The highs and the lows

Part one. early evening.

I am not sure if there is a link to the training but I am find myself experiencing some real lows. I am guessing this is in part to the time commitment especially during the weekends, the early starts etc. It almost seems too obvious to say that preparation for the event taxes not only the physical but the mental. I sometimes wonder if it would be more resilient to call it a day and face the disappointment rather than to continue. I expected at this stage to feel proud and elated at the ability to run for a couple hours without too much trouble, to be able to swim 3k and to be able to cycle for over 5 hours. To wander round feeling fitter and healthier than ever before. At the moment I don't. Maybe because the transition has been so gradual I haven't noticed improvement in the way I am feeling. Or maybe I don't actually feel any better than I did 2 years ago before I started running etc. Who knows maybe after training this evening I will feel a whole lot better.
Part two late evening.
This evening I decided to change things a bit a spend an hour on the rollers watching a dvd.  It was the 2005 Hawaii Ironman and focussed on the athletes who had a special story as well as the winners . Seeing all of those people struggling across the line, those with physical challenges, the happy the not so happy I found very moving.  I was sitting there on the bike, covered in sweat with tears streaming down my face.

I was quite relieved to step outside for the run which altogether felt like a brighter sunnier place, eventhough it was getting dark. 30 minute run, nothing to report. 

Different water same stroke

Last night I had an awayday with my fellow consultants and so was able to get a swim in at the nearest lake. It felt quite weird swimming around a weedy 450 course in unfamiliar surroundings. My goal was not to get lapped by Ade which I achieved until the last lake when he caught me up using backtroke. Then home this evening for a 90 minute run. Steady with nothing to report.

Another recovery day

As I reflect back on last week I am dissapointed that I am a few hours down on the target. However, I was missing 2 hours from the swim and 45 mins short of a biking, which to be honest I am not that concerned about. My swim times are very consistent and I dont believe that I will be shaving any time off them before 1st August. This of course may prove to be a mistake (as I stagger out of the water in Bolton unable to make it onto the bike). My principle concern is getting in the long bikes and runs.



28th June

A long day in the saddle... then a blow up on the run

Out early again and met up with Jamie, we then headed off toward Cookham to meet up with Ade and headed into some breathtaking countryside. After a 90 minute circuit from Marlow we headed back towards home. Altogether 5 hours and 30 minutes and I was absolutely knackered. After parking up the bike I headed out for a 60 minute run. The first 25 minutes was fine, then all of a sudden I felt awful. All of my energy went, my legs went heavy and I found myself having to walk/run. Fortunately I had money with me and was able to buy a Powerade. It took a while but by alternating walking and running my energy seemed to return and the final 20 minutes was back to normal. When I think about it the 30 degree heat, the long run the day before, a short nights sleep all didn't help. However, the big lesson was that I don't think that I fuelled properly. Although I was using the powders, energy blocks I don't think it was enough. I really need to get this sorted out, but I cant seem to get used to the shere volume that I need to consume.        

The long run....with plenty of preparation....and some disscomfort

Today I wanted to have a clear day to prepare for Ollie's birthday  party at our house in the evening and so I was up and out  at 5am. Having prepared my carb and water bottles the night before I set them at the end of the drive so that I could simply pick one up as I did a figure of eight to pass the house. The morning  air was cool but I could tell is was going to be a hot day as I set out at a steady pace. Being careful not to go too quickly and jump start my heart rate. Legs behaved themselves and the previous ankle troubles didn't materialise. It was a good run and although not fast, I was happy with the 16.75 miles I completed in the 2hr 37mins. This feels within striking distance of the marathon. The only issue was that by the time I had finished I was walking like John Wayne. A bit more TLC, me thinks.   

A simple day of biking

It was a day in the office today and so I rode to and from work. 2:15 altogether for the day. No swim today, so its going to be a challenge to get both the missed swims from this week in before the end of the week.

