19 times in the first 14 days of the year, delving a bit deeper my training actually equates to : -

An Average of 1.35 Training Sessions Per Day
An Average of 50mins Training Per Session
An Average of 68mins Training Per Day

The Questions are:-

How long can I maintain training frequency?

And

Can I increase the average training time per day and training time per session?

I suppose only time will tell, but for now I am touching wood ;o)

My 4 Legged Training Partner

2010-01-14T13:01:00.006Z

I just thought i’d take this opportunity to introduce one of my Training Partners ... 4 legged this time, this is Nea (Pronounced Knee-Ya) she’s young on full of enthusiasm and, at the moment, loving running in the Snow.

Her energy is boundless, something i can only dream of :)

The Big Thaw ...

2010-01-12T10:56:00.000Z

Well after snow, snow, snow there has to be a big thaw and its arrived with vengeance here in the North East of England . Gone has the lushness of the deep white and now when out running off road all there is is the grey, the grey of snow compacted underfoot to ice, the grey and wet of slush that soaks your feet and chills you to your core ... apart from the odd patch that seems to hang on to glory of white, to the glory of snow, snow, snow ...

Today’s run, Just over 4 miles, was more than just a run ... it felt like it was also a major ‘core’ workout maintaining balance with the conditions under foot as described above ... but i gout out there with my dog .... and she enjoyed it.

So that’s the first run of the week out the way and hopefully i’ll get a short spinning session in latter today.

Have fun out there and take care.

W/E : 10/01/2009 (Week 1)

2010-01-11T10:52:00.007Z

A good first weeks training for me and im glad to be back into it, the weeks training looks like

MON	_	_	REST DAY
TUE	AM	00:40:00	RUN: 4 Mile Easy Paced
TUE	PM	00:30:00	BIKES: 9Miles Spinning (RPM31)
TUE	PM	00:30:00	RUN: 3miles Brick after spinning
WED	AM	01:10:00	RUN: 6.5miles in deep snow with Scotty and dog
WED	PM	00:35:00	BIKE: 10.5miles Spinning (RPM31)
THU	AM	01:02:00	BIKE: 19.5miles Spinning (RPM 31 & 34)
THU	PM	00:30:00	RUN: 3miles Snowy off road night run
FRI	AM	00:45:00	SWIM: 2000m easy paced
FRI	PM	00:52:00	BIKE: 15.1 Miles Spinning (RPM34)
SAT	_	_	REST DAY
SUN	AM	01:01:00	RUN: 6miles off road with my Wife an the dog

SWIM:	00:45
BIKE:	02:49
RUN:	03:51
TOTAL	07:35

On top of this i have also lost 6.5lbs this week and now weigh in at 14St 7.5 lb

Snow, Snow, Snow

2010-01-10T16:30:00.009Z

As the country is gripped in the ‘big freeze’, as the media would have us believe, the big question is always do i go out to train ... or not?

Well for me it has to be ‘get out there and do it’ or (JFDI) ... but all within reason ... there is no open water swimming at this time of year and the snow covered roads are far too bad for cycling, so that leaves running. In the past week I have managed to get out for a few runs and the photo above, from my sitting room window, shows the sort of conditions that greeted me.

The main thing is not to get to caught up on things and adjust your training appropriately.... if you are running in knee deep snow; you can’t expect to do long fast runs, but you can still work hard ... and believe me, running in knee deep snow is hard work.

Back Again ...Again

2010-01-08T15:01:00.003Z

I am going to have another go at Blogging my progress towards an Ironman, this year Ironman Germany in Frankfurt. The reas

on last years blogging came to an end was the web policies of my place of work.

Last year turned out o be a complete shambles as far as my training went – November, December, January and February I ended up working an average of just over 82hours/week, so got ZERO training done in that time.

Training was crammed – i did London marathon on 6 week training, I ended up just running round with my wife in a time of just over 5hrs ... Then another 10weeks training saw me to Ironman Switzerland where I struggled around in 13hrs 40mis or so I especial struggled on the bike ... but I still finished and was happy with that.

So...

This year I will again try and get my backside into gear and go for another Ironman with a target of under 13hrs ... Ironman Germany here I come ...

Still Easing Back

2008-11-27T09:32:00.002Z

Have managed to get a few runs in a couple hard and fast a couple long and slow and a couple of structured sessions.

Still not doing as much as i should be as work is manic at the moment and I'm working 14hr days and on top of this my photography business is going really well ... www.bashimaging.co.uk .. with a lot of family portraits and child photography

shouldn't realy complain though

:o)

WW

Shouldn't Open my Mouth

2008-11-18T07:47:00.002Z

No sooner do I put my aims for the season ahead down on paper, that it all goes horribly wrong

I have had a chest infection for a few weeks which has all but stopped my training, and each time I thought I was better and tried to train that I was ill again.

Never mind i am feeling a lot better now and am easing back - in the last week I have done an easy 7-8 miles a very hard 6 and an easy 9 ... so will continue to comE back slowly ...

... fingers crossed

Putting it in writing

2008-10-08T08:10:00.001Z

Well I’ve had a look at what I plan to do over the next 12 months and my 2 big A races are Ironman Switzerland and the London marathon. Iv decide I don’t just want to ‘do’ these events I want to give them my all,

So over the next 12 months I want to achieve PB’s at: -

10k
Half Marathon
Marathon
Ironman

So there you have it … aims down in writing – all I have to do now is make it happen.

Great North Run 2008

2008-10-06T11:35:00.002Z

Well yesterday was the Great North Run, actually it was the 28th Great North Run but only about my 7^th.

A few years back I said I would never do this race again, as its over crowded (52,000 entries this year) and full of people dressed as batman just stopping to walk in front of you after the first mile – thus stopping a medium paced runner like me from having a good ‘race’.

Well I am still doing it, yesterday the 3^rd one since I said ‘no more’ but now I enjoy it so much more – I run around with my wife – she races it and I keep her company I am very proud of her as yet again she ran a PB beating last years time by over a Minute- coming home in 2:12.

Also yesterday my Brother did the GNR – his first half marathon in 2:07 – he said it would be a one off (but I think he may have the bug)

So I’d like to say ‘well done to everyone who ran in yesterday race and I’ll see you all again next year’.

PLUS

The ballet result for the London Marathon are now out and I am in, along with my wife and her mate that I also train up – so time to up the mileage this winter, as I want I Marathon PB this spring

Sswwiimmiinngg W/E 20/09/2008

2008-09-22T08:56:00.001Z

... that’s all last week seemed to comprise of, due to my back problems.

I swam 6 out of 7 days with each session being around 30mins long. I did a mix of easy continuous swims and drills. I cant remember the last time when I had so many pool sessions.

I may even see an improvement in my swimming if this keeps up, I aim to get 3 or 4 swims in a week if I can to help protect my back.

Great North Swim

2008-09-15T09:07:00.004Z

I took part in the first ever Great North Swim on Saturday in Lake Windermere … and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The event was really well organised and Windermere was great to swim in, a bit cold at 15.1 degrees, but fun. It was a 1-mile swim with an exit and run across a timing mat at the turn round point (my back didn’t really like that).

