ouch, it hurts, make it stop

Im only writing this today to see if i can blog with my phone,and it appears that i can. Im only half way through the first week of intensive build the lower half of my body wants to throw in the towel. Between the weights and toys four hour ride, i feel like Im killing myself.

Week 50 Training Log

A fairly steady start back into training with some light weights work in the gym Monday morning, just to get the muscles used to bearing load again. Some squats, leg raises and calf raises all using weights that I was using a few months ago. Home for about an hour then off on the bike for a short fast spin, nothing too strenuous, just get the heart racing and the blood pumping. Tuesday I felt like raising the game a little. I had a one hour run scheduled, but at a fairly easy pace, probably about the ten minute mile mark, but I was feeling quite good on Tuesday morning after Mondays warm up. So I set off at the start of the run a quite a good pace, not so that I would blow or kill myself but faster than I would have otherwise gone. I felt fine, I was sweating a lot and I was blowing quite hard but other than that I felt comfortable. The last four- five minutes of the first half hour were very slightly up hill, you might call it a false flat, but when your running it, you know it isn’t flat. This caused the sweat to pour even more and the blowing to get harder but still I didn’t slow. I was beginning to feel the fatigue in the legs from the marathon. I reached the half hour point and rested for a short while. I don’t think I’ve gone that hard on a run of half an hour for a very long time, if ever. I set off back knowing that it was now a kind of down hill false flat and I opened up the stride and worked on keeping the pace fairly high and appearing strong. I think I managed that. In the afternoon it was back on the bike for some strength and speed work. Similar to Monday, but with more emphasis on strength. I went everywhere in a big gear and ground my way up the hills. When the road flattened out, I put it in as high a gear as I could and time trialled over the aero bars. Now, Wednesday was frustrating. Between now and four weeks prior to the Ironman I need to work on leg strength, even more than I have done before. Now our local sports centre / gym open’s at 7am and my wife doesn’t leave for work until about 8:10. so I have an hour open to me in the mornings to go to the gym and work on leg strength and still be able to get back before she goes to work, brilliant. I even recall seeing on the gym wall a poster that was full from top to bottom with peoples names. The poster was asking if anyone would be interested in the gym opening half an hour early at 6:30. It said, write your name below if you are interested. As I said, the poster was full. People had even started going up the side of the poster just to get their names on. I thought to myself, if they have started this early bird opening it could be quite busy, so I prepared myself for a little disappointment, and thought I may not get access to as much equipment as I might like. I only wanted an hour so I left at 6:55. Like I said, I didn’t know if they had started the 6:30 starts yet. I arrived in the car park and I was only one of three cars in it. Usually the blue rinse swim crowd are here at this time, making sure they have their lane space and a few other gym users, but nothing, no queue, only a few staff milling about inside. I got out the car and and waited outside the centre door for it to open at 7. Sure enough, at 7.o.clock one of the life guards opened the door to me and said. “You do know we don’t open until half past seven don’t you”. What the chuffing hell!!!!...........From seven, to a possible half past six to a complete U turn to seven chuffing thirty!!! Arrggghhh. When and how did this happen. By seven o.clock the day was ruined, I was already mad. I went home, grabbed the dog and took him up the field where I did half an hour of run drills. By the time I returned home I had cooled down a little and myself some breakfast and a coffee. Once the kids were safely delivered to school I took off on the bike for a fairly up tempo 3 hour ride. In fact it was that up tempo that a ride the usually takes three hours, only took two and three quarters. Brill. Thursday I was helping out with the kids school but I managed to fit in a forty five minute swim. It’s always nice to get back into the water after time out of it. It’s funny, the water has become a kind of safe friend to me, I feel calm in the water and I know I can’t get hurt. I know that It’s only my mind and concentration that will make me stop. Physically I know that if I’m swimming efficiently, I can swim all day, but you do get bored. Friday and it was back to the gym ( after nine o.clock) for some more weights. A little heavier this time, just a step up. Same exercises but slightly more weight. Then it was off to the beach with Paddy ( the dog) and some work on the sand dunes. Unfortunately I hadn’t left a lot of energy in my legs from the gym and I really struggled to pull myself over the dunes of Freshwater West. I managed four lengths of the beach and once over the dunes and that was hard going. A busy weekend with work so I’ll wrap this week up at 10.15 moderately steady hours. Oooohh the next few weeks are gonna hurt.

