The journey continues!

Due to popular demand (I am quite surprised by the requests I have had) I have begun a new blog, which logs my future training and forthcoming challenges.

Please check out www.trihardtraining.blogspot.com

Good to be back...

Final Chapter

It is Sunday morning and I hope to get out on the bike later (not sure if MTB or road). Despite the awful weather I enjoyed a 40 min (wet) run yesterday. Also got a swim at the Club Saturday morning - quite a tough session - can't be back to full fitness yet because I was struggling at the end. Nice to see all the guys and girls afterwards for a coffee and a catch up.

So even though the volume has been drastically reduced I am still very much in to the sport of triathlon and thinking of the next goal(s), albeit it might not be an Ironman (well not straight away!) As previously highlighted I need to balance my sporting ambitions with a few other goals at work and home.

Some of my mates at the Club are already talking about the next one - Switzerland, Lanzarote even Norway (I think that is a new Ironman event). They are adding new events all the time so despite being popular there should be plenty of opportunity to get involved in the future. But for me, no decision at the moment - I need some time to simply re-set the balance.

So for the time being this will be my last post and the end of my (first) Ironman journey. I have enjoyed recording all the 'highs and lows' and been very grateful for all the positive feedback that I have received from followers of the blog. Please leave a comment on this post if you would like to hear more. My training will continue so there is always something to blog about.

But for the time being this particular chapter of my life must come to a close. I am proud of what I have achieved and am glad I finally got to hear those important words...

'David Pegler, you are an Ironman'

Movie of Ironman Austria

I think I have successfully managed to load a low resolution version of the IM Austria movie to the Blog. Hope it works on your PC.

First minute is general footage and then it is the 'David Show'. I am wearing a black and red Zoot tri suit and a black 'Sonic the Hedgehog' cycle helmet (not that you can see much on the bike shots - a little too fast for the camera). For the run you can see me hobbling over the line but fortunately with a smile on my face. Please excuse the 'Sailor-Boy' hat but was perfect for filling with ice in the hot conditions.

Listen to the commentator on the bike shout (at 90km turnaround) - 'Ice Cold Beer, Ice Cold Beer' - a little bit of a tease.

I hope it gives you a bit of a feel for the event - enjoy!

Final acknowledgements

Back on the road bike yesterday. Selected the singlespeed machine for the hour commute each way to Brighton and back. In the morning the focus was on relatively high cadence - quite easy to do on a singlespeed bike on a route without hills. The return journey was a strength session - not by design, simply a very windy evening and hard going along the coast.

This morning was my first run since the Ironman (swapped Tue/Wed sessions). I was pleased with my efforts - it was an interval session, including 6 sets up hill and off-road. The legs worked well enough - no ill effects or fatigue.

In bringing this blog to a close (well almost) I need some final acknowledgements and thanks to the characters involved.

I was encouraged to start this blog by one or two friends that were just starting to get involved in the sport and interested to find out about the crazy world of Ironman. I have been quite amazed how many people have actually being following my progress and have told me that my own story has inspired them to set some challenges for themselves. Since my first blog I have had over 5,000 views and only 4,500 of those are from my Mum. No seriously, I really do appreciate people's positive comments and it is so wonderful to think my rather basic content has had readers coming back for more. So a big thank you to all the followers of this blog.

As previously highlighted I know I wouldn't have got to this point without a great network of friends and family. Special thanks to all the guys and girls at Horsham Amphibians Triathlon (HAT), for inspiring me to improve my fitness and increase my triathlon event distances over the last few years. I suppose I should single out both Coach Mark Tickner (MT) for providing some structure to my training and my closest training buddy, good friend and neighbour, Chris Neilson.

Big thanks to also go to all the people who kindly sponsored me, raising significant funds for the Chestnut Tree House children's hospice - a very worthy cause.

And lastly but most importantly - my wife and children - I really do not recommend committing to such an event unless your loved ones are 100% behind you and at the very least understand why it is so important to you. My family have been wonderful and I simply couldn't have done it without their support.

Don't tell my Mum

I decided not to buy any Ironman memorabilia at the Expo before the event as I didn't wish to jinx my race. However, when I returned to the Expo afterwards there was very little stuff left - everyone else must have had the same idea.

Not to worry - I still got my finisher's shirt and Ironman medal.

Back in the UK I had a crazy moment and decided to get the ultimate memorabilia item that I could keep for the rest of my life - the Ironman tattoo.

When I mentioned it to my wife and children they were quite keen and supportive of the idea. So I went ahead with a small tattoo on the back of my left leg, just above my ankle and easily covered up by a sock, if needed.

Although it hurt a little (not as much as the marathon) I am pleased with the results and have already had lots of positive comments.

Just don't tell my Mum - she will kill me!

What's next

This morning and a week after my Ironman challenge I was back on the bike. This time up on the South Downs getting wet and extremely muddy enjoying an easy 2 hour mountain bike ride. In addition to approx. 1 hour of swimming that makes a total of 3 for my first recovery week.

Next week is a little more back to normal and Coach MT has me down for 12 hours.

My focus for the next month or so and thinking about my 'B' race is getting back to fitness for something a little different - an Xterra event where I will be on the mountain bike and running off-road.

The event I have my name down for is the Vachery XTri on Sunday 26th August consisting of the following:

1,500m swim
30km bike
10km run

Looks a great local venue - still lots of places. Details can be found via the following link:

http://www.vacherytriathlon.com/

Coach MT has me down for the following sessions this week:

Mon - strength 0:45; swim - 1:00 (optional)
Tue - run: intervals 0:40
Wed - bike: cadence focus 1:30; club swim 1:30
Thu - strength 0:45; run: easy 0:30
Fri - bike: easy 1:00
Sat - club swim 1:00; run: off-road 1:00
Sun - bike: MTB 2:00

So would I do it again?

I enjoyed an easy swim at the Club last night but cut the session to around 45 mins, which included some kicking drills.

A good number of the Club members were keen to here the 'war stories' of the Ironman event and Matt and I did our best to talk them through our experience. The question that most comes up in discussion is 'would you do it again?'

Personally, I think it has to be 'Yes'. For the most part it has been a very enjoyable journey topped off by a successful race. As you would expect it has had some 'up and downs' but that's life and I think it is how you deal with those high and low points that define you. Looking back on the last few days I am already forgetting about the pain of the run and remembering the great location, good times spent with my friends and wife, excellent food, accommodation and simply being immersed in the special bubble that is the world of 'Ironman'.

In saying 'Yes' to doing another such event in the future I must consider beyond the last few days, which was actually just the 'icing on the cake', the real commitment came from the training and support that was needed from my friends and most importantly family to complete the journey. Before comtemplating another I think that it would only be fair to sit down with my loved ones and remind ourselves of what it involves and the possible sacrifices both them and I are likely going to have to make.

I think I actually got the training, work, family balance about right but what I did find is that it does take over your life in other ways. You cannot seem to get the thought of the training and event out of your head. I started looking at my training diary before my work and social diary and planning everything else around that. I suppose this blog has been a great tool to record my journey but at the same time has made me more concious about the time and energy I was using thinking about triathlon. It is hard to stop it taking over. I expect that is also why it is also hard to let it go, it being such a big part of my life for the last 6-12 months. May be that it why I don't want to say 'No' to the question about another one, because I don't want to lose the structure and feeling it has given me - this is getting deep!!

All I do know is that it is probably healthy to take a break and for that reason alone I do not expect to do another full 'Ironman' event in the next year. However, there are plenty of other challenges and more 'bitesize' goals I need to plan and achieve in relation to health/fitness, work/career, and family/home that I am looking forward to.

In relation to this blog... Well I have another few posts to write and final topics to cover and then I suppose I will have to bring it to the end.

However, I know it is just the end of chapter and not the end of my triathlon journey. Watch this space!

A few race photos

My team buddies and support crew

I don't think I would ever had contemplated doing an Ironman or even continued with the sport if it wasn't for the tri club and guys and girls that I have met over the last few years that are now close friends.

I want to devote this post to them as they were very much part of my journey. They have their own stories to tell but I could not leave them out without a brief mention.