My back problems cost me quite a bit time (probably 3-4mins) as every time I tried to increase my power I could feel it pull on my back and I didn’t want to cause further damage, so I had to settle for long slow stroke. Also on exiting the water there was a run to the finish line and I managed to fall over just before the finish line … which my wife caught on video

It ended up taking me 29mins which sore me achieve the following positions: -

17th Male 40-45 out of 107 finishers
24th Both 40-45 out of 213 finishers
167th Male out of 819 finishers
238th Overall out of 1670 finishers

I’ll be going back next year, hopeful fit, with the aim of finishing in the top 5% …. I may even try to average more than 2 swims every 3 weeks which I seem to average at the moment.

Video of me falling over just before the finish line (Including by wife laughing just at the end)

Easing ‘Back’

2008-09-10T07:37:00.001Z

I had another session at the sports physio yesterday and feeling much better – I’m still using a stick for support when walking but I feel a lot better.

My physio has recommended I get back in the pool for some easy swimming to prevent the muscles healing in a knotted fashion, thus keeping them stretched out.

So I’m off to the pool for the next 3 days … 30min a time slow and with any luck I’ll still get to do the Great North Swim

Crocked

2008-09-04T11:10:00.005Z

I'm CROOKED big style

Was at the gym an as i was putting a couple of dumbbells down, my back went off - i had to be picked off the floor carried back to the office and driven home ... the pain was enough to make me feel very sick

Doc - has given me 4 types of tablets and told me i'd had a muscle spasm that may have resulted (due to the weights) in a tear

Been to sports physio for treatment this morning and i can move about a lot more - i have another seesion booked for Tuesday

A Good Week - W/E 30/08/08

2008-09-02T09:14:00.007Z

Yep as the title says - i think i had quite a good week this week with a good session completed for each of the 3 disciplines plus a couple of strength sessions and a couple suplimental sessions.

My training is still to hit and miss - but thats OK for base training - but i need to get more consistant in getting the 3 main sessions in.

The stats: -

SUN	AM	03:15	BIKE: 55mile Great North Bike Ride
MON	__	__	REST
TUE	PM	02:00	RUN: 13.5 mile long run
WED	AM	00:40	STRENGTH: Circuit Training
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM : 4miles non stop OW
FRI	AM	00:42	STRENGTH: Circuit Training
SAT	AM	00:27	RUN: 2.7mile short run
SAT	PM	00:30	SWIM: 1200m Dill session

SWIM	02:30
BIKE	03:15
RUN	02:27
OTHER	01:22
TOTAL	09:34

Open Water Swiming Nirvana

2008-08-29T09:58:00.008Z

Do you ever have swimming sessions where you feel at one with the water like you could swim for ever?

This has happend my past two OW Swims

Last nite i did my longest ever non-stop swim - over 4 miles

The lake was very chopy when i got in but the wind droped not long after the first Mile
I only swim once per week so i was very happy, each lap was just over 1-mile and my splts were:-

31 Mins
29 Mins
27 Mins
28 Mins

I lost a bit of form towards the end - but overall very happy

One Hundred Push Ups

2008-08-28T12:33:00.002Z

Came across this on the forum, a bunch of people are doing. So I thought I’d give it ago – I’ve never been good at push ups and thought it may be fun..

It’s basically about improving the number of push ups you can do by means of a 6-week programme, apparently most people are as cr@p asme at push ups.

You start by doing an initial test and use that to guide your training and retest at intervals throughout the programme.

On my initial test I managed 26 good form continuous push ups – so watch this space to see how I improve over the next few weeks.

LINK: http://hundredpushups.com/

Great North Bike Ride

2008-08-26T08:55:00.004Z

On Sunday of this weekend I did the Great North Bike Ride, it is the first time in have done this event and it is in aid of The Chris Lucas Trust. It starts in Sea houses and winds its way down minor roads finishing at Tynemouth.

I haven’t really done much cycling and I thought id use this ride to test my cycling fitness. I wore a full backpack to add a bit of resistance and weight and set off at what I thought would be a sustainable pace.

There was a bit of a head wind but nothing to problematical – and I managed to do the 55miles in 3:15 (16.92mph) I was quite pleased at that but I faded a bit over the last 10miles as I’d been averaging much closer to 18mph up to that point – but still quite pleased.

The thing that got me was that I spotted people ‘cheating’ this was not a race just a leisure ride, so the only ones they were cheating were themselves – I saw people taking shortcuts and loading there bikes into / out of vans … shame on them.

But for me it was a great day out.

My wife also did this ride with her (retired) father – neither have ever done anything like this before and I am immensely proud of both of them … Well done Sharon & David

Swings and Roundabouts

2008-08-22T06:11:00.003Z

After Tuesdays disappointing run, things turned on their heads last night with my Open water swim.

I went to the lake straight from work and the evening was wonderful, I sat in my car for about an hour watching nature at its most amazing (even dozing off at one point).

I got changed into my wetsuit when someone else arrived and went for my swim, the water was very cold due to all the bad weather we have been having, buts what new. I acclimatised with a width or so then set off on my first 1-mile lap with another guy. He wasn’t as fast as me so I waited for him at 3 points which made it a good warm up lap.

The guy I had been swimming with said farewell and off I went on a continuous swim – I felt at one with the water, smooth, fast, great! – I did 2 full laps (2 miles) non stop in 52-53mins. - considering I only swim once per week at the most

I felt I could have kept on going, but I had ran out of time

So to recap – I did 5k in 1:30 with the last 2miles in 53mins

All-in-all …a GREAT SWIM

Poor Run

2008-08-20T09:39:00.004Z

I'm still not feeling on top form, still suffering with by sinuses etc so that may account for some of this but i was very disappointed in last nights run.

I did 11.5miles averaging 83% MHR for me this should have equated to around 9:15mm (or so) but i actually ran 10mm pace and didn't feel strong at all - as i said im very disappointed in this performance

:(

Lack of Trainng W/E 16/08/08

2008-08-19T11:49:00.009Z

Not a lot of training happening this week last week due to being under the weather but I did enjoy a good swim on Thursday – Met up with Ed (another Pirate) and did 4 full lengths of the lake (probably just short of 4k) in 65 mins – its amazing how training with someone better than you can bring out great session.

So that was a big jump in my swim distance, at the end of the swim I felt I could have done more – but instead we ran 3 laps of the lake, about 5.5 miles in 40mins. I’m glad we didn’t swim any more as later in the evening my shoulders felt pumped and very sore.

The Stats

SUN	__	__	FLU
MON	__	__	FLU
TUE	__	__	FLU
WED	PM	00:27	RUN : 5K Easy tester
THU	PM	01:05	SWIM : 4K (see note)
THU	PM	00:40	RUN: 5.25mile Tempo
FRI	__	__	REST : Photographing a wedding
SAT	__	__	REST: Family Day

SWIM	01:05
BIKE	00:00
RUN	01:07
OTHER	00:00
TOTAL	02:12

Im still feeling a bit under the weather but hope to get back into things this week as i have the Great North Ride on Sunday

Training W/E 09/08/2008 ... Man Flu

2008-08-12T09:56:00.008Z

This week was looking like it was going to be a good one, but as the week wore on I started feeling a bit on the rough side and by Friday i felt really ill. So i'm not a happy chappy

Thursdays open water swim session was a bit of an adventure this week. I went up to Northumberland to find many of the roads closed due to flooding and it was blowing a gale. When i got in for my swim ... i was of the opinion i could have taken in a surfboard. It was actually hard to find space to breath ... but all good practice.

