On my commute home tonight I was wishing that I was able to listen to my favourite triathlon and motivational podcasts but personally I think it is simply just to dangerous. When you are commuting on busy roads in the dark against strong winds you cannot afford to lose your concentration for one minute.
On the run, normally away from heavy traffic, well that is another story. I love the time to plug myself into some great motivational content and the minutes and/or hours then fly by.
My favourites are as follows:
1. Zen and the Art of Triathlon
2. Fitness Behaviour
3. JBST Multisports
4. IM Talk
5. The Age Grouper
6. Ben Greenfield Fitness
They are all quite different - for example JBST Multisports and Ben Greenfield Fitness are generally the most technical. IM Talk spends more time analysing races and top triathletes. The Age Grouper and Zen and the Art of Triathlon follow individual(s) as they train but also has some excellent interviews with the top people involved in the sport. Fitness Behaviour is less about triathlons but more about the best behaviour for successful sportspeople (provides great life skills). It does help if you relate to the speakers and for that main reason my 2 top picks are Zen and the Art of Triathlon and Fitness Behaviour.
All can be downloaded free from iTunes. So check them out then get your headphones on and go running!
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Commuting during the dark winter months
Commuting is generally a bit of a 'no-brainer' - good for me, good for time on the bike (i.e. training), good for my pocket and good for the environment - everyone is a winner. Actually the time difference between car and bike is also not that great - probably an additional 15-30 mins subject to day, time and conditions.In the summer months I can complete the 28.5km in under an hour (PB around 53mins). As the weather conditions get less favourable and the light starts to disappear the time for the commute tends to increase to about 1:05. This morning I also had to battle the fierce wind, which added on another 10 mins - one of my slowest times on record. However, despite today's windy conditions I still get a buzz from the ride in to Brighton.
I do count myself very lucky in that I do have the opportunity to just simply get on the bike and cycle to work. However many times I have completed the journey, in whatever conditions, I still end up with a big smile on my face, especially when I see the sea.
For those considering commuting in the winter months I recommend an investment in some decent lights (my preference is USE Exposure lights), good warm clothing (layering) and some rubber overshoes and thick cycling gloves.
I also benefit from having an office with a shower and a spare suit and shoes ready for when I arrive, although on more than one occasion my work colleagues have had to put up with my lycra cycling attire for a little more time than they should.
Over the coming weeks I will share more details about my commute - the different routes, how I can vary the intensity and work in different zones, and also my selection of bikes for the route - fortunately I now the have the option of my carbon road bike (as pictured above) or my new aluminium singlespeed / fixed-gear bike (picture to follow).
Sunday 27 November 2011
Cyclists love a good coffee stop
The simple demands of riding invariably lead to an irrepressible craving for the energy-giving nectar and sugary manna that is best described as coffee and cake!
Today was no different - I met the boys from the Tri Club for an easy off-road adventure and a loop via Arundel and back (about 30 miles). Fortunately the route took us right past one of our favourite cafe haunts - the Riverside Tea Rooms in Amberley. The coffee, tea (Nigel - posh cups), toast and cake was much needed prior to our return journey via the leg-burning Amberley Mount.
A thoroughly enjoyable ride with the boys and a great way to spend Sunday morning.
Friday 25 November 2011
Garmin failure
Managed to get out for a lunchtime run, which is unusual for me. I often bring my running kit to work with all the best intentions but work always seems to get in the way (or I find a very good excuse!)
Actually I am sure that the difference today was the little trick I highlighted in my last post - no blog until I have done some training. So with the words of my coach and Nike in the back of the mind - Just Do It - out I went.
Once you are out the door it is always easier. Today it was simply about good technique, nice and easy. I have been often criticised for a bit of a 'girly' arm action so my main focus was correcting that. All went to plan, however my Garmin 305 was struggling today, in fact it never even got going - I suppose it is getting 'old' (3 years+) and finding a satellite is always a bit of an effort. Finally after 15 minutes it did actually sort itself out, however then it displayed 'lap memory full' and refused to record any data. I need to download the last few days of training to Garmin Connect and then clear down the watch's memory. I would really like the new Garmin 910xt (http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt/) but a little expensive at the moment - one day!
Anyway, I reckon I got at least a 30-35 min run and about 6km in the bank. Tomorrow morning is the Club swim. The plan for Sunday is some longer training, hopefully on the bike.
Looking at a shiny new Specialized Langster fixed / singlespeed bike for training and commuting - Interesting! More on bikes later.
Actually I am sure that the difference today was the little trick I highlighted in my last post - no blog until I have done some training. So with the words of my coach and Nike in the back of the mind - Just Do It - out I went.
Once you are out the door it is always easier. Today it was simply about good technique, nice and easy. I have been often criticised for a bit of a 'girly' arm action so my main focus was correcting that. All went to plan, however my Garmin 305 was struggling today, in fact it never even got going - I suppose it is getting 'old' (3 years+) and finding a satellite is always a bit of an effort. Finally after 15 minutes it did actually sort itself out, however then it displayed 'lap memory full' and refused to record any data. I need to download the last few days of training to Garmin Connect and then clear down the watch's memory. I would really like the new Garmin 910xt (http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt/) but a little expensive at the moment - one day!
