Its always the day after the day after

So I was pretty stiff today when I got up. This was compounded by a head cold thats been around in the background since Friday morning. Arms and shoulders plus stomach were the worst so much of it down to the gym session yesterday. I was tired but that might be due to losing the hour as the clocks went forward.

I'm certainly sleeping better at the moment as I've cranked up the training regime. I'm seeing an expotential decrease in my reading as my exercise increases. Once I'm sleeping I'm out cold, little or no dreaming and when I first wake its the usually when I should get up.

This evening I did a very easy 10K at marathon pace to try and just keep things ticking over and to try and loosen my muscles up a bit. Straight 6minute KM's so I was hardly breathing above normal on the flat/downhill sections. The saying is that you need to being able to hold a conversation and I could that without any problem.

I need a swim but to be honest I'm getting to the point where I'm not sure what the returns will be in thrashing another 2K in the pool. I can do the distance I'm sure. Naturally I still need to do it outdoors and in my wetsuit but right now I feel confident in clicking it off in 45-50mins max which is within the hour I have given to it. I think more bike work will bring bigger rewards. A 5% improvement in my bike ride would give me more reward than a 5% improvement in my swim time. Having a cold doesn't make me want to swim so its a feeble excuse I know.

Gym'll fix it

Although I was pretty sore and tired for about an hour after yesterdays marathon bike/run session I was fine this morning. Still a bit saddle sore and a little deep muscle tiredness but nothing to what it could have been. I thought I'd go for a swim and get some easy laps in to ease the muscles a bit.

However it being the weekend the pool was full of families, so I hit the gym for just under an hour. Usual 250 bench situps and then some work using the machines on my shoulders and chest. Finishing with free weights for my arms. Pretty knocked out at the end as I put in a pretty good effort and was pushing myself for 10 more on every repetition.

As part of yesterday's cycling I tried to work out a fuelling regime for the race. If you're doing hard exercise non stop for over 6 hours you run out of blood sugar quickly and you need to keep your available calories up. The ongoing danger of dehydration due to constant sweating obviously needs to be tackled at the same time. Normally if I run I'll have a single energy drink beforehand and that is enough to get me through anything up to 20K as long as I've had lunch or breakfast within 3-4 hours of the run.

There is no way to do the triathlon just by eating and drinking at the start. Its easy to run yourself dry in as little as 2 hours as I described last week, when I did the 62KM cycle run without having eaten or drank anything. So I know from this and previous experiences what it feels like to run out of juice before the end. Its a kind of light headed sensation a bit like the first beer effect but its accompanied with a hollow feeling in the stomach and worst of all a jelly/weak sensation in the arms and legs. So like a sober hangover in a sauna.

The secret to fuelling up is to make sure you do it before you need it, that way you don't have to go through a yo-yo effect during the race. Now its easy to say eat when you're hungry and drink when you're thirsty. However from ingestion to hitting your bloodstream and to doing you any good there is a time lag. There is also a time lag of when your body starts to run out and when it tells you. These two things compounded by constant exersion means you need to find the match of intake to energy use without any help and well before the race.

I set my watch for a 1 hour fuel up as its as good a place to start as any. I did the first hour and was pretty spent and could just feel the dizzy sensation in my head although my legs, arms and stomach felt fine. I drank half a bottle of sports drink(350ml) and within 2-3 minutes I felt fine and like I'd gotten a second wind.. So I will drop the time to 50 minutes next time out. That way I hope to avoid any ongoing nastiness or dips in concentration.

I'll then wait for another 50mins more on the bike at which time I'll eat some dried fruit and nuts and finish the sports drink. At the next 50 minutes and I'll take a sports gel(1500Calories) and a half bottle of sports drink. I'm looking to flood my system just at the time I'm getting off the bike and into the run. I don't really like drinking or eating when I run so I'll try as much as possible to bulk up on food just under an hour before I run. That way I'll at worst need to drink on the run and should have digested much of the solid food. You need to watch though as if you over do it on the drinks or food side you run the risk of being sick or getting the shits, both of which will make a hard day even harder.

Chapeau to Rob York for chopping off a half marathon in Liverpool this morning. When I woke up this morning I was glad it was you on the starting line and not me, especially with losing an hours sleep last night. Well done mate :O) The big question of course is whats the next race.

Life and Death

~ Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together, we survive.~

Anyone who doesn't believe in life after death hasn't trained for a Triathlon, I mean I died on my feet numerous times today and I think I'm still alive. As I'd promised earlier in the week I was looking to go long this weekend.....So I set out on my bike early doors. I was well prepared food wise having scoffed a large bowl of Museli and two bananas. A 750CL bottle of Sports Drink and I'm off with a pocketful of nuts/dried fruit, energy gel and another Energy Drink.

