Sunday 22 December 2013

16th - 22nd December - erm which way was I supposed to go??

Monday started early with a swim session, the aim was 200's using my T1000 pace plus 5 secs, which equates to 1:59/100 avg.  For whatever reason I can't explain I really struggled with getting the timings right and finished the session a bit frustrated.  In the evening it was over to the track for 3x600, 4x200, 4x100.  I went out a little to quick for the 600's but the 200's were spot on and all within 1 second as were the 100's so getting better at pacing slowly but surely.  Coach Andy did note that I was starting to heel strike a bit, but he put this down to fatigue from the SnC and long sessions at the weekend.
Tuesday was a well earned rest day and I was certainly grateful for it.
Wednesday morning was a chance to hit the turbo for some interval work.  I'd normally say that turbo mornings aren't my cup of tea but it was actually really good and I watched coverage from the Sandman and Snowman tris for some additional motivation.
In the evening it was over to Runcorn for the coached swim session.  I was there a little early so was changed and stood at the poolside when all of a sudden the building was plunged into darkness......power cut.
This was followed by 20 minutes of standing around wrapped in a blanket in the foyer whilst we waited for the power to come back on and for the building to be checked.  I was expecting the session to be cancelled, but decided to make the most of the time left and knocked out what I felt was actually a really good set. The main part was 8x100's on 10s rest, but considering how I swam on Monday this was on a different level, times were quick and solidly consistent throughout despite the pace.
I was working in Bradford on Thursday so was only able to train in the evening and it was the last circuits session of the year.  Carl had some interesting sets for us, splitting the group into two and pitting us head to head.  The final part was a "Total Wipeout" style game where we had to jump a large knotted rope until there was one person left standing.  Great end to the year for the circuits and I'm looking forward to re-starting in Jan.
Friday morning back in the pool, and I don't know what was in my coffee, but it was a bloody great session, I was exceeding the required times on the ladder down set, but at the same effort level I had swum the week before.  I've no idea what's changed but something has clicked that's for certain.
Saturday I needed to do a steady Lvl 1-2 run, so decided to head down to my new favourite place Delamere Forest.  The instruction was to stay off the main paths, so I did just that and took just about every side path I could find and it was awesome muddy fun.  Well it was until about 15 minutes before the end as I had found myself back near the car so decided to go further down and do a loop around, only something went a bit awry with my sense of direction and ended up adding another 35 minutes onto the run due to some dubious route choices.  Despite that it was a great run in a lovely setting.
Sunday's bike was the final session of the week, I rode with Warrington Tri club as they were ending the year with a nice easy social ride.  Conditions weren't to bad, it was a bit windy and chilly, but dry so a nice way to end the week with a 3 hour ride.
I'm 3 weeks into being coached now and have to say that the difference is noticable in the quality of the sessions being done.  The week to come is an easier recovery week, which nicely coincides with Christmas week.
Totals for the week: 10h16
Swim 7250m - 2h25
Bike 92km - 3h57
Run 23km -  2h56

Sunday 15 December 2013

9th to 15 December - Getting into the coaching groove

The first session of this week was a swim, but instead of the usual stuff that I make up I was given a proper structured workout by Laura.  Main emphasis was on utilising the 1k TT pace set in the previous week.  I was a bit off the mark on a couple of the reps but it was a good workout nonetheless.  In the evening it was over to the track, the main change was moving up from 4x400's to 3x600, it was then the usual 4x200, 4x100.  The 600s were tough but I was able to remain on target with the times.
Tuesday was a session I don't want to repeat too frequently, I was over at coach Andy's place to do a CP30 test on the turbo.  For the technical description on what this means you can have a look here  http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/11/quick-guide-to-setting-zones.html  for the athletes version, its 30mins of pain as you ride as hard as you can maintain, only to find the coach changing the gear and making it harder still near the end.  It was a really tough thing to do, but we got a good base for my threshold and I can now start to work to this in my future workouts.  We also sat down an looked at my HR from the 2.4k track run to use that as a base for running thresholds.
Wednesday morning was a short an easy zone 1 run.  I can't recall ever running at such an easy pace before, which shows that I clearly wasn't recovering when I thought I was, this is why a coach is such a good idea.
Wednesday evening was a swim session with Andy and his coaching partner Chris Standidge ( a very accomplished age grouper).  We focussed on a few areas to determine aspects of our stroke that need correction.  For me I need to straighten my arm more on entry as my elbow is dropping.
Thursday mornings swim was a declining distance ladder set interspersed with 50m kicks.  Idea was to swim these as 1000T pace, but I was trying to focus on stroke correction so I was missing on a few of the reps, but effort level was on the nail so happy overall with the session.
In the evening was circuits, and thankfully it wasn't as bad as the previous weeks, though still tough enough.
I was certainly glad of the day off on Friday.
Saturday evening was the Petzl Nightrunner 10k race at Delamere forest.  This is run in the dark around the forest with a headtorch.  I ran within myself for about the first 7k, pushing but not at threshold, saving this for the final 3k which included an ascent of Pale Hill, which I am pleased to say I managed to run in its entirety, followed by a fast descent to the finish.  Overall time was 55:24  http://www.thenightrunner.com/downloads/delamerenightrun.pdf

It was a good event and it was great running around the mere and looking back to see all the little lights in a line.

Sunday was a long steady ride zones 1 - 2.  I managed to cover just over 40 miles in 2:43 which was slightly over the required 2:30 I had been tasked with.  It was at least dry, but quite windy and at times you could feel yourself drifting as the wind whipped across the fields.  There were plenty of cyclists out making the most of the dry conditions.  I was also doing the ride in a 'fasted' state by only drinking water and not eating before I went out so I could maximise fat burn and to teach my body to rely more on fat as a fuel.  Overall a good ride.



Thursday 12 December 2013

Dec 2nd to 8th - a new beginning

I'd ended up with the previous week turning into a recovery week, which it seems was fortuitous as it marked the end of the beginning and the opening of a new chapter in my tri career.  So what is this big change, well quite simply I have taken away the uncertainty of planning my training and handed this over to a coach. So let me welcome on board Laura Grady.  I would also add that she is an excellent massage therapist.