First the results:

Paul (608 - position) 11:27:05
Matt (706) 11:38:51
Ray (1009) 12:17:34
James (1325) 12:58:11
Marc / Danny (1606) 13:57:45
Chris - DNF

For Matt, Chris and I it was our first Ironman experience. For the rest of the guys they had done a number previously, so it was great to listen to their past 'war stories' and benefit from their experience.

A couple of comments stuck in my mind - I remember being very nervous a few weeks back and Marc (otherwise known as Danny in the club) told me that when he had previously stood on the start line he was quite calm, mainly because he knew he had pretty much the whole day to do the 140.6 miles and it was best treated like a long training session. Another comment that made perfect sense was given to Chris and I from James, the day before the event. He said if you feel you cannot go on, stop for 10-30 minutes and sit down and rest. Don't give in your number or inform an official that you cannot continue otherwise you are out of the race and guaranteed a DNF ('Did not finish'). After 10-30 minutes then if you are still unable to go on then there is probably a very good reason why you should stop (we will come back to this for Chris), otherwise most athletes decide to continue, and complete the distance successfully.

I consider Paul and Matt to be very good all round triathletes being strong in all disciplines. They train well and consistently and I was't surprised they broke 12 hours. Like me they found the run hard, especially in the extreme temperatures. In different circumstances I expect both could have got even better times but on the day they still had a great result. I have very special respect for Matt who was knocked off his bike a couple of months ago and actually broke his neck (see post: Get well soon - Matt Ryley). When we first heard about the accident most of his friends were worried he would never walk again and definitely thought he had no chance of completing an Ironman. But Matt was determined and his recovery was both speedy and pretty miraculous. Within a month he was back doing some light training and then built it up steadily with the help of Coach MT to be race fit for July 1st. I also need to thank Matt and his Company (Upgrade Bikes) for the kind use of the Reynolds carbon wheels, which I am sure contributed to my own decent bike time.

Ray, was the veteran Ironman of the group and another strong all-rounder. His bikes towers above all of ours as he well above 6ft in height. For being a slightly bigger guy, albeit very lean, the run was a struggle in the heat. Ray was quite weak at the finish and we helped each other get to the finisher's tent for a massage and refreshments.

James, was next in after me. The focus of his training efforts have been on the bike. He cycles with Paul quite often and a number of stronger cyclists. He even entered a 50 mile time trial just before the Ironman race. He would be the first to admit his swim and running are weak compared to his excellent bike fitness and it was not surprising he did not have the greatest marathon time.

Danny is the joker of the pack - always upbeat and great fun. Although he has been involved in the sport for many years he has mixed results with his Ironman challenges. Unfortunately he has not always had the best of luck in his preparation for such races and this time was no different. He was able to improve his swimming as he attended more Club sessions and he was always strong on the bike. This year he even managed a cycle training camp. However as the event approached he had some distractions that threw his training off a little. Like the rest of us the run was a painful experience.

In terms of the competitors that just leaves one person, my old training buddy and close friend and neighbour, Chris. Out of all of us he was the most committed and prepared for the race. I cannot remember him missing any one single key training session and he followed the Coach's plan religiously (the model student). He was the kind of guy that if we were supposed to complete a 4 hour ride and we arrived home after 3:58 he would have to ride around the block to make it 4:00. He even committed to a training camp, hosted by Coach MT, to get him in the best possible shape. I certainly felt he was going to challenge Paul for the top spot.

Unfortunately a week before the event Chris went down with a nasty bug, at first we thought it was a simple cold but it wiped him out both mentally and physically. I drove to Austria with Chris and had some concerns but knowing how much he had committed to this venture tried to keep him positive and recommended he rest right up to the Sunday we raced.

We all felt that if Chris could get to the start line as rested as possible he was strong enough to pull this off. Unfortunately his body had decided otherwise. I have great respect for him as he did start and had a decent swim. I overtook him on the bike after 100km when he knew something was not right. He looked up at me and his face was completely red and swollen. He stopped at our hotel, which we passed on the bike course, fortunately his wife, Sue was there and realised he had a problem when he removed his helmet. An ambulance was called and he was rushed into hospital. As I write this post he is still there - he is much better but the Austrian doctors are being very thorough and checking him out fully. I expect we will never really know exactly what happened but personally I believe that he had some kind of virus that know medicine could help with and then the additional stress he put his body under was a lethal cocktail. Chris will be upset he could not finish (more of CNF than DNF), although there is always another race and your health is simply more important. Believe me Chris will be back on his triathlon journey soon enough.

So onto the supporters, who one lady on the plane across referred to them as 'Wags'.

Chief Wag and who deserves a special thanks is Nigel. He had planned to do the event as well but some relatively unsuccessful surgery on his knee wrote him off for any long distance running. He unselfishly still decided to come and support and drive the van of bikes back with Danny. Before, during and after the event his support and guidance was most welcome, we would have struggled without him.

For Ray, Chris and I, having our other halves with us, really made it rather special - thanks to Donna, Sue and Marilyn.

I cannot exclude Steve and Daphne (Nigel's friends who we met out in Austria) who were absolute 'diamonds' and so helpful with lifts to the hospital and airport. They were also real inspirations in the sport of triathlon.

I hope I haven't embarrassed anyone in this post, I just wanted to recognise this is not the journey you want to travel on your own and my own personal thanks to the guys and girls that were involved in mine xx

Mission Accomplished - initial race briefing

I am wide awake on the morning after Ironman Austria. Legs are very sore and I have a bit of sunburn but other than that feeling OK and elated that I met my 2 goals of completing the race with a smile on my face and under 13 hours.

The official time was 12:23:03 with the following splits:

Swim - 1:24:08
T1 - 0:05:57
Bike - 6:06:23
T2 - 0:05:38
Run - 4:42:55

I was positioned 1,049 out of 2,700 (that entered, not necessary finished) so in the first half of the competitors. All in all not bad for my first Ironman event.

Further breakdown on splits can be found on the official website:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/austria?show=tracker&race=austria&year=2012#axzz1zMCAlh00


Swim
I knew this was going to be on the slow side. Not that I am normally very fast in a wetsuit anyway but it does give you the buoyancy, which helps with a good glide through the water and for me personally makes me a little more confident. So as a non-wetsuit swim (water temperature too warm) I simply wore my tri suit. The big countdown got the adrenalin going but I entered the water with the other 2,000 plus swimmers a little nervous. It was very congested for the entire race and I was constantly trying to fight for my own space. I did have some success getting on the feet of faster swimmers and obtaining the drafting benefits but was concerned that I was not always going in a straight line. The water was crystal clear at least until the last 1km when we hit the narrower and much shallower canal. It was great to see all the thousands of spectators line the canal banks, you could almost reach out and touch them. So I jumped out for a time of 1:24:08 and ran to the transition area.

Bike
My transition to the bike wasn't the fastest I have had but worth taking the time to get on some socks and apply both chamois cream and suntan lotion (even though I still got a little burnt). It was also quite a long run from the swim exit to bike transition. I went off quite quickly easily averaging 35-40 km per hour for the first 60 mins before hitting some hills. The view around the bike course was spectacular with lakes, mountains and beautiful countryside. Just before hitting one of the bigger hills I got a welcomed surprise and was greeted by Chrissie Wellington (world champion Ironman) standing in the middle of the road giving me lots of encouragement to 'go, go, go'. After the first lap and 90km down I was a good bit under 3 hours. I continued the decent pace for the next 50km but began to tire as I hit the hills. The last one really took a lot out of me, however I finished strong and was pleased with my 6:06 effort. In terms of nutrition I ate as much bars and Powershots (gels) my body could handle but had quite a lot left when I arrived at transition. I did however take on a lot more fluids than I normally would. My neck was a little tired, probably being in the aero position for such a long time.

