2018 - the return to Ironman Austria

After a lazy start to the day - I didn't get up until 9pm that is almost unheard of - I decided to go for a run.  I left at 10am, the sun was up but it was not to hot as yet, but I wasn't sure where I was going to run, I would explore the area.  The roads are not terribly runner friendly with footpaths narrow and frequently switching sides of the road.  In the end I went over the big local hill that takes you through Mougin village at the top of a big hill with my route taking in what must have been the steepest roads to the top.  I ran for 44'46" covering 4.67 miles at an average pace of 9'30" per mile.  My HR was high in part I suspect due to the hills. The day was spent in Cannes looking in some very expensive shops, admiring some very large boats in the harbour, cars in the car parks and the general show of wealth.  At the other end of town you can see the cheaper tourist spots. In the evening I went for a swim hoping the pool will be quieter so I cou...

My training is interupted by a holiday this week.  The flights to Nice was in the evening so I had time for a swim on Saturday morning.  I was at Box End at 7.20am and there were alreasdy amny swimmers in the water and more arriving.  The water temperature reading was only 12C yet it felt much warmer when I got in and started swimming.  I felt good, thought I was moving well and expected a quick first lap especillay as I managed to overtake aswimmer who started after me,however when I looked at my watch it was over 18mine for the first lap. I was still thinking about a target of 4 laps at this time as I felt good.  As I was on the back straight on the second lap I started to get sme water in my goggles - not sure why as I hadn't had this problem before. I stopped and tried to clear the goggles and it worked for a while but was I started on the third lap I still had the problem and had to stop a couple of time so I gace up and decided I would only do 3 laps....

I was following my Saturday programme today.  The plan was for a 4 hour bike ride and a 90 min run at IM pace.  I was riding my new bike so I was looking forward to it so I was slightly anxious whether I could make a 4 hour ride or not, how I would get on with the bike and how it would work.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I got into enjoying the ride position, it may need setting correctly but for this ride it felt good.  I was having problems with the front mech settings and will need to adjust these until they are right. I found the gear change easy whether I was riding aero or upright.  I headed out via Milton Keynes - Watling Street is very straight, those Roman's did a good job, the via Winslow, Buckingham, near to Banbuty, Stowe, Silverstone and back via Shutlanger.  It will be interesting to ride with the aero wheels when they arrive.  I rode for 4 houts 10'01" for 67.21 miles at a speed of 16.2mph.. My average HR was 132bpm with 57%...

The last few days has seen lots of thinking and actions to get the new bike ready to ride - it has taken more effort than I expected, but apart from one issues with the front mech that I am trying to sort out with the suppliers it is now ready for a ride tomorrow morning.  The aero wheels have yet to arrive. Wednesday was a bike ride, originally I had hoped to use my new bike, but instead it was still the Trek.  I was up early, 5am, it was bright but cold.  I was planning on a 3 hour ride, steady throughout, and then quickly off to work as I had a full day. I quickly settled into a steady pace heading out to Hanslope and then towards Deanshanger via Castlethorpe, off to Whittlebury, cross country to Weston and then home via Blakesley.  Not much traffic on most of the route with an average in excess of 16mph for the first 2 hours and then slower in the last hour as the hills took their toll.  I was out for 2hoyrs 52'48" covering 45.91 miles at an average speed of...

The training plan for today was an open water session at Box End but as my bike was due to be delivered today I wanted to use the evening to put it together and try it out.  Hence today became an Esporta swim instead.  I planned a session with 2x1,000m sets with the first using fins based on an idea from Parky in his training and the second set as normal.  So 200m warm up, then 1,000m with fins in 19'57" and second 1,000m in 25'56" followed by 200m cool down.  Total sesssion of 2,400m in 60'.  Whilst the fin time was faster it was an unusual swimming position so may not be using them effectively at least on a longer swim - may try again. At long last my bike arrived, unfortunately on a day that I knew I would not have much time at the end of the day.  The bike arived in a box having been partially dismantled for transport so the first task after extracting from the box was to rebuild.  It took longer than I thought to get all the pieces together and t...