On the run after the swim ... i think i was wetter than when i was in the lake due to the amount of rain coming down.

SUN	AM	01:24	RUN : 8mile long and easy (felt poor)
MON	AM	00:45	WEIGHTS : Circuit trainng
TUE	PM	01:35	RUN :8.5 mile easy
WED	AM	01:00	BIKE : 17.9mile spinning session
THU	AM	00:40	WEIGHTS : Circuit trainng
THU	PM	00:55	SWIM : 2.3k OW in rough conditions
THU	PM	00:25	RUN: 3.5mile Tempo
FRI	AM	00:32	BRICK : Speed brick session 21min/11min
SAT	__	__	REST - MAN FLU

SWIM	00:55
BIKE	01:21
RUN	03:35
OTHER	01:25
TOTAL	07:16

Beast of a session

2008-08-06T12:37:00.005Z

We all have sessions now an then where we seem to be flying ... feel great ... on fire. Well today was one of those for me.

I did an hour on the gym bike, … you know the type where you have to mop the floor and clean down the bike when you’ve finished

Did –

Warm up	7mins
Out of the sadles (hard level)	5x1min : 1min rec
Spints @ 120-125rpm	5x1min : 1min rec
Recovery	3mins
Spead Builds	5x (20s @ 90rpm, 20s @ 115 rpm, 20s @145rpm)
Out of the sadles (hard level)	3x (2mins :1min rec)
Recovery	1min
1 legged drill	5x(30s each leg)
Tempo spinning	5mins @ 120rpm
Warm down	5mins

As I said felt on fire by the end

Training W/E 02/08/2008

2008-08-04T11:30:00.006Z

Had a rather wet experience on the bike on Saturday, we we most the way round the 34mile hilly loop and the heavens opened = for what turned out to be a flash thunderstorm. within minutes the drains could no longer cope with the deluge and the roads were running like rivers. So we (my brother and myself) ended up rather wet.

Luckily the storm only covered 3 miles so we were quickly through it - but my shoes are still drying out now.

Back to the training
====================
After a big week last week (well for me at the moment it was) i took it much easier this week totaling only 6sr 30mins this week but with a focus on upping my OW swim (see previous post)

So the Stats...

SUN	__	__	REST DAY
MON	AM	00:40	Weights / Circuit Trainng
TUE	AM	00:30	SWIM : 1100m drill Session
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN : 6miles at an easy pace
WED	AM	00:40	Weights / Circuit Trainng
THU	PM	01:05	SWIM: 3k OW (see post)
FRI	__	__	REST DAY
SAT	AM	02:35	BIKE : 35 hilly miles

SWIM	01:35
BIKE	02:35
RUN	01:00
OTHER	01:20
TOTAL	06:30

A Good Swim

2008-08-01T13:08:00.002Z

Yes a good swim

I've been going back to the lake now for a few weeks and last night was the first session that i actually felt like i was getting somewhere.

It was raining like cats and dogs, but it doesn't really matter when your getting in a lake anyway.

I got in and started of by swimming 2k non stop - felt smooth and quick - followed that with a couple of 200m widths and finished with a 500-600m effort.

Did over 3k in all and no sign of dizziness and felt good on leaving the lake

:o)

Training W/E 26/07/2008

2008-07-28T13:13:00.004Z

Finished the weeks training with my first proper bike ride of the new campaign, went out with my brother on a hot Saturday morning and did a hilly 35miles. My legs we very heavy from a combination of Fridays long run and weights session – but I was still quite pleased to get round as it had 2400ft of climbing (biggest climb = 900ft) a good start.

SUN	__	__	REST DAY
MON	PM	01:00	RUN 5.5miles : easy pace
TUE	AM	00:35	SWIM 1200m : Drills and Intervals
TUE	PM	01:03	RUN 6.5miles : Hard pace plus stretching
WED	AM	01:35	RUN 9.5miles : Steady run into work
THU	PM	01:00	SWIM 2200m : Easy OWS
THU	PM	00:16	RUN 2miles : Tempo run
FRI	AM	00:41	WEIGHTS : Circuit training (see topic)
FRI	PM	02:51	RUN 15miles : Long slow hilly run
SAT	AM	02:38	BIKE 35mile : Hilly ride (2400ft climbing)

SWIM	01:35
BIKE	02:38
RUN	06:45
OTHER	00:41
TOTAL	11:39

Strength & Strength Endurance

2008-07-25T08:02:00.002Z

Morning all

Well today i re-introduced the weights into my training, i am going to try and get to the gym twice per week and work on my core strength and general strength endurance.

My plan is to use dumbbells as much as possible, as this ensures that both sides get an equal workout and helps iron out any one sided weaknesses, such as the one in my left shoulder that i identified today.

I am going to do this in a circuit training manner moving from one exercise to the next (single set) using sets of 12-15 reps with about a 75% load and have only a short rest between exercises.

After a warm up on the bike, the exercises were: -

• Dumbbell Squat
• Dumbbell Lunge
• Dumbbell Calf Raises
• Dumbbell Chest Fly
• Dumbbell Chest Press
• Single Dumbbell Chest Pullover
• Dumbbell Bent Over Rowing
• Dumbbell Lat Raises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Dumbbell Curl
• Single Dumbbell Overhead Extensions
• Shrugs
• Crunches
• Hyper Extensions
• Machine Leg Exemptions
• Machine Leg Curls

Followed by a warm down on the bike

Campaign Underway

2008-07-20T19:22:00.007Z

First week of training of the campaign under my belt, the week ended bad with the dizziness from my swim evolving into a heavy cold but in all not a bad week.

The stats :-

SUN	AM	02:10	BIKE 21mile : Easy paced MTB ride up the cast with my wife
MON	PM	01:05	RUN 6.5mile : Negitive splt run
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN 6Mile : Steady Run
WED	__	__	REST Rest day due to business
THU	PM	00:48	SWIM 2.5k OWS at the lake
FRI	AM	00:33	BIKE 10Mile : 1st time on the new bike - Felt good
FRI	PM	01:00	BIKE 15Mile: looks like the new bike gets me 20secs per mile
SAT	PM	05:00	HIKE Hiking in North Yorkshire

SWIM	00:48
BIKE	03:43
RUN	02:05
OTHER	05:00
TOTAL	11:36

I’m so dizzy …

2008-07-18T07:30:00.000Z

I’m so dizzy …

I went to the lake last night for a spot of Open Water Swimming with the intent of doing about 2miles.

Well all started well (apart from the rain coming from the heavens) I warmed up with a width, then swam 2 lengths at race pace then recovered with another width then stopped for a breather. (I needed the breather as I haven’t done much swimming lately).

