Seasonal Greetings

I’d just like to wish every one a Merry Christmas, Happy New year and Generaly a wonderful Festive Period

WW

Swimming Lesson

Although I am not a bad swimmer, I thought I’d take the opportunity (while I’m suffering a foot injury and can’t run much) to improve my swimming. So along to the local City pool I went and booked an improvers swimming lesson, I only booked one to see how it went with the view that I would book a few more after that.

I consider myself a reasonable swimmer for someone that has never been properly taught to swim (apart from a weekend TI workshop) and has never been a member of a club … but I am not very fast (400m – 7:03)

But on analysis from the instructor he informed me that I had good body position in the water and a good technique so there was nothing about my swim that needs rebuilding …. The only thing that I need to watch out for is when I increase my speed I have a tendency to shorten my otherwise long stroke by exiting the water to soon.

So I don’t need any swimming lessons … what the instructor is going to do though is have a word with a couple of the national squad caches to get a few structured sessions put together for me to help me work towards my goals



One thing though …. Its sometime as good to be told what you are doing right,as well as what you are doing wrong

:o)

Swim Golf for anyone?

To work out a SWIM GOLF score, after you warm up and as part of your interval set do a set of 50’s to get your golf score (5x50m : RI 30secs) aim to swim each interval consistently

To get your golf score take the time taken to swim the 50 (FC) and add it to the number of the strokes it took you to do the 50 – a stroke being each time your hand enters the water

Your score is your most consistent score for the session (not your fastest)

As you improve efficiency / speed your score will come down so it a good measurement to



In last nights swim session my score improved dramatically from the last time I carried out the test from 81 to 75 .. so very happy

Engaged

Well, just a short post to tell everyone that I got engaged while on holiday

:o)

We’re all going on a …

Summer Holiday

Well not quite cos its November but I am off for 2 weeks in the sun, Corralejo in Fuerteventura.

Hoping to get some warm weather training in but m PF injury is going to limit the amount I can do … I still aim to try and get an easy run in each morning, but aiming to stick to the sand and limit the time to 60mins each plus I’ll hopeful get 2 sessions per day of swim drills and maybe hire a MTB for a couple of days

Don’t want to do too much … cos it is after all a holiday

:o)

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 264 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 11 (or not)

Nowt – zip – nada – nothing

… and I’m not happy about it


BUT I am off on holiday on Tuesday night so should get things started again then

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 265 DAYS AND COUNTING

Down, Down, way on down

Injury has me so depressed … I’m not a happy bunny at all

I thought the PF injury was improving as my heal was not as sore when I got up on a morning BUT as I sit massaging my foot with a tennis ball it is evident that the injury is still as bad as my arch is very sore.

I’m off on holiday in a weeks time for some warm weather training that is supposed to start each day with an hours run … I am still hoping that I may manage an hour run/walk in the sand and will still get pool time to work on my drills etc and may even hire a bike for a few days

But this injury has me down … down means no motivation … no motivation means no training … and even if I did have the motivation, working on the house leaves no time for training


At a time I should been enjoying decent mileage … a am on the bench


And very down :o(

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 270 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 10 (or lack of)

A massive low point for me, probably the lowest since starting this Blog. I got no training done this week down to Injury, Flu and having to decorate … all I got done was 1 Hour in the gym on Saturday

As I’m still only scratching the surface of the decorating I need to do and still need to rest the PF injury, so it looks like I’ll get next to no training in this next week either .

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 272 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 9

A poor weeks training for me this week (less than 7hrs), a combination of injury and DECORATING.. and I‘m going to be spending most of the week decorating so its going to be even less this coming week.

