Big month this month as planned, 6 month count down well underway and time to really see if I had prepared myself for a big push mentally as well physically, the final picture looks something like this : -
Swim - 15.1 miles, 9.7 hours
Bike - 313.7 miles, 19.4 hours
Run - 60.8 miles, 10.4 hours
Crosstrain - 4 miles, 1.5 hours
Total 393.62 miles and 41.01 hours - well over double that of January 2010
Swim - loads of swimming this month, new personal best over 100m (1.22) , 400m (5.58) and a mile (26.47) - but most importantly big improvements in technique and consistent speed which are the most important things. I am going to cut down slightly on the swimming in the coming months in order to focus more on the other aspects.
Bike - Couple of bigger rides of 55 & 65 miles interspersed with a lot of turbo trainer (indoor) cycling time and shorter outdoor rides - obviously weather and temperature dictate the amount of outdoor cycling that can be done but it hasn't been too bad - just one crash, when 5 of us all came off in a row on some ice.....note to self - don't ride through fords when it's below freezing!
Its quite difficult to gauge bike fitness at the moment, with so many layers on and dodgy road surfaces, any kind of speed is difficult to come by but as long as the hours in the saddle are maintained then speed will come later on!
Run - One race which was the rough 'n' tumble 10 on 16th January went very well and was good fun (albeit very muddy and wet) and a couple of long runs have been fine only a few shorter runs though as I have been carrying an injury to my hip/glute area - its nothing much but needs rest after long runs! My endurance is fine - it would appear I can run the last 4-5 miles of a 13.5 mile run faster than I can run them straight off...who knew!
So overall its been positive....however as always there has been some downs as well as ups....this last week I have been exhausted, the dizziness that I get came back and I've been pretty wiped out, the video shows a bit about what is like
This isn't actually what causes the problem (so I am told) but the symptoms are the same! As for what sets it off...I don't know and nor the doctors! However during the last week I have been properly tired and have therefore been resting and getting plenty of food in me!
I am adjusting my training going forward to back off the intensity, its too early to be trying to run/ride/swim as fast as possible all the time so hopefully this will prevent me from falling under the weather again, low intensity base endurance is the key so that will be the plan moving on with 5 months to go!
In all honesty I was/am on the edge of giving up, doing a half ironman and returning the money raised to the sponsors myself (from my own pocket, the charity will keep it).....but I am going to see how I am at the end of February - if I can put some solid training behind me and not make myself ill then I will carry on hopefully lowering the intensity will allow me to continue.
So let's see what happens....
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Structure, focus and moving on...
After my mental break down of mid week and aggravating my hip injury that evening I took a complete day off - actually it will be over 48 hours till I train again tonight! I was at the SAQ session on Wednesday night and couldn't get my HR anywhere near the level it should be so guessing I was just uber tired! Took yesterday off and took on loads of water, porridge, salads etc - felt much better last night and though I slept badly last night I do feel fresher today - hopefully tonights swim class will be very technique focussed and not intense so I can settle back in to it, its fair to see that a quiet week is required every 3 weeks!
My training plan is totally devised myself and while it would be good, I think more structure is required so I have picked up an online guide from one the magazines which starts 12 weeks out - I am going to stick to this to the letter and it should get me through! Its fair to say my training regime pushes me too hard in terms of intensity - this plan will slow me down and therefore hopefully not tire me out too much!
As for my hip - its not actually my hip - its my right glute, plenty of tennis ball massage and no running this weekend should see it right again and I will get back to running next week! There is a slim chance I may have a spot in the London Marathon (hopefully confirmed later) not ideal on the 17th April but I will treat it as training and just bimble round and soak up the experience! Anyway we'll see if that works out!
So to answer my previous questions: -
My training plan is totally devised myself and while it would be good, I think more structure is required so I have picked up an online guide from one the magazines which starts 12 weeks out - I am going to stick to this to the letter and it should get me through! Its fair to say my training regime pushes me too hard in terms of intensity - this plan will slow me down and therefore hopefully not tire me out too much!
As for my hip - its not actually my hip - its my right glute, plenty of tennis ball massage and no running this weekend should see it right again and I will get back to running next week! There is a slim chance I may have a spot in the London Marathon (hopefully confirmed later) not ideal on the 17th April but I will treat it as training and just bimble round and soak up the experience! Anyway we'll see if that works out!
So to answer my previous questions: -
- Can I really be bothered with the next 5 months of training? Nope, but I am going to do it anyway and be determined to enjoy it - I am lucky I can do it!
- Am I pretending to be something I'm not? (a triathlete) Yes...but who cares
- Is this really what I want to spend much more of my life doing? ...its less than 5 months timmy...you're gonna live forever!
- I train hard and the gains aren't that big..... don't be such a plank
- I'm losing a lot of the fun from my life yeah but it will be worth it
- Have I made a massive mistake?? I'll let you know in less than 5 months time
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
funny five minutes...
I'm having a properly bad case of the CBAs.....
Have I made a massive mistake??
- Can I really be bothered with the next 5 months of training?
- Am I pretending to be something I'm not? (a triathlete)
- Is this really what I want to spend much more of my life doing?
- I train hard and the gains aren't that big.....
- I'm losing a lot of the fun from my life
- This is for charity...its not for me
- I already owe people a lot for the support they have given me
Have I made a massive mistake??