I set off to do another 2 lengths and toward the latter part of the outward length I started feeling very dizzy, almost vertigo, and very sickly – I had to take it very easy ion the return swim stopping for a moment every 50m or so, I couldn’t even turn onto my back as this mad the vertigo worst.

I think it was down to cold water on my inner ear, so next week I will try to remember my ear plugs and may even take motion sickness tablets for a few weeks.

In all I did about 2.5k so not too bad but still … a bit worrying

WW

Fear, Eagerness … Anticipation

2008-07-17T06:38:00.002Z

Yes, I have been down this path before, this path towards Ironman and yes it’s a year away but I already feel these emotions in the back of my mind every now and again rushing to the front of my consciousness.

The fears I have are all about what if something goes wrong, what if i get injured, will I have the time to train, can I regain my former fitness … and so on

My eagerness is the one I need to keep in check, stopping myself rushing full tilt in to masses of training and over doing it. I know I have to take my current base and slowly build upon t so my body can take the stress of the big weeks ahead. Knowing it and doing it, for me is quite often 2 totally different things … but one will try.

And as for the Anticipation ... for me this all about the journey ahead, planning it out, adjusting , analysing and all those steps along the route. Even the longest journeys start with a single step and I look forward to every step

Im Back ...

2008-07-16T06:24:00.006Z

Well time to resurrect this blog

I've entered Ironman Switzerland in Zurich on the 12th July 2009. So I am going to blog my progress towards this event.

My target is to take 63mins of my Ironman time from Germany, getting me round in 12:30 a tall order as i am not a very fast athlete - but i will give it my all.

From what i learnt last time i feel the 2 keys to my success will be trying to have consistency in my training and to get more time on the bike. I lost a lot of run time last time due to injury so fingers crossed for this time round.

I am starting off now trying to get some base fitness back and loose a little bit of weight, so during the summer part of my training will include a 5hr hike every other weekend - carrying a backpack and wearing heavy boots for half a day is a good base builder in my book. I currently weigh in at around 205lbs - id like to get this down below 200lbs and keep it there is i can but continue to reduce my body fat.

So there you have it ... IMCH here i come.

WW

WildWill .... Ironman

2006-08-01T18:13:00.000Z

Ironman Germany (European Championships) Race Report

Just to recap an Ironman is a 3.8k Swim, 180k Bike Ride and a 42.2k Run (a marathon) all as one race

It was hot…. dam hot as we all attended the pre race briefing and the race organisers announced that air temperatures were averaging in the 40’s in Frankfurt so they had decide to put salt tablets on at the aid stations to help people replace the salts they would be flushing out their systems due to the amount of fluid they would have to consume during the race.

But this announcement was nothing compared to what was to come next … This was going to be the first Ironman anywhere in Europe where competitors would not be allowed to wear wetsuits for the swim. This was a big shock to some of the slower swimmers as this would result in an even longer time spent in the water, but on a whole this announcement was met with a huge cheer … after all “This was Ironman” not a knitting club.

Race day dawned early, I was up for breakfast at 3:45am making sure I was fuelled up for the start of the race and then it was off to get on one of the athletes buses to take us down to the lake, having racked my bike and other gear the previous day.

It was into the lake at 6:45 ready for a 7am deep water start … and nothing, no amount of training could prepare me for this swim as over 2000 athletes entered the water together. After 10-15mins of treading water the gun went off and the race started, I had decided to start at the back of the field to keep out of trouble then pick my way through the field as the race progressed. This was all well and good in theory but with the race underway the whole lake seemed to have turned into a washing machine and as I picked my way through the field I was repeatedly punched, kicked, scratched and shoved under. By the half way point I was feeling good and making good progress thru the field, but as I rounded the last corner and started swimming against the slight current and wind it felt that the last 1000m wasn’t getting any shorter … I could see the swim exit point … but was it getting any closer.

I finally exited the water after what had felt like at least 2 hours but was very surprised when I looked at my watch to find I had exited the water in 1:28 … 12mins faster than I had hoped.

I Run up the hill to the change tent and grabbed my change bag having a moment to look back at the lake and to my surprise there were still 100s of people still swimming (almost 1000 I later learned). It was into the change tent and on with my bike gear, taking time for the luxury of drying myself off first and off to collect my bike, which I ran past twice before I found it amongst all the other bikes racked in T1.

Just as I set off on the bike the heavens opened with the clatter that announced the arrival of a major thunderstorm, with the rain porting in torrents, the sky being let up with the repeated flashes of lightening and the constant rumble of thunder, I smiled to myself … a smile that would stick for the rest of the day … I felt GREAT!

The first 10miles of the bike ride took us into Frankfurt city centre where I started seeing supporters including my wife who was stood by the side of the road in the poring rain cheering like hell. The road of the route had been totally closed off to traffic for the race and I was making good time, for me this was great as cycling is my weakest sport. We exited the city and set off into the countryside as the roads started to turn into rivers… and each time I passed the 40mph speed I could feel my bike starting to loose contact with the road and starting to aquaplane.

The Ride wound its way through lots of small towns and villages in the German Countryside with huge crowds at each, the were 4 big hills on each loop and the crowds at each were like something out of the Tour-de-France as the music blasted and the crowds opened up just in time for you to pass through, I even had a guy dressed as the devil run up beside me at one time.

At about 50miles the rain stopped and the sun gout out and within what seemed like only a few minutes the roads were dry and it was red hot as the temperatures once again hit the 40s. The 2nd lap of the ride, in the heat was much harder work than the 1st and each climb seamed to take more out of me … I took a fresh bottle of drink at each aid station, consuming 14 bottles in total on the ride and then finally I was up the last climb and heading back into Frankfurt

I finished my bike ride in 6:27 which was over an hour faster tan I ever thought possible, I handed my bike to a race official grabbed my 2nd change bag of the day and shot into the change tent where I pulled on fresh socks and a dry top.

I needn’t have bothered with the dry top, as due to the high humidity and high temperature I was soaked wet again almost as left the tent.

The marathon was a 4 lap run along both banks of the river and as I started out on the marathon I was struggling, the heat was getting to me and my mind was all over. I tried to run and my legs wouldn’t seem to turn over, about 1mile down stream at the 1st aid station my wife was there to cheer my on, cheer me up and give me the mind set to go on. I struggled for the whole of the 1st lap with friends that had only been 5mins in front of me at the start of the run opening the gap to about 45mins by the end of the first lap.

At the end of the lap I got my first coloured armband to signify I had completed my 1st lap, in then became an obsession for the rest of the race looking to see haw many armband other runner had, more than me? less than me?

