Outside Venture

I ventured out on to the road to cycle today. That is not a fantastic episode really. However, with the cold snap earlier in December and then heaps of rain and then the Christmas break, I have been banished to the TURBO dungeon. Not that I mind this sentence; I relish a good turbo session and the addition of a tacx flow turbo has opened up a another dimension of training options. But today there were a few rays of sunshine so I warmed up on the turbo (can`t stay off it!) and then set off to do some hill reps in the local area - no shortage of hills near me. I had selected Whiston bank as my torture climb. This is about 1k long and very steep. However, when I arrived, there had obviously been an accident as there was diesel all over the climb. I had to walk up most of it to get back to the top - OH the shame! There was no traction whatsoever. Anyway, plan B was hatched and I rode to a longer, less steep, climb. I only did 3 reps but but it ended up as a decent workout. All in all, a good week of training, considering it was Christmas week. Talking of Christmas, I now have a Kindle Fire HD. This is a great gadget and is perfect for using whilst on the TURBO! Happy training folks. Race season is coming!

Intensity

It`s nearly 2013. In my book that means I need to up the intensity of training to stand a chance of getting into any kind of decent shape for the early season duathlons. I managed to get a few good sessions in whilst at work, before the Christmas break. Now that I am on holiday it feels harder to get training sessions completed. The last 2 nights I have trained at beyond midnight! What I really need are races. I may get a cross country race in on 9 Jan but after that I am on a course with work for 3 weeks. Getting decent training completed could be difficult during this period - not great timing. Training has been going ok really; at least I am not feeling like an injured freak any more! I am really enjoying the tacx flow turbo trainer and it feels like I am getting some great bike/run sessions done. The latest creation seems very useful: Warm up on the turbo. Then continue on the turbo with a gradual increase of power at 2 min intervals - 180W, 200W, 180W, 220W, 200W, 240W, 220W, 260W, 240W, 280W. Then go run 4 x 1k on 4:30. Then get back on the turbo and start at the power that you finished at previously but work in reverse (harder to easier). Build as many of these bike/run bricks as you like. It works great for running off the bike and for riding off the run! Enjoy.

Running Again

Can’t believe how quickly time is ticking by lately. It’s nearly Christmas! When January arrives it normally means that race season arrives almost stealth-like and we always seem to be behind getting some speed work in for the early season races – well, I normally feel like that. So, as I am looking to focus on Duathlon racing, I have started to introduce some speedy-er sessions into my training. Firstly, I should clarify that I am training ok at the moment. My injury problems have improved – not disappeared – and I am able to run properly. This is good and I am enjoying my running. Recently I have been doing 400m and 800m intervals, mostly as part of a brick session on the turbo. Talking of the turbo, I have a new one! My Cateye is still going but the computer read out has broken and I cannot get spares. So I use the Cateye turbo for training at work and have a Tacx Flow in the garage. I like the Flow as it has plenty of options to keep your sessions interesting.

I really wanted to get some cross country races done in January but I have a training course to complete at work, which will take all month. With the first Duathlon race being the first weekend of March, that does not leave much time to get some race speed in the legs. That said, I have been surprised at my running as it is not that bad. Not sure where the bike speed is right now? Weather permitting, I am still periodically riding to work – a round trip of 38 miles. I got totally fed up of coping with supposedly good bike lights that were actually rubbish. So, I did some research and splashed out on some lights that can enable me to see where I am going. I went for this Gemini Duo. It is fantastic! Very small but incredibly bright. There is also a helmet mount.

Immediate goal? Stay healthy!

We're Off!!