Run
Bike to run transition was also pretty smooth although I should have taken time to put more suntan lotion on. Apparently the temperature hit 40C (well above 100F). So off on the run, this is where things started to come undone a little. Within the first km I felt some cramping - likely caused by hitting the bike a little too hard. I can only compare it to how I normally feel after mile 20 on a marathon, only on this occasion I hadn't even reached mile 1 - it was definitely going to be a long day. I tried to stay positive and decided to adopt Matt's strategy of walking for 1 min and running 9 mins. I failed on my first attempt and only managed about 4 mins running. Over the next couple of hours I experimented with different run and walk times but was not able to run more than 10 mins on any one occasion. I only took one gel but my body was craving more fluids. I decided to start on flat coke and must have drunk one at every aid station - that is a lot of coke - I estimate about 5 litres. I also continued drinking water and fresh fruit - banana, oranges and water melon. For the second half of the run I expect there was as much walking as running but I was no different from the other athletes, the vast majority were doing the 'Ironman Shuffle' or simply walking the course. I managed to build up to a bit of a power walk, which I was still able to do without causing further cramping. At the end any running more than 1-2 mins in duration was very painful. One bit of good news was that my maths was a little off. The run course was marked in km and I convinced myself it was 46.2km rather than the correct 42.2km. I was getting a little worried because I was running so slowly at 41km that I thought there was a slight possibility of 13+ hour finish time. I was very pleased to see my wife at the 42km marker confirming I only had the finishing shoot to run down to complete the race. I mustered all the strength I could and ran the last 200m trying to soak up as much of the atmosphere as I could and to hear those important words - David Brian Pegler, you are an Ironman!

I am an Ironman

I am an Ironman - the time was 12:23:00 and some change (to be confirmed).

Race briefing to follow.

I did it!

The big day

The big day... Bring it on!

The day before

Just over 12 hours to go before I line up in my toughest and longest triathlon event since I started this great sport 3 years ago.

At the moment feeling pretty chilled, helped by the great venue and being around my Club buddies. Also need to say a big thank you to our support crew (Donna, Sue, Marilyn and don't forget Nigel, otherwise known as our 'Wags').

The temperature here is upper 30 degrees plus (I think it is forecast to be 35C / 95F tomorrow). Because of the heat and resulting water temperature we have been informed it is a non-wetsuit swim. I am not too phased with this announcement - I like the buoyancy of a wetsuit but am not that much quicker with it on. Of course I have never swam 3.8km without stopping and without a wetsuit, however I am confident I can do the distance (done it in training in the pool). At least the first transition will be quicker.

Another consequence of the heat will be loss of fluids making rehydration even more important - must make sure I drink plenty of water and electrolytes. The other problem is protection from the sun. My tri suit leaves my shoulders and neck quite exposed so I am going to have to cream up well. I will also wear a lightweight running hat. There will be ice available to put in your hat and cold sponges to run with - best to take 2 and run with them tucked in to the tri suit above the shoulders. The only thing to watch is a lot of water running down into your shoes, which is best avoided on the run.

We have just taken the bikes and numbered bike and run bags to register them. As part of the slick operation we also picked up our timing chips.

Now it is back to the hotel, dinner at 7pm (probably pasta) and bed ready for a 4am rise to eat breakfast and prepare drinks / food for bike and special needs bags.

At just after 5am it is back to the bikes, blow up tyres to correct pressure (we prefer not to leave them overnight fully inflated - not in this heat - danger of blow outs) and final food / drink preparation.

Thereafter only three things to do - 3.8km swim, 180km bike and run a marathon!

What a fantastic venue

Woke up to brilliant sunshine pouring through the curtains. When I opened them I was taken back by the beauty of the lake and the surrounding area.

A nice breakfast at the hotel was followed by registration at the Expo. event. Wonderful to see all the athletes gearing up for the event. Massive coverage here in Austria - the event gets televised and crowds flock to soak up the atmosphere.

Got a nice IM bag with my entry and hopefully the 'Finisher's T-shirt' and medal to follow (got to be within 17 hours for those goodies).

Still not entirely sure about completing the entire event in my tri-suit but asked a few experts their advice and for the time being I am sticking to the plan.

Picked all the guys up from the airport this afternoon and then managed a 20mins easy swim in the lake. It is absolutely stunning - crystal clear and good enough to drink!

This evening we decided to have a nice meal at the hotel although some of the guys stayed on at the Expo. for the pasta party.

They even have Ironman napkins here - see below (pictured with my apple strudel and ice-cream - naughty).

Just writing this blog, sitting on the balcony, watching the last swimmers in the lake (it is 9:40pm), listening to some live jazz music playing at the harbour club / hotel next door - simply magic.

Getting less nervous about the race - kind of looking forward to it - a battle against myself - bring it on!

An epic journey

This is no reference to my journey over the last year. This post is about my epic journey over the last 36 hours.

From picking the van up on Wednesday afternoon to finally getting to Klagenfurt in Austria at 1am on Friday we have travelled just shy of 1,000 miles.

The first leg to Belgium was no problem and my Sister and family did a fantastic job of looking after us and packing us off in the morning with loads of food and drink for the journey.

The problems started with an hour delay getting around Brussels and then simply underestimating the time with the much needed stops to cover the distance in full. Chris has really been suffering - he picked up a cold a few days ago and today's journey took its toll. In addition to his sore throat, cough and sneezing his right eye is weaping and not looking good. I am hoping a good night's sleep and some Anadin Extra will do the trick.

Otherwise credit to him because despite feeling ill he still shared a lot of the driving.

The hotel looks nice and is in a great location. I have a double room with balcony and am keen to see the view tomorrow morning. It is very basic though, not what I would call 'luxury' but I am sure it will do fine.

All the rest of the party arrive tomorrow. Then it's off to registration and check out the Expo.

Time for sleep!

All packed up and ready to go

15 mins to go before Chris and I head off on the first leg of the journey - Ashington, West Sussex to Aalter in Belgium.

I am pretty organised and just checking off my equipment list. The van is packed neatly with the 10 bikes and bags (probably £50K of kit).

I also get the opportunity of seeing my beautiful daughter before she heads off to her prom later tonight - lovely.

Next post - hopefully we will be in Austria!

Sorting out my 'Out of Office' message at work

So finally reached my last day in the office before my Ironman challenge - just tidying the desk, e-mails and setting my 'out of office' message. Although with my office BlackBerry and personal iPhone I always seem to have one eye on what is going on back at base, even when I am on holiday.

But my focus will change to getting to Austria, the final R&R and training balance, registration and race preparation. I am hoping to track down Wi-Fi access points so I can easily update the blog to keep you updated on my progress.

A bigs thanks for all the support and best wishes I have had to date.

Only thing left to do... is to become an Ironman!

A friendly sport. Getting ready.

Still taking it relatively easy. After my River Arun swim on Saturday I simply did a recovery run on Sunday morning - all below Z2. Yesterday (Monday) I got out the tri bike for the last time before Austria and commuted to work - mostly below Z2 again. On my return journey I was overtaken by a cyclist who seemed very friendly and asked where I was cycling to. We chatted briefly between a set of traffic lights and the subject of triathlon came up in conversation. When my new friend found out I was doing an Ironman in less than a week he insisted I draft behind him to save my legs - there are not many sports, when you would expect such friendly behaviour.

So after my commute yesterday the Tri Bike got a bit of a clean and put away until it goes in the van for the trip across the water on Wednesday.

This morning (Tuesday) was an easy 40 mins run along the seafront (to Brighton Marina and back to the office). The Coach has put in a small number of 30 min bike / swim / run sessions this week - all at relatively low intensity with very short bursts of speed - just to keep my body ticking over. However, there will be plenty of rest and time to get my mind totally in the zone before Sunday.

Main equipment list - packing for the big event

Swim
Wetsuit
Swim goggles x2
Vaseline / glide on
Swim Hat (one will be provided for race)
Tri suit
Watch

Bike
Tri bike
Aero Helmet
Socks (pre-powdered)
Bike shoes
Chamois cream
Gloves
SunGlasses
Food box for top tube
Aero bottle
Water bottle
Cycle computer and mount
Cycle jersey / shorts (optional)
Repair kit and tools (see below)
Race belt

Repair kit and tools
2 spare tubes
Tyre repair kit (mini)
Mini multi toolset
Tyre levers
Mini pump
Gas pump
2 gas cartridges (full)
Chain-link
Plaster(s)

Run
Running hat
Trainers
Running vest / shorts (optional)
Socks (pre-powdered)
'Daddy bracelet'

Nutrition
4x Cliff Bars (peanut butter / oats)
3x Powershots
2x Electrolyte powder / sports drink
2x Powerbar gels
Marmite / Peanut butter to make sandwiches for special-needs bag
[the rest will be picked up during the race]

Recovery
Protein shake and bars
Freeze spray / Deep heat
Body soak
After sun

Essentials
Passport
Money
Phone and charger
Travel plug
Race instructions
Hotel details
Plane e-ticket confirmation (flight home)

I am sure there is loads more to add but hopefully this is a decent enough first draft.

