Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon day...

The day of the race. A half marathon run 3 times around Silverstone. We arrived and parked up, my wife and her friend had both come to support and they both had the kids with them who were quite enthusiastic about watching the race. Its a fair walk in I noted to the race track from the car and though about that for the way back later with a bit of worry - but as it turned out later it probably was a blessing.

The family all went off to the grandstand to get a seat while I put on the iPod and chilled out to the sound of the Lost Prophets! Well - each to their own hey! I handed my bag into the bag station and headed for the start.

The starting area was organised into different race times - so at the front 1:15 all the way to the back at over 2:30. I stood on the 2:00 line with a bit of trepidation, knowing I had never managed such a distance on foot before and that the weather wasn't the type I preferred. I am a bit fan of running in the cold early morning when temperatures are sub 5 deg and you need to wear gloves. I love running in the snow. I generally love not overheating or cooking when I am running. Didn't get my wish today then! It was boiling, the sun was out for the full duration of the race and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a problem staying hydrated - and quite a few people suffered due to this.

The start was delayed by 15 mins due to congestion getting into the car-parks - I'm not really surprised with 10,000+ people coming and parking and none of the extra parking that they have at the gran prix. Still - it was pretty annoying at the start but everyone took it in their stride, although it did make for a few bumps later....

Its 12:15 and we are off. It starts slow, the number of people starting mean that where we are it starts as a gentle walk, however within 200m we are running. Already people are pushing past and this happened all the way around - mostly because those people arriving late had to start at the back or where they could essent ially get to on the start grid and many of them were pretty quick runners.

We head round the first lap and this seems to go really quickly, its the shortest of the three laps I think, but already my mouth is dry and I need extra fluid. Soon after we pass the start/finish line through the pits we head inward onto the inner track. This is the longer of the laps and it winds its way about the inner of silverstone, doubling back on itself numerous times. I became fairly disorientated at this time and couldn't reconcile where I was running with the map in my head. Still - I felt pretty strong and when at 9km we hit gravel rather than tarmac and then dirt I was pretty happy, however all too soon the 'off road' section ended and the hard black stuff returned.

We eventually headed out from this inner section and onto the outer ring. The track is substantially narrower here and when you get the faster people coming through they do tend to knock you a little more. By this tim e my head is sunburnt and I am so glad I am wearing my shades otherwise my eyes would be so sore.

I catch sight of the wife and kids as they wave as I head around the last loop of the outer circuit and onto the main circuit for the last lap. There is a water station here and its the last one, my wife tells me that she saw quite a few people struggling here dehydrated and asking where the next water station is. I had passed quite a few St Johns Ambulance people by now treating people for dehydration etc - and loads of people walking. I ca

nt blame them - it was roasting and fairly relentless.

6km to go. I can do this. One lap around the main circuit in the reverse of what we h

ave just done. I'm feeling pretty god at this stage and looking at my watch realise that if I put in a quick last 5km then I could be well under the 2:00 mark that I set myself. And so I look to up the pace a little. Th

e next 2km seem to take and age and I realise that there is no additional response from my legs. There are no more water or lucozade stations for this final 4km and my legs are like lead. Well - to be ho

nest - they have been like lead all the way around - they have been pretty unresponsive and heavy all the day - probably due to the stupid bike ride

yesterday - but there we go - no point in moaning about it.

Only 3km to go and I feel like I am going backwards. People are passing me now and loads of people are walking. Only pure stubborn determination prevents me from walking. I feel awful. This last 5km has just been amazingly difficult. I cannot

believe the difference between 15 and 20km - it is a gaping chasm that I am finding so difficult to get over. How the devil will my friends manage in the Paris and London Marathons - this wi

ll only be half way for them. My admiration for them goes up several notches.

I can see the finish line. There is 1km to go, and I am still plodding along. I want to sprint to the line in a blaze of glory, but my legs are stuck in the rhythm they have been doing for the last 3km and wont be budged from it. They would be happy to stop, but there is no way they can be convinced to go any faster what-so ever. I don't remember this bit being downhill on the first lap - but it is jolly well up hill on this last bi

t! Its only a few degrees - but it feels like I am climbing a mountain. My teeth are literally gritted, the breathing is no longer controlled but ragged and haphazard, I get the occasional stitch and my knees hurt

like hell.

Sheer bloody mindedness drags me over the line in 02:01:45. I'm outside my target time by nearly 2 minutes. Am I upset? Am I hell - I am over the bloody moon! Over that last 5km I simply didn't think I was going to finish - I thought that I would be one of the casualties in the St Johns Ambulance being fed glucose solution and with an ice pack - but no - I dragged myself through and am as happy as larry!

When I think about it - thats not su

ch a bad time given the hot day the sunburn and the silly ride yesterday. I am pretty pleased with it.

There were still people crossing the line an hour later as we headed for the car. Its these people actually who are amazing. They often do it for charity and haven't conditioned themselves at all but drag themselves around as they dont want to let down the kids with leukemia or the people in africa without water etc. My hat off to everyone who ran today whatever the reason.

Great day - but at this point I NEVER EVER EVER want to do another half marathon!

So - what is next? Well - in two weeks time we are in North Wales at the Mountain Bike Centre near Dollegau to ride the black trails and see how we do! A weekend of fun packed madness no doubt - and hopefully a lot more enjoyable that that 20km I just ran!

Day before the big race….

I got a little bored today! Its supposed to be a nice rest day when I lounge about and load up with carbs. But I got bored! I’m not very good at just sitting around these days and I seem to be conditioned to exercise at the weekend – so I decided to go for a small gentle bike ride. Ahh – what’s one of them?

It was very windy and I found myself hunched over the bars powering into the wind at 40kmh and realising that I was meant to be taking it easy. Oops – made a mess of that didn’t I?

An hour and 30km later with sore tired legs I returned home. I had really enjoyed the ride – but hours later now as I write this – my legs are burning and I know I’ve overdone it. So – load up with carbs and get ready for tomorrow – whatever happens it isn't going to be pretty!

Carb loading and no more beer!

I am beginning to get nervous now, not long to go and still hoping to break the 2 hour mark for the half marathon. Today and tomorrow are carb loading days I guess – and detox from alcohol etc. so not even a glass of wine for me tonight.

 

Breakfast was hash browns – somehow I convinced myself that they were good for me because of the carbs in potatoes! What the hell – they were lovely, and the bacon that went with them was even better! What a lovely treat….

 

I was hoping to get to bed early tonight – but unfortunately have to host a conference call at midnight tonight which kind of puts that idea out of the window – so hopefully I will get a bit of a lie in tomorrow. Probably not going to go swimming as I don’t want to pull anything or injure myself or use up any of the carbs that are being loaded!

 

Well – I should be ok – it’s a half marathon after all not the full thing – so I am fairly confident of finishing bar an injury – but at the end of the day – even though I keep telling myself that I am not competitive – I bloody well am and desperately want that 2 hour finishing time! Based on the runners world calculators I am borderline 2 hours – so here is hoping……

Did I enjoy that or not?