It's very easy to get trapped into the routine of just doing more and more without any consideration for the quality of what you are doing, I guess after a couple of chats with Laura that this was the way things had been going.  So what was week one under a coach like.  Pretty good actually, some quality sessions and even a rest day; in Laura's own words, " you only take a day off every four weeks, that's rubbish".

Monday night was track time, 4x400, 4x200 and 6x100, slightly reduced rest on the 400's made this a slightly tougher session.  I was also finding that I was running the 400's about 10 secs to quick but fininshing within myself so definitely getting quicker.

Part of the coaching process involves setting base times from which to work, so on Tuesday morning it was a 1000m time trial in the pool.  An easy warm up and some drills, then into 40 lengths as hard as you can go. Final time was 18:59 which is a T Pace of 1:54 per 100.  It was definitely an eye opener pushing that hard in the pool.  Wednesday was a 60 minute turbo session, nothing to testing, easy w/u then 4x5 minute race pace efforts and a couple of minutes recovery, finishing nice and relaxed.

Thursday was another time trial in the pool, this time a 400m flat out effort after a warm up and some fast 50's.  This was a hard 16 lengths but a pleasing 7:12 and 1:48/100 pace.  This is just a couple of second shy of my best in a race so really pleased.  Circuits in the evening were a whole new world of pain that made it feel like I had gone back to week one of the circuits.  The warm up and shuttle runs were fine, but everything after that was a nightmare of screaming muscle pain.  It wasn't a great night at all.

Friday was a day off training and also off work as I loaded my 205 Gti race car onto the trailer for the last time to take to Spoox Motorsport who were buying it back off me.  A bit of a sad day and the end of an era, but can say that I did enjoy my years in motorsport.  Saturday Jasper and I went running around Hartshill Hayes, a nice steady pace and really enjoyable morning in the woods.  The last session of the week was an easy 100 minute bike ride exploring some of the roads I used to train on many years ago.  The only issue came when I rode through Atherstone and lost the back wheel on a greasy corner and planted myself on the deck.

Totals for the week: 6h58
Swim 1h - 3800m
Bike 2h42 - 65km
Run 2h02 - 16.1km


Tuesday 3 December 2013

Nov 4th to Dec 1st - A nice consistent block of training

Nov 4th - 10th
The Hellrunner was still in the legs come Monday evening, but there was no letting up as we were finished with the drills based weeks and it was time to start the intervals on the track.  As a base from which you measure progress the main part of the session was a 2.4k time trial.  The instruction from Andy the coach was simple "don't leave anything out there, I don't want to see anyone sprinting in the last 100, you give it everything".  It was without a doubt 6 extremely hard laps at an effort level I'm not looking forward to repeating to often.  My time for the 2.4k was 11:51.  The coughing fit as a result of the cold evening and the effort level lasted for a couple of days.  Tuesday was a return to the turbo trainer for an hours session http://tpks.ws/ceBn
I was in London on Wednesday and had a meal booked in the evening, so after 31 days of training I finally took a well deserved recovery day.
Thursday was a return to circuits with Carl, another strength and sweatfest usually involving far many burpees.
Finally got back in to the pool on Friday morning;  it definitely makes a difference if you take a break of a few days from swimming as you can tell the lack of feel for the water.  In the evening it was another hour on the turbo.  Saturday I went down to Delamere Forest and met with coach Andy, Ray Tighe and Caroline for an early run.  A nice mix of easy trails, hill reps and single track muddy fun.  A nice way to start the day for certain.  In the evening it was the Warrington Tri swim session.  Sunday morning I hit the pool again for a drill session, and then went straight up to the gym to knock out a 5k on the treadmill.  I've said it before that I'm not a mad fan of the treadmill, but once in a while it's a novelty.  To finish the day of it was 90 mins on the turbo trainer http://tpks.ws/EtzG
Totals for the week - 9h26
Swim - 8757m - 2h36
Bike - 82km - 3h30
Run - 19.8km - 2h21

Nov 11th - 17th
Back to the track on Monday evening, this time was an 800m time trial, this would set the basis for all the work to follow.  Time was a 3:20, once established we then ran 2x400, 2x200 and 2x100.  It was definitely a tough session.
On Tuesday I travelled down to Leicestershire to visit and old friend from my triathlon past who now runs a great bike fitting company. http://www.speedhub.co.uk/ the day was spent chatting about old and new times whilst sat astride the Retul bike trying to work out my fit for the bike.  One thing that we did discover and a reason for my numb feet was that I have a shorter left leg but also wide hips. With a variety of recommendations in hand I have a few changes I now need to make to my bike (£££££).  I may also need to look for another tri frame as the road frame is going to get nowhere near close enough to simulate the position for training on.  Wednesday was a chance to run in my favourite place, Hartshill Hayes.  I just love running there, so many paths, terrain and routes to choose from.  Even Jasper ran with me without causing me any problems.  In the afternoon I set my turbo up in the parents garage for a 60min sweatfest.  When I finished it was cold enough that I was actually steaming.
Back up t'north on Thursday and it was circuits in the evening.  The weeks swimming was all knocked out over the next three days starting on Friday with a paddles session, club swim Saturday and then long sets on Sunday.  There was also a couple of turbo sessions and a 10k run to round off the week.
Totals for the week - 10h52
Swim 8750m  -3h50
Bike 86km - 3h30
Run 23k - 2h41

Nov 18th - 24th
Monday night is track night, and using the previous weeks base 800m time, 4x400, 4x200, 4x100.  First lesson learnt was I have no idea about pacing.  The second was how hard running on the track is.
The rest of the week was a mix of swim, bike and run, the only session worth noting was a nice trail run on Saturday at Delamere Forest with Ray and Andy.  Included a run up a hill and some great trails.
Totals for the week - 11h44
Swim  11910m - 4h55
Bike 82km - 3h30
Run 20.8km - 2h29