Monday, January 24, 2011
January Week 3
Okay I am tired...and my legs hurt! But thats no surprise really, another solid week in the bag even if slightly less than the target but there was a reason for this!
So this week went a little something like this: -
Monday: - rest day, much needed and good to get a lot of house stuff done!
Tuesday: - Swam in the morning, as usual it was pretty tough going being the first swim for 4 days, 2.1k doing different distances but getting progressively quicker on each
At lunch I did my 4 mile loop, as usual I nearly died after 2 miles - my body doesn't like going from completely still to trying to run a steady 4 miles at 8min/miles or under and the third mile always hurts - to be fair it is then uphill and was very muddy - think I need to get a different route in winter!
Evening was supposed to be free but I had to head over to my parents to move some carpet so I joined the boys at the rugby club - turned in to a really good 1hr 45min session with lots of contact and running - pleased I avoided injury and felt super fit so all good there!
Wednesday: - 80 mins on the turbo including 2.5 18 min intervals, went well actually and left me with Jelly legs as usual!
Thursday: - Swam in the morning, 300 warm up, then 4*100 of various drills, then into a 400m to try and set a new pb.....and I finally broke the 6min barrier with a 5.58 and a bit of traffic so that was good confidence boosting! I was supposed to run in the evening but my hip was still aggravating so I figured I'd rest it and run long at the weekend
Friday: - back in the pool again, with 400m, 1600m and 600m - pleased with the mile - paced myself steadily to a new PB of 26.47 - plenty left to go though so that will come down in time - just happy to put in the distance this morning!
Saturday: - Out on the bike, had planned for 3 hours but I new realistically this wasn't going to happen, I didn't have my mojo - in fact after a few miles I had to check the brakes weren't on as it felt hard to turn those pedals - kill or cure though so I found a mile long hill and span up it to wake the legs - this worked so I carried on for a fair few miles after that - after just over an hour my feet were freezing so I turned for home - decided some quality was required so hit the next ten miles averaging about 21mph ish before the last 3 or 4 home - nice to get some speed work in and have a blast - one hour 15 short of target but it was toooo cold - I have now got some overshoes!
Sunday: - Long run day, usual route is 12 miles over to my parents, its a tough route with some long and steep hills, deep mud and slippy tracks but I love it - I decided to take a different approach this week and fast-walked the steep hills - this really seemed to work well and meant I could happily maintain 45secs or so faster on the flats than when I have run the whole thing, I lost a shoe in the mud at one point which meant lots of hopping about but managed to rescue it! I also added on an extra loop to make it 13.5 miles in total - averaging 8.47 which was pleasing as I felt pretty strong - the final 5 miles hovered around 8min/miles which I found easier than my short lunch runs! A nice confidence building run - the hip was/is sore but nothing like the stinging pain of previous weeks - the tennis ball is doing its trick! My new trainers (K-Swiss Blade Light Run) are fantastic on the road and feel great - they are awful on the muddy trails though so bring on summer!
I have reneged on my 12 pints in six months though, I had 1.5 glasses of red on Friday and 3 beers in total on Saturday afternoon/evening and two glasses of red with a roast on Sunday - I managed 3 weeks bone dry but I decided I was taking this all too seriously and I need some sort of relaxation! I don't drink excessively and the odd glass of wine/guinness won't hurt me! I need to enjoy myself as well!
I have some compression tights on their way which I am looking forward to very much - if it works as well as the top I'll be very pleased! This week is more of the same, hoping for warmer cycling weather on Saturday but if not then I'll make up for it with extra running!
Ciao
So this week went a little something like this: -
Monday: - rest day, much needed and good to get a lot of house stuff done!
Tuesday: - Swam in the morning, as usual it was pretty tough going being the first swim for 4 days, 2.1k doing different distances but getting progressively quicker on each
At lunch I did my 4 mile loop, as usual I nearly died after 2 miles - my body doesn't like going from completely still to trying to run a steady 4 miles at 8min/miles or under and the third mile always hurts - to be fair it is then uphill and was very muddy - think I need to get a different route in winter!
Evening was supposed to be free but I had to head over to my parents to move some carpet so I joined the boys at the rugby club - turned in to a really good 1hr 45min session with lots of contact and running - pleased I avoided injury and felt super fit so all good there!
Wednesday: - 80 mins on the turbo including 2.5 18 min intervals, went well actually and left me with Jelly legs as usual!
Thursday: - Swam in the morning, 300 warm up, then 4*100 of various drills, then into a 400m to try and set a new pb.....and I finally broke the 6min barrier with a 5.58 and a bit of traffic so that was good confidence boosting! I was supposed to run in the evening but my hip was still aggravating so I figured I'd rest it and run long at the weekend
Friday: - back in the pool again, with 400m, 1600m and 600m - pleased with the mile - paced myself steadily to a new PB of 26.47 - plenty left to go though so that will come down in time - just happy to put in the distance this morning!
Saturday: - Out on the bike, had planned for 3 hours but I new realistically this wasn't going to happen, I didn't have my mojo - in fact after a few miles I had to check the brakes weren't on as it felt hard to turn those pedals - kill or cure though so I found a mile long hill and span up it to wake the legs - this worked so I carried on for a fair few miles after that - after just over an hour my feet were freezing so I turned for home - decided some quality was required so hit the next ten miles averaging about 21mph ish before the last 3 or 4 home - nice to get some speed work in and have a blast - one hour 15 short of target but it was toooo cold - I have now got some overshoes!