A waste of an early morning

I couldn't believe the coincidence that I was going to be working within a few miles of a swimming lake. So at 5:30 I was out of my hotel room padding down the corridors in my wetsuit, through all of the travellers checking out of the hotel. I made my way to the lake and waited outside the locked gate at the entrance. Six o'clock came and went and after15 minutes I realised that something was wrong and that the lake wasn't going to open. I think I had the wrong day, silly bugger.However, during the day I had managed to pick up some powders for carbs, protein and electrolyte plus a couple of energy bars and some short blocs, over the next few days I am going to give them a try. I headed out this evening for a 90 minute run, no real drama, just a slow and steady run in the evening sunshine. Bit of the recurring stomach ache but nothing too dramatic

Clarifying my goal

A long day ahead with a client today that is planned to go well into the evening and so an early start at 5:45am for a 60 minute run. Another glorious morning and the run felt good. Nothing flash or fast, workmanlike hour covering just over 6 miles. I am wondering what my pace will be in the Ironman. Sub 10 minute miles would do the job very nicely and should land a sub 13hr for the total event as follows:

Swim 1hr10 mins

Trans 1 5 mins

Bike 7:00 hrs

Trans 2 5 mins

Run 4hrs 35mins

Total 12hrs 55 mins

So this is the goal .Maybe its naïve but it feels reachable and motivating.

Some perspective

A beautiful day today and a chance for an early swim in the lake. Standard 3k, no drama just steady. Then into the office and a very valuable conversation with Matt. I shared my concerns over speed and tiredness and the feelings of apprehension over the long rides. He was great, shared some of his experience from when he did it. Afterwards I felt more calm about the whole thing. I feel very lucky that I have people to talk to about all of this. This evening a steady 65 minutes on the bike followed by a quick change of shoes then into a 30 minute run. The evening was warm with a bright low sun casting definite shadows. The run felt great, relaxed and steady.   

Three weeks of hard work to go

So I have three weeks to go until the taper begins. That means three more long bike rides, and three long runs as well as the other swims, bikes and runs that will make up the weeks training. Three weeks to nurse the aches and pains etc until things ease off in the calm before the big event. All of a sudden the end is feeling very close and I am feeling a more worried than excited. The worry comes from the speed of my recent bike and run sessions and my concern over the various aches and pains. So as I was doing the washing up I thought it would be a good idea to identify specifically what is worrying me and then rank them in terms of how worried I am about them and then a possible course of action

1. The pain in my right ankle will get worse which will mean that I cant run.
• Keep stretching, taking the anti-inflammatories get a massage 
2. That I will not manage to get the long rides in
• Speak to the family and plan them in now
3. I will manage the bike and run and then simply run out of energy and be ashamed of my time
• Get over it, finishing will be a great achievement
4. I wont get enough sleep
• Make a rule of 10:30 to be at least 3 times a week, create a sleep haven in the spare room.
5. My nutrition will undermine the effort I am putting in.
• Get on line now and look up 3 websites that offer advise of Ironman nutrition

Feeling a bit better now I have gotten that all of my chest!!

Not quite so worried

I am getting complaints...and the mind games!!!!!!!!

I had not been looking forward to today's bike ride. I am not sure why. I think it might be that recently my body has been complaining a fair amount. Especially my ankles and for the first time I have taken anti-inflammatories. I woke up tired and dragged myself onto the bike. Before setting out I had decided not to push the pace too hard, I wanted to keep myself fresh for the final hour and to be able to do justice to the run. The day was pretty blustery  and I found myself battling to keep a reasonable pace and finally completed the 5 hours having covered around 77 miles. Not great. When I arrived home I had the intention of parking the bike, a quick change and then at the very least a 30 minute run. However, as I walked in my son Ollie presented me with a fathers day gift and card and my resolve melted. I needed to prove that I could run after the 5 hours and so I did a quick 20 minutes (and even that was tough) and called it a day. Overall I just feel very tired and achy. I am finding the mind games tougher than I expected. To keep focused for such long training periods  I suppose it is only to be expected. I am going to review my training and especially what supports I have in place to cope with the demands. A good opportunity tomorrow on my recovery day.   