As the laps rolled by I started getting into a rhythm of running some sections and speed marching others, actually passing people who were running while I walked/marched, by the end of the 3rd lap I had made the ground up on my 4 mates who had pulled away from me earlier and even passed some of them, I was starting to feel good and then all of a sudden I had a full set of armbands blue, green, peach and white … this meant as I completed the lap I was directed towards the finish …

… I paused just before the corner to make sure I had the finishing shoot to myself and then I ran to the line, enjoining the raw of the crowds … Marathon time 5:23, just over 1hr slower than my normal Marathon pace

Total time 13hours and 33mins … I was an Ironman … I had made it and about 2hrs faster than i thought i would

And after a shower and a saline infusion I even felt quite good

Getting Closer

2006-06-01T14:13:00.000Z

IMDE is defiantly getting close now - I've just received my information from the organisers....

GULP

Wedding Time

2006-05-25T09:08:00.000Z

Just a short update to say that I get married on Saturday

:o)

Yes I’m nervous, Yes I’m stressed but YES I will enjoy the day

I’ve got a week to wait after the wedding before I go off on honeymoon (Paleokastritsa, Corfu) – so will be looking to get some serious cycling in during that week, plus a sprint race. – I am also taking my wetsuit and running shoes on holiday and will probably hire a MTB for a day or 2.

I’m quite lucky as my other half likes to run each morning while on holiday, and now that she’s up to half marathon distance I’ll get some nice runs in the sun
In

:o)

Open Water Swimming

2006-05-19T08:10:00.000Z

Went for my first Open Water swim training session last night, I have done a few OW races in the past, with mixed levels of success, but I have never trained in open water – but at the weekends race I heard e few people on about the first OW training session the following week, so I dropped a local TRI club an email and went along to have a go.

The venue was Ladyburn Lake in Northumberland (see photo). There was actually a few TRI clubs there with a few members from each, so a good mix of people at the training session.

On Getting in the water – I must say it was cold and I was glad id put on 2 swim caps – plus the water was very green / murky so visibility was very bad. I managed to calm my nerves after a bit of a splash around then off we went on the training swim, firstly across the lake then diagonally down the length of the lake.

At this point I must state that I cannot swim in a straight line and my sighting skills are poor – so I ended up falling off the back and swimming in an arc rather than a line. SO the guy leading the training session decide we’d do some sight training swimming towards a life belt on the opposite shore then we swam back draft training and then back up the lake drafting & sighting then back into the start.

It wasn’t a good session for me as I continually fell off the back, being left by swimmers I’d lap easily in a pool and I ended up motion sick by the end of the session.

SO – I will be back next week, plus I intend going as many Thursdays as i can between now and the race … I WILL GET BETTER

Training Week T - 11

2006-05-17T10:37:00.000Z

Just a quick update of last weeks Training

MON	AM	01:06	BIKE	A hard spinning session
MON	PM	01:00	RUN	Steady paced off road run
TUE	AM	00:52	SWIM	Steady paced swim, just over 2.5km
TUE	PM	01:06	RUN	After a warm up, Flat out off road run with intervals pushing myself as hard as I could - Felt Great
WED	PM	01:45	BRICK	A tempo brick session to help prep for Alnwick Tri
THU	AM	00:47	RUN	Early morning hill session (see post)
THU	AM	01:00	BIKE	Spinning session in my lunch break
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Swimming with the masters group
THU	PM	00:35	RUN	Tempo run straight out of pool Thursday turned out to be a busy day
FRI	AM	05:16	BIKE	A ling hilly bike ride in the range of 75-80miles
SAT	__	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	AM	01:24	TRI	Alnwick tri, legs were still tired from weeks training but I felt good
SUN	PM	01:40	RUN	Long run along the coast plus a bit of structured stretching on the pier - felt good

Total 18:31

The next couple of weeks could be a bit low training wise due to the fact that im about to get married so busy sorting out the final details etc

Have fun all

Alnwick Triathlon

2006-05-15T08:57:00.000Z

Alnwick Triathlon is just a sprint Triathlon, but a local one and a one I enjoy taking part in so I decided to treat it is part of my training for the Ironman, with no Taper, in fact it would be on the back of an 18hr training week and see how it went, plus all my training this year has been about endurance so I was unsure how I would cope with an event that is ‘flat out’ by nature

The day was bright, which I was pleased about but my legs were still feeling heavy from Friday evenings 75mile ride, so as I sat and waited for my wave to start I had all the usual doubts pass through my mind … but soon enough it was time for me to start.

I decided to do the swim (600m) at a steady pace and see how it went, I soon passed the person who had started in front of me and settled into a slow long even stroke, at length 10 I pulled my goggles off as I pushed off the wall then did the same at length 21, I managed to pass the person in front of me one more time at length 23 before exiting the pool. I later lernt I was 4th out of the pool in my wave and was only seconds behind those in fornt of me Lesson learnt, make sure your goggles are on properly … loosing them costs time Swim time 10:12

Had a bit of a bad T1 kicking a kerb stone on the way from the pool to my bike, ouch!! – Lesson 2, watch where you are going, it was on with my number belt helmet, shoes and shades – I grabbed my bike and off I went.

Soon as I got on the bike (23k) I could tell my legs were still suffering from Fridays long ride, but cycling is my weakest discipline and I thought id just go as hard as I could and live with consequences, I focused on 2 or 3 guys I could see in the distance and tried to real them in, pushing gears bigger than I’d normally ride. For half the bike I got closer and closer to those in front, but suffered with my tired legs more and more on each hill; until the race hit its only really long drag and I suffered big style and slowed right down allowing those in front to pull away from me Lesson 3, I need to do more strength work in the off season. But my endurance training paid off, as soon is I crested the hill I quickly recovered and was able to beat out a good rhythm back to transition, where I thought id try something new and take my shoes off while still riding the bike – Lesson 4 don’t try new things at races Bike Time 48:05

T2 went without incident, racked my bike, dumped my helmet and changed my shoes then shot out of Transition

The run was just over 5k a hilly off road rout and as I said above, “I shot out of transition” with hardly any of that horrible feeling you get when you move from bike to run – in fact I felt so strong that I diced to race it as if I was only racing a 5k (rather then a Tri) I felt strong crossing the fields and climbing to the turn round point passing 2 further competitors, I aimed to keep my HR at about 93-96% MHR and just pushed ass hard as I could, this strategy was only interrupted by the fact that I had to stop just before the turn around point to drain my bladder but I was soon off again with the stomp only costing me 90-100 seconds. I came through the finish line, completing the run 22:15, which for me is amazing considering I am only a 21min 5k runner – I have never felt as strong on a run after cycling Lesson 5, Brick sessions work

Completing the race, including transitions in 1 hour 24mins – knocking 8mins of my best over that course

In fact I felt that good that I went out for a 10mile run along the coast after lunch

Oh What A Beautiful Morning …

2006-05-11T07:22:00.000Z

Did something I very rarely do today, I went for a run first thing in the morning, I always get up early but normally just have a good breakfast then head off to work and start work whatever time I get there.

Today was different I woke up early, about 5:30am and the sun was shining through the gaps in the curtains and I thought “I’m Going for a Run” so pulled my kit on and set off.