I don’t seem to be capable of updating this Blog often enough! But I want to keep it going as it contains some ‘history’! Catch up time. I am now based in the Staffordshire area, after returning from the horrible place where all Serviceman go at one time or another to do ‘their bit’ for Queen and country. I couldn’t do much specific training out there but I did complete a good bit of conditioning and spinning. So i was in ok shape. As ever, I was eager to get back to some decent training ready for the 2013 season. After missing the entire 2012 race season (apart from the early season cross country) I was perhaps too eager! Hence I picked up a few injuries since I returned at the end of August. The most annoying, and lingering, problem is my hip/ITB. This had wiped out all hope of any running. It still isn’t great but with physio and a gradual run build programme I am now up to 40 mins running. I am doing an intensive physio routine and also some gym circuits. Add to this around 150 miles a week biking on very hilly routes, I have actually bagged 2 months of good base training. If I can stay healthy I reckon I can get in shape for 2013. The long term plan remains an attack on the 2014 duathlon season, when I move into the very veteran age group! I would still love to bag an international Age Group medal – let’s see where this goes! As for 2013, I will race lots to get the edge back; however, the emphasis will be on bike/run. So triathlons for fun and duathlons for serious business. Also, bring on the bike TTs again! Shooting for a 1:55 50 mile TT but I would need a decent day for that, not to mention hitting 55 min again for a 25 mile TT. Nice to be back!

Life Out There. . . .

Struth! It has been so long since I entered a post here. life has been so hectic and, what with internet problems at home, moving house, new job. . . . . Well, you get the picture. Anyway more detailed update to follow!

Getting Back in the Groove (ish)

Time has slipped by again. I am finding it difficult to findthe time to make entries on this Blog. However, I am determined to keep this record of my sport chugging along. My post-deployment leave has finished and I am back at work in my new job at TSW Stafford. the job looks good and there is a good bike commute on offer. I tested the ride a few times last week and it is going to be a very hard winter, me thinks! The hills are constant and quite draining - well I did live in Cambridgshire previously! So last week I did a full week of training, including 3 runs. However, my achilles' are not good and I struggled to put together any decent runs. I was tired by the weekend too and I seriously need to build back the training volume slowly! I just know that I will go and load up the training volume and intensity at the same time! Last Thursday the Tour of Britain was passing through my area. I managed to ride to the start (met Roy B) to soak up the atmosphere. Then, I rode back home to collect my girls to go and watch the race climb the Okemoor hill (my new training hill). Then, we hot-fgooted it to the finish to watch the race end in Stoke. We had a great day and both my girls were well happy to see Twiggo and Cav in the flesh - very close- up too.

I drafted the top paragraphs last week. What was I saying about getting back to training volumes slowly to avoid injury? Poop; I am crocked. Both achilles tendons are giving me grief and now my ITB on my left side is quite bad. Stairs are a struggle at the moment! I guess I just need to rest up, stretch and work the achilles. This is all very frustrating, particularly after the wiped out 2012 race season due to my detachment with work. I had hoped to race at Carsington Duathlon in october - no chance of that now. I am off now, before I complain any further!

Back in Business - Sort of!

I am back in blighty after my 4 months in multi-sport exile! I am not in great shape but certainly reasonable enough to start building the trainig up. The only problem is that I have 2 dodgy Achilles Tendons now! I did the least training volume over a 4 month period that I can remember; yet my achilles' are the worst they have been. At the moment I am on leave and training every other day - nice and easy. I have bike serviceability issues; hence, although I have spent 4 months unable to ride outside, I am still hindered! I have ventured out on the TT bike to test the ride to my new job at Stafford. The ride (bimble) took 1:05. So that should be a tidy regular ride over a very hilly route. I suppose it would feel quite hard in mid-winter. But in August it felt fine! As for running, I run, tend to my poorly Achilles'; then run again when I am able! Let's see if the rehab work can clear this stuff up like it did a couple of years ago.

Still Alive - Just!

Hello Bloggers out there who still check in to this Blog - not many, I fear! Well, training is ticking over but this summer has to be the worst triathlon season for me since I started the sport. It has been extremely difficult to see others race. However, the weather has looked so bad back in the UK, I doubt if I would have enjoyed racing anyway! Only about a month to push now! Trainin is still conditioning, spinning, rowing and treadmill. My achilles is giving me problems, which I am not happy about. Can't wait to jump on a real bike and start buildingf back up for 2013! Check in and say hi if you can - it's lonely here!