Good swim....bad run

Up early and into the lake for 3.750km swim which I completed in 1hr 7m which I pretty pleased with. That is more than I can say for the run. It was a real nightmare,  slow pace and then after 90 minutes some severe gastric pain! I managed to last the full 2:15 mins but only completed around 14.5 miles which is a bit pathetic really. I am not sure why my performance was so poor, maybe not enough sleep, poor fuelling, wore myself out in the lake,  a long week I can only guess. 

Bike to work for a cheeky bit of "Time efficient training"

Bit of a damp start to the day but no matter, hopped onto the bike and raced into work. 2 miles and I am guessing about 1hr 17 mins, felt good. Resisted the temptation to run at lunchtime the biked to Windsor to see my mum, then to my sister-in-laws to watch the footy. (Think I performed better today than England did against Algeria). So all in all a couple of hours that contribute nicely and no one else inconvenienced. Just the ticket.  

Swim....Run...turning the handle....high heart rate????

Working from home today and so down to the lake for 6am for a pretty standard 3k, nothing out of the ordinary except that I foudn the swim harde than usual. Then this evening out for an early run 90 minutes and a reasonable pace, however the issue was that my heart rate stayed at over 150 all of the way round. Not matter what I did it sayed there. One theory could be that the pollen is very high today and so a bit of hay fever is affecting my breathing! I really dont understand

A simple day

A simple day today, 60 minutes on the bike quick change into a 30 minute run, a workmanlike session with nothing really to report. Ankles still achy today and I am starting to get a little worried. This week is a stretching week for running and so I should have a better idea following the run tomorrow.

Back on track

It was a bit of a struggle to get out of bed this morning to get to the lake. However, I made it and was in the water just after 6am. A strong low sun made the spotting of the buoys very tricky. As I headed out on the 1k course I struggled to spot the furthest buoy which I though must have been hidden in the deep shadows. Wrong, it wasn’t there, having wasted a couple of minutes looking around I headed back and resolved to use the more user friendly 750m course. Excellent, soon I was into a rhythm and I carried on for 3 laps. Total 3250m in 1hr 1 m, this felt great. Part two of today was a 75 minute run. I am concerned about my legs, various aches, specifically in my ankles. I managed the run ok but if I am to get through the next few weeks, when the running intensifies, I am going to have to take a great deal of care. Stretching and massage I guess will help, I am also wondering about running around in our pool or maybe trying some of the runs on grass so that the impact isn’t so great. Regarding my motivation, having a good training day has a real impact on my motivation and upon reflection if I was to stop now it would half a job.

Since I started the specific training for this event in January I have completed 236.5 hours of training. That is 66% of the total hours required and if I make all of the sessions between now and August I will have completed 96% of the programme which I think will be quite an achievement and will be a great psychological support during the event. Let’s face it no one said this was going to be easy, otherwise it wouldn’t be called an Ironman.

Some doubts

I guess it was inevitable that at some stage I would begin to ask myself why carry on...After the weekends Olympic and the previous half iron I feel that I have achieved a great deal over the past 12 months. More physical activity than I would have ever imagined. 3 half marathons, a half iron, a couple of sprint triathlons, an Olympic and a 10k, plus all of the training. The thought of maintaining this level of activity for the next 7 weeks is daunting. I could feel satisfied with what I have achieved and continue the summer finding some more Olympics and sprints. Hmm food for thought 

