Another week - more of the same

It is not going to get any easier, however it does look like the Coach has slightly lightened the load this week:

Mon: Strength work (optional) / Club swim
Tue: Run - intervals
Wed: Bike - Turbo session / Club swim
Thu: Run - strides / Strength work
Fri: Bike - Z3 Cadence ladder
Sat: Club swim / Endurance run - hill work
Sun: Long cycle (3.5 hrs) + 20 min transition run

In total 1 hr 30 min strength work, 3 hrs 20 min run, 3hrs 30 min swim, 5 hrs cycle - 13 hours 20 mins

There is a possibility I may have to switch tonight's swim to Tuesday but otherwise - good to go!

I am also looking forward to attending the Triathlon Show 2012 on Saturday (after swimming) - hoping for some training tips from the professional speakers and a good look around all the bike bling, latest gadgets and toys! Details can be found on:

http://www.tcrshow.com/

A long ride with plenty of hills - good end to a long training week

Legs are burning a bit. 4 hour ride this morning with the boys with plenty of hills followed by a 20 min run around the village. Made every effort to keep in Z2 on the flat and Z3-4 on the hills but as quite a fast group was more like Z3 on the flat and Z4-5 in the hills. If you average out all the HR fluctuations I ended up with an average of 2.4 - not too bad. The distance was over 100km - details / map / all stats can be found on the link below.

All good stuff but how I am going to do 180km and then a full marathon afterwards? - that's Ironman for you!

Thanks to the Club members (all stronger cyclists than me) for allowing me to draft off them (that's when I could get onto their back wheel).

Total for the week 14 hours 15 mins.

Wonder what the Coach has planned for me next week!

Garmin Connect - Details

Mid week update

Despite the increased training volume this week I am feeling OK and have not missed any key sessions. The weekend is going to be a bit of a test with a total of 6 hours 50 mins scheduled.

I have now set up a treadmill in the garage (borrowed from a family member who was quite glad to see the back of it). With my turbo trainer and weight bench the garage is looking more like a gym everyday.

My children are even getting the bug and jumping on the treadmill and doing 10-20 min run sessions - lovely to see - hopefully my relatively recent love for fitness is rubbing off on them. Although when we are all training together I have to put up with their funky tunes, no Michael Buble or Will Young!

Had to get up at 5am this morning to fly to Glasgow so unable to complete 20min morning strength session (deferred to Friday). Arrived back home at 9:30pm and despite a slight lack of enthusiasm jumped on the turbo for a 55min spin / squat (off the bike) session. Unable to get my HR up to Z5 on hard sets as instructed (max Z4 tonight). Main set tomorrow is a swim (number 3 of 4 this week).

Big week coming up - less than 20 weeks to go!

With less than 20 weeks to go until IM Austria my plan is moving into another gear and this week is a big one with around 14 hours of training scheduled.

Before I share some of the sessions for the forthcoming week let us take a quick look at the previous 7 days:

Total volume was 11 hours including 3 swims (3hrs 15 mins), 3 runs (2hrs 40 mins) and the rest on the bike (mix of turbo, intervals, commuting, long zone 2). During the faster run interval work I was somewhat concerned that I picked up an injury - some weakness in the ankle. However, the way the plan is structured I have had plenty of opportunity to rest it and fortunately had no problem since. My swimming was better last week, which was partly down to the extra swim and also re-use of my old rubber shorts, which provides a little more buoyancy but still allows some leg movement. I was struggling a bit yesterday on the time to get out on and complete a 3.5 hour zone 2 ride, mainly because I had planned a family trip journey down to Dorchester, leaving from my house at 10am. So in true 'Ironman' fashion I set the alarm for 5:45am and was on the bike for 6am. I managed a 3hour 15 min ride on an undulating course via Petworth, Amberley, Pulborough and Billingshurst (approx 75-80km).

So onto this week - well without getting into the detail (there is a lot - each session has very specific objectives and instructions):

Mon - Run: Z1 recovery (30mins) / Club Swim (1hr)
Tue - Bike: Z3 TT position (1hr 15mins) / Strength work (30mins)
Wed - Run: Z1-2 strides (30mins) / Club Swim (1.5hrs)
Thu - Strength work (30mins) / Bike/Strength: Turbo + squats (1hr)
Fri - Swim (45mins)
Sat - Club Swim (1hr) / Run Z1-3 endurance (1.5 hrs)
Sun - Bike: Z2-4 will hill work (4hrs) + transition run (20mins)

Wow!

One other bit of news - a kind family member let me borrow their running treadmill (my garage is now looking more like a gym) - so hope to make use of this new bit of kit, especially on those rainy days.

