Time to Get Serious

As 2011 approaches it is time to start training again. After resting and doing nothing for 3 months - c'mon! You know how I like my excuses! I have entered my draught 2011 races down on the right. The season is a direct assault on the National Age Group Champs at all distances. This plot allows me to place similar emphasis on the Inter Services Champs. As I will be in the 3rd year of my age group gaining a top 3 place in races will be tough.

It would be possible to do well if I could up my swim pace from previous seasons. Indication is that I am there now! But I need to prove it in open water racing. How many times do I have to tell myself this!

No new Christmas bling to repirt and my internet is totally imploded! I am on my phone again - not good. I did a decent turbo session on 24 Dec, followed by strength work. Never done squats directly after a full turbo session. It really is good fun! Shock the body with new training! That's what I say.

happy training guys.

Wetsuit Swimming

Circumstances today dictated that I wear my wetsuit in the pool. I am not too well and the pool boiler was broken! So the water was very cold! As I wasn’t well, I intended to just do some easy swimming – just make it up as I go along.

I warmed up with 400m easy. I noted the time of around 6:30, which seemed a bit fast, considering how easy I was swimming. I then did 5 x 100m on 2 min with my Wetronome set at my perceived optimal 1500m pace. Normally, I would come in around 1:29 – 1:30 per 100m. With the wetsuit on I was coming in at 1:23 – 1:24 hitting constant 16 strokes per 25. These felt extremely easy and the rest between reps was over 35 sec. I then did a 200m in 2:50, again relaxed. I then did 100m with a bit more oomph and clocked 1:15.

Now I know that a wetsuit provides buoyancy and, therefore, a better body position, but the difference between my non-wetsuit and with wetsuit seems too large. I was thinking what factors are different? My non-wetsuit body position is not that bad. But many people tell me that I am low in the water. I put this down to lack of natural buoyancy. I sink really well! Maybe the wetsuit doesn’t change my body positioning the horizontal plain; it just raises my body in the water?

What are the thoughts out there? Does this seem possible? My swimming has improved over the last 6 months but I have never moved so fast with so little effort when wearing my wetsuit before. It makes me excited for next season as I should be able to improve my weak point – the open water swim!

Next time I swim in the pool (when healthy!) I want to try and recreate this ease of movement through the water. Another point to note is that I have been working on my kick a lot recently. With the wetsuit I felt much more aware of what my legs were doing. This is not to say that I used a strong leg kick. More the case that I knew how to stay streamlined with the legs.

Enough ramblings. . . . .

Time Warp

Good grief! Where has the time gone? It has been a while since I blogged. I have been so busy, it's unreal. But I am not here to moan and whinge!

What's new in my training/triathlon world? Well, I have been continuing with the swim focus but I have stagnated somewhat after making good progress. This, I suppose is to be expected. I will just keep up the swimming and aim for improved open water swims next year.

This cold snap has really affected my bike commuting and I am starting to miss bike sessions as a result - not good. Recently I have taken to driving in through the snow and ice and setting up my turbo in the car park. It took me 25 minutes to warm up this morning! As for running, I have been getting 2 interval session in a week. One session is on grass and the other is mixed in with a 11.5k run. This is working well and my running is coming on nicely for this time of year.

I have also hit the gym for the first time since the winter of 2008/09. The emphasis is on swim land training and bike/core strength. I do my old favourite of 20 rep squats followed immediately by tabata intervals followed by fast feet run intervals. My legs are getting sore after these sessions now and after a weekend strength session I only really feel ok by Wednesday. This slow recovery is an age thing, which I am fighting off as best I can! How do you fight off aging?! The theory is that strength work will help maintain functional muscle by stimulating the entire muscular system of the body. That is why compound exercises are key. These are exercises that use the big muscles of the body in one motion - Squats, deadlifts etc. But I like to keep some specificity in the routine; hence the tabata and fast feet elements. Will it help? Who knows but it keeps my brain content that I am trying!

Must dash. Train safe!

Realisation Moment

I had one of those realisation moments the other day. I think only older peeps can truly have these moments because they invariably stem from some experience dating back 20 years or more!

I was in the gym doing my conditioning workout and had just completed some squats and tabata intervals on the bike. Next was some treadmill fast feet. All the latest run technique stuff entails short fast cadence, as this is the best way to run? It ain’t my natural way of running and, although I have tried to do the fast cadence thing, I always struggle. For a short bloke I suppose I have quite a long stride. I like to cruise at speed and be quite bouncy. Anyway, my realisation moment came when I wondered why I was continually thinking about how to run! What did I do back in the distant past when I could run a 35 min 10k in training and race a 32 min at my best. True, I was younger but I certainly didn’t think about run technique.

What I did was run like Steve Ovett! Younger dudes out there may not remember Steve Ovett and the great rivalry with Seb Coe back in the early 80s. But that is my era and I was a pure runner back in those days (couldn’t swim back then. . . . ok, ok! Not much different now, I hear you say!). Ovett used to cruise with a long flowing stride. His cadence was actually quite high; it’s just that he was running so blinkin fast that he could cruise with a seemingly long flowing stride!

Back to reality. I was on the treadmill and I switched from fast feet to cruise at speed with a flowing stride. Ahhhhhh, that felt good. So, no more run technique for me. I am just going to run like Steve Ovett (in my mind, that is!) and go with the flow. I doubt I will ever see a 32 min 10k again but maybe I can chip away at my best times from my second endurance coming. . . . .

Still Swimming

Yep; I am still hitting the pool big time to try and get my 100m time below 1:10. There is plenty of technique in there too so Turbo man and Kelda need not worry. I have been using my Wetronome too. This is a great little tool. However, I have been using it today to dial into a decent 6 beat kick! That means setting the little yellow box to a strokes per minute of 210+! that is serious beeping in your head! If this strategy reaps time improvements I will be well happy!

The Lincs Services Cross Country League starts next week at Waddington. I hope to make this but work is very busy lately so I may be a no show. Daz 'Fast Man' Sharpe is due to race and he has kept his speedy form that he had all season over triathlon racing. he should be well up the field over the mud. i will take my rightful place at the rear of the field 8-)


And here is a pic of the last time I probably ran cross country! It's me and Nige Porter running at St Neots - 2008?