I decided to do an off road structured hill set …

- 20mins rolling hills
- 10 x hill reps on the 2mins (hard up, walk down
- 5mins easy warn down
- 5mins stretch

The sun was shining, there were so many birds singing and there was no one around ….. Nature is a wonderful thing AND I FEEL GREAT

Have Fun Out There

WW

Training Weeks T – 13 & T – 12

2006-05-08T09:20:00.000Z

A couple of mixed weeks here, a poor week caused through tooth problems and having to go away for a couple of days followed by a really good week. Ended up having to have a root canal in one of my wisdom teeth, and was informed if I still had problems I was going to have to go into hospital to have it removed, due the risks to my facial nerves … not good.

On the up side I did get my first Century ride done and felt quite good about it

T – 12

MON	AM	06:30	BIKE	Long bike ride of 100miles, managed to do the first 50 in 3hrs but the weather changed and the wind got up and it took me 3:30 to do the next 50
MON	__	00:30	RUN	Straight off the bike onto a short beach run , just over 5k
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN	Mixed paced Trail Run
WED	AM	00:40	SWIM	Started off feeling good but by the rime I reached a mile I was feeling very sick and dizzy and had to abandon the swim - not good!
WED	PM	00:55	RUN	Easy trail Run to see if I felt any better
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Structured session with the Masters Group - felt much better this time, but right knee was quite sore from push & Glide drills
FRI	PM	02:35	RUN	Marathon paced multi terrain run of just over 16mile - felt good cardiovascularly but my knees ached by the end of the run
SAT	AM	04:00	BIKE	2nd long bike of the week, this time just over 60mile (I dint want to overdo things) did the first 45mile+ with my brother so kept the average speed down to 15mph, but the last 15mile on my own I was feeling good so blasted it and managed to average almost 20mph - i was very pleased with this and felt strong when i got of the bike
SAT	__	00:35	RUN	Straight off the bike onto a short beach run , this time closer to 8k

SWIM = 2:40
BIKE = 10:25
RUN = 5:35

TOTAL = 18:40

T – 13

MON	AM	00:55	BIKE	Gym bike Session
MON	PM	01:00	RUN	Mixed paced Trail Run
TUE	PM	02:00	BIKE	Turbos session to a spinervals DVD - was to late home to get out doors
WED	__	__	__	REST - Tooth problems
THU	__	__	__	REST - Tooth problems
FRI	__	__	__	REST - Away
SAT	__	__	__	REST - Away (but did have a sports massage)
SUN	AM	01:30	RUN	Nice run along the river
SUN	PM	02:30	BIKE	Easy paced MTB ride in Northumberland

SWIM = 0:00
BIKE = 5:20
RUN = 2:30

TOTAL = 7:50

Training Week T - 14

2006-04-24T08:01:00.000Z

This week was a Recovery Week for me – Timed due to the fact I was going to be away for a couple of days for my stag do, I planed to do 9hrs and hit that 9hrs but slightly more running and less swimming than in my original plan

All recovery weeks will now be at the 9hr mark as I now find this level of training very light.

All-in-all I think my training is going well at the moment – if I can just get a few long rides in between now and my race

MON	AM	00:50	RUN	Easy off road run - very enjoyable
TUE	AM	00:43	SWIM	A steady continuous swim aimed to be at Ironman Effort - went through the 2k mark at 37mins
TUE	PM	01:45	RUN	Weekly long Run - just around the 11mile distance this week
WED	AM	01:05	BIKE	Gym bike session
WED	PM	01:02	RUN	Steady trail run
THU	__	__	__	REST - Away on business
FRI	PM	03:55	BRICK	3:10 MTB Ride (at a hard pace) followed By 0:45 Hill run - Felt good after woods which is really encouraging
SAT	__	__	__	REST - Away on stag do
SUN	__	__	__	REST - Away on stag do

SWIM = 0:45

BIKE = 4:15

RUN = 4:25

TOTAL = 9:20

Training Week T – 18 to T – 15

2006-04-18T09:01:00.000Z

Thought i'd better update my training log

T - 15

MON	__	__	__	REST (Away on Business)
TUE	AM	00:41	SWIM	Easy Swim
TUE	PM	02:32	RUN	Long run on trails - 16mile
WED	AM	00:42	BIKE	Cycled into work at a hard effort
WED	PM	01:33	BIKE	Cycled home a hilly scenic route – had to cut it short as the wind became dangerous
TH	PM	02:20	SWIM	Masters Session
FRI	AM	01:02	RUN	Easy Run
SAT	AM	05:37	BIKE	Long MTB ride in the hills
SUN	AM	01:32	RUN	Steady Run

Swim -- 03:01
Bike -- 07:52
Run --05:06
TOTAL --15:59

T - 16

MON	__	__	__	REST
TUE	AM	01:00	BIKE	Gym Bike Session
WED	AM	01:00	BIKE	Gym Bike Session
WED	PM	00:45	RUN	Easy off Road Run
WED	PM	01:00	SWIM	3k time trial at intended IM effort straight off the run - took 0:57 - very pleased with that
THU	AM	00:40	BIKE	Cycled into work at a hard effort
THU	PM	02:00	BIKE	Cycled home a hilly scenic route
THU	PM	00:45	RUN	Run straight off the bike
FRI	AM	00:30	BIKE	Gym bike session to loosen my legs
FRI	AM	00:30	WEIGHTS	Core strength Session
FRI	PM	01:03	RUN	Easy off road run
SAT	__	__	__	REST
SUN	PM	03:10	BIKE	Just over 60miles - was very wind an I got slower as the ride went on BUT felt good on the hils

Swim -- 01:00
Bike -- 08:20
Run -- 02:33
Other -- 00:30
TOTAL -- 12:23

T - 17

MON	AM	00:47	SWIM	4 x 500m on 10:00 plus swim down
TUE	__	__	__	REST
WED	PM	00:55	RUN	Steady off Road Run
THU	PM	00:55	RUN	Steady off Road Run
FRI	PM	01:01	RUN	Very Hilly Run in the lake district on arrival at a training camp
SAT	AM	03:00	BIKE	A Very Hilly Interval session in the lake distict
SAT	PM	00:35	RUN	A hilly run of the bike
SAT	PM	01:00	SWIM	Structured Swim session
SUN	AM	04:11	BIKE	A continuous hilly ride in the lake district in the worst rain I have ever seen - I think I was dryer swimming
SUN	PM	01:00	SWIM	Structured Swim session to finish off the training weekend

Swim -- 02:47
Bike -- 07:11
Run -- 03:26
TOTAL -- 13:24

T - 18

MON	AM	01:00	SWIM	2.5K Steady swim plus drills
MON	PM	02:00	BIKE	Turbo session
TUE	AM	01:15	BIKE	Gym Bike Session
TUE	PM	02:30	RUN	15mile long run - a bit tired - put it down to the spinning session at lunch time
WED	AM	01:05	SWIM	2.5k easy recovery swim
THU	PM	01:06	RUN	Steady off road run
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST
SUN	__	__	__	REST

Swim -- 02:05
Bike -- 03:15
Run -- 03:36
TOTAL -- 08:56

Training Week T – 20 & T – 19

2006-03-21T08:05:00.000Z

Oh, I Realise I’ve missed posting a weeks training so I’ll make amends for that now by posting 2 weeks at once, there’s not really a lot to post as I basically had a week off last week due to personal commitments and a stock bug, but here’s what my training looked like.