Week 49 Training Log

Week 49 was always intended to be a bit of a rest / recovery week, but this has been ridiculous. There's no doubt that over the last year I have become incredibly fit compared to recent years. I think last weekend has proven that. As I have spoken about in previous logs, my powers of recovery are amazing. I mean, a whole marathon the day after a 112 mile ride. That was the stuff of dreams twelve months ago. When you look at these incredible people that complete consecutive marathons like seven in a row it does go to show that anything is possible if you try hard enough. The down side to this level of fitness revolves around the immune system. If you remember, the week leading up to the long weekend I adopted a bit of a cold. A real nuisance considering what lay ahead, but it was just a sniffle, nothing too serious. At each stage of the Long course weekend I new the cold was there, but it didn’t really effect my performance, as far as I’m aware anyway. It seems now though that the cold was just waiting in the wings to pounce, waiting until I’d finished the Swim, the ride and marathon. Waiting until my immune system was at its lowest point. The cold then put on a pair of Dr Martin boots and kicked the crap out of me. So during week 49, I have done nothing except blow my nose and drink hot lemon. On the plus side, the time has given me a chance to reflect. I’ve looked back at the course and seen where I can make improvements for September, I’ve noted mistakes I’ve made on the ride and I know that I can resolve them and I’ve worked out the outline of the training programme that will get me up to four weeks before the Ironman. This programme gives me the increase in cycling that is so desperately needed, strength work in particular. It also gives me the increases in running distance and again leg strength. In the marathon just gone I don’t feel there were any problems, after all it was my first marathon and it was a particularly tough course. In my mind the only thing to improve on is the time, although saying that, if I can pull out a 4:30 marathon on Ironman day I’ll be fairly happy. Throughout the marathon and even at the end I felt aerobically good . I didn’t struggle in that sense at all. I took the marathon at a fairly relaxed pace and even walked the hills and feed stations. This was because I didn’t want to lose the use of my legs half way round. I kind of knew that the legs would give before I became exhausted. So I need to spend the time available working on my leg strength and muscular endurance so that I can run more and walk less, therefore bringing down the time. The same applies to the bike leg where I’m looking to take off a good 45 minutes from my time but still not be exhausted. It’s going to be a tough call. Looking at the weather outside, it’s not great, it’s a pretty good week to stuck in not training. I’ll have to get back to it Monday regardless, I’ve built in a warm up week before I hit the high volume and intensity stuff, the warm up must start Monday if I’m to make my targets before the four week taper in the middle of August. I’m looking forward to the Triathlon club Coastal triathlon on the 7th July in Broad Haven, Olympic distance so it’s a 1500mt swim 40 K ride and a 10 K run. The tempo is going to be fast so I’m bound to get swept along and it should make for a good aerobic training session. Rather annoyingly for my family, partly due to frustration, I have spent parts of this weekend saying “This time last week I was…..” or “I’d just be coming in for the second loop about now.” I’ve been getting a lot of rolled eyes, and quite rightly so. Like I said I’m just frustrated and need to get back out there. It reminds me of that great Andy Williams song…Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows……….. Apologies to my family, and well done Laurie on a magnificent run yesterday, that looked like a great come back from the halfway point. Very well done mate.