Triathletes in Isolation

Well, I cannot believe that it is almost a month since I blogged. Time seems to be going fast here in some ways; but slow in other ways. Keeping true, as always, to the fact that this is a training Blog, I will leave out the associated issues of being in this place. As far as training goes, I continue to tick over. We still cannot run outside and cycling is done only on the spinning bikes. No swimming possible. So, the cross training theme continues. The Ergo Rower sessions are increasing. It's strange; I am happy to row for 45 mins but really struggle to run on the treadmill for 30 mins! I like the numbers attached to rowing - there is an aim; a target; a comparison. the spinning bike does not give you this. I think I like the rower because it is similar to bike time trialling. It is a challenge against the clock and only you can do anything about getting faster. I am improving on the rower, but will never be fast. I like the 5k distance - I do not have the power to go well over 2k. My target remains sub 19 mins for 5k. Currently, I am at 19:10.9. I am careful not to go for a time every session. I am mixing up the training as I would for running; some easy long, some short hard. The spinning is sufficient to keep the bike legs I reckon but I rarely do more than an hour in one chunk. I am doing conditioing work twice a week. I am certainly getting stronger and I really hope that I will feel the benefits of this work when I come to race again. the problem I face is age! I will be 48 in a couple of months and, having missed the entire 2012 season, the seeds of doubt are nagging at me saying that I will be slow and past it next year. Time will tell. One thing that interests me is seeing how daz Sharpe goes this year. He is receiving coaching for the first time. It will be interesting to see if doing something different in training will reap different race results - hope so! My thoughts are turning to training differently to try and maintain some sort of progress - or may be age fade performance reduction! Maybe I will plan my training 2 days at a time instead on one! That would be a change!! Happy racing everyone. Rootin' for you all from this hot and dusty most yuk place that I have ever been to. . . . . . But still smiling!

Is This What's Called Cross Training?

Time is slipping by - not quick enough, in my book - here in the land of dust, heat and crazy mulit-national traffic gridlock! Work is busy but I am managing to get some training completed. I feel utterly out of shape and a complete OAP who is 'past it'! Basically, I do spinning, treadmill running and conditioning when I can squeeze it in. Also, recently, I have been doing some Ergo Concep 2 rowing. Man! I am a numpty on this machine! My 2k time is 7:37 - and that killed me! I had no idea what is a decent time and my form was, apparently, not good! After a quick look on the internet, it was clear that 7:37 is not good, even for a lightweight! Now a lightweight in the rowing world is 75kg. Now that seems more like a heavy weight to me! They should do a super lightweight! i reckon I must be around 65kg? Rowing sure suits the big strong guys, with long levers. Not sure That I would ever be a decent rower but the exercise is meant to compliment cycling; hence I may try and do some specific rowing training and aim to gett nearer to 7:00. At least cycling rewards a decent strength to weight ratio! Mind you, even that goes out the window when doing a spinning class! Must dash; got heaps to do! Best wishes to everyone managing to enjoy a race season!!

Some Training Done!

Well, I have managed some training now. Can't say that I felt great! I will have to stick to gym tyype training as we cannot run outside. I have started doing some conditioning training. This may actually be very good for me as I hope to form a decent strength base ready for some serious bike/run training when I return in August - can't wait!!

Tick . . . . Tick . . . Tick . . .

1 Week down. Hot, dusty and not much training completed. Update to follow.

4 Months Training Camp

Let's go . .

Reverse Brick Training

Most people call a run off the bike brick training. However, it's called brick training because you build the session like stacking bricks - bike/run/bike/run etc. These sessions are amongst my favourite, mainly because I am convinced that these efforts train one to run off the bike at a decent pace. True, the legs still feel like jelly; but you can run fast!