The thing is being on my feet decorating is not giving my PF injury much of a chance to recovery

:o(

SUN	PM	00:40	RUN	Easy run with GF
MON	AM	01:06	BIKE	Gym bike followed by 5mins of stretching … legs felt sluggish (may be from Sundays long & hilly ride
MON	PM	01:01	OTHER	Warm up on the rower then circuit training finished of with 5-10mins of stretching
TUE	PM	01:10	RUN	Club run in the fog (about 8miles)
WED	__	__	__	REST
THU	PM	01:50	SWIM	Swimming with the Masters, I struggled this week and managed: - 1 x 1000 warm u 8 x 25 Build 4 x 50 Hard 8 x 25 Mixed Drills 7 x 200 Hard (flat out) 5 x 150 Pull & Paddles 1 x 200 Swim down
FRI	PM	00:53	OTHER	Warm up on the rower then circuit training finished of with 5mins of stretching
SAT	__	__	__	REST

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 279 DAYS AND COUNTING

Plantar Fascia :o(

Well it’s not just a bruised heel; a trip to the physio has revealed that I am most probably suffering from a Plantar Fascia injury so ... 2 weeks without running and regular massage of my heal with a tennis ball and a bottle of frozen water.

:o(

The treatment given for my heal by the physio was massage, acupuncture in the pad of my heal (OUCH!!!) and some manipulation

While at the physio’s I also had acupuncture for my neck/back ... a long standing injury that is the result of a car crash some years ago and some work done on my right knee, which I suffer from stiffness due to over hyperextension.

At least its only impact type training I need to avoid

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 282 DAYS AND COUNTING

On The Bench

Well as far as running is concerned

I think I am going to have to take at least 7-10 days off running due to a bruised heel, its been niggling me on and off since Hartlepool Triathlon but its now at the point where the pain is at a level I struggle to put weight on the morning after a run.

A bruised heel is when the heel bone (calcaneus) which is protected by a pad of fat is subject to repeated pounding. This can cause the fat pad to be pushed up the side of the heel leaving less of a protective layer causing heel pain.

So I’m not a happy chappy


:o(

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 284 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 8

Had a very good this week, getting over 13hrs in, including good long quality sessions in the swim and on the bike plus a 75%HR test on the run to help me monitor my improvement. 13 was probably to big a jump but due to personal and work commitments I have to grab the opportunities when I can. Next week will probably be a more realistic 10hrs … we’ll just have to wait and see.

SUN	AM	00:55	SWIM	An easy 2k continuous concentrating on style and glide
SUN	AM	02:05	RUN	Straight out of the pool for a long run (12miles or so) at 70-75% MHR
MON	AM	00:35	OTHER	Circuit training (non stop)
TUE	AM	01:05	BIKE	60 mins on the gym bike followed by 5 mins stretching The bike session was: - MAIN SET 5 x (1 min at levels 0 thru 9 @ 95-110 rpm WARM DOWN 1 min at level 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1,0 at 100 rpm Felt rough when I went but felt good during set and feel good now
TUE	PM	01:05	RUN	A test to estimate my pace at 70-75% MHR over a measured course - result was 9:42 per mile Finished off with some stretching
WED	__	__	__	REST DAY (due to work commitments)
THU	AM	00:55	BIKE	45mins on the Gym Bike Followed by 5mins stretching - after 5-10mins warm up, did the first 1min in every 5 at the hardest level out of the saddle
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Masters swim session l, did: - 6 x 200 Steady warm up on 4:15 8 x 25 build 8 x 25 race sprints (diving off side) 14 x 100 odds on 1:50 evens on 2:05 1 x 200 Drills - odd back kicks, evens catch up 16 x 25 Turn & Sprint drills 8 x 100 Paddles and pull buoy 1 x 200 Warn down
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	AM	03:40	BIKE	Cycling in the Scottish borders an easy paced but hilly 50 mile (750m of climbing) circular route stating at Galashiels … very nice ride … we were out for just over 4hrs but stopped for a bite to eat, so I only record the training time (average speed 14-15mph)
SAT	PM	00:45	RUN	Easy run

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 286 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 7

For me my 2nd transition week and the introduction of some gym work based strength training