Nov 25th - Dec 1st
Track on Monday night and a repeat of the previous weeks session.  It was a cold evening though and it was actually quite slippery with a thin layer of ice on the top end of the track.  A tough workout as always, but feeling the benefit.
A good solid swim on Tuesday, followed by a short run on Wednesday morning.  Wednesday evening I did the trainerroad FTP test to see what improvements the 6 week sweetspot program had brought.  At the start I had tested at 214 watts, but I had left it set at 219 watts from the previous test as felt lowering it was a step back.  The new test gave me 221 watts so a 7 watt improvement over the last test and a good result.
I was in Bradford on Thursday so couldn't train in the morning but was able to get to circuits in the evening for another good session.  Swim Friday morning was a drills session and in the evening was supposed to be turbo session.  I managed 2 minutes before deciding that I couldn't be arsed.  This carried over into Saturday and I actually ended up taking an unscheduled rest day which involved not a lot except eating.  I did manage to do a 2 hour session on the turbo on Sunday at a nice easy pace, so the week actually ended more of a recovery week than anything.
Totals for the week- 8h07
Swim 6600m - 2h35
Bike 69km - 3h
Run 12.8k - 1h35


Sunday 3 November 2013

Oct 7th to Nov 3rd - some new stuff, some old and a few bumps along the way

7th - 13th Oct
Despite the day before being the Outlton Park Duathlon the legs felt fine so that evening I went along to Sutton Lesiure Centre for the first attempt at track work.  The session is run by Andy Rawley a BTA Level 3 coach and also the North West Regional Acadaemy coach for the junior Elites.  Suffice to say, he's knows his onions and if you are looking for a coach you could do no worse than getting in touch with him  http://www.sticktotricoaching.co.uk/
I had joined on what was week 2 of drill and technique work, the emphasis of the session not on running laps but lots of drills designed to re-programme our technique to shift from heel strikers to more efficient mid to fore foot runners.  That first night was an interesting insight, though I can safely say I won't be worring Mo Farah or Ali Brownlee any time soon and it was fairly clear that balance and coordination were not two of my strong points.
Tuesday and Wednesday were a return to the normal patten of swims, turbos and a run.  In fact I even threw in an unscheduled turbo on Wednesday, nothing hard but I just fancied doing something.  Thursday evening was a chance for something else new, Circuits.  Run out of school gym hall at Lymm Grammar.  There is no equipment involved, it's lots of bounding around and traditional type squats, burpees, press up and all manner of other pain inducing exercises. I survived (just) but it's certainly an eye opener and a totally different type of fitness to the CV based work that I normally do.  Swim on Friday, then Saturday I managed one of each with a short but testing turbo followed by a 5k run and then the club swim in the evening with the tri club.  Sunday was an opportunity to get out on the road for a ride with the tri club, there were times where the pace was a little hard but its good to get out and just spin and chat.
Totals for the week - 11h05
Swim - 9000m - 3h40
Bike - 112km - 4h38
Run - 12.5km - 1h53

14th - 20th Oct
It was straight back into things on Monday evening with a return to the track and more drill/technique work. A swim Tuesday morning and then in the evening I started a 12 week sweet spot programme on the turbo with the 8 min FTP (functional threshold power) test to establish a baseline.  It was down to 214 watts, but i'm not sure if that's as a result of tiredness or genuine.  So I decided to leave my settings at 219 from the previous test.
Wednesday was just a short easy 5km run, Thursday was a swim and then circuits in the evening, which at least felt a little easier than before.  A swim Friday morning and then the second of the turbo sessions in the afternoon before packing the car for a trip up to North Wales.
The Warrington Tri Club had organised an end of season weekend away staying in a great bunkhouse http://www.logcabinswales.co.uk/accommodation/rhiw-goch-bunkhouse/  a total of 9 of us plus a few of their kids arrived on a wet evening.  The Hobson's had brought food including a hotpot and chilli and LOTS of salty snacks.
Saturday a group of four headed out onto the roads around North Wales, the rest of us headed just down the road to Coed Y Brenin, one of the UK's best mountain biking centres. http://www.mbwales.com/en/content/cms/Centres/Coed_y_Brenin/Coed_y_Brenin.aspx
There is a huge choices of routes you can ride or mix n match with varying degrees of difficulty.  The first ride out all of us headed out on the blue rated Minotaur course, a generally sweeping and easy paced route, with a series of climbs, and descents on wide trails.  After this I went back out on part of the blue route again whilst we waited for some of the others to catch up.  The men of the group then headed off onto a more challenging red run Cyflym Coch (I have no idea what that means).  It was a great ride, incorporating some of the easy wide trails to link sections of rocky and routed single track.  It's been a while since I've ridden something like this, but it was great but tiring fun.  A spot of lunch was consumed and the ladies of the group past the kids over to the dads and I was persuaded to go out on the red run again.  I will now proceed to advise a cautionery note, if you are riding a bike, WEAR A HELMET.





The large split in the helmet is what happens when you get some air and don't get the landing right and your head hits the ground with a bang.

I'm grateful that I was wearing it and as a result I was able to remount the bike (after straightening the stem) and complete the ride.  Though I wasn't unscathed.




The road group were back when we returned from the forest and they decided to head off to Coed Y Brenin for a run.  I was tired from 4.5 hours of riding the MTB so skipped the run.
Directly opposite the bunkhouse is an inn, and the evening was spent there partaking of some good beer and tasty food.
Sunday it was back down to Coed Y Brenin for a hilly 5 mile trail run, which despite the rain was a pleasant run through some really nice terrain and views.
Totals for the week - 14h09
Swim - 10650m - 4h14
Bike - 97km - 6h40
Run - 15.5km - 2h17

21st - 27th Oct
Despite being a little sore from my fall I still managed to get to the track Monday evening for further drill/technique work. Tuesday I jumped on the turbo continuing the work on improving my FTP. Wednesday I swam and also threw in an extra easy turbo session for good measure.  I know many don't advocate "junk" mileage but when you want to shift a few more stone, the extra exercise doesn't seem like such a waste. Thursday was another of Carl's circuit classes, I'm definitely getting stronger as a result, but it's still a sweatfest and hard work.  Swim and turbo on Friday went smoothly into Saturday's run.  I decided to take Jasper with me along the Trans Pennine Trail for an easy 10k.  It was easier than intended as he decided that stopping to sniff was more important than running, I don't think I will be taking him with me again.  Sunday was a steady swim session and a long turbo in the afternoon to finish the week off.
Totals for the week - 11h30
Swim - 10200m - 4h15
Bike - 101km - 4h15
Run - 13.2km  - 1h59