After yesterdays lovely run – I decided to get up early again (4am) and travel into the Capital to get to the office in time to have an early morning run along the Thames again before work. Great idea and I was really looking forward to it.

I set off from the office at 6:40 and headed down to the river, unlike yesterday it was overcast and quite a bit warmer. I think my hat and Helly Henson long sleeved top were probably overkill and I certainly started to overhead pretty quickly. Within 5 minutes my legs were aching and on top of this – unlike yesterday I was using my iPod and listening to music – so couldn’t hear the water. I absolutely hated this run until the last 5 mins – for some reason the endorphins kicked in at that point and I started enjoying it – probably as my legs had become numb and some hard rock came over the earphones.

I had a warm down on the treadmill for 5 mins followed by a good stretch – and went for a shower. What was odd was the thought process I went through afterwards – I found myself saying to myself that I really enjoyed that run, that it was a good run etc. I realised then that I was talking absolute rubbish! It was an awful run – I hated it. So what was my head doing? Is this some human trait to cover up and make you forget hardship? I consider myself a reasonably intelligent bloke – but was very surprised to be caught out by my own brain playing this kind of trick on me. Even now – although logically I know the run was awful – my feelings for it are warm and fuzzy. All very odd.

Well that’s all the running done now until the race on Sunday. Another 5km in 28min under the belt. Perhaps a light swim on Sunday – but apart from that the next run will be 22km round the Gran Prix circuit of Silverstone. Good luck to all those running in the same race – and if you see some fat bloke flat out in the gravel trap at the side – give him a kick and tell him that he’s nearly finished and to get a move on!

I have found a reason for running!

I found myself in the office at 6am this morning and decided that as I hadn’t managed a run yesterday evening as hoped that I should go for a decent one this morning. It was dark, but there was a light in the sky as the sun was coming up – so I headed down past Blackfriars to the river and decided to run along Victoria Embankment. I haven’t really run down here before and certainly not this early in the morning. It is amazingly peaceful, a few cars – although you block them out, a few joggers and a couple of cyclists. That’s it. And you can hear the river. There is something magical about the sound of moving water – even if it is the Thames! And then there was the light on the buildings. Sunrise is a magical time, but when you are out running and the sun comes up to hit the London skyline and Big Ben suddenly shines in a golden glow of early morning rich almost treacly light then I guess you realise that rather than being a chore as this running seems to have become – it is a pleasure, a rare treat no less to see these things and experience them with very few other people around you.

Ran down to Westminster Bridge, across it and then up the other side of the river passing under the still slow moving London Eye, eventually crossing again at Blackfriars Bridge and then back to the office. Great run – something like 5km I guess in about 30 mins. I have to say that I must come down one morning and do this again but a little further – I’d love to run all the way down to Vauxhall Bridge and back up Albert Embankment – that should be quite nice. I have walked the other way to Wapping before – and that could also be a nice run – but I think this way was probably better.

I was walking pas the Axe building on Warwick Lane next to the Old Bailey yesterday and was quite surprised to find privet hedge clippings littering the pavement. Obviously the top of this building has some form of topiary on it – and this is another thing that I guess running brings you – not hedges – but seeing things that you otherwise wouldn’t see. When I run to the office – I often take some random odd route taking some left that I have never been down before in order to lengthen the run. It is this very act that brings me face to face with a London that frankly I just otherwise wouldn’t see. I love discovering new places, new routes and new sights – and I guess this mornings sights alone have reminded me of why I do, at least when in the act, love running.

Tuesday training - loosing interest...

So – training today is limited – it’s a bloody horrible day outside – so I am hoping to get a run in this evening after work. Just going to be a small one today – I am probably taking this tapering week a bit far – but at the moment I am still sick of running and cannot wait for this half marathon to be over and done with. It is now beginning to take over home life a bit – I am moody, my son is annoyed as he misses his footy match at the weekend as the wife is coming to watch at Silverstone and my wife has frankly had enough of me moaning about not getting enough swimming in!

This has certainly put me off training for the London Marathon next year anyway. And I guess I know I am probably not IronMan material at the moment!

Bus driver training applicable elsewhere?

Yesterday I was reading a piece in The Times written by Matthew Parris, a writer I quite admire for his political commentary and dry whit, so I was surprised (although I am sure I shouldn’t be) to find that he had written about London Bus Driver Training. Not a small piece either, but a full page minus the obligatory cut price airline advert for the credit crunch age.

Matthew had not only boarded a bus for a day to see how the real drivers do it (pretty sure most of us do this every day) but also gone to Willesden to partake in a session on the Simulator operated by Transport for London. He emerged with what can only be described as a sense of wonder that bus drivers can manage the real thing after mounting the kerb, pinning a cyclist and generally forgetting to indicate.

I was thinking about this last night as I have ridden my bicycle in London a fair few times over the past 10 years and unfortunately been knocked off twice, once with reasonable injuries such as a dislocated shoulder, chipped bone and an altogether far too close shave down one side of my face! However none of the incidents I have been involved in were caused by busses and yet there is a large forum out there that blames bus drivers for many of the accidents involving cyclists in London and reading this piece I wondered if there was any truth in it given the difficulty that Matthew found controlling such a vehicle.

Oddly enough it turns out that busses are certainly not the main cause of fatal accidents involving cyclists in London, or perhaps this isn’t so surprising when you think that Transport for London has invested so much in the training of their drivers. They account for only 3% of these accidents according to studies performed by Camden Health Authority. Much larger that this is the stats for heavy goods vehicles. These account for over 58% of the fatal accidents in inner London according to the same study. Bendy busses don’t really even figure – although given the fact that a double decker is so hard to drive – I guess it can only be time until one of these figure in some form of side swipe injury.

Could it be therefore that HGV drivers could benefit from the same training that Bus Drivers in London get? Would a simulator help?

I am certainly not stating that all HGV drivers are rubbish or that they are ignorant of other traffic on the roads, neither am I saying that sometimes the cyclist is their own worst enemy, anyone stopping at the lights outside the old bailey at 8am will see tens of cyclists at a time sometimes jumping the lights or swerving to avoid a car or taxi that has right of way. All I am saying is that perhaps professional drivers could – as they spend far more time operating a deadly machine than the rest of us – benefit from some additional training such as those that are licensed to drive the public in the big red taxi’s in London? It might not of prevented my accidents in London – but then again – it might of, and who knows – it might swing those stats about a bit.

A rest day in hell....

Why is it that when it comes to my rest days – the sun is out?

The hell I refer to is a floor to ceiling window with a view of grass, trees and the pavement leading away from this office all dappled in spring sunlight with long lazy shadows describing changes in temperature and view that all together is one of the most galling views I can get. Why? Because today is a rest day and these perfect conditions cannot be taken advantage of.

Should one forgo the rest day in order to take advantage of such opportunities or should we be faithful to the training schedule and keep to the knowledge that the muscles need to repair and recharge after a weekend of exercise? Its less that seven days until the half marathon I know – but more importantly – how, post this race (if I can call it a race) should this be dealt with when the triathlon training is in full swing and the long distance running behind me for the moment?