Sunday: - Long run day, usual route is 12 miles over to my parents, its a tough route with some long and steep hills, deep mud and slippy tracks but I love it - I decided to take a different approach this week and fast-walked the steep hills - this really seemed to work well and meant I could happily maintain 45secs or so faster on the flats than when I have run the whole thing, I lost a shoe in the mud at one point which meant lots of hopping about but managed to rescue it! I also added on an extra loop to make it 13.5 miles in total - averaging 8.47 which was pleasing as I felt pretty strong - the final 5 miles hovered around 8min/miles which I found easier than my short lunch runs! A nice confidence building run - the hip was/is sore but nothing like the stinging pain of previous weeks - the tennis ball is doing its trick! My new trainers (K-Swiss Blade Light Run) are fantastic on the road and feel great - they are awful on the muddy trails though so bring on summer!
I have reneged on my 12 pints in six months though, I had 1.5 glasses of red on Friday and 3 beers in total on Saturday afternoon/evening and two glasses of red with a roast on Sunday - I managed 3 weeks bone dry but I decided I was taking this all too seriously and I need some sort of relaxation! I don't drink excessively and the odd glass of wine/guinness won't hurt me! I need to enjoy myself as well!
I have some compression tights on their way which I am looking forward to very much - if it works as well as the top I'll be very pleased! This week is more of the same, hoping for warmer cycling weather on Saturday but if not then I'll make up for it with extra running!
Ciao
Monday, January 17, 2011
January Week 2...
I've decided to up my blogging to weekly as the training becomes more intense! Just going over the week just gone! As you can see from ealier blogs the first week in January was a big week andwas good, however consistency has always been my downfall, due to injury or illness - changes to my diet and ensuring I get 8 hours sleep per night is the first steps to trying to keep any trouble at bay...two weeks in and its going well!
Monday : - This was supposed to be a double run day, one at lunch and one in the evening, the lunch run started well but my stomach was churning after 3 miles quite nastily so I eased off a bit and cruised in on the 4.2 mile loop I do from work. My stomach was still churning and bit off in the evening so I missed that run too.
Tuesday ; - back in the pool and I did one of my favourite sessions 500, 5*50, 400, 4*50, 300, 3*50, 200, 2*50, 100, 1*50 and then a 250 cool down to round things off - felt pretty good, though the 50's weren't too fast! My stomach was still a bit churny and I had a few loo stops during the day. Evening I hopped on the turbo for an hour, mostly spinning with one 9*2 minute blast - stomach was not enjoying being cramped on the bike!
Wednesday : - woke up and back to normal having shed about 2kgs in two days, I think I had ingested some of the hand gel I use at work or it was all the christmas gunk finally getting out of my system but that explained the dodgy stomach anyway! In the evening there was an SAQ (speed, agility and quickness) session organised at the Rugby club, so I decided to get involved in this to help strengthen the legs and keep the fast twitch fibres alive - I'll do this every week instead of an interval session.
I started with a 3 mile run to ensure I was warm before the session kicked off and then got involved with lots of sprinting, bounding, rope ladders, hurdles and circuits! All good fun and got a proper work out going!
Thursday: - in the pool in the morning for 200,300,400,500 then 3*200 mostly steady and with the pull buoy - my upper body and legs felt pretty beasted from the SAQ session.
In the evening it was back on the turbo for a 70 minute session with two 2*9 min blasts. legs were pretty shattered but it felt good to really blast them out.
Friday: - In the pool again in the morning for 10*200 keeping steady and focus on good technique, in the evening it was back to the pool again for a SwimSmooth coached session which I was invited too which was really good, loads of technique based stuff and some great pointers to help out! We were also video'd - the coach followed along this side with a camera on the end of a stick - hopefully get to see it again in a couple of weeks for review!
Saturday: -
Scheduled two hours on the bike finshed as only 1.5 and about 22 miles on an out and back course - nothing strenuous and with big side wind gusts it was a bit shady at times and not particularly inviting so didn't push it too hard and stayed dry!
Sunday: - Race day!! The rough and tumble 10 : - http://www.grassrootsevents.co.uk/
No great motivation when I woke up but dragged myself up there and took my place on the start line with a right proper grumpy face on! From the start it was downhill on tarmac through the village before a path led up through a field to the bottom of one of the biiiig, steeep hills - after one mile almost everyone was walking, in fact it was quicker for me to march up the hill than to run it! It was then down a rain filled muddy gully, running through deep puddles which were turning into a stream, various hills, puddles and mud later and we got to the real killer - big steep hill that required all fours just to drag yourself up - more climbing than running! Then back down just trying to stay on two feet! A few hills and mud filled shoe stealing puddles later and I was over the finish! After 4.5 miles I had decided to suck it up and enjoy it, I really gave it a lot and although not my fastest (no surprise there) to finish in 1.32.57 was pretty good and I was pleased afterwards - 147 out of 497 was good enough for me!
I am now into a rest day which is fully deserved in my opinion! 25.2 hours in two weeks with 11 this week!
Another 11 scheduled for the week ahead though no racing so fingers crossed the plan will continue....
Monday : - This was supposed to be a double run day, one at lunch and one in the evening, the lunch run started well but my stomach was churning after 3 miles quite nastily so I eased off a bit and cruised in on the 4.2 mile loop I do from work. My stomach was still churning and bit off in the evening so I missed that run too.