After the weekend my legs were feeling a bit sensitive so my physio session with Zoe would focus on my legs, starting with my right calf after my cramp attack when swimming last week.  It was as ever, at times, a painful session as my tight muscles, etc were manipulated or eased.  I also found out that I hold my feet inward when I relax whereas when I run I over pronate - as ever I seem to be suffering from years of something or other. The Pilate's session tonight was harder due a new session with some new sets that worked the body in different ways, plus it was hot!  I did enjopy the session, I seemed to be able to do some tighter stretches although I still cannot get my legs straight not get my head to touch my knees! I am looking forward to Tuesday as my new bike will arrive so instead of going to Box End I will go to Esporta in the morning and spend time tomorrow evening setting up my bike and trying it out so I can do a longer ride on Wednesday morning.

The White Peaks weekend is a WRR tradition. I have rune the marathon or half marathon for the last 3 years as well as joining the club weekend away so I decided to have another break in the training for the weekend.  Cath and I travelled to the Darwin Forest lodge park near Matlock on Friday evening, it was a suprisingly quick journey on the M1.  The weather forecast was for a hot weekend so we were already talking about the impact on the run with the heat and dehyrdation.  Saturday dawned bright and sunny, it was hot early in the morning so by the time the race started at 11am it would be very hot - about 25C for the forecast.  The race is along the High Peak trail, a former railway line on the Derbyshire limestone plateau before heading down 3 steep inclines down into the Derwent valley at Cromford Meadows.  I have my marathon PB on the full route although this year I am runing the half marathon. It wasn't my best run, I started out at my target pace but by ...

Last night was an open water swim at Box End.  At last the story of the cold water is going away, it was 18C last night and should be over 20C for the Sunday swimmers.  My plan was to do 3 laps, about 2,400m.  The first lap was 17'20" and felt good, the second lap was 19' still going well.  The third lap was eventful, as I rurned on the back straight heading home, I could feel a cramp coming on in right calf and foot, I slowed down to stretch it which turned out to be a big mistake as it then locked.  I spent several minutes floating and trying to sort it out which meant the last lap took longer giving a total time of 57'50".  I do need to find a way of stopping cramp coming on. FRiday was to be a bike and run.  I was up at 5.40am and off by 6am with intention to do a 3 hour ride.  I headed out to Daventry and then back via Preston Capes and Whittlebuty. It was good to ride some roads I hadn't been on before although the hills to the mid point di...

Up at 5.30am this morning to get a bike ride in.  It was bright, light winds but much cooler than I thought as I was cold for first half of the ride until the sun broke through the cloud.  The roads were quiet at that time of day so it was good to be out, heading off to Whittlebury, Deanshanger, Castlegrove and back via Salcey.  I was out for 1 hour 59' covered 33.24 miles at an average speed of 16.8mph.  My average HR was 126bpm with 48% in Z2 and 45% in Z3 - the target was not to be above Z2 but I felt good overall so more than happy with time in Z3. I called in at TFN in Nottingham today to see about buying the gear I will wear for the Ironman.  I have now bought an Orca tri shorts and top designed for endurance triathlon.  I will try them out over the next few bike rides and run sessions to see how they feel and decide on my race day strategy.  Still waiting for news of my bike... frustrating!

I was tired on Monday, staying in bed for a little longer, and taking it easy until the Pilate's class in the evening.  The class had fewer people than normal so good to have more space.  A few new stretches but otherwise the normal routing and intensity. Tuesday started with an early morning trip to the gym for a strength session with the focus on overall triathlete's strength with fewer reps and increased weights as well as a core session.  It was a good start to the morning.  The day would end with a trip to Box End - I went with Jamie.  The water was warmer at 14.9C, with the sunshine and light breeze it just felt a pleasant session.  The only problem was the water skiers overran for a few minutes meaning I only had time to do 2 laps before 9pm.  My lap times were similar to Sunday with 18 mins on the first lap and 20 mins on the second lap giving about 1600m swim.  I had a problem with my goggles misting up - must spray them with the anti-mi...

Up early this morning heading out to Box End.  The rain didn't arrive overnight so dry with some sunshine, but not enough yet to have warmed the water up.  Quite a few people planning to swim, it seemed to take people a few minutes to get into the water - its fearsome reputation had come before it - we all knew it was cold.  Stuart and Paul were there as well but no one else from Wootton that I could see. I managed 3 circuits, I was really pleased with my time for the first time round but them slowed on the next 2, not sure why.  I did have cold feet - they were very red when I got out - and I had a nose bleed perhaps from the cold as well.  Despite all comments about the cold it did feel warmer than last week or perhaps I was just better prepared.  The 3 laps, approx 2,400m took 58'35".  I ended up with a cut wrist from swimming through the plant life where it got caucht in my watch strap - I have swum through it many times before without any problem...