Beaten by a 'Brompton'

Over the last couple of years since commuting into Brighton there have been a number of occasions where I have been overtaken by stronger cyclists, normally on decent race bikes, and even one or two instances when a mountain biker (with road tyres) has got the better of me. However, my commute into work this morning, involved a different level of embarrassment - being beaten by a 'Brompton'.

For those who do not know a 'Brompton' is one of the most popular brands of fold up bikes with small wheels. This particular model I saw this morning was one of the more decent lighter models with a full range of gears. I was riding my singlespeed bike so did not have the luxury of a full range of gears, although I must give the guy (rider) credit as he kept up with me for about 5km at speeds above 30-35km per hour.

My session this morning was an interval set as follows: 15 mins warm up and then 15 intervals of 2 mins (first 30secs - building up speed to a max RPM, 30secs at max RPM and 1min easy recovery) before repeating; finishing with a 15 mins cool down. The warm up was mostly in Z1-2, intervals Z2-4, and cool down in Z1. I passed the Brompton rider (just) between Shoreham to Brighton, expecting to lose him as I went hard on the intervals. Even though I pulled away a few times he was quickly on my back wheel, drafting within a few inches of me. Finally after the final interval I slowed to begin my cool down and he shot ahead. At first I thought I would draft behind him (not that there was much to draft behind - he was a young lean rider with a tiny bike) but I observed I was riding at above 30km per hour in zone 3, hardly a cool down! So as not to displease the Coach and to ensure I completed the session as instructed I let the 'Brompton Bomber' head into the distance - triumphant!

I wonder if I will meet him on the return leg!

Charity Work

A number of people who follow the blog (there are actually 1 or 2) have kindly asked whether I am supporting any local charities.

The Company I work for, Brewin Dolphin, continues their support of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and association with Geoff Thomas, who is both an inspirational and dedicated spokesperson for a wonderful cause. Last year I was very fortunate to be involved in the London to Paris Charity cycle event as one of Brewin Dolphin's 10 riders. It was an amazing opportunity, which has left me lifetime memories, mostly because of the people I met - from well known celebrities, elite cyclists and just great people that all had wonderful stores to tell. The picture below shows me riding ahead of Geoff in the team colours. More details can be found on http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/node/22660

I will continue to do what I can for this worthy cause and will obviously be supporting my work colleagues who will attempt the same distance for 2012. As it is a little close to IM Austria I decided that it was best to opt out this year but I will be following the event with interest .

During the last month I was very sad to hear that we had lost an old school friend to a rare form of cancer. One of the guys suggested a charity cycle ride in May from Caterham in Surrey (the location of our school) to Guernsey (where Rory and his family lived) via Poole (across on the ferry). It involves about 130 miles of riding over 2 days. Because of my interest in the sport I was asked to come up with a suitable route and provide some general advice on training. The guys have varied abilities, from some serious cyclists to the novice (£200 mountain bike that has been stuck in the garage for the last 5 years) - so should be fun! Anyway, the team are looking for any support. We have a fundraising page:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/RideforRory

So what about the Ironman - my intention was always to continue my support of a local Charity that certainly needs all the help it can get. Chestnut Tree House is the only children's hospice in Sussex and does a fantastic job of supporting families going through a very tough journey. Unfortunately the hospice gets very little assistance from the Government and depends on the generosity of the local community to keep its door opens. A link to this fundraising page is listed below:

http://www.justgiving.com/David-Pegler2012

I really do appreciate any support, however small, for any of these wonderful charities and thank everyone for all the best wishes that I have had to date and certainly continue to receive.

11th week of training: 20 weeks to IM Austria

First week completed under the new training program. A lot more varied than my previous basic program and much more specific to improving my weaknesses and building strength, which will be important as both the volume and intensity increases.

So the plan was to complete 11 hours 50 mins. I think I managed just under 11 hours. Up to Saturday I was right on track, however the plan for Sunday was a long ride of 3.5 hours. Despite the below freezing conditions my intentions were good and off I went on my mountain bike (roads generally too icy for training). I headed up to the top of the Downs where I think the temperature dropped a few more degrees. I was well 'geared-up' with 2 pairs of gloves, thick 'seal-skin' socks and overshoes together with a few layers covering the rest of my body. I think I looked more like a 'Ninja' going out for a bike ride. Despite all my precautions I was freezing, my finger tips were especially painful. So after 1.5 hours of mountain biking I did what any sensible person would do (not necessarily the Ironman way) and headed for home.