With duathlon being my focus now, I have been doing what I term as reverse brick sessions. I am sure that someone has called this type of sessions something different already! In triathlon, we want to run well off the bike. Whilst we also want to run well off the bike in duathlon, you could argue that it is more important to ride well after the first run. In the duathlons that I have raced in the bike leg feels terrible after the first 10k. It makes sense to me to, when training for duathlon, mash the legs by running; then mash the legs on the bike! That's what I have been doing - boy the bike (all turbo) is hard. Today I ran 10 miles pushing the hills - and the hills are monsters - followed by 30 mins of efforts on the turbo (no warm up required). Let's add some conditioning sessions and we should have the basis of a plan!!

Up the Du. 8-)

Let the 2 Year Plan Begin

As the Easter Bank holidays commenced, my last day at my current work position slipped by. I have had a great 2 years at Cambridge; however, as is the norm with RAF postings, it's time to move on again. Remaining with the triathlon focus of this blog, let's' quickly recap on the past 2 years - then, it's time to plan the next 2 years.

I started the 2010 season on the come back, following a season of just cycling due to an achilles injury. True, this helped my cycling! But I wanted to get back to running. A programme of eccentric loading finally sorted my achilles out. If anyone from work is reading this, the eccentric loading is the exercises you will have seen me doing on stairs - nope, I wasn't doing ballet!

So 2010 racing went well and I was running again - just not that quick. 2011 went even better and I ran well off the bike. I'll ignore the poor Ironman race due to injury! Yes, I over-trained! Not like me really!!

So what of the next 2 years? I mentioned in an earlier post that I was planning a focus on Duathlon (run/bike/run). That's the plan. And it starts when I move to my 4 month work placement. I will start with a conditioning phase to set a healthy base. I hope to set the exercises that will stay with me perminently in everyday training. This will include running drills; something I have never done before, but I need to in order to keep the injuries at bay. During this conditioning phase I expect my race form to dip. But, in the long run, I hope to at least maintain my current speed into the next age group.

I completed another Park Run yesterday. That was my 3rd Park Run and I really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. This time a gave it a good effort and then joined JJ and Jueby on their second lap. The course at Hanley is really nice but there are a couple of small climbs that bite and throws your pace out. I managed 17:57 for a course age group best. However, I didn't feel that good and I reckon 17:30 is possible. Oh well, won't be doing another Park Run for a few months!

Blog on

Going . . . Going . . .

. . . Almost gone! Yes, not too long now until I leave for - let's call it a change of job for 4 months out of the country! Training will be limited and racing virtually non-existent! To be honest, the recent clutch of good weather has me feeling down. I hate the winter. But love the sunshine; the hotter it is, the better for me. So today is the last race of the Lincs Services Cross Country League. The sun is shining and I aim to dream I am racing somewhere exotic! This could be difficult as the venue fills me with good and bad memories!

As far as the actual racing goes, our team is leading the league overall! Awesome! However, we recently lost a key runner (Paul Vernon - sent to the same place that I will be going to soon!). With RAF Waddington not far behind us in the team standings, we gould be overhauled by them and lose the lead in tyhis final race! They have a far stronger team then us; hence we need to run out os our skins!

I am trying not to think about going away for the summer; hopefully, I will get back and see some British summer remaining and catch the view from my turbo - It's pictured at the top! Fantastic eh?!!

One Season Ends . . .

. . . And another season begins. With the start of British Summer Time starting this weekend and the final Lincs League Cross Country race taking place next Wednesday, there is a real feeling of a new season starting. Add to this the lighter evenings and the fact that I only have a few weeks to go until I fly out to a hot and sandy deployment, it really does feel like a new chapter has begun. That's a bit deep for me really! I have lots going on in my life, for sure; however, as normal, I will try and keep this blog true to the aim of concentrating on training and racing.