A nice day out in Windsor

Olympic triathlon today in Windsor. A great day!! My goal had been to complete in around 2:45 and finish in the top half of the field. The swim was the usual carnage, goggles knocked off again. However, as the field spread it because easier and I was reasonably pleased with my time. Into transition all was good. I was positioned on the end of the row which made finding the bike etc very easy. The bike ride was a dream. Unfortunately my speedo wasn’t working properly and so I was unsure as to how fast I was going. However, I knew that I was going to break the 1:20 that I had done previously. I ended up 1:15:58. Into transition was embarrassing, as I tried to dismount my left cleat jammed and I couldn’t get my foot out ending up falling over. After picking myself up, I headed into transition and came out for the run. This was a very friendly course with a climb up a short hill then a couple of loops forming one lap. Three laps in all. This was made all more enjoyable by a troop of supporters. Ade and Liz with the tiddlers, Austin yelling support and Jennie Aimee and Ollie to complete the perfect support team. It really lifted me and I am sure helped me no end to finish under in 2:37:59. Fantastic. After a bit of a cool down I felt fresh, making me really appreciate the hard work up to now.

Feeling nervous

Tomorrow is the Windsor Olympic distance so today was a day of prep and registration. Cleaned the bike and did 25 minutes on the rollers. fell off and really wacked my shin!!!! Ouch, good prep for tomorrow. Drove to Windsor and registered, delighted with my number 999, easy to remember where my bike is. Lane4 at the end. Feeling quite nervous. I know a few peolpe in the event tomorrow and so I guess I am concerned that I wont perform as well as I should or maybe they think I should. I realise that it is not healthy to be worrying abnout other peoples race. This is just another step on the road to ironman. So I will wear socks on the bike and run which will cost me on the transiation but will save blisters which may interfere with next weeks training. I will not take any risks for the same reson, keep my mind on the bigger goal. Just another training day, far shorter than I am used to so keep my head focus on one stage at a time.

A good day.....intervals with chums

I biked in to work today so a good start. 22.5 miles 1hr 17 mins. It felt good to getting out and about. At lunchtime we (Ade, Ollie Natalie and I) headed out for a run. Natalie put us through us some interval training: this comprised 10 minute warm up, then 10 x 1 minute at fast pace (sustainable over 10 intervals) followed by a 1 minute slow jog, then cool down jog. It felt like a real work out and good to be doing something different that will affect my overall speed. It also was great to have someone else hold onto the process and to just do what I was instructed. Towards the end of the day I cycled to meet up with the family at a carnival in Jennies old home town, a 45 minute ride which felt just about right. Big thanks to Natts, Ollie and Ade for making the training very enjoyable today.    

Crowded out by the Manatee

Today I intended to swim at lunchtime. All was going well as I had the pool to myself. Gradually things started to get a little crowded as more and more large and slightly older people climbed into the pool. I carried on swimming in my little part of the pool keeping my head down and not having eye contact with some of the people giving me filthy looks and grumbling about me. I had no choice but to ignore what they were saying as it was all in Swiss German. Eventually, they started to say things to my face as I turned. By now it was like swimming among a herd of Manatee. They were slowly drifting up and down with no real sense of purpose other than to take up space. No one was really moving, just sort of drifting, some on their back some on their fronts. Finally one mature lady said something like “Splashund nicht reichfarken” looking very angry and waving her arms. This was the final straw, I gave up and swam to the edge of the pool. Let them do their drifting if that makes them happy.

The energising effect of a dip in the pool

Felling pretty tired today and so tempted to take a recovery day but by the end of the working day I was keen to immerse my self in the pool. The intended 20 mins turned into an hour.  The swim was a combination of crawl with kicking followed by a length of breaststroke. Feeling fresh I then headed out for another turn around the lake with Jennifer. Easy pace, the run felt good. Once again I find myself wondering if I am doing enough?

Sunny in Zurich

Still in Zurich and so the gym for 45 minutes on a spinning bike followed by a 45 minute run around the local lake with Jennifer. The weather is beautiful. (I am kicking myself that I didn’t bring my wetsuit as the lake is ideal for swimming). It was good solid days training and a great pleasure to be running with someone else. One of the surprises to me over the past few months is that I expected things to be getting easier. I expected to be able to run for an hour and barely even notice it, but that is definitely not the case. It is still hard and every once in a while I remember school days and hating any form of exercise. Perhaps now I have just learned to manage the feeling, that I used to hate, to one that I now enjoy.