IT Probs

Lack of posts on here is due to terrible internet access here at home. Man, I sometimes wonder why I pay for broadband.

Not doing much structued training at the moment - no change to the norm then! I am about to embark on a 6 week swim focus. The goal is to get my 50m and 100m times down. Then, I can get back to working on technique and conditioning with a goal of sub 22 min for 1500m. Unless my 100m time comes down closeto 1:10, I can't see my breaking that 22 min barrier. It's all good fun! I really enjoy the challenges and the journey to get to a goal!

Welcome back to triathlon Turbo Man!! Yes, a monumental moment as T Man is integral to my triathlon journey. Let's face it, he was never really far away!!

Tour of Britain Stoke Sportif 26 Sep 10

Phew! Been very busy with one thing or another lately. Can’t believe how quickly time flies. To cut a long story short, since the Vitruvian I have done not much swimming, hardly any running whatsoever and lots of biking. This was a sort of crash prep 3 weeks for the Tour of Britain Stoke on Trent Pro Ride Sportif. The race was on 26 Sep 10 . . . . . er, last Sunday!

So how did it go? It was a great day out and the weather was ok(ish). Quite windy in places but it could have been far worse. The route went deep into the Peak District and some of the high points were really exposed. Of course the theme of the ride was hills, hils and more hills! I had a place in the RAF Cycling Association Team and there was 20 of us all decked out in RAF Cycling. It was quite an impressive sight – oh, and there was an interloper wearing an RAF Triathlon cycling jersey! No, not me! It was young Jase Walkley. As it turned out, he would be my ride buddy and we probably spurred each other on to levels of utter exhaustion that would not otherwise be possible. That may sound dramatic but the last 10 miles was a real pain-fest – just the way it should be!

The RAF peleton moved along at a healthy pace to begin with. The first real hill split us up slightly and 3 of us were up the road by the top. One of the guys then punctured and we stopped to wait for him. This caused the whole peleton to regroup. This seemed to be the pattern of the ride. The peleton moved well together but as soon as the road went skywards, it split. So it was always stop, regroup. Drink station, regroup. The ride felt somewhat broken and inefficient to me. I suppose it’s difficult with such a large group as people want different types of rides. Me, I wanted to get back as soon as possible. In the end, at the main feed zone, me and Jase made the decision to just crack on for home.

So it was just the 2 of us and we hit the hill of the day (though I found later hills tougher), Gun Hill. We saw a timing point on the road but we didn’t click that this was the start of the King of the Mountains Challenge and there would be another timing point at the top! We just carried on puffing and panting in our rhythm until we saw the timing point at the top and then sprinted the last 50m! Nevertheless, out of nearly 800 riders we had the 28th best climb of the day time!

The rest of the ride was hard. . . . very hard! We just pushed it home all the way and passed many people. As I said, the last 10 miles were a real pain fest and I was really feeling it. I lost concentration at a roundabout and nearly got wiped out. I then had to chase hard to catch Jase up again.

Overall Jase was 37th and I was 38th. Happy with that, considering all the stops and the puncture! Ride time was 5:27 but clock time 5:53! Man we lost some time phaffing around! However, it was a great ride – my first 100 miler!!

Race Aftermath

I love wallowing in race aftermath! It's even more enjoyable when the race went well! Thanks to Team Daz for more pics that allow me to recall a happy race! Guess I need to try harder as I keep smiling and waving!

Vitruvian Race Report

After a really tumultuous first half of 2010 (moving house 3 times and starting a new job) the Vitruvian had become my main race of the season. I have not raced as much as I would have liked this year; however, when I have raced the result have been good – so no complaints!
I travelled to Rutland Water to camp the night before the race. The weather was good and all was well. Setting the campsite up with my daughters seemed to take an age but tent village was sorted after a while. Registration was on Friday evening and there was the normal trade stands that could so easily have sucked me in – good job I have no money! The Planet X bikes looked very nice. . . . . .Mmmmm.
The good thing about camping the night before is that you can have a lie in until 0430!! What luxury! I was quite relaxed and listened to the race brief from my tent as I put my wet suit on. The mist on race morning was very heavy and you could not see any of the bouys! There was a slight delay in the start and my wave was joined up with the last one to make a wave of well over 300 swimmers.
Swim
We set off and the only sighting to be done was look up to the fuzzy dull sun in the sky! I got a right bashing for what seemed an age, including a dunking at the first bouy, which just seemed to pop up in front of me! After the first swim lap it is a short run and back into the water. Despite having rubber matting covering the stones, my feet took a battering and bruised quite badly. This is a problem for me and the run from swim exit to T1 over more concrete and stones compounded the problem. Anyway, my second swim lap was far better. As I entered the water I saw a small group about 50 metres ahead. I worked hard and caught them but they just seemed to be going too slow and I went straight passed them. The flow returned to my swim and the rather choppy stroke of the first lap disappeared and I felt like I was now swimming how I do in training.
As I exited the water I stopped my watch on 32:45. Not a great time but the best I had ever done at this race (This was my 4th Vit). I hobbled up the ramp and over the timing mat. Official swim split 33:23. Not bad but I want closer to 30 mins!
T1 was ok, apart from the run across the concrete and stones. I got passed by a few guys who must have leather feet!
Bike
After the mess up with shoes at The Dambuster last June, I opted for bike shoes NOT clipped in. This seemed to pay off as when I mounted my bike I was off and away in no time, whereas guys with shoes clipped in seemed to be having all sorts of problems. The mist had not lifted whatsoever, and it was a cold start to the bike. After a mile or so there is a huge very fast decent and the wind chill was freezing me solid! I relaxed into the bike leg, concentrating on feeding as much as possible. At one point I may have over done it as I felt a bit nauseous. This soon past and after the first lap I entered the feed zone and decided to pick up water, rather than more energy drink. This helped my tummy and turned out to be a good choice. It was so cool to see my daughters cheering as I biked through the feed zone – they are very dear to me. The second lap went better than the first for me but, as normal, the hills around Rutland began to bite! It’s the same for everyone so I just dug in and pushed out a steady climbing rhythm, rather than blitz the hills. Things must have been going ok as I was passing so many people. I only got passed twice, on lap one, by the race leaders on their second lap. So I was content with my bike performance. That said, I had no idea of my time as I had stopped my watch after the swim. I never really like clock watching. I prefer just to go for it on feel. As I entered T2, I didn’t feel too bad but I was ready to get off the bike! I had done 2:19:03. My fastest bike split for this race – just! But I had not gone as hard as previous Vit races. I now needed my run to be better than 1:30!