I head out and the first 5K I'm huffing and puffing. After 10K I settle down and start to click off the miles. Out past Waterloo, La Hulpe, Rixensart then down to Court St Ettienne. Right along to Genappe and then head back towards Maransart. Then up towards Rixensart again and back into Lasne. I'm hitting Hedgehog hill at the 50K mark...unbelieveable....Twice today I was forced out of the saddle due to running out of gears on big hills. The first was a 14% job after leaving La Hulpe and it was tough as hell. Really my whole body hurt, you go up a gear then get out of the saddle. Then the arms ache, then your back, then the legs get sore and then they start to turn to jelly. I honestly did contemplate stopping but I just put my head down and watched the front wheel. Its what the books say and it appears to work.

Hedgehog hill I took and was only out of the saddle for 5-10 seconds. However the following hill into and through Ohain past the school and Communale really wore me down. I kept going though and was round the sprint circuit and back home for a very very tidy 66KM in 2hrs 48. Thats not so fast but its as long as I've been and as any Port Glasgow girl will tell you, length is everything.

Normally I'd have rolled in and accepted a good session like that and be happy....but hey Triathon needs something a bit more. So I do a transition into my running gear, quick drink and MP3 setup and I'm on my way in 8 minutes. Now I needed to raid the wardrobe and the fridge and so I expect my transition times to be shorter on the day.

I head out with a 10K minimum target but thats really just what I'm telling my legs. My head is saying go long and we're dreaming of a 17K long circuit. First 2-3k were OK apart from some idiot in a minivan too big for her to handle who as I went behind her at the junction she pulled out and cut the corner hitting me with the back of he van. I'm sure she didn't understand what I shouted but the hand signals were internationally recognised.

I get to Lasne an the Hedgehog awaits, well I'm a greedy bugger for punishment. Up we go and its tough and sore on the legs but no danger of a submission. I'm very glad to be at the top and turn left onto the flat section. I head downhill missing Bois Paris and so am committed to at least 14K now. I get the 7K mark and I'm starting to fade...then like a miracle the former Spice Girl Mel C comes on the MP3 player and I get a real boost. I'm off with a better pace and smiling again. There is very special degree of smugness when you've clicked off 66K on a bike the on stuck on your trainers and went out for a run....The world looks a little smaller and a good deal less dangerous.

I get up to La Ferme Papellote and I'm feeling the pace again, so I get Mel C onto repeat. Here we go its Madame Pave up the never ending hill past the Nunnery towards the Butte Du Lion.

Its now thundering with rain like someone has turned on a big shower. I literally shout at the sky, is that all you've got...come on come on...Little do the gods know I've got an ex-Spice Girl on my side....

I click off 10K in 55 mins....Then the hailstones start....Down the N5(how I hate that road) Wind howling in from the South West across my front from right to left and as requested bringing all the gods have got. I'm now literally running up a river as the cycle path has vanished and been replaced by all the runoff from the road and its cascading down the hill and I'm running right through the middle, ankle deep. All thats missing is migrating Salmon to complete the surreal picture...The hail is still lashing down and my thighs are bright red. I'm running at times with my hands out, crucifixion style and shouting at the sky. The passing motorists must think I've lost it. Its keeping me going though as all this is a diversion from the pain I'm in and all the while my legs are screaming at me to stop.

I keep going. At the top of the hill I have the choice left for flat finish 14k or straight on down the N5 to clock off the big course 17k...Its just as well my hips are well made, legs go left top of body goes straight on...I promise the legs I'll take the shortcut through Plancenoit so I don't need to take on the last hill 1KM from my house..So many lies in one day....

I'm running down the cycle path into the oncoming traffic, the road is flooded in sections and they don't slow down for runners. I'm getting sprayed every couple of seconds and then when my timing is perfect with a big lorry and a large puddle I get a full bath over me....superb..

I'm as high as a kite, having conversations with myself , shouting, singing out loud and all the time laughing. The motorists must have wondered what I was on. This is the point when I was happiest. The pain, the cold, the wind, the hail and the cars. All this and my legs are STILL going.

Corny as it sounds I felt like I'd just won a Gladitoral battle with the world. Its as good as I've felt on a run ever. Totally overwhelming sensation of just being able to keep going and nothing can stop me, except me. I turn left at 14K mark so 3K to go and one big hill and I've done it. I somehow manage to pick up the pace and my legs just keep turning over. I should stop I know but I really can't as I don't want to . I've realised that I've mastered the mental over the physical. When you first start training its all about the cardio side, then as you get fitter you rarely get out of breath except on hills and you recover quickly without needing to stop or slow down. Then as you go longer it starts to become a physical challenge as its painful and naturally your body tries to slow you down to stop you getting hurt and all the time you are trying to run faster times. My realisation today was that to overcome this you need to use your mental capacity. Its not just a matter of battering out the miles and you can finish. You need to train your mind to be stronger....Up the last hill and its so painful but I don't care I've done it and I feel that anything is possible....