Tuesday ; - back in the pool and I did one of my favourite sessions 500, 5*50, 400, 4*50, 300, 3*50, 200, 2*50, 100, 1*50 and then a 250 cool down to round things off - felt pretty good, though the 50's weren't too fast! My stomach was still a bit churny and I had a few loo stops during the day. Evening I hopped on the turbo for an hour, mostly spinning with one 9*2 minute blast - stomach was not enjoying being cramped on the bike!
Wednesday : - woke up and back to normal having shed about 2kgs in two days, I think I had ingested some of the hand gel I use at work or it was all the christmas gunk finally getting out of my system but that explained the dodgy stomach anyway! In the evening there was an SAQ (speed, agility and quickness) session organised at the Rugby club, so I decided to get involved in this to help strengthen the legs and keep the fast twitch fibres alive - I'll do this every week instead of an interval session.
I started with a 3 mile run to ensure I was warm before the session kicked off and then got involved with lots of sprinting, bounding, rope ladders, hurdles and circuits! All good fun and got a proper work out going!
Thursday: - in the pool in the morning for 200,300,400,500 then 3*200 mostly steady and with the pull buoy - my upper body and legs felt pretty beasted from the SAQ session.
In the evening it was back on the turbo for a 70 minute session with two 2*9 min blasts. legs were pretty shattered but it felt good to really blast them out.
Friday: - In the pool again in the morning for 10*200 keeping steady and focus on good technique, in the evening it was back to the pool again for a SwimSmooth coached session which I was invited too which was really good, loads of technique based stuff and some great pointers to help out! We were also video'd - the coach followed along this side with a camera on the end of a stick - hopefully get to see it again in a couple of weeks for review!
Saturday: -
Scheduled two hours on the bike finshed as only 1.5 and about 22 miles on an out and back course - nothing strenuous and with big side wind gusts it was a bit shady at times and not particularly inviting so didn't push it too hard and stayed dry!
Sunday: - Race day!! The rough and tumble 10 : - http://www.grassrootsevents.co.uk/
No great motivation when I woke up but dragged myself up there and took my place on the start line with a right proper grumpy face on! From the start it was downhill on tarmac through the village before a path led up through a field to the bottom of one of the biiiig, steeep hills - after one mile almost everyone was walking, in fact it was quicker for me to march up the hill than to run it! It was then down a rain filled muddy gully, running through deep puddles which were turning into a stream, various hills, puddles and mud later and we got to the real killer - big steep hill that required all fours just to drag yourself up - more climbing than running! Then back down just trying to stay on two feet! A few hills and mud filled shoe stealing puddles later and I was over the finish! After 4.5 miles I had decided to suck it up and enjoy it, I really gave it a lot and although not my fastest (no surprise there) to finish in 1.32.57 was pretty good and I was pleased afterwards - 147 out of 497 was good enough for me!
I am now into a rest day which is fully deserved in my opinion! 25.2 hours in two weeks with 11 this week!
Another 11 scheduled for the week ahead though no racing so fingers crossed the plan will continue....
Compression Gear
I've never been convincd by the science behind the concept of compression gear for recovery, though I admit my knowledge on the subject is limited, but I have always been keen to give it a try unfortunately the cost of compression gear always seemed to high to be justifiable for what I perceived as minimal gains. So I was given a compression top by a friend who it didn't fit and decided to give it a shot. I believe the idea is that it increases blood flow therefore reducing inflammation and soreness allowing for quicker recovery.
The short answer is yes it works...depending on what you want it for. The friday I tested it went something like this...
I had already a sore upper body from a workout earlier in the week and from swimming on thursday, I then swam 2k of various drills on friday morning, I was sore and struggled to maintain a smooth motion but it was a good swim nonetheless - I had a coached session planned for the evening so used the top straight after the session for the morning.
First of all, it is tight, very tight but not uncomfortable in normal wearing - I tend to feel quite bloated after hard swimming so having it tight on the stomach is not ideal, but after 45 minutes or so I was fine. I wore it under work clothes and it was actually really comfortable, I like the feeling of tight clothing after a hard workout so felt better straight away - this being more of a placebo effect than any actual recovery I would imagine. I wore it until lunchtime, when I was getting too hot to keep wearing two layers.
I then wore it up to the pool for 8 o'clock and afterwards - I really noticed how much better I felt swimming, there was no arm soreness or tiredness and I felt a lot fresher than I had in the morning. As of Saturday morning I had lost all the DOMS from the earlier session in the week as well.
So yes I think it does work and I would reccomend it if you have the spare cash (though a quick ebay scan shows lots of cheap no-brand compression gear) as with anything triathlon - the cost/benefit needs to be analysed otherwise you could spend a fortune!
The only caveats to this is that the early morning swim on friday may have refreshed by arms therefore leaving me feeling better for the evening, the evening session was also a lower intensity so felt easier anyway!
I used a Canterbury Ionx long sleeve top and I think I will get some of the tights too, they were that good!
Hope this helps...
The short answer is yes it works...depending on what you want it for. The friday I tested it went something like this...
I had already a sore upper body from a workout earlier in the week and from swimming on thursday, I then swam 2k of various drills on friday morning, I was sore and struggled to maintain a smooth motion but it was a good swim nonetheless - I had a coached session planned for the evening so used the top straight after the session for the morning.