I love running in good weather – as I am sure everyone does – but spring is just one of the best seasons when it is cold enough not to overheat but bright enough to don the sunglasses and feel alive. Should I take advantage of this feeling at the expense of my muscles? Perhaps I am not training enough in order for this to be an issue (although Monday and Tuesday this week felt different).

Personally I wish I had brought my running gear with me today, I would happily move the rest day to a rainy tomorrow and run today in fine sunshine in the knowledge that even if it is doing a little damage to my legs, its doing far more good to my head!

An evening ride

Evening. God I can't wait for the summer! It is pitch black and freezing cold outside, it's blowing a gale and for some reason the wife thinks it would be good for me to go out on the bike! Perhaps she is trying to claim on the insurance?! Anyhow, I fix the lights on the bike, pump up the tyres, put two layers of clothing on, a face mask and don my silver helmet (the wife says I look scary now!) and precede to step out the door with my trusty road bike.

The cold hits my arms straight away and I realise I am going to have to keep the effort up in order to stay warm. This isn't going to be a long ride....

The car drivers out this evening are a peculiar bunch in that they all seem surprised to see another road user, especially one that has the audacity not to have a petrol motor. The fail to indicate, rev their engines behind me, flash me, shout at me and generally behave in the way I have become accustomed to people behaving to others in this country after several pints of lager and a curry! What a terrible shame that the evening motorist is so intolerant. I wonder what causes these outbursts?

The lack of indicating I can put down to either laziness or just plain ignorance of the rules of the road, also a lack of understanding of how this effects a cyclist, having to slow down especially and then stand up out of the saddle to get going again, loosing an emense amount of speed and momentum etc.

The almost proactive bulling of cyclists however I cannot truly understand. Is this an knee jerk reaction by the motorist when he finds someone doing something that he feels guilty that he isnt? Someone making an effort to keep fit where he just piles on the pounds from the pies and ales? Probably not, but I would feel better if it were this simple. Could it be that there is an undercurrent in this society that simply doesnt like people who are different or cause them to divert from their predesposed route due to this difference?

My theory therefore is that motorists who dislike cyclists do so simply because they need to make the effort to go around them, and unlike a parked car, are doing something that they dont.

Anyway - hit a flipping pot hole on the way back and have probably damaged the bearings on my front wheel - making a bit of a strange sound now. That will be an expensive ride!

Wasnt far - just 15km in 30 mins - not too bad in the dark and on the undulating road. Max speed 41.4km/hr. Probably wont go out in the dark at night again for a while....

Racing the rowers!

We arrived at the gym with kids in tow to all do our individual exercises, Kerys went off swimming to do a 'quick' 2.5km in the pool (nutter), Cai and Nia went off to the kids area to run amok with the paint and I decided that a long run was in order.

I am reasonably worried about the half marathon next weekend, I've been having second thoughts, I don't want to run as much as I did and frankly I just cannot wait until I can go back to less running and more cycling. My knees are complaining from the constant pounding, and I think I've just run myself out. I know now that I am not a runner in essence - it is purely there at the end of the race that I have fallen for - not the major element but a part. It is an essential part certainly, but it is juxtaposed by two non impact elements in the ride and swim which allow the training for a triathlon to be much less injury prone and slightly easier on the knees etc. I have also noticed that I am not loosing any weight since I started concentrating on the running. This is a little odd - but I am pretty sure its the diet that I cannot be bothered to follow which is another indication that I am not enjoying my mainly running training.

Well - I still have the half marathon to get over - so I decided to run 10km today, so I set off on the route that I did last time I was at the gym but staying on the tarmac this time and not heading cross country. It was a pretty nice run down by the river and on the way out the rowers were out in their sculls, pulling along the river at a fair old rate of knots. I carried on past the man made kayak centre with its white water course carrying goodness knows how much rampantly flowing liquid per minute to the mass enjoyment of the rubber suited people in their plastic capsules. I carried on past the turnings I have made in the past and headed straight up the road towards Little Houghton. The road shortly began to wind up the hill and my heart rate began to raise while my pace decreased, but I felt fairly good. It was a fairly nice day and I was pretty cool, I wasn't overheating at all and my legs felt OK. This was a slow pace - but one I could maintain for quite some time.

Eventually I headed down a small lane that took me to the stables and then onto a public footpath that headed down a dirt track and back towards the white water centre. I knew at this point that 10km wasn't going to be the end of it - and by the time I hit the start of the river I was at nearly 11km, the furthest I had ever run. Starting along the river the boats were out again and in full flow. An eight squad glided past me - there was no way to keep up with that - but a pair came up alongside and I thought I might stand more of a chance. I increased my pace and they actually started to drop behind me a little, I expect they were taking it easy!

Getting back to the gym I had managed just under 15km in an hour and a half and my knees were pretty sore. Well - I still wanted a swim - so I also managed 750m in the pool in just under 20 mins and that felt pretty good - but I was absolutely starving afterwards. Early to bed tonight I expect for me now - and I expect to run very little this week to save my legs for the race at the weekend.... 

Am I just lazy?

I haven't run at all for the last two days. Again my legs are killing
me - or is it all in my head? There is little over a week left until
the half marathon at silverstone and I seem to almost be loosing
interest in the running. I am desperate to get back to triathlon
training and cut down on yherunning and this the injuries.

I think next season I'll need to be a little more careful about the
races I choose. I have probably overdone it a bit for my first season.

Still - I will try to get out for a run tomorrow.

Running too soon?

Is it possible that two days isn’t enough rest after a 10km race? I know that recovery time is important and that a race is more intense than a training run – but I thought two days would be enough. Still when I started to run today my calves and shins were so sore it was almost painful.

I managed 5km – but I am wondering seriously if I should have – and will probably rest tomorrow as well now or just do some upper body workout. They are still incredibly sore – and the front of the legs is almost shin splint type pain.

I think I need a nice massage! Fat chance of that!

You may have noticed the lack of a plan this week. Well – that is because I haven’t written one yet – and not sure that I will. I don’t want to push myself too hard – especially if I haven’t recovered from the race yet – and frankly it’s a week and a half until the half marathon – so any training is likely to be purely from a confidence level etc. With that in mind I am starting my taper week early – might get a long run in on Saturday.

I reviewed my race data from the Suunto watch yesterday and it may explain why I am finding it a long recovery – the watch tells you if you are over training etc – and you would expect a certain amount of this during a race right – but my stats pushed it right into the upper boundaries. So I was obviously determined around the course – but not as fit as I should have been in order to do that time.

Right – now does anyone have some painkillers?

No training today

A combination of a long day in the office and some legs that are
frankly still sore after the weekend means that I just cannot bring
myself to train today so am pulling another rest day.

My legs actually do feel pretty sore - I am a little surprised by that
but I did walk from the station yesterday quite quickly and again
today - so perhaps they simply aren't rested enough. It's amazing the
amount of time your body requires to recover when your age starts
increasing.