So 17K in 1:34:35....right after I'd done 66K on the bike. Almost 4 and a half hours of solid non stop training....to put this into perspective I'd need to do all this plus an additional 2 hours on race day to scoop up the 2km swim and the additional 24KM on the bike .....

Dips under the Wires

Last conf call finished early so I was out the door before anyone could offer me another opportunity for discussion. Home and out for a deja vu 10k run same as I did on Wednesday.

Running round I was watching my pace carefully and once I was settled into my stride I settled around the 5:16 per km mark...it was so stable and comfortable a pace that I decided to try some experimentation on stride length and cadence.

If I simply increased the number of steps I went faster but felt the cardio strain increase after about 30-45 seconds. If I lengthened my stride and slowed the cadence a bit I went faster but without the cardio increase. So I tried going round and lengthening my stride every time I saw my pace drop, Trying to keep my pace faster than 5:00 per km. I found it hard and fairly unnatural for me to run like that. I would quickly drop back to shorter and more frequent strides as soon as I stopped thinking about it.

I still got round OK and never really ran out of gas except for Hedgehog hill and then I recovered quickly once at the top and onto the flat. There is no way to put a long stride into a big hill.

I finished in 47:22 which is significantly faster than my last run over the same distance two days ago.....now I'm obviously fresher than I was on Wednesday and it was less windy. However chopping a good 3:21 off a 10K is still an improvement. I'd still need a leg transplant to get a sub 45:00 10K I think.

Skinny Dipping

1.7KM swim before work this morning, pool busy including a couple learning to snorkel... Difficult start and was sore on the arms for a while but after first 40 lengths(700m) it got easier and I got into my rhythm. Ticked off 100 laps in 41minutes 56 seconds. Including quite some time pissing about with cap and goggles.

Lazy Bones

Conf calls all day and all evening just finished at 21:00...so no exercise today. Only good news is that I've ordered wetsuit and new cycling gear.....more expense.....its not gear i need its miles

Stretch Armstrong

So back into the training groove to stretch the legs after a couple of days rest. I needed to get into it again especially to run off the high blood pressure from when the lady from reception tells me she had issues sending my very urgent parcel via UPS and she'd do it tomorrow as she had shut down her PC, despite me telling her it was very very very urgent....yesterday.

I set out for a quick 10K to get back into it, new knee high compression socks on in the rain and hail....It was windy and very wet, however it also rains and gets windy in Switzerland so its Hammer time.

First 2-3K was a bit tight in the legs, especially at the front of the thighs. It was fine after that and Hedgehog hill was taken at a canter. 5K went by in 24:30 and 10K dropped off in 50:43...not fast but a nice run.

I'm looking at a big bike run on Saturday early followed by a run. I'm potentially looking at 75K and 15K. I'll try and fit in a swim tomorrow evening. Wet suit will be ordered tonight.

Alloa Half Marathon

After what seemed like summer had arrived in Scotland on Saturday, Sunday turned out to be a brisk reminder that the old saying 'Ne'er cast a clout till May is oot' are wise words to heed in March in Scotland.

We got changed in the pub car park with bare backsides being the order of the day. I can confirm that I did not personally touch the Vaseline tub but I cannot say the same for the others. Toilet facilities were thanks to local Asda superstore, so apologies to any late morning shoppers who used the facilities after us. It was all in all a bit boy scout at the start but its a small provincial race with limited facilities. In any case I'm a hardy soul and the local constabulary were busy elsewhere. So no permanent damage done.

In what can only be described as a brisk wind with very scattered sunny spots we set off at 10am from the start. It wasn't a huge field and it was only 1 minute on the clock as I went under the start gate. Timing chips were in use for the first time this year so no worries on what time you get through at the start. Initially the race was through the streets of Alloa and the locals were out in force, mostly still in their pyjamas and a few still sporting what looked like wee hangovers from the night before. Plenty of vocal support en route from the locals was greatly appreciated.

I had avoided all but purely medicinal alcohol intake over the weekend despite the usual fantastic hospitality at the McDonald's Hotel. I particularly liked the Racers Menu but might skip the Rangers game on my next stay after a gut wrenching 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Saturday reminding me that its not all cups and pies being one of the people these days. In fact its very few cups and too many pies by the looks of many of the regulars. If you get the chance to stay at McDonald towers I can recommend the Lasagne, Spicy Crisps and the post race cans of Stella Artois. Breakfast in bed is also available but i don't want to say too much in case Brownie gets wind of it...

As ever my initial pace was too high but I wasn't as pumped up as I was at Glasgow in Sept and after about 5k I settled into a normal pace but I could not tell accurately as my Sunnto Watch/Foot Pod was over measuring my speed and distance by about 25%. The other issue was that all distance signs were sporadic at best and only in miles and I do all my training in KM's. So mental arithmetic approximations were required. That particular exercise got much harder as the race went on and the hills got steeper.

