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-)