Week 48 training log & Long course weekend

The Swim. So, this was the week of the Long course weekend. 3.8 K swim, 112 mile Bike ride and a marathon all over three days. You can read about Monday to Thursday on my 3,2 and 1 one days to go blogs. Friday came around all to fast and in the morning there were still no nerves. past lunch time, nothing. Then around 3 o,clock it hit me. I've never before felt such a change from no nerves to bricking. 4.30 I set off to Tenby to register for the whole weekend and I think I was actually shaking in the car on the way. I arrived at the Expo to register and went straight upstairs. There was a big queue for the swim registration but a very short queue of about 5 for the long course. Let me explain. You can if you wish just do one or two of the three events throughout the weekend, or if your insane you can sign up for all three and try to complete them within a given time.I went for the second one. There was a lot of nervouse tention near the start of the swim and it was suggested that the organisers had shortend the swim from 3800 mts to just 2000 mts. This was a little disappointing. I was confident for the swim after Mondays triumph and really wanted to post a 3800 mtr time, but there we are. We all filed down to the water after the race briefing that nobody could hear and entered the sea for a warm up. There must have been nearly 1000 people all warming up in the same small patch of sea, it was going to be an interesting start. By now the nerves had actually gone and I was really looking forward to getting started. Hang back to left I kept telling myself but when the horn goes for the start you get so cought up in the moment that you foget all your plans and i found myself near the middle and running at the sea. A huge squash occured as we all trid to squeeze round the first bouy, I took a few body blows but nothing serious and I expect I gave a few as well, I really have no idea. My swimming was steady and not rushed, just how I had prcticed it. Things began to thin out as we reached the second bouy and I found myself with a good bit of space to swim in. Around two more bouys and it was out of the water for the first lap in a time of about 15 minutes, over the timing matt and back into the water fort he second lap, There was far more space now and I ws really begining to settle into a good rhythm. Again a few body blows from people who wern't looking where they were going. Out of the water for the second time and up the ramp to the finish and collect the first of the Long course medals. All in all I was very pleased with my time of 33.10 and my performance in the water, bring on the ride tomorrow morning. The Ride. I only managed to get a bout four hours sleep on Friday night. All sorts of things going through my head about the swim and about the ride which was to follow, 112 miles of Pembrokeshire national parks ( Not short of a hill or two I can tel you). 8am and we were off. I think it was something like 1300 riders took part so there were lots of groups all over the roads for the first 20 miles or so. Thie riding seemed easy for the first 30 or so miles and I felt comfortable with my pace, not to fast not to slow. There was a five and a half hr first lap cut off so everyone was keen to finish that first lap within that time. I knew that I would make that time quite easily, I just wanted to make sure that I made it. As a result I completed the first lap in about four hours fifteen minutes which really was a bit to fast knowing that i had a second loop to go. The course was made up of two loops, one of 71 miles and another of 41. The 41 mile loop was a repeat of the last 41 mile of the first loop. It just so happened that it was also the part with all the hills in it. The second loop is where all the drama and pain started. Unlike the first there were no groups of riders to shelter from the wind behind, I was out there on my own and the fact that I had completed the first loop a little too fast was catching up on me. The run down into Lamphey wasn't to bad so I tried to rest a little and take it easy and try to let the legs recover. By mile 90 I had had it, there was nothing left to give and I still hadthe biggest hills to go. The thought of tomorrows marathon was playing on my mind as well and moral was very low. Over the last couple of miles I had noticed someone catching me up. It took him a long time so I don't think he was feeling much better than I was. Eventualy he cought me and we rode the rest of the rout together. What a difference that made, just having someone to talk to and take your mind off the task at hand. Our pace didn't quicken by the time didn't drag so much and moral was a lot higher. As we rode on we passed other cyclists with equaly low moral. Finally we reached the bottom of the biggest climb on the course and dared each other not to get off and walk. We finaly arived back in Tenby after approximatly 7:45:00. That's one bike ride that I was glad to finish. That second loop just wasn't nice and it's the same course for Ironman so I've got some serious bike training to do. After getting back home I took a cold bath to recharge the muscles and My wife( Joanne) gave be a leg massage. Lots of veg and chicken for tea and the last of my potato soup, thank god. Had a much better nights sleep after the ride whioch was a good start for the marathon the next day. The Marathon. Fortunatly when I woke up Sunday morning my legs didn't feel anything like as bad as they did when I went to bed. They felt very tired and if at any other time I had a training run scheduled for that morning, I would have canceled it. That wasn't an option for this morning, because this morning I had to run a marathon as the final part of the long weekend, and providing I ran that marathon within the six hour cut off time I would get the Long course medal, which is what it's all been about. Not to get that medal now would be like missing the time cut off of Ironman by less than a minute. I have never done a mrathon before, the furthest I have run is 16 miles and some say that's roughly where you find the illusive wall. I sttod there on the start line knowing that all I have to do is get back within six hours, surly I had it in my legs to run half of it and walk the rest and still come in in time. My plan was to take it real slow, about 10-11 minute miles and walk through the feed stations. This is the plan that I had worked with during training. I decided to add a little more to the plan, walk the hills and run the flats. I felt I stood more chance of finishing without injury this way. We were off and Tenby was buzzing, there were people everywhere, kids sticking thier hands out for high fives, It would have been easy to go out like a bullet, but I stayed very controlled and tried not to be fazed by all the runners passing me, instead saying "I'll see you later" a bit cocky i know but I've read so much about these kind of starts. Oner lap of Tenby and it was out into the country for one of the most brutal marathon causes in the country. We came to the first hill at about 3 miles and I instantly put my plan into action and walked, more runners passed. Local knowledge can get you a long way on a route like this. I knew exactly where the hills where and how long and what was around the next corner. As these runners passed I watched them as they came to a sharp right hand bend and then almost every one of them stopped and walked as they saw the incline ahead. It was at this point that I found myself a running buddy. He was from East London and was more than happy to share my plan if it was going to get him home within the cut off. We ran the first half of the marathon in 2 hours and the time just flew by, we chatted about work and other stuff but not the run. By mile 16 he was struggling to stay with me even though I was slowing a little to help him catch up. Eventually the gap between us was to big for me to slow any more and I pressed on alone. There was no sign of the 16 mile wall so I assumed it must be waiting for me somewhere else, perhaps mile 20 I thought, I don't know why I thought 20, I was just thinking of any old rubbish to keep my mind occupied. 20 came and went, 21, 22, still nothing, 4 miles to go and apart from some achey legs I was still feeling fairly fresh, aerobicly I felt brilliant. Still walking the hills I was making pretty good time for my first marathon, and now I was doing all the passing. Peolple walking on the flats because they went out to fast, people limping, laying in gate ways, I was passing them all now. 23, 24, only two miles to go and all the hills were done, WOW, this is it. At this point I had been ruynning for about 4 hrs 15 minutes. My daughter and niece met me with one mile to go which lifted me even more. Onwards, onwards, onwards, one leg in front of the other, come on lets go. around 200 mts to go and I put my foot down, gotta finish strong, into the finish shoot to the crouds and family waiting for me, high fives as I passed. across the line in 4:35. Fantastic and still didn't feel like I had run a marathon, couldn't have done it any faster. I can only atribute this feeling to the many hrs of endurance training that I have done over the last 47 weeks. It works. bring on Ironman 2012. Overall a fantastic weekend from which I met some fantastic people and will take some equaly fantastic memories, I can't wait to do it again next year. It's going to be a fairly restfull week ahead but I don't want to sit around for long. What this weekend has shown me is that There is still a lot of work to be done in preperation for Ironman. After the ride on Saturday I sat in my car and said to myself "Right, go and run a marathon now." I think I swore at myself then. but that's exactly what I'm going to have to do in three months time.