An active recovery day

Another uncertain week this week as I am away in Zurich till Thursday evening and I have Windsor Triathlon on Sunday. I want to do the triathlon for the fun of it but it will impact the training for the Ironman because it will make the long weekend ride difficult. However, I think the experience will be useful

Following on from last week I am determined to hit my running goals and I feel confident that I can do that. I started today with a 90 minute run which was fine. Rainy but not so hot as it has been.

Swim not run.....is there a problem?

Last night we had friends round for dinner and the subject of swimming came up as Gael is a keen swimmer but doesn’t like indoor pools so I told him about the lake. Without thinking too much more about it I agreed to meet him there for a swim the next morning. Now this would have been fine but I was actually scheduled for a long run and the way my day was planned there wasn’t going to be time to do both. So this morning I completed 3.75k in 1:06 which I was pleased with. However, I was struck by the ease at which I changed my plans to opt for the swim rather than run, when I really did need to do the run. Am I going off the boil? It is true that I had completed a bike and swim heavy weeks training and so completed more than my scheduled hours, but I was down on the run. It’s true that I find the run the most challenging element, so perhaps I need to give it extra focus over the next few weeks, priorities it over the bike and run.

Tough day in the sun

Up early for a bike ride in and around the Surrey Hills I am getting to relish the big climbs. I was due to be riding with Jamie but unfortunately he was unable to make it and so I was solo for the 4 hour session. The ride itself was fine but with the weather warming up the run was a challenge. A bit of a fault with the speedometer meant that I couldn't gauge mileage and speed but I would guess it was up. Eventually I completed 75 minutes on the run but the final hill meant a couple of short walks. I should have taken some water with me. I am going to have to figure out a hydration strategy for tomorrow if the weather is going to be hot again. This evening achy right glute is giving me some issues, I am hoping that a good nights sleep will sort it out. 

Another good day.

I biked to work this morning which was a great opportunity to get an extra session in without taking time out of the day. 1:13 mins,22.5 miles, then at lunchtime another 45 minute run. Feeling pretty tired and have to be cautious about overdoing it this week. Running miles are down but bike hours up. Need to redress the balance this weekend. This evening a visit to Janis for a massage finished the day nicely.

3 of my 2 a day

With the family away on holiday I was up very early and in the lake by 6 for a full 3k under a glorious blue sky. I felt as if I have earned these wonderful days after swimming in the lake in the rain in late April with the water at 11 degrees. Then off to work and after a full morning a run with Ollie and Isaac for 45 minutes. Not the full distance scheduled  but worth it for the company. Then this evening since I had the bike in the car, I decided to cycle home and then back in again tomorrow. This took 1:16 with an average of 17.5 mph. This is much quicker than I have done the same journey in the past. So all in all a good days training. 3 hrs 3 disciplines an early night then back on the bike again first thing tomorrow.       

The New Forset and a Wake up call

I set off early this morning for a 90 minute bike ride in the New Forest. The sun was just breaking through the early morning cloud and haze. It was great to be whizzing around the country lanes as the day started to warm up. Speed at around 16.7 mph. So steady but not fast.

When I made it back my attention turned to nutrition. I have a book on sports nutrition and I thought it might be useful to calculate how many calories etc I should be consuming a day and where they should be coming from.  I was surprised to learn that (if my calculations are correct) I should be taking in 4500 calories per day.  This is quite a shock when I consider that I cannot be eating that much and I wonder what effect it is having on my ability to train and perform. I need to give this some serious attention and look in to the powders and supplements etc that are available.

First 4k of the season

Into the lake this morning and just in time for 4 x 1k circuits. Completed the swim in about 1:15 and so I would guess a 3.8k of 1hr 10 mins. It was great to a get the full distance under my belt. I know that the popular knowledge suggests that intervals is the way to build speed but I think once in  while the rehearse the whole thing cant be bad.