Run
I had opted for no socks on the run. I had tested this at Cambridge Triathlon a few weeks ago and the trainers seemed fine. I like the fleet of foot feeling with just light trainers on! As I set off, I felt ok (apart from my bruised feet) but was so mindful that there was a long 13.1 miles to go! I segmented the run into 4 parts. It was a 2 lap out and back run so this was easy to do. The first out was all about cruising at an easy pace and getting a gel down me after 20 mins of running. Daz Sharpe passed me on his final lap and invited me to run with him. He was probably running about 45 sec a mile quicker than me and I declined his offer! I was hoping to up my pace later in the run but I doubt I would ever get close to his pace. He ran a 1:22 half. As I turned and started my first return leg, I was passed by a young guy with a Garmin on. I tucked in and ran with him for a while. It seemed just a tadge too fast for me. If I had been on my final lap I may have stuck with it. He told me he was running at 15k per hour pace. Oops! Way too fast and I backed off. As I turned to start my second lap, I felt a bit tired. But a plan is a plan and I slowly increased the pace all the way to the final turn. My legs were telling me to ease up but my breathing was ok. So, man up time and go for it. I just gave it all in the return leg and really pushed it home. As I entered the final mile I thought that my pacing plan had worked because I was now on the limit – for both legs and breathing! I was passing heaps of people and as the finish line approached I was spent. But had I ran a good enough time to get a PB, which is what I wanted? I had estimated that I could do a 1:28 run if my nutrition was good. It was 1:27:57!! Happy with that as I had never been under 1:30 in this race.
Overall finish was 4:24:16. Previous best was 4:27:50.
2nd in Age Group, 39th overall.

ThIs had been a great race and I am now very happy! I was not that far away from winning my age group and this race always attracts a very good field. The guy that won my age group is a well established medal winner at international age group races. I only lost a minute or so on each discipline. So there’s the aim for next year!! I am sure that I can improve my swim further (but I say that every year!) and maybe my running too! And then maybe I could squeeze in some bike improvement too! What the heck, let’s do all 3!!





And if you entered the poll - Daz takes the win by being 2:30 quicker on the bike! Well done Daz.

A Bit of Fun

Check out the Poll about bike splits at the Vitruvian. The way Daz has been racing this season he should be light years ahead of me. But I can try!

Had a bad session this morning. Did An hour spinning on the turbo followed by a 10 mile run. Felt like I had someone elses legs; someone with bad untrained legs! It was early morning though and I often feel like that in the early hours. But then again, the Vitrvian starts very early! Hope I have not peaked and am now on the way back down!

Be Afraid. . . . .

. . . . . . be very afraid! It is not often, if ever, that I resort to fighting talk prior to a race. I am normally quite relaxed and save my energy for the physical exertion during the race itself. However, a recent pool swim PB over 1500m of 22:44.9 (yes, the 0.9 is important!) has really got me fired up for the Vitruvian Triathlon taking place on 4 September. This sort of swim speed is light years ahead of anything that I have achieved previously. It has certainly enthused me to go for an Age Group placing at the Vit, and hopefully a race PB if the conditions are decent.

The issue remaining is can I reproduce this swim speed in open water? Historically, the answer would be no! My open water swimming is normally slower than my pool swimming. I put this down to navigation. Recently I tried a different brand of swim goggles, on the recommendation of the ever improving Paul Fullalove! What a difference! I used the Blue Seventy Vision goggles at Cambridge tri and was at the head of the pack for the entire swim. Now, of course, the Vitruvian swim waves will be bigger and likely contain faster swimmers than those at Cambridge. But my confidence is up and I aim to attack the race from the off.

History also tells me that my swimming yoyos between good (for me) and not good (for me)! So will the yoyo be on the up or down come the 4 September?

Cambridge Triathlon

Result: 10th Overall in 2:10:06. 1st in Age Group I (Old Cronies!)

A decent race really, especially as I didn't ease down from a pretty big training week.

The swim went well for me! I was 6th out of the water in my wave of 70 swimmers. All I can assume is that there were plenty of slow swimmers! I kept expecting to be swum over but it just didn't happen! Check out the smile as I exited the water - most unusual for me!

My T1 was poor and I just messed around really! However, the bike went ok. The wind was strong this year and that kept the bike splits down. I was recorded at 1:04:33. That includes T2 tough. This was ranked 10th fastest bike, which was ok.

As soon s I started running I felt good and despite the rather soft going under foot (farm tracks)I was 2 mins quicker than my last Cambridge Tri run and 4th fastest of the day.

Overal, very content! All seems to be going well for the Vitruvian on 4th Sep. I have carried on training straight through following the race at Cambridge, with some big days. Swimming was going really well today and I really hope I can get a decent swim at Rutland water. I have yet to swim well there - only been competing there for 5 years too!!

Tri Time

My last Triathlon race was 19 June at the Dambuster. So it's been a while! Tomorrow I race Cambridge Triathlon and I am really looking forward to it. I would have preferred to race at Bedford as it is the National Age Group Champs. However, Cambridge fits better into famiy stuff. I raced Cambridge back in 2007 and did ok, finishing 5th overall. But I was younger back then! I just hope the weather holds!

I did another 25 mile TT last weekend on th F1 course. I clocked 57:56. This was actually a better ride for me, although the time was nly 1 sec quicker than my previous attempt. The wind this time was far stronger. Hopefully i will be far stronger tomorrow!

TT Course PB - How?

Well, I did the 25 mile TT on the N1 course at Sawtry on saturday. I had been ill since the 25 TT on the A1 the previous Sunday and it was touch and go whether I would ride at Sawtry. I started off really steady, with the plan to stop if I started to feel bad. As it turned out, I felt ok and so went for it. The result was a course PB of 58:16. Weird how things work?