Better get packing!

Result of River swim race

Managed a personal best (PB) on Saturday afternoon at the Ironman distance Arun river swim.

Took it relatively easy but maintained a steady pace and was generally pleased with my performance. The organisers got the timing right on the tides and with a bit of wind assistance as well it was always going to be a relatively fast race.

I made every effort to draft off the feet of some stronger swimmers in front of me, albeit most of the ones I selected never seemed to swim straight. As a result I seemed to do a lot of zig-zagging, which couldn't have helped. The only other negative was a bit of cramp in the last 500m of the race in my right leg.

My time was 1:04:00, which was an improvement of over 4 minutes on my effort last year, although I expect the conditions were a little more favourable as most of my HAT Club team mates clocked better times.

Special mention to Nick who still holds the course record but came 4th on Saturday with a time of 0:48:42. Matt came in at 1:00:54. All the girls did well but Clare stood out at 1:01:35.

All in all a great event and a good turn out from the Club.

At least I know I can complete the 3.8km swim OK - it would be great to get the same time for next week - unlikely as no strong tides to help. However all good practice.

Race plan - here we go

Race Week

Follow Coach MT's instructions for last few days - expect some light spinning and brief faster intervals. Wednesday is when we will get prepared for the journey - I will publish a post on my 'Equipment' shortly. Chris and I leave on Wednesday evening and we plan to drive to my Sister's house in Aalter in Belgium where we will spend the night. On Thursday we will spend most of the day driving through Germany and hope to reach Austria in the early evening. Friday sees the arrival of Donna and Sue (our wives) and most of the boys, all of which are flying to Klagenfurt. I expect we will register on Friday / Saturday, drive the bike route, check over the bikes and may be go for a short swim and bike/run. We will also focus on getting a good 7-8 hours sleep each night and some good nutrition - probably a bit of carbo loading. Finally I think there is the Expo to attend - lots of Ironman kit available!


Race Day

Sunday (race day) I expect to be up early (if I can sleep at all). I think it is a 6am start so I assume breakfast will be around 4-5am. I am not going to try anything new and will go for some cereal with a banana followed by some toast. I will prepare some marmite and/or peanut butter sandwiches for my special-needs bags. Then it is down to the lake to try to get a short warm-up before the mass start. I expect there will be a number of toilet stops on the way!


Race Goals

1. Enjoy the day and finish within the deadline of 17 hours with a smile on my face - complete rather than compete

2. Finish the event under 13 hours


Swim

A quick gel before I start and line up in as much space I can, probably not to close to the front but not also at the back. I will put my goggles on underneath my race hat to make sure they are not knocked off in the 'washing machine' mass start of over 2,000 triathletes. I am going to focus on long, strong strokes although I will try to keep the arm cadence relatively high. I won't worry too much about everyone around me until a few hundred metres have gone by. I'm looking for a moderate start and then wish to settle down to a steady rhythm. My focus will then be looking for the feet of a slightly stronger swimmer than myself, benefit from drafting behind, whilst maintaining a strong and steady stroke. Time goal for swim and transition 1:30.


Bike

I hope my swim/bike transition is pretty quick although I will have to put on some socks. The plan is to do the entire race in my trisuit unless I become uncomfortable and at the transitions will have alternative kit available. I will try not to go off too fast trying to keep my initial speed below 35km per hour. After 30 minutes I expect to start eating some bars - I will have 3-4 bars cut up into small pieces in the box on my top tube. Once settled down I will keep an eye on my average speed trying to maintaining approx. 30km per hour over the entire 180km, which is simple to calculate - a 6 hour ride. I will have a sports drink / electrolyte in my aero bottle at the front of my bike, which I will top up on route. I will also carry a smaller bottle of water. Once I have eaten the bars and have had some solids in my belly I will begin on the Powershots (3 packs), which in my training I have found easier to take on the bike than gel sachets. If need be I will stop at the special-needs stop for a quick toilet break and to grab my marmite / peanut butter sandwiches - I am sure something savoury will be welcome. On the last 5km I intend to select an easier gear and spin my legs a little in preparation for the run. Time goal for bike and transition 6:30.


Run

I may change my socks for more run specific ones ( 'blister-free') but again hope to continue in my trisuit - so hopefully another quick transition from bike to run. Like the bike I must try to hold back on the first 5km and need to get my body used to the different discipline. During the run I plan to switch to gels and water. If I am really suffering then flat Coke may be the best bet. Again I will have my special-needs bag if needed. In an ideal world I will go for a negative split and a faster second half - difficult but worth trying. I will aim for an average pace of 5:30 to 6:00 mins per km (under 10 min per mile). Hopefully the crowd support will help me over the last 10km. For a bit of inspiration I will also be looking at my 'Daddy' bracelet and thinking of the Charity I am supporting. Time goal for run 4:30


Total target time 12:30


Let's hope I can get through it without any bike maintenance problems, however I still have 3o mins to play with to break the 13 hour goal.

So that's the plan!

Next on the list - River Arun 3.8km swim

Had a decent swim at the Club last night – after the warm up Coach MT instructed us to complete 9x 200m sets alternating between 4x 50m fast (one set of 200m) with 5 secs rest between the 50s and 20 secs after the fourth 50 (i.e. 200m) then 200m at race pace. I was swimming with a number of faster guys and think I was slightly above race pace for the 200m sets, however I was making every effort to get on the feet of the swimmer in front of me so I could benefit from the drafting.

Drafting on the swim is going to be key for the Ironman event and I will also get a chance to practice it on Saturday afternoon as I have entered the River Arun 3.8km swim, organised by Raw Energy Pursuits:

http://www.rawenergypursuits.co.uk/events/river-arun-ironman-swim/

Coach MT did ask how many of the Club had entered the Ironman swim and for those that put their hands up (including me) were rewarded with a cool down after the main 200m sets and the luxury of hitting the showers 20 mins earlier than normal.

Don’t want to push it too much during taper week!

A nice touch from the kids x

I am lucky enough to have my wife come out and support me at Ironman Austria but a little disappointed that we could not sort something out for the children (additional expense, pulling them out of school, overlap with other activities they do etc.). Fortunately one of our good friends is coming down to stay with them while we are away.

They wanted to record some messages for me to play on my iPod during the marathon section of the Ironman but as previously mentioned this is not allowed and if used is likely to cause disqualification. This did not deter them and last night they handed me these lovely bracelets.

The first is to wear during the run - It has the word 'Daddy' on it and 'MECA', which are the letters of all my children's names (eldest to youngest). A really lovely touch and something that is likely to give me mental strength when I hit the pain barrier on the run. I have been told that I am told to wear the second once I complete the event, hence the word 'Ironman'.

Thanks kids x

10 days and counting - received my race number

So 10 days and counting...

Final plans are being prepared. A lot more e-mails from all the guys from the Club about the arrangements for the coming days.

I also received my race number from the organisers - 1846 - a mix of fear and excitement is in the air!

I am getting a bit of decent coverage with the local press who have kindly been interested in the challenge and most importantly the Charity I am supporting - Chestnut Tree House. All good stuff.

Quick update on the week so far and details for the coming days:

Mon - 0:30 lake swim
Tue - 2:00 cycle commute to work. Easy interval session in morning and easy spin for return (no more than Z3)
Wed - 0:45 run. After warm up, 3x 1:00, 1x 3:00, 2x 2:00, 3x 1:00 at harder than race pace with 1:00 recovery between each set; 1:30 Club swim
Thu - 1:00 recovery spin
Fri - work on race plan - no training
Sat - 3.8km river Arun swim + 0:30 easy run
Sun - 2:30 bike - no higher than Z3

As previously highlighted this is all supposed to be relatively easy with a few short intense sets included for good measure. The goal for every session is to finish feeling I have more to give.

As the training has dropped over the last few days I have also been able to incorporate more family time back in the calendar. Last week I went to my daughter's school to view her GCSE artwork - I believe the theme was on 'movement' so I was honoured to model for her on my bike. She came up with a great final piece (pictured below) and I am very proud of her.