It's also very windy and wet so the prospect of a run when I get home
from work at 9pm tonight is frankly rather grusome. So, a run tomorrow
morning is the order of the day I should think and perhaps a bike ride
in the evening.

I am planning a nice long 12 to 15km run at the weekend- my only
problem with that is both time and boredom. I find that after 5km I
start getting bored and struggle to keep up the interest. Any ideas on
this front would be appreciated!

Overall series results

Well, the official results are in for the overall series of multi
terrain races run by Just Racing Uk. I came 10th overall in the vets
on points - so that's pretty good against all the people running 5, 10
and 15km, especially as there were a lot of good vets in the longer
distance.

I have to say that I am pretty happy with that. I would probably have
come inside the top 6 if I had stuck to the 5km however as my second
split time alone on the 10km would have got me inside the top 10 in
the standalone 5km race. But no regrets, I am really happy to have run
the 10km now as the next stop is 22 in just under two weeks time. The
big question is, what time should I go for on the half marathon?

It's a difficult issue when you haven't run that far before. Sub 2
hours is what my mind is telling me, especially as this is the first
time I will have run for that amount of time.

No doubt I will make a decision this weekend after my long run.

Here is to a good training week, blue skies and sunshine this morning
with an autumn feel. Makes you feel alive.

Sunday Race Day - 10km

Irchester and Race Day. 10km today - my first 10km race and I am nervous. This is the last in the multi-terrain series run by Just Racing UK. They have done a great job - running the last one in snow, but the weather for this one is just about perfect. No sun, cool, not raining but damn underfoot that will create plenty of mud for the run. Perfect.

The last two 5km races I started at the back of the pack and ended up running through a lot of slower runners - so this time I decided to go closer to the front. Big mistake! A larger turnout this time meant that there were a lot of runners a lot faster than me and I spent the first 20 mins being contently overtaken by faster runners. Its a little demoralising. But I managed to get behind someone running at a decent pace and stay with them for the rest of the first lap.

I must admit - when it came to half way I was wondering if I had made the right choice to step up to the 10km. I was pretty tired, I was well over my 5km pace and I was looking at a 59 min finish - the same as my best training run so far - so I was a little depressed. I picked up some water at the water station and took two sips. The difference this made was amazing. All of a sudden I felt much better and thought that I could increase my pace and low and behold I could.

The second 5km was so much better the first. No stuggling, but lots of heavy breathing and no following other runners. I decided with 2km to go to up my pace considerably and my HR started hitting 185 - my theoretical MAX! Oh well - its a race!

Onwards - I managed to maintain this pace for the whole of the rest of the race - which certainly surprised me - and the second 5km was completed in 23:34 - better than my 5km stand alone time previsouly of over 24 mins.

I finished in 51:47 which is certainly better than I had hoped for - but it also shows that if I run at a slightly higher pace through the first half of the race - I can probably better this time and get under 50 mins.

Great race - great race team - great day. Loved it. Half Marathon in 2 weeks - bring it on!

Saturday Swimming

Decided to just go for a normal swim on Saturday. 1.75km in 40 mins with a few drills in-between. Felt OK - tried not to use my legs too much as want to save them for the race tomorrow and my arms felt pretty good.

Concentrated on keeping my body flat in the water and on rotating, so making sure my right shoulder comes up out of the water when my left arm is out front. I hear this makes you quicker - and it certainly does seem to.

Long stokes today with glides - so not race pace - tried to make sure the technique is decent rather than the pace. Interestingly I am sure I am quicker with a slow stroke than I am with a fast one, just need to strengthen the shoulders and loose a stone!

Wednesday and Thursday, Sad Days...

It was a sad day on Wednesday with the passing of our beloved and much missed feline, Jasper. He will be missed by me and all the family as well as by his sister, Lucy who keeps waiting by the back door for him to arrive back. Sorry honey, its just you now…

No training on Wednesday.

Thursday

In order to clear my head I ran to work this morning – 5km in 29:10. Not much else to say today to be honest. Still fairly upset and un-talkative. Amazing how pets really get under your skin.

It's a grey overcast Tuesday and time for a run...

I got up this morning to find a cool, overcast morning facing me for my run. Still, at least it isn’t raining so I don’t need to carry the extra Gortex layer that annoys me so much. I do however need to carry trousers, shoes etc. as I forgot to leave them in the office yesterday – so it’s a heavy rucksack this morning. My wife has kindly made me sandwiches for lunch – and I just know that they will be squished flat by the time I get to the office – but hey – what can you do?

The train is late unusually – my service from Wellingborough to London is usually pretty prompt – and it runs on the slow line so we hit London even later. I don’t mind so much – but it means that the pavements will be busier and full of people smoking which you have to run through. I decide to take some back routes in order to avoid as many people as possible.

I’ve been reading Haruki Murakami’s book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” recently and there is a lovely chapter in it near the beginning that explores what the author thinks about when he is running. He explains that he often thinks of virtually nothing with ideas occasionally popping into his head, but he tries to think about very little, and when he does he often cannot remember what it was. Well – I thought about this today as I ran my 5km into the office and wondered what I thought about when I ran. I think this state of mind must be partially down to the individual, but also down to the environment. My mind covered various topics such as “Get out of the way”, “Don’t pull out now”, “Are you really going to just block the path like that?”, “Don’t just stop like that”, “Euch, you blew that smoke straight into my face” and my all time favourite, “Can I go faster than that cyclist!”. No void of the mind for me, just absolute garbage.

I wonder if the zen like state that Haruki discovers in his running is achievable by someone like me. Do I need to run more, longer, elsewhere, without disturbance etc? Who knows. But the important thing is – when I got to work this morning I had a bloomin big smile on my face and felt great.

5km, 32 mins carrying mental baggage and a big rucksack!

This Weeks Training Plan

Monday

Rest day

Tuesday

5km run. Steady pace.

Wednesday

20km bike.

Thursday

5km run. Slow, just for endurance.

Friday

20km bike if knee is ok.

Saturday

All afternoon swimming lesson from 12:30 until 17:30!!!

Sunday

10km running race cross country.

Monday and a day off

I need to combine two things this week that don't go together well. 1.
A week of less exercise in order to perform well on Sundays 10km and;
2. The additional milage I need to get under my belt for the half
marathon in less than 3 weeks.
Today is a rest day but I am really worried that the half marathon
will suffer. My max so far is 10km and it's a bit of a big jump to
21km so my concern is still that I won't make the distance. I am still
carrying a stone to much in weight and can't find the time to do the
extra milage.
How do people find time do do training for longer distances such as
the Ironman etc? A friend of mine who has no wife and kids and did one
last year said that he was training in excess of 20 hours per week.
How do you honestly fit this in? I am already getting up at 4 to 4:30
every day so I cannot get up earlier for a run! People that do these
long distances must make huge sacrafices in order to manage them and
my hat well and truly goes off to them.