First of all, it is tight, very tight but not uncomfortable in normal wearing - I tend to feel quite bloated after hard swimming so having it tight on the stomach is not ideal, but after 45 minutes or so I was fine. I wore it under work clothes and it was actually really comfortable, I like the feeling of tight clothing after a hard workout so felt better straight away - this being more of a placebo effect than any actual recovery I would imagine. I wore it until lunchtime, when I was getting too hot to keep wearing two layers.
I then wore it up to the pool for 8 o'clock and afterwards - I really noticed how much better I felt swimming, there was no arm soreness or tiredness and I felt a lot fresher than I had in the morning. As of Saturday morning I had lost all the DOMS from the earlier session in the week as well.
So yes I think it does work and I would reccomend it if you have the spare cash (though a quick ebay scan shows lots of cheap no-brand compression gear) as with anything triathlon - the cost/benefit needs to be analysed otherwise you could spend a fortune!
The only caveats to this is that the early morning swim on friday may have refreshed by arms therefore leaving me feeling better for the evening, the evening session was also a lower intensity so felt easier anyway!
I used a Canterbury Ionx long sleeve top and I think I will get some of the tights too, they were that good!
Hope this helps...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Things I've learnt...
Vegetables help you lose weight: -
I've been on a 95% vegetarian diet since New Year...or rather a 5% meat diet, since then I've only had one small bite of chicken in a chow mein, I do however eat fish, eggs etc - the aim of this is to lose weight I am not a vegetarian! I have lost 2.3kgs so far, part of this was on a day when I had a slightly dodgy tummy - whether this was because the meat was finally clearing from my system or whether I ingested too much of anti-bacterial gel I don't know but it worked! I couldn't do this as a permemanent diet but as a temporary thing for a month minimum it is very good for dropping the weight!
Not drinking helps you lose weight: -
I've yet to dig in to my 12 pint allowance until July and no doubt that has contributed to my weight loss along with the above and the green tea I've been drinking! The only difficult time is on a Friday night after work when a pint or two would see the weekend in nicely!
Doing lots of exercise helps you lose weight: -
By the end of tonight I will have hit 22 hours in just under two weeks, by Sunday it will be about 26 hours....this definitely helps you lose weight.
I can push my body when it doesn't want too: -
This has happened twice this week - once at the SAQ session I did at the rugby club on wednesday night and last night on the turbo!
Last set of circuits we were doing a cone running type drill, very stop-start, my legs didn't want to carry on, oddly my brain wasn't close to giving up and just rode it out - no problem! It was odd, because I didn't feel tired - just my legs suddenly went weak!
Last night halfway through my second 9*2 minute set - I was out on my feet, dripping with sweat and burning quads - still pulled myself together and nailed the rest of the set....only small things granted but its these things I can draw on in the future!
Learn lane etiquette: -
I already have good lane etiquette, I don't pull out in front of people and if someone fast pulls up behind me, I let them past at the end...this is a note to all others, give and take when its busy!
Ironman training is a selfish sport: -
I spend so much time training and doing my things that its easy to forget that others need your time as well and an hour or two of training will pass quickly for you but not necessarily for them...still only 5 months to go!
Compression gear works: -
...I think, just been wearing a top and I do feel better...I will do a proper review over the weekend
K-Swiss Blade Light Run trainers in yellow make you look like Ali-G: -
I should just put on my mankini and I'd be proper cool! I hope they run better than they look, he he!
Nothing ground breaking I am afraid but that is what I've learnt this week......enjoy
I've been on a 95% vegetarian diet since New Year...or rather a 5% meat diet, since then I've only had one small bite of chicken in a chow mein, I do however eat fish, eggs etc - the aim of this is to lose weight I am not a vegetarian! I have lost 2.3kgs so far, part of this was on a day when I had a slightly dodgy tummy - whether this was because the meat was finally clearing from my system or whether I ingested too much of anti-bacterial gel I don't know but it worked! I couldn't do this as a permemanent diet but as a temporary thing for a month minimum it is very good for dropping the weight!
Not drinking helps you lose weight: -
I've yet to dig in to my 12 pint allowance until July and no doubt that has contributed to my weight loss along with the above and the green tea I've been drinking! The only difficult time is on a Friday night after work when a pint or two would see the weekend in nicely!
Doing lots of exercise helps you lose weight: -
By the end of tonight I will have hit 22 hours in just under two weeks, by Sunday it will be about 26 hours....this definitely helps you lose weight.
I can push my body when it doesn't want too: -
This has happened twice this week - once at the SAQ session I did at the rugby club on wednesday night and last night on the turbo!
Last set of circuits we were doing a cone running type drill, very stop-start, my legs didn't want to carry on, oddly my brain wasn't close to giving up and just rode it out - no problem! It was odd, because I didn't feel tired - just my legs suddenly went weak!
Last night halfway through my second 9*2 minute set - I was out on my feet, dripping with sweat and burning quads - still pulled myself together and nailed the rest of the set....only small things granted but its these things I can draw on in the future!
Learn lane etiquette: -
I already have good lane etiquette, I don't pull out in front of people and if someone fast pulls up behind me, I let them past at the end...this is a note to all others, give and take when its busy!
Ironman training is a selfish sport: -
I spend so much time training and doing my things that its easy to forget that others need your time as well and an hour or two of training will pass quickly for you but not necessarily for them...still only 5 months to go!