28th Oct - 3rd Nov
Back to the track again on Monday evening, though there was only a small amount of drill work, the rest of the time was easy laps whilst Andy and other assessed our forefoot technique and how we had improved over the weeks.  The conclusion for me was whilst I had shown some improvement through strength gains he didn't want to focus on specific elements but just to continue building strength and maintain the gains I had made so far.  Next week it's a time trial before we start the interval work.  Tuesday morning I had planned to swim but I'd been battling a niggly cold so decided to stay in bed instead.  I jumped on the turbo in the evening but it was noticeable that I was struggling to hold the desired power, I just didn't quite feel right.  I was ok on Wednesday morning so swam and then did an east 5k in the evening, though it was wet and windy.  Thursday morning I went on the turbo and again struggled to hold the power levels required, I can only assume that the cold was having an impact.  It was certainly felt at the evening circuits session, I was a jibbering wreck afterwards.  I felt OK in the morning though and this was reflected in the swim session, times were consistent.  Saturday was the Hellrunner at Delamere Forest, a varied cross country adventure which had everything you could think of in terms of mud, trails, ditches, water (very cold water) bogs, tree roots, climbs, descents the list is extensive.  It was a tiring event, and the longest run I have done since I started training, but a thoroughly enjoyable event and I will definitely be signing up for next year.
T
Saturday evening I went to the club swim, but I just didn't have the energy to swim the hard intervals so just kept the pace easy.  Sunday I just did a long turbo session but at easy pace as the legs were still tired.

Totals for the week - 11h41
Swim - 8300m - 3h07
Bike - 79km - 3h30
Run - 28k - 4h08





Friday 18 October 2013

Results this year

I thought it may be worth detailing the results from the races I have done this year so they are all in one list.  I can certainly say that I have enjoyed my return to the sport and planning for next year is well under way, with several events already entered and the training plan coming together nicely, so keep checking back for details on this later in the year.

Event Distance Month Time
1485 Duathlon  Sprint  April   1:46:06
       
Wilmslow Tri  Sprint  May   1:38:21
       
Darwen sprint  Sprint  Jun   2:02:08
       
Buxton Tri  Sprint  Jul   1:38:52
       
Peoples Tri  Sprint (o/w)  Aug   1:21:48
       
North West Tri  Sprint  Sep   1:16:55
       
Brownlee Tri  Super Sprint  Sep   0:46:04
       
Outlon Park Duathlon Sprint  Oct 01:23:47

Saturday 12 October 2013

Sept 16th to Oct 6th - no sign of slowing down for winter

I've gone and done it again and left it a few weeks since my last blog, but then again it's quite nice to look back and remind yourself what you have been doing.  I warn you now though, there will be all sorts of randomnous in this weeks blog.

As a first of here's a shot of a certain Manx Missile at the Tour of Britain time trial stage 3 starting at Knowsley Safari Park.

It was quite an entertaining day watching these guys demolish the 10m TT in around 20 minutes.

There was supposed to be photo of Bradley Wiggins, but he was riding so quickly I missed him.



Sept 16th - 22nd
Looking back it would seem I am on a bit of a training streak as I hadn't had a recovery day since the 3rd September and it would the following week before I took one.  Sometimes you just feel like going on and rather than a passive day of nothing I like to at least do an easy swim or turbo session.  That is exactly where the week started with a short swim at lunchtime.  The remainder of the week was a mix of short sessions as I had a race at the end of the week so wanted to keep the intensity up but duration down so I could arrive ready to race.  Day before the event (Friday) I did a swim/run brick at the gym, much to the bemusement of the regulars in pool as I arrived in a tri suit, swam 1800m and then dashed upstairs to do 20 mins easy running on the treadmill.  I normally can't stand treadmills to be honest, but it actually passed quite quickly (note to self, remember your headphones next time).
In the evening it was a trip across the Pennines to a village called Sharow nr Ripon for an overnight B&B stay here  http://www.halfmooninn.org.uk/
Saturday was a short drive over to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal National Trust site for the Brownlee Super Sprint tri.  The event was fronted by the Brownlee brothers themselves who were there to race, though Alistair was only doing the bike leg due to the ankle injury he picked up the week before at the ITU Grand Final in Hyde Park in London.  I have to say the setting was lovely for the event and the weather thankfully good.  A short 400m open water swim in what was definitely not a warm lake was done in 7:05, a run up a steep grass bank to T1 and then onto the 2 lap 10k bike.  There were a couple of short climbs before dropping back through the park.  This section was fast, so fast in fact that I actually got told to slow down!!!!!!  Back into transition it was a short flat 2.5k run around the grounds with the finish going through the nave of the abbey, what an amazing experience.


The organisers had put on a great event, with a good quality sports bag and cap in the goodie bag and to top it off nicely Gail purchased a copy of the Brownlee's book which she then got autographed.
That should have been the end of the week, but on Sunday I still felt like training so did a steady aerobic session on the turbo.

Totals for the week
Training time - 7h22
Swim 2h50 - 7000m
Bike 3h - 68km
Run 0:50 - 9k

Sept 23rd - Sept 29th
20 days on the go it was time for a recovery day on the Monday, well deserved if I do say so myself. Tuesday it was back to the pool and the turbo in the evening, and i'm still rocking the trainerroad.com sessions, an example of one I did here  http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/406270-Stone-Mountain
Wednesday was an opportunity to go back to some of my old training grounds whilst working away and I managed to visit Ilkley Moor for a fell run http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/HX3RYXEU3ML6CZ7YXBQJA5QXQA  it was a bit grim as there was a lot of low wet cloud but great to be back there and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The rest of the week up to Saturday was a mix of swim, bike and run until Sunday where I was doing the Cheshire 10k.  It was a predominantly flat fast single lap course, as usual I started a bit to quick and coming up to 4k I thought I was going to be on for a sub 25 5k, but a slight incline knocked the pace down a bit. Nonetheless it was a good and tough race and a new pb of 50:57


                           

                  Race registration for Cheshire 10k





You would have thought this would have been enough, but when I got home I decided that I would also do a turbo session.
Totals for the week - 9h25
Swim 3h42 - 8350m
Bike 3h55 - 89k
Run 1h20 - 16k

Sept 30th - 6th Oct
I'm seriously enjoying training and was straight at it again on Monday even though I had raced the day before. I'm spending a lot of time here at the moment (my pain cave )
More turbo training on Tuesday as well as a swim session.  Wednesday was a speedwork day, in the pool but also in the evening doing hard lamp post reps and running drills.  Suffice to say I was definitely sore the next day, not from the running but the drills.  More swimming and turbo Thursday (i'm sweating just writing about it).