Training has been ticking along, with no real schedule. If I feel like running, I run. If I feel like riding, I ride. . . You get the picture. The broad focus has continued to be on running. After the good run at the Inter-Services XC I sort of felt as though I had made a bit of a break through with my running - I was a lot closer to some of the fast guys. A decent run at Coningsby XC backed up my thoughts. However, a poor run at Waddington last week left me quetsioning myself:'is age catching up with me?' I thought to myself. After having a stern word with myself I banished such crazy thoughts from my head! So last Tuesday I ventured to track to train with the real athletes at Hunts AC. I love track running. As a youth, I started running on the track with Leicester Coritanians AC and this instilled a love for the speed and pain that a full on track session can provide. I guess it's hard to explain. Track running is, well, just 'different'! Anyway, we did 12 x 400 with 200 jog recovery. I was slightly fatigued from a hard ride on the Monday and 40 miles of commuting prior to the track session itself. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by starting off with 74 - 76 second 400 reps and then being able to up the pace to finish with 3 reps at 71 seconds. Now I know these times don't exactly burn the track up! But for me, it's progress. Finally, since starting track work early November, I felt more comfortable and able to clock semi-decent times. Not quite in the realms of my youth, when I could knock off 65 second reps with a minute recovery; but hey, I'll take 71 seconds right now! The wierd thing is, I expect to go faster if I keep up the track work. Will this happen? I'm not sure but I am going to try my very best to make it happen. To run fast, I reckon track work is essential. The difference now is that I need to factor in conditioning and, dare I say it, run drills to keep injuries at bay.

Happy training folks. 8-)

Cross Country Races Continue

The latest round of the Lincs Services Cross Country League took place yesterday near RAF Coningsby. Although I had been fighting off some sort of bug the preceeding Monday and Tuesday, but felt brighter on Wednesday. As I warmed up I didn't feel that great but the race venue was nice - forest tracks. So I was determined to enjoy the race. As we set off, I ended up in the lead. It didn't last long as I went the wrong way! Everyone stopped and retraced our tracks to get back on course! That left me pretty much last. Some of the top runners were not there and the remaining faster guys looked a bit jaded. I think the cross country season was catching up with people.

I managed to work my way through the field of runners and settled into a reasonable pace. I felt like I had good legs but something was not right. I pushed on and held my position throughout the race, with only Daz Sharpe passing me. the good thing was that I didn't fall that far behind Daz. But then he was only just back from a mega week of training in Lanzarote - ah, the life of a top class triathlete! I finished 5th in the end; happy with that. Not so happy with the illness that followed that night! I had bad stomach problems and ended up being off work. Not done any training since as I have been too ill. Feeling brighter now, but with a week of deployment training next week I doubt there will be much training completed for a while.

Next race is the RAF Waddington Lincs League Cross Country race on 14 March. I will either be rested and healthy, or flat and out of shape!

Inter Services Cross Country Champs

I raced at Blandford camp yesterday in the Inter Services Cross Country Champs. I will post a full race report on my onsport site (link on the right) but as a brief blurb, I have to say that this ended up being a cracking race. I am referring to the Vets race here, as the Senior Mens race is far too hot for old gits like myself! That said, the Vets race is equally competitive and places in the team are covetted. I was drafted into the team after Al Turnbull withdrew due to injury. I was hardly a worthy replacement as Al is by far the quickest Vet around right now (not sure what has happened to Dave Cole?). As we gathered at the start, it became clear that 2 other team members were quite ill! That left 4 of us to run hard. With only 4 to count, the race was on against the Navy and Army. Sure enough Ronnie McWilliam and Marcus Maxwell, both runners who normally beat me comfortably, were off the back sufferring with ilness.

I decided to go off hard and give the race everything from the off. This race has a small field of competitors because each team consists of 6 runners - just 18 in the race! After the first lap of 2 I was hanging in somewhere mid-pack and battling to hang on to 2 Army guys and a Navy chap. I could see the 3 RAF runners not too far ahead and I knew that we were packing well as a team. Then the shouts from the spectators started! As the small bunch I was in passed, the Army spectators were shouting that their 2 guys must stay ahead of me. The RAF spectators were shouting to me that I must move through to beat the 2 Army guys and the Navy guy in order for the RAF to win the team champs! Doh! No pressure then!

To be frank, I was seriously on the limit and hanging on! One of the Army guys put on a spurt on a flat section to try and keep up with the other Army guy and Navy chap. As I knew there was a hill coming up, I tucked in behind this Army guy. The other 2 were pulling away and the gap was growing.