Once out of town heading towards Tillicoutry we were sheltered from the wind and it was mainly downhill and it was a real cruise, the sun was warmer out of the wind and it was great. Stu and I ran together for a long way cracking jokes and feeling great. The views onto the hills were magnificent after having been in the flatlands of Belgium so long, a wee bit of homesickness certainly creeping in as the clouds scudded over the hills . I seem to definately struggle with pace going downhill and was passed very often on the downhill sections only to drag them back on the uphill parts. I don't know why. It might be a technique thing.

The left turn in Tillicoutry onto the long straight section along the foot of the hills was eye watering, not because of the views but because of the wind... it was howling down there and we were taking turns hiding behind each other. Its a long long straight of maybe 7km and right into the teeth of the wind the whole way. A business opportunity selling long sleeved vests halfway along might turn a few quid at next years race.

I took a small sip of water in Alva and it threw me for about 3km. I ended up losing my concentration, coughing a fair bit and then losing my rhythm in general. I think a mix of the wind and that water moment meant I was never really back on top form again and from there on(6 mile mark) in it was a grind to the end. I'll be running dry in future by stocking up at the start and will use the bike stage to stock up during the Triathlon.

A few long hills back into Alloa proved a test too far for quite a few runners and I saw a dozen or so folk walking. However it wasn't the popular choice and most folks just kept plodding up there. I can certainly say it tested me deeply on the final 6-7km.

I finished in 1:46 which is 3 minutes faster than my Glasgow time but still outside my pre race target of under 1:45. Overall it was a hard session and I'd rate it an 8 out of 10 regarding level of required effort.

A good lesson for me with 11 weeks to go that I clearly need to up the pace on my training regime, if its at all possible. Its definately going to be a lot lot harder to finish than I can currently imagine. I'm slowly easing the 6 hour target out as a possibility and am trying to focus on finishing which after Sunday's grind will in itself be a tough enough challenge.

Stuart 'The Sniff' McDonald finished in a very tidy and youthful 1:42 and special plaudits to Chico "Crunchie/Dairy Milk/ Turkish Delight" Murphy for his 1:53 finish after a training regime lasting less than 2 weeks pre race.....I'm not sure the 10K and Birthday party the day before was of any benefit.....

Overall I had a really great time with the guys and I'm told The Crunchie is looking for the next challenge.....I wait with trepidation although a decision isn't expected soon if previous form is anything to go by.

The long way round

This evenings idea was a quick leg stretch of 20-25k on the bike. I was hoping to keep it to a short and quick run due to me running a half marathon race on Sunday and I wanted to save my legs for that. Unfortunately I decided to go a different route and then my natural sense of direction let me down and after getting lost twice I ended the evening in the twilight after doing a rather overworked 62km in 2hrs 29mins.

A nice distance of course but it wasn't planned and as a result my legs ran out of juice around the 50km mark. I felt it creeping up on the legs after about 50km and then by 55km I knew I'd burnt out all the energy in my blood.

The last 12k was run purely on grunts and guts. I was totally washed out at the end but I knew it was due to the lack of energy rather than the distance. I certainly could not have ran once I parked the bike. I could hardly stand up if I'm being honest. I'll be adding an energy gel to my emergency bike kit to avoid this in future. I can also declare my nether regions took a nice beating.

A couple of energy drinks, a shower and my dinner and I'm feeling fine. Average speed of just under 25kmph over a normal route. The road surface made a huge difference and where it was new tarmac I even managed to go up some inclines and keep it well over 30kmph. When I'm riding in the cycle paths and its rough its hard to keep that pace up as the bike is shaken all over the place.

Bad light stops play

Home around 6pm. Getting dark so little or no opportunity to do anything big, my idea was a quick bike sprint to stretch the legs. A 17km circuit in 40:43..Not too quick but its another 17K under my belt. Average speed about 22.7kmph.......My bike adjustments from yesterday felt overdone, I need to bring the seat back up a bit and move the bars down a bit. I think I could go up the hills quicker but was slower on the flats. It was definately more comfortable. I was obviously sitting a little more upright so this increases wind drag. I did feel though that I got better leverage on the pedals going uphill though. 17K felt like nothing distance wise.....which is a good thing

Fine Tuning

I was fine when I got up this morning after yesterday and no real stiffness or pain. I fixed up the bike as I planned. I dropped and pushed back the saddle a little and lifted the handlebars a bit. Adjusting the pedals wasn't quite what I expected as they were both close to the lightest release torque...Getting the feet in and out of the pedals is obviously more of a technique thing .

Today I swithered about going out on the bike but I wanted to recover and rest my knee a bit as I have a big run next Sunday. I went to the gym before breakfast to do some toning and a little stretching. It was very busy with people no doubt thinking about getting rid of the pounds they picked up ski-ing.

I did 250 bench inclined situps as they help your core stomach and back muscles which help with climbing on the bike. Its the most I've done in a single session. I did some free weights and some machine weights on my arms, chest and shoulders which should give me some help in the swimming. I finished with 10 minutes leg pressing 40kg to help stretch my legs a bit.

