4th week of base: 27 weeks to IM Austria

So with a couple of sessions already banked this is what te rest of the week should look like

Mon - Run: 45 min Z2 [Done]

Tue - Brick session: 30 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (45 mins in total) [Done]

Wed - Club swim - coached (1.5 hours)

Thu - Bike: 2 hours Z1-2 (possibly mountain biking)

Fri - Run: 30 mins Z2

Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hour)

Sun - New Year Day's Run: 1 hour Z1-2

Total for week 4: 2.5 hr swim; 2.5 hr bike; 2.5 hr run - total of 7.5 hours

This is supposed to be a rest week and the volume has dropped a little. In practice it will end up looking like last week (issue with missed sessions). There is also the possibility of an even higher volume week as I am on holiday and may get drawn into some group rides with the boys from the Club. Whatever happens my aim is to record the detail and try to make some sense of it all!

And I'm back - a fantastic Christmas break

Christmas was amazing this year - a real family affair leaving me with very fond memories.

Of course there was quite a lot of indulgent behaviour with plenty of food and drink. Fortunately, although I return home a little heavier, not much damage was done and I even got a couple of training sessions in!

In the lead up to the big day I did miss a couple of shorter sessions - about hour on the bike and 15 mins run in total. Disappointing because it has been the only sessions that I have missed since starting the programme, although it is probably not going to be my last and if I am really honest with myself it has certainly not derailed my plans.

I was however pleased to get a nice easy 1 hour run in on Christmas Day afternoon and another 45 mins on Boxing Day morning. Both along Bournemouth seafront and one with some family members, which made it all the more enjoyable.

The intention was to complete a 45 mins brick session tonight. I almost talked myself out of it but seeing my training partner, neighbour and good friend (Chris) running around town it motivated me to get in done.

So despite a busy festive week I am pleased I still have some momentum to keep the training going, albeit mostly relatively easy and short sessions.

The power of music when running

Yesterday morning I completed another run session. As like earlier sessions in the week the legs remained a little sore although the swim on Wednesday certainly helped to relieve some of the pain.

After 50 mins of relatively easy zone 2 running I decided to put on a couple of my favourite running tracks for the last 10 mins of training. I was amazed at the difference some music makes, my pace went from around 5:30 mins per km to nearer 4:45 mins, without much considerable change in my heart rate - result!

On this occasion the 2 tracks were:

1. Infinity 2008 (Klaas Vocal Edit) - Guru Josh Project
2. Mr Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan

I associate Infinity with Ironman and the triathlon sport in general, as I have heard it at a number of events. My favourite all-time You Tube video is Ironman Hawaii World Championship 2008 set to the Infinity them tune.

Please check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckFvoGRPiCU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Mr Saxobeat, a more recent edition, is simply a great upbeat tempo song and great for running.

A mad Christmas swim session

Our Coach was in a festive mood this evening so the swim session had a Christmas theme. We had 12 sets of 50m listed (i.e. front crawl, FC drill, backstroke, breast, various number of breaths 3-9, etc.)

The plan was simple - use the list like the 12 Days of Christmas. Start with set 1, then 2 and 1, then 3,2 and 1 until you reach 12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. Between each 50m set was 5-8 seconds rest. Sounds easy! Well it was certainly long - I think we managed about 3,500m in my lane in 1.5 hours.

The last set of 12 was made all the more entertaining as we also had to sing lines of the carol each 50m at the top of our voices. If the Coach felt you were too quiet then you were told to get out the pool, give him 20 press-ups, jump back in and carry on.

I am running tomorrow, hoping to do a little better than this morning, when I felt like I was simply going through the motion - my legs not really working as they should do - still fatigued from Sunday.

Today's tally - another 2 hours 15 mins in the bank

The beauty of cross-training

Woke up this morning with tired legs (no change since Sunday) - definitely not up for running.

Not to worry... The plan was a 2 hour bike ride (commute to Brighton).

Despite having sore legs I felt pretty good on the bike - the beauty of cross-training. On the hour journey into work I managed to include 3x intervals (approx. 8-10 mins each) of fast tempo (RPM 90-100; average speed above 30km/h) broken up by 5 mins of recovery - much more like a proper training session rather than a simple commute.

Then a re-scheduled meeting (Tue to Thu) immediately through the training plan out of kilter. However, thinking this good happen I was adequately prepared with swimming gear at the ready. So this lunchtime I headed down to the local public pool (Prince Regent in Brighton) for a 45 min session. I lost count a little but think I managed around 1,600m. The main set was 8x 100m front-crawl with increasing speed (slow - easy - steady - fast) within each 4 lengths. 30 seconds rest, then repeat. Beforehand I completed a 400m warm up and after a number of 25m sprints followed by a cool down.