MON	__	__	__	REST DAY
TUE	PM	02:30	RUN	Long run with some paced work towards the end
WED	PM	01:10	RUN	Steady Pace - was feeling a bit off
THU	__	__	__	REST DAY
FRI	__	__	__	REST DAY
SAT	AM	05:00	BIKE	75mile on the bike in very cold snowy weather, aimed at pre-tiring my legs for Sundays Half - followed by 10mins stretching
SUN	AM	01:52	RUN	Redcar Half marathon, ran in a blizzard

MON	__	__	__	REST DAY
TUE	AM	01:00	BIKE	Gym Bike session
TUE	PM	01:00	SWIM	Steady swim of 3 x 800m
WED	__	__	__	REST DAY
THU	__	__	__	REST DAY
FRI	__	__	__	REST DAY
SAT	__	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	__	__	__	REST DAY

So Just a 10:30 and a 2:00 week

The week coming is planned to be a bigger week giving a bit more focus to the bike, which is the discipline a worry about the most

Have Fun all …. WW

Redcar Half Marathon

2006-03-13T09:27:00.000Z

This is a race that I try to do every year, I like to start my season with a Half Marathon and Redcar is my PB course.

This year, instead of the first glimpses of spring we were more like enthralled in the heart of winter with snow and a strong icy wind – so no shorts and vest for me this year instead I raced in longs, hat and gloves.

I stood at the start of the race with my legs still very tired from the previous days hard 75-mile Bike Ride wondering if it had been a good idea, but that had always been the plan, a Big bike ride on the Saturday followed by the Half Marathon on the Sunday … all about improving my confidence for Ironman Germany in June.

I had made the conscious decision to take it easy at the Race – for me it was all about getting around. The claxon went and off we went, I had started near the rear of the field so not to hold anyone up but even at a conversational pace I soon found myself passing other runners but I maintained my plan and chatted to my training partner all the way round.

At 5miles my left hamstring started feeling tight and at 8 just as we hit the see front complete with its ‘bracing’ wind a sharp pain made me temporarily sag at the knees. I took this as a bit of a warning and slowed a bit more, allowing my now very tight hamstring to loosen off.

Going through 10 miles I noted that I had managed to average 8:30s, which for me is very good especially after a long ride as I would normally taper for a half marathon (but not this time)

On to the seafront with 2 miles to go my I decided to do the last couple of miles fartlek style to add a bit of pace work into now tired legs, so down the seafront my training partner and myself took turns to call “Easy”, “Medium” & “Pace” random lamppost intervals – making the last 2 miles the fastest 2 of the race

I completed the Half Marathon in 1:50 which is 3-4mins down on my PB which considering the conditions and all the clothes I was wearing, I was very pleased with …. But more importantly I had done the Half Marathon with very heavy tired legs and gotten through it …… A GREAT BOOST IN MY IRONMAN TRAINING

Training Week T – 21

2006-03-06T10:09:00.000Z

Morning all

A good week and a bad week for me this week, a good week in as far as I had a nice solid week of training which totalled out to be my biggest week so far, a bad week in that I didn’t get enough time on the bike.

It is my aim to address this over the next couple of weeks with a couple of big weekend rides, the plan is to do a very hilly 60-70mile on Saturday the around the 100mile the following Saturday – these rides represent a big jump forward for me so a may not have as much training thru the week but I feel that I need to do this as my cycling is my weakest discipline.

So this is what the week looked like

MON	AM	00:45	SWIM	2.2k including a 1500m Time trail from cold. Managed to swim a PB 0f 25:57 but it left me wiped out as the rest of the session was hard work
TUE	AM	01:10	RUN	Took my better half and her mate out for a trainings session, so an easy run for me…. Followed by some stretching
WED	AM	01:00	BIKE	A spinning session on the gym bike
WED	AM	00:31	GYM	Bike session was followed by 30mins of circuit training (weights)
WED	PM	02:35	RUN	Long run of 15mile including 400m of climbing, it was a hard run on top of the 1:30 I'd already done and my joins started too feel it in the latter stages of the run. I did manage to pick up the pace for the last3 or 4 miles so the run time was 2:27 followed by some stretching CORE SESSION RUN
THU	AM	01:16	BRICK	Gym brick session of 5 x (10mins Bike, 5mins Treadmill)
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Masters session. Shared my lane with 2 swimming instructors and a swimming coach so was a good session - including a bit of a lesson towards the end in Breast & Back strokes (i only do front crawl) CORE SESSION SWIM
FRI	PM	02:47	RUN	Run Home from work about 11-12miles with plenty of climbing so a hard 2nd long run of the week
SAT	PM	02:32	BIKE	2:15 on the Turbo Trainer followed by 15mins floor work
SUN	PM	02:34	BRICK	2hrs on the road bike followed by 30mins run

SWIM – 2:45
BIKE – 6:24
RUN – 7:27

OTHER - 0:31

TOTAL 17:08

Have fun out there

Swim 1500m PB

2006-02-28T11:13:00.000Z

At the start of each 4 week period I have started doing test sessions to help monitor my improvement. Yesterday it was the turn of the swim test and for me that involves a from cold 1500m Time Trial.

Well last weeks down week must have done me a lot of good because yesterday I swam a PB for 1500m in 25:57 that is even faster than I’ve ever managed in a race … so I’m real chuffed

The TT took a lot out of me as I followed it by a few 50m sprints and struggled then finished with a few drills to help rebuild my stroke

The Month Ahead (March)

2006-02-27T07:40:00.000Z

Just a short post to out line the basis of my plan for the next month and get a few of my ideas noted down

Up my core long Run to 16miles or 2:30 over the month, since I am still doing my long run during the week this will mean trying to get out about 5:30 to allow me to sleep afterwards
Look at the logistics of getting a 2nd Run of over 10 mile in more regularly – I am going to try to run home from work once per week to achieve this, it will be a tough run as its 11mile+ all up hill
I need to up my Bike mileage and look at being able to comfortably cover 60-70miles, it is quite hilly where I live so this will be a good session on the bike
With my Swim I am just looking to maintain my current levels, as trying to breakthrough to the next level on all three disciplines may be overdoing it a bit
I am also looking to up my volume over this month with a couple of big weeks
Also looking forward to the Triathlon Training Weekend in the Lake District at the end of the month :o)

So there it is, my plan for March – I know it is not a detailed plan saying what I’ll do on what day and for how long but it is a guide and will allow me to adapt as real life gets in the way – which it inevitably does

Fingers Crossed

WW

Training Week T – 22

2006-02-27T07:28:00.000Z

A very poor week for me, this week was scheduled to be a recovery week for me but I ended up doing a lot less than I intended due to business needs, having to have new central heating fitted and then feeling rather under the weather towards the end of the week