I am in awe...

Sunday and a day off at the weekend...

I went on my bike last night as well - so completed a 20km hill ride in 38 mins with some pretty high HR numbers. And so - I woke up this morning and decided to take the day off training today as I wanted to be fit and healthy for work tomorrow - and I've had enough of not allowing myself to recover from illness properly.

So - an actual day of rest, on the day of rest! Brilliant. Its a taper week anyhow this week as next Sunday is a B category race, with the 10km off road race. I am pretty sure my knees still need resting - so I shall not complain about the extra rest.

Saturday and out of bed!

It is so great to be out of bed and feeling better. I was a little worried this morning - I had a couple of twinges in my stomach and thought that they would put pay to any training today - but by 11 they had gone and I thought I'd give it a go. And what a great day for a run! Bright sunshine and a cool breeze.

So I dropped the wife and kids at the gym and got changed into my outdoor running gear and headed off cross country. I love running on the footpaths - while it doesn't get your knees ready for the pounding they take on the road - its just so much more enjoyable. So I ran through all the mud, cow manure, waterlogged ground, clay and general much that turned up on the 'path' and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Its just such a welcome relief not to be in bed or the bathroom this afternoon!

It was a day for sunglasses as well - bright sunshine today enticing you to run further and further. The only thing that stopped me today was that the route I took came back to the gym! I had to take my trainers and socks off before entering the gym and they all looked at me quite quizzically - I didn't have the guts to tell them that my trainers were covered in silage! Still - at least I took them off (and put them in a plastic bag ASAP!). They are currently going round and around in the washing machine with my other silage covered clothing.

A quick swim after - only managed 500m - and I was done today. I think that's probably enough - don't want to overdo it on the first day back after illness. The rest of this week will probably be toned down as it is my first 10km race next weekend after swimming lessons on Saturday. The 10km is the end of the Irthlingborough series I have been racing in (the previous two 5km races) so I'd like to post a half decent time to get my points up and keep me on the first page of the race results which is where I am after 2 rounds.

Quite a decent time for 10km off road for an old guy today - 01:02:58. None too shabby - but hopefully can improve on it next weekend - I'd like to come in under an hour - but not sure how realistic it is after a whole day of swimming on the Saturday. We shall see....

Further rest

I'm a bit sick of being sick to be frank! This is the second day in bed and I have only managed to get out of bed a few times. I'm taking extra iron etc now, but I'm not eating a great deal - although I'm at least not being sick today.

I'm soooo bored, but absolutely knackered - so am even struggling to watch TV. I just want to close my eyes and snooze.

I am really hoping that by tomorrow my stomach will be feeling good enough to get a run in or something - I really need to do something.

Perhaps I should start taking vitamins etc as I seem to get ill at the drop of a hat at the moment. Probably because I am extra tired due to both work and training.

Anyway - more tomorrow - back to sleep now.

Thursday in bed

I've spent all day either in bed or visiting the bathroom - so I'm completely knackered and unable to train. My boss at work was off yesterday with a similar ailment - but this has totally washed me out. I'm so dehydrated and knackered I simply cannot do a damn thing.

Not sure if I am going to manage anything tomorrow either - not really feeling up for anything.

Wednesday and its too early!

Its 5am and I am standing at the station in running gear again waiting for the train. It isn't cold, but I feel freezing - just tired I guess. We get to London on time and the streets are empty at this time of the morning, a wonderful contrast to yesterdays packed pavements and throngs
of commuters.

Its meant to be 6km on the plan today - but I decide to push this back to 5km. My leg was a little sore yesterday and I haven't even got a 6km route planned out, pretty sure I know a 5km one however.

I stick on the new Runner software on the iPhone along with some "Jimmy Eat World" and off I pound. There is something not quite right about heading the wrong way in order to get to your destination - I have to fight the urge to turn right instead of going straight on so many times
in order to keep the mileage up. The Runner software chirps in every so often telling me how far I have gone and what my expected run time will be for the 5km, a figure which is surprisingly accurate. At half way it starts telling me how far I have left which is a nice touch.

I'm averaging 02:28 per 400m which isn't going to break any records, but gives me a finish time of 00:30:35 at 5km with what can only be considered a relatively easy pace, an average HR of 150 - which is slightly elevated (possible over training?) and 565 kcal burned up.

Some of my muscles in my right leg (always seems to be that one) ache a little - so I have a good stretch, and the right knee still isn't perfect. I am due to do another 5km tomorrow - might need to change that to some core work and move the run, although I am probably going to have to bike to work on Friday as my car goes in to the garage for its MOT.

Now, given that I've done so much today and there is a bike ride planned tonight - can I treat myself to a bacon sarnie?....

:-)

Tuesday Morning Training

Ah, the morning run after the rest day is either awful or brilliant, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground for this exercise. This morning was awful. I woke up late, ended up in a rush, had to run through the crowds on the London pavements and as I was running late for work, couldn’t manage the full 5km that I wanted to do. This is terribly annoying as I am missing a lot of build up for the half marathon and all plans indicate that really I should be able to run for 90 mins by now – something I just haven’t achieved yet.

I managed 3.6km in 20 mins at an average pace of 5:41 with a average HR of 140 and using up 457 Kcal. So – not too bad – but really I need to extend this out to 5+km.

I’ve got a packed day at work today so I haven’t got any chance to go to the gym during the day. I might run again tonight if my legs feel ok and my knee isn’t aching as I really need to get these kilometres in.

I used a new app on my iPhone this morning: Runner. It reads out your pace and distance to you while you are running which is brilliant. http://www.deltavee.fi/runner/Runner_Main.html

I am pretty impressed with this software. It gave me a full breakdown of my run in 400m sections with pace etc. and also mapped the run. You can export it all to Excel and mail it to yourself if you really want to. The great thing about this is the vocal reports on your progress – so you know how you are doing. There are a few bugs with it – but all in all its pretty good – one of the better running apps out there for the iPhone and I have tried quite a few!

Monday - Rest day....

I hate rest days. It always feels like a wasted day - but as all the books say - it is required to let your muscles recover and build new fibre etc. Well - I still itch and want to go out and run.

Took regular readings this morning:
Weight = 82kg (put on .5 of a kilo - and far too heavy again - need to cut out the fats).
Resting HR = 52 (pleased with this)
Blood Pressure = 118/58 (so much better than it used to be)

Some aches and pains in the ankles - but all together not too bad considering the exercise this weekend.

I am looking at getting some of this: http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/protein-powders/impact-whey-isolate/ to see if it is any good. I've heard it is worth taking after exercise to stop any muscle damage. Would be interested in any comments around this subject - don't particularly want to look like a weight lifter - but am interested in keeping the muscles healthy.

Have signed up for some swimming lessons! http://www.justracinguk.com/news/swim-clinic-0 and http://www.justracinguk.com/content/swin-clinics - they seem like a pretty good idea - and hopefully will improve my front crawl. Will see how they go as it is only 2 weeks away.

This weeks Training Plan

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
5 km run to work, slow and easy pace.