Last night my eldest son kindly got us some theatre tickets for a show down at Chichester - nice to spend an evening with the family rather than on the turbo in the 'Cave of Pain'.

I must also mention my Father's day present - I received a 'Recovery Box' of chamois cream, muscle soak, protein bars, recovery shakes, Deep Heat and Ice packs, sun-tan lotion etc. What a great present - thanks kids x

Less is more

Looking back at my training last week it did definitely feel considerably easier. I was a little light on the volume although my Coach had put in a few optional sessions (listed in one of my previous blogs) and most were based on maximum times.

For the most part I got in a number of quality sessions but on each occasion finished with still some energy left in the tank.

My understanding was that in the taper week(s) - less is simply more!

I must keep this advice in mind, especially as one of my work colleagues just dropped out of the London 2 Paris charity ride this coming week and I have already been approached to step in. To be honest I would love to, however 520km of cycling a week before my 'A' race that I have been training for over the last 6 months may not be that sensible.

I have approx. 10 hours of training in the calendar for this week with no single session more than 2.5 hours (long weekend ride). Tonight is a swim. Given it is a very pleasant evening we plan to jump in the lake for a few laps.

More on the taper later in the week. Also working on a race plan and list of equipment to take to Austria. I think that if I can work on these now I will have less stress nearer the big day.

12 days and counting!

Supporting L2P 2012 - needing some lycra

On Wednesday I travelled up to London to the Brewin Dolphin Head Office with a number of clients to support the 'London 2 Paris 2012' Charity ride in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. A well organised event with plenty of quality raffle prizes and auction items to help raise money for a great cause.

It was great to catch up with Geoff Thomas once again who I have got to know well over the last year and is such an inspiration. I will miss competing in the event this year (the timing being simply too close to my Ironman challenge) however I wish Geoff and all the Brewin Dolphin riders all the very best of luck. I hope to get involved in 2013.

Thanks to Dan, David B, Ian, Dominic, David M and Graeme for their support. Dan was best on the 'Wattbike' test, I wish him well as he gears us for his first triathlon season; Ian was instrumental in getting a Team GB cycle jersey signed by Ali & Jonny Brownlee, which was won by a very pleased and lucky Graeme (he also scooped a cricket bat signed by all the Sussex team).

We all send our best wishes to Alistair and Jonny Brownlee for the Olympics - the country is behind you boys.

A couple of pictures of me (below) making a fool of myself on the 'Wattbike' - thanks Sasha! Very hard to pedal in city shoes and I was definitely in need of some lycra. The first picture is Graeme and I going head to head and the second is Geoff with me - he is probably having a laugh about my performance.

Well done Brewin Dolphin for raising such an amazing amount for the Charity - I think the total was in excess of £35K and still rising!

A bit of everything

An interesting training day...

I was in the local pool this lunch time completing a good number of 200m sets as Coach MT instructed. During the recovery periods I introduced myself to one of the guys in the lane that had an Ironman tattoo on his shoulder.

The usual question was raised 'do you mind me asking what Ironman races you have completed'? He listed 5 including UK, Lanzarote and as luck would have it, Austria. He kindly gave me a few pointers about the course - all useful tips. During my swim he also highlighted a couple of ideas to improve my swim stroke - not drastic changes but some fine tuning that I may wish to consider in relation to how straight my arm was throughout the whole stroke. I did try a couple of 200m sets with a slightly bent arm and it did feel less fatigued afterwards. He turned out to be a local Coach in Brighton offering not only personal coaching and swim analysis but more interestingly group sea swim sessions and bike interval training at Preston Park. Contact details as follows:

Darren Connaghan - website: www.wearetri.co.uk

This evening it was in the 'Cave of Pain' or garage for a brick turbo / treadmill session.

I had to complete an hour basic interval set however decided to opt for a Spinervals workout (a similar session to the workout Coach MT had scheduled). This came with the advantage of watching Troy Jacobson (Spinervals Coach) on my iPad as I went through the various sets, a little more stimulating when you are stuck in the 'Cave of Pain' on a Tuesday evening.

Details on Spinervals products: www.spinervals.com

Anyway after an hour on the turbo, I jumped on the treadmill for an easy 20 mins run before a final 10 mins of weights - a little bit of everything!

Taper week 1

This week the training drops (a little) from the usual 15 hours plus to around 14. The frequency and the intensity remains the same although the volume decreases.

This week's schedule is as follows:

Mon - Swim (1:00)
Tue: Bike (1:00) + Transition Run (0:30)
Wed: Bike (1:00) - recovery spin + Club Swim (1:30)
Thu: Run (1:00) - intervals
Fri: Rest day
Sat: Club Swim (1:00) + Bike (4:00)
Sun: Run (1:30) + Bike (1:00) - recovery spin + Lake swim (1:00)

Still pretty intense. I am already behind as planned to do a lake swim this evening but didn't work out - weather and work got in the way.

Hope to swim tomorrow morning and then do bike / run tomorrow evening - probably on turbo as roads flooded near where I live.

Feeling OK, despite the epic brick yesterday, determined not to over do it and get run down or end up with injury or sickness - not this close!

My Local Bike Shop (LBS)

I had to pop into my local bike shop (LBS) this weekend to pick up some inner tubes for the Reynolds Assault carbon wheels.

As always I was greeted by the smiling face of Martin - the owner / manager of South Downs Bikes in Storrington. They have just opened a new shop and kitted it out with the latest Specialized, Trek and Giant bikes and equipment – very nice! They also carry some more specialist brands - my favourite being Cervelo.

Although most of my bikes have been purchased second-hand or built up by hand I have purchased quite a lot of kit from Martin over the years. I would love to order the Cervelo P2 time trial bike from him and get a full bike fit (now available in store) - one day when I have a few pennies to spend. Meanwhile, it is great to have a bike shop so close, with expert advice on hand.

There is a 'Grand Opening Evening' planned for Thursday 21st June, when our local resident sports star, Sally Gunnell OBE, will be making a guest appearance.

Worth also noting that there is a lively cycling-loving community based out of South Downs Bikes - a racing team and cycling club. Once my Ironman challenge has ended I certainly intend to cycle more with the guys from South Down Bikes on their monthly evening off-road rides - something I used to do regularly a year or so back.

So bit of a plug for my local bike shop - go and check them out: http://www.southdownsbikes.com/

Getting my nutrition right - long brick session

So today was my epic brick session.

Not very practical to do an early morning open water swim so started with the bike.

4 hours and 110km later I arrived home. Fortunately had Matt for company on this long ride. We kept the pace pretty easy but included a bit of hill work (Leith Hill being the longest climb). As we were a little worried about the weather we left the tri bikes at home and opted for the road bikes.

I think I am perfecting the nutrition during these long rides. Pictured is my little picnic that I cycled with on my top bar for easy access (that is my hand displaying the Power Bar Shots packet - not a great picture!)

For 4 hours I cut up 2 energy bars into about 8 pieces each (Cliff peanut butter and oak & raisin are my favourite). I then have 2 packs of Power Bar Shots (lemon and cola), which I believe are equivalent to approx. 1.5 standard gels each. I eat the bars first as I prefer something solid in my belly before I start on the sweet stuff. Today I had 2 water bottles, one with an electrolyte drink and the other with water and a pinch of salt. The power shots are easily consumed on the bike - no messing around with sachets and getting sticky. For my longer Ironman ride I will pick up more Power Shots at the feed stations.

For my 2:19 run that followed (25km in distance) I switched to energy gels and water. Given my weight I would normally expect to consume 1 every 30mins however my belly struggles with that many, simply too much sugar for me. I probably will have one an hour taken with some water - hope that does the trick.

Today's epic brick ended with 1,500m swim in the lake - no nutrition, although I had drunk a nice chocolate protein shake beforehand.

To be honest with all those gels, bars and electrolyte drinks I was pleased to get home and sample my eldest daughter's food - she had cooked a chicken and chorizo dish with potatoes - I think one of Nigella's recipes - very tasty. This was followed by plum crumble and ice cream - lovely. I think after a 7 hour training day I deserve that - thanks Emma xx

Bike upgrade time!

Just made a few tweaks to my tri bike thanks to Matt and Upgrade Bikes. I have the opportunity to demo some very nice Reynolds Assault carbon wheels, which I am allowed to use during Ironman Austria - what a treat!

