Monday 30 January 2012

All the fours - Droopy Drawers

Made it to 44 and took a day off work and training to spend some time with the family.

Received a great birthday present - Garmin FR60 HRM watch and foot pod. I already have a Forerunner 305 but it is a bit bulky and does take a while to pick up the satellites for the GPS to function. This new watch is less sophisticated but can be used in the pool and in my Ironman race. I can get speed and distance from the foot pod and the bike mount. Data is also transferred much easily via ANT+.

I ended last week with a 2 hour off-road run so my legs are still a little sore. For that reason I am going to skip the track running session tomorrow evening and opt for some time on the bike. To try and get the mileage in I have dusted down the carbon stallion and intend to cycle via Ditchling and up the Beacon tomorrow morning. This will take close on 2 hours but the hills are good training. My commute home will be along the easier and shorter coast road (another 1 hour).

Wednesday will probably consist of an easy morning run and the normal weekly Club swimming session. Thursday has to be a complete rest day as my testing is scheduled for Friday.

Saturday 28 January 2012

Book recommendation - easy read

Just finished a nice easy read and a book I would recommend:


A similar journey to my own. Impressed with how the author and main character of the book (Andy Holgate) really changed his life and stepped up to the challenge - certainly something to aspire to - I have a long way to go!

The other book which I am reading but in shorter doses (a bit more technical) is Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible

Links - relevant Amazon pages to view books and reviews

Friday 27 January 2012

Progress for the week - so far

A quick update - so far so good this week.

The return bike commute on Tuesday was no problem. Wednesday started with an early morning hour run along Brighton seafront - mostly easy pace, however I picked it up for about 2km - 11km in total. The 1.5 hour Club swim that evening was certainly better than last week - hand entry is improving.

Finally introduced a brick session back into the training (missed a few sessions over previous weeks). I started on the turbo, which after the warm up included some high cadence, increasing power sets together with some drills (one leg spins) in between. Then straight off the bike and on with my trainers for 2 laps (15 mins) of the village.

Today I was in the local pool in Brighton for an hour swim broken down as follows:

Warm up (300m): easy FC
Build (700m):
50m C/UP; 50m FC
50m C/UP; 100m FC
50m C/UP; 150m FC
50m C/UP; 200m FC
Main (600m):
6x 100m (increasing speed per 25m) Easy - Steady - Race Pace - Fast FC
4x 25m sprint FC
Cool down (400m): easy FC / BST

[FC - front crawl; C/UP - catch up; BST - breast stroke]

The swim session came out of the Coach's new swimming manual, although was slightly adapted for the time I had available. Details of the book can be found via the following link:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2536362

I went for the iPad version - good value!


Tomorrow morning it's back on the turbo for an hour session before going off to rugby with my son at the Harlequins ' ground. Sunday it is a longer run (possibly off-road) - need to get in at least 2 hours.

Next week may be a little different because I need to incorporate my Vo2 / lactate test, which should help to determine my zones and ultimately a revised plan going forward - all exciting stuff - more on that later!

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Good hill work - on the singlespeed!

A slightly wet but enjoyable commute into work this morning.

To mix things up a little I decided to take a longer more hilly route into Brighton. My journey took me past Steyning to Bramber and then over the rollercoaster terrain of Edburton, Fulking and Poynings before hitting the bigger hills that took me over the top of Devils Dyke into Brighton.

The route is not new for me, however this was the first time I was to attempt it on my singlespeed bike (no gears, simply leg power required).

My strategy was simple, easy on the straights (zone 1), coast or easy spin down the hills, saving all my energy for the uphills.

All went to plan, although it got pretty tough at Devils Dyke - feel the burn! I focussed on not trying not to engage the back in anyway and making the legs doing all the work. For most of the bigger hills I was out of the saddle but I enjoyed the mix of low cadence uphill work and faster spinning downhill - a good training session!

The last 15 mins was quite relaxing - mostly all down hill from Devils Dyke via Dyke road to the office in Brighton. Just timed it right as the sun was rising and trying to brighten up the day.

Shower, breakfast and quickly type up the blog - all before 8:45am - what a way to start the day.