Compression gear works: -
...I think, just been wearing a top and I do feel better...I will do a proper review over the weekend
K-Swiss Blade Light Run trainers in yellow make you look like Ali-G: -
I should just put on my mankini and I'd be proper cool! I hope they run better than they look, he he!
Nothing ground breaking I am afraid but that is what I've learnt this week......enjoy
Monday, January 10, 2011
Big training week
I often try not to shout to loud when things go well because they often seem to be followed by a bad patch when I get a cold/injury etc - however I am going to try the opposite now as I am not superstituous! I think I may push it too much and not rest sufficiently! Annnnnnyway....last week was great all round with 14.2 hours knocked out and 139 miles of cycling involved!
I should note that this was actually an 8 day week though as I did an hour on the bike and a short run on the preceeding Sunday! However it would have still equalled by biggest to date across all three disciplines!
Monday: -
Having the bank holiday monday meant a free day so I took advantage and set off on the bike, I'd done 20 miles the day before so the legs were broken in, I am no desire on pace just two hours of riding! I set out on a totally different route with loads of layers and my ipod! Don't normally use an ipod on the bike for safety but I put a talking podcast on quietly and it was just like having someone talking with you so no different to normal! I ended up taking in some serious hills including a 14% and 15% incline which were pretty tough going! This is the view from the bottom and then top of the 15%
I should note that this was actually an 8 day week though as I did an hour on the bike and a short run on the preceeding Sunday! However it would have still equalled by biggest to date across all three disciplines!
Monday: -
Having the bank holiday monday meant a free day so I took advantage and set off on the bike, I'd done 20 miles the day before so the legs were broken in, I am no desire on pace just two hours of riding! I set out on a totally different route with loads of layers and my ipod! Don't normally use an ipod on the bike for safety but I put a talking podcast on quietly and it was just like having someone talking with you so no different to normal! I ended up taking in some serious hills including a 14% and 15% incline which were pretty tough going! This is the view from the bottom and then top of the 15%
Needless to say my average speed was low at 14.5mph I think but I covered about 33 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes and tired out my legs so it was a few boxes ticked!
Tuesday: -
First swim since Christmas Eve and it felt like it too...no technique whatsoever and I splashed through various drills and sprints to a mile - always got to get the first swim out the way!
In the evening I ran 4.4 miles - I'm keeping it short at the moment, after the painful last few miles of my Christmas day 12, I figure that lots of short will be better in the lead-up to the race on the 16th - these shorter faster runs hurt like hell though and I don't enjoy them at all, however its all required!
Wednesday: -
Sat on the turbo for 1 hour 18 minutes - I work up and down through the gears - 2 minutes each, cadence as high as possible, there is an average amount of resistance, however I am reluctant to increase it after the nightmare with punctures - this is still really good spinning and I get proper jelly legs after so its all good work!
Thursday: -
Back in the pool, cruising like a fish, a total revelation from Tuesday (that first session is always a bugger), I did sets of 200m, 300, 400, 500 and then back down with the pull buoy - I felt smooth and fast, easily holding my own in a busy triathlete filled pool! Thats a session I can reccomend as well!
In the evening another 4.4 mile run with the same lung hurting, leg burning results...I'm not even close to my 10k pace!
Friday: - This is officially my rest day but since the pool is always quiet on a friday I met super fast triathete Seb in the pool to knock out some drills and sprints - unfortunately I only have an hour before work so couldn't finish the set but it was good to put some quality work in and again I felt good!
Saturday: - nicely rested I met up with Seb for a planned 3 hour ride...slightly nervous as my cycling is way behind where it should be, but I figured I could draft all day if necessary! There was a strong wind and it was cold when still, but out on the bikes it was really quite pleasant! Three other super fast people where there, 2 of whom race nationally and the other been racing bikes and triathlon for years at age group level so massive panic set in for me! For the first 5 or 6 miles I hung out at the back letting the legs warm up before we hit the forest and so I moved up to chat the others and do some of the work and so it continued for the rest of the ride - all 55 miles of it - the wind was very strong so we were either scooting along with it at our backs or slogging in to it! I had to push it on some of the hills to stay with the others but held my own just fine and got to know some good people who can help with riding over the next few months! I noticed how they all sat in the little chain ring spinning loads - I still spin in the big ring and don't think I could adopt the small ring approach for long periods - its never done me any harm and feels comfortable, but was interesting! I was pretty pooped when we rolled in to the finish but really pleased with the ride and felt surprisingly strong considering my lack of real distance in the saddle! Plenty more to come!
Sunday: -
Well it dawned freezing...minus 2 as I drove over to join my usual cycling group for a 9am ride - it was supposed to be a long run day but I couldn't pass up the invite of more saddle time! 5 of us met, fully wrapped up against the elements - the roads were slightly frosty in places but seemed fine for the first few miles so although steady we carried on.....then after 3 miles we came to a ford, it looked wet but okay so we slowed down and went through...on exiting I heard a crash behind me, then the guy in front of me went down, then I went down, then the other two behind me went down, I couldn't stop laughing - we were going 10mph max so no real damage done other than a sore elbow and a bent rear mech hanger. The others had a few sore hips but nothing life threatening...we ummmed and ahhhed about carrying on but sense prevailed and we headed (slowly) home - this turned out to be the best plan as there were plenty of ice issues on the roads! I bent the hanger back but it'll need replacing so the tri-bike is making an early season appearance for a week of two!