As I hit the hill I pushed hard and the accompanying Army guy fell back. Carl Thompson was at the top of the hill urging me to get on terms with the 2 opposing team guys ahead. All this spurring on and focus on a team champs really made a difference and the occasion felt special! I clawed these 2 guys back and actually started to pull away. Then we hit a roller coaster section that was quite muddy. My racing flats couldn't cope with this slippy stuff and both guys came back passed me! As we hit an exposed flat section into the wind I sensed that they were slowing; so I put in another dig to get back on terms. The final section was slightly down hill and it was time to employ a racing mental technique that I use in triathlon.

I pick a point a few hundred metres ahead and visualise that this is the finish line. Then I take off and leg it like my life depends on it! When I get to the point I am focussing on I do the same again! And so on until I get to the real finish line. Sure this hurts. I mean really hurts! But it worked in this case and I opened up a gap and held on to the end. I was seriously exhausted and happy that I had squeezed every ounce of energy out of myself.

More importantly, we won the Vets title by a single point fromm the Army 8-) Well happy with that result and I managed 7th overall. True, there were some faster Vets missing from the line up but circumstances hit every race in strange ways and you get what you're given.

So much for the brief race report! I will get some pics up soon. The day was very enjoyable. Watching the Senior man take the title was awesome too. Man! That Ben Livesey and Rob Bugden can run like the wind! Those 2 were way ahead of the rest. But the other RAF guys all bunched within the top 12 for a convincing win.

Today I pushed hard on my single speed for a total of 40 miles and grabbed a quick swim of 10 x 100m on 1:45 coming in around 1:28 and 10 x 50m on 60 second coming in around 41 second. So a decent couple of days and tired legs now!

Train well out there!

Painful Week

Despite completing a decent week of training,there has been a belly full of pain to put up with - some just fatigue and some that should not really be there! I cannot complain about this pain (see last post!) But maybe I can merely describe the niggling foot/lower leg injury and the kinda weird lump on the bottom of my foot? Ok; maybe not! It all gets very boring!

So what training have I been up to? Well, I raced around avery snowy/icy RAF Wittering cross country and finished 7th. I felt like I ran ok but the foot problem held me back on the uneven ground. Mike Taylor (RAF Triathlete) ran well and Daz Sharpe carried on with his great run form. I did a run track session on Tursday with Dave Connell and Super Fast Paul - he's called that because he's super fast . . . Yes he really is! We did 8 x 600 with 200m jog. I really do like track running but I need to accept that I am slow! Well, slower than I would like to be or think I am capable of! So finishing off with reps of 1:54 and 1:55 will have to do. Reckon I can get these closer to 1:50 come summer time . . . Oh yes, I forgot; I won't be within 800 miles of a running track come summer. 8-(

I also completed a couple of decent turbo sessions; one of them had a 5 mile lumpy run at 6:30 mile pace off the bike. Yesterday I ran 10 miles, which is a long run for me. It was a painful run due to that lump under my foot! Anyway, it will be an easy week next week as I have a few deployment training days. Then the Inter Services cross country at Blandford.

I feel like there is some run form just dying to get out and burst through! The next Lincs League cross country event on 29 Feb at Coningsby could be the place to unleash it!!

Perspective

Just opened up the latest issue of triathlon Plus. If I ever moan about an injury again, someone remind me of a guy called Ken Owen that I have just read about. This guy suffered a detached hamstring and cruciate ligament rupture in a water ski accident. He has now completed his first duathlon - amazing. We can all get self obsessed with our racing and training; and that can be good to help us strive for better performances. But a healthy dose of humility and perspective is also needed! Let's be thankful for being able to simply do what we enjoy. Speed and race results will follow. Being grounded is good for us all to ensure longevity within our sport. I have a long term goal to achieve a medal in a World Age Group Championship but my first priority is to enjoy my sport and help others.

Off to race in the Lincs Services Cross Country League - enjoyment first!