Probably back home tonight via the normal (less hilly) coast roads.

Monday 23 January 2012

8th week of base: 23 weeks to IM Austria

Finally my testing and planning session with the Coach is in the diary (early Feb) so I can review my training zones and discuss a more bespoke plan to meet my needs.

Meanwhile, I will continue on the Don Fink Plan, as follows:

Mon - Rest day and review / possibly some strength work (weights)
Tue - Cycle: 2 hr commute with hill work
Wed - Run: 1 hr Z2 + Club swim - coached (1.5 hr) - total 2.5 hr
Thu - Swim: 1 hr (focus on technique) + Brick session: 45 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (2 hr in total)
Fri - Cycle: 1 hr turbo: 100+ RPM Z1
Sat - No training / more strength work
Sun - Run: 2 hr Z2

Total for week: 2.5 hr swim; 3 hr 45mins bike; 3 hr 15 mins run - total of 9.5 hours

Sunday 22 January 2012

Scores on the door for the week

Not a bad week but a bit shy on the total hours required - it was the running that suffered once again.

2.5 hours swimming, 4 hours 15 mins on the bike and just over 3 hours running.

After Tuesday's faster tempo session on the track the running thereafter was a bit of an effort. As was the swimming (focus on improving the hand entry and overall technique). I missed the brick session (again!) - beginning to get a bit of a habit.

It is amazing that it is the last block of 3 weeks of base left. Then (according to Don Fink) we move up to 10 weeks of Build and the fun really starts. Before then I expect to have some testing with Coach4Tri with a view to building a more bespoke plan.

One point I am beginning to question is the logic of increasing the frequency over 3 weeks and then having a slightly easier week on the 4th. Some coaches believe 2 hard weeks and one easier (i.e. a 3 weeks cycle rather than 4) is better for athletes over 40 - I am beginning to think this may be the best approach.

Tomorrow I will review the weekly plan - another 9 hours required.

Thursday 19 January 2012

An extract from a Pro's blog - another level!

I was directed to Jonny Brownlee's blog and details of his training - a slightly different level to mine!


Take a look at a normal day in the office for him:




I wish him and his brother Alistair all the best wishes for the Olympics - I am hoping for Gold and Silver - no pressure boys!

Windy conditions for the early morning run







A 6:45am start at Brighton Marina and I headed out on my easy morning run (planned 1 hour 15 mins at Z2). The conditions were very windy and the waves were crashing over the top of the undercliff walkway that I ran along. I was lucky not to get completely soaked by the sea water and managed to escape with some slightly wet trainers and a bit of sea spray in the face.

I ran from the Marina to Saltdean - about 4km in distance. Then I headed up into Saltdean doing a loop to take in the old Butlins Hotel - now The Grand Ocean complex (top left) and Saltdean Lido (top right) - I have a bit of a love for Art Deco buildings.

Then it was back via the top of the cliffs (very, very windy - against the wind - pace dropped from 5:30min/km to 6min/km). Stopped to take a picture of some mad surfers (centre).

In total a 11.5km run in 1 hours 10 mins banked. A quick drive to the office, shower, breakfast and at my desk by around 8:45am. If all goes to plan will try to get a 1 hour brick session sometime this evening. Then another similar distance run scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Swimming technique needs some work

Just returned from the Club swim, which to be honest, since probably around Christmas time, I have been struggling with.

Some background:

I had a pair of rubber buoyancy shorts (bit of a Club joke) that I liked swimming in mainly because they simply helped me raise my backside a little which in turn kept my head lower and generally in a better position. As I improved I managed to move up a couple of lanes and my confidence was also lifted. Actually I really recommend the shorts (Foor Pb4), which can be purchased on Tri UK (http://www.triuk.com/products/foor/foor-pb4-swim-short) for around £25 (currently discounted).

I decided this year to ditch the rubber shorts in favour of the standard speedos (long version) just because I didn't wish to get too reliant on them. Since then I also think that I have got into some bad habits, mostly in respect of hand entry, which the Coach has asked me to work on. In addition I know my arm cadence is not fast enough and my kick is too weak - doesn't sound good does it! I think that knowing I have to improve all of these factors has knocked my confidence in the pool and I need to get back to focusing on my technique before I think about speed and endurance in the water.