I was away for a wedding on Friday but sneaked in a short easy run in the morning, though it was looking like there might be a problem at first.  Thankfully my brother is the same size so I nicked a pair of his trainers (sshhh don't tell him)








Of course you would expect that would be the end, but in fact despite a day off on Saturday, I was at Oulton Park on Sunday for a sprint duathlon.  1 lap running, 5 laps cycling and a final lap on the run.  Totally traffic free and a unique experience, great day racing.  Steady run effort, but really put the effort in on the bike followed by hanging in on the second run, though my time wasn't that much slower than my first.
So that'e the previous few weeks and there is no sign of me slowing down, keep checking back for the next instalment.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Aug 19th to Sept 15th - 12 months on, mission accomplished

Ok, so first off, apologies for not updating this blog sooner.  I had made a partial start and then kept forgetting to finish it off.

So, there we are, 12 months since I re-started training and triathlon.  My original goal had been to complete a tri before I was 40, and was thus aiming to be in a fit enough state to do a sprint tri by September.   I think it is fair to say that I smashed this target and had done my first tri as early as May, indeed, I had done my first race in November last year (a super sprint duathlon).  Unlike some of my previous attempts to start training again, this was one has clearly succeeded.  I think mainly as previous attempts had foucsed solely on running which had resulted in early injury and putting me off.  The multisport nature of what I am doing now allows the body time to recover better.  It seems such a long time ago when I stepped into the gym and was a gibbering wreck within about 10 minutes of exercise.

This blog edition covers a good number of weeks so bear with me, I can't promise it will be worth the read though.

Aug19th -25th
I started the week with a couple of recovery days, and then Wednesday started the training with a long distance swim set from the they are definitely worth looking at if you want to add some variety to your swimming.  http://mastersswimworkoutsbysaramclarty.blogspot.co.uk/

400 choice/300 pull/200 kick
400 pull (build each 100)
400 (50 kick/50 drill/100 swim, repeat)
300 pull (build each 100)
300 (50 kick/50 non-free/50 free, repeat)
3x[100 FAST! swim @ 2:30
100 easy kick @ 3:00]
4×50 fins @ 1:20 (25 FAST!/25 easy)
3×100 @ 2:30 (25 kick/25 swim)
200 cool-down

In the evening I did a nice easy 5k run just to ease back into things.  On Thursday I did another swim session and in the evening knocked out a 60 min turbo session using http://www.trainerroad.com/ to re-assess my FTP.  You can view the data from the session here http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/383298 and my FTP was up from 208 to 219.  Friday saw another swim and recovery turbo session.  We went up to the caravan for the weekend and I did a mixed terrain tempo run on Saturday (beach, dunes, tarmac, grass) and then I did a nice steady ride on Sunday, keeping it nice and easy spinning in the small ring.

Totals for the week 9h 32
Swim: 4h15 - 10,200m
Bike: 4h45 - 95km
Run: 1:29 - 15km

Aug 26th - 1st Sept
Monday was an early start and a long ride from the caravan in Prestatyn back to home in Warrington (86k). Not the most scenic of rides and traffic was a bit heavy in places, but a good solid ride all the way and I'm confident coming towards the end of the season with this level of fitness in my legs.  I carried on training through the week, though the ride had taken it out of me so kept it to one session a day until the end of the week.  I finished off the week with a multiple brick session.  I like doing these; set the turbo in the garden with the trainers next to me and knock out 5k on the bike and then straight on to a run of a 1k loop of the village, I then repeat as often as I can.  I held FTP for the ride sections and pushed hard on all the runs.

Totals for the week: 11h35
Swim: 5h05 - 12,200m
Bike: 4h45 - 122.5km
Run: 1h45 - 19.29km

Sept 2nd - 8th
With a race at the end of the week and having done 12 straight days training I took a recovery day at the start of the week, but on Tuesday it was back to the training with a short swim at lunch time and then a bike/run brick in the evening.  I kept the rest of the weeks training easy with 3 swims, a short run and  easy session on the turbo.

Sunday was the North West sprint tri at Nantwich.  It was an early start as I had a start time 08:40 and unusually a split transition, with the swim about quarter mile away from the main park where the run and registration were based.  The swim was in an odd distance (30.3m)outdoor heated brine pool and the format was 4 lengths per lane.  For some reason I drifted off during the swim and lost count, and thinking I had under counted ended up doing an extra two lengths (doh).  That aside I was happy with the swim as I was passing plenty of people throughout.  Onto the bike it was a one loop affair, that was predominantly flat and quick on the way out.  On the return leg the route was a little more undulating and with the added bonus of a headwind, but I was really happy with the effort on the bike.  Main issue heading out onto the run was numb feet, a combination of the cold and cleat position (I really need to get that sorted out).  The run was 4 laps of the park and I held really consistent pace for all of them.  Final time was 1:16:55  http://www.uktriathlon.co.uk/north_west/Results/2013/Sprint_Male.pdf.

Totals for the week: 8h02
Swim: 4h04 - 10,500m
Bike: 3h45 - 87.5km
Run: 1h05 - 11.8km
Race: 1h16 - 26km

Sept 9th - 15th
I came into the week of the back of a race, but actually felt pretty good on Monday so hit the turbo in the evening for an easy session using Trainerroad. I swam long on Tuesday and ran long and easy on Wednesday.  I did a different drill session on Thursday morning  and a sub-threshold session on the turbo in the evening.  Speedwork in the pool on Friday.  Saturday was a chance to push on the run so I did a tempo session and was really pleased with how it felt.  The club swim was good in the evening, with the emphasis definitely shifting towards longer sets.  Sunday the weather was expected to be poor (and they weren't wrong) so another chance to user trainerroad - http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/398036  2 hours was what I would have done anyway and it passed quite easily whilst watching a film.  In the afternoon I did an easy run, the knees and quads were a little tired at first but soon settled in and I finished ok.