The Friday swim nearly didn't happen - I was feeling tired after a very busy week.  Fewer people at Cripps tonight, with just 3 of us in lane 3.  The session felt hard with cramp during the later sets so all in all not my best session.  I swam for 60'40" covering 2,000m.  The session was 300m warm up 2x400m, 2x200m, 4x50m, 4x25m, 200m cool down. The Saturday bike ride was planned for 5 hours following by a 90' paced run. I started by joining a ride from Jamie's from 8am and then from the community centre from 9am. The initial ride headed out via Stoke Bruene and Ashton before heading to the community centre for the main ride.  We headed out for a round Northampton ride heading out to ride through Wellingborough town centre before heading back round the rest of Northampton.  The weather was good, cool to start with but the sun soon warmed up with some wind that was sharp in places.  I felt good enjoying the ride today feeling strong throughout.  A...

This has been a busy week for work, with Wednesday and Thursday's training plan having to be swapped around to fit work commitments and only worked out as I was able to get away from London earlier  than planned each day. I was up early on Wednesday at 5.15am to go for a run.  It was an easy run around Pineham and Stanwick lakes with a mixture of roads and off road.  It was a pleasant early morning run, focussing on keeping the RPE low.  I ran for 45'19" covering 4.69 miles averaging 9'38" per mile.  My average HR was 130bpm with 29% in Z1 and 48% in Z2.  As I got back from London later in the day I headed to the gym for a 1 hour strength session where the focus has shifted to lower reps using higher weights. I was planning to do my planned 3 hour bike ride after work, getting away from my meetings in London so I could get an earlier trainin and be on the bike by 5pm; I managed it with minutes to spare.  The weather was bright and sunny but cool. I w...

Monday was  quiet day, an opportuity to catch up at work and then a normal Pilate's session.  I enjoyed the Pilate's class, I was able to do most of the actions and often was the only person doing the higher level moves. By the end I was eased with the final stretch putting my hands flat on the floor. Today I was scheduled to do an open water swim but didn't have the time so I did an outdoor pool swim this morning.  I swam for 59'16" covering 2,200m.  200m warm up, 200m pull buoy 4'40",400m 9'50", 400m pull buoy 9'37",400m 10'05", 200m pull buoy 5'00", 200m '58", 200m cool down.  A good session that I enjoyed, feeling good at my stroke and times.

I was originally planning an early ride on Saturday meeting up with Zoe at 7.30am or even Jamie at 7.00am.  The reality was that I overslept - lack of sleep the night before - and then I took the opportunity to adjust my front mech as it was rubbing a lot and not changing as easy as it should. That took a lot more than the 10 minutes I expected so I didntt get an early start and left home to meet up at the Community Centre for 9am. I was also surprised by how cold it was; when I got up I put my shorts on, but by the time I left I was in almost full winter riding kit with long leggings, hat and full finger gloves. The ride was out towards Banbury, with Caroline and Parky picking the route but they were going for 5 hours and I decided that I would do 3 hours so I would have to turn around.  It was cold, a bit blowy with a bit of rain but not to bad although my toes were cold the rest was OK.  The ride headed out to Litchborough, Moreton Pinkney and then I turned back with...

Little did I think that my training week would be disrupted by the general election.  In the expectation of a result I stopped up until 4.30am when it was obvious we were not going to get a result.  The first impact on the training was that I didn't get up to go for a swim even though my plan was an open water swim at Box End.  I went for a lunchtime swim as I took the afternoon off work to rest a bit and to get my final preparations for the Blisworth 5k race completed.  I swam for 60'30" covering 2,200m with 200m warm up, 200m in 4'49", 400m in 9'57", 600m in 15'25", 400m in 10'15", 200m in 4'58" and 200m cool down.  I enjoyed the swim, my times felt good, I was also experimenting with my stroke trying to swim long and glide - it seemed to be better whilst I was concentrating on the stroke but I went back to my normal stroke very quickly when the focus sliiped.  The afternoon and evening was taken up with the Blisworth 5k, sor...