I went for a run early Sunday morning and felt dire! I was really plodding. But then I often feel really bad early in the morning. If I assess where I am fitness wise for the Vitruvian, I would say that I am swimming as well as ever and biking as good as last year. I am just unsure about running. There is no time to gain any real run fitness so it will be jump in and run off memory!

It's always the same with the Tri season; we spend ages in the dark depths of winter wishing for some sun and day light to commence racing. Then, in a flash, it's season over for another year! I need to remember that I could not do any Tri races last year. So, I already tick 2010 off as a success, even though I have not raced that much.

Some awesome results from Bloggers doing various Ironman events last weekend! Check Frank Whittle and his 10:33 at IM Regensburg! That is a great race from Frank. Andy Fisher finished 9th at IMUK! It's a shame that we are losing him from the RAF next year. Jase Walkley also had a great race. I reckon his 11:23 was well below his capabilities. He confirmed this as he was cruising for the experience after being quite ill the preceeding couple of weeks. Nevertheless, he can now call himself an Ironman and go and get his Tattoo! Well done Jase. Same goes for Jamie elliot at regensburg. Perhaps not as fast as he is capable of but he was nursing a really bad injury to his ankle. get the Tat mate - you know you want to!

Bodily Signs

Signs from the body. What do they mean?

Sore throat and yukky feeling that does not turn out to be a common cold.

Individual tender and swollen glands in the groin area.

Painful lumps appearing where your bits sit on the bike saddle.

Vitruvian Prep

Well, my next goal of the season is The Vitruvian Middle Distance Triathlon on 4 Sep 10. I have done this race a few times, the last attempt being 2007. My best time there is 4:27:50. I would like to go near 4:25 but everything would have to slot into place for that to happen! Of course, that rarely happens! the weather is the biggest factor for me. I just don't operate well in the cold. Rutland Water has a history of being wet and cold for triathlons so let's hope for an unseasonal 30 degrees in September! In prep for a cold morning of the race I am trying out some of this sports balm stuff.
Anyone tried this? All the hard core TT specialists use some sort of embrocation. best I keep it away from sensitive areas!

In preparation for the race I have a few bike TTs lined up and the Cambridge Standard Distance triathlon. I did the first of these TTs last Sunday morning. I forgot to adjust my clock from French time and was up an hour too early at 0445 - plonker! I never really felt in the groove during the TT but was happy enough with 57:57. The next TT is another 25 on Saturday but it is on the slow Sawtry course. I clocked 58:53 on this course on a nice calm hot evening in June. If the wind blows on Saturday I doubt it will be a sub-hour ride. However, the aim is to get a quality session completed.

I am sick at the moment and have had to rest today. I may go for an easy swim tomorrow but I don't want to risk bringing on a long-term illness so I will be very careful.


Maybe I should try some of this 3 arm swimming!

Back Online!!

Firstly, how do I get these Oriental inerlopers off my Blog?!!!

Hello strangers! Finally, I am online at home and no plans to move house again for the foreseeable future! So, hopefully, some normality will resume – whatever that is?!

It’s been a while since I Blogged but 2 weeks of that gap was spent on our family holiday near Lake Annecy in the French Alps. Rather than send you to sleep with holiday stuff, I will give a revue of the training I managed to squeeze in. My aim was to concentrate on strength workouts to make use of the mountains. Then, when I returned the plan was to hone the speed with some 25 mile TT action and some faster running.

The weather in France was very hot, which is good for me as I love the heat when training or racing (why do I live in the UK?). As far as biking goes, I made use of a climb that I did last year: Col De La Forclaz. It is not a long climb at 8.5k but it was used in Le Tour in 2004 and is a cat 1 Climb. That means it is steep! It is very hard and ideal for a mountain time trial. I did the timed ride 4 times in total, cutting my time from 38:30 to 35:16. At the summit there are fantastic views and a number of souvenir shops and cafes. Many cyclists ride the climb but the tourists at the top may not have been used to seeing the state I was in when I reached the top! It really was empty the tank effort when timing myself and I think the emergency services were nearly called!



And these are Alberto Contador's hands! I got knocked just as I was taking the pic.
I also did a few other climbs at a steadier pace but they still hurt as there is no easy ride across the Cols. The best ride by far was the ride from Doussard to Chambery to watch the depart of Stage 10 of Le Tour. It was an 85 mile round trip across 4 Cols. I rubbed shoulders with the Saxo Bank team and the atmosphere was great. The trouble was 2 chocolate cakes and a coke was not sufficient to get me home. The climb out of Chambery was savage and I was running n empty when I reached the top. Out of nowhere an American support van pulled up and bestowed heaps of energy bars and isostar on me! That really saved me from a disaster and was very much appreciated. Whilst in Chambery I met a guy who had cycled from Calais over a few days! Now that sounds like fun!!

As for running, I actually started to run quite well. Frank will say ‘I told you so’ but the gaps in training (probably trained every other day with no set plan) seemed to help me stay fresh and when I ran I was flying. I did a couple of 10 mile runs as easy 5 miles and then open up for the return 5 miles at 6 min miling. I also did a couple of runs off the bike and a very hilly 8 mile effort.

It was hard to keep any structure to swimming. There was always an inflatable or a kid jumping on you! I swam in the lake a couple of times without a wetsuit and that was great fun. It was quite choppy though, and I swallowed my share of Lake Annecy!

So that’s it really. I am in ok shape and now commence a few weeks of bike time trials and short sharp runs (if the Achilles can take it). I have a 25 mile TT on Sunday and also Cambridge Triathlon on 15 August. Not sure how the Vit will go but I hope to go around 4:25 if the weather is good. It just feels so cold here after 30 degrees for 2 weeks.

Train well folks and best of luck to the Ironman racers at The Outlaw, Switzerland and IMUK.

TT Pain

Yep it's been TT pain time. Did the club evening 25 TT on the N1 course last Wed and clocked a course PB of 58:53. very happy with that as I had been feeling pretty tired before the start. With 17 roundabouts to contend with, it ain't a fast course! I did 59:17 last year and I was certainly gpoing better on the bike in 2009 - well I think so!