I'm currently switching between Old Firm CIS Final and England-France Six Nations match. In reality I want to go out on the bike...

Its Hammer time !!!

When you are going thru hell the only choice is to keep going

Winston Churchill

So a big session was planned for this morning. The bike, the shoes, the pedals, the lungs and the thighs were itching to get out. I spent a fair bit of last night looking at the local maps but in the end I decided just to get the wheels turning and see where I ended up. I cycled round the local towns and villages. Plenty of hills and plenty of flat parts. A good workout and I really enjoyed it and at times I felt like cycling may be better than running. Especially on the downhill bits above 50kmph.

A few teething problems came up with the bike. Firstly the pedals are a little too tight when releasing the shoes so I need to loosen off the bindings. I adjusted my saddle a bit yesterday and obviously never tightened the bolts enough as the seat moved part way round when I had to brake hard to avoid some old woman who decided to overtake a bus as I was coming towards them at 40kmph. SO I know the brakes are working a treat.

About 10km later I heard something falling off the bike. I stopped in case it was part of me as I'd done quite a distance. I check and all my bits were intact and then I look at the bike and noticed one of the seat bolts were gone. I went back for a look and found it in the mud at the side of the road after a couple of minutes.

I take the opportunity to guzzle my drink and then get on the bike, strapping the feet in while holding onto the fence. I then have to extradite myself from the mud as the bike has sunk in...all of this of course while I'm firmly stuck in the pedals. I definately need more practice of getting in and out of the pedals as I am finding getting the second in while I'm moving tricky to say the least.

I've never been a great one for fine tuning things but I think I need to raise the handlebars upwards as I think I'm leaning just a little too far forward and I'm feeling a little stretched. I'll adjust it a fraction and see if it feels better. I decide to cut it short at 42.5KM so as not to do any permanent damage to the seat or the post. Time was 1hr 36min 15secs so its by far the longest bike session I've had and double the distance and and eventual average speed was around 26.5kmph.

I get in and I'm feeling OK. I know I've been out on a training run but I'm not exactly crawling up the stairs. I have a drink(black grape juice) and get my running gear on......yes of course...why not.

I set out with a 10K run target but not at any special pace, in my mind its more of a test of a transition from cycling to running than a targetted training run. I start out and I'm feeling OK. No real leg pain other than a little tightness at the top of my thigh. Its nothing serious.

I'm soon at the 4KM mark and heading up the hill. I start to slow down as soon as the gradient increases. My left knee is starting to feel the distance now and I'm imagining it heating up inside due to the friction of bone on bone. On the positive side my new MP3 player is going great guns.

I'm at the top and heading down again. I decide to go a little longer than 10K now as I've been too busy singing and therefore I've missed the turning to head back for a straight 10K and I don't want to just turn round in the middle of a street so I keep going and work out a route for a distance of around 15K and to be honest I'm feeling fine at that point.

I get to the 2km Belgian Pave section past the nunnery and its now raining and the wind is right in my face, its starting to get harder to keep a reasonable pace due to the conditions underfoot and its mainly uphill but the frequent passing cars keep my pace up as I don't want to look like I'm washed out.

I get to the 10K mark in 52minutes and head back down the N5. This time though I'll cut off early through the centre of Plancenoit towards the house and so cut off a couple of kilometres from my normal big 17.5K training route. It involves some stairs and a little running along a muddy path but in general its flat.

I finish the 15k in 1hr 17mins and I'm pretty pleased. I'm very tired at the end and my legs are sore but I'm not absolutely wiped out so I didn't overdo it. I head up and do some stretching and have a shower. I notice my stomach muscles have split into two distinct halves when I'm lying down. I have a wee valley running right down the middle of it now......I weigh in and I'm back at 73.5kg and 20.9% Body Fat....I've no idea if thats good, its just what the scales say.

So it was really a great days training which I really felt really good doing and I'm now feeling much more positive about the race. I do recognise I've still a long long way to go as the bike distance of 90km still seems enormous to me and my almost 3 hour training session today is only half of the time I expect the whole race in Switzerland to take......so I'll need every week I've got available just to make it.

I'm still aiming for a 6 hour round trip. The cycling is the only part at the moment where I'm behind the performance I need to be at to make 6 hours.

All dressed up and nowhere to go

I finally got my new pedals and shoes. I got Shimano Ultegra pedals as they matched the rest of the crankset and Specialized Road Pro shoes in Red/White to match the bike. I picked up a spare tyre and a puncture repair kit which includes CO2 inflation device so you don't need to blow it up by hand. Throw in a couple of bottle cages and its costing me the sames as a big lunch with Brownie and not just my half......

I did a quick 20k circuit but in reverse this time , the time was 43:40(new record for the 20K circuit) and it felt quite easy. The shoes made a huge difference right away, it probably felt as much of a step difference as the change of bike did.