I expect adding a third swim a week in to my schedule will help - something to discuss with the Coach

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Club track session

A good run session with my training buddy Chris tonight at the track following a regular set he has listed on his personal plan.

Simply:
- 4x laps warm up
- 10x 800m (2 laps) at above race pace
- Cool down

We tried this before back in early December and averaged 3:26 per 800m - see previous post (Great track session - 6 Dec).

Tonight if you remove our slow first and penultimate set (consciously meant to be slower) together with our last fast 800m (3:12) our average was around 3:20, so an improvement of 6 seconds!

You can find the full details on the Garmin Connect link below:

Club track session by dbpegler at Garmin Connect - Details

Please note that my HR data for the warm up was incorrect (max HR of 240 - I don't think so!). However it corrected itself for the 10x 800m - mostly Z3-4 work

Just going to have 10 mins on the foam roller - a bit of easy self-massage before bed

Monday 16 January 2012

7th week of base: 24 weeks to IM Austria

Another week has gone by and Monday (normally my rest day) is often a convenient time to review the last few days and plan the following week ahead.

In terms of volume I had another successful week cracking out 2 hours of swimming, 5.5 hours of cycling and 2.5 hours of running - still a little bias to cycling at the expense of running and also missing my regular brick session (cycle / run combination).

The following week is a little heavier than normal (based on plan from Don Fink) and my interpretation is as follows:

Mon - Rest day and review
Tue - Run: 1 hr coached track session
Wed - Club swim - coached (1.5 hr)
Thu - Run: 1 hr 15 mins Z2 + Brick session: 45 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (2 hr 15 mins in total)
Fri - Run: 1 hr 15 mins recovery Z1-2
Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hr) + 1 hr turbo: 100+ RPM Z1
Sun - Cycle: 2.5 hr Z2

Total for week: 2.5 hr swim; 4 hr 15 mins bike; 3 hr 45 mins run - total of 10.5 hours - biggest week so far!

Also keen to do some basic strength work and stretching to complement the heavier training volume.

Is there enough hours in the day?

Thursday 12 January 2012

The power of music - part 2

It was a lovely morning for a run along the seafront today and I managed an easy 1 hour Z2 session to Hove Lagoon and back to the office (about 11.5 km).

As per similar sessions I plugged myself in to my iPhone and listened to an amusing fitness podcast I downloaded from iTunes featuring Jillian Michaels (high profile coach from Biggest Loser), which lasted about 40 mins. For the last 20 mins of the workout I stuck on some of my top running tunes and once again my pace suddenly picked up (as mentioned in a previous post).

It was then when I started thinking - should I compile a 4-5 hour playlist of not only my favourites tunes but possibly include inspirational words from sportspeople that I admire, my friends, family and even one or more messages to myself. If I could access the playlist on a small iPod device and play it during the marathon of Ironman Austria (if that was even allowed) it could be very powerful.

For example, hearing my children's voices (unfortunately they will not be there in Austria) at strategic times, i.e. every hour of the run, could significantly lift my spirits at the inevitable low points of the race. Hearing my own voice congratulating myself on a job well done and a reminder on how far I have come could also be of great value.

This strategy, if applied, together with the fantastic crowd support you expect to get from a full Ironman event could potentially be the difference between a 4 or 5 hour marathon.

If anyone has ever used music and/or motivational words to help them in any endurance event I would love to hear your experience.

Update to post (after a Google or two): Although many runners use iPods / headphones in marathon events they are not recommended. Apparently for full sponsored Ironman events there is a 4 min penalty every time you get caught and three strikes and you are out - disqualified. Oh well, nice idea, but I am just going to have to do it the hard way - lots of training. May be I should practice visualisation - one topic for a future blog.

The benefits of the foam roller


I attended a 'Foam Roller Masterclass' yesterday evening, which was part of a Christmas present together with the 'Grid' roller (as pictured).

I have been most impressed with this most simplest bit of fitness equipment, which is both effective and quite enjoyable to use.