Today was a big training day with a 20 mile commute to work, followed by 5 miles running off the bike. Then a nails 2.8k swim set at lunch. This included 10 x 100m on 2 mins all way under 1:30. fastest was probably around 1:22. 16 x 50m on 1 min all around 42 - 43 sec to finish with just about finished me off. Then it was a steady ride home 20 miles. get this bloggers! I am having a day off tomorrow!!

The Tour de France starts this weekend so I am off to get all jobs done to hopefully get some viewing time for Le Tour!!

Regrouping

Greetings Blogland. It’s been a while since I have visited! I have so many things pulling on my attention that I am struggling to complete everything – especially the enjoyable aspects like non-essential computer work! Also, I still do not have internet access at home. . . . . GGRRRRRRR!

Whinge over! A quick overview of what has been going on in my Tri-Life. I rode a semi-decent Open 10 TT the other weekend, which indicated that I was finally recovering from the beaver Triathlon. Then, I raced at the RAF Odiham Sprint Tri last Wed. As previously, I took it easy on the run and managed a decent result. So happy with that. Then it was The Dambuster Triathlon last Saturday. This was the RAF Champs, as well as a World Champs Qualifier. The good news is that I would have qualified by finishing 2nd in my age group. Yep, after 5 years of trying I finally received a Pacesetter Events top 3 plaque – awesome! The bad news is that I had a bit of a stinker in the swim and bike. I could go into details but I have decided not to because in triathlon there is always something that does not quite go to plan (well there is in my world!). The result is the result and that can’t be changed. Back to good news! Many of the RAF competitors really upped their game.

Daz Sharpe stormed round to win the RAF Champs in a silly time of 2:05 something. Really good to see him win as he has had many set backs. Also, new vet on the block, Paul Fullalove, finally put a back to back swim, bike and run together all at once to take the Vets title. He has made fantastic progress and good on him; I know the hard training that he has put in and he deserves the improvement. Here is a pic of me gurning nicely:


More good news: the dambuster race T-Shirt design was most pleasing! For those of you that remember Mr Ben, (or Mr Benbuster in this case!)check this out:


There were many other great performances at the Dambuster but I simply do not have the time to dissect them all (see above whinge!).

I am regrouping for the Vitruvian so watch out middle distance racers! I am shooting for a good race in September! Ok, watch out old middle distance racers!

Moving Fatigue!

This week I have been completing my 3rd house move since Jan 31st. It is only across the road but the key point is that we are moving using our own steam – no removal men. So, it’s just me and Julie, apart from my brother in law who assisted with the big heavy stuff yesterday. I have had a day off work to complete the ‘heavy move’ items, but apart from that it is business as usual at work and move jobs in the evening. With the Beaver tri last weekend leaving me somewhat fatigued, I can honestly say that I am absolutely spent now. So tired today. I will be very glad when all this moving stuff is over.

I have a 25 mile TT entry in for Sunday but I may not make it out of bed! I am telling myself that all will be ok for the Vit in September, but in reality I am not happy with all the interruption and fatigue. My legs are still shot from the run last Saturday and the pic below reminds me that I can still run! This was taken at the Beaver and I think I am smiling! The next pic shows the dreadful rain that dumped on us during the bike leg. A wet day! (Draft Pics from Phil O'Conner Photography)I hope the guys racing at Weymouth cope with the other extreme ok this weekend – hot and dry! Race well. I will rest well!

So Busy

Not sure where 2010 has gone so far. With so many moves I just feel so disorganised. And another result of these moves is my internet and phone connections has been lousy at best. Hence the rather infrequent posts on here. Right now I am posting using my Pam Pre. It' a cool gadget but you need fingers the width of match sticks to work the qwerty keyboard.

Anyway, a quick update. I raced Brize Norton Sprint Tri last Wed. I say raced but I jogged round the run to save my legs for the Beaver middle distance tri the following Saturday. Andy Fisher won looking very fit. He really was streets ahead of the rest. Some good results from youngsters coming through, which is nice to see. And great to see Brad Goggin racing so weel for 2nd place. I bagged 4th and was happy enoigh. But the day was hit by tragedy as our President sadly died as he was finishing the run. There have neen many testimonials for Sir Christopher Moran and I will say no more than I was very affected by the incident because I stopped and asked if he was ok when I saw him sitting on a bench with his head in his hands.

Saturday was The Beaver midde distance tri. Having not completed a triathlon since 200c due to my achilles injury, I have now completed 2 in a single week! The Beaver was the toughest race I have done. This is mostly due to the very hilly run. However, the wet weather did not help. The bike couse was 4 laps and had some silly fast parts and a nasty climb that had me usingmy 23 sprocket and 39 chain ring for the first time ever on this bike. I managed to win my age group and am happy about that. Jase went very well and was only 20 sec behind me, despite just testing his Ironman nutrition. Andy fisher won the entire race and was simply scary on the run.



I camped the night before the race

Race Time

It's been a while since I blogged. I have been extremely busy with one thing or another and computer time has had to be dropped in order to train!

It's the RAF Brize Norton Sprint Tri this Wednesday and i am looking forward to that. However, with the Beaver Middle Distance Tri the following Saturday, I will have to take an 'easy' race at Brize. I plan to just go for a PB 400m swim and then enjoy a relaxed spin and jog to get my T Shirt!

As part of my prep for the Beaver I did my first 50 mile TT last weekend. Man what a pain-fest! Everything hurt by the end! I have raced over 50 mile many times in triathlon but somehow a full-on TT is just different! I wanted sub-2 hours and I would have taken 1:59:59.9999!!! But I clocked 2:01:58. The final 11 mile stretch was into a headwind and it really ruined any chance of a sub 2 hour clocking. Nevertheless, it was great training for the Beaver. My running is still in 'get by with the bare minimum' mode. So I may suffer on the run.

The evening 10 mile TTs have been going ok and the return of the warm weather brought a season best 23:18 last Wed. my PB on this course is 22:52, so the biking is not too bad for may. My new 'A' Race is the Vitruvian and I hope to rescue my run form by September and peak on the bike too. My improved swimming seems to be fading!! This is what has happened in the past and I have no idea why I get some decent swim form and then lose it a few weeks later! Totally weird but I am not stressing over it.