Back at my parents I donned my shorts and trainers and went for a 5.5 mile run - this felt much better as I reduced the pace to 8.30's and mixed on & off road, it was turning in to a lovely morning and I enjoyed the 48 minute cruise around.
So that was the week done...I considered going to swim training but decided common sense should prevail and so rested up!
Next week is set for 11 hours which seems easily manageable after last week and I am back in to that tired mode which is a nice place to be actually - still have about 7kgs to shift before race day in June but we'll see how that pans out! Next week culminates with a race on Sunday, Wiltshire's toughest race apparently so we'll see how that goes - its just more training for me so I am not after any time goals!
I've been invited to some coaching at a different pool on Friday by a coach who I was chatting to in the normal pool - not sure what it involves but its the 'Swim Smooth' approach (?!?) ah well we'll see what its like, its all good time in the water if nothing else!
Friday is supposed to be my rest day as mentioned but am thinking of making it Monday - whats best - rest so that you can have a great weekend of long training or rest on the Monday when you've gone right to the edge over the weekend...toughy! I like my Friday nights though so will see how I go!
My other issue is trainers...I think my Saucony Paramounts are coming to an end - they've done over 500 miles and I am a big guy so think they need a change...however I don't want to spend £120 for the new ones so am looking for other ideas which are more sustainable - its too much for trainers however much running I do!
I've looked at the Nike Lunar's but was warned off them but they sound about right and are reasonable cheap, I think I might get some Brooks T7 racers - as I am doing slightly shorter runs they would still be good and I can see how a different set-up works out for me - they aren't heniously expensive either! Decisions.....decisions...
all feedback welcomed...
Take care all!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Quotes...
Training is going really well and I am loving it....but I am having a little rant here so bear with me! Well its kind of a rant more of awakening! Anyway its about quotes: - quotes are great, they inspire people and get us all going but one thing that twitter has raised is the complete stupidity of the majority of quotes that people seem to feel they need to share with everyone at every opportunity!
Just for the record I classify them as the following: -
Quotes - anything from a poem to a little speech to a sentence that someone has said
Mantra - our own personal sayings that we use to keep focused at keep going!
This little blog entry is solely about ones related to training as they bug me...
For instance I use mantra's when I am training - my most common one being - 'the faster I go the sooner it will end' - I use this all the time!
I had some favourite quotes too, there was one about fighting on: -
'when fighting a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the Gorilla is tired' but I think just one or two personal ones are more meaningful than constantly spurning hundreds of different ones!
However different strokes for different folks, so having your own is fine...what really bugs me is when the quote means nothing...for instance : -
'The race does not always go to the swift, but to those who keep on running' - no it doesn't, the fastest wins...that's why its a race!!!
'The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do' - only if you're not a very nice person
'A ten minute mile is just as far as a six minute mile' - was anyone disputing this fact?
'An inconvenience is an unrecognised opportunity' - no it isn't
I could go on all day with the amount of drivel that gets bandied around but I think you get the picture! They mean nothing really, if you actually read what it says rather than glossing over it! Anyway my apologies for that, just needed it out of my system!
And to finish with the biggest rubbish I've ever read: -
'Running takes balls, other sports just play with them' .........it doesn't though does it
Just for the record I classify them as the following: -
Quotes - anything from a poem to a little speech to a sentence that someone has said
Mantra - our own personal sayings that we use to keep focused at keep going!
This little blog entry is solely about ones related to training as they bug me...
For instance I use mantra's when I am training - my most common one being - 'the faster I go the sooner it will end' - I use this all the time!
I had some favourite quotes too, there was one about fighting on: -
'when fighting a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the Gorilla is tired' but I think just one or two personal ones are more meaningful than constantly spurning hundreds of different ones!
However different strokes for different folks, so having your own is fine...what really bugs me is when the quote means nothing...for instance : -
'The race does not always go to the swift, but to those who keep on running' - no it doesn't, the fastest wins...that's why its a race!!!
'The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do' - only if you're not a very nice person
'A ten minute mile is just as far as a six minute mile' - was anyone disputing this fact?
'An inconvenience is an unrecognised opportunity' - no it isn't
I could go on all day with the amount of drivel that gets bandied around but I think you get the picture! They mean nothing really, if you actually read what it says rather than glossing over it! Anyway my apologies for that, just needed it out of my system!
And to finish with the biggest rubbish I've ever read: -
'Running takes balls, other sports just play with them' .........it doesn't though does it
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Forwards & backwards
Its been a little while since I blogged, mostly because of Christmas and the fact that I haven't done anything of any note! I had a gentle paddle on Christmas Eve and then ran 12 miles over to my parents on Christmas day - I knew this was always going to be difficult and I still wasn't recovered from my cough/cold - so I walked the two steep hills - not sure this helped as my sore hip and knee just got worse as I walked - anyway I wass pleased to do it and then didn't feel too guilty about resting till the New Year! Since then its just been lots of food and even more alcohol, until New Years day when I am back on the wagon! But I'll bore you with that once I've looked back at 2010...cue misty-type music...
So during 2010 I...
Swam 94 miles in 60 hours
Cycled 1670 miles in 105 hours
Ran 693 miles in 117 hours
Cross-trained 101 miles in 19 hours
A total of 2558 miles in 301 hours - not bad considering I am new to all of this...I am going to do a little award ceremony to break down the year...
Best Moment: -
There has been many but I think my 14 mile training run from Salisbury to the coffee shop in the forest, just one of those days were it all clicked and I was coasting along...felt like I could have carried on forever!