Anyway, I reckon I got at least a 30-35 min run and about 6km in the bank. Tomorrow morning is the Club swim. The plan for Sunday is some longer training, hopefully on the bike.
Looking at a shiny new Specialized Langster fixed / singlespeed bike for training and commuting - Interesting! More on bikes later.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
How to Gain More Time from Training
Just started this blog and just read the Coach's blog on 'How to Gain More Time from Training':
http://coach4tri.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/how-to-gain-more-time-for-training/
Not such good reading for a newbie blogger... Maybe I will treat my blog writing as a reward once I have done some training - that's the answer!
http://coach4tri.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/how-to-gain-more-time-for-training/
Not such good reading for a newbie blogger... Maybe I will treat my blog writing as a reward once I have done some training - that's the answer!
The importance of the Triathlon Club
I have just returned from my weekly club swim - 1.5 hours of swim sets, endurance and strength work. During the pre-race season there is a lot more emphasis on drills and technique but for the winter the focus is on endurance and strength - building a good base fitness for the coming year. That means quite a few press-ups thrown in between the swim sets and tonight an extra few lengths of fly stroke than normal.
It is during these club sessions that you value the network of friends and like-minded individuals around you. I personally believe it to be the single most important factor to why I have enjoyed and stuck with sport. Anyone trying to take on all the training involved for an Ironman without such a network is going to find it considerably harder.
My decision to join Horsham Amphibians Triathlon (or Amphibians 2 Triathlon Club originally) was the turning point in my goal of becoming fitter. It also opened my eyes to the Ironman dream.
Since joining the Club I have been most fortunate to get to know a great bunch of individuals, many of whom are good friends. In addition the Club benefits from a professional Coach (Mark Tickner) who is not only an elite swimmer and master spinning instructor but a sub 10 hour Ironman (PB: 9:23:56). I will be referring to Mark in future posts when I discuss training plans, coaching and training camps.
Meanwhile, I will leave you with links to both my Club and details of our Coach:
Horsham Amphibians Triathlon: http://www.a2tri.com/
Coach4Tri (Mark Tickner): http://coach4tri.com/
It is during these club sessions that you value the network of friends and like-minded individuals around you. I personally believe it to be the single most important factor to why I have enjoyed and stuck with sport. Anyone trying to take on all the training involved for an Ironman without such a network is going to find it considerably harder.
My decision to join Horsham Amphibians Triathlon (or Amphibians 2 Triathlon Club originally) was the turning point in my goal of becoming fitter. It also opened my eyes to the Ironman dream.Since joining the Club I have been most fortunate to get to know a great bunch of individuals, many of whom are good friends. In addition the Club benefits from a professional Coach (Mark Tickner) who is not only an elite swimmer and master spinning instructor but a sub 10 hour Ironman (PB: 9:23:56). I will be referring to Mark in future posts when I discuss training plans, coaching and training camps.
Meanwhile, I will leave you with links to both my Club and details of our Coach:
Horsham Amphibians Triathlon: http://www.a2tri.com/
Coach4Tri (Mark Tickner): http://coach4tri.com/
Training this week - so far
I shouldn't beat myself up because it is the off-season and my Ironman training does not officially begin until the 5th December (30 weeks to IM Austria), however the training this week is a little all over the place.
Sunday was not too bad. I had to take my son to rugby training so my preferred long ride was not on the agenda. Not to worry - on with the trainers and an easy 16km off-road run on the Downs listening to my favourite triathlon podcast (more on this later) was just the ticket. Monday ended up with a simple 30 mins on the rollers - that was fun! - I borrowed some rollers from a friend and am enjoying trying them out. However, you do have to concentrate all the time, which I found out to my peril on Monday - it is easy to fall off!
Work was pretty full on yesterday so training took a back seat. A shame because there was an opportunity for some run training with the Tri Club on the track (a fortnightly session), which I was unable to attend.
Anyway, today is looking a little better - a 30 min tempo run this morning along Brighton sea-front. The plan was a 2km easy warm up, then 3km at above race-speed (pace: 4:30min to 4:45min per km), followed by a 1-2km cool down. I managed to complete as planned. The intention is to increase the length of time at above race-speed over the coming weeks.
Tonight, is the Club Swim and a longer session (1.5 hours). Our Coach always has some good quality swim workouts planned.
Sunday was not too bad. I had to take my son to rugby training so my preferred long ride was not on the agenda. Not to worry - on with the trainers and an easy 16km off-road run on the Downs listening to my favourite triathlon podcast (more on this later) was just the ticket. Monday ended up with a simple 30 mins on the rollers - that was fun! - I borrowed some rollers from a friend and am enjoying trying them out. However, you do have to concentrate all the time, which I found out to my peril on Monday - it is easy to fall off!
Work was pretty full on yesterday so training took a back seat. A shame because there was an opportunity for some run training with the Tri Club on the track (a fortnightly session), which I was unable to attend.