1 Day to go

1 day to go and I'm still full of cold, the throat is a lot better, it's all in my nose now. Great for breathing. Checked out the weather for the weekend and it aint great. Rain and wind for the swim, not that the rain is an issue for the swim, it's not like I'm going to get wet is it? Saturday for the ride doesn't look to bad, dry until about 4pm and a bit gusty. Should be finished by 4 o,clock, fingers crossed. Sunday looks like I might be better off in a canoe, rain all day, at least it will be nice and cool. The wind suggests that it may be against us on the way to Pembroke and behind on the way back to Tenby, which is good as that's when I'm going to need it behind me. I'll check the weather again today in the hope that there is some change. Made my potato soup and it tastes.......ok. It's all about the carbohydrates at the end of the day. I put some extra sea salt in it to compensate for loss over the weekend. I've now got some home made energy bars in the oven for Saturday. I have to remember that on the ride Saturday I have to be fueling for Sunday. Well this it it friends, Although I walk through the valley of the shadow.....etc Hopefully I'll be intouch after the weekend with a full race report, and some very stiff legs. Over and out.

2 Days to go

Only 2 days to go and the nerves still haven't kicked in. I have no doubt that they will, probably about 6pm on Friday while I'm standing on the beach in a wetsuit. Managed to pick up some sort of bug from Monday's sea swim and now have a slight cold and sore throat. Slepped better last night than the night before though. Eating really well this week with lots of veg and fruit to increase the carb load, I'm making some potato and Leek soup this afternoon for that extra carbohydrate boost towards the end of the week. Along with more fruit, chicken and pasta I'll be just about as ready as I can be. I have Yoga later on this morning, so I'm looking forward to nice big streatch out.

Taper week. Day 2

Tuesday morning, and only three days to go untill the start of the long weekend. Yesterday evening I went along to a group sea swim session with the Pembrokeshire Triathlon club. 30 of us took part in the 1500 mt sea swim. I stood near the back as I had no idea of anyone elses abilities against my own. We set off and before even a few metres I was passing one, then two, then three, four swimmers. I tried to slipstream the guy in front of me but found myself slowing down. I moved out and passed him. On looking up I realised that the next person was one of the safty guys out front pace making. This felt great, I was actually in front, I'd passed everyone without any kind of a struggle. I settled into a steady rhythm and maintained my distance from the safty man. We got to the second bouy and we waited for a few others to catch up. It all felt really comfortable and it was obvious that the pool and sea training had paid off big time. I came out of the water in 29 minutes. which I'm really pleased about. Only 3800 mts to do Friday!!! That course will be two laps of 1900 mts and there is a time limit of 1 hour for each lap, so I should be able to take it steady and still come in in good time. This morning I was out on the bike at 7 am for a short 1.30 hr ride. pretty misserable morning. Forgot to mention in my last blog, but I achieved something on my ride last Monday. Now I'm not saying it's big or clever and I'm not even claiming to be proud of it, but, I hit 50.8 mph on the bike last Monday, down hill obviously. Quite a feet I thought, although I'm not proud. well......

Week 47 training Log

Really busy week this week with work, so it'll have to be a quick blog this week. Big ride Monday. Two 10K runs on Tuesday, one in the morning and one in the evening. Another big ride on Wednesday. This led to over training and I couldn't sleep on Wednesday night. Not the first time this has happened but at least I'm able to recognise the symptons. A wise rest day on Thursday and a masters swim session on Friday evening. A half marathon on Saturday afternoon in 1.40. Then work all day Sunday. Next week is a taper week in preparation for the long weekend starting Friday. Next weeks blog will also include a 3 day countdown to Friday's 2.5 mile swim.