Feeling guilty that I had only completed less than half of my 3.5 hour session I jumped on the turbo for a quality hour session in Zone 2. Generally you can double the time on a turbo compared to outdoor riding, so my thinking was 1 hour on the turbo (worth 2 hours of credit) and 1.5 hours on the mountain bike - making the magic 3.5 hours. I hope my Coach is happy with that - I certainly should get a B+ for effort!

Anyway, onto this week - 11th week and only 20 weeks to go to the big day!!!

No rest day, although the program is much more structured to allow some recovery from the harder sessions. BT - indicates 'Break Through' or key sessions:

Mon - Swim (1 hour) / BT: Strength session (30mins)
Tue - Run (1 hour)
Wed - Cycle: turbo (45 mins) / Swim (1.5 hours)
Thu - Run (30 mins)
Fri - Cycle: turbo (1 hour)
Sat - Swim (1 hour) / Off-road Run (1 hour)
Sun - Cycle (3.5 hours)

Similar volume to last week. For easch session there are very specific instructions as to target HR zones, cadence, strength etc., which I will not go into detail here (may refer to in later blog entries).

Just a couple of tweaks I might have to make (to be agreed with the Coach). He has me on the track with the Club on Tuesday evening (Valentine's Day) - This may not go down so well with Mrs P - so I intend to do this session around lunchtime. I am missing my commuting but realise I need to make them quality training sessions and not 'junk miles'. I will see what the weather is like and how I feel on Friday but may opt for a commute rather than a turbo session. The return leg will be very easy (zone 1) so I am still relatively for Sat / Sun sessions.

Morning run in the light snow

Quick update - last night (around 9:30pm) I jumped on the 'Turbo Trainer' for a 50min session - 10 min warm up / 30 min (10x 20 cranks in biggest gear - hardest effort - 50-60rpm then easy spin - each set 3 min) / 10 min cool down. Mostly Zone1-2 session.

Then this morning I wiped the snow off the car (only about an inch) and headed for Brighton Marina to practice some hill repeats (6x repeats on the drive from the bottom of the Marina to the top of the cliffs and back down - top left-hand picture). Then it was along the undercliff walkway for about 10-15 min before climbing back to the top of the cliffs for the undulating return to the Marina (nice shot - 2nd picture).

Tomorrow a club swim and some harder turbo work. Sunday - long cycle ride: 3.5 hours planned.

Why???? Because one day I will be an Ironman!

In the Hurtbox

The 'Hurtbox' - the term my Coach used as I was nearing the end of my recent cycling fitness test and my body was starting to say 'enough!'.

Video downloaded to Facebook (link below):

https://fbcdn-video-a.akamaihd.net/cfs-ak-ash4/440874/103/10150650781796215_50885.mp4?oh=e61ce596d75a7887742bc4511b699ae4&oe=4F361800&__gda__=1328945152_d1008b218d83130270c1ce50e2ed3f70

A pleasant start to the morning

A pleasant start to the morning - it certainly appears to be getting significantly lighter in the mornings, albeit it is still a little fresh.

So I have actually been training now for around 10 weeks (where has the time gone!). My program over the following few weeks will start to become more specific to my main 'A' race - IM Austria. The switch from the more steady 'Base' training to the 'Build' phase will be incorporated into my new bespoke training program, design by my recently appointed Coach - Mark Tickner (Coach4Tri).

I have already completed 3 sessions from the new program and have approx 11-12 hours in total this week. A summary of the activities is as follows:

Mon - 45min strength / 1hr cycle
Tue - 45min run
Wed - 30min run / 1.5hr Club swim
Thu - 1hr cycle
Fri - 45min run
Sat - 1hr Club swim / 1hr cycle
Sun - 3.5hr cycle

The big difference is that each session has very specific instructions from the Coach - I normally have to read the details a few times so I fully understand the objective. So whereas my previous program listed a 1 hour cycle in zone 2 (not that I properly knew my zones anyway) a similar activity from my Coach may list a warm up, cadence, power and HR targets, sets of speed work or big chain ring / force rep work, together with technique recommendations.

My strength work, which I completed yesterday morning, incorporated lunges, squats, step-ups (including weights). This was a BT (Break-Through) session, which I was informed was important or key to my training and follows neatly on from my fitness test, when my hip strength was confirmed as a weakness.

After an easy zone 1 turbo spinning session last night I was running this morning focusing on good form with a high cadence (88+ RPM) and flat footstrike with weight toward ball of foot (not on toes), all in a target heart rate zone - lot to think about!

So I am now off to record the details and report back to my Coach via the Training Peaks software / website.

Fitness test - lot to take in!