The soles are solid carbon and very very stiff. This helps transfer all the power to the pedals and so into the wheels, so when you push you go forward without the usual training shoe flex absorbing the push down from the leg. You notice it the most on the uphill sections. The downside is when you wear them off the bike you are tottering around with tap shoes on. Think tottering Tara Palmer-Tomkinson after a night out on the champers....

There is a problem though. As you know if you've read all the blog that I've never really had a grown up bike other than a mountain bike that has remained pretty unused and of course I've never previously had the joy of pedal cleats and cycling shoes.

Unfortunately this lack of road bike experience became apparent as I reach the first junction. I slow down to stop to let the road clear. I've been on the bike 5 minutes and have forgotten I have the shoes on and of course my feet don't come out the pedals right away. My body panics as the bike starts to fall over as my feet remain fixed to the pedals. As I'm falling down in slow motion my calm head is saying , twist the foot you idiot.....crash ....too late. I'm on the ground like a beetle on its back with bike up in the air with me still firmly attached.....no damage done to me or the bike. I probably made the builders day who were working on the building next to the junction, not to mention the guy in the white van who was behind me.

Cycling Skeleton make sure you have the sound on..Pretty cool animation.

I'm winding myself up for a bike ride this weekend.....not sure to where yet but I'm thinking 50k.....we'll see if its possible. More on this later....I'm having a huge steak for dinner tonight so thats a good start.

I was in the UK yesterday and picked up a new MP3 player as my old one is eating batteries and keeps re-initialising itself. I got a Samsung YP-U4 . It was pretty cheap(20quid) and has 2gb so plenty of space . I just use it for the running of course as its way too dangerous to use it on my bike.

Slow Progress

20km on bike on Wednesday night. Took a different route , roads still bad. Time was 57 minutes...not great...Flights all booked for Alloa half marathon on 22nd.

Early bird gets the worm...or not

I was reading a Training Book in bed last night and was motivated to start a new regime of early morning training, the thinking being that up an hour earlier every day adds 5 hours training to a week(I don't get up early at the weekend)... So I set the alarm for 6am. Thinking I can bang out a 25km bike ride before work.

The alarm goes off at 6 and its still dark, very dark and I can hear hailstones outside. I quickly turn off the alarm so that Team Kennedy manager doesn't wake up and put her boot on my backside to get me out of the bed. I get up at 7:15....

I head off to work thinking its been a missed opportunity. I take my swimmming gear with me and the idea being a short sharp session over lunch or when I finish work. The sports club is only 5 minutes from our office so its pretty convenient. I've not had a training swim for a few weeks but I have been training otherwise so I wasn't too concerned. I knock out a 100 length session in 40:13. Nice time for 1.75km. The first 20 lengths were painful and pretty tiring but I soon got into my stride and despite splashing the old ladies who were walking up and down while doing the breaststroke I was pleased with my performance. A quick shower then back into the office for a chicken Rogan Josh with rice straight out the microwave, followed by a fruit salad and a smoothie.

I picked up a new pair of trainers today as my old ones(bought last June) are starting to rip and the soles are worn flat. I just bought the same ones but one size larger to try and cut back on blisters on the longer runs. Nike Vomero 3+. See lovely photo above.

I get home around 6pm and am thinking a quick 10K might be on the cards to break in the new shoes. I get changed and get out there. The first 4K fly past and I know I'm setting a great pace. Its raining a little but not too cold. There is only a slight wind so I keep the hammer down and keep pushing. At 7KM mark I'm as high as a kite, totally flying and I decide to go long and do the 17km route. If you could bottle that high you'd be a millionaire in no time.

I bang up the 2km of Pave and check in a 10K time of 48:20. I go left and head down the N5...no wind tonight. That makes a pleasant change. I'm at 12K mark at 58mins. I still feel good and have been pushing the pace the whole way. Unusually I've not really lost my concentration at all during the run and the music has been a great help in me keeping the pace up. Those boys from Keane helping me round. Even a wee touch of Vanilla Ice bringing a smile to my face. I should apologise to the locals for singing at the better moments.

I finish the 17K in a rather pleasing 1:23:02......I'm ready for Alloa. Just need to book my flights, problem being is Saturday flight is full so I need to take Friday off work to travel over. I'm staying at the Chateau McDonald in Langbank :O)

My weight has went up in the last month and has settled around 75.3kg. Thats 2kg more than at the start of Feb.

Course Photos

OK a collection of photos of the course, looking at these has boosted me a bit as the cycling was starting to become a cloud. The top photo is the run route, the middle is part of the cycling and the bottom shows the little island with a tree on that I need to swim out to and back in.

Here is the main page regarding the race details.

Remember to click on that wee blue link if you want to see more folks.......

Race Details

So after having Brownie tell me more about the race details than I knew myself I decided to do some digging......Firstly I'm confirmed in the starting line up. Although they are saying I'm Belgian rather than Scottish. It must be based on your current location, its not on my command of French thats for sure.