After years of using Campag on my bikes I have recently been trying Shimano. So which is best? I have to say that Shimano gets my vote. The changes are crisper and you do not need to apply half as much pressure on the shifters as you do with Campag.

Anyway, got to jump on my bike and get some of this sunshine!! I do love the good weather!

Train well Bloggers

Don't you just love PBs!!

1k swim

15:24

Game on!

Training Schedules and Training Log Books

The title of this post describes 2 important aspects of triathlon training - right? So why don't I have either?!! True, I have a very loose schedule in that I do the club evening TTs on Wednesdays and try and do a longer run and bike once a week, but that's it really. So is this good or bad? I am not sure! It can be good to be flexible! All my house moving stuff has made it impossible to have schedule. But I suppose I should keep a log, if only to look back and see what works and what doesn't.

Some recent sessions:

Bike commute to work 20 miles. Swim at lunch. Bike commute home 20 miles

Brick session as 35 miles road on the TT bike as 25 min warm up then continuous alternating 2 min hard, 3 mins tempo. Run 6 miles with the first 5 at sub 7 min miling.

Brick session as Club 10 mile TT followed by 6 - 8 1 min run efforts on the grass.

Brick session as 20 miles road on the TT bike hard, 5 miles sub 7 min miling run, 20 miles road on the TT bike faster than the first 20 mile effort!

I have done plenty of commutes to work on the bike and tried to keep the effort when riding steady. i mostly use my single speed and this helps to keep me spinning. In the pool, a recent 6:00 400m swim using my wetronome was very nice to complete. I use the wetronome a lot and am trying to push my threshold pace at my perceived best strokes per minute (58 SPM) for longer distances. I may attempt a 1k swim TT this week. Now if I maintained the 6:00 min 400m pace I would be on for a 15 min time! Err, maybe a bit too much of a stretch for me!!

Just edited this post as I had stated 58 strokes per length!! I meant per minute! Wow! 58 strokes per length would be some going!!

Back to the Real World

Visited RAF Brize Norton with work today. It's been a while since I have been to a 'real' unit. Quite enjoyed it and my new position is good for me. I managed to get back from work in time to do the club evening 10 mile TT last night. The conditions were better than a couple of weeks ago but a tasty wind got up after the turn. I managed to clock 23:24, which is not that far off my course PB of 22:52. The course has 7 roundabouts to contend with and these really slow you down. . . . . . More excuses eh?! You know I do like my excuses!

A quick note about my normal adversary - the dreaded H2O!! Great pool in Cambridge 5 mins from where I work. And they use 'fast water too 8-) yes I am swimming well. It almost pains me to say that because history tells me that it will not last! I can bang out 200m reps at 3 min pace without too much effort. Come race day I hope I can reproduce that form. As normal, though, swimming in a straight line may be my biggest problem.

Enough ramblings. TTFN

Update

Well, with everything that has been going on during my many house and job moves, I have fallen behind with this Blog - sorry fellow Bloggers! Mind you, some may be thankful that I am not documenting my normal excuses for bad performances before they happen!

To try and update you all with happenings, I will complete a brain dump of stuff! I have started my new job, which is based at Marshal Aerospace in Cambridge. The location is great. It's 5 mins away from a swimming pool and expanse of heath land that is spot on for off road running. My commute is 20 miles exactly by bike. The route is pretty much flat. At the moment

I am using the guided busway that has been build between St Ives and Cambridge. Using this, I can get most of the route completed on traffic free smooth concrete. The pic below shows the busway - which is not yet used by buses! i do need to concentrate whilst riding though because there is a ditch in the middle of the tracks and a high curb on the edges. I have about 0.8 of a metre to ride on.

Overall, I have managed to be consistent with training. However, it has been haphazard and I do feel as though I am behind where I should be! But then I always say that!

I have done a couple of bike time trials. The first evening club 10 mile TT was held in very cold and windy conditions. I clocked 24:20. My course PB for this is 22:52. I also did an Open 25 mile TT. Again, it was Baltic and frost was on the ground as I started quite early in the 90 strong field. I clocked 1:00:39 and was disappointed not to break the hour. I have a course PB of 58:30 for this. Finishing 14th was not too bad but, last year, I had pretty much got used to breaking the hour no matter what the course was like. Maybe I will pick up as the season rolls on.

On 21 April I did the Inter Services Duathlon. The weather was better for this and I really enjoyed the event. I actually won the Vets competition but this was only due to the fast boys not attending! The results are here:

http://www.dbmax.co.uk/assets/results/146/original/Army_Overall.html?1271867078

My strategy was to cruise the first run (mindful of my achilles) and then ease into the bike for the first 3 laps. then kick the effort in on the next 2 laps and relax more on the final 6th lap. This worked well but didn't prevent some calf cramp as the second run started.

I have been suffering with a bad tummy lately and that ruled me out of the Rutland Sportif that I had planned to complete last Sat with JC. he had a great ride to get the 5th fastest time of the day. Sorry to let you down John.

My swimming is going OKish. It will be good enough to get round some triathlons this year! As for my running, I was surprised to clock 17:05 at the Inter-Services Duathlon. It was an accurate 5k too! The trouble is, I need to be in decent shape for half ironman distance and I just don't think I have the training in the bank to pull off a decent 13.1 miles. I will find out on 29 May because I have entered the Beaver Middle Distance Tri. EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK! The course is meant to contain some nasty hills - just like being back in Bristol!

More updates to come as I have a club 10 mile T tomorrow. Train well Bloggers!

Tummy Probs

Meant to be doing the Rutland Sportif today but had some tummy probs since the Int Services Duathlon. So it's a DNS for me. I hate that. Poor old JC will have to ride as Billy no mates. Talking of the Duathlon, I hope to get a full report soon, now that I am back on the internet at home . . . . . . Stand by!

Quick Update

First TT of 2010 done. Slow but good enough for the conditions and course. Got a 25 TT on Sunday. Passed my fitness test with an aching achilles. Stopped at level 12.5 but happy to feel easy at that.

The Quest for Speed

I got a bit fed up of long slow stuff so I have attempted to do some more speedy stuff this week. Not sure how the niggling injuries will hold up to the pounding!