So this week looked like this : -

SUN	PM	00:50	RUN	Easy run off road
MON	AM	01:05	BIKE	Gym bike, steady session at 70-75% MHR
TUE	AM	00:35	OTHER	Circuit training at gym - introduction of winter strength training
WED	__	__	__	REST (away on business)
THU	AM	01:05	BIKE	Gym bike:- 5mins wu- 10x[1min hard out of saddle @ 60rpm, 1min recover @ 90rpm,1min spinning 125rpm+, 2min recover @ 90rpm] - 5min wd) plus 5min stretch
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Killer session at the masters, which looked like this: Warm up 1 x 400 in 7:30 2 x 200 in 4:00 2 x 200 ind Med 2 x 200 easy 8 x 25 on 50 build Drill Set 8 x 50 kick drill Main Set 4 x ( 1 x 100 on 1:50 1 x 100 on 1:45 1 x 100 on 1:40 1 x 50 Br/s 1 x 200 steady ) Rebuild set 8 x 50 drills (Left arm, right arm, kick, c/u) 12 x 50 on 0:55 warm down 1 x 250 Easy I dropped about 250m across the session but it was a killer and over 5k for me
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST (hangover & mamoth 8hr shopping trip)

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 293 DAYS AND COUNTING

A Question of Strength

Many endurance athletes are against weight training as a part of the overall training plan, often quoting "Weights build muscle, therefore adds weight therefore slows you down" I AM NOT OF THIS SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

So this week saw me get back into the gym looking to improve my strength, power and body composition.

Strength is defined as the ability to coordinate and contract muscle fibres to overcome a resistance.

Power is defined as the ability to perform a movement with strength at speed. Power is the combination of speed and strength but needs to be trained regularly to get the best coordination between these two attributes.

Power is also useful in the stride phase (contact, push off) as well as when the athlete has to run up hill and downhill. Increased power results in better efficiency in running, cycling etc which can help overall race time.

Body Composition is the ratio of lean body mass to fat … i.e. I am looking to reduce my body fat levels

The form of weight training I have introduced is circuit training with an aim of strengthening my core and the muscle groups utilised (directly and indirectly) by my sport. The sorts of exercises perform are:

• Squat / lunge /step-up type exercises.
• Push up, bench press type exercises.
• Seated row, bent over row, chin type exercises.
• Mid section specific exercises

These exercises work many muscles/joints and lead to the best overall strength gains.

After warming up for 5mins on the x-trainer I move from one exercise to the next without pause, but switch muscle groups etc from one exercise to the next to ensure I get maximum workout density (the most from my time) this I do for 25-30mins aiming for a total body workout and finish off with 5mins or so of stretching


And as expected this first session left me a bit sore …. But that is to be expected and I’ll be back in the gym next week

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 296 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 6

As my season is now over, I am going to have a couple of weeks transition, Easy(ish) training, as I prep to move into my larger volume winter training period, this gives me a chance to have a few pints with mates and not worry about a long weekend training session the next morning.


So this week looked like: -

SUN	AM	02:00	RUN	Great North Run (see race report) Plus 7 mins of stretching at end
MON	__	__	__	REST
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN	Steady mixed terrain run with the running club
WED	PM	00:55	RUN	Easy off raod run
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Warm up =========== 4 x 200m in 3:30 : RI 1:00 8 x 25m on the 0:45 Main =========== 4x( 3 x 50m on the 0:50 1 x 50m drill on the 1:20 1 x 200m steady ) 8 x 50m (of 25m back/s, 25 catch up) 1 x 300m fc on the 5:20 2 x 200m kick drill 4 x 100m fc on the 1:50 1 x 25m fly 2 x 25m back/s 2 x 25m fc 2 x 25m brest 1 x 25m flt Warm down ============= 1x 200m
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST

So, Just short of 6 hrs

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 301 DAYS AND COUNTING

Great North Run

A jog to the coast (with 50,000 others) to mark the end of the season.

What can I say about this race; apart from it’s big, probably too big.

My aim for this race was to take it easy and not bother aiming for a quick time, which lead to me enjoying the run much more than I probably would have if I’d been really going for it.