I checked out some photos and while I was looking I got a profile of the cycling course...Its 2 laps of a 45km course and hidden in there is a 300m climb over an 11km section....in old money thats nearly 1000ft.

Thats a fair climb and I need to do it twice. There is 20km flat section, 11km uphill and the remaining 14km is downhill. Its not the coast I need to be training at its the Ardennes.

The run route as you can see is flatter with just one climb of just 30m or 100ft over 1km, this again needs to be done twice.

The roads after inspecting the photos however look like billiard tables so its not the dreaded Pave.....The scenery looks absolutely stunning as you can see from the photo.


The start will be staggered based on the different age groups as you can see from the table below:-

08.55 a.m. Professionals Men and Women
09.00 a.m. start Age Groups M18 / M25
09.20 a.m. start Age Group M30
09.40 a.m. start Age Group M35
10.00 a.m. start Age Groups M50+
10.20 a.m. start Age Group M40
10.40 a.m. start Age Group M45
11.00 a.m. start Age Groups all categories women

Prizes
The first 10 men and women in the Pro category of the IRONMAN 70.3 SWITZERLAND will receive prize money as long as they cross the finishing line within +10% of the time of the second-placed athlete.

The prize money of US$ 25'000.– will be distributed equally to the men and women as follows:

1st place:	US$ 4'000.–	6th place:	US$ 750.–
2nd place:	US$ 2'500.–	7th place:	US$ 500.–
3rd place:	US$ 1'750.–	8th place:	US$ 350.–
4th place:	US$ 1'250.–	9th place:	US$ 250.–
5th place:	US$ 1'000.–	10th place:	US$ 150.–

Short but not Sweet

Left work later than I planned and so ended up way behind my training schedule to get out for another 20km test while it was still light. It was getting darker by the time I got home around 6pm and I thought I didn't have the time to do the full 20km without any lights.

I took a shorter route that I sometimes run, its 16km long and flatter than the normal 20km route. I was in a rush and shot out the door. The first 4km were really really great. I'm up above 40kmph on the first section and then easily keeping it above 30kmph on the next section which isn't so flat.

As long as the road is smooth its easy to get up to speed and keep it there. The problems start when the route gets bumpy, it gets too steep or when the wind gets into your face. I know I just need a wind in your back downhill 90km run in Switzerland.

In my rush to pick a route and get out I'd forgotten that for about 2km of it, it's the dreaded Belgian Pave....and typical of Brabant-Wallon its bad Belgian Pave at that. I reach the road to hell around the 9km mark and its a nightmare. Wrists and arms aching within less than a minute. My speed drops right down to low-mid teens. Eventually I'm having to ride on the dirt at side to get a break from the constant pounding. The tyres are almost solid with such high pressure and the carbon forks and frame transfer the vibrations in a highly efficient manner. My hands and wrists are numb by the time I finish.

I realise now why they go on about Paris-Roubaix being the Hell of the North. I only had 2km, these boys have 257km of it in a day.....I had a lot of respect for them before. Now I'm wondering if they are human.

I finish in 40:05. I blame the Pave, you could of course blame the lack of fitness.....

A weekend of firsts

We were back in Germany for the weekend staying at Brownie Towers. As ever the three sirens of Margaux,Pomerol and Rioja were there enticing me off the wagon. A quick 5km run on Saturday morning with Brownie through the woods of Konigstein was the kick off to an all day medium paced session on Saturday, althought there was nothing sporty about this session as it was my first drinking session since May 2008.

Sunday I was surprisingly fine and even better when I received Tea and a Bacon buttie in bed. I can't recommend the hospitality at Brownie Towers high enough.

We got home around 4:30pm, the bike was calling me from the garage as soon as I opened the door. I got changed immediately and got right out there. A 3 and a half hour car drive from Germany not being the best preparation but I needed to wear off the guilt and I was dying to try the bike.

The roads round here really are terrible and I felt every bump through the carbon frame. Speed wise it felt faster than the mountain bike and the first 4km went off in a flash, well apart from my chain falling off.....which was easily and quickly fixed.

On the flats where the roads were OK I could coast at 30kmph without any real effort. Its a big improvement on the mountain bike in that respect. Up to the first big test Hedgehog hill. Up up up and hammer hammer hammer. Up to the top and definately faster than before. Down the other side and the speedo maxes out at 56kmph.......I had a quick dab on the brakes at that point given my fear of tarmac induced gravel rash.

Round the rest of the course was great even though it was windy I was above 30kmph quite a few times and on the flat and on the few smooth parts it was a real dream. On the rest of it it was a battle to stay on the thing as the steering is very quick and the bumps crash right up your arms and through you. I even managed to lock up both wheels as I braked for a pedestrian crossing. The effect of the speed and the high pressure in the tyres means you are forever pinging out stones and grit from under you.

Down the last big hill and up the final hill and I manage to get 75% up before I need to drop down the front chainset gear, usually I'm on the lower front chainset about a third of the way up. I finish the 20km in 46:31. My previous best was 51:56.