Snowed In

I wanted some short and hard running today. However, the weather prevented anything like that type of training! Had to settle for a long run with efforts on the hills where ever I could!

Check out the new link on the right at the top. The intention is to use this site purely for previewing events, race reports and results. Also, when I get the time, I hope to create an online lbrary of pics that I have gathered over the last few years. Hey, it may provide interesting viewing in 20 years time!

I am a Rehabist!

See that swollen foot below? The last 2 weeks has been spent managing this very frustrating injury! This has been difficult as I am trying to focus on running at the moment – though I am obviously not doing so well, especially when compared to the pocket rocket that is Frank Whittle!

Anyway, I am stumbling between made up training sessions thought out 5 mins before I complete them – nothing new really! I managed to race at the Lincs Services league Cross Country race at Digby last week but I felt grotty and I was rather tentative through a section of the course that went through a quarry. I was happy enough to finish in 9th place. I was light years behind fast man Daz Sharpe, who had a very good run. Mike Taylor is coming into shape also and he should improve a lot this year in triathlon – if he stays healthy! He always seems bandaged up for one reason or another!


This week it was the RAF Cross Country Champs at RAF Halton. Although the foot injury was still bugging me, it did not affect my pace. I actually felt like I ran ok. However, I just cannot compete with the frantic pace these ‘real’ runners move at! I finished 22nd and was happy enough with that. I am now travelling reserve for the RAF Vets Team which will compete at the Inter-Services Cross Country Champs to be held at Blandford Camp on 22 Feb 12. If I get to run I will surely be the last man on the course!!

All I need to do is keep this injury at bay! Trouble is, it hurts to bike also, which is not so good! I suffered through a decent turbo session yesterday and the bike fitness is ok really. I am also doing plenty of rehab work to strengthen my left leg. The injury is caused by an imbalance caused by all the rehab work I have done on my right leg to sort the Achilles problem out since 2009! Training is gradually moving from sport specific to rehab! Soon I will be a part time triathlete/part time rehabist!

Something Not Right . . . .

. . . . With this ankle

Limping Between Sessions

As much as I want to string some decent training sessions together, I seem to be limping between sessions lately! very frustrating but this seems to have been the pattern for me for the last few years now.

I managed to race at Scampton in the Lincs Services Cross Country League last Wednesday. However, arriving at the venue with 5 mins until the start was not great prep - plus I was desperate to visit the gents when we arrived in the middle of nowhere for the race! I made the start line but never really felt that good. mu stomacj was churning the entire race. I bagged 6th place but I think that was more due to absent racers etc. The more serious result was that a niggle in foot/leg became aggravated after the race and I have done little training since.

I attempted a track session last night of 12 x 400m. Running on an even surface with no tight changes of direction is far better for the injury. I had to ditch the session after the 10th rep due to the extremely frosty and slippery track sending my hamstrings into spasm. The foot/leg held up (not great but manageable) but the effect of changing my run mechanics due to the slippery surface has played havoc with my legs! That said, I enjoyed the session as I love track running. It feels like I am back to the 'good old days' of the 80s when I was racing amongst some very swift RAF runners. Check this result that i lifted off the RAF Athletics website from 1985! You may need to click on the pic and enlarge to see the results

making the final in those days was an achievement! If only I could get any where near that sort of time now! I can but try!

Goodbye Triathlon?

Well it’s the start of a new year. Looking back, 2011 was probably my most successful triathlon racing season. I often think that some Blog entries are very self-indulgent. I believe that this entry is one such blurb! But what the heck! It's been over 4 years of Blogging for me and the record will be cool to read when I am 70+!!


The year started with some niggling injuries caused by swim kicking drills – I knew that swimming was bad for you! These injuries threatened to scupper the early season duathlons that I had planned. Miraculously, the injuries eased up and I managed to race> Not quite sure why, but I ended up running quite well off the bike. This brought age group wins at the Dambuster and Cambridge Duathlons. Cambridge Duathlon had to be one of the most enjoyable races that I have completed because I managed to control my race. This rarely happens! Normally, it is full on from the start, as you are never quite sure where you are in the field. At Cambridge, I was first runner into T1 from my start wave. This gave me the chance to monitor the bike leg and I ended up sitting back off a guy that caught me after the first bike lap. Once into T2his legs were toast and I matched my first run split to win. I even managed to win the Inter-Services Duathlon Vets race.