As part of the wheel upgrade I had to change the brake blocks to some special ones designed for carbon.

I also decided to add a couple of larger cogs to my rear Campagnolo cassette (23 & 25 teeth), which I managed to purchase off of eBay. It meant removing a couple of smaller cogs in the middle of the cassette but gives me a larger range, 11 to 25 teeth. These changes should help me on the big hill(s) that I understand is part of the bike course in Austria.

Fortunately I didn't have to change the length of the chain despite the slightly larger cogs. Once completed I took the 'Titanium Stallion' out for a little spin. A little fine adjusting of the gears required but not bad considering all the changes made.

Thanks again Matt and Upgrade - check them out on www.upgradebikes.co.uk

Other links:
Reynolds (UK) website: http://www.reynoldscomposites.co.uk/
Spin It Up - test ride program: http://www.reynoldscomposites.co.uk/ride.html

Mid week update - what's ahead

Weather looks nasty again - probably more time in the 'Cave of Pain' tonight!

Just a quick mid week update on the last few days and the remaining week - where has it gone!

Mon - Supposed to be a 1:00 swim session but spent the time with the family so 'Rest day'
Tue - 1:00 Bike (see last post - on the mountain bike)
Wed - 0:45 Run: 10x 200m interval session / 1:30 Club Swim - both completed as planned. 3.5km+ swim
Thu - 1:00 Bike: 10x 2min Z3-4 interval session / 0:30 Run (optional)
Fri - Rest day / 0:45 Sea swim (optional)
Sat - 1:00 Club Swim / 0:30 bike check and easy spin / 0:20 pre-brick easy run
Sun - Epic brick - 1:00 swim + 4:00 bike + 2:00 run (full dress rehearsal)

All pretty sensible until Sunday - not sure how I am going to explain that one to the family!

Out on the mountain bike

Had a day off training yesterday. There was a short optional recovery run and a swim listed in the schedule but I decided to spend the time with the family after the last pretty intense fortnight.

So the goal today is an easy 1:00 bike, some 200m run intervals and if all goes to plan a lake swim to make up for yesterday's missed session.

The day started with an easy bike, which I decided to do on the mountain bike - a part from a steep climb up onto the Downs I kept 80% of the session in zone 1 - nice and easy.

I love my mountain bike (a very nice Ellsworth Epiphany). After the Ironman event my plan is to get out on the mountain bike more often. I really enjoy being out on the South Downs and am even considering an off-road triathlon event in late August - details to follow.

A good weekend of training - 7 hours in the bank

Saturday morning began with the Club swim - an hour with the main set being 6x 200m. A coffee, some toast, and a chat with the guys and we were ready for the next stage - a 4 hour bike session on the TT bikes.

I was joined by Chris, Matt and Ray - all strong cyclists so the pace was top-end. We averaged over 30km per hour for the full session, which included the warm up, cool down and a few slower sections through town centres and country roads. On the longer flatter stretches it was nearer 35 - 40 km per hour, which for any length of time was slightly higher than my comfort level. However the boys didn't mind me tagging onto the back - it is amazing how much energy you conserve hanging on to the back of someone's wheel. Shame it is disallowed in the Ironman event!

After the cycle ride it was back home for a well deserved protein shake, quick shower and then out to a friend's Jubilee party, keeping the alcohol to a minimum - big run in the morning.

So Sunday it was on with running shoes and a 2 hour plus run in the rain. The goal was to run an hour on a flat to rolling surface in zone 1-2 and then to return back a little quicker (i.e. a negative split). After about 75 minutes my legs did feel a little tired. The power of music helped me to get back in the zone changing my triathlon podcast for some inspirational running tunes. Generally I felt quite strong and with the right sounds on my iPod managed the return leg in 58 mins - job done!

The legs felt pretty good considering I had accumulated 7 hours of swim, bike and run training over the last 2 days. A few simple stretches and I was ready for the day ahead.

Training Peaks links with stats and distances:

Saturday ride: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/VXDTA24W32JXHPHTDMOZUA5LHI

Sunday run: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/737S2DMLOQ6BJNSBQFPZMIVY5Y

This time next month - hope to be around 10km into the run

Just looked at the clock: 4:30pm.

If the race starts at 6am that means I should be 8.5 hours in and if all is going to plan somewhere around 10km into the marathon - what a day!

The cut-off is 17 hours, which takes me up to 11pm at night - hopefully I will be finished by then - well let's hope so!

Easy Recovery Run - lots of boats around

Another good night's sleep - getting back to normality.

Easy 0:30 recovery run this morning, easing me gently into a more intense weekend of training.

Body still not 100% but a pleasant enough run along the seafront. Lots of boats out this morning.

Tomorrow I am back in the pool, which I expect to be a little tougher as I missed the main Club session on Wednesday. Then it is in the saddle for 4 hours. Sunday - long run, which for a strange reason, I am looking forward to.

This time next month - I will be there! A mix of fear and excitment!

Feeling a little better - zoom along the seafront

The nasty 'Man Flu' was still with me on Wednesday morning, however I managed to complete my interval run session as instructed. By the late afternoon I had little energy and with the prospect of a 1:30 Club Swim ahead I decided that it was best to give it a miss and try and get an early night.

After a slightly better night when I managed to get nearly 7 hours sleep I certainly felt a little better this morning. The proposed session for today was a tempo session in aero position. There was however a complication in that I had to drop my wife's car off at Peacehaven. To make best use of the training time I had available today I threw my bike in the back of the car and got in my ride around the coast roads around Brighton and Peacehaven. I was surprised how both hilly and busy the route was so headed for the undercliff pass that runs from Saltdean to Brighton via the Marina - not that long but very quiet and flat, albeit a little bumpy in places. What I do love is cycling so close to the sea - something quite calming - I almost forgot I was supposed to be doing a relatively hard session. Still somewhat in recovery mode I didn't push it too much .

I came out of a client meeting at 5pm only to find a message from the garage where I left the car that it was ready and needed to be collected before they closed at 5:30pm. After a quick change, powered down the computer, tidy desk etc. and on my bike the watch said 5:20pm. I didn't have my Garmin with me but I knew I had a good 8-10km ride to complete in 10mins, which even if I hit the flat undercliff pass again I still had one significant hill climb - Mission Impossible!

Well I might not have completed the distance in 10mins (probably nearer 15 mins) but I did zoom and must have averaged 40kmph, including a hill climb and a bit of traffic getting out of the centre of Brighton.

Not bad for an old boy like me with the latter stages of the dreaded 'Man Flu':

Exciting day - got tickets for the Men's Olympic Cycling Road Race event

At exactly 11am this morning myself and two other colleagues tried our very best to get hold of some Olympic tickets for the Men's Cycling Road Race on July 28th at Box Hill - I understand the riders have to complete 9 loops of Zig-Zag lane (Box Hill) as part of a much larger loop from London through Surrey.

It all started well with the website registering my request quite early and asking for payment details. However, my work colleagues had already got to this point and were kicked out - was I going to be lucky - No!

We persevered - keeping one eye on the stock market and the other on the countdown for another chance to register for the golden tickets, which had just been released. After 3 failed attempts I wasn't feeling very hopeful but suddenly one of the guys struck lucky and had his ticket purchase confirmed. That was followed by another - only me to succeed now.

Finally my perseverance paid off and I secured 2 tickets - very exciting!

I didn't realise but that weekend around Box Hill is going to be a 'Bike Mecca' - there are a number of festivals being laid on for the thousands of cyclists expected to descend on Dorking and the Box Hill area.

Full details can be found at the following link:

http://www.surreyhillsroadracefestival.com/

I believe the festival is open to all whether you have tickets for Zig-Zag lane or not.

It all worked out quite nicely because I could offer the other ticket to my training buddy, Chris (featured in my recent post) as it will be his 50th birthday that same week.

It is also something to look forward to post IM Austria and may help with any IM blues we may be having. Of course we plan to cycle to the event - any excuse to get back on those bikes!