I stood on the start line next to the 1:45 target marker (for 2 hours) until the start of the race and then as the gun went off slowly made my way to the start line, on passing this I had to dodge straight into the port-a-loos as I had stood for so long that to needed to pay a visit.

Then I was off for real, through the underpasses to shouts of “oggy oggy oggy” and toward the Tyne bridge. By now there were already people walking, MY FIRST GRIPE … why do idiots that cant go a mile without having to stop to walk start near the front, as I say blood idiots.

The heat was taking its toll and I was glad to see the water stop at 4 miles, even though I was carrying an energy drink, the cool water was refreshing and great to pour the remainder over my head to help me cool, I preceded to do this at every water-stop to help keep me comfortable and ensure not to suffer with the heat.

This brings me to MY NEXT 2 GRIPES, I understand that later in a race people may need to stop for a walk rest, but: why do it in the middle of the road … move over to the side and do it so not to get in the way of other runners … and finally why do people walk 4-abreasthaving a chat, aging blocking the progress of other runners.

Along the route a ran into quite a few friends and made many more, that’s the beauty of these large participation events and why I do them along with all the serious races I take part in.

At between 11 and 12 miles you climb a hill, from which you can see the sea and the crowds as you drop down onto the sea front for the last mile and a bit are great – to motivate you to the finish

Finished in 1:53 (about 6mins slower than my PB) feeling quite happy with myself and even happier when I got to the beer tent and there not being a queue

;o)

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 307 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 5

Well another week bites the dust and sees the end of my race season, with a little bit of training and a couple of days off to rest for the GNR. I have a bit of a problem with a bruised heel pad but hopefully it will be OK.

So week 5 looked like: -

SUN	__	__	__	REST
MON	PM	03:00	BIKE	A hard paced trail ride on my MTB probaly about 42miles
TUE	PM	01:15	RUN	Club run, an offroad hilly 8.5miles in the wind - felt good, this is my longest run for a while - feel I should get round the GNR without much problem
WED	AM	01:00	SWIM	Structured swimm session including 3x500m build (10:30, 10:00, 9:35) followed by 5x100m drils (25m each of catch up, Left arm, right arm and kick) finishing with 500m warm down (starting hard then slowing)
WED	PM	01:50	BRICK	A 15mile ride in strong winds on my road bike, folowed by a 5mile mixed paced run and 5-10mins stretchin - ride cut short as it was getting dark
THU	__	__	__	REST
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST

So a gentle week of just over 7hrs

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 308 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 4

After 2 Triathlons in 2 weeks and the Great North Run approaching quickly (next Sunday in fact) I thought I’d give my legs a chance to recover and have a swim focused week, and then as I was to be at a friends wedding on Saturday a weekend of R&R called.

So the week looked like: -

SUN	AM	01:47	TRI	Loads of fun and games at Teesdale Triathlon, See Race Report
MON	__	__	__	REST
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN	6.5Mile @ 75% MHR in 52 mins (felt really good), followed by a stretching session as my legs were still very tight from Sundays race
WED	PM	01:05	SWIM	A continuous 3k at almost long distance race effort followed by more stretching, my 1k splits were 10:22, 10:17, 11:15 - felt a bit nauseous over the last 1k
THU	PM	01:00	SWIM	The pool was full so decided to work on technique did 2.5k slowly ensuring good style
FRI	AM	01:00	SWIM	Speed work this time 2.6k in total as 3x500m build, 10x50m hard 1x500m, race pace, 100m warmdown
SAT	__	__	__	REST

So just short of 6hrs this week but feel recoverd now and ready for the GNR

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 314 DAYS AND COUNTING

Teesdale Triathlon

… hot days, mad runs and my last triathlon of the year

Teesdale is on of my favourite races and I’ve done it every year since I took up triathlon, managing to improve slightly each year. So I was well up for this race and again looking for improvement. It’s a bit of an odd distance race with 500m / 28k / 7k (Swim / Bike / Run), with the swim being in a pool and both the bike and runs being those of a hilly, challenging nature.