Anyway, today is looking a little better - a 30 min tempo run this morning along Brighton sea-front. The plan was a 2km easy warm up, then 3km at above race-speed (pace: 4:30min to 4:45min per km), followed by a 1-2km cool down. I managed to complete as planned. The intention is to increase the length of time at above race-speed over the coming weeks.
Tonight, is the Club Swim and a longer session (1.5 hours). Our Coach always has some good quality swim workouts planned.
Training: definition of a good week!
Over the last few years I have got to a stage where I enjoy working out and actually feel more lethargic and tired if I don't do it. Although I do have periods when I have a complete day(s) of rest, generally I am relatively active.
Finding the time: I am fortunate that my children are a little older now (youngest is 10) and my work place is only 17.5 miles from where I live - so my commute is relatively short. I am a bit of an 'early bird' and still get up at 5:45am during the weekdays, which gives me plenty of time to get some training in the morning. In addition my decision to join a local Triathlon club (more on this later) has meant that I have regular training sessions (mostly swimming) with driven like-minded individuals. All these factors have helped me in allocating time to training and motivating me to get to where I am now.
If I had to define a good week it would look something like the following:
2x commute - 35m (56km) round trip for standard route: so 112km (total 4 hours)
2x club swims - 1.5hours on Wed evening and 1 on Sat morning (total 2.5 hours)
2x runs - tempo / interval + longer easy run (total 2 hours)
1x Sunday ride - longer easy ride (total 2.5 hours)
So around 10.5 hours for a good average week.
In preparation for Ironman Austria my intention is to increase the average to around 12 hours per week, which is quite realistic and should be achievable.
The challenge is to be more structured about the training. I have never been very good at building on the training week-on-week and I could easily have a pattern of 10 hours one week, 5 hours the next, then 12 then 7. From my research a 10% increase each week followed by a recovery week would be more advisable. One of my other weaknesses is that too much of the training is completed at the same pace (possibly leading to junk miles). On more than one occasion I have been recommended to keep my easy sessions very easy and the hard sessions - you guessed it...hard!
Finding the time: I am fortunate that my children are a little older now (youngest is 10) and my work place is only 17.5 miles from where I live - so my commute is relatively short. I am a bit of an 'early bird' and still get up at 5:45am during the weekdays, which gives me plenty of time to get some training in the morning. In addition my decision to join a local Triathlon club (more on this later) has meant that I have regular training sessions (mostly swimming) with driven like-minded individuals. All these factors have helped me in allocating time to training and motivating me to get to where I am now.
If I had to define a good week it would look something like the following:
2x commute - 35m (56km) round trip for standard route: so 112km (total 4 hours)
2x club swims - 1.5hours on Wed evening and 1 on Sat morning (total 2.5 hours)
2x runs - tempo / interval + longer easy run (total 2 hours)
1x Sunday ride - longer easy ride (total 2.5 hours)
So around 10.5 hours for a good average week.
In preparation for Ironman Austria my intention is to increase the average to around 12 hours per week, which is quite realistic and should be achievable.
The challenge is to be more structured about the training. I have never been very good at building on the training week-on-week and I could easily have a pattern of 10 hours one week, 5 hours the next, then 12 then 7. From my research a 10% increase each week followed by a recovery week would be more advisable. One of my other weaknesses is that too much of the training is completed at the same pace (possibly leading to junk miles). On more than one occasion I have been recommended to keep my easy sessions very easy and the hard sessions - you guessed it...hard!
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Ironman Austria - About the Event
The Ironman Austria with its beautiful setting and perfect triathlon landscape attracts over 2000 athletes out of 50 nations every year. The Wörthersee with its crystal clear water offers optimal swimming conditions, the biking leads through the heart of Carinthia. The run course is totally flat.
For ful details, visit: http://ironmanklagenfurt.com/
For ful details, visit: http://ironmanklagenfurt.com/
Monday 21 November 2011
An introduction - Journey to Ironman Austria
A few friends have suggested I should record my journey from a novice triathlete to becoming an Ironman - so here goes!As an introduction I need to go back about 3-4 years:
Previously I did very little sporting activities, with the exception of some mountain biking, as I am fortunate enough to live very close to the
Since getting involved in the sport I have completed a few events, the key races and my times (where appropriate) are listed below:
- Brighton Marathon (2010/11): best time 3:45
- Ironman Antwerp 70.3 (2010): 5:27
- River Arun 3.8km Swim: 1:08
- New Forest 70.3 triathlon (hilly!): 5:54
- Best Half-Marathon time: 1:38
- London 2 Paris Charity ride 2011
It was always my intention to have a go at the big one (full Ironman). Given the expected sporting 'fever' in the run up to the Olympics 2012 it felt the right time to commit - Ironman Austria had a great reputation for being one of the favourites for both first timers and seasoned triathletes - so when entries opened for 2012, the day after the 2011 event, I had about an hour to apply before it sold out. Considering the cost was close to £500 it is just amazing how popular this sport has become.
So with December approaching and some thought to what my 30-week programme will look like (start date: 5th December - 30 weeks to 1st July) I begin my journey.....
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