Since receiving the 'Grid' I have tried to use it every day from anything from 2 to 15 minutes. Mostly at night before bed (just simply making it a habit) but increasingly as a way of stretching the muscles and a little bit of self-massage after a workout.

I recommend you take a look at You Tube or simply Google 'foam roller exercises' to see how simple the activity is. When I cycled the 'London 2 Paris' event last year the foam roller was also used by most of the professional fitness experts there - give it a try!

Given I have one or two friends that provide sports massage I should just add that if you can afford regular sessions you are going to get the best results from going down the professional route, however regular and correct use of the foam roller should help.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Disaster stikes - always be prepared

It was a beautiful morning and I was up for a pleasant commute to work on my singlespeed stallion. About 10km into the journey I had the horrible feeling that all was not right with the bike - the ride was getting increasingly bumpy.

Of course, it wasn't long before I realised a puncture was the problem. Not to worry, all good training, I had mended many punctures in the past and I had spare tyres, levers etc. so good to go.

Well, I thought I came fully prepared, however... A singlespeed bike does not have drop out wheels and the normal skewer system. They are 'old-school' and have a bolt. So you guessed it, where is my spanner? Answer - in the garage. Oh dear!

So I had to go with Plan B - call Mrs P for rescue! Fortunately, she was available to come and get me and took me home. As I was now running late for work I resorted to taking the car and re-scheduling my bike commute for another day. Meanwhile, I made a note to buy a spare singlespeed spanner to carry with me on future rides.

I did manage a swim today at lunchtime- a simple 400m warm-up, 12x 100m (alternating between fast cadence and long relaxed front crawl) and 400m cool down to make a total of 2km.

Back home tonight, to fix a puncture, and hopefully time for a turbo session before bed.

Monday 9 January 2012

6th week of base: 25 weeks to IM Austria

So another week at trying to keep to a simple plan!

The scheduled training is as follows:

Mon - Brick session: 45 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (1 hour in total)
Tue - Bike: 2 hours commute Z1-2 + 1 hour swim (3 hours in total)
Wed - Busy at work so rest day but foam roller masterclass in evening (strength work)
Thu - Run: 1 hour Z2
Fri - Turbo bike session: 1 hour Z1-2 (100+ RPM)
Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hour)
Sun - Run: 2 hours Z1-Z2

Total for week 5: 2hr swim; 3 hr 45 mins bike; 3 hr 15 mins run - total of 9 hours.

Still as per Don Fink's Competitive Program for the time being. I have now booked in some time for proper testing (heart rate / Vo2 / lactate threshold) in late January - more details to follow.

Sunday 8 January 2012

A good week for volume - bad for keeping to the plan

Another week of training completed:

6 hours 15 mins on the bike
2 hours 30 mins swim
1 hour run

Total 9 hours 45 mins (compared to 8.5 hours on the plan).

So success as far as the volume but yet another week where I have not followed the plan - so why have one?

Well, I know that if I want to get any better at this sport I need to focus on more specific sessions, especially as the season progresses and I move from base to build training. Otherwise I know that I am just going to plateau with the training and end up doing too many sessions in my normal comfort zone. If the volume is maintained then I still expect to be fit enough to complete the Ironman, however I am more likely to hit 13-14 hours than 12-13, which is my ultimate goal.

So I am going to persevere with the plan and as previously highlighted get some professional help to ensure that first it is the right plan and second that I keep to it.

Anyway, back to today's activity. I was planning a run but at the last minute an opportunity came up to ride with a few of the boys from the Tri Club - too good an offer to turn down. Most of the ride was zone 1-2 although there was a bit of zone 3-4 on the hills. My heart rate remains pretty low on the bike - average 119 bpm today (average zone 2.4) - the data and route can be found on the Garmin link below:

Sunday ride - Tri Club by dbpegler at Garmin Connect - Details

Once I have had some testing I can double check my HR zones are correct.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Because.... I will be an Ironman

So since the turbo session on Tuesday evening I have completed an hour run along Brighton seafront (yesterday morning), had a gruelling swim session (1.5 hours last night) and cycled into work this morning - all to plan!

I must agree there have been a couple of times when I have thought - Why? But then I remember the words - Because... I will be an Ironman.