The title is just to fool you, I will not be making any comments on the election apart from saying that it will be  a late night and it may have an effect on my training on Friday. Just to complete the picture from yesterday.  I should have said that Gavin scored the first try for BBOB, his first try at Franklin Gardens and when I spoke to him at 11am today he was still celebrating and hadn't been to bed! My training yesterday included a swim and bike ride.  The swim was 2,400m in 65'07" with focus on using full stroke near to a catch up stroke with and without a pull buoy.  5'06" 200m warm up, 4'48" 200m pull buoy, 4'49" 200m, 9'49" 400m with pull buoy, 9'41" 400m, 10'03" 400m with pull buoy, 10'07" 400m, 5'11" 200m, 6'42" 200m cool down. I enjoyed the swim and didn't feel any after effects of the race once I had warmed up.  The bike ride was shorter than the plan, just not enough time ...

What a day, I was planning to fly to Glasgow but in the end I didn't due to the volcanic ash closing Scottish airports, although bmibaby who I was flying with didn't confirm cancellation until this afternoon - most frustrating.  As I didn't get to Glasgow it had serious business impact that I will need to work on later but it did mean I could go to Franklin Gardens tonight for the final of the Lewis Shield as my son, Gavin, was playing for BBOB in their game against Bugbrooke.  Cath and I have been to watch him before and each time his team lost but not tonight, I am very pleased - glass in hand - to say they won 25-19 although they kept us on the edge of our seats for a long time.  Gavin will now celebrate all night and we will have a small drink as we have to go to work tomorrow and I have to do my training. Today's training included a swim this morning, 2,400m, more details tomorrow.  I also fitted in a 1hour 50min bike ride that was in my plan but I was goi...

I was supposed to swim at Box End today but it didn't happen, there was no one else to swim with during the day and the evening swims do not start until next week.  I was going to Silverstone tonight to give out 5k entry forms for Friday's race and decided that as I was there I would also run the 10k race.  I wasn't expecting to do a fast time but thought I would be able to put in a steady pace and enjoy the run.  In reality I found the race hard, I was not able to get into a steady running pace, I was working hard almost from the start. I completed the race in 49'15" behind several people who I would normally expect to be several minutes clear.  When I checked the HR data I could see why - I had run for 96% of the time in HR Z5 and still only managed 7'56" per mile.  I think it is fair to say that I wasn't ready for a fast paced run, the racing and training effect meant I should have watched tonight or even completed the easy 45 minute run in my sche...

My normal Monday is a rest day with a Pilate's class in the evening and that was the plan for today.  I had considered entering the Weston 5 as I was going to hand out Blisworth 5 entry forms, but when I looked at the entry on the day fee of £15 I didn't.  I gave out over 100 entry forms, lets hope some of them translate into entries. The Pilate's class was earlier at 7pm tonight, it was a smaller class with only about 10 people.  I am not sure whether it was the smaller class or the holiday spirit but it was harder than normal with a number of different exercises to test the body.

I knew I had to go there some time, so I decided on Box End this morning rather than my normal swim at Esporta.  At least Esporta would have been warmer - I knew Box End would be cold especially this morning as it was wet and cold. I was probably the last in the water and possibly the slowest to get going. It took my breath away, it took a while to get going and then I had trouble with my goggles leaking so I had to stop to sort them out.  The second lap felt better although it still wasn't free flowing swimming. When I saw Jamie in the changing rooms he commented that I looked cold. I took 43'23" to do 2 laps, 1600m on the conventional measure.  I wore my Garmin to see how it worked in the water - it worked as a stop watch but all other functions didn't really work.  When I looked at the map it looked like I was zig-zagging all over the place and whilst I cannot swim straight I do not swim in a crazy paving pattern.  It also said I swam 3.52 miles with a ...

The week so far hasn't really followed my training plan it has really been a week of recovery and seeing what I can do after the London marathon.  This approach applied Friday and Saturday. Friday included a run and swim in the plan but I only managed the club swim.  Lane 3 with 3 of us, I swam with Josie and a new woman Sam who is a really good swimmer, better and lane 3!  The swim session lasted 63'40" with a number of longer rests between sets than normal.  2050m with 250m warmup, 1x400m in 9'57", 2x200m in 4'58", 5'05", 5'05", 6x100m in 2'29", 2'31", 2'34", 2'31", 2'33", 2'36" and 200m coll down in 5'13".  I enjoyed the session, I swam some faster times and didn't feel tired. Earlier in the week I was uncertain about whether to ride on Saturday or Sunday as the weather forecast was uncertain.  In the end I decided to ride on Saturday rather than ride the Spires and ...