Totals for the week: 10h30
Swim: 4h45 - 12,300m
Bike: 3h45 - 87.5km
Run: 2h - 21.6km

So, we I have one tri left at the end of next week and then that will be the end of my season.  Still plenty of weight to lose and some fun training over winter to look forward to, but all in all, I'm really pleased to have achieved what I have so far of the last 12 months, hopefully others who read this will realise that you don't need to be an Alistair Brownlee to get off your backside, train hard and finish a race and size and age are no barrier at all.  Here's to another great 12 months.


















Monday 19 August 2013

August 12th to 18th - a tiring & productive week

Bouyed by the result at the Peoples Tri on the Sunday I felt I could easily of trained on Monday, but forced myself to take a recovery day.

Tuesday started with a swim session and some good times on the 400m reps.  In the evening it was over to Preston on the Hill for the Warrington Tri clubs informal 10 mile time trial.  I took the race bike and didn't leave anything in the tank pushing hard the whole way.  Final time was 28:55 which was a significant improvement over my first effort was over 32m.

Wednesday was a LSD run, nothing exciting but important to keep the distance and aerobic base up.  Thursday was back to the pool for hard intervals, concentrating on short 50m efforts (32 of them).  Spinervals in the evening with a basic threshold set http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/379185

Friday I was still training but kept the effort low with drills in the morning at the pool and a recovery and technique session on the turbo in the evening.

Saturday I went out and did my first Park Run since March.  I was trying to aim for sub 25:00 having come close in some of the 5k runs I had done earlier in the year.  I was pretty damm close  25:03 http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worsleywoods/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=77

More intervals in the pool with Warrington tri club in the evening.  Sunday was a steady ride early doors and straight off the run I put in a 20 minute brick run.  That was tough as legs still had the previous days Park Run in them, but pretty pleased with completing the run.

It was a solid week of training, nothing fancy but gets the job done.

Totals for the week:
Hours - 10:55
Swim - 5h05 - 12,000m
Bike - 4h17 - 114km
Run - 1h33 - 17k

Monday 12 August 2013

August 5th to 11th Bad Start Good Ending

I'd had a good day of training on the Sunday so I was disappointed come Monday to come down with some bug that left me in bed and throwing up.  Whilst Tuesday I was feeling better I was not able to go to work or feel up to training.

As such it was Wednesday before I felt up to doing anything with an early morning run and a short swim at lunchtime.  Thursday I put in a tough but quality turbo session.

Sunday was the Peoples Triathlon held at Dearnford Lake on the outskirts of Whitchurch.  Suffice to say, I had a great event, putting in really good times in the swim and bike (I even got complimented by a competitor on by biking prowess after the event).  The run wasn't up there with the quickest but I expect that and I'm getting quicker so I have no complaints.


Results can be found here  http://www.uktriathlon.co.uk/peoples/2013/sprint_male.pdf

Totals for the week:
Hours training: 7h33
Swim: 4h04 - 10303m
Bike: 1h38 - 41k
Run: 0h28 - 5k
Race: 1h21

Tuesday 6 August 2013

July 15th - August 4th weeks of mixed stuff

I've been a bit remiss over the last few weeks, I guess the initial enthusiasm of writing a blog has worn off.

That said, it gives me plenty to write about and a chance to look back at what I have been doing.

w/c 15th July
The Buxton Tri had been tough on the bike, but on the Monday I felt pretty good and could have trained, but we all know rest is important for recovery so I did take a day off.  The rest of the week was a solid effort in all three disciplines, particularly Saturday which included an open water swim session at Pennington Flash and in the afternoon a multiple brick session.  This consisted of 5k bike followed by a 1k run around the village;  this was repeated 4 times, all of which were consistent for time, and a great way of practising running of the bike.
Totals for the week
9:34 hours training
Swimming  4:44     12000m
Cycling      3:27     86km
Running     1:23     14.4 km

w/c 22nd July
In all honesty not a lot went on this week that is worth reporting about, there was some swimming, biking and running.  Sunday was a ride out with the Warrington tri club, it was a steady ride out and spent most of it spinning in the small ring to help with aerobic capacity.  When I got back I did a 20min run straight off the bike, which I did as 5min hard, 5 min easy and repeated.  It was a short session but good way of adding some brick work to the week.
Totals for the week
9:26 hours training
Swimming  4:00    10000m
Cycling      4:39    112km
Run           0:47    8.63km

w/c 29th July
This was a full on week, training every day.  Tuesday night was a club meet at Preston on the Hill, a nice easy potter for 5 miles, followed by 2 laps at Time Trial effort.  Final time was 32:08 min which aint great, but it's a starting point.  I also signed up for the software offered by
www.trainerroad.com  this uses the Ant+ usb stick and Garmin 910 to send live data to the computer whilst you ride and convert speed into watts through some fancy calculations.  I did one of their FTP (functional threshold power) tests which has given me a starting point of 208.  I'm going to re-do it again in a few weeks to see if things have improved.  Friday I had planned to do a recovery spin and record the wattage but only in a few minutes into the session I managed to break the left STI.  I jerry rigged a bar end shifter into aero bars for the planned weekend ride.
Saturday I did a steady 10k run, in a time of 55:43 which is only a minute off my time from the Warrington 10k so definitely improving.
Sunday was a nice long ride of 30m, all spinning and on the aero bars and in the afternoon a trip down to Boundry Water Park for an open water swim session; it's a nice body of water, though a bit on the weedy side.
Totals for the week
10:09 hours training
Swimming  4:11    11095m
Cycling      3:56    103km
Run           2:01    21.6km

Next week the plan is to start to incorporate some core work, starting with the below

Sunday 14 July 2013

July 8th - 14th - more work on the bike needed

The previous week had been quite busy with training and with the Buxton tri at the end of this week I didn't want to arrive tired, as such I aimed to keep intensity up but reduce the volume a little.

Almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about.