Wednesday:
6km run to work, slow and easy pace.
20km Bike ride, stationary trainer.

Thursday:
5km run to work, faster pace, some interval training for last 2 km - fast pace for 1 min followed by 2 mins slow pace, repeat until 2 miles is complete.

Friday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.

Saturday:
10km Run - slow and easy for endurance.
Swim 1000m. Drills. Warm up 400m. 5 x 100m, Decrease lap time each time, 1 min in between set. 100m Warm down.

Sunday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.
Bike - stationary trainer - 60 mins with hills.

Sunday evening on the Bike anyone?

Well - I got bored sitting watching the Rugby - so decided to have a go on the bike. I love my trainer - its a Tacx Cosmos trainer - and it allows you to generate a lot of power by simulating the hills. The nice thing is - it simulates the downhills as well!!!

I managed an hour on this on one of the many hill courses. I wasn't burning as much as I had in the past - 765 kcal in an hour isn't a lot on one of these - I've done over 1000 kcal in an hour before - but I figured I was best taking it a little easy given my recent injuries.

I don't feel to bad after it - but I expect my legs will ache a little tomorrow after all the running and now cycling. It's a training day off tomorrow - a chance to let the legs recover. Hopefully this week I will be able to run most of the planned days - I really need to in order to get ready for this 10km and more importantly the half marathon - which I am a liitle more confident about - but still fairly worried to be honest. 28 days until the half marathon and only 84 days until the first Triathlon of the year. It is all coming so quickly now.

I just want to manage an injury free season this year and make sure I get some finishes.

Weighed myself this evening (obviously not the best time to do so I know) and god I've put on some weight. I think I need a concerted effort looking at my diet. I could have sworn I had cut out crisps and chocolate - and yet I found myself with a packet of salt and venegar french fries in my hand this afternoon! What was I thinking? Raw carrots this evening as a snack. Mmmm, yummy. :-(

Sunday - the day of rest?

My wife and kids went up to her parents this morning leaving me at home - so I took the opportunity to head for the gym once more - in the hope that I can start to improve my swimming. The swim was a struggle - I'm still a little sore from yesterday - but the 1000m can up in 20 minutes again and I carried on for another 10 mins without counting the lengths. I'd do more that 30 mins - but I get terribly bored - what I really need is a training partner for the swim.

So - what to do next. On the plan I am doing core work - but I just don't think I have run enough this week - so I thought I'd do another 5km at an easy pace and see how my sore legs from yesterday would cope.

Well they coped just fine. In fact I am pretty pleased. Dont get me wrong - this wasnt race pace by any means - but yesterday was the furthest I had ever run and following that with another 5km today is pretty enjoyable. While I'm not getting cocky for the half Marathon at Silverstone in 4 weeks - I am becoming quietly confident that as long as I am injury free - I can complete the course.

I treated myself to a great big Tuna steak - griddled - with sun dried tomatoes, anchovies and salad. Mmm - and now to have a snooze in front of the TV and watch the Rugby......

Saturday's training

Its valentines day, so after cooking my wife breakfast in bed and breaking up the fight going on between my 2 kids - we headed off for where - but the Gym of course!

I had a pretty good swim - managed 1000m in 20 mins - it felt pretty easy - although I have to say that now I am back at home - I really ache - especially my pectoral muscles. Perhaps it wasnt as easy as it felt.

I got into my running gear after the swim and headed out into the cold - it was only about 2 degrees above 0 - and there was still ice and snow on the ground - but to be honest - that actually made the run more enjoyable this time. I ran around a place balled Billing Aquadrome - a caravan and camping site that is pretty massive with a load of lakes in it.

My only companions on this run were Geese and Swans - and quite a few of them - especially when I got to the frozen lakes. There was so much ice it was amazing. After the warmer days we have had and the sun - I am still stunned by the fact the snow is still around up here.

I kept my pace pretty low today - around 9-10km an hour. This felt pretty easy and I settled into it quite well. It also more importantly wasnt hurting my knee. I stopped half way round to take a phone call from a friend - but I didnt need to - and the legs felt as if they could do more - which is encouraging for the half marathon. The interesting thing as well - when looking at the graphs is - this little drop in pace has brought my HR right down to 140-150 which is around my lactate threshold - so it looks like this is a pace I can hold for quite some time. It isnt quick enough to really do the half marathon in under 2 hours - but it is damn close....

I managed 9.35 km in 01:01:42 - not a stellar time - but encouraging at least in the fact that I wasnt tired, could have carried on and didnt have any niggles.....

Thursday and Friday Training

My right knee is still sore which is a little concerning. I am not getting enough miles in under my belt at the moment - but all the books I read - and 220 Triathlon magazine this month re-iterated under Joe Friel's page - as soon as you feel something not quite right - dont train through it - rest it.
So - no training until this pain goes.
Its an odd pain - right across the front of my kneecap - and it feels as if you could happily run through it - but I know that as soon as I try this - I will end up damaging something and missing a load of races. Better to be conservative with this type of thing than push myself into a season ending injury. Still - its really annoying. But it did mean I could go to the pub to see off one of my friends who is heading back to New Zealand.

Hopefully by Saturday it will have stopped hurting.

Thursday Morning Training

Its quite depressing when you find that you are of an age where a couple of pints the night before have such a profound effect on you the next morning that you simply don’t want to do any exercise. I hit that issue today.

Waking up at 5am to a -4C temperature outside didn’t do my enthusiasm any good whatsoever, but I found myself lethargic to say the least and the prospect of pulling on the running gear for a run to work just filled me with a certain amount of dread which didn’t dissipate when I looked out of the window to see a frosted up car and knew I was going to have to scrape the windows in order to drive to the station. So instead I just got dressed for work and decided to walk from the station to the office in London and hopefully make it to the gym later.

I’m hoping this lethargy doesn’t last all day and that my head will clear a bit – looks like I will have to start settling for orange juice at the pub in future if I am to meet the training regime I have set myself.

There are some days when getting older isn’t much joy….

 

Tuesday evenings lack of training

In true amateur style I nursed both my knee and a couple of pints at
the pub with some fellow trainee triathletes for a few hours after
work this evening. So that's it for today. Another official rest day.
Let's hope for a better performance tomorrow! I shan't hold my breath!

Wednesday Training

I am frankly struggling to train today. Real life keeps getting in the
way if you like with work starting at 7am and a sore knee I just
haven't got a run in. On top of this I now have meetings late into the
evening so even the evening ride on the trainer is looking unlikely.

Perhaps an extra rest day would do my knew some good but it makes me
nervous every time I miss a session.

Hopefully I can get a good long run in tomorrow without any snow!

Tuesday Training

Tuesday Training Plan:

4km run to work, slow pace.

Actual: 5km run in 29 mins.

I ended up working from home today - so I went for a run in the evening instead of the morning, and it was in the snow again. The pavements were covered in snow and ice - and rather than running in the trail shoes which were wet, I went out in a pair of road shoes. Wow - they were all over the place and I ended up with a sore right knee and a very sore stomach. Almost felt as if I had pulled my stomach muscles from trying to hold myself up. Core muscles working overtime.