Being a pool swim my start time was based on my swimming ability, and I was to be off at number 143, but I still went down to watch the early competitors (including my brother, who now has the triathlon bug) and to soak up the atmosphere on what is always a good race, and the sunny day made for a great day out.

Also seeing a mate, Keith, try to do a bike start with his shoes pre-attached to the bike, was entertaining to say the least with Keith becoming more closely acquainted to the tarmac ;o)

SWIM
My start time arrived. 11:23 and it was into the pool for an all out 20 lengths, I felt strong as I entered the water, I counted down the seconds 8.7. on with goggles 4.3.2.1 and off. I felt strong in the water but after 5 or 6 lengths thought I may be going a bit to hard, so slowed it up a bit, but still managed to exit the water in 9:03

T1
A much slicker affair this time, no wetsuit to deal with, so it was straight on with my helmet, and shoes, fast my number belt, grab a quick drink grab my bike and out of transition to the bike mount point in 1:12 … a much more acceptable time

BIKE
As I said Teesdale is a hilly bike ride but is very scenic, to, again I rode by a combination of HR and Cadence aiming to keep my HR up to about 160bpm and my Cadence at 90-95rpm, this time I had the added advantage of a working speedometer too so all was going well and I remembered to sip on my sports drink al the way round as by now it was very hot on the section that takes you down from the hills back to transition, I hit a head wind, and where I had been looking to average over 40mph for this section as was stuck to the low-to-mid 30s, but it would have been the same for every one. I was back to transition in 59:16

T2
This is normally the easiest of the 2 transitions but I made a fundamental mistake, in going down the wrong row to rack my bike and had to retrace my steps but still I was in, bike racked, helmet off shoes changed, grabbed my water bottle and out on to the run in 00:50.. I now felt i was on for a good time (for me anyway)

RUN
Teesdale is always a hard hilly race, but this year was just mad, an off road affair on trails and across farm fields, with the fits section taking me down a path that hardly had the head clearance and very rough under foot, resulting in me going over on my ankle, I managed to run this off but it had slowed me down and I need to be much more careful of where I put my feet. Next the run entered a series of very hilly farms fields and proceeded to take a rout that involved running up and down the steepest of the a number of times each. This continued for a number of fields then it was time to head to the finish … or so I thought, just as I approached the finish, the run emerged onto a rugby field, where I was instructed to run its length half a dozen time before finally making my way to the finish with a run time of 36:58 … as I said “A mad run route”


The race took me a total 1:47:21, exactly 10mins faster than last time and beating my brother and another couple of mates I was well pleased

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 322 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 3

This week sits between 2 Triathlons, Hartlepool last week and Teesdale this week, so is scheduled to be an easy week to allow me to recover from Hartlepool and prepare for Teesdale, where I’m looking to better my time from last year.

So this week looked like: -

SUN	AM	01:25	TRI	An problomatic but enjoyable race on a windy day, see race report below
MON	AM	01:25	BIKE	An easy MTB ride in strong winds to loosen up my legs from yesterdays race
MON	PM	00:45	RUN	Easy run in the local woods … felt good
TUE	PM	01:05	RUN	Steady run with running club keeping my heart rate around 75% MHR
WED	PM	01:15	SWIM	Swim session mad up of: - 3x500m on 10:00, 10x50m in 52 secs : RI 20secs, 1x500m race pace, 5x100m in 1:52 : RI 25secs, 300m warm down (3.3k)
THU	__	__	__	REST
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 323 DAYS AND COUNTING

Hartlepool Marina Triathlon …

… a day of strong wind and disastrous swims

The day (28/08) started early, 5am to be exacted, to allow me time to have breakfast before setting off to Hartlepool at 6am for a 7am registration. On arrival the day was grey and cold with the water looking greyer and colder and with a strong steady wind blowing … not the best signs for a good race. It was only going to be a sprint race of 750m / 20km / 5k (swim / Bike / Run) so it wouldn’t be too bad.