For those who haven't seen this You Tube video I thoroughly recommend it - very funny

You Tube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

One last observation before I sign off and get on with some work: Last night's swim was hard (lots of timed intervals over 50m, 75m and 100m with very little rest) with the Coach shouting at me to increase the arm cadence and go harder. On a previous post I highlighted that too many of my training sessions are within a narrow comfortable intensity range. I still need to practice going very hard and very easy. I expect there will be a lot more of this once I get some professional coaching.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

The good old turbo to the rescue!

I received a message that the Coach was ill and the track session was cancelled. Given the nasty weather conditions I headed for the garage to hit the turbo trainer.

On went 'The Hunted' video (downloaded to my iPad) - details can be found on

http://www.thesufferfest.com

The plan was to ride for 45 mins with an average cadence at 100 RPM. To make the session a little less boring I decided to mix some high cadence sets with some recovery periods riding my fixed speed bike (i.e. the intensity was increased by change in cadence / speed and not using gearing). My turbo trainer (Tacx Flow) gives me all kind of data - for the 45 mins I averaged 200 watts of power (max 280), cadence of 98 (max 128), and speed 29.8km/h (max 40.4km/h) all at the top of zone 2 (around 140-5 beats per minute).

Tomorrow morning I will run - whatever the weather!

5th week of base: 26 weeks to IM Austria

My goodness - a month passed already and into 2012 for week 5

So if all goes to plan this week the training will be as follows:

Mon - Recovery [Done - quite good at doing this activity]
Tue - Run: Club track session - coached (1 hour)
Wed - Run: 45 mins Z2 + Club swim - coached (1.5 hours). In total 2 hours 15 mins
Thu - Bike: commute 45 mins (100+ RPM) / 75 mins Z2 (2 hours)
Fri - Brick session: 30 mins on turbo Z2 / 15 mins run Z2 (45 mins in total)
Sat - Club swim - coached (1 hour) / 30 mins bike on turbo Z2 (1 hour 30 mins in total)
Sun - Run: 1 hour Z1-Z2

Total for week 5: 2.5hr swim; 3 hr bike; 3 hr run - total of 8.5 hours. Still as per Don Fink's Competitive Program for the time being.

Need to book in time for proper testing (heart rate / Vo2 / lactate threshold) and then follow up with a suitable professional training schedule produced by a qualified coach. More details to follow.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Bucking Bronco

Today's ride was on the Specialized Langster but with a slight difference - I flipped the back wheel over to the fixed cog. It certainly felt like I was much more connected to the bike - no major problems on the flat or uphill, you just need to remember to keep pedalling. The challenge was on the downhill and coming to a junction. On the steeper downhill sections of today's ride I am sure my cadence was 120+, it is very hard to stop the habit of free-wheeling, which is simply not possible with a fixed cog connected directly to the pedals. The result was quite a lot of fighting with the bike, akin to a bucking bronco.

More practice is needed!

A sum up of the week and a look ahead to 2012

Well considering all the festive fun I am pleased that the training has been completed as planned, although I did end up going over a bit. A total of 2.5 hr swim, 3.25 hr bike and 3 hr run, 8 hour 45 mins for the week (the plan was 7.5 hours). This was mostly due to me be on holiday and having a bit more time available together with a desire to burn off some of the thousands of calories I have consumed over the last fortnight. To be honest I have actually managed to remain about my pre-Christmas weight of just under 12 stone, which is quite pleasing.

As for the training plan, it is going OK, however I am worried that I stray too easily away from the schedule. In theory, last week should have been a recovery period but I ended up doing more than in previous weeks, albeit that it was all relatively easy zone 1-2 work. My mind is pretty made up in that I will employ the services of our Tri Club Coach to keep me on the right path, at least for the next few months. It is a relatively small investment to make but I now doubt that I will be able to improve my performance unless I obtain some professional help in the lead up to Ironman Austria. I also think I will learn a lot from the whole experience, which is something I certainly will get a buzz from.

With the New Year in mind I have some ideas for future posts, i.e.

- Cyclefit experience
- VO2 testing
- Charity work
- Recommended training books
- Tri kit
- 'B' races for 2012 ('A' race being IM Austria)
- Weight and diet