Quite enjoyed the run - the average pace was something like 5.5 mins per km - which was very comfortable - could have carried on quite happily if my knee hadnt been so sore. The plan for running tomorrow is probably out of the window - I think I had better rest the knee.

My New Suunto t6c watch/HR monitor/Training aid!

It is all these things and more!

So - I broke my watch strap on my very expensive Polar watch which I had had for a while - and the stupid thing is - you cannot get a replacement! How can that be! Are Polar total mad or is this a ploy plain and simple to get you to buy more Polar watches? Well whatever - it backfired. After I found that my RS800D strap is unlike all other straps and Polar don't make a replacement for the moment - I decided to ditch polar in favour of some other brand.

A while ago, my wife bought me a Suunto watch that had a compass on it, an altimeter etc. Its been around for ages, still works, nothing has dropped off it, its generally bombproof - I have been in 3 bike crashes wearing it including one where it was dragged accross the tarmac - and there seems to be nothing that you can do to it that stops it - short of taking the battery out.

So - I thought this brand might fare better than the disintegrating Polar.

Wow - good call!

So - I'm not going to go into a full review of the watch - there are references below for you to look at - but I'll give my brief overall impression after using it for a few months.

1. The interface works as well as the Polar. It has 3 lines that you can interchange with what they display and cycle through one of them on the fly as well.
2. The training aids such as EPOC and Training Effect are very useful for a visual guide of how hard you are working.
3. The PC software is great - it does pretty much everything you want to do for analysis - it is missing the planning side but there are other tools for that I guess.
4. There are loads of components that fit with this watch: FootPod (works a treat and I use this in the main), GPS (actually pretty good - much quicker positioning than the Polar equivalent), A comfy chest strap for the HR functions and also a harder one with its own internal memory for use when swimming (this is great if you are Tri training as you get your proper HR in the pool and can merge it with any lap data and time data from the watch afterwards in the software), Bike Pod - speed etc and I even think there is a cadence one...

I'm quite impressed with this watch and it was especially useful in my last 5km running race where I wanted to monitor my pace to ensure I finished under a certain time. Great flexibility and it doesnt look too bad either.

Recommended.

References:
You Tube Video of this watch - well worth a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtXixXgcVpM
Suunto Home Page for this watch:
http://www.suunto.com/suunto/Worlds/main/world_article_normal_no_ATL.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674002869

Useful tools

Since I have stopped with the personal training - I have decided that I need to keep a log of all the training I do. I have looked around at a whole load of different tools on the market - and the best and easiest I can find (as long as you don't want long technical Joe Friel type planning) is Fitness Journal: http://www.fitnessjournal.org/ - I have been ever so impressed by it - but would be happy to hear of anyone who has looked at other tools. This one is fairly inexpensive and allows you to log everything and also enter some basic training planning etc. It also allows you to track calorific intake and expenditure etc....

Worth taking a look at.

This weeks Training Plan

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
4 km run to work, slow and easy pace.

Wednesday:
5km run to work, skow and easy pace.
20km Bike ride, stationary trainer.

Thursday:
5km run to work, faster pace, some interval training for last 2 km - fast pace for 1 min followed by 2 mins slow pace, repeat until 2 miles is complete.

Friday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.

Saturday:
10km Run - slow and easy for endurance.
Swim 1500m in the pool slow and easy. No drills.

Sunday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.
Bike - stationary trainer - 40 mins with hills.

Wellingborough Multi-terrain 5km Race No 2.

The second in the series of 5km off road runs - and this one was in the Snow!
Yep - we still had snow on the ground and it was cold, bright and very slippery.

I set my watch to note what pace I was doing. I wanted to get inside 25 mins - so was looking for a pace of 5min/km on the watch.

The horn sounded and several hundred of us ran off in the snow into what became a very fast and hard fought race. I was very surprised to see so many people running in normal trainers - how they manager to stay standing I will never know. I managed to overtake many of these on the hills where my trail shoes had better traction, but by half way around - keeping this pace - my HR was at 170 and I was feeling worse for wear.

At the half way point - the course essentially heads back round to the start and what had been predominately uphill at this point became downhill. My HR went down (a little - it was still pretty high) and I started managing to keep my pace a little easier.


Overtaking at this point became very difficult - we were now running on almost singletrack as the field had spread out and had created a small trodden path through the drifts of snow. This was very different to the start that had wide compacted areas - see the photo of the author (left). This meant that whenever you wanted to overtake - you needed to run out into the thinker snow expending a lot more effort to overtake the person in front. I started to struggle - especially as the height started to increase again and decided to settle into my stride behind one individual who I essentially followed to the end of the race.

I managed a very respectable 24:03 - which I was very happy about in the conditions - and came 13th overall - which I was over the moon about.

This is the last of the 5km races I am running in - the next is a 10km and that actually feels like a pretty big step up to me at the moment. I'm certainly not looking forward to the up coming half marathon in March.....

More updates to follow...

End of personal training

Unfortunately, due to finances this year, I have had to stop the personal training sessions with Jesse at Virgin Active. This was such a difficult decision to make. He is blooming brilliant and frankly has made such a difference to me over the last 6 months.
Today was the last session - and I ache like hell afterwards. He may have been making a point!

Race Update - Wellingborough Multi Terrain 5km - Jan 18th

My first ever 5km race. Ok - I had done 5km in my first triathlon - but never on its own in a race - and off road as well....

It had rained the night before - and the conditions underfoot were very muddy.

HR was very high throughout the race - possibly due to the hard traning session yesterday. I had aching legs and bum all the way around (and prior to the race). My personal Trainer - Jesse - at Virgin Active had given me a full work out with single leg squats etc. so I was very sore.

I had quite a bit left in the tank at the end - but at about 3km I had pains in my left shoulder and chest - felt like I had pulled a muscle or was over doing it after the long swim yesterday (I did this after the training session with Jesse!)

I looked at the watch when passing the finish line - was sure it said 24 mins - but looking at the data it may be more like 26 mins - which is disappointing as it would be slower than the 5km after the triathlon.

Still - I could go faster - just make sure that I taper the training properly or at least do the correct build up.

Need to get the training diary out again and start filling it in.

Probably need to look at more farlek training etc for the running.

So - not to bad for the opening race of the season - and certainly plenty to improve on.

My best swim

Back to training and managed a nice 7km on Saturday. Nothing special as I was still washed out - but I was glad to get back to it. On Sunday I managed to swim a kilometer and on top of this it had three of my all time best 50m splits in it of 50 seconds which I am seriously chuffed with. :-)

A few more runs this week including a nice fast 4km on the way to work yesterday which was a major enjoyment as I ran through a bit of London I never had before. Exploring new places is definately one of the joys of running.