After the duathlon races my main goal was the National Middle Distance Triathlon Champs, which was to be held at Emberton Park at the Cowman (1.9k/92k/21.1k). This was my first attempt at the Cowman but I had been told that it was a good event. Indeed it was! The sun shone and I put together a decent set of splits to win the National Champs in my age group – very happy with that race. Interestingly, it was the run that brought the result. I entered T2 in 3rd place in my age group and only caught the other 2 guys on the final run lap of 4 to clock a Triathlon best half marathon of 1:25:03.

I recovered quite quickly for me! The next big aim was the Inter-Services Triathlon Champs (Standard Distance) on 27 July 11 at Belvoir Castle. Although I had a naff swim, I had a decent bike/run combo. That was enough for me to win the Inter-Services Vets Champs for the first time. Again, very happy with that race. At nearly 47, I thought that my chances of winning the Int Services Vets race was long gone!
Next, it was full bore for the Almere ironman Distance race in Holland. To be honest, I totally over did the training after the Cowman. I was going well, and I knew it. Trouble is, when you are going so well, you feel invincible. Inevitably, the injury monster got me. 6 weeks prior to the Holland race I picked up a nasty leg injury. I trained when I could and told myself that I had the training in the bag. However, it all went horribly wrong! The days leading up the race were a huge mess of stress and lack of sleep. Add the injury to the mix, and buckets of Brufen, you can see that the race was going to crumble. And crumble it did!

The weather was terrible, with wind, rain and low temperatures. I exited the swim in 1:12, after being bashed around in a big way. To be honest, I was surprised it was that fast! I had aimed at 1:05. Onto the bike and I concentrated on a steady pace. But I struggled to get warm and the first lap of 3 did not feel good. The sun came out very briefly on the second lap and I started to feel slightly better. I even started to enjoy the course. That said, there were far too many narrow bike paths with 90 degree turns. These really seemed to sap the overall speed. The wind then started to increase, in a big way. The 3rd and last lap was a struggle but I was happy enough with a 5:20 split. Feeding had gone ok. My main problem was the leg injury was hurting. This was a running injury and if I had pain on the bike then it was a very bad sign. Into T2 and I was dismayed to see that my Garmin had gone out of my transition. I figured that the organisors had picked it up for safe keeps (as it turned out, that had not and some chav had stolen it). Not that a Garmin would have helped. I was in a bad way and I knew that the run was going to be a pain-fest. The injury had me limping from the off. Energy was ok but the limping run soon caused all sorts of pains in both my legs. I just got slower and slower. The weather got colder and colder. I was very miserable! A 4:54 marathon brought me home to finish in 11:38ish. I had finished my first Ironman – probably my last Ironman!

Despite the bad experience in Holland, the season as a whole was good. I can hang on to my National Champs win and know that the half ironman distance is good for me. I also hit a bike TT best for 50 miles of 1:59:23. Sub-2 hours had been a long time goal for me, so happy with that.

Right now, my thoughts are heading towards specializing in duathlon. I have a deployment to Afghanistan for the period April – Aug this year. That just about wipes out a triathlon season for 2012. I move up to the 50 – 54 age group for the 2014 season. Hence if I can spend the next 2 years focussing on running and cycling, my goal is to attempt a podium finish at the 2014 World Duathlon Champs. If I can, at the very least, not get any slower at 10k run and 40k bike I could be in with a shot. The aim will be, at 50 years old, to be in run shape for a 35 min 10k and bike shape for 57 min 40k.

So is it goodbye triathlon? Er, nope! Do be serious! maybe I can focus on a triathlon podium when I move up to the 55 - 59 age group!