MON	AM	00:45	SWIM	A continuous 2k plus drilld in a rather busy pool total time for the 2k swim was 39mins so quite pleased put would like to get this closer to 36mins
MON	PM	00:55	RUN	Run with my better half and her mateas I am training them up for their first half marathon
TUE	AM	01:00	BIKE	Had a good session on the gym bike at lunch time, did 60mins as 3 x ( - 2:30 min spin, - 2:30 right leg only, - 2:30 min spin, - 2:30 left leg only ) 5 x ( - 1min spin @ 85-90rpm, - 1min fast spin @ 110-120rpm, - 1min spin @ 85-90rpm - 1min out the saddle @ 65-70rpm, - 1min fast spin @ 110-120rpm ) 5mins warm down starting at 120rpm and dropping 10rpm each min Felt the session in my legs when I got off too
WED	__	__	__	REST (away on business)
THU	PM	01:30	RUN	Run distance was down this week as it was a recovery week - just did 9.5mile plus some strides, found it quite easy CORE SESSION RUN
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST
SUN	__	__	__	REST

TOTAL 4:10

Things will improve next week as it’s scheduled to be a big breakthrough week

Training Week T – 23

2006-02-20T09:30:00.000Z

Not a bad week last week considering the amount of DIY I needed to do would have liked to gotten an extra ride in on Sunday but my legs were shredded from the cumulative affect of Friday evening Tempo hill run and Saturdays Hilly strength endurance ride. So I took it as a rest day

MON	__	__	__	REST Day (away on business)
TUE	AM	01:05	BIKE GYM	Did 30mins spinning on the Bike but knees were still sore from the weekends efforts. Followed by 30mins core strength work (as I'm a firm believer in improving core strength)
TUE	PM	00:55	RUN	An easy run with my better half and her mate, as I'm training them up from scratch to do there first half marathon
WED	PM	02:15	RUN	Long run of 12miles followed by some stretching felt really strong towards the end of this run, even in the bad weather with the fastest 2 miles being the last 2 miles CORE SESSION RUN
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Swim with the masters group 4 x 200m warm up 8 x 25m build 1 x 200m easy 12 x 100m hard 3 x 200m steady 8 x 25m racing sprints 1 x 200m easy 4 x 200m pull buoy & paddles 1 x 500m swim down Felt good, but I could feel it in my shoulders the next morning CORE SESSION SWIM
FRI	AM	01:01	BIKE	Had a good session on the gym bike at lunch time, did 60mins as 3 x ( - 5min spin, - 2:30 right leg only, - 2:30 left leg only ) 5 x ( - 1min spin @ 85-90rpm, - 1min fast spin @ 110-120rpm, - 1min spin @ 85-90rpm - 1min out the saddle @ 65-70rpm, - 1min fast spin @ 110-120rpm ) 5mins warm down starting at 120rpm and dropping 10rpm each min Felt the session in my legs when I got off too
FRI	PM	00:45	RUN	Temp run over a hilly route - my first real tempo run of the year - speed isn't really there at the moment but felt strong
SAT	PM	03:00	BIKE	A hilly ride was only 40 miles but with almost 1000m of climbing CORE SESSION BIKE
SUN	__	__	__	REST DAY

SWIM - 02:00
BIKE - 04:35
RUN - 03:55
OTHER - 00:30

TOTAL -11:00

This next week is down as a recovery week so the aim is about 9hrs in total

Training Week T – 24

2006-02-14T11:18:00.000Z

A big week for me this week, but still took 2 full days off – felt great through all the training sessions and enjoyed getting out on the bike at the weekend…

MON	AM	00:45	SWIM	A continuous 2k with the first 1000m done at an easy effort then upping the pace for the next 1000m - total time for the swim was 38mins so very pleased with that this early in the year
MON	PM	01:20	BIKE	Turbo training session focusing on spinning rather than power - felt good
TUE	AM	00:45	BIKE GYM	35mins recovery spinning on the Gym bike Followed by 10mins of core work
TUE	PM	01:50	RUN	Long run of just over 11-miles in 1:45 plus a few strides to warm down - it was wet and windy but I felt good CORE RUN SESSION
WED	__	__	__	REST DAY
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Masters session, a good work out this week done as 4 x 200m wu 8 x 25 build 7 x 200 hard 1 x 200 easy 4 x ( 100m IM + 100m fs ) 8 x 25 CU drill 1 x 300 wd. Plus i found out the 2 people i was sharing a lane with are swimming instructors ---- that’s handy CORE SESSION SWIM
FRI	__	__	__	REST DAY
SAT	AM	03:50	BIKE	A verry cold day with temperatures down to freezing but managed a long ride and big hills, including a 7mile hill with a few nasty kick-ups at the end of the ride CORE SESSION BIKE
SUN	AM	01:00	SWIM	1000m warm up, drills then an easy swim down
SUN	AM	02:05	BIKE	After getting out the pool went for another ride, Warmer than the previous day but rained all the way round - with an aim of stressing my cycling capabilities with decent back-to-back rides. Finished with the same 7mile climb

SWIM – 3:45
BIKE – 8:00
RUN – 1:50

TOTALLING 13:35

:o)

I'll not get nearly as much training done next week as i have building work to do in preparation for getting a new central heating system installed

:o(

Training Week T – 25

2006-02-08T10:52:00.000Z

Ay up all, I forgot to post the details of last weeks training, as you can see not enough cycling but I’m hoping to rectify this but in all it’s a good week’s work as far as I’m concerned. I didn’t have time for a long ride at the weekend due to family commitments so I substituted the long ride for a hilly ride as a strength endurance session.

MON	AM	00:40	SWIM	non stop 1.8k plus drills
TUE	AM	00:35	BIKE	Spinning session in a short lunch break
TUE	PM	01:45	RUN	Long run 10.5mile plus strides CORE RUN SESSION
WED	PM	00:40	RUN	Easy short run
THU	AM	01:05	BIKE	spinning session on the gym bike focusing on maintaining a steady HR
THU	PM	01:35	SWIM	Masters session, 3k as :- - 4 x 200 on 4:30 - 8 x 25 in 0:25 RI 0:20 - 24 x 50 in 0:55 RI 0:15 - 10 x 50 drills - 1 x 300 w/d CORE SWIM SESSION
FRI	PM	00:40	RUN	Easy run
SAT	__	__	__	REST DAY
SUN	AM	00:30	RUN	easy run
SUN	PM	01:50	BIKE	Hilly strength endurance session CORE BIKE SESSION

SWIM – 2:15
BIKE - 3:30
RUN – 3:35

TOTAL 9:20

Turbo Sessions and DVD’s

2006-02-06T21:33:00.000Z

Just spent the last 75mins on the Turbo Trainer and watched a DVD to pass the time. Yes I’ve got DVD’s such as Spinnervals and the like but sometimes I get board with them, so tonight I watched Meatloaf Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which included the tracks :-

Life is a lemon
Mercury Blues
Dead Ringer for Love
Testify
All Revved Up
You took the words …
I couldn’t have said it better
Two out of Three …
Out of the frying pan
For Crying out Loud
Paradise by the dashboard light
I’d do anything for love
Bat out of hell

There are other concerts I like to watch while on the Turbo … Pink Floyd – The Wall and Prince - 1999/Purple Rain

Any one else have have DVDs they like to watch while on the Turbo?