Training on hold due to illness

I have spent the last few days in bed feeling very sorry for myself
alternating from hot to cold. Bit of a shame as I wanted to try to get
to 10km this week, don't think I am going to manage it now. This will
teach me to go running in the damp without a waterproof.

In the meantime I have been Reading Joe Friel's book - "The
Triathlete's Training Bible" which is pretty good. A great insight
into the sporting mind. Hoping to use it to keep a training diary
going forward.

Caterham Experience

Phil Page and I went to Silverstone for a Caterham day on Friday last
week. These little things are mental. I could hardly stop it from
spinning out of control it was so fast. Didn't get out of first gear
all day and stank of burned rubber by the end. Amazing experience to
be recomended to anyone.

So - what is next?

Well - as I have made such an effort to get fit - it seems a shame to waste it now doesn't it? So - I may as well enter a few more races and see if I can't improve my times.

So - here is the list so far and if any of you out there are at the same race - feel free to say Hi...

2008

November 8th - Wedgnock 10km off road run.

2009

January 18th - Wellingborough 5km

February 8th - Wellingborough 5km

March 1st - Wellingborough 10km

March 15th - Adidas Half Marathon at Silverstone

April 4th - Coastal Trail Series - Cornwall 10km

May 10th - Stratford 220 Sprint Triathlon

June 6th and 7th - Blenheim Sprint Triathlon

June 28th - Northampton Sprint Triathlon

July 26th - Trentham Sprint Triathlon

September 27th - Roade Sprint Triathlon

Might add or take away a few - but all these are entered. What the hell was I thinking entering a half marathon!!!

Roade Triathlon Times

Finishing position - 267
Overall time - 01:19:20
Swim - 08:59
Swim Position - 246
Bike - 45:05
Bike Position - 257
Run - 25:19
Run Position - 295

Spring Triathlon:
Swim 400m, Bike 40km, Run 5km

Odd that the swim - my worse discipline - turned out to be my best!

Roade Triathlon - the fat lad CAN run!

After a fair amount of training this year - and reducing my weight from 15 stone to 12, and my waist from 38 inches to 32 - I found myself at my first Triathlon race in Roade.

But I jump ahead of myself, let me start where this all began, a February just like all the others, but I was heading towards my 40th Birthday and I was finding myself fairly ill a lot of the time. My blood pressure was pushing 190 over 90 some days and frankly I was a heart attack waiting to happen.

Just like many of you I am sure - I was a fully paid up member of an expensive gym and lots of good intentions - but I very rarely went, having no goal or purpose. When I did go - I wasn't sure what I was training for or how to even train.

And so it was that my darling wife decided that she also needed to be a member of a gym - so we joined one at home rather than the one near my work and after introduction sessions decided that we needed a personal trainer. And so it was I met Jesse Martyne at the Virgin Active in Northampton, a better personal trainer you could not want for.

And so it started - the fat lad started to learn to run again, and we set some goals - one of which was a Triathlon towards the end of the year. And so the swimming started as well. A new bike followed and a trainer at home to sit it on and unlike the other times when I went to the gym and had an idea to get fit - this time it stuck - mainly down to a bit of stubbornness and a lot to do with Jesse.

I ran my first 5km race - the Chase Challenge and had a 5km time of 29min and 20 seconds - which was a surprise - I was expecting about 40 mins for the first one. My swimming wasn't going quite so well - 12mins for 400m was my best time - but I could only manage one training session per week - so that was hardly a surprise. The cycling was coming on - but Northamptonshire is a flat place at the best of times and I just wasn't getting enough hill training outside, so I switched to the bike on the trainer and set up the hills on that. Not nearly as much fun as being outside - but good for the legs.

Soon the day of the race came upon me....

The event started early on the Sunday morning, a misty cold and damp morning - with the dark edging in to the mornings these days it was worryingly oppressive. However - the mood lightened as I bumped into a few fellow competitors - those of us turning up this early had put down for a slow swim - my best had previously been a grand 12 minutes - so thats what had been entered on the online form and I joined quite a few others with slow times, many of whom were planning on swimming breaststroke.

The start was delayed - poor visibility due to the heavy mist meant that the course was considered dangerous for the cycling stage. I switched on my iPod and desperately tried to find a quiet place. I'd told myself that the aim was just to finish this - my first race - but the nerves I was feeling showed that I wanted to get under my target time of 1 hour 30 mins. A little Coldplay soon calmed the nerves and it wasn't before long that the start was called and I was taking off my cold weather clothes to strip down to my tri suit,

The pool swim started well - I felt strong - pulling along quite nicely with minimum use of my legs. This part had been the piece of the race I had truly feared. It was however - bloody good fun! So much in fact that I lost count of the lengths and ended up doing an extra two lengths. Getting out of the pool I pressed the lap counter of my watch and glanced down - amazed to find the time under 9 mins - where had that come from?

So - the bike. This should be better - its the bit I enjoy. So I thought. A two lap race circuit on the roads - mixing it up carefully with the other road users. Well - off I went - far too fast of course and soon my legs were on fire. Luckily I had put a bottle of water and a bottle of carb drink on the bike - so I started sipping the carb drink. I'd drank this many a time - made sure that I was used to it - so that there shouldn't be any surprises in the race. Oops. Looks like I made this too strong - as my stomach started cramping up. Quick - drink some water as well, so I started drinking the carb drink followed by the water to make sure the cramps didn't come again. Will have to remember that for next time and be more careful in my morning preparation in future.

I came up to the hill at the end of the first circuit - and saw a long line of riders out of their saddles riding up it. I'm not sure what happened - but my 'just get round and enjoy yourself' attitude just vanished and the red mist descended. I sat in the saddle and pushed as hard as I could up the hill - overtaking all those I could see in front of me. Getting to the top I was almost sick, coughing and retching I carried on along the flat to the start of the second lap. Spotted the photographer - stuck my tongue out as I went past and started feeling better. More carb drink and more water - began to recover from the stupid massive effort up that hill. I heard someone behind me and was soon overtaken by the first person to go past me of the day - there were only to be two more during the rest of the race which was fairly gratifying.

Reaching the last hill of the circuit - I have no idea what happened again - but there I was retching at the top again after powering up and overtaking anyone I could see. Bloomin idiot - but hell, it was great fun. If only I was a bit fitter!

Into transition and onto the run. I could hear people cheering me on - the support at this race was brilliant, the best advert for these races. The best I had previously managed on a 5km run was 29:20 - and certainly not after a swim and a bike ride - so I wasn't hoping for too much and as I turned onto the off road bit I wasn't too hopeful as this course went along the side of a farmers field. It was rough, rutted, muddy and completely uneven. To be honest it was fantastic! Its odd - but the lack of a constant gait favored me I think - it stopped me from thinking about how fast I was running and let me just think about retaining my footing. I spotted one of the guys from near me running in the opposite direction and waved - "Good luck" - he shouted - marvelous atmosphere.

Sprinting into the end of the race - and yes - I really did manage a sprint finish - I found myself bettering my target time by over 10 minutes. Brilliant. Now - when is the next one - I'm hooked....