I racked my bike, laid out my kit and climbed into my wetsuit before attending the race briefing, at which I found that the swim course had been changed and we were now starting and ending the swim at the slipway at the opposite end of the marina from transition which would mean a long transition.

SWIM
The slip way lived up to its name and was very slippy, with me sliding down to the end, off the end and falling into the deep called water (along with a lot of other Triathletes), after a couple of minutes of getting used to the water the starting horn sounded and we were off, I decided to try and go for it and get into the lead group … BIG MISTAKE … I was un-ceremonially kicked in the face which knocked me of my stride, then for the whole of the first leg I tried to find my rhythm and could not … IT WAS A DISASTER … I even thought about abandoning … but no, I kept on going and as I rounded the first marker buoy I fond some sort of rhythm and started making up a couple of places but all thoughts of a good swim were long gone with the lead athletes. I exited the water in 12:22 instead of what should have been a sub 10:00.

T1
A long run from the swim exit to the transition area allowed me the opportunity to refocus my mind to the job at hand but also saw me step on a chunk of glass that got embedded in my big toe … although it was much later before a realised this. It was off with my wetsuit and on with by cycling shoes and helmet, also being a cold morning a also pulled on a set of armlets and a pair of full fingered gloves, picked up my bike and I was out of T1 in 4:03

BIKE
The wind was blowing strong and a headwind at that on the outward segment of the bike ride and as I tried to settle into my ride I noticed that my cycle computer was not working properly and the only reading I could get was my cadence so this is how I raced … I aimed to keep my cycling cadence at about 90-95rpm changing to an easier gear if it went below 80 and to a harder gear when it raised ab0ve 100. my next task was to focus on the riders in front of me and catch them one at a time and pass them without infringing on the ‘No Drafting’ rules. The whole of the outward segment of the race saw me confined to the middle ring (I ride a triple) of my bike with me trying to stay as aero as possible to cheat the wind, but the good news was I was passing other riders. As we rounded the roundabout that marked the turnaround point I was able to up the gearing and make use of the big gears, which set up a good battle between myself and a member of Durham Triathlon club, with me passing him, then him me a number of times until he pulled away from me on a small climb and I had to settle for just keeping him in my sights, but during this battle I had managed to pass a few more competitors and was into T2 in 43:09 and to give an idea of how much effect the wind had on my ride the outward section took 25mins an the return only 18mins

T2
T2 was a munch faster affair with the racking of my bike, removal of my helmet and gloves and the swapping of my cycling shoes for a pair of running shoes, I grabbed my energy drink and was out of transition in 1:00, closely behind the Durham Tri athlete with whom I had raced on the Bike.

RUN
The run section of the race was out and back along the promenade and again into the wind for the outward section. Again I had already decided the strategy for the run, I was feeling strong and still quite fresh so I quickly got to a pace where my heart rate was at about 92% of my Maximum Heart Rate and focused at one runner at a time, the first competition I caught and passed was the Guy from Durham Tri (that made me smile) and I continued picking off runners right up to the finish line. Run completed in 22:37

The whole race took me 1:23:13 which I was quite please with, but feel if I hadn’t fluffed the swim and had not been distracted by a broken cycle computer I may have gone sub 1:20:00 … but there is always next year … on finishing the race I pulled of my shoes which were now full of blood from the glass stuck in my toe (funny how adrenalin masks pain) got cleaned up and changed, and was in McDonalds for breakfast before most people get out of bed on a Sunday Morning

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 327 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 2

This weeks training has gone well apart from an Abductor Muscle strain, which now seems to be getting better. I’ve allowed myself 2 rest days this week as I am doing Hartlepool Marina Triathlon on Sunday and don’t want to go into it too tired, even though its just a shorter Triathlon (Sprint Distance)