Back on the bike for the return leg home later today. Probably just steady in zone 2. Hopefully the legs will be ready for a little running action tomorrow, with the first of the run sessions of the week.

3rd week of base: 28 weeks to IM Austria

It's going to be another week of squeezing in the training as Christmas approaches. Not only that but my rather stupid decision to play rugby yesterday has left me with rather sore legs - just like a day or two after I have ran a marathon. So if all goes to plan the training will be as follows:

Mon - Recovery

Tue - Bike: commute 30mins (100+ RPM) / 90 mins Z2 (2 hours)

Wed - Run: 45 min Z2 + Club swim - coached (1.5 hours). In total 2 hours 15 mins

Thu - Run: 1 hour Z2 + Swim: 30 mins. In total 1 hour 30 mins

Fri - Brick session: 30 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (45 mins in total)

Sat - Bike: 30mins (100+ RPM)

Sun - Christmas Day easy run: 1 hour Z1-Z2

Total for week 3: 2hr swim; 3 hr bike; 3 hr run - total of 8 hours

As per Don Fink's Competitive Program.

In any normal week it would be OK, however quite ambitious for the week running into Christmas and the main volume is concentrated over 3 days.

A slight change in plans

Well I managed to get home on the bike Friday evening without too much problem.

Saturday morning training was the normal Club Swim (1 hour). Our Coach was absent but as always we had a detailed session to complete. Without the normal discussion around each set or drill there was more time for swimming so quite a tough session on balance.

Struggling a bit Saturday afternoon so no training but after a decent sleep was up for a 1.5 hour off-road easy run on the Downs on Sunday at 7:30am. Kept it to zone 1-2, which meant walking up one steep hill. Finished with plenty of energy and time to take my son to rugby.

As it was the last rugby game before Christmas the coaches thought it would be fun to get the parents involved. So you guessed it... a good 1 to 1.5 hours of 'Touch Rugby' for me! I thought I was generally quite fit but playing a different sport with sudden acceleration and a bit of contact was a recipe for disaster and it wasn't long before I had a bit of a fall and an injured left leg - not too bad but enough to be painful, especially when walking up and down stairs.

Anyway, this second week of base training has been quite challenging with me having to change my plans a number of times. I just about got the hours in but worry that some have been banked in the 'junk miles' box. Anyway, still early base training so I am not going to beat myself up. Will publish next week's schedule tomorrow.

The morning after the Office Christmas Party

Oh Dear, Oh Dear Oh Dear....

My poor body.

This activity should NOT be included in your training plan, unless of course, you consider dancing to 3 o'clock in the morning an endurance sport.

A few hours of recovery time before I jump on my bike for the return commute home - could be painful but only got myself to blame!

A Brief Update and Essential Winter Wear

A brief update...

Great Club Swim last night up at Christs Hospital. Warm up was 4x 100m, then 4x 75m and 4x 50m, alternating between front crawl and individual medley / choice. The swim also involved a number of 5min blocks (continuous swimming) where the Coach blew his whistle to either confirm a change of stroke or pace. Finally we had some fast lengths and relay practice with full Swimming Gala rules. In total 1.5 hours in the bank.

I must say that I am very fortunate being a part of an active tri club in that I do not have to worry too much about swim training sessions - I just turn up on Wed and Sat (next year I will probably add another day - Mon) and listen to the Coach. I imagine it would be a lot harder if I tried to come up with some specific session myself. However, it would be a good time to mention that our Coach (Mark Tickner) has just written a swimming book - Ultimate Swim, which is a great resource for those lacking a decent swim programme. Details can be found on his website: http://www.coach4tri.com/

So on to my bike commute this morning. I was determined to get a ride to work this week but woke up to more strong winds. Not wanting to wimp out again I braved the elements only to find that the wind was really not that bad and actually probably was an advantage when I neared Brighton. Loving the new bike... The only thing I got to watch is that the slightly easy gearing meant that I struggled to reach zone 2 this morning. There is a danger that the ride ends up being too easy and those potential training miles turn in to junk commute miles. In future I will try to up the cadence or throw a few hills into the mix, both of which should push my heart rate up and result in more of a work-out.

It is the office party tonight. As I am staying in Brighton I plan to do the return bike journey tomorrow. Thereafter I have to fit in another Club swim on Saturday and ideally a short brick session, leaving a long run for Sunday morning - job done!