On Friday I did my very first interval run session.  Using the Garmin 910 to set up a basic interval session I set off with a 10 minute easy warm up the into 5 x 1 minute hard efforts with 2 minute recoveries.  I had been a little apprehensive of the session, especially first thing in the morning, but I needn't have been.  It went really well, the pace was up and whilst hard I didn't struggle.  This is now going to form part of my weekly training.

On Saturday I also did a little sprint work in the pool, a short session, but 400m comprising of 4x(4x25) hard efforts.  Despite the kids in the pools best efforts to disrupt me it was a good little session.  Who would have thought what was to come the following day.

Sunday started very early at 5:30 to walk Jasper a quick bowl of porridge, load the car and then off to Buxton for a sprint tri.  The venue was the leisure centre at the Pavillion Gardens and a lovely setting for the event.  Weather was blue skies and warm but thankfully the full heat of the day was not to impact the event.

Bike racked, it was off to the poolside for the briefing to find I was once again the first off in a lane of 4, so I was expecting to be passed again (especially looking at the guys in my lane).  Whistle blown I was off, effort started steady but I pushed the pace.  I was surprised to note that at the turn none of the other guys were actually catching me up, a surprise to say the least.  What was an even bigger surprise was when I finished the last of the 16 lengths and hit the lap button to record my time..............7:10.  yes, that is correct.  I knew the pace was high as I was single side breathing, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to swim that quickly, I haven't come close to that in training, so I was blown away and I wouldn't have believed it if the Garmin hadn't recorded all the lengths.

Transition went fine and out onto the bike (Principia) I was certainly happy, but this was shortlived as a left turn took us up hill and it was a slog, a fast decent to one of the many reservoirs in the Peaks was a short respite before the longest climb of the day and boy did it drag on.  My cycling today definitely let me down as I think I was passed by everyone in my wave on the bike, but I kept grinding and despite wanting to stop a couple of times I wasn't giving in.  One thing I must do is fit a 25 on the back, 23 is just to low.  The turn at the Cat & Fiddle pub brought relief in the that it was downhill all the way back to transition but I kept the legs turning a big gear to try an make up to some time.  Back into Buxton there was a set of lights you have to wait at and the organisers had marshals recording the amount of stopped time so it could be deducted. Now, i'm not sure what happened or why, but as I pushed off I must have missed clipped or something as the next thing that happened was I ended up on the floor smacking my head in the process.  Fortunately no injuries other than to my pride were sustained and I remounted and set off feeling rather stupid.

Back into transition and trainers on, I went for the Newtons, the usually jelly legs were quickly gone and I set a slow but steady pace.  There was a climb on both laps of the run, but a good down section that followed. After mile 2 I picked up the pace to the line and finished in a total time of 1:38:52.

This was a tough event but thoroughly enjoyable and I would certainly recommend it.

Totals for the week
Total training time - 7h40
Swim  8400m, 3h25
Bike 32km, 1h20
Run 14k, 1h16





Monday 8 July 2013

1st - 7th July - recovery week, well sort of.

Up until the Darwen tri I had done 22 days of training straight.  Now I know that's not the way you normally do things, but to be fair some of those days included light active recovery sessions of high cadence on the turbo or a short swim, so it may sound a lot but the mind and body were both willing.

The descending in the tri had taken it's toll though and I did have a recovery day on Monday, but come Tuesday it was back to it with some shourt sessions to get moving. 

As the legs came back to me I was running on Wednesday and it was none stop then until through to the weekend.  Saturday I went back to Pennington Flash for an open water session, this was thoroughly enjoyable the same as before.  It was all the more pleasant as it was followed by an all you can eat breakfast at the Toby Carvey in Lowton.

Sunday I rode with some of the Warrington tri club, it was a hot day and the pace at times a little enthusiastic but managed to stay the course for a 36 mile ride.  I followed this with a 20 minute run straight off the bike.  It was very hot but completed it.  The rest of the day though I was wasted.

Totals for the week
10 hours training
4 hours swimming - 10500m
4h30 cycling - 108km
1h30 running - 15km



Monday 1 July 2013

June 24th to 30th - ending on a tri

A fairly quiet week all in all, I was pretty much doing short or easy sessions, with two runs and turbo sessions and four swims.  This was to keep the legs moving but without taking too much out of them so I would arrive at Sunday ready.

Sunday was time for my second tri of the year at Darwen in Lancashire.  A 600m pool swim, 23k bike and 8k run.

The weather for the event was overcast but dry, but it was quite windy as well.  It was also the first trip out for the finally built Sigma.  This was a frame I bought back in 2002 after my last Ironman and never got round to building.  I'd been collecting bits for a while now and only put it on the turbo in the week to see how it felt.

The unusually longer sprint swim of 600m passed ok with no issues, 11:03 which I am really pleased with.  It was a long run round to transition then out onto the bike which started with a short downhill to a set of lights that are triggered by car weight so you had to get off and walk round the pavement onto the main road before setting off.  I was then held up by slow moving traffic, but when this finally cleared it was down onto the aero bars.  It wasn't long however before a left turn off the flat brought the first and toughest climb of the day.  It was a bit of a drag, and with only a 23 on the back I was unsure if I was going to make it in one go but I ground it out and I must admit that out of the saddle the bike accelerates nicely.  A couple of niggles that I encountered on the bike need looking at, at one point I was struggling to get into the big ring so the cables need a bit of tweaking.  I also had an issue with the Speedfil drinking bottle, or more precisely the bite valve on the tube.  In the end I had to remove the rubber end completely so I could get a drink, I also need to look at the positioning  of the tube.The bike was amazing on the flats and downhills and it soon dealt with the course in 52:48.
                                                                         Entering T2


Transition was quick and it was straight out onto the run.  It started on tarmac, but soon moved onto hard pack track, all of it climbing upwards.  The run was more of a fell race than anything else, but conditions underfoot were good so even in racing flats it wasn't a problem.  Once I had reached the tower it was a steep and fast decent and I put my past fell running experience to good use, actually passing someone (who I will add, was drafting on the bike so I took great delight in whooping his ass).  No denying the run was tough, but the best part of the day.

Total time 2:02 and a happy chappy



Sunday 23 June 2013

June 17th - 23rd - busy week

Well it's been a week of all sorts,

Mon through to Wednesday was fairly steady on the training as I didn't wan't to overload myself for what was to come.