I'm reasonably pleased given the poor lead up to the session and it was my first time out on the bike for real. I also need to get real cycling shoes and pedals as I just have the pedals from my mountain bike on the racing bike. So some improvement there will be possible.

I am however a little concerned at the distance I am from my goal regarding average speed for the triathlon. I'd wanted to try and get a 30kmph average and so have around a 3 hour time for the cycling leg. This is far away from my current pace and I've not cycled more than 20km in the current training. So a lot of hard work to get under my belt before I'm as confident about the bike leg as I am about swimming and running.

13 weeks to go now. I have Alloa half marathon in two weeks and I'm 2 or 3 days in the UK this week. So time an opportunity are slipping away. I'm really starting to get worried. I don't want to turn up in Switzerland hoping for a flat course and smooth tarmac as being the only way I'm going to get round.

The Bike Arrives

Endlich kommt es....The bike is here.

Initial impressions as follows.

Its very very light....almost impossibly so when you lift it, it feels like its not real.

The wheels are very thin.

Its got 2 x 10 gears.

Tyres pumped up to 8 BAR...whats that all about....unbelievable. You can't do that with a hand pump.

The bike frame is made in Austria....a good omen as its my favorite country...Austrians are like Germans but with big faces, happy outlooks and usually very good at ski-ing. The seat is Italian and the technical bits from the Peoples Republic of Shimano Ultegra.

Took me an hour and some internet surfing to work out how to change down a gear. The lever for up changing sits nicely under the brake lever.....there is only one for each gear and they only go one way. So after that I was stuck. Eventually I worked out the brake lever itself is the change down lever , you just push it to the side. Those wee lads at Shimano are as bright as wee buttons.

Saddle actually felt OK although fitting it to the seat post was very fiddly along with taping the handlebars. The internet world of HOW DO YOU do that again filling the gap in my knowledge.

I got a free bike speedo/computer thing as compensation for my long wait...which when I took it for a quick run showed me flying at over 40kmph.....unfortunately I've not become Jacques Anquetil(personal life excepted).

Reality intervenes and I realise the computer needed calibrating based on my wheel size. So after I inspected my powerful thighs and fixed the computer it was too dark to try it further...I'll sleep tonight dreaming of being the first 42 year old Tour de France debutant.

The Thick Thick Air

Late start to first run of the week. I'm out and away with 18km ahead, a long run test just to see how the last week has affected my fitness levels. I was expecting a positive effect of having been at least 1400m for the last week and now being down at 90m among the thick air.

First 4K went by in a flash, probably the best start I've had. I felt great and really fresh despite not having ate much today. Up over the big Hedgehog hill without too much huffing and puffing....fantastic.

At the 11k mark and I'm at 52 minutes. Its starting to get a bit cold and the wind is now into my face for the run back. Along the main N5 and the runners high kicks in about the 1hr 10 mins mark...soon blown away with the cold wind.

I finish in 1hr 30m 22secs. This includes messing about with my MP3 player and my laces on the way round...Its good to be back. The double positive whammy of thick Belgian air and my boosted red blood cells from a week in the mountains was definately evident...Unfortunately it won't last....

Winter Training week

Ski week meant reduced opportunities for specific triathlon training activity. I did manage to fit in 3 shifts at the gym. 20km on mountain mode in 1 hour . a second 25km flat road in 50 minutes and then a 10km early morning sprint. All with weights sessions to follow although post 10km it was just 60 abdominal crunches with a 30kg of weight as I’d somehow strained a stomach muscle. Probably while eating afternoon tea.

Ski week was good and air was thin at 1400m, first gym session was especially difficult and involved a minor faint mid way through although I was so dizzy that just keeping upright was a major achievement. It was a busy week and lots of our Dutch cousins had made the journey to the snowy but sunny Austrian Alps. This enabled their smoking and queue barging to be shared equally across the European highlands.

I did notice on this trip that ski-ing is now attracting lets say a fuller figured crowd. It used to be the preserve of reasonably fit folk but I saw quite a few bloaters up blocking the light and flattening out the bumps on the slopes. It’s a little disconcerting to see Snow Kitten on the back of a snow suit that has what could pass for a Giant Panda inside. The guys designing it must have been pissing themselves as they sent out a size 20 snow suit with Snow Kitten on the back. Although given how much I ate during the week maybe they had just been there a week or two longer than me….I ended the week at a rather rotund 74.8kg….. up 0.8kg

The bike was allegedly shipped on Thursday last week so I expect delivery between today and Wednesday. I still need to get pedals and shoes. I also need to book my flight back for Alloa half marathon on 22^nd March but Ryanscare flights are cheap although with no Saturday flight available. As long as I can avoid using the toilet it should not be too expensive a flight. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090227/tod-oukoe-uk-ryanair-toilet-d987f7f.html

Training plan for this week is running……