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!