First, I did a killer speed session on the turbo that consisted of lots of short above race pace efforts. Then I ran off the bike with just 2 x 1 mile efforts. Managed sub 6 min miles for these.

Today I did 30 miles bike aiming to maintain at least a 20 mph average. I managed 22mph avetage. Not that fast but with warm up and junctions etc it was not that easy. Off the bike the aim was 5 mile run averaging at least 7 min miling. Managed 6:35 miling but the legs were struggling. The good news is that when I feel ok breathing but the legs are sore it normally means some form is on the way. Just need to stay healthy!

The Race Bike is Out. . . .

Moved House

Hopefully that's the last move of house I will do for a couple of years! I trained yesterday and today so some routine may return soon. First, however. Its back down to Bristol to clean and march out of the old house. Doh! More hassle! But the new job looks good and I am looking forward to starting that. Looks like a decent bike commute is possible too 8-)

$ad a right load of grief with getting back on the internet. I have to wait for around 2 weeks before i am back in virtual world. Also, my normal mobile has died. I can't even turn it on. So if anyone is trying to contact me, please get me on face book!

WoooHooo!! I can Kick!!

Yes! It is true! Today, for some weird reason, whilst swimming my kicking just improved out of all recognition. Anybody that has seen me in the water will know that I am a kind of kick like crazy and get no where sort of guy. Well not any more!! Well chuffed with this development.

I did 200m kicking as part of the warm up and it just felt good. So I then did 8 x 25 on 1 min and tried to increase the pace. I was hitting between 25 and 28 sec. Obviously this is nothing for 'real' swimmers but for me it is like a miracle! The session continued with a mix of kick reps and pull reps. I managed a 200 pull at 2:49 and a controlled fast 100 at 1:21 somewhere in these sets so the swimming is back on track. Only problem is . . . . I move house again on Tuesday next week!! AAGGGHHHHHH. I hate moving!! Especially only 2 months since the last move. Hopefully I can grab small chunks of training to get me through this period without being fatigued.

My Last Triathlon Was. . .

. . . the World Long Course Champs 2008!! Seems ages ago and I am REALLY looking forward to racing this year. My first Tri should be the RAF Sprint at Brize Norton. I entered the Beaver Middle Distance Tri, which takes place on 29 May. Now this is more the distance that suits me an I can't wait to take the Specialized Steed out for a blast on this course. It's never been raced in a triathlon!


Some bike TTs and sportifs should get my bike legs in shape for that Tri 8-) My swimming is pickng up again at the moment - yippee! It seems to go in phases for me. . . . good. . . . terrible. . . . good. . etc! Let's hope my races fall into a good perid!

How to Scare Your Daughter!

Did a full on turbo session the other night in the garage. My 9 year old daughter was alone in the lounge watching the 9th episode of Hannah Montana on TV.

I was doing a session of 9 x 5 mins as 2 mins effort, 3 mins tempo. The 2 min efforts were VERY hard and pushed to the limit. As I reached the last 10 seconds of the 9th 2 min effort, my daughter strolls into the garage to ask me for a lolly. Oh dear. She got the shock of her life as she looked at the state of me utterly on the limit sprinting flat out and gasping for air like a dying man. Yep, she thought that I was dying and was very concerned and frightened.

I am not the best looking guy when fresh but contorted on the bike I make a very scary picture!! Poor little CJ! Great session though; the legs still hurt today

8-)

Swim Fatigue

Man, my swim session wiped me out this morning:







400 warm up
4 x 25 extended kick speed

4 x (4 x 50m on 45 sec, 100m EZ) 2 min RI between sets

2 x 300m as 50scull/50 pull push/50 pull

100 EZ

Really had to work on NOT making the 4 x 50m set a continuous 200m effort!

Training Volume

Training is progressing and without realising it, I have bagged 3 big volume weeks. The intensity of biking and running is not up there with what I normally do for this time of year so I need to be mindful of some slow performances in April and May. Come June, however, if I can stay healthy, I hope to be hitting some decent form.

Training has fallen into this type of routine;

Monday: Bike (10 miles) to pool for swim. Bike home 15 miles steady. Push the hills if feeling strong.
Tuesday: Run into work 9 miles with plenty of hills. This is a plod with a rucksack on. Bike home 15 miles. Push hills if feeling strong.
Wednesday: Bike to pool for swim. Bike home 15 miles in TT mode hard all the way.
Thursday: Bike EZ 15 hilly miles to work. Run home Steady 9 miles.
Friday: Bike to pool for swim. Bike home hard 10 – 15 miles depending on how much time I have.
Sat: Rest or Group ride with Bad Tri. Normally have some hard efforts in the ride somewhere. EZ 30 min run.
Sunday: If rested yesterday it’s a threshold hour on the turbo followed by an hour run. If I did the group ride it’s a 90 min long EZ run.

The Achilles is aching slightly and I do need to keep up the eccentric loading exercises. I have turned into a plodder when running now though; in fact, I cannot remember when I did a fast run? Reckon it was mid Jan when I did the 3k TT on the running track.

Just completing a triathlon this year will be a victory so let’s keep it real!!

Time Ticks BY!

Visited Cheddar Gorge yesterday. What a great place for a hill effort. I made the Gorge climb around 3 miles. I was visiting without bike and just toured the tea shops for coffee and cake. I shall return with bike to ride the Gorge at full pelt though!

Time is ticking by quickly. In the depths of winter, I always yearn for March to come round. March reminds me that the race season is nearly here but when 1st March arrives I normally go EEEKKKK! I am not ready! But since the trauma of moving to Bristol I have gradually built up some decent training, especially on the bike. The running has been consistent but northing intense – just long and slow. Hopefully, some speed can be added later in the year.

My swimming was really coming on pre-move but it is back to struggle at the moment. As with most triathletes, I have turned to a gadget to help me through this bad patch! I have ordered a wetronome. Some regular bleeping in my head is a sure way to swim faster!

Training wise, my biggest worry is the next move, planned for the last week in March. I am sure to be tired and fatigued. Still, I hope to enter the Rutland Sportif (24 April)and ride with JC. Now JC has got some major mileage in his smooth girly legs. I reckon I will really struggle to keep with him over he 100 mile route. My longest ride this year? 44 miles. But not to worry, I will try and grab a few rides that are beyond 70 miles within the next few weeks.