Thursday was the the Warrington 10k, held in the evening and starting in the park at Woolston.  Pretty much a flat course, though technical with lots of changes of direction and surface.  In the end a good run, great sprint at the end and a finish time of 53:56; this is an improvement of 6 minutes over my time at the Lymm 10k.

Easy swimming and turbo session on Friday to try and get rid of some of the lactic and ease the muscles.

Saturday I went to Pennington Flash (the venue for the Ironman UK swim), after I managed to pick up a wetsuit for a bargain price from the Bay of E.

This was for my first open water swim in 11 years.  OMG sums it up nicely, it was great, I dropped straight back into it like I had never been away, in the end I had to force myself to stop as I would have been in there all day otherwise.  3 laps of the short course and 1 of the long course in the end and 1.2 miles.  Suit felt really comfortable so makes the price I paid all the better.

In the afternoon it was time for the last round of the North Cheshire 5k Grand Prix series at Lymm.  It had been described as a "cheeky" course and they weren't wrong with a series of descents and climbs to sap the leg strength.  Considering how sore my legs still were from the 10k on Thursday I was pleased to get round in 26:35 on a testing little course.

Sunday was supposed to have been a early group ride, but high winds and driving rain caused it to be called off, so I decided to take on an epic (by my standards anyway) turbo session with one a Spinerval aerobic compilation, 2h10m later there was a bloody big puddle on the floor.

According to the file upload to Training Peaks I had burnt 1800 calories on the ride so treated myself to this, nom, nom nom.

Next Sunday is the the Darwen Triathlon so hopefully all of this training will bring about a good days racing.



Monday 17 June 2013

June 10th - 16th a fairly ordinary week

The week started off well with a weigh in as I hadn't done one for some time.  I knew I had plateaued at around 16 stone so was pleased to see I had now dropped to 15s9lb thanks to a few small changes I had been making with my food.

Despite the monster bike ride I had done on the Sunday in the Peaks I did an easy run on Monday evening with Amanda, surprisingly my legs felt ok and no detrimental soreness or problems.

The rest of the week saw a mix of the usual swimming and turbo sessions, though on Thursday I was back to Dunham Massey for Round 4 of the North Cheshire Grand Prix series.  This time we ran over the same course but in reverse and it was noticeably quicker.  I was pleased with a new 5k PB of 25:40

Threshold turbo session on Saturday and a hard swim set, Sunday was a long ride around the leafy lanes of Cheshire for a couple of hours, certainly a nice way to start the day.

The week to come has two races, with a 10k on Thursday and the final 5k on Staurday.  Only two weeks to my second sprint tri, getting excited as should be out on the race bike this time.

Sunday 9 June 2013

June 3rd to 9th - ends in bike hell

Lots of training this week, plenty of swimming which I am really enjoying, and really pleased to set a new 400m pb at the end of the main set on Wednesday; previously 7:35 and put in a 7:30.   No idea where that came from but chuffed it's all going the right way.

Thursday was round 3 of the North Cheshire Grand Prix series in Bowden nr Altrincham.

It was a nice evening and thankfully it had cooled a little for the start.  2 laps that was flat and predominantly on road with a small section going through the Devesdale.  Finish time was a little slower than round 2 in 26:17, but happy with the result, enjoyed the race.  Next week we are back to Dunhan Massey for round 4.

Sunday ended the week on a monster bike ride in the Peak District, 48 miles of hills including Snake Pass and Holme Moss and lots of other nasty ones in between.   Main mistake was trying to do the ride on a 12-23 cassette. It was a lovely day for a ride and enjoyed the effort but I think I was a little ambitious in attempting it at all, but it will stand me in good stead for future training efforts.


Sunday 2 June 2013

It's been 43 weeks since I began my journey back to fitness, looking back day one was a bike to and from work.  Things have progressed nicely since then, swimming is coming along nicely and I am enjoying myself.

So what has this weeks training brought;

Friday I did one of the master sets that Sarah Mclarty from the US puts up on her blog.  These are worth a look if you want to spice up the swimming a little.  It was a moster session as I covered 4100m which I the longest single swim set I have ever done.

http://mastersswimworkoutsbysaramclarty.blogspot.co.uk/

Saturday was the second of the North Cheshire Grand Prix 5k series races, and first time ever I have been able to walk from my house to a race start as it was within the village of Hollins Green.  As a warm up for the event I did a 32 min Spinervals session and it paid dividends in the run as my legs felt fresh and ready to run quick from the off.  

Final result was a new pb of 25:49 so 2 mins quicker that last weeks event at Dunam Massey.

I also went out for ride on Sunday, but had to cut is shorter than intended due to bloody traffic near Tattonm Park yet again blocking my route to Knutsford.  That's twice now this has happened and forced me to go down the A556 which is a fast A road and not my ideal route to be riding.

Totals for the week:

4 swims, 4 bikes and two runs, a total training time of 10h 22m.and 110km covered.

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Well it's been a while since I posted on my blog (poor standards I say) so thought I would bring things  up to date as to where I am and what has been happening.

Since the last update I competed in two more races in 2012, a trip to my favourite hillclimb at Harewood where I finished second in class and a return to 3 Sisters but a different configuration, again finishing second in class; on both occasions to Mark Teale in his very nicely prepped 306 with Longman engine.

Sadly, funds down currently allow for me to compete in motorsport so things have been quiet on that front, which is a shame as the HSA Championship this year is looking to be one of the best ever.

http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/

So how have I been filling the time?

Triathlon.

I decided that being extremely overweight, lethargic and generally unwell all of the time, and inspired by the Olympics (a cliche I know) I joined the gym and started to train again.  Since then it's been a long steady road but I have lost 3 stone and completed a super sprint duathlon in November


The Lymm 10k, where I just managed to scrape in under the hour barrier (59:58)

But, my big goal had been to do a triathlon again before I was 40. My original target was the North West tri in September, however training has been going so well that I ended up competing in the Wilmslow tri a couple of weeks ago, and I bloody loved it.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.


So whilst this blog was titled Chris Goes Racing, the focus will shift slightly for now to reflect my renewed passion for all that is triathlon and running.  And hopefully I will be a bit more diligent in updating it.