What I am up to for the rest of the week

After the 'Big Bike' week Coach MT has this one down as a 'Normal' week. Details as follows:

Mon: 1:00 Swim (strength based - main set 4x 600m with paddles and pull-buoy) - DONE
Tue: 1:15 Bike - Aero strength ride - DONE (part of commute - actually got 2:00 in the saddle)
Tue: 0:40 Strength exercises at home (squats, lunges, etc.)
Wed: 0:50 Run - main set of 20x 30sec strides
Wed: 1:30 Club Swim
Thu: 1:30 Bike - tempo session in aero position
Fri: 0:30 Optional Run + 0:30 Strength exercises

Then would you believe it is a 'Triathlon' weekend (anyone would think I was doing an Ironman!):

Sat: 1:00 Club Swim
Sat: 4:00 Bike incl. 3hr tempo test
Sun: 2:15 Run trying to negative split (do 2nd half faster than 1st)
Sun: 0:45 Swim - open-water - get in the lake!

In total 15:50 - keeping the momentum going.

I also have next week's schedule already in the diary but will leave that to a future post - all I will give away is that one session is 10 hours and Coach MT ends with the following comments:

'Finish with recovery strategies and then thank the family for being away all day!'

Need to take better care of myself

I need to take better care of myself...

Still trying to get rid of this awful flu - the worst part is the coughing in the evening and during the night, which is playing havoc with my sleeping. I am simply not getting enough hours - normally 6 hours is fine for me but more recently it has been more like 4-5 hours. In hindsight I supposed it would have been better to stop all training for a couple of days, dose up and try to get rid of the flu symptoms quickly.

I opted to train through it in hope that the odd Lemsip or two would do the trick - well it hasn't.

On top of the flu I stupidly did not apply enough sun tan lotion on my back when I ventured out in the tri suit at the weekend. I was warned! Thought I would be OK - another schoolboy error!

So now that is also effecting my sleep, waking me up if I turn over in the night onto the 'red bits'.

Oh well, these things happen - could be a lot worse.

Actually thinking about that point, Matt Ryley from the Club (featured in an earlier post), after breaking his neck in 2 places is now back in training and may even attempt some or all of the Ironman event in July - simply amazing - respect!

I suppose my dose of 'man flu', a bit of sunburn and a few lost hours on the pillow doesn't sound too bad after all.

Dress Rehearsal - 160km in the saddle

Been a bit of an epic weekend.

Friday night - tough Zone 3 session on the turbo in the 'Cave of Pain' - sweating buckets!
Saturday - Club swim (open-water skills + 1,500m test) + 1:30 easy ride
Sunday - 5:30 cycle on tri bikes + 20 mins transition run + 1,500m lake swim

The total for the week was over 17 hours - I think that is my record. The training is getting much more specific now with instructions from Coach MT to use the same bikes, clothes, tri kit, and nutrition that we are going to use on the day.

This morning started at 7:30am when I met my old training buddy and neighbour (Chris - pictured above) who had worked out a route for a 5 hour bike session. We headed down to the coast past Bognor Regis and stopped after 2:30 at Chichester Marina (where these pictures were taken). Thereafter it was back via Arundel, Worthing and then home.

After just over 5 hours and 1-2 km from home, Chris informed me that we were 10 miles off of 100 miles so we kept on going to reach the magic number. In total 5:26 and 160km (101 miles in the bank) - not far off an Ironman bike distance.

It was great cycling with Chris - I would have hated to do that bike session on my own. He is getting very strong in his overall training and preparation. While I can now quite comfortably hold 30-35km per hour in the aero position for some length of time, Chris can push it 10%+ higher than that. He is off on a training camp with the Coach in a fortnight's time so I expect him to be even fitter on his return, just in time for the taper and IM Austria to follow.

For those interested in the route and stats here is a link to Training Peaks:

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/NM7FNYUNB4CR3F5JT2IAGTWHAI

Another couple more heavy weeks await - more on that in my next post.

Less than 40 days - the week ahead

With less than 40 days to go to the big day I expect some serious training sessions ahead before the taper period.

Not a good start as still sufferring a little from a sore throat and bit of a cold but fortunately I feel better today than yesterday.

So after a day of rest I was back in the saddle today with a Zone 2/3 TT ride to work and return later this afternoon. If I am feeling up to it there is also the long club swim tonight (1:30).

In terms of the rest of the week:

Thu - 1:00 run at IM pace or quicker (min 10K in distance with warm-up / cool-down)
Fri - 1:00 Bike interval session + 0:40 strength
Sat - 1:00 Club Swim + 1:30 easy bike technique / skill focus
Sun - 5:00 Hilly ride + 0:20 transition run

So with my charity bike ride and this week's sessions the focus is very much on the bike. I expect that means running next week!

A small dose of 'man flu' - bike upgrade time

After a great long weekend of easy cycling with the boys (I am already missing all the friendly banter!) - approx. 160 miles in total I had planned to get right back into the serious training today with a zone 3 TT session and transition run. However, my body had slightly different ideas when I woke up on Tuesday morning. The previous late night (got home from the Guernsey trip at 2:30am) also didn't help.

I decided it was best to skip the day's sessions and pick it up on Wednesday. Probably a wise choice because by the evening I had little energy and decided to use the time to upgrade my Tri (TT) bike's bar end shifters and cables, which I had been meaning to do for some time. These new Campagnolo bar end shifters look great and cleverly zero back to the horizontal - more aerodynamic!

All the gear - no idea!

Day 2 - Ride for Rory

Day 2 of our charity event - Ride for Rory - almost completed. Another 40 miles this morning from Lyndhurst in the New Forest to Poole docks to catch the ferry across to Guernsey.

Weather was brilliant - the highlight of the day was the 6 mile coastal bike path from Boscombe to Poole via Sandbanks - a great finish and lovely to cycle along the coast for such a long stretch.

Once we get to Guernsey I understand we have a long hill climb left to our final destination where we are meeting the Guernsey press who have been following our progress. So far the team have raised over £5,500 - a great effort.

Whilst in Guernsey I hope to do a lap or two on the bike and may be an easy run. Might be a boys weekend but can't take my eyes off the training!

Day 1 - Ride for Rory

Just chilling before bed. Completed 150km today on the bike with my old school buddies and in celebration of Rory.

Had a bit of a bad start - bike computer dead and had the wrong bag - too big to carry on the bike for Day 2 - I forgot to read the e-mail, schoolboy error!

Not to worry, soldiered on. Pretty easy going riding - mostly Z1-2 except on the hills.

One of the boys (Dave B) was really struggling on his horrible heavy Halfords bike so swapped him for my carbon beauty (£2K bike vs. £150). I ended riding his bike for probably 3 to 4 hours - not nice but I suppose good for training! Credit to Dave though - I would not like to commit to a 150 mile plus ride with the bike he has - respect!

Another 50km tomorrow but first sleep!

An odd kind of week ahead

I finished off the week with another lake swimming on Sunday – this time increasing the lengths up to six (approx. 1,500m). Not much warmer but nice to swim with more of my Horsham Amphibians Triathlon (HAT) buddies – there must have been at least 10 there yesterday.

Just completed an easy Z1-2 recovery run (only 30 mins) after the tough weekend of training. Tonight is back in the pool, the main set being a timed 1,500m continuous swim.

Thereafter it is a bit of an odd kind of week. The Coach has me down for a ‘Muscular Endurance’ session on the bike tomorrow – main set is 4x 10min in a big gear, which I might try and do during my morning commute. The return being an easy recovery ride.

I am not sure of how many of the sessions I will able to complete on Wed-Thu as I am off to Aberdeen for a Heads of Office event. I will take my trainers and running gear but the opportunity for quality training time will be limited. I should have access to a hotel gym (hopefully with spinning bikes) but certainly no pool. I return very early on Friday morning to try and get to my favourite corporate event of the year – a mountain bike day on the South Downs with a number of accountants, lawyers, corporate financiers – what I have to do for the sake of networking!

Then on Saturday I am joining a group of old school buddies for a Charity bike ride from Caterham in Surrey (where we went to school) to the New Forest – 150km in total. On Sunday we cycle another 45km from the New Forest to Poole before boarding a ferry to Guernsey. Full details can be found on our Charity Page – Ride for Rory:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=RideforRory&isTeam=true

This will be great training in terms of distance, however as it is a team event, the pace is likely to be at a leisurely pace to accommodate all the riders’ abilities, which I understand to be quite varied!

Next week should be back to normal – with only 47 days to go, I need to keep the momentum going.