At this time of year it is hard to get the training hours in and I am already finding I need to be flexible with the plan. My ideal nutrition and weight plan is also being thrown a little off course. I am not worrying about it too much and intend to enjoy my family Christmas, however it will be something I need to monitor and will return to in future blogs.


Essential Winter Wear...

So during my successful ride to work this morning I was thinking that with the correct winter gear there is little excuse for not training in pretty much all conditions. For cycling I recommend some decent gloves and rubber overshoes, together with the normal lycra leggings and cycling jacket. I like the idea of layering and opt for a compression top or thin breathable vest under the jacket. My buff is great for colder conditions as is a under-helmet cycling cap (as shown - not attractive but very practical). I also normally wear a bright lightweight gillet for extra visibility in the dark, although this morning I was unable to find it - probably in the wash.


On the bike an investment in some decent lights (my preference is USE Exposure http://www.use1.com/product/000079/exposure-lights/) is key. Also my latest addition of some lightweight mudflaps saved me from a wet back-side this morning.

Wind and more wind - training continues

Last night I spent some of the evening fixing mudguards to my winter race bike ready for today's commute to work. I woke to heavy winds and a forecast for further bad weather during the day. Therefore I abandoned my plans for the ride into work and picked up my running gear so as not to miss a day's training.

At lunch time I ventured out for a 45 min easy run in zone 2. I headed down to the coast from our office near Brighton station and after doing a lap of the pier (just to view the crashing waves) I ran towards Brighton Marina, probably not the smartest move, as that direction was very much with the wind. Fine on the way out, I was going quite well, not suprisingly. However, when I turned around for the return leg it was a slightly different story. Running against the wind was very tough and my speed dropped considerably (trying to keep in the low end of zone 2). In addition the sea spray was like having acupuncture in the face.

Anyway, I shouldn't moan. Training completed as planned - I ended up doing about 10km in 55 mins, which given the conditions was fine. I still plan to get in at least one commute on the bike this week, just have to juggle the schedule.

Off to a networking event tonight and the main speaker is Kevin Betts, who recently ran 52 marathons in one year all in under 4 hours - I am looking forward to hearing his story. His blog link is http://www.52marathons.co.uk/blog/3

First week's training completed as planned - 29 weeks to IM Austria

The first week's scheduled training was completed successfully - just over 6.5 hours in the bank - all relatively easy stuff, mostly zone 1-2 (i.e. aerobic). Following my eventful cycle on Thursday evening I had a good run on Friday morning (45 mins) along Brighton seafront, club swim on Saturday and 45 min brick session today (30 mins on turbo in garage and then 2 laps of Ashnigton - 15 mins).

As previously highlighted the plan involves increasing the training by approx 10% each week for 3 weeks and then having a bit of a recovery on the fourth. So next week I am targeting 7.5 hours, trying to follow the plan listed below:

Mon - Rest / Preparation Day / possibly 30 mins strength training

Tue - Bike: commute 30mins (100+ RPM) / 90 mins Z2 (2 hours)

Wed - Club swim - coached (1.5 hours)

Thu - Brick session: 30 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (45 mins in total)

Fri - Run: 45 min Z2

Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hour)

Sun - Run: 1.5 hours Z1-2

Total for week 2: 2.5hr swim; 2.5 hr bike; 2.5 hr run - total of 7.5 hours

Don Fink's Competitive Program lists 7 hours (2S/2.5B/2.5R) however I am fitting my own training around current coached sessions.

Wrestling with the Black Stallion

I was looking forward to getting back on my new bike for the return commute home. What I wasn't ready for was such extreme weather conditions, probably the worst winds I have ever experienced whilst cycling.

I had to wrestle with the 'Black Stallion' just to stay upright, a number of times I was nearly blown into the middle of the road.

After about 15-20 minutes I gave up and called for rescue - I know, not really the Ironman way, however better to stay alive to ride another day.

So I rode another few miles and met up with my lovely wife he drove down to rescue me.

In total 1 hour and 40 minutes cycling for the day. This evening's ride home, despite being cut short, will certainly go down as strength training.

The new winter bike - virgin ride

First before I share details of my morning ride a brief update on the Club swim last night....

During this 1.5 hour evening swim session Coach MT had planned some strength work and the various sets involved a lot of paddles and fins - we like all the toys! The Coach even had us doing backstroke and breaststroke with paddles on. We finished the session with some explosive 25m sets - dive start, kicking hard and sprinting for at least 10-15m (no breathing) followed by an easy stroke to the other end. All great fun! I was pleased with my performance and despite being the slowest swimmer in my lane (lane 3 of 6) I managed to keep on the toes of the stronger swimmers for most of the session.