So, this week looked like: -

SUN	AM	00:50	SWIM	A steady swim of 2k first thing in the morning to help me loosen up
SUN	AM	01:15	RUN	Straight out of the pool and out for an 8mile+ easy run
MON	PM	00:50	RUN	As soon as I got home from work, an easy run off road run around the local woods, finished off with 5min of stretching
MON	PM	00:30	OTHER	Later in the evening a bit of circuit training to start preparing my body for when I hit the gym during the winter
TUE	PM	01:00	RUN	Steady paced run at running club at 75% MHR with a stretching session at the end
WED	AM	00:50	BIKE	MTB commute to work, starting to find this much easier … its surprising what a difference a few rides can make
WED	PM	01:30	BIKE	5 mile laps, doing 1 easy then 1 hard, my fastest lap was number 4 at 14:25 secs - it was very windy but I felt good
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	Again, a session with the masters club at Dustan pool, did just short of 4k … was again hard work
FRI	__	__	__	REST
SAT	__	__	__	REST

Which works out at : -

SWIM - 2 SESSIONS - 02:50
BIKE - 2 SESSIONS -02:20
RUN - 3 SESSION - 03:05
OTHER - 1 SESSION - 00:30

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 331 DAYS AND COUNTING

Training Week 1

Well time to report on last weeks, training.

All in all not a bad week even though I didn’t race Darlington 10k as quick as I’d hoped, it was still a PB and even though a mechanical breakdown cut Wednesdays bike session start it was someone else’s breakdown and not mine, so …

SUN	AM	00:55	RUN	Includes Darlington 10k and warm up - ran a PB at Darlington, only by a few seconds but still a PB in 48:45. Averaged 92% Maximum Heart Rate for the race so my threshold is nice and high
MON	PM	02:20	BIKE	Went out for a steady, but high cadence session on my Mountain bike on the local cycle trails, it was windy but good to loosen my legs up after yesterdays race
TUE	PM	01:10	RUN	At the running club, after a warm up we did a structured set of Kenyan hills, I aimed to keep my heart rate at 140bpm (or there abouts) for this session
WED	AM	01:00	BIKE	Off road commute on the MTB into work at a comfortable pace
WED	PM	00:38	BIKE	Supposedly a 90min session on my road bike but mechanical problems cut this session short
THU	PM	02:00	SWIM	First time at the masters session, did a structured session totalling over 5k (see previous post for full details)
FRI	AM	00:57	BIKE	Off road commute on the MTB into work at a comfortable pace - I fell off :o(
SAT	__	__	__	REST DAY

Which works out at : -

SWIM - 1 SESSION - 02:00
BIKE - 4 SESSIONS -04:55
RUN - 2 SESSION - 02:05

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 336 DAYS AND COUNTING

Masters of the Universe …. Well the swimming pool at least

Masters of the Universe …. Well the swimming pool at least

I Went to the Masters swimming last night and was fairly put thru my paces, they had lanes ranging from 2:30s through to sub 1:30s for the 100m, I got in the 2:00 lane.

Considering I was never really taught to swim ( apart from a weekends Total Immersion Course a couple of years back), I thought I thought I held my own … well almost

We did: -

5 x 200m	as (100fs, 50m drill, 50 other stroke)
4 x 200m	Build
8 x 50m	Kick only
12 x 100m	build/drop (as 4 x (100 on 2:05, 100 on 2:00, 100 on 1:55)
1 x 200m	Easy
8 x 50m	Pull Only
9 x 100m	build/drop (as 3 x (100 on 2:05, 100 on 2:00, 100 on 1:55)
1 x 300m	Warm Down

So did 5.2k swim

:o)

So undeterred, I’ll be going back

IRONMAN GERMANY ... 338 DAYS AND COUNTING

Ironman Germany.... Here I Come

Well, I’ve gone and done it, enter Ironman Germany that is and booked my flights, now I have just under a year till the race to get myself in some sort of shape to get round the race.

For those of you who do not know an Ironman is a long distance triathlon consisting of: -

• 2.4 mile swim
• 112 mile bike Ride
• 26.2 mile run (A Marathon)

All in rapid succession, this race can take up to 17hours to complete and for me this mammoth event will take place 23rd July 2006 and I intend to report my progress, along with my highs and lows in the Blog

340 DAYS AND COUNTING