After a good 24-36 hours of no training and no food /caffeine for 3 hours beforehand I was ready for my Vo2 max / lactate threshold fitness test with the Coach (Mark Tickner - Coach4Tri).

I found the whole experience very interesting and just realised how little I know about the technical side of training, understanding your body and how well it functions in the sport of triathlon. To be honest, up to now you could say I have been training to become fit rather than be a triathlete.

Before the test started there was a bit of useful advice in respect of bike maintenance. My headset was a little loose because my front forks were cut short (previous owner!). In fact, the Coach recommended I should not ride it until it is sorted - potentially unsafe. Fortunately I think I can get away with taking a carbon spacer out and dropping the aerobars rather than purchase a new longer front fork. Elsewhere there was some fine tuning of brakes and gears and some simple lubing to get rid of a few squeaks.

In terms of the test I jumped on my tri bike, which was connected to a TACX turbo, calibrated beforehand to measure power (Watts) accurately. I had a mask on plugged into a machine and PC to measure some O2 and CO2 data, Vo2, volume of air, all kinds of interesting stuff, together with a calculation when my energy systems convert from aerobic to anaerobic. In addition it plotted an interesting chart on how my body burnt fat - back to this later. During the test the Coach took blood from my ear to get some readings on the lactate. Elsewhere another PC attached to the turbo measured Power, speed etc. - all high tech stuff!

So the idea was that after 5-10 mins warm up I was asked to increase my power by 30 watts every 5 mins until I was about cooked and then a final 10-20 seconds all out until your body effectively gives up. I started about 150 watts (4/10 effort) and moved through the 30 watt increases steadily with blood being taken every 5 min for the lactate reading. By the time I got to 240 watts (good 6/10 effort) I was beginning to feel the pain. I managed to do 5 mins at 270 watts (8/10 effort) but my body was starting to suffer at 300 (9/10 effort). The Coach was carefully monitoring all my vital signs and knew when to demand the last 10-20 seconds push. Thereafter I had a short recovery before getting back to 150 watts, which helps to provide data about how long it takes your body to recover.

I don't expect to understand all the data (the Coach is going to send me a report) but the key points are as follows:

1. In terms of my cycling position - not too bad, however whereas my left leg looks quite effective (drives up and down like a piston) my right leg moves a little to the left and right. The Coach recommended some strength work to help cure the problem - lots of lunges, squats, raises etc.

2. My fitness appeared OK - my VO2 numbers also (not that I know what that means!) The problem lies in the use of my energy systems. The graph for how I use fats was a little all over the place, which could be a problem during a long endurance race like an Ironman. The Coach reckons that based on the numbers I could run out of juice, probably during the run, and end up doing the 'Ironman shuffle' to the end. My fitness will probably get me over the line but it may not be the most pleasurable experience! The reason for this is likely to be based on my narrow range of training and going out on group rides where I have not focused on my zones and generally not had enough good long quality sessions at the right pace. Something the Coach will focus on in my training plan.

3. From the data my lactate threshold (the level my energy systems typically move from aerobic / anaerobic) is HR 150 bpm. The max HR calculated on the test I think was 167 bpm. From the lactate threshold numbers my training heart rate zones for biking were calculated as follows (a broader range than I was previously working to):

1. Recovery: 99-120
2. Aerobic: 121-134
3. Tempo: 135-141
4. Sub lactate threshold: 142-150
5. Super lactate threshold: 151-154
6. Aerobic Capacity: 155-159
7. Anaerobic Capacity: 160-165

I am looking forward to the next phase, which involves constructing a plan around this data and the confirmed weaknesses. I have long questionnaire to complete in relation to my current training / lifestyle to provide the Coach with all the information he needs to construct a suitable bespoke plan. The plan will get loaded to Training Peaks, probably the best and most respected on-line training tool - more on that later.

Very chilly training conditions

The good news is there no ice but the bad news it has got a little chilly over the last few days.

My fingers were completely numb from the cold for most of my commute home last night. Note to myself - wear my thinner running gloves under my thicker cycyling gloves on those cold days.

This morning I did venture out but decided on a shorter interval session rather than a longer easy pace run - simply to keep warm. I fired up the new Garmin FR60 watch and set the interval program for Warm up - 6x (1min fast; 2 min recovery) - Cool down. Job done, back to the office for hot shower.

If the temperature drops further I expect I will be doing more of my training on the turbo in the garage. I am looking into to borrowing a treadmill, which will also help with training in cold conditions. However, I would prefer not to go to the expense of joining a gym.

Let's hope for slightly warmer conditions - at least it is getting lighter in the mornings.

Club swim tonight and then a day's rest planned for Thursday. Happy training x