Worst Moment: -
Everytime I was ill...which was a lot
Best Race :-
probably the first triathlon I did - I got a massive buzz from it!
Worst Race :-
The southbourne 10k - nothing wrong with it but didn't push hard enough
Best bit of kit: -
Garmin...everytime, I literally feel lost without it
Worst bit of kit: -
My knees...shame I can't get new ones
Thats about it in summary - I am pretty proud of it but appreciate that it will be nothing compared to the next six months! I've learnt a lot about my body and how it works, about what to eat and when to rest....I don't do anything with that knowledge but I have learnt it!
2011 and beyond...
So what happens now..................more training, I put on some weight over Christmas and need to buck up my ideas - I have drawn up a pretty brutal schedule for the next months from 10 hours per week up to 19 hours per week and already got some good training in over the last few days - I need this countdown to really kick me in to gear! The race is all entered for the 26th June so all focus on that in terms of training! Its all about the bike for me at the moment with lots of road and turbo miles - this will all help get me in to racing snake shape!
My rough schedule looks something like this
Monday - cycle to work or turbo (weather dependant) 2.5 hours
Tuesday - Swim in the am, run in the pm - 1.5-2 hours
Wednesday - cycle to work or turbo (weather dependant) 2.5 hours
Thursday - swim in the am (optional) and run in the pm - 1.5-2 hours
Friday - swim in the am - 1 hour
Saturday - Long bike 3-4 hours
Sunday - Long run - 2 hours+
This will obviously flucuate but this is the general plan anyway!
What with this, wedding planning, work etc I will be plenty busy! I have also adjusted my diet to help shift the weight - nothing silly just more healthy, fruit, green tea etc etc! I am also copying an idea from Breandan's Blog and restricting myself to 12 pints (or glasses of wine) in 6 months, that way if I get desperate I can grab a beer!
Thats about where it is right now, after the race its recovery, wedding and honeymoon which will lead me right back into the Christmas next year! One thing I do know is that this is it for me in terms of triathlon, after the big race I will sell the tri bike and cancel my BTF licence! I shall return to rugby and play for a little while longer before I am too old...you just can't beat a team sport! However I will keep running, swimming and cycling anyway, just because I like it and it keeps me fit, I will also try and enter a different challenge every year - something pretty tough - I like the idea of the River Dart 10k swim so thats something to bear in mind - but first and foremost I am putting every last thing in to the Forestman in 172 days, 13 hours and 14 minutes.....
So during 2010 I...
Swam 94 miles in 60 hours
Cycled 1670 miles in 105 hours
Ran 693 miles in 117 hours
Cross-trained 101 miles in 19 hours
A total of 2558 miles in 301 hours - not bad considering I am new to all of this...I am going to do a little award ceremony to break down the year...
Best Moment: -
There has been many but I think my 14 mile training run from Salisbury to the coffee shop in the forest, just one of those days were it all clicked and I was coasting along...felt like I could have carried on forever!
Worst Moment: -
Everytime I was ill...which was a lot
Best Race :-
probably the first triathlon I did - I got a massive buzz from it!
Worst Race :-
The southbourne 10k - nothing wrong with it but didn't push hard enough
Best bit of kit: -
Garmin...everytime, I literally feel lost without it
Worst bit of kit: -
My knees...shame I can't get new ones
Thats about it in summary - I am pretty proud of it but appreciate that it will be nothing compared to the next six months! I've learnt a lot about my body and how it works, about what to eat and when to rest....I don't do anything with that knowledge but I have learnt it!
2011 and beyond...
So what happens now..................more training, I put on some weight over Christmas and need to buck up my ideas - I have drawn up a pretty brutal schedule for the next months from 10 hours per week up to 19 hours per week and already got some good training in over the last few days - I need this countdown to really kick me in to gear! The race is all entered for the 26th June so all focus on that in terms of training! Its all about the bike for me at the moment with lots of road and turbo miles - this will all help get me in to racing snake shape!
My rough schedule looks something like this
Monday - cycle to work or turbo (weather dependant) 2.5 hours
Tuesday - Swim in the am, run in the pm - 1.5-2 hours
Wednesday - cycle to work or turbo (weather dependant) 2.5 hours
Thursday - swim in the am (optional) and run in the pm - 1.5-2 hours
Friday - swim in the am - 1 hour
Saturday - Long bike 3-4 hours
Sunday - Long run - 2 hours+
This will obviously flucuate but this is the general plan anyway!
What with this, wedding planning, work etc I will be plenty busy! I have also adjusted my diet to help shift the weight - nothing silly just more healthy, fruit, green tea etc etc! I am also copying an idea from Breandan's Blog and restricting myself to 12 pints (or glasses of wine) in 6 months, that way if I get desperate I can grab a beer!
Thats about where it is right now, after the race its recovery, wedding and honeymoon which will lead me right back into the Christmas next year! One thing I do know is that this is it for me in terms of triathlon, after the big race I will sell the tri bike and cancel my BTF licence! I shall return to rugby and play for a little while longer before I am too old...you just can't beat a team sport! However I will keep running, swimming and cycling anyway, just because I like it and it keeps me fit, I will also try and enter a different challenge every year - something pretty tough - I like the idea of the River Dart 10k swim so thats something to bear in mind - but first and foremost I am putting every last thing in to the Forestman in 172 days, 13 hours and 14 minutes.....
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