So on to this morning...

I looked at my plan for the week and given that I may have to take my son to rugby on Sunday I decided to bring the long bike ride forward and keep the shorter brick session for the weekend. More importantly I wanted to try out my new winter bike - a Specialized Langster singlespeed / fixed road bike (pictured below).
The decision to purchase a singlespeed / fixed bike was driven by getting back to 'pure cycling' (no distraction from changing gears), easier maintenance and the 'wear and tear' on my carbon road bike during the winter months. In addition I had been told it is beneficial to training given that your legs take over from your gearing.

In order to get a feel for the new 'black stallion' I decided on the singlespeed option for the first ride. I was pleasantly surprised to find the gearing just about right for my normal commute - the route being relatively flat. For the few down hill sections I was not pedalling frantically but likewise I manage all the inclines without much problem. I have always enjoyed getting out the saddle and powering up the hills when necessary. My return route will be a little more challenging but I am not too worried.

The real test will come when I flip the rear wheel round to use the fixed cog. In this position as the pedals turn the wheel goes round (obvious - I suppose), however when one stops, either the pedal or wheel the other stops too - more interesting! The plan is to move to a 'fixie' after a couple of weeks once I have got a good feel for the bike. In this position, I should get this best training benefit and it should certainly help with my spinning technique.

For those who are interested in this bike set-up the Specialized Langster is a relatively affordable option. The new 2012 model is very nice but there is limited availability until January next year and it retails at £499. The new model is also a little more set up for track cycling and comes with track handlebars and no bar tape. I went for last year's model and got a deal at just over £300 for an ex-demo model (generally you can pick them up for £350-£399, or £250-£300 second-hand on eBay). The only additions I made were some entry-level Shimano lock-in pedals and a Specialized bottle cage. Other than that, good to go!

Great track session

Base training has begun... The plan tonight was an hour run on the track with the Tri Club (HAT). I normally follow the expert guidance of our running coach, Tony, who always has a good, relatively hard, session in mind.

Tonight, however, was a little different - I was invited to join Chris (HAT member, good friend and neighbour - also training for IM Austria) who was trying out the first run session in a personalised program designed specifically for him. Chris is a much stronger swimmer and cyclist than me but our run pace and endurance is similar, albeit my technique probably needs a bit more work than his. Anyway given our similar running ability I agreed to keep him company.

We actually covered the warm up, brief drill set, dynamic stretching and build section with Tony and the rest of HAT. The main set was simply 8x 800m at a moderately steady race pace.

Chris and I were both really pleased that each 800m set was completed within a couple of seconds of each other, our average being about 3:26.

Apparently the average time for 800m can be roughly estimated as your marathon time in hours and minutes (i.e 3:26). That would be good - my PB is 3:45.

Anyway a great session - really impressed with the consistency across all 8 sets.

I expect Chris will be inputting the data into Training Peaks and has the advantage of feedback from the Club Coach (Mark Tickner - Coach4Tri) - a service I am keen to know more about.

For me, it was home for a bit of my wife's wonderful chicken Risotto and homemade brownie for dessert - well deserved after a hard but rewarding track session.

Club swim tomorrow.

Getting muddy on the South Downs

Bit of a late one last night - Donna and I attended the Chestnut Tree House Christmas Ball and finally got to bed at 2am. However, there was the chance of a bike ride with the boys so the alarm clock was set for 7:30 and I was out of the door fully geared up by just gone 8am. I was joined by Matt, Nigel, Tony, Hilly and Mike from HAT (Horsham Amphibians Triathlon) in addition to a special guest appearance by John from Tuff Fitty Triathlon Club.

As we were were on the mountain bikes we headed up to the top of the Downs for some great riding and a lot of mud. There was a lot of sliding around but fortunately we all stayed upright. I peeled off after about 2 and a quarter hours to head for home down my favourite technical singletrack via Wiston. Total about 2 and half hours on the bike with around 35km in the bank. Excellent fun and great company. The only downside was cleaning the bike, which probably took 30 mins - well worth the effort though as the 'Black Beauty' (Elsworth Epiphany) is ready to roll when I get the next invitation.

The fitness didn't stop there as I took my son to a swimming party at the old Worthing pool and managed to get a dip myself. A good 30-40 mins of the 50m length pool.