Mega-session complete + crash-test dummy

So mega brick session today...

Started with a 1:00 club swim this morning focusing on open water skills - fast race starts and swimming on feet.

Within the hour (journey home + quick change) I was on my TT bike for a 3:00 race pace session. It was also an opportunity to try out the aero helmet (sonic the hedgehog) and practice some race nutrition. I met up with Paul and Danny from the Club and we maintained a keen pace (30km per hour plus) even on a rolling course.

The only real drama was when I looked behind to see if Paul was OK only to find my front wheel veer into the pavement. I was catapulted over the top of the bike but fortunately rolled onto my right shoulder and only suffered a bit of 'road rash'. The bike was also OK - I cannot believe I got away with it so easily - that could of been the end of my Ironman dreams there and then - what a plonker!

At 3 hours into the ride I had done exactly 90 km, which was bang on my target (somewhere around 6 hours for the full Ironman would be great). If we had planned the route better I should have stopped then however I was still someway from home. Finally ended up doing around 105km in 3:30.

Quick chicken wrap and a protein bar and I was back out on the street this time for a 1:30 run at race pace. Despite the earlier hard sessions and a slightly painful shoulder I managed to keep a relatively decent pace and completed the run as instructed.

After a chocolate protein shake I was back in the groove - this time tackling cutting the lawn, which was more like a jungle after the recent rain.

And after that - well 'cream-crackered' I was!

Going to enjoy a lie in tomorrow morning for a change and take it nice and easy, although hope to get in the lake again for an easy swim in the afternoon.

Final words before bed - glad to see Matt back today at the Club swim - an amazing recovery after breaking his neck - he swam today! And finally - good luck to Chris in his 70.3 event in the New Forest tomorrow - he will be in the lake at 5:30am - now that's commitment!

Splash and Dash - first swim in the lake

Finally got in the lake - first of the season.

Three of us braved the elements and took the plunge - on with the rubber and out with the Body Glide (can I say that?)

Jumping in and swimming the first length (around 250m) was a bit of a rude awakening but after that it got easier.

Swam 4 lengths in total just to get back into it and a general feel for the water.

Over the coming weeks I will build up to around 10-12 lengths.

Hope to have another go soon.

Test week – progress so far

So after the big volume week I have a few test sessions planned…

Monday started poorly – I had a swim in the diary but the pool was shut for Bank Holiday. Not too worry – at least 3-4 swims planned for later in the week. Chill day with the family.

Tuesday I was on the TT bike clamped in the turbo in the ‘Cave of Pain’ – not much pain though, just couldn’t get into the session. The instructions were to complete a 20 min warm up then 5x (1 min hard in ‘big gear’ + 1 min easy spin). Thereafter the main set was 30 min tempo work where the last 20 min would be used to test the ‘lactate threshold’ heart rate (LTHR). The idea of the set was to push it and get into Z4+. My effort was closer to high Z2 – no commitment. The speed and power were decent enough and higher than race pace but way off what I did in the test 3 weeks ago. I finished the overall set with a 20 min transition run on the treadmill (rolling program).

Yesterday evening it was in the pool for the long Club Swim – as per usual I had to jump into lane 1 with the faster swimmers and those club members training for an Ironman in 2012. The set was as follows: 1,000m easy warm up, 5x 500m descending times (i.e. getting harder each set), then 8x 25m sprints (95% effort), and a cool down. All in all another 3.8km swim. My 500m sets were pretty consistent (between 8:45-8:59) although I didn’t get the pace right to descend the sets as instructed. I was pleased that I am doing the distance on a regular basis will no ill-effects and still have enough fuel in the tank for some sprint sets. I treated myself to a nice Chocolate protein shake to replenish my carbohydrate stores and repair some of the damage ready for my LTHR run session, which was next.

So that brings up to date and this morning’s LTHR run. Despite the horrible conditions (heavy wind and rain) I ran along the seafront – normal plan: 10-15 warm up, then 30 min tempo run (quite hard – well above IM race pace). The last 20 min being used to test LTHR. Actually the rain and wind was not a hindrance and helped to cool me down. I ran relatively well with an average speed over the last 20 min of 4:36mins per km, LTHR of 150 and cadence of 90 steps per minute. This is very similar to my results 3 weeks ago, however that was one of my best tests.

So another opportunity to jump into the lake this afternoon (after last week’s failed attempt) – mad I know. If I can dodge the storms and thunder / lightening that are forecast I am sure I will be OK!

Friday is a rest day – Yehh!

Saturday – a mega-session of 6-7 hours DIY half-IM distance swim, bike and run.

Sunday – more rest I hope!

A decent week of training

As I lay in bed with a cup of tea and my iPad on Bank Holiday morning I am considering last week's training - all in all a decent week - I would say that I was able to complete 90% of the schedule as instructed but certainly got the hours in - nearly 15 hours in total.

Sat / Sun was a bit of a wash out with the weather but I think we are all getting used to that. After my Saturday club swim I managed a 1:48 off-road run up on the muddy South Downs. My legs were a little fatigued but I still got in a 3 hour cycle yesterday with the boys. It was quite cold and wet and needed all the winter clothing including rubber overshoes and thick gloves. Despite all the gear I still got cold and damp and after 3 hours had had enough. The plan was to do 4 hours although I did do an extra couple of rides during the week so had the time in the saddle covered.

The only session I missed completely was the open water swim on Thursday. Hopefully we can get in the lake this Thursday.

Great to see a number of my Club mates competing in the Steyning triathlon yesterday. We planned our Sunday bike ride to go via Steyning and I enjoyed watching a little of the event - one of the first in the season. Lots of first timers trying it out, which is also interesting - triathlon is becoming a very popular sport and I am very pleased to be part of it.

A bit of a rest day today. Supposed to be swimming tonight but I think the pool is shut because of the bank holiday. Nice to rest the legs and get some DIY done - long list!

This week is interesting in that I have hard test sets separated by some rest days and then on Saturday a DIY half ironman distance set to complete - what fun.

Mid week update

Just returned home from the Club swim - another long session: 400m warm up, main set of 3x 1,000m, then 8x 25m sprints and 200m cool down - if by magic - 3.8km in total (IM distance). My 1,000m sets were not overly fast, however I can now keep a relatively constant pace. I also am managing to zone out focusing on different elements of my stroke, which makes the time go more quickly. Coach MT recommends this as a good technique for race day, focus on one element of your stroke at a time keeping a nice steady pace. He would prefer I lose 5-10 mins of the swim but come out the water relatively relaxed and with plenty of energy for the long bike and run ahead.

Otherwise I am nicely on track this week completing all the sessions so far as instructed, including quite a tough cadence set on the turbo this morning.

Tomorrow is a faster interval / stride set followed later in the day by a possible open water session in the local lake. I have my wetsuit ready but am still unsure whether it will work out as planned. We always have a bit of fun and games organising open water swims, mostly trying to adhere to the local council's rules, which I suppose are there for our safety, albeit it appears to get more and more complicated each year.

It's back on the bike on Friday before the longer weekend sessions. Let's hope for clear skies and a bit of sun!

'A wash out week' in terms of both weather and training volume

So looking back at last week a bit of a wash out in terms of both weather and training volume. It was probably one of the lowest volume weeks since I started on the program back in December, in all about 7 hours. Most of that was spent in the garage with little time on the road. The good news is that I was able to spend lots of quality time with my son and quite a bit of R&R.

Over the weekend, and despite the awful weather conditions, I did manage an off-road run and a game of touch rugby (taking it nice and easy).

This week has started well with 3 hours already completed. I scheduled in an extra 2 hour easy ride (commute to work), although this morning it was quite tough cycling into the wind. This evening I was in the pool with the main set consisting of 4x 600m with paddles and pull-buoys.

Tomorrow is an hour off-road run
Wednesday: cycle / swim
Thursday: run / open-water swim
Friday: cycle
Saturday: swim / long run
Sunday - long cycle

If all goes to plan it will be a 15 hour week so double last week's effort.

Thursday's open water swim should be interesting - the first of the season. Hopefully I can get in the lake otherwise it will have to be the sea, subject to weather conditions.

The following week gets even more interesting with more test sets and over 7 hours of training in one day (swim, bike and run) - more detail to follow.