Train well out there! It’s nearly time to dust off the race bike and squeeze into the race lycra 8-)

That 'DOH!!!!' Moment. . . .

Happened to me on Friday! I was on leave but the logistics of commuting to work via bike and running meant that I had a bike left at work. So, I ran into work early
(8.3 Miles)to collect my bike. I would then spin back home.

Doh!!! I forgot my padlock key. So, I ran back home another 8.3 miles. I was feeling pretty shabby, to be honest, but I had to 'Man Up' as young Frank would say! 2 miles from home a pesky terrier shot out of a bush and proceeded to bite me on the lower calf! I couldn't believe it. The critter pierced the skin too so I need to be mindful of infection.

Saturday was a better day because I got to ride with the BAD Tri group ride. I ended up being beasted by a very nice chap called 'Northern John' (I think that was his name?). He was certainly a very strong bike rider and he ripped my legs off in a very nice way! Really enjoyed it and got around 44 miles don, which is the longest ride for ages for me.

Tired today after those 2 sessions.

Train well!

Moving Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep. You heard it right! The powers that be are moving me to a job that will give me more promotion prospects. I know, I have only moved in here on 31 Jan! However, the move here was a job department move and not a new posting into a new job. The timing of this new move is not good - to put it mildly - but I must go. It would be easier to move so soon if I hated here in Bristol but it is actually quite a cool place.

Where will I be moving to now? On 31 March I move back to Wyton!!!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!! I will actually be working in Cambridge. Having only just handed my previous married quarter at Wyton back, I now have to apply for another one at the same location. It's a crazy time for sure!

No doubt my training will be totally disrupted again. But hey, look on the positive side! I may be able to use the 'too many house moves' excuse to explain poor form for most of the summer races.

Looking forward to new challenges 8-)

I'm Back!

Long time, no Blog! But back now and on-line at home too. This is my first week at work and I have to get across Bristol to get to my hot desk! Diving is a complete mare! So, it's a 10 mile commute on my bike each way. No matter how easy I try and ride, the hills take their toll! The ride is laden with traffic but there are some nice bits too. I ride over Clifton Suspension Bridge each day and the view is cool (it's more like howling icy wind at the moment!).

After the chaos of moving house, I am finding it hard to get back into the routine I had previously. Commuting to work make things different but it's the fatigue from moving that I am finding tough to shake off. I wonder if I can use this excuse during the race season?!

The area here is actually great terrain for training. I live a 10 min jog from Ashton Court estate, which is awesome for running. There seems to be a huge amount of serious cyclists everywhere. I may venture out with BAD Tri this weekend. Also, I have Sam Wright and Frank here to train with. Carl Rice (decent runner) is also here so I hope to get dragged round.

Good to be back. Not long until race season. . . . EEKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Moving Chaos

Movng house. No training. Utterly pooped. Lack of sleep. Bring back normality please. . . . If there is such a thing!

On Track

Well, the aches and pain seem to be holding up to full blown training. I am building the run miles up slowly, but no fast stuff. . . apart from the 3k run TT on the track last night. It was dark and gloomy, and I was the only person at the track - just a couple of security lights to illuminate the way ahead. I was not expecting much because I have not done any faster paced running for months. I did 10:30, which, although not fast, is better than I thought I would do. Back to the easy running now (once the aches and pain have disappeared from my legs!).

I am now receiving some secret assistance with my training. See how I trickled that tantalising piece of info out 8-) More will become clear if/when the race season commences.

Now, however, it is all hands to the deck to move house to Bristol. I will be off line for a while. Why do Sky need so long prior to cutting off and re-installing their broadband?

Catch you later.

Ramping it Up

Training has ramped up a level now. I have started to try and build some power on the bike. After 3 months of aerobic cycling, and a period of strength work, I decided I needed to shock the body a bit. The turbo session below did just that. I worked on speed, rather than power, as I know that aerobically, I am around 21.5mph. A good session and my legs knew they had been worked. The shorter intervals should get me to feel how that speed feels like again. In the coming months, as I complete longer intervals at this speed/effort, the real pain-fest will commence!

20 Min progressive warm up
5 min as 30 sec work to 27mph, 30 sec spin.
5 min RI at 18mph
5 min as 15 sec to 27mph, 15 sec spin.
5 min RI at 18mph
5 min as 1 min to 27mph, 30 sec spin.
Straight into 7:30 4% hill simulation out of saddle.
Cool down
1 hour 5 mins

The weather has prevented any road riding; hence I have still not completed any long rides. Some reverse periodisation should sort that! Here is a pic to remind us that the sun does shine in the UK and there may yet be a time when we can ride our bikes outside - with shorts on too!!

I still have some niggles but I am now building my running up with some slow and steady running. OK, every now and then I get carried away and stick in a faster run, but the long term aim is to build some run miles.

Swimming is going well (for me) and I have some fresh focuses to work on, thanks to some very good advice from an extremely knowledgeable helper – maybe more on that later!

On the Move and Goggle Eye!

Wow! Can't believe that it is nearly time for me to move to Bristol 8-( Not that happy about moving because the associated stress and tiredness plays havoc with training. I take over my new house on 25 Jan and I move between 27 - 29 Jan. . . . Yuk! Using my normal weird logic, I have been beasting myself in training recently so I can take the time off training to move house and let my fitness drift back to 'normal' winter levels. Does that make sense? I normally confuse myself, so it probably doesn't!

Swimming has been going well and I am doing far more than I normally do. Will I be faster in 2010? Maybe! As for my glute/hamstring problems, they are still there but it has been nearly 4 weeks since I decided to train properly and just put up with the niggles. They are no worse, so I will continue to train.

I need to get some pics back into this Blog but my phone camera has packed up. that was may normal method of uploading stuff to the Blog so I am stuck for now.

Does anyone else suffer from goggle eyes? I know Paul Fullalove does because he looks like me! I take my goggles off after the session and the ring marks where the seal was remain all day! I look like I have not slept for a week - huge bags under my eyes! It's a good job I am already ugly. . . though not as ugly as Roy 'Catalogue Man' Brunning 8-)