On the way home stopped at Sainsbury for mulled wine, chestnuts, Michael Buble's new Christmas album - all that is needed after a great active day - now for some family time and an opportunity to put up the Christmas tree.

N.B. Sorry - still no data on the ride as my Garmin still playing up, hope to have the problem rectified soon.

Heart Rate Zones - the basics!

As previously mentioned I am keen to get some proper testing to calculate my training zones, definitely the most accurate method.

Meanwhile, the generally accepted technique for estimating your maximum heart rate is the '220 minus your age' method. The 30-week training program incorporate the following zones:

Zone 4: 90-95% of max hr (primarily anaerobic training)

Zone 3: 86-89% of max hr (middle zone)

Zone 2: 75-85% of max hr (higher-end aerobic training)

Zone 1: 65-74% of max hr (lower-end aerobic training)

For cycling Don Fink recommends you subtract 5% (less stress on your body).

That puts my personal zones (approx.) as follows:

Z1 (run): 115-132; Z1 (bike): 110-125

Z2 (run): 133-151; Z2 (bike): 126-143

Z3 (run): 152-158; Z3 (bike): 144-150

Z4 (run): 159-169; Z4 (bike): 151-160

Next week: Week 1 - Base Training

OK... here we go!

Week 1 of the 30-week IronFit training program (courtesy of Don Fink, revised around my diary):

Mon - Rest / Preparation Day (good start!)

Tue - Club track run - coached (1 hour)

Wed - Club swim - coached (1.5 hours)

Thu - Brick session: 30 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (45 mins in total)

Fri - 45 min run Z2 and/or testing with Coach

Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hour)

Sun - Bike: 30 mins Z1 (100+ RPM) / 60 mins Z2 (1.5 hours in total)

Total for week 1: 2.5hr swim; 2 hr bike; 2 hr run - total of 6.5 hours

Don Fink's Competitive Program lists 6 hours (2/2/2 each discipline), however I am fitting my own training around current coached sessions.

The plan is to increase to 7.5 hours for week 2 and 8 to 8.5 hours for week 3. Fortunately my recovery week (4th week) falls on the Christmas period. If I stick to the Don Fink's Base plan my heaviest week will be 11 hours, which should not be too challenging.

Countdown: 30 weeks from Monday - Base training begins!

Enjoyed an early morning Club Swim today with all the guys. Hopefully I will join them tomorrow for another session, this time on the mountain bikes - the South Downs awaits!

So the day is fast approaching - 30 weeks to Ironman Austria - Base training begins (slowly) on Monday.

My weakness over the last 2-3 years since getting into the sport of triathlon is the lack of a structured program. That is not to say that I have not managed to achieve a reasonable level of fitness, however I do feel that I have reached a bit of a plateau. As previously highlighted I know my easy and hard sessions blend into a similar range (comfort zone), which potentially leads to 'junk miles'. With time an important and sometime limiting factor (family time and work also need to be incorporated) I need to ensure that all the sessions are adding value and moving me towards my goal - in this case completing the Ironman in a reasonable time (under 12.5 hours) with a smile on my face.

I have done a bit of research into Ironman training plans over the last couple of months. There is plenty to choose from - there are the 'off the shelf' versions available in books, magazines and the Internet (some free to access) and then at the other end of the spectrum there are full coaching programs, tailored to your specific needs and individual requirements.

Given that I have spent quite a bit of money entering Ironman Austria (close on £500 - ouch!) and then the additional cost of getting there (probably another £500) I was initially a bit reluctant to go down the full tailored coaching route. However, then there is the argument that you have spent the money to enter - at the very least you need to give yourself every advantage to train properly and hiring a coach could be the very best investment I make.

My final decision is a little bit of both. The intention is to start the base training following an 'off the shelf' plan - the Competitive Program listed in Don Fink's best selling book 'Be Iron Fit: Time-Efficient Training Secrets for Ultimate Fitness'. During December I also plan to have an introductory session with the Club's Coach (Mark Tickner - http://www.coach4tri.com) - some max Vo2 testing on the bike, bike set-up and analysis of training zones.

I then expect to explore the options of coaching for 6 months from Jan- Jun and will also follow up with further testing and probably a few training sessions with the Coach and some of the Club members, who have also entered Ironman Austria. This is in addition to the regular coached swimming sessions (2-3 times a week).

My next post will cover my first week of base training and detail my current heart rate zones (basic calculation). For those interested in taking a look at Don Fink's book the Amazon link is listed below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Iron-Fit-Time-Efficient-Training/dp/1599218577/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322921837&sr=8-1